DiamondCentric

The San Diego Padres are in a weird place this winter. On one hand, this is a team that is on the cusp of title contention. They reached the National League Division Series in 2024 and won 90 games again in '25 on the strength of a really strong pitching staff. But with key arms set to depart (Dylan Cease, Michael King) or miss all of next year (Yu Darvish), a need for offense, and assumed budget constraints, it remains to be seen whether they can get over those final few steps toward championship realization. With that said, we can assume that at least some of their position players will have their names floating out in the trade ether. Whether that's in connection to filling a need or shedding additional dollars will add some complexity to the rumors, but given the number of (backloaded) long-term contracts on the books, it would probably make some degree of sense on paper to get the payroll sheet looking at least a little bit healthier. By now, you've probably seen some suggestion that Fernando Tatis Jr. could be among the names the Padres explore a trade of this offseason. He's under contract through 2034 on a deal that gets mighty pricey toward the tail-end. With his elite defense and an above-average bat (that has lost some power), one doesn't have to stretch to see the logic in moving him from a pure dollars perspective. But even with his power decline, Tatis still represents one of the most stable entities on this roster. His approach has improved while his quality of contact has remained as good as ever. As such, it's nearly impossible to imagine such a deal coming to fruition, both from a personnel and an optics standpoint. You're unraveling your pursuit of a title at that point with several ramifications to come after, including hurting franchise valuation (in case a sale actually happens). The same could be said of Manny Machado. On a contract that runs through 2033, we've seen Machado carry the offense for long stretches. Even if his defense has started to decline, the stability he provides in the lineup (even at a slight power decrease reflected in a .185 ISO in 2025) and in the clubhouse is something that the Padres aren't going to be terribly interested in moving. Beyond that duo, however, one imagines there's going to be some interest in the part of the Padres in exploring a move of one of their other two long-term position contracts: Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth. Bogaerts' contract is surely the one the Padres would love to move. His right-handed bat hasn't been a great fit at Petco Park, as reflected by a steep power decline since his arrival in San Diego (.123 ISO combined over the last two seasons). He was able to salvage some value after an abysmal start to the '25 season (104 wRC+) and has added improved baserunning and defense to his skill set. Teams could use that toolbox, in a vacuum. But — and as the Padres would probably realize by needing to replace him — it's a skillset that could be had for a lot cheaper. If a team were to take him on, it would require consumption of significant dollars on the part of San Diego. Such a deal would be a logistical nightmare, even if it would be the preferred move of the available candidates. Even for a team in need of help at shortstop that has a healthy financial outlook (think Detroit or, potentially, Toronto), it's not something that would come together with any sort of ease... and maybe not even any real financial benefit given the precarious spot in which the Padres are purported to be. Which is why Jake Cronenworth could be the likeliest to be moved of the longer-term position players on this roster. We'll explore the merits of a Cronenworth-specific move in the near future, but you've got a player whose original deal was for seven years and $80 million. He's never been the power bat that he appeared to be back in 2021, but he's a versatile player with a keen approach. His 13.4 percent walk rate was the 12th-best among qualifiers this season. Capable of playing either second or first, it's an affordable contract, even if it runs through 2030. Teams reportedly inquired on Cronenworth prior to the deadline, and if the Padres are looking to clear out some of their long-term obligations, then there's a certain logic to it. But that's the thing about moving any of these position players. Logic exists if you examine things from the Padre perspective. Clearing out money or term is in ownership's interest. But you leave a massive void in moving a Tatis or a Machado. Not to mention the brutal optics. You have to eat money to move Bogaerts. And you'd have to backfill the entire right side of the infield if you move Cronenworth, the most affordable of the bunch. It's quite a paradox which A.J. Preller will have to navigate this winter while simultaneously trying to build a starting staff from near-scratch and shore up the bullpen facing departures and potential transitions. It leaves a chance for a huge mess, though it does lend itself to plenty of intrigue, to say the least. View the full article

The Toronto Blue Jays have long been linked to Munetaka Murakami, but they may favor another NPB star with fewer red flags in Kazuma Okamoto. View the full article

Twins 5: A rundown of a handful of recent Minnesota Twins news items. Today's video reacts to Derek Falvey's comments from the GM meetings about wanting to add this offseason, the lack of MLB playing experience on the Twins coaching staff, Royce Lewis' first impression of new manager Derek Shelton and a whole lotta bullpen talk.View the full article

Game Results: Monday, 11/10 | Peoria 2, Surprise 1 (7 innings) Tuesday, 11/11 | Peoria 3, Mesa 5 (7 innings) Wednesday, 11/12 - Division Series Playoff Game | Glendale 7, Peoria 8 Thursday, 11/13 - AFL Play-in Semifinals | Peoria 9, Scottsdale 4 Friday, 11/14 - AFL Championship | Peoria 4, Surprise 9 While Peoria finished the season with a 12-15 record that was good for fourth in the overall standings, with the changes to how the AFL playoffs function, they still had a chance—just like everybody else. They took advantage of it. Peoria scored four runs late in Wednesday's playoff opener to steal the game from the Glendale Desert Dogs. On Thursday, against the league-leading Scottsdale Scorpions, they kept that momentum going, building a 4-0 lead early and pulling away in the middle frames to reach the AFL Championship. Twins farmhand Miguelangel Boadas took the mound for Peoria against Surprise on Friday, with the coveted AFL banner on the line. He did his part and then some over the first three innings. The team took a 4-2 lead into the eighth inning, but that’s where it fell apart for the rest of their pitching staff. Maybe one or two more of the Twins players should have gotten the ball. The Saguaros stormed into the lead with a 7-run inning, and the title hopes of your Twins prospects were dashed. (I will note that the “overall” numbers shown below do not include the Javelinas' three playoff games, but they are included in the weekly numbers.) OF Hendry Mendez Week (did not play) Overall: .300/.391/.500 Outfielder Hendry Mendez had to leave the AFL to attend to a personal matter all the way back in week 2, and was not able to return. He had made the start in the outfield in five games for the Javelinas, and had at least one hit in all of them. He also hit the first home run in the league, all the way back on Opening Day. While many speculated that Mendez would see time at first base during the AFL season, that opportunity never came up. He hit .299/.399/.439 in Double A with the Phillies and Twins organizations in 2025, and with 118 games under his belt at that level, he should debut with the St. Paul Saints to start 2026. IF Brandon Winokur Week (5 games): 5-for-18, 2 R, 3 2B, RBI, BB, 6 K Overall (21 games): .192/.277/.315, 10 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 9 BB, 19 K, 2 SB Winokur played in all five of Peoria's games in the final week, and did some damage with the balls he put in play. He played third base in every game, batting in the bottom third of the lineup. His lone RBI came on Tuesday, when he drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning that put the Javelinas up by one. In their first-round playoff matchup, he finished 2-for-4 with a double and scored two runs. He added another double in their semifinal win on Thursday, helping them to jump out to a 4-0 lead after two innings. In the championship game, his single in the top of the sixth loaded the bases, and a groundout from the next batter put them ahead 4-0 at the time. While Winokur’s overall numbers may not jump off the page in the AFL or at the lower levels of the minors thus far, I’ve been impressed by his abilities in big moments. He has every athletic tool imaginable as well, so I wouldn’t count out a breakout in 2026 with the Wind Surge. IF Billy Amick Week (1 game): 0-for-3, 2 K Overall (11 games): .033/.293/.033, R, 8 BB, 20 K Amick got his final action of the season in the Javelinas' final game of the regular season, batting ninth and playing first base on Tuesday. He was called out on strikes in his first at-bat and flew out to right in his second. After Winokur had drawn his bases-loaded walk to put Peoria in front, Amick had a chance to break the game open in the top of the sixth. Instead, he went down looking again. While I’m sure Amick never wants to see the playing fields of Arizona again, his 2025 season was a very successful one with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. His WRC+ of 152 ranked fourth in the Midwest League among players with at least 240 plate appearances. You might also be surprised to learn that he sits right ahead of breakout shortstop prospect Kaelen Culpepper on that leaderboard, who finished at 147 with the Kernels. RHP Miguel Boadas Week (1 start): 3 IP, 2 H, 4 K Overall (4 appearances): 1-0, 1.54 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .158 BAA, 9 BB, 8 K (11 2/3 IP) Boadas finished a very successful return to the mound in the AFL by making the start for the Javelinas in the AFL Championship game. He delivered. After Peoria had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Boadas took the mound and struck out the side in the bottom half, inducing seven swings and misses in the frame. With a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second, he got the first two outs (including another strikeout) before allowing a pair of singles. He induced a grounder to escape that rally unscathed. In his final frame, he got all three hitters to ground out for another 1-2-3 inning. He breezed through the Saguaros on 45 pitches, with 30 going for strikes (67%) and 10 total whiffs. He topped out at 97.8 MPH with his fastball and had the Javelinas in great position for an upset after three frames. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. Boadas was definitely the star of the AFL when it comes to Twins prospects. While you might look at the strikeout-to-walk ratio and say “hold on,” these were stats from a guy who had not been on a mound in well over a year. Boadas showed excellent stuff, with a sinking fastball in the 95-98 MPH range, a cutter that got weak contact, and a slider that picked up whiffs at a good clip. He should be on everyone’s radar going into the 2026 season, and I’m sure he was on the short list of candidates to take home the Breakout Player of the Year award. LHP Zander Sechrist Week (1 appearance): 1/3 IP, H Overall (7 appearances): 0-0, 2.45 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, .240 BAA, 4 BB, 6 K (7 1/3 IP) Sechrist was given a hard assignment in his lone appearance during the week, coming in with runners on second and third base with two outs after the Solar Sox had just taken a 4-3 lead. Although they added one more run on the infield single he gave up, they also caught the other runner napping around third, so he got out of the inning by facing just one batter. The undrafted lefty may not have the big fastball that gets pitching prospects noticed, but he is also a legend at the University of Tennessee. His dominant pitching throughout the College World Series helped propel them to the national title in 2024, and I love guys who succeed by throwing nothing but “junk” that gives hitters fits. RHP Dylan Questad Week (did not pitch) Overall (5 appearances): 0-1, 15.19 ERA, 3.38 WHIP, .238 BAA, 13 BB, 5 K (5 1/3 IP) The right-hander was not called upon to pitch during the season's final week, including during any of the Javelinas' playoff games. It’s a bit hard to be trusted while walking nearly three hitters per inning, which is something the Wisconsin native will have to work on. With the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels in 2025, Questad had a nice strikeout rate of 10.0 per nine innings, but paired that with 7.5 walks per nine. RHP Jakob Hall Week (1 appearance): 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 K Overall (7 appearances): 0-2, 10.13 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, .400 BAA, BB, 6 K (8 IP) While Sechrist was the pitcher who had to clean up a mess on Tuesday against the Solar Sox, it was Hall who had gotten them into it. He came into the game to begin the fifth inning with the score 2-2, and set Mesa down in order, needing just eight pitches to do so. Back out for the sixth, he gave up a leadoff single, but struck out the next two hitters to put himself back in control. But then a single, a single, and a double put the Solar Sox in front for good and ended his outing. The Twins' 8th-round pick in the 2024 draft from Oral Roberts University, Hall also isn’t known for big velocity, but he does get some swings and misses on his breaking stuff and limits walks. He pitched 54 innings with the Mighty Mussels in 2025, but will need to put away more hitters while moving up, as that came with a 6.83 ERA. RHP Hunter Hoopes Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, 3 K Overall (7 appearances): 0-2, 10.13 ERA, 2.13 WHIP, .273 BAA, 8 BB, 10 K (8 IP) Hoopes’s one appearance during the final week was electric, as he came on to protect a 2-1 Javelinas lead in the bottom of the sixth inning of a seven-inning contest. He struck out all three hitters he faced swinging, inducing four swings and misses total among his 15 pitches (10 for strikes). All three of the knockout pitches were changeups. After signing with the Twins midsummer in 2024, Hoopes pitched in relief at three different levels during the 2025 season. He was barely hittable with the Mighty Mussels (0.95 WHIP) and even less hittable with the Kernels (0.64 WHIP), before finally having some trouble in Double A with the Wind Surge (1.21 WHIP). He should be a big piece of the Wichita bullpen to begin the 2026 season. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects playing in the AFL this week! View the full article

It's Decision Day for Shota Imanaga, to whom the Cubs extended the qualifying offer two weeks ago. He doesn't currently count as a member of the organization, but if he accepts the offer, he'll go right back onto the 40-man roster. Right now, there's lots of room for him, but while he makes a decision about his own future, the Cubs have decisions to make about those of several of their prospects who would otherwise become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Tuesday is the deadline for teams to add players set to be eligible (based on the age at which they entered pro ball and the number of seasons they've played since signing) for the Rule 5 to the 40-man roster, thus protecting them from being selected. The Cubs need to protect several players, including infielder Pedro Ramírez and pitchers Brody McCullough and Brandon Birdsell. James Triantos, who was briefly in league with the team's top hitting prospects (Owen Caissie, Moisés Ballesteros and Kevin Alcántara) as they climbed the ladder, has stalled out in the high minors and enters Tuesday as an edge case. The Cubs have the open spaces to spare, for the moment, but if they have as active an offseason as Jed Hoyer envisions, they'll need to keep a few slots on their 40-man open for external additions. The main question with any Rule 5 protection decision is whether the player is likely to be taken if left unprotected. Any team who selects a player in the draft (which takes place at next month's Winter Meetings) would have to keep them on the big-league roster all year, or offer them back to their original team, so the Cubs just need to decide whether they believe anyone will be able to carry Triantos in the majors all year. If not, they can leave him off the list. If, alternatively, they just no longer believe in Triantos, the conclusion is the same. Triantos, 22, was a second-round pick in 2021, and has flashed a plus hit tool at some points during his professional career. However, injuries and a lack of power have stunted his development. In 538 plate appearances with Triple-A Iowa over the last two seasons, he's batted just .266/.322/.371, with 7 home runs. He does offer speed and versatility, but he's not a plus at any important defensive position, and while those numbers might be respectable for a slick-fielding middle infielder in the majors, they're underwhelming (to say the least) coming from a bat-first player still waiting to get the call. Ramírez, 21, is in position to simply take over whatever role the Cubs once hoped Triantos would fill. In 2025, he spent the whole season at Double-A Knoxville, where he batted .280/.346/.386. Those were virtually identical numbers to the ones he put up at High-A South Bend in 2024. He's no future star, but he looks like a solid, well-rounded backup at multiple infield positions, with upside from there. It's likely that the team protects him and lets Triantos dangle. Some of the day's other interesting calls will be on arms. Iowa starter Connor Noland doesn't have a plus pitch, but he was healthy and effective in Triple A in 2025 and offers high-floor, low-ceiling depth. Brandon Birdsell, who had climbed prospect lists and was my sleeper pick to contribute to the parent club when the team reported to spring training, almost immediately went down with a shoulder ailment that cost him the whole season. If he's healthy now, he's worth protecting from selection. The number of vacancies on their 40-man also opens the door to some trades today. The Cubs are in position to swoop in, should another team find themselves in a roster crunch and either not be able to add a player with upside or want to ship out someone taking up a precious 40-man place. By no means do Jed Hoyer and company want to end the day with their roster full, but even if they only add three or four of their current prospects to the slate, they might fill another two spots Tuesday, as well. Imanaga's decision will grab the most headlines, but there will be lots of other activity throughout the league. View the full article

The Boston Red Sox made a bevy of roster moves Tuesday afternoon in the lead-up to the deadline of being able to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft. Entering the day, the Red Sox 40-man roster was full as it was expected for the team to make some room to open a spot for pitcher David Sandlin. Instead, the team began the flurry of roster moves by trading Luis Guerrero to the Tampa Bay Rays for infielder Tristan Gray, per MassLive's Chris Cotillo. Guerrero, who had been previously designated for assignment and went unclaimed, didn’t open any roster spot but instead put the team at 41 players on the 40-man roster. The need for an opening led the Red Sox to designate Nathaniel Lowe for assignment. The first baseman joined Boston in August after being released by the Washington Nationals. He helped to provide stability at first base after the team had relied on a combination of Abraham Toro and Romy González. Appearing in 34 games, Lowe hit .280/.370/.420 with six doubles, a triple, two home runs, and 16 RBIs. Projected to earn around $13.5 million in arbitration, Lowe was viewed as a non-tender candidate, so the announcement of being DFA’d was not much of a surprise. The team followed the roster turnover by designating Josh Winckowski for assignment. Winckowski, the last remaining player in the system from the Andrew Benintendi trade, was viewed as another non-tender candidate due to other relievers having passed him on the depth chart. After a surprise campaign in 2023 that saw him become a trusted option in Alex Cora’s bullpen, Winckowski was never able to repeat that success as he struggled in 2024 before a flexor strain in his right elbow limited him to six games with Boston in 2025. Winckowski pitched in 121 games during his four seasons in Boston, making 21 starts. The right-hander went 13-14 with five saves and a 4.20 ERA in 242 1/3 innings pitched. With those moves, Boston saw their 40-man roster drop to 39, leaving room to add at least one player. But the team wasn’t finished; they would move another reliever a few hours later. With 33 minutes until the deadline to protect players, the Red Sox shipped left-hander Chris Murphy to the Chicago White Sox, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. In return, the Red Sox received catcher Ronny Hernandez. Murphy made his debut with Boston in 2023, where the left-hander appeared in 20 games for the team. Through July, he pitched well, allowing just five earned runs across 28 1/3 innings, suggesting he could be a key bullpen piece if the team hoped to overcome injuries to its starting pitchers. Unfortunately, he fell off in August from possibly being overused, allowing 17 earned runs in 14 1/3 innings before only tossing five innings in September. Murphy would miss the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April of 2024. He would return in 2025, appearing in 23 games and going 3-0 with a 3.12 ERA in 34 2/3 innings. For his career, Murphy pitched in 43 games for Boston and had a 4.15 ERA in 82 1/3 innings. Hernandez is 21 years old and spent the 2025 season with Single-A Kannapolis, where he hit .251/.344/.336 with 12 doubles, one triple, four home runs, and 34 RBIs. Hernandez signed with the White Sox at 17 in 2022, and he immediately played in the DSL, throwing out 51% of base stealers. In 2025, he appeared in 64 games behind the plate, committing 10 errors in 622 defensive chances. He also threw out 24% of base stealers, up from 14% in 2024. Now down to 38 players on the 40-man roster, David Sandlin was added to the roster as reported by SoxProspects’ Andrew Parker. Sandlin was the one prospect everyone expected to be added to the roster, but it ended up being that he wasn’t alone. Chris Cotillo soon added that both Shane Drohan and Tyler Uberstine were also to be added, the two pitchers having previously been viewed as candidates, but it was unclear whether they would be added. Both spent most of the 2025 season in Worcester, pitching well enough to gain the attention of the front office to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. With Worcester, Drohan appeared in 12 games, making 11 starts and going 5-1 with a 2.27 ERA in 47 2/3 innings pitched. What stuck out for him was his 67 strikeouts in that span. Uberstine made 19 appearances for Worcester, going 6-4 with a 3.56 ERA in 91 innings. He also struck out 102 batters. With the 40-man roster back up to 41 players, the Red Sox made one more trade to bring it back down to 40 players as they shipped left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino to Colorado for minor leaguer Braiden Ward, as first reported by Beyond the Monster’s Hunter Noll. Bernardino joined the Red Sox back in 2023 after the team claimed him off waivers from Seattle, and he immediately became one of Cora’s most-used relievers during his tenure with the team. In three seasons with Boston, Bernardino appeared in 169 games, making 12 starts as an opener and going 10-8 with a 3.47 ERA across 155 2/3 innings. During that time, he struck out 157 batters and walked 68 while allowing just 11 home runs. Ward, who plays center field, left field, and second base, split last season between Double-A and Triple-A, where he hit a combined .290/.395/.391 with 17 doubles, four triples, two home runs, and 37 RBIs in 97 games. Most of Ward’s playing time in 2025 came in the outfield, playing 78 of his 97 games between left field and center field. He did play six games at second base and three at third base. Center field appears to be his best position defensively, as he’s made just four errors there in 456 defensive chances in his career. Boston finished the day by trading pitcher Alex Hoppe to the Seattle Mariners for catcher Luke Heyman, per Tim Healey of the Boston Globe. Hoppe, who was drafted by the Red Sox in 2022, split 2025 between Portland and Worcester, appearing in 44 games. The right-hander tossed 61 1/3 innings, striking out 73 batters and walking 34. He also had a 4.55 ERA. Hoppe was best known for his fastball, which could reach triple digits, and his slider, which, when he was on, could make batters look silly. Hoppe appeared in 123 games with the Boston organization, tossing 176 innings and striking out 203 batters. Heyman was Seattle’s 14th-round pick in this year’s draft, having played three years of college baseball for the University of Florida. In 2025, Heyman played in 49 games, hitting .301/.397/.578 with seven doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, and 44 RBIs. He did not play in any professional games after being drafted. Craig Breslow had a busy Tuesday as he overhauled the backend of the 40-man roster while adding prospects into the system. The offseason has only been in session for a few weeks, but Breslow seems willing to make moves, and it should make for an interesting offseason. View the full article

Last season, when I approached this series, the Twins’ roster was in a very different place. Minnesota looked like a playoff contender for much of the 2024 season, before an epic collapse. In 2025, the fall came much earlier, and the front office dealt away multiple core pieces at the trade deadline. It’s tough not to wonder if the winning window has abruptly shut on the current core. As the Minnesota Twins gear up for the 2026 season, the focus shifts to the core group of players who form the backbone of the roster. Some players have cemented their place as long-term building blocks, while others could be valuable trade assets. In this article, we rank the Twins' most important pieces at the big-league level, considering their impact and the likelihood of them being traded before the 2026 season. 10. RP Cole Sands Pros: Sands emerged as one of Minnesota’s most reliable bullpen arms in 2025, giving the team late-inning stability at a time when it desperately needed it. His splitter was worth seven runs, and his 6.4% walk rate was among the best quartile in the league. With three years of team control remaining, Sands offers cost-effective value at a position that constantly turns over. Cons: The Twins have limited options for the bullpen, so it seems unlikely that the front office will trade another reliever. While Sands was a needed bright spot, his track record is still inconsistent. As the Twins showed at the deadline, teams often look to sell high on relievers, and middle reliever is a high-volatility, non-premium role. A club searching for bullpen help could view Sands as an appealing second piece in a larger deal. His limited ceiling compared to other controllable pitchers also factors into Minnesota's long-term roster building. Trade Likelihood: Low Minnesota values the role Sands fills, and unless a trade package specifically targets him, it is hard to see the team pushing him out the door. 9. 3B Royce Lewis Pros: When healthy, Lewis remains one of the most dynamic talents in the organization. Last season, I ranked him at the top of this list, but his 2025 performance dropped him. The Twins hoped that his early-career offensive performance would make him a franchise cornerstone. Even in 2025, Lewis showed improved defense at third base, with one OAA. Offensively, his 73.6 bat speed was in the 72nd percentile, and the rate at which he pulled the ball in the air (24.5%) continued to rank well. Cons: Durability remains the defining question. Multiple significant injuries have kept Lewis off the field, and Minnesota must evaluate how much they can count on him. Even with this season’s improvements, his defensive future is unclear, and depending on roster construction, the Twins may question whether he fits best at third base, designated hitter, or somewhere else entirely. If the front office believes another club is willing to pay full value for his upside, the door is at least cracked open. Trade Likelihood: Medium While the Twins are far from eager to move Lewis, he is one of the few players who could be traded to shake up the team’s offensive core. That keeps the possibility in play. 8. SS Brooks Lee Pros: Lee took over the team’s starting shortstop role after the club dumped Carlos Correa at the trade deadline. His athletic ability is worse than Correa’s at shortstop, but he can hold down the position, with -1 OAA in nearly 600 innings. Before his big-league debut, scouts praised him for his ability to control the zone, hit for average, and produce tough, professional at-bats. This season, he ranked in the 74th percentile or higher in both avoiding strikeouts and squaring up the ball, thereby getting the most out of his bat speed. The Twins have no other options for shortstop, so they would need to be blown away by a trade offer for Lee. With five years of control remaining, Lee looks like a core piece in the making. Cons: His ceiling may not be as high as some of Minnesota’s other young hitters, and that could make him expendable in the right deal. If another club views Lee as a ready-made solution at a premium position, the Twins might have the opportunity to address a glaring organizational need. There is also the looming question of where Lee fits long-term if the front office believes he can’t stick at shortstop. Trade Likelihood: Low The Twins have little incentive to trade Lee, and would require a significant return to even consider it. 7. SP Bailey Ober Pros: Entering last season, Ober looked like he had established himself as a dependable mid-rotation starter. He had impressive strike-throwing ability and a track record of durability. His size, delivery and command make him uniquely difficult for hitters to time. Last year, his walk rate, chase rate, and extension toward the plate at release ranked in the 93rd percentile or higher. With two years remaining in team control, he continues to be cost-effective. Cons: Ober’s margin for error remains thinner than that of the typical front-line starter. He struggled with a hip injury last season, which seemed to throw off his mechanics. When his fastball command wavers, hitters can elevate against him and produce damage quickly. His stuff is more solid than electric, which may make him more replaceable in the long term as top prospects move closer to the majors. Trade Likelihood: Medium-Low The Twins like what Ober brings, but as they reshape the rotation, they could listen if a team makes a compelling offer. However, his trade value might be at an all-time low. 6. OF Matt Wallner Pros: Like many Twins hitters, Wallner struggled in 2025—but he was still among the team’s best hitters, with a 110 OPS+. According to Baseball Reference, he was worth 6, relative to an average batter. He has game-changing power, with his Barrel rate, bat speed, and walk rate ranking in the 84th percentile or higher. His elite arm adds to his defensive value. When he is locked in, Wallner looks like the type of middle-of-the-order bat that Minnesota has been desperate to develop internally. Cons: His track record still contains peaks and valleys. Wallner’s offensive success relies heavily on his ability to maintain strike-zone discipline, and slumps get especially ugly. For instance, before going down at the end of the year, Wallner batted just .163/.293/.347 in September. With Minnesota’s growing outfield depth and the emergence of other left-handed bats, the front office must decide whether Wallner fits the long-term puzzle or represents one of their best trade chips. A club looking for controllable power could push for his inclusion. Trade Likelihood: Medium Wallner remains part of the Twins' plans, but his combination of upside and uncertainty makes him a realistic trade candidate, depending on the team’s offseason priorities. The Twins have a strong core for 2026, but that doesn’t mean they won’t explore trades to reshape the roster. Lee and Wallner are young, foundational players the team will probably build around, while others like Sands, Ober, and Lewis could be moved to fill other needs. The offseason will be critical, as the front office balances improving the team without disrupting its future success. Will any of the players above be traded this winter? Which player is the most critical building block? Leave a comment and start the discussion View the full article

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