Matt Crossland

Image courtesy of © Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images America’s pastime will return to the Olympics for the first time since the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo (the games were held in 2021 because of Covid). Many people will have questions about this event. What will the format look like? How will this affect Major League Baseball? Will MLB players play for their countries? Let’s try to answer these questions, but let’s look at the history of baseball at the Olympics. Baseball was first introduced as a non-medal event at the Olympics in 1912 due to its foreign origin. A team from the United States, mostly composed of track and field athletes, played against Västerås Baseball Club, a Swedish club. It would remain in this two-team format until the 1952 games in Helsinki, where they played a variant of baseball called “pesäpallo.” These demonstration events continued until 1992, when baseball was added to the Barcelona Olympics, where it remained a regular Olympic event until 2012, when it was voted out by the IOC. It was reinstated for the 2020 Olympics and has remained there since. As for the format, it is usually an eight-team round-robin tournament with semifinals and a final. The teams would consist of the host nation, while the other seven would have to qualify through continental competition. Imagine it like the World Baseball Classic, but with fewer teams. The teams consisted of only amateurs until 2000, when professional athletes were allowed to compete. With MLB having players from all over the globe, many will want to play for their countries. The problem is that the Olympics and the All-Star game overlap. However, Commissioner Rob Manfred said that the league is trying to “iron through those logistics” and has announced his intention to still have an All-Star game, but maybe a slightly longer break for players. Since the Olympics host only eight teams instead of 20 like the World Baseball Classic, the pool of players temporarily leaving MLB will be significantly smaller. Regardless, it will be an exciting tournament. We don’t know which Major League Baseball stars will suit up for their respective countries, but only time will tell. View full article

Image courtesy of © Denny Medley-Imagn Images With the holiday season just around the corner, the Royals are in the midst of an important offseason. One where the team desperately needs outfield help, as the team produced one of the worst outfields in the league. General manager JJ Piccolo has stated that they will look at both the free agent and trade markets for options. The Royals have a surplus of pitchers that could interest teams; however, one pitcher has been getting a lot of buzz over the past week or so. It’s Kris Bubic. Kris Bubic is coming off his best year of his career with the Royals, posting an 8-7 record and an ERA of 2.55 over 116 1/3 innings. His 3.1 Baseball-Reference WAR was second amongst Royals pitchers, and after posting a 2.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and striking out 113 batters while walking only 34, he was named an All-Star. His performance took a dive after the All-Star break as his ERA ballooned to 3.52 in only 7 2/3 innings of work. He was shut down in late July due to a left rotator cuff strain. Although his season was cut short, he looked like a Cy Young candidate and will certainly be at the top of the Royals' rotation. However, he has generated trade buzz over the past week from various teams. Bubic is under team control for one more year, making him a free agent after the 2026 season, and his projected arbitration salary could reach $6 million. If the Royals want to get a solid outfielder, they may have to use Bubic as trade bait to get that. Here are some teams that could be interested in him. Chicago Cubs The Cubs have lots of rotation depth with veterans like Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon, and prospects like Ben Brown and Cade Horton. However, their pitchers struggled to generate swings and misses, posting a league-average FIP of 4.16 and ranking among the bottom four teams in strikeouts with 1,265. A trade for Bubic could give the team the swing-and-miss they need. With some of their best prospects like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, and Horton now playing in the big leagues, the farm system has taken a slight step back. They still, however, have five prospects within MLB.com’s top 100 prospects. Outfielder Owen Caissie and catcher Moisés Ballesteros lead a strong farm system that the Royals could look at. Potential Trade: Kris Bubic for Kevin Alcántara Why it makes sense: Bubic gives the Cubs the swing and miss stuff the rotation desperately needs, while the Royals get a young, controllable outfielder with great speed and fielding abilities. Why it doesn’t: Alcantara is a top prospect for the Cubs and could fit into their outfield plans for next year. The Cubs may also be looking for a pitcher with more pedigree than Bubic. Boston Red Sox Despite having the best team ERA in the American League, Red Sox GM Craig Breslow made it abundantly clear that the team was looking for a number two pitcher to back up Garrett Crochet. Bubic could be that guy. There are rumors that the Royals will trade for Jarren Duran; however, he may be untouchable and difficult to acquire without giving up substantial parts of the roster. Potential Trade: Kris Bubic for Jhostynxon García and Greg Weissert Why it would work: The Red Sox have a loaded outfield, and it would give Garcia some playing time to show off his highly touted power. Weissert would also give the Royals some support in the bullpen. Why it wouldn’t work: The Red Sox have an overloaded rotation with 14 starters currently on their roster, so Bubic wouldn’t fit into their plans. Also, the Red Sox may want to keep Garcia since he’s only 22 and could be the starter if Duran is moved. Toronto Blue Jays Coming off a memorable World Series appearance, this is a massive offseason for the Blue Jays if they want to run it back. Their rotation is an area of need as they had a FIP below league average (4.26) despite being third in the American League in strikeouts (1430). Trey Yesavage was far and away the most impactful prospect as he had a postseason to remember. Other than that, the farm system is promising, with Ricky Tiedemann, Gage Stanifer, Arjun Nimmala, and many others leading the way. Potential Trade: Kris Bubic and Javi Vaz for Nathan Lukes and Victor Arias Why this would work: This would give the Royals a solid corner outfielder and a solid young prospect in Arias, while the Blue Jays get a solid rotation arm. Why it wouldn’t: The Royals may be looking for an outfielder with more pedigree than Lukes, and the same with Toronto. San Diego Padres With Dylan Cease and Michael King being free agents and Yu Darvish likely to miss all of 2026 with elbow surgery, the need for solid rotation arms is palpable. Bubic could be the guy who gives the innings; he’s also familiar with Freddy Fermin, who will likely be the starting catcher for San Diego. Potential Trade: Kris Bubic, Carlos Estevez, and Blake Mitchell for Jackson Merrill Why this would work: The Padres would get a solid starter in Bubic, as well as the MLB save leader, to form a pretty nasty bullpen. Plus, the Royals would get a really good, really young outfielder out of it as well. The addition of Blake Mitchell to their depleted farm system wouldn’t be bad either. Why it wouldn’t: It would be tough for the Padres to replace Merrill so that he would be untouchable, and the Royals would be giving up a lot of capital for one player. View full article