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The Minnesota Twins have spent the last three seasons in a whirlwind, from playoff team to multiple collapses. Yet as another winter begins, the most significant questions once again have little to do with roster construction or player development. Instead, all eyes are on the owners’ suite, and the future of a franchise is still stuck in the limbo of a half-completed ownership restructure. Commissioner Rob Manfred recently offered the first public update in months, confirming that the Pohlad family’s push to sell minority stakes is still underway. “Those non-control interest sales are in process—on track and in process,” Manfred said, sharing no further details. His comment was brief but telling, a reminder that nothing has been finalized and that the process is dragging into its second offseason. For a front office already asked to navigate shrinking margins, the uncertainty does not help. The Slow Burn of a Sale That Wasn’t In mid-August, the Pohlads abruptly pulled the Twins off the market after nearly a year of shopping the entire franchise. Instead of a complete sale, the club announced the addition of two minority investment groups. Details were scarce then, and they remain scarce now. Fans still do not know who is involved in either group, and the deal is not complete, though indications are that the incoming investors will hold roughly 20 percent of the team once approved. The intended purpose of the sale was equally significant. After failing to find a buyer at their targeted valuation (around $1.7 billion), the Pohlads elected to take on minority partners to pay down over $400 million in existing debt. Redirecting even a portion of that financial relief into baseball operations would signal commitment not only to the president of baseball operations, Derek Falvey, but also to a fan base weary of mixed messages. So far, that reinvestment remains a hope, rather than a reality. A Front Office Waiting for a Number While the ownership transition drags on, the baseball operations department is left working without a clear payroll budget for 2026. That uncertainty creates an impossible task for a front office trying to balance the possibility of adding with the reality that they may be told to subtract, instead. According to multiple reports, ownership has not communicated a target number for next season, leaving the baseball side to prepare for every scenario. The difference between an $85 million payroll and a $115 million payroll is substantial, and both figures appear to be in play as potential ceilings. This is why recent comments from Falvey carry a different tone. He emphasized three separate times that his focus is on adding to the roster, not breaking it down. He then noted that achieving that outcome depends on what “we” are allowed to do. In a vacuum, this might seem like standard front office language. Given the situation, however, it feels like Falvey is subtly drawing a line between his own intentions and whatever ownership ultimately decides. Players Notice What Is Happening Fans are not the only ones paying attention. Byron Buxton made it clear that he appreciates the stability of playing under the Pohlad family, noting that their presence makes future conversations easier. But even that loyalty has limits. Reporting from The Athletic suggests that Buxton wants to play for a winner and may reconsider his stance if the roster teardown continues—especially if pitchers like Joe Ryan or Pablo López are moved. Players watch the franchise's direction as closely as fans do. They know when a team is pushing forward, and they know when ownership is forcing a retreat. If uncertainty persists deep into this winter, it is not unreasonable to expect more players to ask questions about where the organization is heading. A Story Bigger Than a Single Offseason The latest frustration stems from a familiar theme. When ownership hesitates or defers major decisions, the baseball operations department is left to absorb the fallout. The Pohlads have earned a reputation for slow decision-making in financial matters, and this prolonged minority sale only reinforces that perception. The team cannot fully rebuild or fully compete until ownership clarifies its plan. For now, the Twins are stuck straddling two potential tracks, neither of which leads to sustained success. So, where do things go from here? As fans wait for action, the truth is that the next move belongs to ownership. Once the minority sale is complete, the Pohlads must communicate a payroll direction and allow the baseball operations group to act accordingly. Until then, every rumor—whether involving López, Ryan, or any other player—will continue to feel like guesswork. What do you think the Twins should do once the minority sale is finalized? Do you trust the Pohlads to provide a clear direction? And how much patience do you have left for an ownership group that continues to leave the front office and the fan base in limbo? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Adding roster depth doesn't always lead to the sexiest moves of the offseason, but as the Blue Jays showed last season, it is absolutely crucial to building a dominant team. Small moves like signing Eric Lauer to a minor league deal, adding Myles Straw in a minor trade, and claiming Tyler Heineman off waivers were all moves that helped the Blue Jays reach the World Series. Not all minor moves pay off; Joey Votto, Spencer Turnbull and Richard Lovelady never had their moments in Toronto. But part of building depth comes from recognizing where you can add talent. The Blue Jays will undoubtedly make some additions this winter, with some being headline names and others being small moves that could pay off later. In this piece, we’ll take a look at the corner infield positions and see where the Blue Jays might look to add depth. FIRST BASE Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: .292/.381/.467, 23 HR, 3.9 fWAR Vlad needs no introduction. He's the undisputed starting first baseman and is one of the truest superstars in the sport. He elevated that spotlight to a new level in the postseason, producing a 1.289 OPS and eight home runs to do his part to get the Blue Jays to the brink of the title. Guerrero has also been incredibly durable, playing 156+ games in each of the last four seasons. He’ll be relied on heavily again in 2026 as Toronto looks to repeat as American League champions. Ernie Clement/Anthony Santander Behind Guerrero, the only returning players who logged time at first base last season were Ernie Clement (12 games) and Anthony Santander (one game). Clement can fill in admirably in a pinch, but he is best suited to play elsewhere on the diamond. Santander has just 14 career games at first, and while giving him more reps there could help ease Toronto’s outfield logjam, it's hard to rely on him in that position until that happens. Look for the Blue Jays to add some first base depth before the start of spring training. Riley Tirotta - .268/.359/.417, 12 HR, 111 wRC+ (with Triple-A Buffalo) The Blue Jays don’t have a “true” first baseman in Buffalo right now. Tirotta is the closest candidate, having played 55 games at the position in 2024. Last season, he became a lot more versatile (something the Blue Jays emphasize in their farm system), as he played games at first base (36), third base (43), and right field (30), as well as second and shortstop. He hasn't appeared on any of FanGraphs' preseason lists of Jays top prospects or Jays Centre's top prospect rankings, but he has produced above-average offence in recent years. If the Blue Jays stand pat, then Tirotta could see some time in Toronto this summer. Other Names To Know: Damiano Palmegiani Peyton Williams THIRD BASE Addison Barger .243/.301/.454, 21 HR, 2.2 fWAR Because of the Blue Jays' positional versatility, Addison Barger may see more time in right field than at third base. But at the moment, he is pencilled in as the everyday third baseman. Barger had a breakout season in 2025, and Toronto will once again rely on his bat to spark the offence. Defensively, he grades better in the outfield, but because of his elite arm strength (96.5 mph average), he’s valuable at both positions. Until injuries or future roster moves dictate otherwise, he’s likely to get the first look at third base. Ernie Clement .277/.313/.398, 9 HR, 3.2 fWAR If Barger isn’t the starter, then Clement is next in line. He played all four infield positions in 2025 (and likely will again in ‘26) but saw most of his work at the hot corner. His glove is elite; Statcast's Fielding Run Value ranked him as a top 10 infielder last season, and the eye test backs it up. As of now, Ernie is slotted to be the everyday second baseman, but any addition up the middle could push him back to third. If he’s able to replicate his 2025 breakout, the Blue Jays will happily pencil him in every day. Charles McAdoo .247/.318/.413, 16 HR, 114 wRC+ (with Double-A New Hampshire) McAdoo came over in the Isiah Kiner-Falefa trade at the 2024 trade deadline and looked right at home in his first full season with the organization. He’ll be 24 years old next season and has a real chance to take a step forward to big league relevance. There is some swing and miss to his game (27.7% K-rate in 2025), and he may eventually shift to first base. But the Blue Jays let Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stay at third for a while and may do the same with McAdoo. He ranked as Jays Centre's 14th best prospect on our end-of-season list. Other Names To Know: Cutter Coffey Sean Keys Tucker Toman On the whole, the Blue Jays have impact at the top, but once you get past Guerrero, Barger and Clement, the depth falls off quickly. In recent years, the club has let go of Will Wagner, Spencer Horwitz, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ty France, all of whom provided coverage at the corner infield spots. With that in mind, the Jays will need to prepare for potential injuries or underperformance, and they will likely look for reinforcements through trade or free agency this offseason. Those additions may not make headlines, but as this team just showed, the under-the-radar moves could prove crucial as they aim to repeat as American League champions in 2026. View the full article

Tuesday afternoon, the Boston Red Sox surprised everyone by making a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. In a move that saw the Red Sox improve their major league pitching, they were forced to sacrifice some depth and a previously touted prospect for Sonny Gray. But did the Red Sox really give up a lot for Gray? When you really look at it, it seems that the Red Sox managed to steal Gray for two pitchers they may not have had much interest in anymore. The official deal between the Red Sox and Cardinals saw Gray and $20 million shipped to the Red Sox in return for Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke. Of course, the first reaction to this trade is wondering why Craig Breslow would be willing to move on from Clarke after just one season, especially after he had made Baseball America’s Top 100 prospect list during the season. Clarke, however, was a huge risk of becoming nothing more than a reliever the further into the season he pitched. Clarke spent time with both Salem and Greenville in 2025, along with a few stints on the injured list. Making 14 starts, Clarke finished the year 0-3 with a 4.03 ERA in 38 innings. The key to his prospect billing was the fastball-slider combination, which paired a triple-digit fastball with a slider that showed considerable bat-missing ability. This led him to strike out 60 batters. However, with Clarke, his biggest issues (and the ones that have deemed him a high risk of ending up as a reliever) were his lack of control and stamina. Despite throwing just 38 innings, Clarke issued 27 walks, hit 12 batters, and allowed 14 wild pitches. Of his 14 starts, he recorded more than 12 outs in only four starts. From June 26 until his final start on August 8, Clarke did not make it out of the third inning one time. Clarke’s command needs work because no matter how fast you throw, if you can’t throw strikes, you won’t last long in organized baseball. Clarke’s final three starts saw him throw one, 1/3, and 2 1/3 innings, respectively. In those starts, he threw 35, 37, and 59 pitches. He struggled to get outs early in the count, and during his July 25 start with Greenville, all but one batter (the first one) worked an at-bat of at least five pitches. That start was the perfect representation of Clarke: a pitcher who could strike batters out but struggled to work counts to get quick outs while walking batters. In that game, Clarke pitched one inning and allowed two hits, two earned runs, two walks, and struck out three batters while throwing a wild pitch. There’s no denying that Clarke is talented, but right now, as the Red Sox view their window as beginning to open, they decided they couldn’t wait and hope he figures things out. Instead, they decided to move on instead of being burned. Remember, not every prospect pans out. If they had, the Red Sox would have looked very different during the 2010s and early 2020s. Instead, Breslow decided to pull the trigger to bring in a veteran arm who performed better than his stats showed. Joining Clarke in the Cardinals organization is Fitts, the first big move that Breslow made after getting hired. 2025 was an up-and-down year, both on and off the field, as Fitts saw himself shuttled between Boston and Worcester in between stints on the injured list. Opening the season in the Red Sox Rotation, Fitts pitched well through his first three starts on the mound until an injury in his third start halted his momentum. Placed on the 15-day injured list with a right pectoral strain, Fitts would see himself out of action until late May. During that span, the Red Sox saw Hunter Dobbins leap ahead of Fitts on the depth chart, but with the team still in need of pitching, they brought Fitts back early against Milwaukee, having him pitch on limited innings. The outing went well as he tossed three scoreless innings, but after that, things went downhill for the right-hander. Fitts would see himself be shelled by the Los Angeles Angels, allowing three home runs in the first on his way to a six-run, five-earned outing that saw him optioned back to Worcester after. Fitts again saw a mix of success, making three starts but only making it past the fourth inning once (though his outing on July 1 was cut short due to a rain cancellation). After that, Fitts saw himself bouncing between Boston and Worcester, making two appearances in late July before being sent back to Worcester and recalled in late August for one appearance out of the bullpen, where he tossed four innings and allowed three runs. He would end up injured, this time with right-arm neuritis, which ended his season. While Fitts dealt with injuries and inconsistency, the Red Sox noted how several of their young pitchers were developing. Payton Tolle and Connelly Early both made their major league debuts and pitched well enough to make the postseason roster. Hunter Dobbins pitched well until his season-ending injury, and prospects in the minors continued to develop as several pitchers leapfrogged Fitts on the depth chart. He had become expendable in a trade without hurting the team’s overall depth too much. And so, Breslow pulled the trigger on the trade to send a lottery prospect and a depth pitcher for a middle-of-the-rotation arm. He showed that the Red Sox are serious about next season, all while keeping Gray only on the books for next season. He didn’t take on additional money that could affect the team, given a likely lockout in 2027. Breslow found a way to focus on 2026 and 2026 alone. And with the money coming back from St. Louis, the trade looks even better. This is a trade that a team looking to win makes. Breslow knew it, and he didn’t falter in negotiations. View the full article

The Miami Marlins engaged the representatives of right-handed phenom Eury Pérez regarding a potential contract extension during the spring of 2025, sources tell Fish On First, though talks failed to progress beyond the initial stages. The two sides were approximately $15 million apart in negotiations. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was first to mention that these talks took place early Wednesday morning. The Dominican flamethrower possesses a rare combination of size, command, fastball quality, and youth. He made his major league debut on May 12, 2023. In 19 starts as a rookie, Pérez posted a 3.15 ERA with 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings. His season was interrupted in July by an unpopular demotion to Triple-A due to a predetermined innings limit. He was recalled a month later and eventually finished the year on the injured list with left SI joint inflammation. In spring training 2024, Pérez first dealt with a fingernail issue, then began experiencing elbow discomfort. He opened the season on the injured list and later underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. He returned to MLB in June 2025 and recorded a 4.25 ERA over 95 ⅓ innings. He will still be just 22 years old on Opening Day 2026. "We're always going to have those conversations. We have a bunch of really good players," president of baseball operations Peter Bendix this offseason said in relation to making extensions. Conveniently Pérez is represented by Adriel Reyes of CAA—the same agent who negotiated Sandy Alcantara’s extension, the only long-term deal completed during the Bruce Sherman era. Knowledge of these past talks comes on the heels of reporting that the Marlins are also interested in securing All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers on a team-friendly deal. However, Pérez, outfielder Jakob Marsee and catcher Joe Mack profile as far more likely extension candidates. Comparable industry extensions for homegrown starting pitchers include Brayan Bello’s six-year, $55 million deal with Boston in 2024 and Spencer Strider’s six-year, $75 million contract with Atlanta in 2022. I expect Miami to be offering Pérez something in between. Fish On Fist founder Ely Sussman projected a five-year, $60 million pact in his Marlins offseason blueprint. View the full article

With the start of the Winter Meetings less than two weeks away, Kevin Barral, Isaac Azout and Ely Sussman discuss the latest Miami Marlins news. That includes analyzing Kyle Stowers as a contract extension candidate and the authenticity of Miami's reported interest in free agent pitcher Michael King. Find Fish Unfiltered on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes Fish On First LIVE, Swimming Upstream, Big Fish Small Pod and more. Fish On First can confirm that extension talks between the Marlins and Stowers took place earlier this offseason. They did not make meaningful progress, with Stowers' camp envisioning a contract containing nearly twice as much guaranteed money as the Marlins wanted to offer. Ely detailed the challenges of valuing the All-Star's future here. FOF has also learned of the team's past interest in locking up young prodigy Eury Pérez to a long-term deal. The Marlins initiated those negotiations earlier in 2025 while the right-hander was still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. As was the case with Stowers, there was a large gap between the two sides. Follow Kevin (⁠@kevin_barral⁠), Isaac (@IsaacAzout), Ely (@RealEly) and Fish On First (⁠@FishOnFirst⁠) on Twitter. Join the ⁠Marlins Discord server⁠! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at ⁠FishOnFirst.com⁠. View the full article

On Tuesday afternoon, the MLB Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool recipients were released. For those unfamiliar with the Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool, it can be defined as follows: A more thorough breakdown of the Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool, who is eligible, and how it is awarded can be found here. While it is not as celebrated as the MLB awards or as hyped as free agency or trade season in the offseason, the pool highlights pre-arbitration players coming off excellent campaigns. This season, four Royals players received bonuses from the pool, including two pitchers and two position players. Let's examine how much those players made and what they did in 2025 to earn those respective bonus amounts. Maikel Garcia, 3B: $773,819 Garcia received the 13th-highest amount this season, just ahead of players like Boston's Roman Anthony ($725,317) and Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson ($641,218). After a down season in 2024 in which he posted a 71 wRC+ and 1.2 fWAR in 626 plate appearances, he posted a 121 wRC+ and 5.8 fWAR in 666 plate appearances this season. The 25-year-old third baseman didn't just post great stats, but earned some honors and hardware this season as well. He made his first All-Star team, was a Silver Slugger finalist, and garnered his first Gold Glove after posting stellar metrics at the hot corner this year. Garcia didn't earn any All-MLB honors, but his high fWAR and various honors contributed to his high pre-arbitration bonus amount. The Venezuelan will enter his first year of arbitration eligibility this offseason, and he could be a candidate for a long-term extension. MLB Trade Rumors projects Garcia to command around $4.8 million in arbitration this offseason. Noah Cameron, LHP: $638,351 The rookie lefty had the second-highest bonus amount for a Royals player and had the 17th-highest overall. That isn't surprising, especially considering the season Cameron had on the mound for a rotation that dealt with a lot of pitching injuries this season. In 24 starts and 138.1 IP, Cameron sported a 9-7 record and posted a 2.99 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 1.8 fWAR. His fWAR mark actually lagged behind Michael Wacha (3.6), Kris Bubic (3.3), and even Cole Ragans (2.1). That said, his durability and strong showing helped him earn Royals Pitcher of the Year honors from the organization and finish fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting, behind Nick Kurtz (winner), Jacob Wilson, and Anthony. The fWAR may not have been as impressive as Garcia's. Still, his strong showing in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, along with excellent surface-level numbers for a rookie starting pitcher, likely contributed to his high bonus. Cameron has an opportunity to continue to collect from the pool for the next few years if he continues to develop as a pitcher, as he is not arbitration-eligible until 2029. Stephen Kolek, RHP: $251,660 A Trade Deadline acquisition from San Diego, Kolek thrived in his role with the Royals down the stretch. In five starts and 33 IP with Kansas City, he posted a 1.91 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and 0.9 fWAR. This was despite initially pitching in Triple-A Omaha when he was originally acquired from the Padres. His finish was so impressive that he earned September Pitcher of the Month honors from the Royals. While those numbers with the Royals were impressive, Kolek had a solid overall season, pitching with the Padres before switching organizations. Overall, Kolek made 19 appearances, nine starts, pitched 112.2 innings, and posted an ERA of 3.51, a WHIP of 1.14, and fWAR of 0.9. That's not bad for a pitcher who had only pitched 46.2 innings in 2024 with San Diego as a rookie (he posted a 5.21 ERA and 1.52 WHIP last season). Kolek's bonus amount put him just behind the White Sox's Shane Smith ($255,276) but ahead of other pitchers such as the Dodgers' Emmet Sheehan ($248,866) and Milwaukee's Aaron Ashby ($228,384). The 28-year-old Texas A&M product is still pre-arbitration eligible this offseason and next and will be arbitration-eligible in 2028, according to Spotrac. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B: $245,479 Pasquantino finally stayed healthy in 2025 and had the best season of his short career. The 27-year-old first baseman played 160 games and had 682 plate appearances in 2025. Over that sample, he slashed .264/.323/.475 and led the Royals in home runs with 32 and RBI with 113. He also posted a 116 wRC+ and 1.5 fWAR. On the hitting end, it was an unforgettable season for the Pasquatch. He overcame a slow start to the season, as he posted a 49 wRC+ in 124 plate appearances in March/April, according to Fangraphs splits. After that brutal first month of play, he didn't have a wRC+ below triple digits, and he was particularly productive after the All-Star Break, posting a 125 wRC+ in the second half. Pasquantino didn't earn any All-Star or All-MLB honors last season (and it wasn't particularly close). Furthermore, his defense left a bit to be desired. He was seven outs below average and four runs below average defensively, according to Statcast's defensive metrics. His OAA ranked in the bottom sixth percentile, and it was also a nine-out difference from his mark in 2024. Still, aside from defense, the Royals should feel good about what Pasquantino did last year as an on-field and locker-room leader for the club. He also did enough to get some money from the pre-arbitration bonus pool, as his amount was larger than Detroit's Colt Keith ($224,454), Toronto's Nathan Lukes ($222,545), and Pittsburgh's Oneil Cruz ($221,795). Like Garcia, Pasquantino enters his first year of arbitration eligibility and could be an extension candidate as well this offseason. MLB Trade Rumors estimates him to command $5.4 million in arbitration this offseason. View the full article

Payton Eeles had become a fan favorite prospect in the Twins farm system over the last two years, and was just traded for backstop Alex Jackson. Eeles' 5'5" stature and hard work ethic made him a standout for the Twins, but did the hometown crowd overvalue him because of his story, or did the Twins part with someone who could have provided stronger middle infield depth long-term? View the full article

As part of the most recent collective bargaining agreement between the players union and MLB, an annual bonus pool was created to pay players who accumulated significant on-field value and/or finished highly in balloting for the league's major awards, in seasons in which they did not yet qualify for arbitration. It was one small (and ultimately inadequate) way to shift money from highly paid veterans (often on the decline) and underpaid young stars of the game, and it's made a significant difference in the earning power of players over their first two or three years in the league. The bonuses paid to several dozen players were announced Tuesday, and three Cubs saw their 2025 earnings substantially boosted. Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was on the All-MLB second team and put up impressive totals in wins above replacement, earned an extra $1,206,207, which is just shy of double his salary for the season. Between that extra infusion of cash; winning a Gold Glove Award; a playoff share; and his massive marketability (which has already yielded some lucrative endorsement opportunities), Crow-Armstrong got much richer this year. Whatever leverage the Cubs hoped to wield in negotiations over a contract extension when they began them in the spring has evaporated. Crow-Armstrong is still in position to hit free agency relatively young, and he'll qualify for arbitration as a Super Two player in 2027. He's holding all the cards. Cade Horton got $500,000 for his runner-up finish in the Rookie of the Year voting, and made a total of $852,806 in bonuses after adding the amount he earned via WAR calculations. That's more than he made in salary, too, and he gets the non-monetary (but extremely lucrative) added benefit of getting a full year of service time for 2025, thanks to getting those Rookie of the Year votes. He's now set to become a free agent after 2030, just as Crow-Armstrong is. He, too, leaped forward in terms of his career earning potential this season, thanks to the new rules that came into effect in the last CBA. Nothing, however, can save the earning power of a late-blooming first baseman. Michael Busch, who arguably had the best season of any Cub, got just $483,108 for his efforts. This was Busch's age-27 season, and while he made the most of it, he's not eligible for arbitration until 2027, and can't become a free agent until the end of 2029. By then, he's likely to be moving out of his prime. The Cubs have little incentive to extend him, and he has little chance to make All-MLB teams or rack up WAR, because of his position and the way the statistics are calculated. He'll be grateful for the extra money, which will be over $500,000 once his playoff share is heaped on top of it, but Busch didn't hit the same kind of jackpot as his younger, more celebrated teammates—even though he had a tremendous breakout campaign. These initiatives—the bonus payments and the service-time rewards—are a great step forward for the game, giving young stars more leverage and more power. It only makes the Cubs' job harder, because extending Crow-Armstrong looks like a very expensive endeavor at this point. So be it. The team will have to either swallow its worries and make a splash, or accept the risks that come with going year to year with franchise cornerstones. In the meantime, for Crow-Armstrong, Horton and Busch, these are just desserts for a job extremely well done. View the full article

In episode 102 of Destination: The Show, the crew break down the Twins additions to the 40-man roster, from the more expected to the less obvious. They spend some time digging into the emergency of undrafted right-handed pitcher John Klein, who looks like a candidate for the MLB bullpen in 2026. The guys discuss Derek Shelton rounding out his MLB Staff before digging into Trevor Larnach being tendered a contract for 2026. Finally they answer listener questions on the forthcoming draft lottery. 0:00 Intro 4:25 Housekeeping 5:02 40-Man Roster Adds (lots of John Klein talk) 17:14 Rotation talk 22:40 Hendry Mendez 24:34 MLB Coaching Staff 27:00 Trade for Alex Jackson 39:38 Contracts Tendered (including Larnach) 45:32 Listener Questions You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View the full article

This afternoon, the Toronto Blue Jays announced they had placed left-handed pitcher Easton Lucas, 29, on unconditional release waivers. This will free up another space on the 40-man roster, giving the front office three open spots to work with. Lucas made his MLB debut with the Athletics in 2023 and bounced from the A's to the Tigers to the Blue Jays in 2024. He made a pair of excellent starts for Toronto this past April, striking out 11 in 10.1 scoreless innings. Unfortunately, he struggled after those two outings and could not stick with the major league club. As is often the case when a team releases a player seemingly out of nowhere, it is believed that the Blue Jays granted Lucas his release so he could sign a contract with a foreign professional team (per Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith). According to reporter Francys Romero, that team will be in Japan's NPB. Featured image courtesy of Mitch Stringer, Imagn Images. View the full article

On Monday, the Kansas City Royals announced that they hired Mike McFerran as assistant pitching coach. McFerran replaces Zach Bove, who left earlier this month for the head pitching coach role with the Chicago White Sox. McFerran is only 32 years old but has a diverse coaching history, with much of his time spent at his alma mater, Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, Wake Forest University, and the Sacramento Athletics. With Wake Forest, he served as an associate head coach and pitching lab coordinator, helping develop first-round draft picks such as Ryan Cusick and Rhett Lowder. After a successful tenure with the Demon Deacons, he moved on to the Athletics organization, where he primarily worked with Minor League pitchers for the past two seasons. The Royals' new assistant pitching coach had a pretty interesting interview on "And That's The Game" from Pro Batter Sports last year, when he was a member of the Athletics organization. In the podcast, he discussed his unique coaching background and his overall coaching philosophy. When it came to replacing Bove, the Royals were looking for someone who shared Bove's ability to work closely with pitchers, especially in game strategy and pitch design, according to MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers. With his extensive background in pitch mechanics and incorporating science, data, and technology to develop athletes, especially pitchers, it seems like Kansas City found that fit with McFerran. Here's a snippet from Rogers' piece that provides background on McFerran's coaching history, especially during his tenure at Wake Forest. With the McFerran hiring, the Royals' coaching staff should be complete for the upcoming season. In addition to Bove, the Royals needed to replace assistant hitting coaches Keoni DeRenne and Joe Dillon. They found those replacements in Connor Dawson of the Brewers and Marcus Thames of the White Sox. Photo Credit: © William Purnell-Imagn Images View the full article

When the Collective Bargaining Agreement between players and owners made their most-recent agreement in 2022, one of the better policy changes was giving more money to players who are unable to make the big money yet. Each season, the league sets aside $50 million. Specific amounts are earned for receiving Rookie of the Year, MVP or Cy Young votes, or finishing first or second team All-MLB. For instance, Paul Skenes won the Cy Young this season, so he got $2.5 million for that. Hunter Brown finished third place in NL voting, and for that, he received $1.5 million. A player can only receive a bonus for one award per year, the higher amount. The remaining money is then allocated to several players based on a special formula using a couple of WAR stats. The top of the 2025 pre-arbitration bonuses looks a lot like the top of the NL Cy Young vote. Paul Skenes led the way at $3,436,343. Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez earned $2,678,437, and Brown earned $2,206,538. Others to earn a bonus over $1 million include Mariners Bryan Woo ($1.54M), Diamondbacks OF ($1.34M), A's 1B Nick Kurtz ($1.30M), Cubs OF Pete Crow-Armstrong ($1.21M), Braves catcher Drake Baldwin ($1.18M), Brewers 2B Brice Turang ($1.16M), and Rays 3B ($1.07M). A 23-year-old former 2nd round pick, Keaschall made his big-league debut in April and earned 164 days of service time during the 2025 season. He hit .302/.382/.445 (.827) with 14 doubles, four home runs and 28 RBI. He had 14 steals in 17 attempts. He received a couple of Rookie of the Year votes. Per Baseball-Reference, his season was worth 2.0 WAR. Per FanGraphs, his season was valued at 1.6 WAR. Keaschall,'s 2025 salary for his big-league time would have been the major-league minimum salary of $760,000. Since he was on the roster 164 days, his MLB salary was somewhere around $690,000. On Tuesday, he earned his bonus of $209,217, an extra 30% for him. Just two players, Reds infielder Matt McLain ($206,056) and Nationals OF Daylen Lile ($150,000), earned a smaller bonus. Frankly, the Twins didn't have a lot of pre-arbitration players on the roster who played enough for consideration. Others include Matt Wallner, Brooks Lee, Edouard Julien each had more plate appearances than Keaschall's 207. Frankly I'm surprised that Simeon Woods Richardson didn't get a bonus in 2025. He went 7-4 with a 4.04 ERA over 111 1/3 innings and 22 games started. It was worth 2.2 bWAR and 1.2 fWAR, so he had to be close. Louie Varland had to be close as well. Following the 2023 season, the Twins had six players earn the bonus: Bailey Ober ($432,752), Edouard Julien ($397,629), Joe Ryan ($341,931), Royce Lewis ($341,190), Ryan Jeffers ($300,304), and Jhoan Duran ($271,789). After the 2024 season, the Twins had five players earn this bonus: Bailey Ober ($381,085), Griffin Jax ($352,852), Joe Ryan ($331,054), Matt Wallner ($256,296), and Simeon Woods Richardson ($243,471). View the full article

Miami Marlins players Kyle Stowers, Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez, Jakob Marsee, Janson Junk and Eury Pérez combined to receive nearly $2 million from the MLB pre-arbitration bonus pool, per the Associated Press. Players can become eligible for bonuses based on where they finish in the voting for major awards (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and All-MLB). However, each of the six Marlins were paid according to a proprietary wins above replacement formula. This is the second straight year that Edwards and Lopez have earned pre-arb bonuses. Marsee spent the first four months of the 2025 season in the minor leagues, yet was so valuable as an all-around player down the stretch that he made up for lost time. He winds up collecting more money from the bonus pool than he did in salary during his partial season on the Marlins roster. Ronny Henriquez and Heriberto Hernández are among the other young Marlins who fell just barely below the bonus pool cut-off. Courtesy of Spotrac, we can combine these bonuses with each player's cash earnings at the major league level to approximate their overall income for 2025: Kyle Stowers, $1,317,218 Xavier Edwards, $1,158,237 Otto Lopez, $1,067,012 Eury Pérez, $982,753 Janson Junk, $779,784 Jakob Marsee, $523,282 Ten members of the Milwaukee Brewers received bonuses, making them the only team better represented than the Marlins. The pool was divided among 101 total players. Edwards, Lopez, Pérez and Stowers will be eligible for arbitration beginning in 2027, so they'll have only one more opportunity next year to be included in the pool. Junk and Marsee won't be arb-eligible until 2028 at the earliest. View the full article

The Red Sox have checked in on free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. Realmuto, entering his age-35 season, just completed his sixth year with Philadelphia and reached the postseason in four straight years as the club’s primary catcher. In 2025, Realmuto logged 550 plate appearances over 134 games and hit .257/.315/.384 with 12 home runs and eight stolen bases, producing a .700 OPS and a 91 OPS+. FanGraphs credited him with a 94 wRC+ and 2.1 WAR. Statcast shows a wOBA of .307 and xwOBA of .316, with a hard-hit rate around 37 percent. On the defensive side, he caught over 1,150 innings in 2025 and remained a high-volume backstop. He posted a 28 percent caught-stealing rate and pop times around 1.86 seconds. Boston’s current catching group centers on Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong. Over the 2024–25 seasons combined, Wong has 675 plate appearances and produced a .255/.314/.374 line with a .688 OPS, .119 ISO and 92 wRC+. Narváez’s 2025 defensive metrics included a fielding run value of +5, +4 blocks above average, +2 caught stealing above average, and +3 framing runs, placing him among the more effective defensive catchers by those measures. With the emergence of Narváez in 2025, do you think Realmuto is a good addition? View the full article

The Twins front office has expressed a desire to add to the current roster, but their ability to do so is likely to be limited by the impending partial sale of the team. Even when this is resolved, we've learned that getting a straight answer on anything from this regime is not going to happen. Regarding the team’s intentions to contend in 2026, fans will have to draw their own conclusions based on how the offseason goes. There are several spots on the roster to watch to gauge whether the Twins are trying to contend in 2026, but three stand out. First Base The Twins have been shuffling first basemen for the last few years, opting to fill the spot with cheap veterans who have had varying degrees of success. In 2025, it was one of the team’s weaker positions. Opening Day starter Ty France eventually lost his job to career journeyman Kody Clemens, who had some nice moments but wasn’t the kind of player a contending team wants to have in the lineup every day. First base is at the bottom of the defensive spectrum. Having a good defensive first baseman is nice, but offensive production is an absolute must. The 29-year-old Clemens is the incumbent, coming off a .715 OPS, which was below league average overall and well below average among first basemen. The Twins also have no legitimate prospects on their way to take the position over midseason. It’ll be worth watching whether they see value in upgrading the position, either in free agency or via trade. The team is in desperate need of a boost offensively, and adding a first baseman with more upside is one of the most cost-effective upgrades they can make. If they roll with what they have headed into 2026, it’s worth questioning how serious they are. The Bullpen The once-elite Twins bullpen is now one of the worst in baseball, following a shocking sell-off at the trade deadline. Falvey and company downplayed the effect of these moves, explaining that they had built the previous bullpen internally. While that's true, he failed to mention that assembling the previous group took years of trial and error. Pretending that the current group (along with a few waiver claims and minor-league signings) will be competitive in 2026 is unrealistic. This regime has shown that they don’t value relievers highly enough to spend much on them in free agency. They’ve rarely invested in them, and it’s gone quite poorly on the rare occasions when they have. Unfortunately, they’ve left themselves no choice but to do it this winter, if they’re serious about competing in 2026. The Twins could have a top-five rotation in 2026, yet they may miss the playoffs with their current bullpen. They need to hit on two or three legitimate arms to turn to at the back end of games, or the rest of the roster won’t matter. If they choose to stand pat, they likely aren’t especially worried about winning games in 2026. López and Ryan The most obvious tell for the Twins' intentions in 2026 will be what they do with Joe Ryan and Pablo López. Derek Falvey has expressed his desire to keep both players, but payroll may leave him no choice but to sell them off for parts. Regardless of what they bring back, trading one or both of them would be waving the white flag. The rotation is the lone bright spot of the Twins' roster. We can dream of a world where Taj Bradley, Mick Abel and others take a big step and fill the void left by trading away high-end starters, but that would be refusing to admit what’s right in front of us. López and Ryan each have multiple years of team control at prices below their market value. Teams looking to compete don’t trade these types of players when they’re in the situation the Twins are in. They do it to lower their payroll and try to sell the cheaper prospects they get in return, as a reason for the fanbase to have hope. If either López or Ryan is traded, the Twins are telling us 2026 doesn’t matter. The path to competing without one of these two at the front of the rotation becomes far too narrow. The team would be left with question marks across all departments, and it’s been years since this front office has given confidence that they can find answers. Local writers will undoubtedly continue to push for answers regarding the Twins' intentions for 2026, but there’s very little chance they will get them at any point this offseason. Actions speak louder than words, anyway, and watching their moves this offseason will give us all the answers we need. Will the Twins make a legitimate effort to improve in 2026, or will their stated goals of adding to the roster be undermined by the actions they take? View the full article

In a recent piece by Jack Stern, he mentioned eight relievers who played substantial roles in the Brewers bullpen last year. Six of them—Grant Anderson, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Jared Koenig, Trevor Megill, and Abner Uribe—have minor-league options left. Nick Mears and Rob Zastryzny do not. This octet will do much of the heavy lifting out of the pen in 2026, but Milwaukee faces a practical constraint: the guys they would most want to swap out to bring up fresh arms at times are the ones who can't be sent down. As with last year’s starting rotation, though, there's helpful depth that could alleviate those problems. Let’s check out some of the guys in the minors who haven't been celebrated or praised, but should get called up to Milwaukee sometime in 2026—and a few prospects who look like they will move up to the higher levels. Second-Chance Relievers Craig Yoho (BF #20 prospect) Yoho appeared in eight games for Milwaukee last year in three separate stints, and other than one bad outing, he allowed five hits and two runs in 7 2/3 innings, good for an ERA of 2.35. Of course, one can't just eliminate the worst outing in a small sample, but his handful of strong appearances loosely confirmed the upside scouts saw (and his stats reflected) before he matriculated to the majors. Yoho throws the Triple-A equivalent of the Devin Williams Airbender, but command of it is still a work in progress. His fastball sits in the 92-94 range, and he rounds out the mix with a curve and a change. He's also working on a cutter. His 31% strikeout rate at Triple A is a portent of good things to come in Milwaukee. Expect to see him at Uecker Field for a good portion of the 2026 season. Easton McGee The lanky (6-foot-7) righthander split time between Nashville and Milwaukee last season. Although he didn’t have the success in the majors that Yoho did, he pitched four outings of at least two innings, serving as a key bridge from the middle of the game to the team's higher-leverage guys. He threw a sinker and a curve about 30% of the time each, with his fastball topping out at 94-95. In his previous eight seasons in the minors, McGee made 100 starts, so in a pinch, he could be a spot starter for the Brewers, but it's more likely he will be a middle reliever. Sammy Peralta Selected off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels in late October, Peralta is a decent-sized (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) soft-tossing southpaw whose fastball sits at just over 89 mph. He throws a slider in the 78 range, along with a change that hits 82. Peralta was an 18th-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Tampa, and bounced around in the White Sox and Mariners chains before pitching in the Mexican League to start the 2025 campaign. After a few subpar outings with the Angels in September, he caught on with Milwaukee. He is another candidate for a long relief job in Brew City. Triple-A and Double-A Relievers Blake Holub A 15th-round pick of the Detroit Tigers in the 2021 MLB Draft, the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Holub is another in the long line of towering Brewers pitchers. He has raw talent, but struggles to find the plate on a consistent basis, as his 11.8% walk rate shows. On the other hand, a ‘violent’ delivery helped him strike out batters at a rate of 28.5%. At 27, he is a tad old to be a prospect, so this might be his make-or-break year. Will Childers Matthew Wilkie Childers was a 30th-round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2019 MLB Draft, but didn’t sign. He attended the University of Georgia and was an All-American his freshman year. But then disaster struck, in the form of two elbow surgeries, which led to his being picked up by Milwaukee after the 2022 MLB Draft as an undrafted free agent. Childers has had an up-and-down career, but his 2025 season (with a 25.5% strikeout rate) shows promise for the future. Justin Yeager Yeager was a 33rd-round draft pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Southern Illinois University. After three years in the Atlanta Braves organization, Yeager was a part of the trade in which the Brewers acquired William Contreras in 2022. Yeager has spent the better part of the last three years at Double-A Biloxi, but in 18 appearances and 21 innings at Nashville last year, Yeager allowed only 3.8 hits per nine innings. At age 28 at the start of the 2026 campaign, he is in the same ‘long-in-the-tooth’ prospect boat that Holub is in. Mark Manfredi Manfredi is one of the best left-handed options at the middle levels of the minors for the Crew, having pitched at Biloxi all season in 2025. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder was drafted in the 9th round of the 2023 draft. During his first season at High-A Wisconsin, he made 12 starts among his 28 appearances. In 2025 at Double A, he was strictly a reliever, making 44 trips to the mound while striking out batters at a 29.8% rate. He needs to work on his control, as he posted a 14.9% walk rate. With a good season, the 25-year-old could possibly see some late-season action in Milwaukee this year. Tyler Bryant Bryant joined Yoho, Childers, and Holub on the 2025 Brewers Spring Breakout roster. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Texan was signed as a free agent by the Brewers in June 2024. After five seasons of small college ball and one year in the independent Frontier League, Bryant got his chance with Milwaukee. He showed enough last year in nine games with Carolina and 11 games with Wisconsin to move up to Biloxi in 2025. Bryant struck out batters at a rate of 31.2%, but also walked them at a rate of 12.7%. He was injured in July and missed the last couple months of the season. Bryant will turn 27 in January, so his clock is also rapidly ticking. Others of Note Anthony Flores, LH, Wisconsin J.D. Thompson, RH, DNP professional ball Ethan Dorchies, RH, ACL, Carolina Frank Cairone, LH, DNP professional ball What’s Next? The Brewers used 25 pitchers in relief last season, including position players Jake Bauers and Anthony Seigler. The 634 2/3 relief innings accounted for 44% of the team's innings pitched. Due to the heavy workload that relievers take on these days, a team will need to shuttle pitchers back and forth in the organization on a constant basis. It is also imperative that the relievers who are called up perform well, and the Brewers are hoping for that same result. View the full article

Well, at long last, the Boston Red Sox have their No. 2 starting pitcher. Sonny Gray of the St. Louis Cardinals is heading to Beantown as part of yet another blockbuster trade in this early part of the 2025-26 MLB offseason. Gray, 36, is reworking his contract as part of this deal. He'll receive $31 million for 2026 and a $10 million buyout on a mutual option in 2027. It's currently unknown how much money, the Cardinals are sending to offset some of that salary, but "cash" is included in the deal. The return for Gray is reportedly major-league pitcher Richard Fitts and top pitching prospect Brandon Clarke. MORE TO COME... View the full article

The Minnesota Twins will be featured in Major League Baseball’s Field of Dreams Game next August, a celebration of nostalgia, cornfields, and players who ideally still exist on the roster by first pitch. Unfortunately for MLB’s marketing department, the Twins appear determined to test that last requirement. The league has already rolled out promotional materials splashed with Minnesota stars Byron Buxton, Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Ryan Jeffers, and Royce Lewis. These posters look great on billboards, buses, and social media feeds. They would also make tremendous historical artifacts documenting a team that might be entirely gone by the time the game actually happens. One MLB official admitted privately that the league is preparing for the worst. “Let me put it this way,” the source said. “We may or may not have a folder titled: Things To Do If The Twins Trade Everyone With A Pulse. And that folder may or may not be very full.” The Twins front office also seems aware of the situation. A team source provided clarity on the matter. “Look, we like our guys,” the source said. “But we also really like future payroll flexibility. And prospect capital. And maybe just the general chaos of it all.” With the trade deadline falling before August’s Field of Dreams Game, the league is constructing backup promotional plans. The first option is simply swapping out the current stars for top prospect Walker Jenkins, who has yet to debut but has already been used as a placeholder so often that he might appear on more posters than Buxton by February. “Walker looks great in a cornfield,” an MLB designer said anonymously. “He also looks great in any graphic where we desperately need a Minnesota Twin who still plays for the Minnesota Twins. At this point, he might be our entire September promo package.” If Jenkins is not available or is inconveniently also traded for pitching depth or a rental reliever with an expiring elbow, MLB’s contingency depth chart shifts to Austin Martin. His second-half surge has made him credible enough to be featured, though the bar for credibility is now best described as “Can this person plausibly wear a Twins hat without us getting sued?” MLB’s most ambitious contingency plan involves fully leaning into misdirection. With Kody Clemens arriving in the organization, the league is reportedly considering a marketing strategy based on the assumption that casual fans will assume he is his father, Roger Clemens. “I'm not saying we would imply he is Roger,” an MLB source clarified. “Just that we would not go out of our way to clarify that he is not Roger. If people want to believe the Twins are sending that Clemens to Iowa, who are we to interrupt their joy?” The Twins, for their part, have not ruled out the possibility of using Clemens on the mound if public confusion reaches a high enough level. “We will do whatever the situation calls for,” a team source shared. “Is Kody a pitcher? Not currently. Could he be? Theoretically. Is this entire winter theoretical? Absolutely.” The league remains hopeful that at least one recognizable Twin survives the summer. But the risk is real, and it must be faced. One document labeled Emergency Minnesota Adventure outlines scenarios ranging from signing random former Twins to reintroducing TC Bear as a two-way player. Another plan apparently suggests asking Joe Mauer if he is busy that weekend. As the marketing department frantically prepares for all potential futures, MLB leadership remains officially calm. “This is all hypothetical,” one league executive insisted. “There is no reason to believe the Twins will trade away their entire roster. Unless they do. Which they might. But maybe they will not. But probably they will.” Fans now wait for more details, as August approaches and the cornfield beckons. Whether the Twins arrive with actual MLB players or some last-second collection of fallback options, we won't know for some time. View the full article

As the Chicago Cubs firmly enter offseason mode, they’ll explore all avenues in an attempt to make the team better for 2026. One of those avenues is via trade, which can sometimes involve pieces at the minor-league level, and can sometimes involve players at the big-league level, like the recent Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo trade. In this article, we’ll take a look at the Cubs’ 10 most important players on the major-league roster and consider their overall likelihood of being traded this winter. 10 - Seiya Suzuki Pros: Since his arrival in MLB, Suzuki has been one of the most productive offensive players around. Believe it or not, he has a 127 wRC+ since his MLB debut in 2022, which is 32nd in all of baseball. He’s ahead of players with much bigger names like Alex Bregman, William Contreras, Corbin Carroll, Austin Riley, and Fernando Tatis Jr. Cons: The obvious difference between Suzuki and each of those players named above is that all of those other guys play premium defensive positions, or at the very least, play a less-premium position very well. In 2024, Suzuki was worth -3 runs in the field, according to Baseball Savant’s Fielding Run Value, and thus shifted to designated hitter full time in 2025, which also brings his value down considerably. That, plus an unproductive second half of this past season, might leave a bad taste in some people’s mouths. Trade Likelihood: Low The Cubs don’t figure to be bringing Kyle Tucker back, and will probably be investing whatever money they have in the budget into the pitching staff. They’ll need Suzuki to cover right field full time again in 2026 (or DH, if Owen Caissie's glove is better suited for the field). 9 - Matt Shaw Pros: Shaw showed some potential of being an above-average everyday player in 2025, posting a 130 wRC+ after the All-Star break, to go along with 11 home runs. His fly ball rate and pull percentage all increased significantly, and that is basically what it boils down to: When he can get out in front of the ball and get it in the air, he’ll be a productive player. He showed significant progress towards being a viable every day third baseman in the field as the season progressed as well. Cons: When it was bad, it was really bad, and that came to fruition in the playoffs as Shaw went just 2-17 with seven strikeouts. He struggled against velocity all season, posting just a .281 wOBA and .195 batting average against pitches over 95mph, per Baseball Savant, which is a pretty standard offering from most pitchers in this day and age. Trade likelihood: Low It’s been reported that teams asked for Shaw at the trade deadline, and the Cubs balked at that request, so it would seem to me that they value Shaw a bit differently than the rest of the league. Value aside, the Cubs don’t really have anyone else in house to replace Shaw should they deal him, and as mentioned earlier, I’d expect most of their resources to be funneled towards pitching. I anticipate the former Maryland Terrapin to be at third base on Opening Day in 2026. 8 - Ian Happ Pros: Happ is the longest tenured Cub, and while I am certain front offices don’t value that much, I do! He has also been as consistent as it gets, putting up a batting line between 16 and 22 percent above league average, according to wRC+, and a FanGraphs WAR between 2.8 and 3.7 in each of the past four seasons. The veteran certainly isn’t a top-level player in baseball, but he is still a guy who the Cubs should be happy to pencil into their lineup every day going forward. Not to mention, he has a relatively affordable salary of $19m in 2026. Cons: It was already mentioned: Happ isn’t an elite hitter, and he doesn’t play a particularly valuable defensive position. He just is who he is at this point. At 31 years old, you probably wouldn’t expect him to improve a whole lot going forward. Trade likelihood: Low Point blank, Happ has a no-trade clause. Which is unfortunate, because if there is a position player that makes the most sense to deal, it’s probably the veteran left fielder. The Cubs have both Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara looking for big-league playing time, and Happ might be a desirable target for any team looking for reliable help in left field. I won’t complain about having to keep a guy like Happ around, but were it not for the no-trade clause, it might make sense from a team-building standpoint. 7 - Matthew Boyd Pros: Boyd was hands down the Cubs’ best pitcher in 2025, putting up a 3.21 ERA, a 3.65 FIP, and 3.4 fWAR en route to his first All-Star appearance. He was a major player in getting the Cubs back to the postseason for the first time since 2020. Cons: The veteran lefty, who eclipsed 100 innings for the first time since 2019, broke down a bit towards the end of the season. His ERA jumped from 2.34 in the first half to 4.63 in the second half, including an ugly 5.31 mark in September. A rough start in Game 1 of the NLDS likely sticks in a lot of people’s minds, though he did rebound for a good start to send the Cubs to Game 5 later in that series. Trade likelihood: Medium The Cubs already have the following starting pitchers on their 40-man roster: Boyd, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Colin Rea, Javier Assad, Ben Brown, and Jordan Wicks. Jed Hoyer has been clear he would like to add starting pitching this winter, and if he manages to add a couple of names to that group, it’s entirely possible that the Cubs could look to deal Boyd while his value is high. 6 - Justin Steele Pros: From 2022 to 2024, Steele had the 15th-best fWAR in baseball and ninth-best ERA. He was a reliable top-of-the-rotation starter for three seasons. Cons: Even at his best, Steele has never been a big-time bat-misser, certainly not the level of some of the other top starters in baseball. That alone takes some shine off. Couple that with the fact that he is coming off of another elbow surgery, and we just have no idea what we can really expect from the southpaw in 2026. Trade likelihood: Low… for now The Cubs have had success working with Steele, and I’d imagine they’d want to try to bring his value back up in 2026 before looking to deal him. If things go well for him, but poorly for the Cubs, I wouldn’t be surprised if a deal is explored at the trade deadline in July, or at the very least, next offseason. View the full article

Luis Campusano's role with the San Diego Padres has been one of the more perplexing organizational developments over the last handful of seasons. Peaking as the team's No. 3 overall prospect in each of 2021 and 2022, the backstop has never quite gotten the run that his offensive upside might have deserved. Now on his last legs with the franchise, the 2026 campaign will finally reveal all about his long-term outlook in San Diego. After a cup of coffee in each of those two seasons when he was a top prospect, the 2023 season looked like the one where Campusano was finally going to get some run behind the plate. Given that he turned in his best season to date, turning in a .319/.356/.491 line and a 133 wRC+ across 174 plate appearances, that should have been the case. Health pinned down his ability to produce over a longer stretch, but it did lead to a decent run in the following year. However, Campusano was unable to duplicate his offensive success in 2024 — his line read .227/.281/.361, with a wRC+ of 83 in 299 PA — and his defensive grades were woeful (-13 Fielding Run Value, -17 Defensive Runs Saved). He would cede virtually all playing time to Kyle Higashioka and Elías Díaz by year's end. Unconvinced by such a downward turn in his development, the Padres turned to a combination of Díaz and Martín Maldonado ahead of 2025. Freddy Fermin was acquired at the deadline to gain further stability at the position. It'll be Fermin behind the dish for '26, with Higashioka long gone, Díaz a free agent, and Maldonado calling it a career at the outset of this offseason. Behind him, however, there's some space for depth. And if the Padres are finally going to understand what they have in Luis Campusano, it should likely be him as the No. 2 to start the season. The offensive upside is undeniable. Despite garnering only 27 trips to the plate in 2025 with the Padres, Campusano turned in an excellent year as a hitter in El Paso. His final line read .336/.441/.595 with a 148 wRC+. Perhaps most impressive was the fact that he nearly matched a strong strikeout rate (17.3 percent) with a quality walk figure (15.2 percent). He walked in 22.2 percent of his minuscule amount of plate appearances at the top level as well. Even if he struck out at a 40 percent clip, there's an approach there that is worth spending some time with in the lineup. The issue for the Padres will be getting Campusano playing time with this pitching staff. It's difficult to justify time for a poor defensive catcher with a group as quality as the Padres are in relief. It's even more so to deploy such a catcher with a starting staff that figures to exist heavily on the margins given an intense lack of depth and few dollars to play with this winter. You need a stabilizing presence back there. Fermin offers that as a starter and most teams are willing to compromise offense from their backup in the name of the glove, not the other way around. That the Padres were willing to tender a contract to Campusano speaks to the idea that this could be the year they consider giving him some actual run as a backup catcher and bench bat. There's a whole winter ahead to work with him. Maybe that time is dedicated to shoring up his skill behind the plate. Otherwise, he may not be long for the roster with a handful of savvy veterans now available in free agency at a lower price point. In any case, though, the relationship between player and organization is reaching its inflection point. If it doesn't work, then you're left with a couple of options. You either move him in the spring to a team that is intrigued enough by the bat, or you select the catcher to be inevitably added via a minor-league deal ahead of the spring. Either outcome isn't a terrible one. They both, however, fall short of what would be the preferred option: Luis Campusano shows enough with the glove to justify his presence on the roster while adding a more-than-capable bench bat to a Padres roster sorely in need of offensive depth. Of course, any road toward determining exactly what the future looks like for Luis Campusano will require the Padres to give him a legitimate leash. View the full article

The Twins traded tiny grit machine Payton Eeles to the Orioles for catcher Alex Jackson. In this edition of Twins 5, I share my reaction to that trade and the non-tender deadline which Trevor Larnach survived. I also speculate on the possibility Ryan Jeffers and Matt Wallner get traded, briefly discuss the Arizona Fall League and touch on DaShawn Keirsey Jr. being DFA'd. View the full article

The 2024 MLB Draft marked a pivotal moment for the Minnesota Twins, as the front office aimed to inject the system with high-end athleticism and safer, polished hitters. Over 16 months later, the results are starting to take shape. While it is still early in the development cycle, the 2025 season offered the first real indicators of who is rising and who still has work to do. Here is a look at how the top selections performed, and whether their stock is trending up or down. SS Kaelen Culpepper (1st Round, 21st Overall) Culpepper wasted no time proving he was worth a first-round bet. After showing brief flashes during his pro debut in 2024, he took a significant step forward this past season. His plus bat speed helped him drive the ball to all fields, and he trimmed his strikeout rate (17.4%) while maintaining a strong walk rate (9.7%). He finished the year slashing .289/.375/.469, with a 138 wRC+. The Twins named him the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year. At the time of the draft, there were questions about whether or not Culpepper could stick at shortstop. After 2025, Culpepper looks capable of sticking on the left side of the infield thanks to quick reactions and smooth hands, and he finished the year as a steady highlight reel at shortstop. His stock is way up because he showed both a higher offensive ceiling and a more stable defensive floor than projected. He now looks like a potential impact player for the Twins as early as 2026. Stock: Way Up IF Kyle DeBarge (1st Round, 33rd Overall) DeBarge entered pro ball known for elite defensive ability, and he only strengthened that reputation by winning a Rawlings Gold Glove after the 2025 season. His range and consistency anchor his value, and he displayed exceptional body control at both shortstop and second base. Offensively, DeBarge is still more contact-oriented than impact-driven (107 wRC+), but his bat-to-ball skills make him an annoyance at the plate for pitchers. However, he stole 66 bases to add to his offensive value. His stock is up because the defense is already top-tier, and the offensive floor appears solid enough for a future big league utility role with a chance for more. Stock: Up 3B Billy Amick (2nd Round, 60th Overall) Amick was drafted for his right-handed power, but his 2025 season exposed some concerns. Pitchers attacked him with elevated velocity and late-breaking spin, and his chase rate climbed (26.3 K%) throughout the year. While the raw power still flashes (150 wRC+), he struggled to translate it consistently in games. After being limited to 59 games, Minnesota sent him to the AFL, but he struggled by going 1-for-30 (.033 BA) with a 20-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His stock is down because the swing and approach need refinement before he can unlock his offensive upside. Stock: Down SP Dasan Hill (2nd Round, 69th Overall) Hill was viewed as a projection pick, and the early returns are encouraging with Twins Daily already ranking him in the organization’s top-10 prospects. His fastball ticked up into the upper 90s, and he showed improved command to both sides of the plate. Even more promising was the development of his sweeper, which added late bite and became a legitimate out pitch. Hill still needs to build stamina and sharpen his changeup, but the athleticism and strike-throwing are trending in the right direction. In 19 starts this season, the 19-year-old posted a 3.19 ERA with a 31.1 K% and a 15.0 BB%. His stock is up because his raw tools are beginning to translate into real on-field results. Stock: Up C Khadim Diaw (3rd Round, 96th Overall) Diaw made one of the biggest leaps in the class in 2025, as his offensive game took off. His strong frame produces natural power, and he showed a more controlled swing path, allowing him to drive pitches in the strike zone (161 wRC+). He also started gaining national attention with ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel placing Diaw in Minnesota’s top-10 prospects earlier this season. Unfortunately, he dealt with multiple injuries in college and missed time with a broken thumb last season. His stock is up because he blended production with projection and looked more like a long-term piece in the system. Stock: Up OF Jaime Ferrer (4th Round, 126th Overall) Ferrer was known for his raw pop when the Twins drafted him (1.083 OPS in his junior season), but his year was marked by inconsistency. First basemen and corner outfielders must hit for power, and he was limited to a .339 SLG and an 82 wRC+. Opposing pitchers exploited holes up in the zone, and his timing drifted as the season progressed. While he can still do damage on mistake pitches, his overall contact quality dipped, and his defensive profile remains limited to a corner outfield spot. His stock is down because the hit tool questions have grown louder, and he will need to make adjustments heading into 2026. Stock: Down OF Caden Kendle (5th Round, 159th Overall) Kendle entered the organization as an older but polished bat with strong plate discipline. Unfortunately, his 2025 performance plateaued. He posted a solid on-base percentage (.323 OBP) but did not impact the ball with enough authority (.382 SLG) to stand out. His limited power narrows his margin for error, and he will need to unlock more extra base damage to rise through the system. His stock is down because his offensive output did not match the expectations for a player with his college track record. Stock: Down The 2024 draft class already shows signs of paying dividends for the Twins, particularly with Culpepper, DeBarge, Hill, and Diaw emerging as early success stories. Others will require more time and development, but the organization can feel optimistic about the foundation laid by this group. What stands out about this group? How would you grade their stock so far? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

As we enter the holiday season, the concept of reuniting with family members and loved ones is on the mind. While there may be a few people we're a little less than thrilled about sharing a table with (maybe it's that know-it-all cousin of yours you never really got along with?), there will also be some folks we haven't seen for quite some time who will fill our evenings with joy and laughter. We'll realize, in that moment, just what we've been missing. Right then, even if for a short time, we are whole again. It's in this vein that the Chicago Cubs will be looking fill out their 2026 roster, and a "family reunion" of some sorts may just be what the doctor ordered. There are a handful of heroes of past Cubs rosters who are looking for homes next year, and it may be that they choose the familiar home they once had instead of a brand-new city in which to settle down. I'll examine three candidates: designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, and relief pitchers Mark Leiter Jr. and Andrew Chafin. Together, we can endeavor to decide just how likely it is for them to sit down at the Cubs' dinner table for the foreseeable future. Reunion Candidate #1: Designated Hitter Kyle Schwarber Kyle Schwarber was one of the more beloved Cubs hitters during his time in Chicago. From hitting a ball atop the right-field scoreboard in the 2015 NLDS to heroically returning for the 2016 World Series (after missing the lion's share of the season due to an unfortunate knee injury), the left-handed hitter made his mark in Chicago. His time was cut short when the team decided to non-tender him, ultimately spending the same money on Joc Pederson instead ahead of the 2021 season. Now, the Cubs will have a chance to rectify that error by bringing Schwarber home. Since 2021, the left-handed DH has been among the best in baseball, averaging a 135 wRC+ for the Nationals, Red Sox, and Phillies. Once a strict platoon bat, Schwarber even has some some mojo against left-handed pitchers, finishing with a 162 wRC+ against them in 2025. He's strictly a DH, but his bat is so good that it doesn't really hold him back from being useful. Why Schwarber might fit into the Cubs' plans: The Cubs are slated to lose (arguably) their best hitter to free agency, in Kyle Tucker. The team could swing their incumbent at DH, Seiya Suzuki, back to right field for the 2026 season, which would open up a perfect spot for Schwarber. His left-handed bat was actually better than Tucker's was last year, and he would add significant thump to the lineup. Why Schwarber might not fit into the Cubs' plans: The Cubs just don't put a massive emphasis on DH most years. They value positional flexibility, and Schwarber offers none of that—though he might be capable of moonlighting a little at first base. As well, they have two rookies in Owen Caissie and Moisés Ballesteros, who both hit from the left side. Either could conceivably slip into the position. How likely is a reunion? About as likely as that one uncle of yours not getting political this week at the dinner table. There are already rumors that the Philadelphia Phillies are going to try to keep him (and they aren't afraid to jump a market). According to ESPN insider Jeff Passan, the market is hot for the DH. Could the Cubs decide that Schwarber, who probably won't need a seven-year commitment, is the player they should get irrational about? Perhaps, but it feels like another team will decide to do that instead. As fun as it would be, it seems like a reunion here is unlikely. Reunion Candidate #2: Reliver Mark Leiter Jr. Leiter spent two and a half seasons in the Windy City after the Cubs helped to revive the then-31-year-old's career. He hadn't pitched an inning in the majors since 2018, but by the middle of 2022, he had established himself a key cog in the Cubs' bullpen. Flashing a plus splitter that was devastating to left-handed hitters, the reliever had finally found a home—that is, until the trade deadline of the 2024 season. With the Cubs staring at decision point (choosing between making a run for it and selling off some assets for the future), the New York Yankees made an offer for the right-hander pitcher that the Cubs couldn't turn down. The Cubs acquired young reliever Jack Neely and infielder Ben Cowles, and Leiter was sent to the city that never sleeps. While Leiter was pretty good in New York, the Yankees made the decision to non-tender the 34-year-old last week. making him a free agent. Why he might fit into the Cubs' plans: The Cubs bullpen is currently wide open and quite unsettled. Returning closer Daniel Palencia will be coupled with recently-signed Phil Maton, but there is little clarity regarding the rest of the bullpen. One area in which the Cubs are lacking; anyone who specializes, specifically, in getting left-handed hitters out. Despite being right-handed, Leiter uses his splitter effectively against opposite-handed hitters, finishing with a 2.61 xFIP against lefties last season. Why he might not fit into the Cubs' plans: While the Cubs are looking to rebuild their bullpen, they may aim higher than Leiter. Though he'd offer the comfort of familiarity, Leiter really struggled against right-handed-hitters, posting significantly worse numbers against them; a strikeout rate of just 12.1% and an xFIP well over 5.00. If there's enough concern that he's too specialized, the Cubs may not see a place for him in their revamped 2026 bullpen. How likely is a reunion? As likely as I am to pull a hamstring during the Turkey Trot: 50/50. The Cubs need a lot of relievers this offseason, and you'd have to imagine that if there's an organization out there who believes they can get the most out of Leiter, it's the Cubs. With all of their left-handed specialists leaving, it makes Leiter that much more attractive. So while I wouldn't gamble my hard-earned money on it, I think there's a good chance this one could happen; much like a white Christmas remains possible, Reunion Candidate #3: Reliever, Andrew Chafin Chafin feels like he was part of the Chicago Cubs for longer than he was, but the left-handed reliever only spent some inactive time in 2020 and half of the 2021 season with the team. Admittedly, it was a great 31-game sample, as the left-handed pitcher put up a 2.06 ERA and 0.9 fWAR (which is a lot for a partial season!), ultimately earning a trade to Oakland that would bring back Triple-A outfielder Greg Deichmann and a minor leaguer with an electric arm—Daniel Palencia. Since 2021, Chafin has been signing for playoff non-contenders and then being traded at the deadline to a playoff hopeful. Now 35 years old, the reliever is once again looking for a new home. Why he might fit into the Cubs' plans: As I detailed with Leiter, the Chicago Cubs' bullpen is currently empty. They've lost most of their bullpen, which also includes the non-tender of depth piece Eli Morgan. The team will need a lot of relievers, and Chafin could fit back in as a left-handed option, The Cubs have not shied away from older lefties; their primary options just a year ago were the 37-year-old Drew Pomeranz and 38-year-old Caleb Thielbar. Comparatively, Andrew Chafin represents a youth movement. Why he might not fit into the Cubs' plans: On the surface, he looks like he might be done as a big-league pitcher. Chafin's fastball has declined to the wrong side of 90 mph, so while his ERA remained sterling (2.41), his xFIP climbed to nearly 4.00 last year. His strikeout rate dropped by 3%, and his walk rate ballooned to 13.3%. The Cubs already have a lack of velocity in their pen, so adding another soft-tosser may not be the best gamble to take. How likely is a reunion? About as likely as I am to eat a second slice of apple pie on Thursday On the surface it may seem like a good idea (my eyes being larger than my stomach), but once I think about it, it probably isn't so, at my age. Chafin has a lot of signs of decline, and I'm not sure that the Cubs will be in a place to see if he still has it. Maybe they see something within his biomechanics and think they can squeeze and find 2 mph on his fastball again, but I think it's more likely (as he hits the back end) of his 30's that he's trending toward the end. What do you think of these reunion candidates? Do you have a favorite one? Maybe there's a reunion out there that I didn't think of? Let us know in the comment section below! View the full article

As we enter the holiday season, the concept of reuniting with family members and loved ones is on the mind. While there may be a few people we're a little less than thrilled about sharing a table with (maybe it's that know-it-all cousin of yours you never really got along with?), there will also be some folks we haven't seen for quite some time who will fill our evenings with joy and laughter. We'll realize, in that moment, just what we've been missing. Right then, even if for a short time, we are whole again. It's in this vein that the Chicago Cubs will be looking fill out their 2026 roster, and a "family reunion" of some sorts may just be what the doctor ordered. There are a handful of heroes of past Cubs rosters who are looking for homes next year, and it may be that they choose the familiar home they once had instead of a brand-new city in which to settle down. I'll examine three candidates: designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, and relief pitchers Mark Leiter Jr. and Andrew Chafin. Together, we can endeavor to decide just how likely it is for them to sit down at the Cubs' dinner table for the foreseeable future. Reunion Candidate #1: Designated Hitter Kyle Schwarber Kyle Schwarber was one of the more beloved Cubs hitters during his time in Chicago. From hitting a ball atop the right-field scoreboard in the 2015 NLDS to heroically returning for the 2016 World Series (after missing the lion's share of the season due to an unfortunate knee injury), the left-handed hitter made his mark in Chicago. His time was cut short when the team decided to non-tender him, ultimately spending the same money on Joc Pederson instead ahead of the 2021 season. Now, the Cubs will have a chance to rectify that error by bringing Schwarber home. Since 2021, the left-handed DH has been among the best in baseball, averaging a 135 wRC+ for the Nationals, Red Sox, and Phillies. Once a strict platoon bat, Schwarber even has some some mojo against left-handed pitchers, finishing with a 162 wRC+ against them in 2025. He's strictly a DH, but his bat is so good that it doesn't really hold him back from being useful. Why Schwarber might fit into the Cubs' plans: The Cubs are slated to lose (arguably) their best hitter to free agency, in Kyle Tucker. The team could swing their incumbent at DH, Seiya Suzuki, back to right field for the 2026 season, which would open up a perfect spot for Schwarber. His left-handed bat was actually better than Tucker's was last year, and he would add significant thump to the lineup. Why Schwarber might not fit into the Cubs' plans: The Cubs just don't put a massive emphasis on DH most years. They value positional flexibility, and Schwarber offers none of that—though he might be capable of moonlighting a little at first base. As well, they have two rookies in Owen Caissie and Moisés Ballesteros, who both hit from the left side. Either could conceivably slip into the position. How likely is a reunion? About as likely as that one uncle of yours not getting political this week at the dinner table. There are already rumors that the Philadelphia Phillies are going to try to keep him (and they aren't afraid to jump a market). According to ESPN insider Jeff Passan, the market is hot for the DH. Could the Cubs decide that Schwarber, who probably won't need a seven-year commitment, is the player they should get irrational about? Perhaps, but it feels like another team will decide to do that instead. As fun as it would be, it seems like a reunion here is unlikely. Reunion Candidate #2: Reliver Mark Leiter Jr. Leiter spent two and a half seasons in the Windy City after the Cubs helped to revive the then-31-year-old's career. He hadn't pitched an inning in the majors since 2018, but by the middle of 2022, he had established himself a key cog in the Cubs' bullpen. Flashing a plus splitter that was devastating to left-handed hitters, the reliever had finally found a home—that is, until the trade deadline of the 2024 season. With the Cubs staring at decision point (choosing between making a run for it and selling off some assets for the future), the New York Yankees made an offer for the right-hander pitcher that the Cubs couldn't turn down. The Cubs acquired young reliever Jack Neely and infielder Ben Cowles, and Leiter was sent to the city that never sleeps. While Leiter was pretty good in New York, the Yankees made the decision to non-tender the 34-year-old last week. making him a free agent. Why he might fit into the Cubs' plans: The Cubs bullpen is currently wide open and quite unsettled. Returning closer Daniel Palencia will be coupled with recently-signed Phil Maton, but there is little clarity regarding the rest of the bullpen. One area in which the Cubs are lacking; anyone who specializes, specifically, in getting left-handed hitters out. Despite being right-handed, Leiter uses his splitter effectively against opposite-handed hitters, finishing with a 2.61 xFIP against lefties last season. Why he might not fit into the Cubs' plans: While the Cubs are looking to rebuild their bullpen, they may aim higher than Leiter. Though he'd offer the comfort of familiarity, Leiter really struggled against right-handed-hitters, posting significantly worse numbers against them; a strikeout rate of just 12.1% and an xFIP well over 5.00. If there's enough concern that he's too specialized, the Cubs may not see a place for him in their revamped 2026 bullpen. How likely is a reunion? As likely as I am to pull a hamstring during the Turkey Trot: 50/50. The Cubs need a lot of relievers this offseason, and you'd have to imagine that if there's an organization out there who believes they can get the most out of Leiter, it's the Cubs. With all of their left-handed specialists leaving, it makes Leiter that much more attractive. So while I wouldn't gamble my hard-earned money on it, I think there's a good chance this one could happen; much like a white Christmas remains possible, Reunion Candidate #3: Reliever, Andrew Chafin Chafin feels like he was part of the Chicago Cubs for longer than he was, but the left-handed reliever only spent some inactive time in 2020 and half of the 2021 season with the team. Admittedly, it was a great 31-game sample, as the left-handed pitcher put up a 2.06 ERA and 0.9 fWAR (which is a lot for a partial season!), ultimately earning a trade to Oakland that would bring back Triple-A outfielder Greg Deichmann and a minor leaguer with an electric arm—Daniel Palencia. Since 2021, Chafin has been signing for playoff non-contenders and then being traded at the deadline to a playoff hopeful. Now 35 years old, the reliever is once again looking for a new home. Why he might fit into the Cubs' plans: As I detailed with Leiter, the Chicago Cubs' bullpen is currently empty. They've lost most of their bullpen, which also includes the non-tender of depth piece Eli Morgan. The team will need a lot of relievers, and Chafin could fit back in as a left-handed option, The Cubs have not shied away from older lefties; their primary options just a year ago were the 37-year-old Drew Pomeranz and 38-year-old Caleb Thielbar. Comparatively, Andrew Chafin represents a youth movement. Why he might not fit into the Cubs' plans: On the surface, he looks like he might be done as a big-league pitcher. Chafin's fastball has declined to the wrong side of 90 mph, so while his ERA remained sterling (2.41), his xFIP climbed to nearly 4.00 last year. His strikeout rate dropped by 3%, and his walk rate ballooned to 13.3%. The Cubs already have a lack of velocity in their pen, so adding another soft-tosser may not be the best gamble to take. How likely is a reunion? About as likely as I am to eat a second slice of apple pie on Thursday On the surface it may seem like a good idea (my eyes being larger than my stomach), but once I think about it, it probably isn't so, at my age. Chafin has a lot of signs of decline, and I'm not sure that the Cubs will be in a place to see if he still has it. Maybe they see something within his biomechanics and think they can squeeze and find 2 mph on his fastball again, but I think it's more likely (as he hits the back end) of his 30's that he's trending toward the end. What do you think of these reunion candidates? Do you have a favorite one? Maybe there's a reunion out there that I didn't think of? Let us know in the comment section below! View the full article

For the first time in Peter Bendix's two-plus years running the Miami Marlins front office, we have a credible report about the team negotiating a contract extension with a player. The negotiations did not go far, according to Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, but earlier this offseason, the Marlins discussed a potential long-term deal with All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers. Ghiroli describes the two sides as being "incredibly far apart." Stowers' camp was using Bryan Reynolds as a comp, who received an eight-year, $106.75 million extension from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023. The Boston Red Sox and Ceddanne Rafaela agreed to an eight-year, $50 million deal in 2024 shortly after Rafaela's debut, and that's reportedly what the Marlins are comfortable spending. Let's acknowledge right away that Stowers is a tricky player to appraise, even compared to other individuals with short MLB track records. That's because his track record has been particularly inconsistent: First 117 MLB games (2022-24): .208/.268/.332, 6 HR, 33.8 K% and -0.9 fWAR Last 117 MLB games (2025): .288/.368/.544, 25 HR, 27.4 K% and 4.0 fWAR Clearly, the Marlins believe that this past season is more indicative of who he will be moving forward, otherwise they wouldn't even be interested in a contract that may cover the rest of his career. When the Pirates extended Reynolds, he was the same age that Stowers is now. He had a similar blend of power and plate discipline and a similar defensive profile (solid left fielder who could fake it in center). However, his breakout year (2021) was bookended by other full seasons of great hitting (2019 and 2022). That established a much higher "floor" for himself than Stowers has been able to do. Also, Reynolds was a year closer to free agent eligibility. Stowers is under Miami's club control for four more seasons. Any deal he signs as a free agent would start at age 32, at which point he's likely to be past his prime. That's why, whether it be Reynolds or Rafaela, we shouldn't be referencing guaranteed eight-year frameworks in regard to Stowers. He is immensely valuable to the Fish going forward, but not that far into the future. I have landed on Matt Carpenter's initial extension with the St. Louis Cardinals as the most relevant starting point. View the full article