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The San Diego Padres finished 90-72 last season, three games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. Their postseason run ended in a Game 3 Wild Card loss to the Chicago Cubs. Manager Mike Shildt left the dugout as a result, and newbie Craig Stammen has taken his place. All told, this is a roster capable of competing for a World Series title, but the margin for error is thin. With financial constraints, the Padres will find it hard to add free agents, making in-house depth essential for 2026. Let's examine their depth options at each position, starting with the middle infield. Second base Starter: Jake Cronenworth (31 years old, .246/.367/.377, 61 runs, 11 home runs, 59 RBIs, .744 OPS. 117 wRC+) Cronenworth will return for the 2026 season as the everyday starter at second base. He played in 135 games despite missing a month due to a fractured right rib after being hit by a pitch. The second baseman doesn't offer a great deal of power, but when he's played at least 155 games in a season, he has hit a minimum of 17 home runs. He's a reliable bat for the bottom-third of the lineup. Cronenworth will have no competition for starts unless he misses time due to injury; however, he's played at least 127 games in each of the last five seasons. Depth: Will Wagner (27 years old, .225/.324/.279, 15 runs, 7 RBIs, .603 OPS, 78 wRC+) Wagner appeared in 55 games in his second MLB season, joining the Padres from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline in exchange for Brandon Valenzuela. While he struggles offensively, he provides solid infield defense across multiple positions. Wagner, 27, won't compete with Cronenworth for innings but will fill in on days off or in case of injury. He is currently the only backup second baseman on the roster. With a weak farm system, additional depth would require a trade or free-agent signing. Shortstop Starter: Xander Bogaerts (33 years old, .263/.328/.391, 63 runs, 11 home runs, 53 RBIs, .720 OPS, 104 wRC+) Bogaerts exemplifies durability, having played at least 135 games in 10 of 12 seasons (excluding the shortened 2020 season). A four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger (all with the Boston Red Sox), the 33-year-old no longer delivers elite offensive numbers, though he'll run an above-average wRC+. The lineup does not require much from him if everyone else is clicking, but a return to form from the shortstop would go a long way to fixing what ails the offense. Despite limited production, Bogaerts posted 3.2 fWAR last season. He has only 22 home runs over the last two seasons despite 463-plus plate appearances each year. Due to his lengthy contract signed after his fifth Silver Slugger in 2022 (11 years, $280 million), he remains the team's shortstop for the foreseeable future, health permitting. Depth: Mason McCoy (30 years old, .136/.269/.182, five runs, 1 RBI, .451 OPS, 42 wRC+) McCoy has played only 43 games in his brief three-season career. He hit 21 home runs in 2023 for Triple-A Tacoma, an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. However, he has not matched that production since, hitting just five and 11 home runs in the last two seasons in Triple-A and failing to homer at the MLB level. Like Wagner, McCoy serves as the only backup at his position, at least for right now. The farm system remains depleted at every position, and shortstop offers no exception. So, if Bogaerts gets injured, the Padres will turn to McCoy unless Wagner shifts to the other side of second base. View the full article

If you grew up watching baseball in the late 2000s and 2010s, you know the name Cole Hamels. With silky smooth mechanics, one of MLB's best changeups, and movie-star good looks, he had a brilliant pitching career. For the first time this winter, Baseball Hall of Fame voters are being tasked with deciding whether or not Hamels is worthy of induction into Cooperstown. Peruse the list of Hall of Fame starting pitchers and you will see a variance in the caliber of careers. For every Walter Johnson and Cy Young, you have ten CC Sabathia/Waite Hoyt/Dazzy Vance types. Inductees exist on a spectrum, and if chosen, Hamels would certainly be on the lower end of that spectrum. His candidacy ought to be mulled over carefully. While a player's place in the history of the sport factors into their HOF candidacy, important, too, is where they rank among their contemporaries. The timing of Hamels' debut makes this particularly complicated. Breaking into the majors in 2006, Hamels got his feet wet in the midst of the golden years of Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz. They epitomized the last great era of starting pitcher workhorses. All four would be inducted in their first year of HOF eligibility. When Hamels debuted, MLB starters were averaging 5.8 innings per outing. By the time he announced his retirement in 2023, individual workloads had diminished to an average of 5.1 innings per start. The job description gradually changed in the interim. Hamels made the necessary adjustments along the way. Since 2006, he ranks fifth in bWAR and sixth in WAA (wins above average) among pitchers to throw at least 2,000 innings. His 123 ERA+ (100 represents league average) is tied with David Price for sixth. Broaden the scope of our search by an additional half-decade and Hamels still looks elite. Since 2001, he is the seventh-best pitcher on a bWAR per inning basis (.021), ahead of HOF ballot holdovers Mark Buehrle, Andy Pettitte, and Félix Hernández. Speaking of the latter, Hernández received an encouraging 20.6 percent of the vote in his first year of eligibility. For a player to be elected, they must receive votes on at least 75 percent of ballots cast. What Hernández lacks in terms of longevity, he nearly makes up for it in accolades. "The King" won an AL Cy Young in 2010, hurled a perfect game, and made six All-Star appearances. However, he had no postseason pedigree to speak of, having never thrown a single playoff pitch, with Seattle sporting just five winning seasons during his fifteen seasons in the majors. MLB Career Comparison Metric Cole Hamels Félix Hernández bWAR 59.0 49.8 IP 2,698.0 2,729.2 bWAR/IP 0.021 0.018 ERA 3.43 3.42 ERA+ 123 117 FIP 3.68 3.52 All-Star Selections 4 6 Cy Young Awards 0 1 Hamels, on the other hand, meaningfully added to his résumé in October. During the 2008 postseason, Hamels went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA over five starts in which he averaged seven innings a start, as the Phillies won their first World Series since 1980. Hamels would go on to receive NLCS and World Series MVP honors. Some more notable Hamels fun facts: He's one of 57 pitchers with at least 2,500 innings pitched and an ERA+ greater than 120, of which 32 are in the Hall of Fame. Three others—Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander—are destined to be elected once eligible. By WAR, Hamels is the 16th-most valuable pitcher in the Cy Young Award era (1956-present) to never win the hardware himself. To completely discount Cole Hamels' HOF candidacy is to be ignorant about how the role of the starting pitcher has evolved throughout the past two decades. It's difficult to imagine a 2026 induction for him, but over time, hopefully BBWAA voters evaluate his remarkable career with the proper context. View the full article

The Chicago Cubs have housed plenty of hyped prospects over the last few years. Players such as Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matt Shaw have been developed through the system and have become regulars for the major-league team. Rookies such as Owen Caissie and Moises Ballesteros both made debuts in the last year. Others like Kevin Alcantara and Jonathon Long have, at times, made appearances on Top-100 or honorable mentions lists. However, one prospect who hasn't gotten this type of love is 24-year-old catcher Owen Ayers. That tide is changing after his big performance this fall. Heading into the yearly Arizona Fall League, excitement around Cubs attendees was kind of low. Outside of Cole Mathis, there weren't really any big names the North Siders were sending. Even then, I failed to mention Owen Ayers as one of the four prospects I was going to be paying attention to; boy was I wrong. Not only was Ayers wonderful this fall, he was just named 2025 AFL Breakout Player of the Year. It's great that the catcher had a breakout performance, but figuring out what we should expect moving forward for is the difficult thing. Is Ayers someone who has been criminally slept on? Or is he a flash in the pan? Why you should be excited for Owen Ayers: A 1.130 OPS combined with a 22:10 walk to strikeout ratio over 88 plate appearances in Arizona is a good starting point for why he's worth following next season; that's just an excellent run of baseball. The Cubs' catcher ranked sixth in the league in OPS and hits, while also finishing second in on-base-percentage and first in walks. It was an eye-opening statistical performance, but one that was also supported by batted ball data. He averaged nearly a 95mph average exit velocity while absolutely hammering a few pitches for well over 105+mph. It's one thing to have great numbers, but another thing to really back it up with the underlying data. Ayer's impressive batted ball data was not just isolated to his time in Arizona either, as he finished in the 90th percentile of exit velocity during his 65 games in Myrtle Beach while finishing his time there with a 23.1 K% to go with a walk rate over 11%. Naturally, he was 26% better than league average overall. I don't want to make too much of this, but it should also be noted: Ayers hits from both sides of the plate, which makes him a unique hitter in today's changing landscape of specialization. Will Ayers stick to both sides? You certainly hope so, and it would give him a bit of a leg up; even if he's ultimately much better from one side, he has multiple platoon pathways. The more outcomes a player can have, the better chance he'll find success with one. Defensively, the Cubs' prospect is very young for his position. He switched from splitting time at first base and catching at Marshall to being a full-time catcher only in his senior year. He also showed out quite well in Arizona in this regard, tossing out a few runners with east. Baseball America wrote on October 31st that, "The two throws registered 81.2 and 81.4 mph and reached second base in 1.81 and 1.86 seconds, as measured by Hawk-Eye. Ayers, a 24-year-old Marshall alum, has now thrown out 31% of runners trying to steal against him in the AFL." There's still learning to be done, but the raw skills appear to be there. Why you should remain skeptical of Owen Ayers: First and foremost, Owen Ayers is 24 years old already. That shouldn't immediately eliminate a prospect from hype-train consideration, but should cause us to be a bit more skeptical. For example, while Ayers posted exceptional batted ball data in Myrtle Beach, the average age of a hitter in Single-A this season was just a hair above 21 years old. Ayers was nearly three years older than the average competitor in South Carolina; compared to some of these teenagers, he's a fully grown adult. Baseball America defined "old for his level" as one-and-a-half years above the average, meaning Ayers nearly doubled this metric. The Arizona Fall League, as well, is not known for it's excellent pitching. While top hitting prospects such as the Tigers' Kevin McGonigle and recent draft pick, Charlie Condon of the Rockies represented the offensive talent, teams rarely allow strong pitching prospects to expend extra bullets at this time of the year. So while, once again, Ayers posted excellent batted ball data and numbers, an asterisk reminding us all about his level of competition needs to be added at the end. What should we make of Owen Ayers? I think finding the middle ground between being excited about his performance and skepticism about his age and competition level is the right answer. Being that the bar for what makes a good hitting catcher is so low (a 94 wRC+ was league average this season and this was a year in which saw offensive outbursts from Cal Raleigh, Drake Baldwin and Carson Kelly), even if you're skeptical about his age relative to his competition, he doesn't ever have to be amazing to find a home. He's also still learning the position, so while he's not a defensive maven yet, but there are enough physical tools that make you believe he could get there. Working against him, however, is just how far he's going to need to go in a short-amount of time. In 2026, you'd realistically like to see him finish the year in Tennessee, so that by age 26 he's in Iowa and knocking on MLB's door, but that's also asking a 19th-round pick to move three levels in two years. A tall task indeed. Would I pencil Owen Ayers into my personal top-10 Cubs prospects because of a good 65-game stretch in Myrtle Beach, or a strong 88-plate-appearance showing in the AFL? Nope! I wouldn't have him in my top-15 and I think he would sit outside of my personal top-20 as well (he was not listed, for example, in Prospect Live's top-20). Instead, I'd highlight his name as someone to watch very closely in 2026, because while he might not make my top-20 today, a hot two-month-start in South Bend would strap a rocket to his back and make him highly intriguing. I don't think the lack of making a list is a reason to ignore someone, and heck, Ayers is probably more interesting to follow, than say, Nick Dean, the Cubs' 19th-round selection who Prospect's Live listed 19th on their list. What do you think of Owen Ayers as we head into the 2026 season? Where would he rank in your prospect list? Do you believe in the hype? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

Milwaukee had many amazing moments during an improbably good 2025 season. In this article, we take a look back at the top five greatest moments in terms of Win Probability Added (WPA). Win Probability Added calculates the likelihood a team will win a game from one plate appearance to the next. For example, if the Brewers are tied 0-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Milwaukee's chances of winning might be 50%. If Christian Yelich grounds out weakly to second base to lead off the inning, the Brewers' odds of winning might reduce by 1%. In other words, the Yelich at-bat had a negative 1% WPA. 1. William Contreras’ two-run home run off Emilo Pagán, Top 9 with 1 out, trailing 1-0 on August 17 Win Probability, before: 18% Win Probability, after: 81% WPA: +63% The Brewers entered this contest on a franchise-record, 14-game winning streak. The league was beginning to believe that Milwaukee’s probability of winning was 100% for every game, no matter what. Jose Quintana pitched six scoreless innings before allowing a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 7th inning. It seemed like that run would be the difference until the 9th inning. Anthony Siegler drew a leadoff walk. Caleb Durbin popped out. William Contreras then hit the opening pitch into the left-center field bleachers. Just like that, 2-1 Brewers. The most pivotal play during a season of unlikely moments. Unfortunately, this game was not over. Cincinnati ultimately won 3-2 in ten innings. 2. Andrew Vaughn’s RBI single off Tanner Scott, Bottom 9 with 1 out, trailing 2-1 on July 9 Win Probability, before: 33% Win Probability, after: 82% WPA: +49% Andrew Vaughn was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on July 7. Vaughn immediately made his presence felt, recording 4 RBI in his first two games with Milwaukee. The Brewers were going for a three-game sweep against the Dodgers when they trailed 2-1, heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. Vaughn pinch hit for Jake Bauers with runners on first and second and one out. Vaughn then hit a broken bat flair over the shortstop to tie the game on the very first pitch. The game was now tied at 2-2. Milwaukee went on to win 3-2 in ten innings. The legend of Andrew Vaughn was born. 3. Andrew Vaughn’s two RBI double off Kyle Finnegan, Bottom 9 with 0 outs, trailing 5-3 on July 12 Win Probability, before: 33% Win Probability, after: 81% WPA: +48% The Brewers were riding a six-game winning streak as play began on July 12. However, it looked like things would slip away after Abner Uribe allowed a two-run home run to Brady House in the top of the 8th inning to give Washington a 4-3 lead. Andrew Vaughn stepped to the plate with two runners on and nobody out in the bottom of the 9th inning. He ripped a first-pitch fastball to the right-center field gap, scoring Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich. Vaughn’s heroics tied the game at 5-5, allowing Caleb Durbin to win it with a walk-off single, three batters later. 4. William Contreras’ walk-off home run off Randy Rodriguez, Bottom 9 with 2 outs, tied 4-4 on August 22 Win Probability, before: 54% Win Probability, after: 100% WPA: +46% Milwaukee was glad to be home after losing three out of five games in Chicago. It seemed like Willy Adames was excited to be back at his old ballpark, too. Adames hit two home runs on the evening. Trevor Megill started the ninth inning with a one-run lead. Megill retired the first two batters before allowing a double, an infield single, and a wild pitch. San Francisco tied the game at 4-4. After two quick outs, William Contreras hammered his first career walk-off home run, barely clearing the wall in left field. The Brewers won 5-4. 5. Caleb Durbin’s RBI single off Félix Bautista, Bottom 9 with 2 outs, trailing 3-2 on May 21 Win Probability, before: 17% Win Probability, after: 61% WPA: +44% No one expected much from Milwaukee in May. The Brewers were below .500, even as they looked to sweep Baltimore on May 21. Caleb Durbin had also done little to inspire optimism since being called up on April 18; he had produced a .501 OPS until this point. Milwaukee was down to its final out, trailing by a run. Durbin came to the plate with runners on first and second. On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Durbin was able to punch a hanging slider to the opposite field to tie the game at 3-3. In a disappointing turn of events, Milwaukee later lost 8-4 in 11 innings. Tyler Alexander took the loss, allowing four runs in relief. Bonus: Paul Molitor’s walk-off three-run home run off Tom Henke, Bottom 9 with 2 outs, trailing 4-2 on August 13, 1991 Win Probability, before: 9% Win Probability, after: 100% WPA: +91% For context, the greatest play in franchise history (in terms of WPA) came at County Stadium in 1991. The Brewers faced the Toronto Blue Jays in the opening game of a three-game series. Bill Wegman pitched well through eight innings but allowed a go-ahead home run to Joe Carter in the ninth. Chuck Crim allowed another run in relief, extending the Blue Jays' lead to 4-2. B.J. Surhoff and Franklin Stubbs were quickly retired to start the bottom of the 9th inning. A two-out double from Jim Gantner, followed by a walk by Bill Spiers, brought Paul Molitor to the plate. Molitor drove a deep flyball to left field, clearing the fences, creating the most sudden change in win probability in Brewers' history. View the full article

The Boston Red Sox made an intra-division trade Tuesday afternoon, shipping previously-designated-for-assignment Luis Guerrero to Tampa Bay. In return, the Red Sox received 29-year-old utility player Tristan Gray. Gray appeared in 30 games last season after the Tampa Bay Rays acquired him in a trade with the Chicago White Sox. He would go on to hit .231/.282/.410 with five doubles, three home runs, and nine RBIs. Gray profiles as a depth option with the Red Sox, the utility player having spent time at all infield positions in 2025 with most of his games played in the majors being at first base. Should Gray make it through the offseason and enter spring training with the Red Sox, he would be competing against the likes of Nick Sogard, Nate Eaton and David Hamilton for an end-of-bench role. Though, in all likelihood, should Gray still be with the team by the end of spring training, he would open the season with Triple-A Worcester, providing a veteran depth option for the organization on a cheap contract. Gray as a hitter is a rather interesting figure. Offensively, he may not make contact often (based on a 28.6% strikeout rate in his short career) and will chase pitches as shown by a 27.6% chase rate last season (not to mention a whiff rate of 31.9%), but when he does make contact, he doesn’t miss out. Gray hits the ball hard, as evidenced by his average exit velocity for 2025 being 91.4 mph along with his max velocity being 110.6 mph. Of the balls he did hit this past season, nearly half of them were considered hard-hit as well, his rate being 44.3% in the 30 games he played. One other interesting trait of his offense is his bat speed. In 2025, it averaged 74.4 mph. As written by our very own @Jack Lindsay earlier this offseason, the Blue Jays focused on improving their bat speed so that when they fell into disadvantageous counts, they could still put together a powerful, controlled swing on the baseball. Of the Red Sox players in 2025, only Triston Casas, Jarren Duran and Roman Anthony had bat speeds higher than Gray’s. The Red Sox are clearly interested in pumping up their lineup's bat speed, and Gray follows that trend, especially for someone on the bench. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter what your bat speed is if you fail to make contact. His zone-contact rate last season was only 75.4%, an increase from his 2024 numbers but still below what many consider to be average (roughly 85-87%). Also of note, while he showed he could handle fastballs, Gray struggled against off-speed pitches and whiffed more against breaking pitches, especially at Triple-A. And while he has struck out at a 28.7% rate for his career, his walk rate of 7.4% isn’t high enough to make up for the lack of contact. Defensively, Gray’s versatility is of interest. The fact he can play not just one or two infield positions but all four makes him extremely valuable for depth purposes. Last year, Nick Sogard was in a similar role, where he could be called up from Worcester to cover the loss of a player for a week or two and be plugged into the lineup in a wide variety of positions. Gray fills a similar need as thanks to his one remaining option year; he could be shuttled back and forth from Worcester to Boston as the team needs a body, giving Alex Cora someone who can be inserted into the lineup anywhere on the infield dirt. He doesn’t stand out with the glove at any one position, though he's competent at each, making one error at each of first base, second base and third base while accruing an Outs Above Average of one at shortstop last season. He very much fits the mold of end-of-the-roster players that the Red Sox have brought in over the past few seasons and have managed to turn into contributors at the major-league level. Guys like Rob Refsnyder, Romy González, and Nate Eaton were all castoffs from their previous teams who are now core depth pieces on the roster. While that’s no guarantee Gray will continue that trend, the Red Sox's track record with similar players suggests a brighter future than most may expect from the now-former Ray. View the full article

Minnesota’s offseason has been filled with speculation about trades, payroll cuts, and who might actually be on the Opening Day roster. But while many veterans are resting and preparing for 2026, a handful of Twins players are building their résumés elsewhere. Few have boosted their stock this offseason more than Emmanuel Rodriguez. The 22-year-old outfielder spent most of 2025 on the Triple-A St Paul roster and then headed home to the Dominican Republic for an extended run of competitive baseball. For a player who has lost so many reps to injuries, the chance to play may prove to be the most important development of all. He needed this winter more than most. Rodriguez has had top prospect tools for years, but rarely the sustained opportunity to show them by averaging fewer than 60 games played per season over the last two years. This time, he finally got the reps, and he made them count in a big way. 2025 Minor League Season Recap Rodriguez entered the 2025 season with the same scouting report he has carried for years. Tremendous strength. Explosive bat speed. The kind of strike zone discipline that usually develops much later in a player’s career. The only thing missing has been durability. He arrived at Triple-A with a career OPS over .900, but he had never played more than 100 games in a season thanks to a knee injury in 2022, an abdominal strain in 2023, and a thumb issue in 2024. Even with the missed time, Rodriguez managed to showcase his strengths in St. Paul. His power continued to jump off the page. His walk rate (31.8 BB%) again ranked among the highest in the Twins system. What continued to plague him was the strikeout rate (20.6 K%). It is part of his approach right now, though the Twins have always believed he will naturally trim that number as he gains more experience against upper-level pitching. Overall, his 2025 season looked similar to his previous years. He finished the year slashing .269/.431/.409 (.839) with a 135 wRC+ while facing older batters in nearly 85% of his plate appearances. Big production in smaller samples. Impressive numbers that hinted at a huge ceiling. And another year where injuries robbed him of the consistency needed to turn tools into polish. Dominican Winter League Performance The Dominican Winter League is often described as the best offseason proving ground in baseball. The stadiums are loud. The pitching is sharp. The games matter. It is the kind of environment that pushes talented young players. It was also the perfect place for Rodriguez to cash in on some much-needed innings. Playing for Águilas Cibaeñas, Rodriguez did far more than hold his own. He dominated. Over 18 games, he posted a .292 batting average with a .417 OBP and a .646 slugging percentage for a robust 1.063 OPS. He was aggressive when he needed to be and selective when pitchers tried to work around him. He hit the ball to all fields. He drove mistakes deep. And he did it against pitchers with big league experience. If that were not enough, he walked away with All-Star MVP honors in a game that was played at Citi Field in New York City. It was the clearest sign yet that when he is healthy and getting regular plate appearances, he looks exactly like the player the Twins invested $2.5 million in back in 2019. More importantly, he stayed on the field for the entire winter stretch. No nagging injury. No interruption. Just baseball. For a player whose biggest development hurdle has been availability, that alone feels like a victory. His Outlook for 2026 and Beyond The biggest question for Rodriguez moving forward is simple. Can he stay healthy long enough for his talent to take over? The Twins still believe the answer is yes. The winter numbers only reinforce that belief. He already has major league quality plate discipline. He hits the ball extremely hard. He can play an above-average outfield corner and hold his own in center. The raw ingredients are star caliber. The winter league performance may not guarantee an Opening Day roster spot in 2026, but it does put him firmly in the conversation. If he carries this momentum into spring training and shows the same durability he displayed in the Dominican, he could force his way into the lineup sooner rather than later. Even if the organization opts to give him more seasoning, he looks like a player ready to impact the big league club at some point next year. Long term, nothing has changed about the ceiling. Rodriguez still projects as a middle-of-the-order bat with patience and thunder. The difference now is that he finally has a clean stretch of playing time behind him and the confidence that comes with proving himself in a competitive winter league. The Twins have waited a long time for Rodriguez to get this kind of runway. After this winter, it finally feels like he is ready to take off. What stands out about Rodriguez's winter performance? When do you expect to see him in the Twins lineup? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

The Chicago Cubs and right-handed reliever Phil Maton agreed to a two-year deal Friday night, according to a source familiar with the negotiation. The news was first reported by Michael Cerami, of Bleacher Nation, on Twitter. Maton, who will turn 33 next March, gets two guaranteed years on the pact, and the Cubs will hold an option for 2028. More to come. View the full article

4:30 Update: We are still waiting on Twins news beyond the trade and the Topa contract. we will update this article as soon as we know more. 4:35 Update: Trevor Larnach Tendered, per Darren Wolfson. 4:53 Update: The Twins tendered a contract to all of their arbitration-eligible players. Also, DaShawn Keirsey was released, making him a free agent. Next Steps: On January 8, if the two sides haven't reached an agreement, they will submit their arbitration requests. Soon after, if an agreement is till not reached, the case will be heard with an arbitrator who will determine the player's 2026 contract. It will be either the player's request or the team's requested number. Often the sides just meet somewhere in the middle. Of note, tendering a contract to Trevor Larnach does not guarantee he will be with the Twins in 2026. The front office likely has had enough trade interest to indicate that he could be traded during the offseason. Teams would obviously much rather lose a player, especially a former first-round pick, for something rather than nothing. Baseball's offseason can be long and winding, sometimes boring, and other times hectic. For instance, today (at 3pm central time) marks the deadline for teams to tender 2026 contracts to their arbitration-eligible players and pre-arbitration players. Check back to this article throughout the day to see if the Twins have reached agreements with their arbitration-eligible players or if they will need to exchange values. Some of those decisions have already been made. The Twins DFAd three relievers, right-hander Michael Tonkin and lefties Genesis Cabrera and Anthony Misiewicz. They each became free agents. This morning, the Twins traded Saints utilityman Payton Eeles to the Orioles in exchange for catcher Alex Jackson. To make room on the 40-man roster, DaShawn Keirsey was DFAd. Jackson has played in parts of five big-league seasons and has just over three years of service time which makes him arbitration-eligible for the first time. Here are the eight arbitration-eligible Twins players with their MLB Trade Rumors 2026 salary projection: C Ryan Jeffers: $6.6 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) RHP Justin Topa: $1.7 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) The Twins had a $2 million team option for Topa that they declined. Adding the $225,000 buyout to his $1.225 million 2026 contract, Topa gets $1.45 million in an awkward total. As for the 2026 contract, his salary will be $1 million with an option for $5 million in 2027 with a buyout at $225,000. RHP Bailey Ober: $4.6 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) RHP Joe Ryan: $5.8 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) OF Trevor Larnach: $4.7 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) 3B Royce Lewis: $3.0 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) RHP Cole Sands: $1.3 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) C Alex Jackson: $1.8 million Again, continue to check back throughout the day for more updates and to discuss. View the full article

On Friday afternoon, right before the MLB Non-Tender deadline, the Royals announced that they had avoided arbitration with second baseman Jonathan India, agreeing to a one-year deal. On Twitter, Ken Rosenthal reported that the deal was worth $8 million, according to sources. India came over to the Royals last offseason from the Reds in exchange for starting pitcher Brady Singer, a 2018 first-round draft pick (both players played college baseball at the University of Florida). Last year, the 28-year-old second baseman was in the final season of a two-year, $8.8 million deal he signed with the Reds before the 2023 season. However, he still had one more year of club control after the 2025 season. It was a disappointing season for India, who posted an 89 wRC+, .301 wOBA, and a -0.3 fWAR, all career lows, according to Fangraphs. He also struggled with nagging injuries, saw his power stats decline (only nine home runs, also a career low), and failed to fit in defensively. He rotated between third base, second base, and left field early in the year but struggled and eventually settled back into his natural position of second base. Unfortunately, he posted a -9 FRV and -14 OAA, both career-worst marks, according to Statcast data. On a positive note, he still showed strong plate discipline with a 9.5% walk rate and 0.51 BB/K ratio. The latter mark was the sixth-best ratio of Royals hitters with 50 or more plate appearances last year. His Statcast plate discipline percentiles also looked strong, as illustrated in his TJ Stats Statcast summary. It is possible that the Royals could still trade India before Spring Training. They likely will return Michael Massey, who has primarily played second base the past two seasons, though he struggled with inconsistency and injuries last season. Nick Loftin is also an internal option, but he only has a career 72 wRC+ and 0.2 fWAR in 143 career games at the MLB level. If he is not traded, the Royals hope India can bounce back to the 2024 version that posted a 109 wRC+ and a 2.9 fWAR in 637 plate appearances in his final season in Cincinnati. Photo Credit: © Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images View the full article

The Minnesota Twins’ acquisition of Alex Jackson did not spark much excitement, and that reaction is understandable. Backup catcher signings rarely generate buzz. However, once you look into the underlying data, the move starts to look more interesting. There are several indicators that suggest Jackson could be a legitimately useful depth piece with room to improve. In his limited 2025 sample, Jackson looked like a different hitter. The changes were not just in the box score. They showed up in the underlying traits the Twins tend to value. His average bat speed jumped from 74.4 mph to 76.1 mph, placing him near Matt Wallner’s 76.6 mph. His fast-swing rate, which measures swings at 75 mph or higher, increased from 46.9 percent to 61.7 percent. Those types of changes usually correlate with more impactful contact. That improvement showed up in his batted-ball profile: + Barrel rate: 9.1 percent to 14.8 percent + Pulled balls in the air: 17 percent to 24.1 percent These results line up with the mechanical adjustments he made: + Open stance increased from 8 degrees to 14 degrees + Wider base from 35.5 inches to 36.5 inches + More pull-side attack angle from 5 degrees to 9 degrees These are not cosmetic changes. They are meaningful adjustments designed to access more loft, more damage out front, and more consistent pull-side lift. Jackson’s swing decisions and contact rate still need refinement, but he did make one positive improvement by cutting his chase rate from 36.6 percent to 29.0 percent. Jackson’s progress at the plate is only part of the story. His defensive work in limited time was encouraging as well. + 3 framing runs + 2 caught stealing runs His throwing strength stands out. Jackson averaged 83.4 mph on throws, which ranked sixth best in baseball. Christian Vázquez, for comparison, averaged 77 mph but paired that with an elite 0.59 second exchange. Jackson does not have that kind of transfer speed, but he possesses the raw arm strength that limits running opportunities. With solid exchanges and above-average carry, he should help the Twins manage the increased running game trend across MLB. No one should expect Alex Jackson to become a breakout star. That is not the role the Twins need him to fill. They need a backup who can receive a staff, manage the running game, produce occasional pull-side power, and trend toward better overall decisions at the plate. The available data suggests Jackson can check those boxes. His improvements in swing intent, bat speed, and discipline are not minor. His defensive metrics are similarly encouraging. This move may not be flashy. It is the type of depth addition that tends to look more meaningful as the season wears on. Based on what he showed in limited opportunities, the Twins may have identified a backup catcher who is quietly moving in the right direction. View the full article

The San Francisco Giants acquired outfielder Joey Wiemer from the Miami Marlins on Friday in exchange for cash considerations. Wiemer joined the Marlins in August when they claimed him off waivers from the Kansas City Royals. He quickly made it up to the major leagues on the heels of a Triple-A hot streak and Kyle Stowers' oblique injury. In 27 games, the 26-year-old slashed .236/.279/.436 with three home runs and an 88 wRC+. Thanks to great defense in right field, he accrued 0.4 fWAR in that small sample. The Marlins designated Wiemer for assignment this past Tuesday in the process of making room on their 40-man roster for prospects Joe Mack, Josh White and William Kempner. A significant factor behind the DFA decision? He is out of minor league options entering 2026. A transaction like this is a glorified waiver claim. Multiple teams put in a claim for Wiemer, valuing him enough to absorb him onto their roster, but none were willing to give up any of their own players in return. Even so, it's mildly amusing that Gabe Kapler's first "trade" since being promoted to Marlins GM involves the club he managed from 2020-2023. The most direct beneficiary of Wiemer's departure is Dane Myers. A fellow right-handed-hitting outfielder, Myers is three years older than his former teammate, but more disciplined at the plate. There is now a simpler path for him to make Miami's Opening Day roster in a part-time role if this outfield group remains intact for the rest of the offseason. For those interested in looking ahead, the Giants will visit loanDepot park next season from June 19-21. View the full article

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Baseball's offseason can be long and winding, sometimes boring, and other times hectic. For instance, today (at 3pm central time) marks the deadline for teams to tender 2026 contracts to their arbitration-eligible players and pre-arbitration players. Check back to this article throughout the day to see if the Twins have reached agreements with their arbitration-eligible players or if they will need to exchange values. Some of those decisions have already been made. The Twins DFAd three relievers, right-hander Michael Tonkin and lefties Genesis Cabrera and Anthony Misiewicz. They each became free agents. This morning, the Twins traded Saints utilityman Payton Eeles to the Orioles in exchange for catcher Alex Jackson. To make room on the 40-man roster, DaShawn Keirsey was DFAd. Jackson has played in parts of five big-league seasons and has just over three years of service time which makes him arbitration-eligible for the first time. Here are the eight arbitration-eligible Twins players with their MLB Trade Rumors 2026 salary projection: C Ryan Jeffers: $6.6 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) RHP Justin Topa: $1.7 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) The Twins had a $2 million team option for Topa that they declined. Adding the $225,000 buyout to his $1.225 million 2026 contract, Topa gets $1.45 million in an awkward total. RHP Bailey Ober: $4.6 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) RHP Joe Ryan: $5.8 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) OF Trevor Larnach: $4.7 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) 3B Royce Lewis: $3.0 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) RHP Cole Sands: $1.3 million (Arbitrary Thoughts) C Alex Jackson: $1.8 million Again, continue to check back throughout the day for more updates and to discuss. View the full article

We know A.J. Preller loves to wheel and deal in the offseason, making bold moves and taking big risks. Usually, that means moving players around via trade, but with the current San Diego Padres roster now full of expensive and burdensome contracts, it's getting harder to project which players might be brought in... and who might be sent packing. Here are a few Padres who could be moved this offseason via trade, and why. Gavin Sheets Sheets was a breakout offensive star for the Padres, despite not doing much in the field. He was signed to a minor-league contract and had to fight just to make the team in 2025, but he proved himself and emerged as a reliable member of the lineup, splitting time between left field and DH. However, if the Padres are not sold on Sheets' ability to continue to improve in the long term, he's exactly the type of player who would make sense as a "sell-high" candidate. There are definitely teams who would be interested in an outfielder coming off a breakout year, and entering what would theoretically be his "prime." Ultimately, it will be up to how much the Padres value him. Bryce Johnson Johnson probably will not be moved this offseason, but if a team is interested in the pinch-hit legend, the Padres should not hesitate to flip him for a more valuable asset. Johnson is a fun story, but not a starting-caliber player, and the Friars would be wise to recognize that and move him if they have the chance. Luis Campusano It's probably not going to happen because Campusano has simply been bad ever since being called up to the major leagues, but again, if the Padres are given an offer, it would be an easy decision to trade Campusano. The former top catching prospect has not done much of anything at the highest level, but the pedigree is there. Some catcher-needy team may come calling with a flier in hand that could interest Preller. Randy Vasquez Vasquez would make sense as a guy who could be traded as part of a larger deal. Obviously, the Padres will need at least one frontline starter to make up for the losses of Michael King, Dylan Cease, and Yu Darvish. Vasquez is the type of player who is a perfect trade chip as a "replacement" for an arm exiting a rotation (i.e., he could fill Freddy Peralta's spot in the Brewers rotation if Peralta is traded to the Padres). There would definitely be interest in Vasquez, who has improved in back-to-back seasons and looks like a promising young arm. David Morgan Morgan had a great second half of 2025 with the Padres, but he is still very new to the bullpen and has not yet graduated into many high-leverage scenarios. San Diego could dangle Morgan as a trade chip, and there would definitely be interested teams. At the same time, the Padres may be sitting on another reliever gold mine, so it might make the most sense to keep him around. Adrian Morejon On the other hand, San Diego would get some serious offers if they shopped Adrian Morejon. The hard-throwing reliever has been incredible over the past two years, even making the All-Star Game in 2025. Being a left-handed reliever works in his favor, too. Multiple teams found out in the playoffs this year that you can never have too many left-handed relievers. Whether or not Preller pulls the trigger on a Morejon deal probably depends on how he feels about the rest of the bullpen and if the team believes it can also survive the loss of closer Robert Suarez. Again, it feels unlikely, but in terms of creating a blockbuster centerpiece, Morejon might be the best candidate on the roster. Ultimately, this offseason will likely not feature nearly as many trades as past offseasons have. Nearly the entire starting lineup is locked into long-term contracts, while most of the rotation has reached free agency. It will be interesting to see how San Diego rebuilds and comes back stronger in 2026 with less flexibility (and prospect capital) to continue wheeling and dealing freely. View the full article

The Twins started their offseason by acquiring their likely backup catcher from the Baltimore Orioles in an arbitration-deadline-driven trade. Alex Jackson, a 29-year-old, power-first, defense-capable catcher who has spent most of his career on the fringe between Triple-A and the majors, will join Minnesota. In return, the Twins sent Payton Eeles, a 26-year-old utility infielder who has yet to make his MLB debut. Jackson is a right-handed hitter and the prototypical journeyman backstop: raw power, a strong arm, dependable defense, and plenty of strikeouts. A former first-round pick, he has consistently shown real pop at Triple-A — slugging .517 across his time at that level — but that production has never carried over against MLB pitching. Across parts of five big-league seasons, he’s hit just .153 with six home runs, limited by high strikeout rates and difficulty making consistent contact. That changed for the better in 2025. With Baltimore, he hit well at Triple-A (772 OPS) and briefly filled in behind Adley Rutschman in the majors (763 OPS over 100 PA). But he also qualified for arbitration this winter, and MLB Trade Rumors projected him to earn $1.8 million, making him available. For the Twins, who paid Christian Vázquez $10 million last year before he became a free agent, that's a relative bargain. Eeles, headed to Baltimore, gives the Orioles some middle-infield depth. At this time last year, he looked like one of the Twins’ most unexpected development wins, jumping from the independent Atlantic League in May of 2024 to Triple-A St. Paul by season’s end. Once in Triple-A, the then-24-year-old slashed .299/.419/.500 with eight homers, 20 steals, and a 14.6 percent strikeout rate over 260 plate appearances. His production this last year was down, but he still posted a .379 OBP. But Eeles is just 5-foot-5 and unlikely to grow into much power. He profiles as a pesky, contact-oriented hitter who can get on base, pressure defenses and swipe 20-plus bags with regular playing time. The Twins’ infield has several players the organization is more committed to developing, a fact underscored when Eeles did not receive a late-season call-up even after the team traded away ten players at the deadline. View the full article

Regardless of the shape the winter takes for the San Diego Padres in a financial sense, they have clear roster needs. On the positional side, they need a first baseman and they need a designated hitter (assuming they don't create a vacancy by moving a different position player via trade). Gavin Sheets figures to fill one of those roles, at least in a timeshare situation. Considering his defensive shortcomings as a full-time player, one imagines he's best suited for work as the extra hitter above a permanent position. Which means that first base stands as the largest positional need for the Padres as they venture into the winter months. The Padres primarily relied upon Luis Arráez at the "3" spot in the field in 2025. He logged nearly 1,000 innings at the position last year, with the eye test serving him a bit better than his -6 Outs Above Average. While he never looked quite as bad as the numbers might indicate, his light-hitting skill set was never meant for a position which demands a certain degree of power. The team's trade deadline acquisition of Ryan O'Hearn didn't do much to improve the offensive side, nor did it eat away too much from Arráez's time. The 2025 context notwithstanding, the Padres embarked on this offseason without a solution at first for 2026. Each of Arráez and O'Hearn are free agents and neither appears terribly likely to return given their respective struggles in various areas last season, as well as what they might be expecting in their next contract. Which means that, whether via trade or free-agent signing, the team needs to seek an outside source in order to fill that vacancy. Free agent candidates are likely out. Josh Naylor already re-signed in Seattle on a massive five-year deal. Pete Alonso will demand much more beyond what the Padres would be willing to offer. Many of the remaining options are players that linger around replacement level or aren't anything beyond bench bats at this stage of their career. Which means that if the Padres are seeking a full-time solution to their first base situation, it's going to have to come via trade; a complicated situation for a team sitting at the bottom of the farm system rankings. Which is why St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras may offer the most effective answer. Such a move would be the truest response to the need within the lineup. Though even that answer is not without complications, especially considering that this is the same Contreras you might remember from this interaction with the Padres in 2025: One never quite knows how much on-field turmoil like this impacts whether a player would play for the opposite franchise. We've seen players become declarative about not joining division rivals (Vladimir Guerrero Jr., for instance). But, candidly, if Contreras — who we're speaking about in this manner because he has a full no-trade clause — was hung up on joining teams with which he's had some sort of spat, that would drastically limit his market. He's a fiery player who joined his former club's biggest rival in St. Louis in free agency. It's hard to imagine this instance would deter him too much from joining a contender. But regardless of what unfolded in July of this year, Willson Contreras is very much a player in which the San Diego Padres should have interest. He's been a remarkably consistent player, even upon his transition to first base, maintaining a career 122 wRC+ and .202 ISO to compliment a .258/.352/.459 slash. As much as a deal in itself could be complicated, the fit is not. The Padres need right-handed power at first base. Contreras offers exactly that. Of course, you have to immediately navigate the aforementioned full no-trade clause. That's issue No. 1. Though if the Padres remain in contention in the National League, it's hard to imagine that as a significant hurdle to overcome. The Cardinals are rebuilding or retooling on some level to the point where the remainder of his contract could be spent with a non-contending club. One imagines the opportunity to compete in America's Finest City™ is an opportunity that the majority of players would find enticing. The contract represents the second complication. His deal, which runs through 2027 (with a 2028 club option), carries a $17.5 million AAV. As much as you'd love that level of cost-certainty for a steady bat in your lineup, whether the Padres can fit that into their payroll remains to be seen, given their much-more-significant needs that exist on the mound. But cost-certainty is cost-certainty, and that feels like an affordable price that fits within your contention window. If they can make the money fit, then it only enhances the logic. That, however, leads us to the third complication. The Padres have to have the prospects with which to part that St. Louis would find enticing. You're obviously not talking about one of the very elite bats that would require an elite farm system. But you are talking about an upper-tier hitter at a position of clear need. Even if the Cardinals are looking to get money off their books, it's not as if they're set to give Contreras away for the sake of freeing up money amidst a retool period. It will require at least one legitimate prospect or a volume in the way the Padres approached their deadline deal with Baltimore. In short, a hypothetical pursuit of Willson Contreras is the most logical position-player deal the team could pursue this winter. They need help on the right side of the plate. They have a vacancy at first base. Contreras offers a medium-term solution on both fronts. But they'll have to overcome a handful of complications toward reaching the logical path. Of course, if it was an easy process, then we wouldn't be talking about the San Diego Padres. View the full article

Bailey Ober had the worst year of his career in 2025. If an offseason full of rest helps him heal from a nagging hip injury, which is exactly what he needs, then the Twins have some better stabilization in their starting rotation, whether or not they trade Lopez and/or Ryan. View the full article

MLB Commission Rob Manfred noted this week that the Pohlad family’s sale of non-controlling shares of the Minnesota Twins to unnamed limited partners continues to move forward. Although there was no update about who the partners are or how long the sale process would play out, sources familiar with the negotiation process say the Pohlads are asking the limited partners how many Delta SkyMiles they have, as well as their access to the exclusive Delta Sky Lounge. “We really thought that by operating lean and keeping payroll in check, we’d be in a spot to get back to profitability,” said a front office source. “Unfortunately, this will be the third Thanksgiving in a row where the Pohlad grandchildren and great-grandchildren won’t be able to have a money fight on the front lawn of their Boca Raton winter house. The best way to make sure they don’t suffer such deprivation in 2026 is working smarter, not harder. That’s where Delta comes in.” “The jackboots in the league office say you still have to fly your players to road games even if they’re below replacement-level,” said a source in the team’s advanced metrics department. “That’s a lot of money for not a lot of ball player. The way you beat that is in the margins. The Dodgers and Yankees can pay for that stuff. We can have the limited partners drop the credit card benefits hammer and the next road trip is basically free. Especially if each player brings a Tupperware container to the lounge so they can load up on hummus and club sandwiches to go.” When asked if he thought about how this would impact the on-field product, the source started laughing so hard that his face turned crimson red before he began to cough and cry. Then he started laughing again, even louder, somehow. Image license here. View the full article

As Derek Shelton takes over as Twins manager, there have been plenty of questions swirling about whether he could manage the Pittsburgh Pirates to success. How will he do that in his new role with the Twins? Derek Falvey has stated that he believes this Twins roster is much different than the Pittsburgh Pirates team Shelton was charged with leading. At first blush, much of Twins Territory recoiled at that statement, seeing how far this roster has fallen and how much payroll has been slashed. The Twins have felt very Pirate-y very quickly, but maybe there is some truth to Falvey’s words. The Hitters The 2020 Pirates had some names that are now recognizable, but their 2020 versions were much younger and very different from the current versions we know. In the shortened 2020 COVID season, then 23-year-old rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes led the Pirates with a 1.9 bWAR in just 24 games, producing a 1.124 OPS. Next were a pair of the most elderly of the Pirates starting group, starting with the 30-year-old catcher Jacob Stallings, who posted a 1.0 bWAR, and 28-year-old infielder Adam Frazier, who turned in a 0.8 bWAR. Only three Pirates were able to produce an OPS above .700 for 2020. Those players being the aforementioned Hayes and Stallings, as well as Colin Moran. While the stats will always look strange when looking back at the 2020 season because of the smaller sample size of the shortened season, the Twins come out looking much better offensively, even after what is considered a failed season in 2025. Byron Buxton clearly leads the way with his 4.9 bWAR and .878 OPS. The Twins had their own rookie climb the leaderboard in Luke Keaschall with a 2.0 bWAR and .827 OPS. Of the players currently on the Twins roster, Buxton, Keaschall, Ryan Jeffers, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, and Kody Clemens each posted an OPS above .700. In a limited time, Austin Martin and Ryan Fitzgerald did as well. Beyond the performance level in 2025, the Twins will have a mix of young players ready to hit the majors (more on that later) as well as a much more established set of veteran players than the Pirates did. As the Twins stand today, they will have Jeffers, Buxton, Wallner, Larnach, Clemens, and James Outman as potential regulars, all playing in their 28th year or older. The Pitchers At first glance, the pitching staffs are very similar in many ways. A young Mitch Keller was in place to lead the way for the Pirates, while the Twins have their own star in Joe Ryan. In 2020, Keller posted a 157 ERA+, and Ryan trailed with a 125 ERA+. The Twins next starter in line, Pablo Lopez, in his limited action, posted a 156 ERA+. The Pirates had three starters behind Keller, who posted an ERA+ above 100 in Steven Brault (134), Joe Musgrove (117), and Chad Kuhl (106). The Twins didn’t quite keep the same pace, with only Simeon Woods Richardson (107) joining Lopez and Ryan with an ERA+ above 100. While many production numbers between the two rotations seem similar, the Twins depth goes deeper than the Pirates did in 2020. Although there are still many injury and performance concerns amongst the likes of Bailey Ober, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews, there will hopefully be depth there for the Twins and Shelton to lean on. It is almost impossible to evaluate the Twins bullpen at this point. One advantage the Pirates had in 2020 was veteran Richard Rodriguez, who locked down the back end of the bullpen. Something the Twins do not have at this point in the offseason as they look forward to 2026. Prospects If the Twins roster hasn’t distanced itself from the 2020 Pirates by the players on the active roster, it is in the farm system that separation seems to be found. The Pirates had only two Top 100 prospects according to MLB.com in 2020: Mitch Keller (39) and Oneil Cruz (64). What is good for the Pirates is that in a world where prospects often fail, both Keller and Cruz turned into productive major leaguers. In the most recent update, the Twins placed four players in MLB.com’s Top 100. Walker Jenkins (10), Kaelen Culpepper (52), Eduardo Tait (57), and Emmanuel Rodriguez (69). Out of that group, two, if not three, of those on the list are within realistic striking distance of playing in the majors in 2026. Jenkins and Rodriguez are very close; Culpepper may be a long shot, but it is still possible he gets a call in 2026, while Tait will require a bit more seasoning in the minors. Prospects do not always produce in the way they are projected, but the Twins have a strong group coming up, and Shelton will have the opportunity to usher these top 100 prospects, among others, into the big leagues. Even though it felt a little crazy at first, Falvey seems right in his assessment that the Pirates roster Shelton took over “had a lot less talent on the roster than what we (the Twins) have right now that he’s (Shelton) is walking into.” With Buxton leading the offense, a good core of starting pitchers, and prospects ready to make the leap to the majors, the Twins, on paper, look like they are in a better starting spot than Shelton’s first go around as a manager with the Pirates. The real question now will be, not just how they line up against the 2020 Pirates, but how well they can perform against 2026 MLB competition. View the full article

After finishing the 2024 season with an 86-76 record and making it to the ALDS before losing to the New York Yankees, the optimism for the 2025 season was high. However, they finished this past season 82-80 and finished five games behind a Wild Card berth. This offseason will be crucial in getting back to the postseason, but as the team sets its eyes on the upcoming season, let's take a look at the positional depth chart, beginning with the middle infield. Second base Starter - Michael Massey (.244/.268/.313, 20 runs, 3 home runs, 20 RBIs, .581 OPS, and a 57 wRC+) Massey played 77 games this past season after missing most of the season due to ankle, wrist, and back injuries. When he returned in August, he finished the season strongly. His slash line after returning was .375/.412/.484 with a .896 OPS and a 151 wRC+. The negative about Massey's game is that, as a contact hitter, he won't contribute power production to a team that finished 26th in home runs (159) this past season. Massey played capably in the field, posting a +2 DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) at second base this season over 495 innings, though he had a zero outs above-average. Massey could also be used in the outfield or as a platoon at second base with Jonathan India, although India is weaker defensively. There's a massive production dropoff after Salvador Perez in the four hole of the Royals' lineup, which may lead to an offseason addition. Depth Jonathan India (28-years-old, .233/.323/.346, 63 runs, nine home runs, 45 RBIs, .669 OPS, and a 89 wRC+) India had his worst offensive season over his five-year MLB career. In his 567 plate appearances this season, he produced the fewest home runs and second-fewest runs and RBIs in his career, while carrying a below-average 89 wRC+ (career 104 wRC+). His runs and RBIs only beat the production he made in the 2020-shortened season. The 28-year-old needs to have a turnaround season in 2026 because he's not as strong defensively as Massey. India produced a -2 DRS over 591 innings at second base and -6 outs above average. He will likely DH during the season unless Perez needs to take a break behind the plate. Nick Loftin (27-years-old, .208/.278/.357 17 runs, four home runs, 20 RBIs. .635 OPS, and a 73 wRC+) Loftin won't offer much production offensively. However, he is a solid defender and can play multiple positions. In 91 1/3 innings at second base this past season, he had a neutral 0 DRS. He won't play many innings at second base other than occasionally. Loftin will more likely platoon in the outfield with either John Rave or Kyle Isbel unless injuries occur to Massey and India. Connor Kaiser (29 years old, one run, two RBIs, .563 OPS, and a -14 wRC+) Kaiser has only played in 14 combined MLB games over the last two seasons with the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks outrighted Kaiser off their 40-man roster, and the Royals jumped in to sign him to a minor-league contract. Kaiser was born in Overland Park, so he is returning home. Being 29, Kaiser won't have many years to prove he can handle the professional level. This season may be his last stop if he continues to struggle. Shortstop Starter - Bobby Witt Jr. (25-years-old, .295/.351/.501, 99 runs, 23 home runs, 88 RBIs, .852 OPS, and a 130 wRC+) Witt Jr. just won the AL Silver Slugger and Glove Glove Awards in back-to-back seasons and added a Platinum Glove Award this season. That's all that needs to be said. Depth Tyler Tolbert (27-years-old, 19 runs, one home run, six RBIs, .701 OPS, and a 92 wRC+) Like Massey, Tolbert will be used at a different position. Witt Jr. has played at least 150 games in all four seasons of his MLB career. Tolbert is a contact hitter, although he has an issue with striking out. The 27-year-old has struck out at least 20 percent of the time each season over his six-year professional career. He spent five seasons in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut this past season. He hit double-digit home runs once in his career (10 in 2023) and has struck out more than 20 percent at every level except for his stint in Major League Baseball, which was 19 percent. View the full article

Teams have until 7 PM Central on Friday to decide whether to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players for 2026. The Twins will be one of the busiest teams in the league at this annual miniature deadline, as they have seven eligible players on their 40-man roster right now—even after cutting three such players earlier this month. The headliner, of course, is Trevor Larnach. Though Ryan Jeffers, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Royce Lewis are all on the list with him, their places on the roster are relatively safe. The Twins might well trade any of the four within the next nine months, but they're not going to jettison any of them and lose them for nothing, just to save a few million dollars. Larnach is in a different situation. He batted .250/.323/.404 in 2025, but is now set to make nearly $5 million in his second season of arbitration and his penultimate year of team control. Those aren't atrocious offensive numbers, but for a guy with virtually no defensive value and little projection for growth left, they're underwhelming. Just as importantly, the Twins have a surfeit of young players with profiles sufficiently similar to Larnach's that they won't miss him if they lose him this winter. Cutting bait on him should free up a little bit of money to be spent elsewhere on the roster, but it will also ease the logistical crunch the team has been facing for some time. They're one of 18 teams who enter Friday with a full 40-man list, and while it's nice to know they aren't alone, they need more flexibility than that. Friday is their last chance to create an opening on the roster so that they can make a pick in next month's Rule 5 Draft, should they wish to do so. Moving Larnach aside would also make it easier to find playing time for Alan Roden, James Outman, Austin Martin, Matt Wallner, and outfield prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez and Gabriel Gonzalez. It would give the team a chance to slide Luke Keaschall to the outfield at times, and to play both Kody Clemens and Edouard Julien against right-handed pitchers at times. Larnach is a better hitter than Julien, but at this point, he's also a more expensive one, and Julien has the greater upside. Whether Larnach is simply released or traded will be interesting, but it's hard to imagine him coming back. Cole Sands will join Jeffers, Ober, Ryan and Lewis in being tendered deals, while Justin Topa is a borderline guy. To create more roster flexibility, the team could dump Topa as well as Larnach. It could come down to whether Topa is willing to agree to terms the Twins find team-friendly. If so, he'll stick around. If not, rather than take him through the full arbitration process and deal with the lingering uncertainty about his 2026 salary for another six weeks or so, the team is likely to non-tender him. Topa is the only obvious candidate for a pre-deadline agreement Friday, but similar ones for Ober, Lewis or Sands are also possible. Since they're likely to be subjects of trade discussions in the weeks ahead, Jeffers and Ryan could sign deals Friday, locking in their salaries and making negotiations a bit easier afterward. There will be news in Twins Territory Friday evening. It might be small, but the roster will further take shape, even if that comes only in the form of one or two existing possibilities being foreclosed upon. View the full article

It won't be a cheap run through the arbitration ringer for the Brewers this winter. They're likely to pay the quartet of William Contreras, Trevor Megill, Brice Turang and Andrew Vaughn somewhere between $25 million and $30 million in 2026, and that's despite all four having at least one more year of eligibility for arbitration after this. Jake Bauers, whose much-improved performance in 2025 should make him safe at this year's non-tender deadline, is in line to make another $2 million or so. Milwaukee will certainly tender contracts to all four of their major contributors who are eligible. Bauers is a trickier case, because even though he was so good this year and will cost relatively little in 2026, he can no longer be sent to the minor leagues. For an organization that prizes and always needs flexibility in its roster construction, having a non-regular locked into one of the scarce bench spots all season might be an uneasy situation. Still, those five all clearly deserve to be back with the three-time defending NL Central champions. Garrett Mitchell is also eligible for arbitration this winter, for the first time. He's set to make even less than Bauers and can still be optioned to the minors, if needed. He poses a different kind of problem for a team concerned with roster utility, though. Mitchell has only played 139 total games since the start of 2023, including his stints in the minors on rehab assignments. His inability to stay healthy (and the very real questions about how he can bounce back from a second devastating shoulder injury in as many years) makes it just as risky to lock him into a spot on the 40-man roster for a should-be contender as to do so with a 26-man roster spot for Bauers. Unlike Mitchell, Nick Mears is out of options, so he, too, damages the flexibility of the roster if the team tenders him a deal Friday. He's set to make roughly $1.6 million via arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors. That's not a prohibitive amount of money, but again, the most important question is whether he's a pitcher worth committing a place on the active roster to for the whole season. One can make compelling cases in favor or against him. Thus, Mitchell and Mears will be the names most worth watching Friday. The Brewers are likely to press each to agree to terms now, rather than tendering them a deal and letting the deadline to exchange figures (on Jan. 8, 2026) apply the pressure. Since these are fringe cases, each player will have to be willing to sign on terms the Brewers consider palatable, or they're likely to be released. In years past, this has often been a day when the Brewers would target a player another team was considering cutting and acquire them in trade. That's far less likely this year, with Milwaukee's 40-man roster quite crowded as it is—but it's not impossible. Nor is it out of the question that we might see the team agree to a multi-year deal with one of Contreras, Megill or Vaughn, taking them through 2027. Between those more remote possibilities and the very real one that we see either Mitchell or Mears traded or released, Friday will be an interesting day for Brewers fans. View the full article

Under no circumstances will the Cubs non-tender Justin Steele or Javier Assad Friday. Though Steele is unlikely to make it back from Tommy John surgery until midsummer, he's a vital part of their medium-term pitching plans. Both he and Assad, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time and projects to make less than $2 million, have trade value even if the Cubs ultimately build a pitching staff into which they no longer fit. That doesn't mean there won't be news about one or both of them before the end of the day. Chicago could try to strike a two-year deal with Steele, who is set to hit free agency after 2027, anyway. That would give them cost certainty for the balance of the term of Steele's team control, and let Steele dispense with worrying about his earning power as he rehabs throughout the winter and spring from his operation this April. Often, with players who are sure things to receive a contract, the deadline that spurs action on deals like that is the one for exchanging arbitration figures (which will be on Jan. 8, 2026), but getting Steele's salary figured out early would give the team more clarity as they plot an active pursuit of further pitching upgrades. Assad is less likely to settle on a salary Friday, but in his first year in the system, he has relatively little earning power. The Cubs might elect to lean on him and agree to terms early, if only so there's a fixed salary associated with him when (inevitably) his name comes up in trade discussions over the next six weeks. Since Assad still has minor-league options, the Cubs can afford to stash him in Triple A and keep him stretched out as starting pitching depth in 2026. That doesn't seem like the highest use of him at this stage of his career, but flexibility always has value—to the team that currently owns the rights to a player, and to trade partners. The other two Cubs eligible for arbitration this winter are on shakier ground, and will almost certainly be involved in a transaction Friday. In Eli Morgan's case, the question is whether the Cubs will jettison him by non-tendering him, or sign him to a low-dollar deal in the neighborhood of the $1.1 million he's projected to earn in his second trip through arbitration. If the two sides can't agree on a deal before the deadline, Jed Hoyer and company will probably just cut the righty reliever loose, but there's little roster pressure to do so. Chicago's 40-man roster still only has 32 players on it, so Morgan could easily survive. It's just unlikely that the Cubs let the question of how much he'll make linger past Friday, This deadline will be enough to spur action on such a fringy case. It's a different dilemma where Reese McGuire is concerned. After being an adequate stopgap amid Miguel Amaya's injuries in 2025, McGuire is under team control for one more season, if the Cubs are willing to pay him $1.9 million or so. However, he's ineligible to be sent to the minor leagues without being exposed to the other 29 teams. With Amaya and Carson Kelly set to remain the team's catching tandem of choice and Moisés Ballesteros available as at least an emergency option at the position, McGuire doesn't really fit the 2026 Cubs. They could non-tender him, but he should have (very limited) trade value, if they choose to extract it. Because McGuire is little more than a solid backup catcher, he won't bring back a player of any substantial value in a deal. Rather, the Cubs could swap him for a player with about the same ceiling but who isn't ready for the majors. It would have to be someone another team views as a potential strain on their own 40-man roster in the year ahead, but in a different way. Rather than being out of options or near free agency, like McGuire, the target would need to be a pitcher who projects to spend much of 2026 on the injured list or a prospect already on the 40-man roster who isn't ready for the big leagues but still has an option year remaining. Even that's relatively unlikely. The best bet is that McGuire would get them only cash. Usually, in trades like the one McGuire would be involved in, a team receives something like $100,000. The Cubs would thus save about $2 million by trading him. That's nothing to sneeze at, but most of those savings can also be realized by non-tendering him. Unless they get an offer too good to pass up, the team might release McGuire just for the greater goodwill doing so would engender. One way the Cubs position themselves to scoop up players like McGuire (or, for instance, Brad Keller, whom they signed on a minor-league deal last winter) is by cultivating a reputation for fair dealing with players in situations like these. Allowing McGuire to become a free agent and choose his next employer might be worth more to the team than they could acquire by trading him, payable in doors opened and calls taken by future free agents. Amaya and Ethan Roberts each fell about a week shy of qualifying for Super Two status, so the team only has Steele, Assad, Morgan and McGuire to worry about Friday. However, they might also make news in a different way. With other teams forced into tougher decisions due to crowded 40-man rosters and/or budget constraints, there will be multiple trades Friday involving not only players like McGuire, but slightly better ones who just don't fit their current clubs. With the extra space on their roster, the Cubs could be a destination for such a player. The Orioles are considering non-tendering right-hitting first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who's set to earn over $7 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility. Coming off a poor season, Mountcastle isn't worth that much unless you believe he's due for a rebound, but he's a career .282/.334/.479 hitter against left-handed pitchers, and could be a nice bench bat for the Cubs, rotating in at first base and designated hitter to spell Michael Busch, Ballesteros and/or Owen Caissie in various configurations. Andy Ibáñez (of the Tigers) and Jonathan India (of the Royals) are also righty batters with good track records against lefties, coming off rough seasons and on the bubble as Friday dawns. There are also, inevitably, a dozen or so intriguing arms who might shake loose easily. It's a day for small moves, but for a team with few arbitration cases to worry about and lots of room on the 40-man roster, it's a day full of opportunities. The Cubs will make some news Friday, and it could begin to indicate the direction of the offseason to come. View the full article

The Blue Jays had several top prospects eligible for protection from the Rule 5 draft, which is coming up on December 10. Still, they only added one – left-handed pitcher Ricky Tiedemann (Jays Centre's No. 5 prospect) – to the 40-man roster before Tuesday's deadline. This was surprising, as I also expected No. 11 prospect Josh Kasevich to be protected as a possible Bo Bichette replacement, though his lack of power is a concern. Tiedemann was almost certain to be protected, given his strong performance when healthy. In his 2022 minor league debut, he posted a 2.17 ERA across three levels, with a 117:29 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 78 2/3 innings. He held opponents to a .149 average with a 2.51 FIP. Although he regressed on the surface in 2023, he still recorded a 3.68 ERA and an 82:23 strikeout-to-walk ratio in only 44 innings (due to a biceps injury). His 1.68 FIP was highly impressive, especially considering he pitched most of his innings at Double A. Tiedemann continued to deal with injuries in early 2024. In July, he was removed from a game and subsequently required Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2024 season and all of 2025. This lack of experience could impact whether the 23-year-old will pitch in the Blue Jays' big league camp during spring training. Tiedemann's pitching arsenal contains a mid-90s fastball, a changeup, and a slider. His deceptive low arm slot helps him rack up strikeouts, exciting Blue Jays fans. However, he relies heavily on his fastball-slider combo and will need to develop additional pitches or improve his changeup. Major league hitters may capitalize if he only depends on two pitches he can command. The Blue Jays will likely ease Tiedemann in next season, meaning he may not make the Opening Day roster. With Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, and Shane Bieber set to return to the rotation, the team can afford to be patient when it comes to Tiedemann's MLB debut. If those four stay healthy, the Blue Jays may use Eric Lauer as their fifth starter, allowing Tiedemann to ease into the season. This could lead to a scenario that mirrors Yesavage's rookie season; the 2024 first-round pick debuted in mid-September and delivered clutch postseason outings, including seven one-run innings with 12 strikeouts in Game 5 of the World Series, helping the Blue Jays take a 3-2 series lead. Regardless of when it happens, Blue Jays fans should expect to see Tiedemann take the mound for the major league team at some point next season. View the full article

We know the Boston Red Sox like to make trades. Garrett Crochet came over in one, and Rafael Devers was sent to the opposite side of the country in another. In this two-part series, we'll examine the 10 players on the roster than most often find themselves ensnared in trade rumors. Let's discuss the pros and cons of trading each, as well as the likelihood that Craig Breslow actually decides to send them packing. 10. Ceddanne Rafaela, OF Pros: Rafaela has developed into the best defensive center fielder in baseball. He ranked in the 99th percentile in Fielding Run Value, 99th percentile in Outs Above Average, and 97th percentile in Arm Strength. Considering the Red Sox were one of the worst defensive teams in the league, his presence is essential to building the identity the organization has been pursuing, as evidenced by the signing of Alex Bregman and the acquisition of Carlos Narvaez last offseason. Rafaela also lowered his strikeout rate from 26.4 percent to 19.9 percent and improved his AVG, OBP, SLG, and fWAR, finishing with a 3.8 mark in the latter. Cons: While his highs are extremely high (e.g., the walk-off against the Rays), his lows are just as extreme. He hit .218 in the second half compared to .277 in the first and struck out 22 times in both August and September. He also ranked fourth in MLB in out-of-zone swing rate (42.2 percent) and ninth in zone swing rate (75.3 percent). His free-swinging approach is unlikely to change, and his streakiness appears to be part of the package. Trade Likelihood: Low Rafaela is highly likely to be protected, especially with rumors surrounding Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran as the offseason begins. Despite his offensive inconsistencies, his defense is an invaluable asset for what the Red Sox need. If a team insists on acquiring Rafaela over Abreu, a blockbuster scenario could exist, but given his team-friendly contract and the fact that he is coming off a career year, the Red Sox would be foolish to move him. 9. Masataka Yoshida, OF/DH Pros: Yoshida is a career .282 MLB hitter with an elite strikeout rate, providing stability in the lower half of the lineup. Before his injury-plagued 2025 season, he posted wRC+ marks of 111 and 116. He rarely swings and misses, and when he does swing, he consistently squares up the baseball. Cons: The drawbacks are significant. He is one of the weakest outfield defenders in the league, which is why the Red Sox have used him almost exclusively at DH for two seasons. Before the Devers deal, they had nowhere to play him and essentially stashed him on the IL and at AAA until a roster spot opened. At age 32 (33 in July), he is making $18.6 million annually, the third-highest AAV on the team. With limited power, he does not provide the offensive output expected from a DH and may be more of a roster clog than a core contributor. Trade Likelihood: Medium/Low A Yoshida trade would likely be a salary dump to create CBT space rather than a move to acquire impact talent for 2026. Boston does not have emotional investment in him, as he was signed under Chaim Bloom. Craig Breslow has already shown a willingness to move contracts he considers inefficient, especially ones he did not issue. A trade feels more “low” than “medium”; it will be difficult to find a team willing to take on his contract. To his credit, though, he is still an excellent contact hitter. Unfortunately, a 54.8 percent ground-ball rate from a DH is simply not tenable. 8.Payton Tolle, SP Pros: Tolle rocketed through the system last season, rising from High-A to MLB in a single year. His fastball is one of the best in baseball by underlying metrics, and he posted a 36.5 percent strikeout rate in the minors and a 25.7 percent rate in the majors—impressive for just 16 1/3 MLB innings. As the top prospect in the Red Sox's system on Talk Sox's rankings, his ceiling is extremely high. His elevated ERA should not deter evaluators. Cons: Tolle struggled with command in the majors, posting a 10.8 percent walk rate—three percent higher than his highest minor-league mark. It is normal to see regression in K%, ERA, or WHIP moving from the minors to the majors, but command tends to be a more stable skill. That must rebound for him to slot in as a reliable No. 3 or No. 4 starter. Trade Likelihood: Medium If the Red Sox pursue a major trade this offseason, opposing teams will undoubtedly ask for Tolle, a controllable lefty with premium velocity. Boston likely does not want to move him, but he could be a required piece in a deal for a pitcher of Joe Ryan’s caliber. 7. Kristian Campbell Pros: Like Tolle, Campbell is a high-ceiling, tools-heavy prospect with significant upside. He climbed from High-A to AAA by the end of 2024 and debuted on Opening Day this past season. Fans saw his potential immediately, as he posted a .902 OPS and a .301 average in April, earning a Rookie of the Month distinction. His 89.5 mph average exit velocity that month would have ranked 17th among all rookies this season. Cons: His strikeout numbers were unacceptable for a prospect with his profile, contributing to his .134 average in May. His defense at second base was also poor, ranking fourth-worst in MLB according to Outs Above Average. Additionally, Campbell struggled to keep weight on throughout the season, which contributed to his performance decline. Trade Likelihood: Low The Red Sox have gotten Campbell back into his routine and believe this offseason has been a valuable mental and physical reset. Breslow has also committed to starting Campbell in the outfield. That statement suggests he either believes Campbell can handle the position or sees him as a possible trade piece—but given that Boston already has four other outfielders, Breslow seems more likely to move one of them instead. Considering the eight-year, $60 million extension Campbell signed in April, the odds of a trade are low. 6. Garrett Whitlock, RP Pros: Whitlock dominated opposing hitters this season with a 2.25 ERA. Across 72 innings, he increased his strikeout rate by eight percent, and opponents hit just .205 against him. He also increased his sinker velocity by 2.2 mph, contributing to his highest ground-ball rate since his 2021 debut. Cons: Reliever performance can be volatile, as shown by Whitlock’s 2023 season, when he posted a 5.15 ERA in 71 2/3 innings. After that season, he threw only 18 1/3 innings in 2024 because of an oblique injury, raising questions about durability. He also appeared to wear down during the postseason, particularly in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Yankees. Trade Likelihood: Low Championship-caliber teams do not trade elite bullpen arms—they acquire them. Boston's current trajectory does not align with dealing a setup man like Whitlock. He offers immense value, and he could close for multiple teams, making him even more essential to keep. Any time the Red Sox entered the eighth inning with a lead and both Aroldis Chapman and Whitlock available, it felt almost automatic. The Red Sox should be focused on acquiring talent, not trading away up-and-coming or established contributors, unless doing so improves another area of the major-league roster. Breslow made four trades in one day already this offseason. It would not be surprising if he executes another substantial move in the near future. View the full article