The Los Angeles Dodgers have the chance to become one of baseball’s all-time great dynasties. Coming off of back-to-back World Series titles and another excellent offseason headlined by the signings of Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker, Dave Roberts made quite a claim to NBC Sports’ Bob Costas ahead of Opening Day.

“On paper, this is the best team we’ve had,” Roberts said.

The 2024 and 2025 Dodgers are widely considered some of the best teams in baseball history. Could the 2026 Dodgers really be better?

The only player who had meaningful contributions in the 2025 postseason who is not back is lefty reliever Anthony Banda, who the Dodgers sent to the Minnesota Twins for international bonus pool money. Righty reliever Kirby Yates and outfielder Michael Conforto, who were both left off of the postseason rosters after disappointing regular seasons, also left in free agency.

Yates and Conforto were effectively replaced by Diaz and Tucker. The bullpen was one of the only potential weak spots for the Dodgers, with Roki Sasaki filling in admirably as a temporary stopgap, racking up three saves during their postseason run. With Diaz, a three-time All-Star and one of the game’s best closers, that is no longer a concern.

The third outfield spot that Conforo held down for most of 2025, but was taken over by utilityman and postseason hero Kiké Hernandez down the stretch, is now Tucker’s. Tucker is a four-time All-Star, and when healthy, is a bonafide MVP candidate. Last year, in the first half before being slowed down with a broken finger and calf strain, Tucker hit .280 with a .882 OPS, 17 home runs and 22 steals.

Even before Tucker, the Dodgers lineup was silly. With him, they have the potential to start seven All-Stars. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy and Tucker.

The starting rotation might be even better. Yoshinobu Yamamoto reached another level last season, putting the Dodgers on his back during the World Series with his other-worldly MVP performance that included a Game 2 complete game, six innings of one-run ball in Game 6 and 2 ⅔ innings of scoreless relief to close out Game 7 on no days rest. Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who is dealing with left shoulder inflammation, should be back sometime in May. Tyler Glasnow is healthy and his curveball is looking especially sharp. Ohtani had a strong spring training on the pitching side, tossing 4 ⅓ scoreless innings in his first appearance and striking out 11 last week in an Freeway Series exhibition start against the Los Angeles Angels.

The biggest question mark in the rotation, and the potential key for this truly being Roberts’ best Dodgers team, is Sasaki. Sasaki has had a fascinating start to his MLB career. Forgoing the traditional posting process to sign a minor league deal and get to MLB earlier than most Japanese players, Sasaki had an up-and-down, injury-plagued regular season. He pitched to a 4.46 ERA in 10 appearances (eight starts), but ended up playing a crucial role in the Dodgers makeshift bullpen throughout the postseason, appearing in nine games, throwing 10 ⅔ innings, recording three saves and giving up just one run.

Sasaki is back in the Dodgers rotation in 2026. But, there are legitimate concerns after a disappointing spring training performance. In four spring starts, Sasaki had a 15.58 ERA with 15 walks in 8 ⅔ innings, clearly struggling with his command.

Some of those concerns were alleviated, at least for now, after Sasaki’s regular season debut on Monday. He threw four innings of one-run ball, struck out four and walked two in a 4-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. That line may not jump off of the box score, but it showed marked improvement over what Sasaki looked like in the Cactus League. His four-seamer reached 99.5 mph, his new cutter showed promise and he proved that he can contribute to a stacked Dodgers pitching staff. If Sasaki is able to build off of his season debut, the Dodgers rotation could be historically great.

For more on Roki Sasaki, check out this video from Trevor May:

The other potential concern for the Dodgers is their age. Freeman is 36, Muncy is 35, Betts and Teoscar Hernandez are 33. That is a lot of mileage in the middle of the Dodgers lineup.

Betts especially is a prime candidate to regress. As a player who relies on his athleticism and is a slim 5’9”, based on body type alone, it would make sense for Betts’ game to not age very well. He had a career-worst offensive performance last season, leading many to wonder if his transition to playing shortstop full-time took a toll on his hitting. Betts’ hard-hit rate, barrel rate and sprint speed have all dramatically decreased and his bat speed was in the 10th percentile last season. His .258/.326/.406 line were all career lows.

There is an argument that Betts’ offensive struggles were caused by the stomach illness he dealt with last spring training that caused him to lose 20 pounds. He had a much stronger .892 OPS over his last 47 games of the regular season, and an article from The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya earlier this spring indicates that Betts is swinging much better than he did last year.

This group has the potential to be Roberts’ best, but that is not a guarantee. The additions of Diaz and Tucker help, but uncertainty surrounding Sasaki and the potential regression of the offensive core are real problems. And of course, they would need to stay healthy.

Even if this ends up not technically being Roberts’ best team on paper, the 2026 Dodgers still have an enviable amount of talent, and should at least be considered the favorites to win the World Series until proven otherwise.

This piece is not about whether or not Team USA manager Mark DeRosa should have used San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller with the World Baseball Classic final against Venezuela tied at two in the ninth inning. This is about the unprecedented, dominant run that Miller has been on since the end of the 2025 regular season.

Armed with a four-seam fastball that can reach over 104 miles-per-hour and a wipeout slider, Miller has some of the best stuff the game has ever seen.

Going back to Sept. 8, in regular season, postseason, and World Baseball Classic games, Miller has not allowed a hit (as first noted by Just Baseball Media’s Peter Appel on Twitter). The last player to get a hit off of Miller? Former Colorado Rockies first baseman Warming Bernabel, who hit a soft ground ball into right field in the eighth inning during a Padres 10-8 win on Sept. 6.

That is 50 at-bats without allowing a hit. In those 50 at-bats, Miller has 39 strikeouts.

What is so impressive is Miller has turned it up when the games mattered most, like down the stretch during the Padres’ NL West push, the Wild Card round against the Chicago Cubs and in the World Baseball Classic against Brazil, Italy, Canada, the Dominican Republic.

Miller made two appearances in the postseason. In Game 1, He came in to pitch the seventh with the Padres down 2-1 and struck out Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Pete Crow-Armstrong. In Game 2, he recorded five outs on five strikeouts, once again coming in to start the seventh against Suzuki, Kelly and Crow-Armstrong and coming back out for the eighth, punching out Dansby Swanson and Moises Ballesteros before hitting Michael Busch with a pitch and exiting.

During his Game 2 at-bat against Kelly, Miller made postseason history with a 104.5 mph fastball, the fastest recorded postseason pitch since pitch-tracking began in 2008.

In the World Baseball Classic semifinal against the Dominican Republic, Miller came in to pitch the ninth with a slim 2-1 United States lead and struck out Junior Caminero, allowed a walk to Julio Rodriguez, and then, with Rodriguez representing the tying run on second after advancing on a wild pitch, struck out Oneil Cruz and Geraldo Perdomo to send Team USA to the finals.

Entering his third full season, the 27-year-old Miller looks to be getting better every time he steps on the mound. His fastball velo has consistently been ticking up. After being traded to the Padres at the deadline last season, he had a 0.77 ERA with a 17.4 SO/9 while being used in a Swiss Army Knife-type of role.

With former Padres closer Robert Suarez signing with the Braves, Miller could be in line for a more traditional ninth inning role this season. But new Padres manager Craig Stammen could still opt to use Miller against specific lineup pockets earlier in games and save one of his many other elite bullpen options, like Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada or Wandy Peralta.

Miller already has a reputation as one of, if not the best arms in baseball. The Padres valued him highly enough to ship off an 18-year-old Leo De Vries, the No. 3 prospect in baseball at the time according to MLB Pipeline. He earned the closer role for a stacked Team USA.

It is going to be a must-watch occasion whenever Miller pitches.

Every year there are position battles and surprise performances that happen on the back fields in Florida and Arizona that determine how paying time shakes out. It is almost impossible to keep track what is going on at every camp, so here is a primer on some of the most intriguing position battles to follow in spring training and the World Baseball Classic, along with predictions on who will end up winning each job.

Cincinnati Reds First Base: Sal Stewart, Nathaniel Lowe, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand

The Cincinnati Reds made a surprising run to the postseason last year, had a quietly productive offseason headlined by a reunion with Eugenio Suarez and are poised to once again make noise in what could be a weak NL Central.

There are a lot of options for the Reds at first base. Sal Stewart is the Reds’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 22 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline. Spencer Steer will certainly be an everyday player for the Reds, but can also play second base, third base and the corner outfield spots. Christian Encarnacion-Strand looks like a longshot for the job, but has shown some promising flashes at the plate when healthy over the last three seasons. Nathaniel Lowe was a non-roster invitee to spring training and is on a minor league deal, but won a Gold Glove in 2023, a Silver Slugger in 2022 and hit 18 home runs last season between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox.

In all likelihood, Reds manager Terry Francona will give the 22-year-old Stewart, the top prospect and guy with the most potential, the job. And that would be very warranted. In just 18 games in the Major Leagues last season, Stewart hit five home runs during the Reds’ frantic postseason push. Stewart already has two home runs in six games this spring. The hit tool is elite. But, keep an eye out for Lowe. Lowe was very solid after being picked up by the Red Sox for their stretch run, recording a .790 OPS in 34 games. He would also provide the Reds lineup with a much-needed left-handed bat.

Prediction: Sal Stewart

Red Sox No. 5 Starter: Johan Oviedo, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Patrick Sandoval, Kutter Crawford

The Boston Red Sox focused on run prevention this offseason and added three high-caliber starting options, Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo, through free agency and trades. Now, they have arguably the most pitching depth in the Major Leagues. Garrett Crochet, Suarez, Gray and Brayan Bello look locked in for the first four spots, but the fifth spot is completely up for grabs.

The potential options for that fifth spot? Oviedo, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval. Oviedo could be in the driver’s seat for the fifth spot given what the Red Sox traded for him (Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia, then the team’s No. 3 prospect), but he has experience pitching out of the bullpen. Tolle and Early are both 23, supremely talented and showed very promising flashes last season, but could be better served developmentally starting the season in the minor leagues as starters. Crawford and Sandoval both missed last season with injuries, but are proven Major League starters.

Based on a combination of health and experience, it would make sense for Oviedo to get the nod in the rotation to begin the season. But do not be shocked if Tolle forces way into the mix. In a three-inning relief appearance on Wednesday against the Yankees, Tolle only allowed one hit and one walk while striking out seven, even topping 100 mph on the radar gun.

Prediction: Johan Oviedo

Rays closer: Garrett Cleavinger, Griffin Jax, Edwin Uceta (maybe Joe Boyle!)

It looks like there will be a significant talent gap between the Tampa Bay Rays and the rest of the AL East. But, if there is one thing the Rays are known for, it is making the most out of what they have in-house and finding creative ways to piece together just enough to win games. One unit that could help keep the Rays competitive in a loaded division is their bullpen. The closer spot is still up in the air after Pete Fairbanks signed with the Miami Marlins, but there are a lot of potential leverage arms that manager Kevin Cash could use in the ninth inning.

While Cash has alluded to using a closer-by-committee approach, there are three names, along with one high-upside longshot, that will likely get the majority of the Rays’ save opportunities. Garrett Cleavinger, Griffin Jax and Edwin Uceta are the clear choices to close games, but Joe Boyle should not be counted out. Cleavinger and Jax are both representing the United States at the World Baseball Classic. If Team USA makes a deep run, both of the Rays relievers will have ample opportunities to throw against some of the world’s best given the WBC’s pitch count rules and the reliance teams often have to have on their bullpen. Uceta is dealing with a shoulder injury, and it is still up in the air whether or not he will be available for Opening Day, but he should be in the mix as well if healthy.

Cleavinger has the most closing experience of the three and had the best numbers last year, recording a 2.35 ERA and a strong 12.0 SO/9. But let’s talk about Boyle for a second. While his numbers do not look like anything special at first glance, he has some of the most electrifying stuff in baseball. At 6’8”, 250 pounds, Boyle regularly throws over 100 with his fastball velocity in the 96th percentile and has a slider that could develop into a true putaway pitch. Boyle will almost certainly not start the year with many high-leverage opportunities, but if his control improves and he earns the trust of Cash, he could certainly work his way into the mix.

Prediction: Garrett Cleavinger

Nationals catcher: Harry Ford. Keibert Ruiz

The Washington Nationals are in the thick of a rebuild under new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. One of Toboni’s first moves at the helm of the Nats was trading for reliever Jose A. Ferrer to the Seattle Mariners for catching prospect Harry Ford, who is currently the No. 71 prospect in baseball and the Nationals’ No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and was blocked at the Major League level by Cal Raleigh.

Ford, who just turned 23, has had a great spring training both with the Nationals and as one of the key players for Great Britain at the World Baseball Classic. Ford hit home runs for Great Britain in their exhibition against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday and in their first game in pool play against Mexico on Friday. Keibert Ruiz, however, is the incumbent, but has dealt with some significant injuries and is running out of time to live up to the potential many saw in him when he was one of the centerpieces of the trade that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021.

If Ford keeps mashing for Great Britain, it will be difficult for new Nationals manager Blake Butera to keep him off the field. But, the previous Nationals regime clearly believed in Ruiz, signing him to an eight-year, $50 million contract ahead of the 2023 season. Ford earning the starting job would be a very clear indication of Toboni’s influence on the new Nationals roster.

Prediction: Harry Ford

Mets right field: Carson Benge, Tyrone Taylor, MJ Melendez, Brett Baty, Mike Tauchman

The New York Mets outfield will look very, very different this season. Brandon Nimmo is out after being traded to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien. Juan Soto is moving from right field to left field. Luis Robert Jr. was acquired via trade from the Chicago White Sox to play center field. That leaves right field wide open.

23-year-old Carson Benge is the No. 16 prospect in baseball and the Mets’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline and has earned rave reviews from manager Carlos Mendoza so far. Before a disastrous 2025 season that saw him get demoted to Triple-A, MJ Melendez had a very solid first three seasons of his career with the Kansas City Royals and is looking to turn things around with the Mets. Forced out of the infield after Semien and Bo Bichette were brought in, Brett Baty has been getting reps in right field this spring. Mike Tauchman could also be in the mix, but the veteran seems like a longshot to earn a consistent role and could be more valuable as a bench piece. Same goes for Tyrone Taylor, who will likely be on the Major League roster as a defense-first guy who can play all three outfield positions at an elite level.

At this point, Benge looks to be the favorite to earn the job. He shot through the minors last season and has no real flaws in his game. If Mendoza thinks Benge is ready, the job should be his. If not, do not be surprised if Melendez gets a chance. In 11 spring at-bats, Melendez has four hits, two home runs and a double. If Melendez’s hot start fizzles out, Mendoza can always go to the safe option and start the season with Taylor in right until he feels Benge is ready.

Prediction: Carson Benge

When he is on the field, New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is still one of the best hitters in baseball. But at what point are the injuries too much?

A quote from Stanton to NJ.com’s Randy Miller has understandably gone very viral.

“I can’t open a bottle,” Standon said. “I can’t open a bag of chips … a bag of anything. That’s the way it is.”

What?

Did Stanton really just admit that to a reporter on the record? But that is not all he said.

Stanton, who is entering his age-36 season, missed two-and-a-half months to start last season with epicondylitis, more commonly known as tennis elbow, in both elbows. Miller began his conversation with Stanton by asking about his elbows.

Here is his full response.

“That’ll never be the case,” Stanton said. “Not while I’m in this line of work. You have your good days and bad days, just like your mood and everything.”

Enough is enough. If Stanton’s elbow injuries have not improved, he is in this much constant pain and does not believe it will improve while he is still playing, he should think about retiring.

Stanton even admitted to Miller that surgery would fix the problem, but he was not willing to consider it because of the chance of it negatively impacting his swing.

“You get the surgery and you can go back to being in the general population in a few months, but my job is to put some of the most force into a batted ball,” Stanton said. “That’s not going to be fixed in surgery, and I don’t care what any doctor says because they don’t know what’s going on. What’s written [about my elbows] is what me and the Yankees give you.”

It is admirable to a certain extent to see Stanton pushing through this much to still try and get on the field. Not only is Stanton dealing with injuries to both elbows, but is still clearly impacted by some sort of lower body issue and is one of the least mobile players in MLB.

He had the fourth-slowest sprint speed in all of baseball at 23.5 feet per second and the slowest home to first time at 5.22 seconds according to Baseball Savant. Stanton is also realistically no longer able to play the outfield at a Major League level. Those deficits were especially clear when he had to be stuck in the field for 20 games last season when Aaron Judge was returning from a shoulder injury and unable to throw.

Stanton has two years of team control plus a club option for the 2028 season left on his infamous 13-year, $325 million contract and is still a very valuable hitter. In just 77 games last year, less than half of a season, Stanton hit .273/.350/.594 with a ridiculous158 OPS+ along with 24 home runs and 66 RBI. Stanton crushed seven postseason home runs during the Yankees’ run to the World Series in 2024.

No one is doubting he can still hit. But from the Yankees’ perspective, especially for someone as injury-prone as Stanton who has not played a full season since 2021, it may be better for them as well to be able to have the DH spot open based on the rest of their roster.

Judge will turn 34 in April and has dealt with his share of injuries and could benefit from some consistent DH opportunities. That would in turn open up more outfield opportunities for Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones (Jones hit two home runs during the Yankees’ spring training matchup against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday). It would also give Ben Rice, who has spent time at catcher and first base, a more natural spot in the lineup.

Stanton is 47 home runs away from 500. He has not won a World Series. He still has two years left on his contract. He is still hitting at an elite level.

If Stanton’s injuries have gotten so bad to where they are impacting his ability to perform daily tasks and he is freely admitting those issues to the media, the conversation about a potential early retirement unfortunately must be had.

What about some of the transactions that have flown more under-the-radar and may not have gotten as much national attention?

Here are four underrated moves you may have forgotten about or overlooked that still have a chance to make a significant impact this season.

1. Red Sox trade for Caleb Durbin

Full trade:

Red Sox receive: INF Caleb Durbin, INF Andruw Monasterio, INF Anthony Seigler, Competitive Balance Round B Draft pick

Brewers receive: LHP Kyle Harrison, INF David Hamilton, LHP prospect Shane Drohan

The Boston Red Sox had to pivot their entire offseason after failing to re-sign Alex Bregman. Instead of running it back with Bregman, signing one of the other premier free agent bats or swinging a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks for Ketel Marte, the Red Sox focused on run prevention. Step one was bringing in Ranger Suarez on a five-year, #130 million deal to be the Red Sox’s number two starter, giving Boston one of the best and deepest rotations in baseball. Step two was improving their infield defense.

That is where Caleb Durbin, the 5’7” infielder who finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting last season and played a crucial role on the 97-win Milwaukee Brewers, comes in. Last season, Durbin spent the majority of his time at third base. Coming up, he was primarily a second baseman, but was blocked there by platinum glover Brice Turang. Durbin is in the 29th percentile for arm strength, which helps explain his average defense at third last season. I expect that with a full season at second, Durbin can become a plus defender and will help elevate the Red Sox’s elite pitching.

Durbin has elite bat-to-ball skills–95th percentile in squared-up rate, 96th percentile in whiff rate and 98th percentile in K rate–and it did not take a lot for the Red Sox to acquire him. If the defense improves with a more consistent role at second base, Durbin could be one of the steals of the offseason.

2. Orioles trade for Taylor Ward

Full trade:

Orioles receive: OF Taylor Ward

Angels receive: RHP Grayson Rodriguez

We will forgive you if this trade slipped your mind. It happened just about two weeks after the World Series, and Taylor Ward is one of the most under-appreciated players in baseball. And in case you have not been paying attention to what has been going on in Anaheim lately, Ward is coming off of a 36-homer, 103-RBI season and over the last four seasons has quietly been one of the better hitters in all of baseball.

There are real injury concerns with Grayson Rodriguez, and while he is talented, being able to move him for a proven bat like Ward is an absolute win for the Baltimore Orioles and will help give them one of the absolute best lineups in baseball. The AL East has been in a bit of an arms race this offseason, and this is the move that kick-started it all. With Ward, new signee Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg returning, the Orioles have five guys who are legitimate 30-homer threats.

This is the type of offseason Orioles fans have been clamoring for. They finally spent some money on Alonso, but Ward might end up being just as important of a piece in the lineup.

3. Braves trade for Mauricio Dubon

Full trade:

Braves receive: UTIL Mauricio Dubon

Astros receive: INF Nick Allen

Mauricio Dubon has become one of my favorite players in baseball. Super-utility players are extremely valuable, and there are few better than the Honduran-born Dubon, a two-time utility Gold Glove award winner who has started games at every position except pitcher and catcher for the Houston Astros over the last two seasons. For a Braves team that has been bit by the injury bug the past few seasons, and already has been with an early injury to presumed starting shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, Dubon’s versatility will be even more useful.

If the Braves are completely healthy, Dubon likely does not find his way into the starting lineup. But with Kim sidelined for at least the first month of the season, Dubon will begin his Braves’ career as the team’s starting shortstop according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. After that, Dubon could also see some time in right field, which would allow the Braves to spell Acuna, who has missed significant time the last two seasons recovering from a torn ACL, and give him some opportunities to DH. One spot Dubon may not spend much time at is first base, where Olson has played 162 games at the past four seasons.

Dubon is not going to wow anyone at the plate, but with the Braves he should not need to. He had a very respectable .720 OPS with 10 home runs in 2023 and is in the 90th percentile for whiff rate and 97th percentile for K rate. The Braves missed the postseason last year. In a loaded NL East with a new-look Mets team and the always dangerous Philadelphia Phillies, competing for the division title will be a tall task. But players like Dubon are crucial for winning teams, and Dubon is a winning player.

4. Tigers sign Kenley Jansen

Contract details: One year, $9 million with a $12 million club option for 2027

The Detroit Tigers have notably spent the past few seasons without a set closer, with manager A.J. Hinch piecing together his relievers and utilizing what people have dubbed “pitching chaos.” Now, he has another arm at his disposal, Kenley Jansen, a potential future Hall of Famer and the current active saves leader. Jansen never really relied on velocity to get outs, so even at 38, he is still one of the better late-inning pitchers in baseball.

Last season with the Angels, Jansen had 29 saves with a 2.59 ERA in 62 appearances. This year with the Tigers, Jansen will have a lot more competition for the ninth inning. Will Vest led Detroit in saves last season with 21. Kyle Finnegan has closing experience with the Washington Nationals and got a few opportunities last year after a midseason trade. The young Troy Melton projects to be a starter down the road, but with a full rotation could be a factor in the bullpen if the Tigers choose to put him on the Major League roster instead of keeping him in AAA to get more starts.

While the Tigers rotation has stolen all of the headlines this offseason after they kept Tarik Skubal and signed Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander, their bullpen could be just as good. This will be year number 17 for Jansen, and with high expectations in Detroit, he might just be called upon to get some very important outs down the stretch.

Missed anyone? Let us know in the comments what your favorite underrated move from this offseason was!

The Pittsburgh Pirates have often been seen as a hopeless franchise. They play in one of the smallest markets, have one of the poorest owners and have not earned a postseason berth since 2015. Even though the Pirates have been lucky enough to land a generational talent like Paul Skenes, the conversation surrounding his future is usually focused on potential trades and the belief that he will inevitably be too expensive for the Pirates to sign once he eventually reaches free agency.

But this offseason, there has been a palpable difference in the way the Pirates have operated. When they signed first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn to a two-year, $29 million deal in December, it was the first multi-year deal the team has given to a free agent since starting pitcher Ivan Nova was signed to a three-year, $26 million contract in 2016.

Even though O’Hearn’s $29 million is still just below Francisco Liriano’s franchise record $33 million free agent contract that he signed in 2014, the Pirates have still had a net positive offseason. The Buccos made meaningful additions and have at least reportedly made good faith efforts to try and sign some of the big name free agents.

Here’s a quick recap:

In a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros, the Pirates acquired two-time All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe and speedy outfielder Jake Mangum from the Rays in exchange for sending pitcher Mike Burrows to the Astros.

The Pirates sent righty Johan Oviedo to the Boston Red Sox for outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia, aka “The Password,” who is now ranked as the team’s No. 5 prospect per The Athletic’s Keith Law.

In free agency, the Pirates agreed to deals with O’Hearn, lefty reliever Gregory Soto (one-year, $7.75 million), right-hander Jose Urquidy (one-year, $1.5 million) and the recently acquired designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (one-year, $12 million), who is just one season removed from a 39 homer and .924 OPS season in which he finished fourth in NL MVP voting.

This is a significant improvement. Lowe and Ozuna have legitimate 30+ home run power. Mangum provides elite defense and baserunning. The 23-year-old Garcia could quickly become a fan-favorite and has a very promising offensive profile. No one would argue that Soto and Urquidy are in their primes, but they are veterans who have been a part of winning teams and can help stabilize a young pitching staff.

Despite these additions, the more relevant indicator about the Pirates’ desire to be competitive has been the players they failed to sign. Throughout the offseason, they have reportedly been connected to top free agents Kyle Schwarber, Eugenio Suarez and Framber Valdez.

After Schwarber signed back with the Philadelphia Phillies for five years and $150 million in December, Alex Stumpf, formerly of MLB.com, reported that the Pirates offered him a four-year, $125 deal. Stumpf also reported that the Pirates offered Suarez a one-year, $15 million contract, the same figures that he ended up accepting with the Cincinnati Reds. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Pirates “emerged as one of the most aggressive clubs” during the late stages of Valdez’s free agency before he eventually signed a three-year, $115 million contract with the Detroit Tigers.

Does this mean anything though? The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles does not necessarily think so. He recently made an appearance on Foul Territory, and was asked by A.J. Pierzynski about the Pirates potentially needing to overpay for top free agents because of the organization’s reputation and said, “you don’t get credit for offering the same thing everyone else is.”

I disagree.

The offer the Pirates reportedly made to Schwarber was legitimate. It had a higher average annual value (AAV), $31.25 million, than what he ended up signing with the Phillies, $30 million. Before the offseason began, MLB Trade Rumors’ very well respected contract predictions had Schwarber signing a five-year, $135 million contract, which had just one more year and a significantly lower AAV than what the Pirates offered. The $125 million is also more than triple Liriano’s record free agent contract.

In Suarez’s case, they offered the same one-year, $15 million terms that he ended up getting from the Reds. That likely means that unless they offered something significantly more than the Reds, they were never going to get him. Suarez had already spent seven seasons in Cincinnati, and the hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark is certainly a great place to play a “prove-it” campaign before entering free agency again next offseason.

The specific details regarding the Pirates’ pursuit of Valdez are not known. While there is a chance that the Pirates could have exaggerated their pursuit to the media in order to gain favor with their fans, it does make sense that they could try and capitalize on Valdez’s slow market. The Pirates certainly had the money. Valdez ended up signing with the Tigers for less than the Pirates reportedly offered Schwarber.

The NL Central is looking like one of the weaker divisions in baseball. The Chicago Cubs stayed about the same, swapping Kyle Tucker for Alex Bregman. The Milwaukee Brewers should be competitive like they always are, but lost a lot of talent, even for them, trading away Isaac Collins, Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers and Caleb Durbin, among others. Even with Suarez, the Reds remain flawed. The Cardinals had a firesale this offseason, moving on from Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan.

There is no reason why the Pirates can not compete for the postseason.

But more importantly, Pirates fans should be optimistic about how the front office has been willing to invest in this team. Players like Skenes do not come around very often. This offseason has shown that there is not only a chance that the Pirates could build a contender around Skenes over the next four seasons before he is expected to enter free agency after the 2029 season, but that they could have a chance to sign him long term.

The Pirates were supposedly willing to open the checkbook for an aging designated hitter like Schwarber and someone like Valdez who has some very real question marks surrounding him, especially after his infamous “cross-up” this past season. It is much more justifiable to spend on a player like Skenes who is already a fan favorite, a consensus top-two pitcher in baseball and one of the most marketable athletes in the world.

Whether it is with the Pirates or another team, Skenes will likely end up signing one of the largest contracts in MLB history. Before this offseason, there was no reason to expect the Pirates to have much of a chance at re-signing or extending Skenes or signing any other big time free agents. But, they tried, and even though they were unsuccessful this time, there is at least a chance they could hit on someone, including Skenes, over the next few years.

The World Baseball Classic is set to begin in just about one month. The WBC has become one of the marquee events on the baseball calendar and something for fans across the world to look forward to every three years. Instead of the conversation leading up the event being about Team USA’s star-studded rotation featuring Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal or Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan’s pursuit of a repeat, something as seemingly mundane as… insurance… has stolen the headlines.

On the surface, insurance coverage looks as boring as it gets (and does not help change baseball’s perception). But, some controversy surrounding contracts not being able to be insured has led to a significant number of players not being able to represent their countries in the WBC, decimating Puerto Rico and Venezuela’s teams.

All Major League Baseball players on 40-man rosters who are trying to compete in the WBC are evaluated by a third party insurer, National Financial Partners (NFP). Based on factors like injury history and age, the insurer determines if a player’s contract is able to be insured in case they suffer an injury during the WBC that would force them to miss time with their Major League club. Prior to this season, notable examples of players whose contracts were denied insurance included Clayton Kershaw and Miguel Cabrera.

Here are all of the players who have reportedly been denied insurance coverage for their contracts:

Team Puerto Rico: Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Jose Berrios, Victor Caratini, Jovani Moran, Emilio Pagan and Alexis Diaz

Team Venezuela: Jose Altuve, Miguel Rojas, Martin Perez and Carlos Narvaez

Team Panama: Justin Lawrence

Team Dominican Republic: Elly De La Cruz

That is a lot of star power. The Athletic’s Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal reported that the high-profile injuries to Altuve and Edwin Diaz during the 2023 WBC is the biggest reason why players are having more difficulties securing contract insurance. NFP reportedly has three different classifications for players’ injury history: “chronic condition,” “intermediate condition,” and “low-risk condition.”

ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez laid out what criteria players need to meet in order to be classified as “chronic,” meaning they are very unlikely to be insured.

• If they were on the injured list for an aggregate of at least 60 days in the prior season

• If they were injured and unable to participate in two of their teams’ last three games of the prior season

• If they underwent surgery following that season

• If they underwent more than one surgery throughout their career

• If they were placed on the IL in the last day of August of the prior season.

NFP will also not cover players once they turn 37.

That is why Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Miguel Rojas was denied insurance and will not be able to suit up for Team Venezuela. He turns 37 next month. The World Series hero addressed the denial during a Dodgers fan event on Saturday (via Gonzalez).

“It’s really hard to not have the opportunity to put my country on my chest and to represent them and help win a World Baseball Classic–and not have the opportunity to do it because I’m 37 years old,” Rojas said. “That’s not right. I don’t feel it’s right.”

Team Puerto Rico has been his especially hard with insurance denials. There have even been discussions about them dropping out of the tournament entirely.

“That option is on the table,” Team Puerto Rico operations manager Joey Sola said to Drellich and Rosenthal. “It obviously will depend upon if we can figure out the substitute players.”

Not only was Puerto Rico projected to be one of the top contenders at this year’s tournament, but they are hosting Canada, Colombia, Cuba and Panama for the first round pool play in San Juan at Hiran Bithorn Stadium. It would be a disaster for the WBC if Puerto Rico does not participate, especially because they are hosting. Puerto Rico fans are known to be among the most passionate, and having games on the island without the home team even participating would create an odd and uncomfortable atmosphere to say the least.

Looking a little deeper at some of the players who had their insurance denied versus who had theirs approved, it is easy to see why people are frustrated. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is the most obvious case. He has not had any major injuries during his 11-year career. The reason for his denial was a cleanup procedure on his right elbow that he had done earlier this offseason. At the time of the procedure, Lindor was expected to be fully ready for the start of Spring Training. Based on his desire to compete with Team Puerto Rico, it seems as if his recovery was on schedule and there were no setbacks.

An MLBPA statement posted to Twitter on Saturday about Lindor’s participation in the WBC confirmed that there are no lingering injury concerns that would impact his ability to play.

“He will participate fully in all spring training activities,” the statement reads.

Team USA has a few players with far more significant injury histories than Lindor. One example is Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton. 2025 was Buxton’s first full season since 2017. He sprained his thumb during his rookie year in 2015, strained his groin in 2017, missed significant time in 2018 with migraines and a broken toe, had a wrist contusion, concussion and shoulder subluxation in 2019, missed time during the shortened 2020 season with shoulder inflammation, strained his hip and broke his hand in 2021, strained his hip again and had knee surgery in 2022, had a rib contusion and a hamstring strain in 2023 and missed time due to knee and hip inflammation in 2024.

While Lindor technically meets the criteria necessary for a “chronic” designation and Buxton does not, it is difficult to understand how anyone could view Lindor as more of an injury risk than Buxton.

WBC rosters have to be finalized today and will be announced on Thursday. It is a shame that something as tedious as insurance has had this big of an impact on such a universally beloved part of the game.

At this point in the offseason, there is not a division in baseball that has improved as much and is as deep as the American League East.

While the Tampa Bay Rays have taken their usual “one eye on the present and one on the future” approach, the other four teams have been spending money, making trades and preparing for what looks to be one of the most compelling and competitive division races in recent memory.

Here is a quick recap on what the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles have done so far:

Toronto Blue Jays

2025 Record: 94-68, lost in World Series

Key Additions: RHP Dylan Cease (7-year, $210 million), 1B/3B Kazuma Okamoto (4-year, $60 million), RHP Tyler Rogers (3-year, $37 million), RHP Cody Ponce (3-year, $30 million)

Key Departures: INF Bo Bichette (signed 3-year, $162 million contract with Mets)

Free Agents: RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Max Scherzer, RHP Seranthony Dominguez, INF Ty France, UTIL Isiah Kiner-Falefa

The Blue Jays did not waste any time after coming within inches of winning the World Series. In the first major move of the offseason, they signed the polarizing Dylan Cease to a deal that blew every projection out of the water.

But, right now, the big story with the Blue Jays is that they were not able to bring back Bo Bichette or land any of the other big bats like Kyle Tucker or Alex Bregman. I personally am not very worried about that. The Blue Jays showed that they can win without Bichette, making it through most of September and the first two rounds of the postseason with him sidelined due to injury. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is of course pencilled in at first base and all-world defender Andres Gimenez is looking like he will be the everyday shortstop. At second base and third base, a combination of Kazuma Okamoto, Ernie Clement, Addison Barger and Davis Schneider should be able to provide the Blue Jays with quality production both at the plate and in the field.

Bichette was tied for the fewest outs above average at shortstop in the Major Leagues with -13. The Blue Jays will of course miss his bat, but now have the potential to field one of the best defensive infields in baseball and with perennial Gold Glove candidate Daulton Varsho roaming center field, could be an elite run prevention unit.

A lot of the Blue Jays’ success will depend on 22-year-old Trey Yesavage, who showed some truly dominant flashes in the postseason, including 5 ⅓ no-hit innings in the ALDS against the New York Yankees and seven innings of one-run ball with 12 strikeouts against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series, after a brief Major League cameo in September. His rookie eligibility is still intact for 2026. Will he continue to improve on his impressive performances on the biggest stage and contend for the AL Rookie of the Year? Or, will he regress now that there is more tape on him and struggle to recapture his October magic, similar to what happened to Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter after he stepped up in the 2023 postseason.

New York Yankees

2025 Record: 94-68, lost in ALDS

Key Additions: LHP Ryan Weathers (trade with Marlins), INF Paul DeJong (minor league contract)

Key Departures: RHP Devin Williams (signed 3-year, $51 million contract with Mets), RHP Luke Weaver (signed 2-year, $22 million contract with Mets), RHP Mark Leiter Jr. (signed 1-year, $2.85 million contract with Athletics)

Free Agents: 1B Paul Goldschmidt, RHP Jake Cousins, OF Austin Slater

The biggest priority for the New York Yankees this offseason has been retainment and recovery. They were able to re-sign Cody Bellinger without having to give him seven years, which is a significant win for the Yankees front office. After Trent Grisham accepted the qualifying offer following a career year at the plate, the Yankees have their outfield set for 2026, with Bellinger in left, Grisham in center and Aaron Judge in right field, giving them the flexibility to use Jasson Dominguez and prospect Spencer Jones in trades.

Other than Bellinger and Grisham’s return, the health of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Anthony Volpe and Giancarlo Stanton is what is most important for the Yankees as Spring Training approaches. Cole missed all of last season with Tommy John surgery and is expected to return in May at the earliest. Rodon is expected to miss Opening Day after having surgery to remove a bone spur in his left elbow earlier this offseason. Anthony Volpe had offseason shoulder surgery and is expected to return in May. While Stanton does not have any new injuries, he has missed significant time each of the last four seasons and has consistent, lingering knee issues.

The bullpen still has some question marks, especially after losing Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to the Mets, but if they are able to tread water until the trade deadline when more reinforcements will likely be available, there should not be too much concern. Cashman showed last year that he is not afraid to get aggressive adding relief options at the deadline when he brought in David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird.

If Cole and Rodon are able to return close to 100%, then the Yankees will have one of the most imposing rotations in baseball. Cole, Max Fried, Rodon, new acquisition Ryan Weathers and postseason hero Cam Schlittler. That, coupled with a lineup featuring seven players with 30+ home run power give the Yankees clear World Series potential.

Boston Red Sox

2025 Record: 89-73, lost in Wild Card Round

Key Additions: LHP Ranger Suarez (5-year, $130 million), 1B Willson Contreras (trade with Cardinals), RHP Sonny Gray (trade with Cardinals), RHP Johan Oviedo (trade with Pirates)

Key Departures: 3B Alex Bregman (signed 5-year, $175 million contract with Cubs), RHP Richard Fitts (trade with Cardinals), RHP Hunter Dobbins (trade with Cardinals), LHP Steven Matz (signed 2-year, $15 million contract with Rays), OF Rob Refsnyder (signed 1-year, $6.25 million contract with Mariners)

Free Agents: RHP Lucas Giolito, RHP Liam Hendriks, 1B Nathaniel Lowe, LHP Justin Wilson

There is not a team in baseball except for possibly the Dodgers that has the combination of elite starting pitching and rotation depth as the Red Sox. They were already looking great after trading for Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo, but pivoting to signing Ranger Suarez after losing Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs has put them over the edge. With Garrett Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Brayan Bello and Oviedo looking like the top five as of now, the Red Sox have six other pitchers who will be competing for starts.

Connelly Early and Payton Tolle are both two of the most promising young pitchers in baseball. Kyle Harrison was the headliner of the controversial Rafael Devers trade. Tanner Houck was an All-Star in 2024. Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are both Major League-caliber starters when healthy.

The questions for the Red Sox are with their lineup. Without Bregman, there is still a hole in the infield at either second base or third base (Marcelo Mayer can play either at a high level). There is still a surplus of outfielders, with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Roman Anthony all deserving of a starting spot. Trevor Story and new acquisition Willson Contreras are getting older.

The potential improvement of the Red Sox’s younger players will be the most important factor for the team’s success in 2026. Anthony, Mayer, Carlos Narvaez and Kristian Campbell were all rookies last season. Rafaela is entering his age-25 season. Abreu is entering his age-26 season. The oft-injured Triston Cases is also still just 26. Because the Red Sox did not add a star bat this offseason, they will have to rely on internal improvement to take a step forward.

Baltimore Orioles

2025 Record: 75-87, missed postseason

Key Additions: 1B Pete Alonso (5-year, $155 million), RHP Ryan Helsley (2-year, $28 million), RHP Shane Baz (trade with Rays), OF Taylor Ward (trade with Angels), RHP Andrew Kittredge (trade with Cubs)

Key Departures: RHP Grayson Rodriguez (trade with Angels)

Free Agents: C Gary Sanchez, RHP Tomoyuki Sugano

In new Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein’s second full offseason with the team, he has finally spent, bringing in prized slugger Pete Alonso to man first base and hold down a spot in the middle of the order. The Orioles also made one of the most underrated trades this Winter, sending the oft-injured Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels for the perpetually-underrated Taylor Ward, who quietly hit 36 home runs last season.

There is no doubt the Orioles can hit, with Alonso and Ward joining Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser in what will inevitably be one of the most feared lineups in MLB. The biggest question mark is Adley Rutschman, who significantly regressed in 2025 after looking like one of the game’s elite catchers in his first three seasons. Even if Rutschman looks more like his 2025 self than his 2022-24 self, no pitcher will want to face the Orioles.

The Orioles still need pitching. The most obvious answer would be to sign Framber Valdez, who is the clear top free agent left at this point in the offseason and is running out of viable destinations as teams spend more and more money. The trade market for starting pitchers is also thinning, with Freddy Peralta and MacKenzie Gore recently being dealt. The only front-line starters who are likely to be moved still are Joe Ryan and Kris Bubic.

If the Orioles are able to get another starter, they should be able to compete in the AL East. They deserve a lot of credit for finally investing in their roster and bringing their young core some much-needed reinforcements. New manager Craig Albernaz, who played a key role in the Guardians’ recent success, has his work cut out for him, but the Orioles have a real chance to make some noise.

Predictions:

1. Yankees (best record in AL)

2. Blue Jays (1st Wild Card)

3. Red Sox (2nd Wild Card)

4. Orioles (3rd Wild Card)

5. Rays

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer and former 12-year MLB veteran Craig Breslow is in the headlines. After failing to re-sign Alex Bregman, Breslow has once again come under fire for what has become a trend of failing to push deals across the finish line.

Breslow has had his fair share of success in his two years at the helm of the Red Sox. He traded for, and then extended Garrett Crochet, signed Aroldis Chapman and locked up Roman Anthony to a team-friendly, long-term deal, among other shrewd moves.

But his tenure, fairly or not, has been defined by some of his missteps. Breslow was at the center of the issues that led to the Red Sox trading Rafael Devers after he refused to consider playing first base. With the Red Sox in the thick of an intense postseason race at the trade deadline, he was unable to get any impact moves done, most notably failing to offer the Minnesota Twins a serious package for All-Star starter Joe Ryan.

Most recently, Bregman chose to sign with the Chicago Cubs instead of returning to Boston over a reported difference of $10 million (plus deferrals) and the Red Sox’s unwillingness to go against organizational policy and offer a full no-trade clause. Foul Territory’s A.J. Pierzynski and the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier both reported that the Red Sox failed to meet what Bregman’s camp believed his market to be and misjudged his value, allowing the Cubs to swoop in.

Breslow has become one of the most polarizing front office figures in the sport. In order to better understand him, I spoke with our very own Trevor May. While May was recovering from Tommy John surgery with the Twins during the 2017 season, he shared a clubhouse with Breslow.

Here is our full conversatio:

Answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

David Korn: What was Craig Breslow like as a teammate?

Trevor May: As a person, getting along with him was really easy. He’s a really smart guy. We could tell that very, very easily. He was fun to be around. He enjoyed playing and loved talking pitching. Even though I was hurt the whole year when he was with the Twins in 2017, we had our lockers next to each other so I got to pick his brain. He was a great teammate.

Korn: So you said you picked his brain on pitching stuff. What was, if you can remember, maybe a specific thing you picked up from him or a pitching philosophy you learned?

May: It was all pretty straightforward, like how to get ahead, how to use your off-speed pitches early. It was not just me though, it was a couple of the other young guys who came up just after me, too. So we were all in our second or third years. So it was a lot of like, how do you use your stuff to get ahead, how to use the edges of the zone and kind of just advancing our philosophy about throwing strikes, because that’s one of the biggest things.

He was a reliever and he ate a lot of innings, so he talked about how to stay healthy. And sometimes there was routine stuff, how to stay fresh, because he was a little older than us. He’d been around for a while. He retired not too long after that. He didn’t teach me a specific pitch, or there wasn’t a phrase he said. It was mostly just a kind of big brother energy.

Korn: Did you expect Breslow to pursue a front office role after his playing career?

May: I wouldn’t have said that I knew for sure that he wanted to do that specifically. It didn’t surprise me one bit when it turns out that he went for a, you know, a fifth floor job, an executive job. The way he was able to see the whole picture, it seemed like he was pretty in tune with the player’s union and the business side of the game as well. It makes a lot of sense that he ended up going that route.

Korn: What do you think about Breslow’s tenure as Red Sox chief baseball officer so far?

May: I think we have some big question marks around letting Rafael Devers go. That’s going to have to remain to be seen. I understand there’s a lot of pain right now looking around and not really knowing who the guy is anymore. And that’s something that I think Red Sox fans and people that follow the team are just used to. You always have your guy, and now they don’t really know who that is at the moment.

But Breslow has always been a very methodical guy. It always felt that with him, slow and steady wins the race and that he had a plan. It felt solid just talking to him, like, when he was talking about different subjects, he was very logical about them and approached them from a standpoint of not being someone that does crazy risky stuff. But he’s also going to take some shots and things that he believes will make himself better. He’ll try things, he was always open to collaboration and feedback from other people as well. So from what I’ve heard, at least for the circle around him that is there to help him with those decisions, he does include them and he does make himself available.

Baseball is, “what have you done for me lately.” It’s very common the way you can lose your goodwill with one misquote or one weird thing you say or do. And then sometimes you will see the evidence of those things panning out or not years down the road. And that’s a tough situation for a GM. It’s a kind of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. So I’m going to give him some grace there, but I give that grace to everybody.

I think we need to wait and see on a couple of the big things. But for the most part, they made their way back to the playoffs last year after trading their best player. They were better than they had been. We talked a lot on my show about how the Red Sox are not a team that rebuilds. There are a few teams like that in the Major Leagues and they’re one of them. They have bridge years, but then the next year, you bet they’re gonna be out there trying to spend money again. I would say we’re still so early in this process that it’s hard to tell if these decisions are going to lead to long term success for the Red Sox or not.

Korn: You mentioned the Devers situation. One of the biggest takeaways was that it seemed like there was a clear communication gap between Breslow and Devers. Did that aspect of how that all played out surprise you?

May: A little bit, yeah, because I always felt that Breslow was very, very approachable. He’s not a closed off guy. He’s not a person who closes his door. It would surprise me if that were something that he just suddenly started to do. He was always very open and honest and willing to answer questions, willing to have conversations with anybody. So for him to suddenly be like, “no,” or be resistant to that seems odd to me. I don’t quite find it easy to believe that it was him doing that on purpose.

But then again, miscommunications can happen too, right? Human beings, sometimes we’re not happy about something, we’ll just kind of bury it deep until it becomes a big, big, problem. Sometimes that’s too late. Even before Breslow was there, there were some times when Devers just kind of did what he wanted, no other way to really say it. And now he saw himself as a pillar of the team, which he was, and he was the highest paid guy. And so that comes with certain things, and he was seeing that he wasn’t getting those things. That can be frustrating.

But again, a dialogue is what needed to have happened. It’s much easier said than done to broach that subject, because, sometimes, you just seethe in silence for a while before you just kind of give up. I think it was less insidious from either side than anyone thinks, I think they just procrastinated so long that it came down to crunch time, and they didn’t have time to reconcile the situation. So this is what happened.

Korn: So the latest move that Breslow failed to make was re-signing Alex Bregman. It seems like the one of the biggest reasons based on some recent reporting was the Red Sox’s unwillingness to offer him a full no-trade clause. Whether or not that was the right or wrong decision, what do you think Breslow needs to do to salvage the offseason and pivot from missing out on Bregman?

May: That stubbornness sounds a little bit out of character for Breslow. I don’t know what the ownership group has to do with this. I know the way that they operate too, they like to be a little bit more vocal in these conversations. Play a little bit of hard ball.

I think that moving forward, one thing they’re going to be leaning really heavily on is the young guys, which they should be doing anyways. But how you replace Bregman, I don’t know. It might need to be a savvy trade. I would say maybe stop gap this thing with Nolan Arenado, but he isn’t there anymore. They already got the two other guys from St. Louis, might as well go for the trifecta. I don’t know what they do with third base, the Japanese free agents that were available are no longer there. It’s a tough situation. That’s why Red Sox fans are so angry.

It just made too much sense to get the Bregman deal done, and for it not to be done, it sounds like they might just have to try some guys out. Maybe there’s someone in the trade market that I’m not thinking of, but that would probably be the place they got to go to, because it’s looking pretty thin out there in the free agency.

The Major League Baseball offseason is not known for moving at the quickest pace. There is usually some activity around the Winter Meetings in mid-December, but top free agents are regularly still signing well into Spring Training in March.

This year is no different. Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, Dylan Cease, Josh Naylor, Edwin Diaz and Michael King, along with a number of other free agents have signed deals. But some of the biggest names have yet to move. Ketel Marte remains on the Arizona Diamondbacks, Edward Cabrera remains on the Miami Marlins and Freddy Peralta remains on the Milwaukee Brewers. Eugenio Suarez, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Cody Bellinger, Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman all remain unsigned.

Another player who has yet to sign, and who has had shockingly few rumors and reports come out about potential destinations, is Kyle Tucker.,

Following multiple reports linking Bregman to the Diamondbacks earlier this offseason, ESPN’s Buster Olney recently reported that the Boston Red Sox made an “aggressive offer” to try and retain their All-Star third baseman. There has been reporting all offseason about Bichette’s willingness to move off of shortstop, along with him being linked to almost every major market team looking for an infield bat. But not much has been written about Tucker beyond an occasional line in a column from the New York Post’s Jon Heyman saying a team has “checked in” on him.

Heading into the offseason, Tucker was, and still is by all accounts, the top free agent. MLB Trade Rumors projected he would get an 11-year, $400 million contract. The Athletic’s Tim Britton projected a 12-year, $460 million contract. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projected an 11-year, $418 million contract. These are all about $200 million more than all of the experts’ next projected largest contract and Cease’s eight-year, $210 million contract, the largest dolled out so far this offseason.

Tucker is one of the absolute best players in baseball when healthy and is very deserving of these lofty contract projections. He should be a perennial MVP candidate, has 30-plus home run power, above-average speed and plays Gold Glove-caliber defense in right field.

So? What is the hold up? Let’s speculate about a few of the reasons why Tucker’s market specifically seems to have stalled.

1. The upcoming labor negotiations

The collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1, 2026. While that is still a bit over a year away, tension is continuing to grow between the two sides and the dark cloud of a potential lockout is looming over almost every aspect of the upcoming season.

While it does not necessarily seem to have impacted some of the free agent deals that have been signed so far, none have been on the scale of what Tucker is seeking. Given his body of work and being just 28 years old, is not unreasonable for Tucker to be seeking a deal in the 10 year-plus, $400 million-plus range similar to what Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (14-year, $500 million) or Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-year, $325 million) signed recently, but there is so much uncertainty surrounding potential work stoppages, salary caps and other financial aspects of a new collective bargaining agreement that could impact team’s finances. No one would fault front offices for treading carefully.

For more from us on Manfred and the ongoing CBA negotiations, check out videos from Trevor May on the Harper/Manfred situation, a potential salary cap and Manfred’s plan on speaking directly with players and an article I wrote about the WNBA’s labor negotiations:

2. Scott Boras

No, Tucker is not represented by Scott Boras and the Boras Corporation. His agent is Excel Sports Management’s Casey Close, whose other clients include Cal Raleigh and George Springer. But, Boras still has the ability to control the timing of the offseason. He represents Bregman, Bellinger and Ranger Suarez. Like Boras has done in past offseasons, he has shown a willingness to wait out teams in order to try and maximize his clients’ earning potential.

Because Tucker is expected to be this offseason’s most expensive free agent, Close could be trying to wait out Boras in order to use his clients’ contracts as frameworks for Tucker’s deal.

This could result in not only Tucker’s free agency dragging along, but also Bregman’s and Bellinger’s, as the two agents try and wait each other out.

3. Lack of natural fits

Unfortunately for Tucker, he does not have a clean fit as a long-term right fielder for the majority of the teams that are traditionally known as the biggest spenders.

The New York Mets have Juan Soto, who played a year in left field in 2023 with the San Diego Padres but is a more natural fit in right. The New York Yankees have Aaron Judge, who they would like to avoid playing in center field and can not play at DH because of Giancarlo Stanton. The Red Sox already have a surplus of left-handed hitting outfielders. The Toronto Blue Jays have been this offseason’s biggest spenders, just signed Guerrero to a mega-deal and are still trying to bring back Bichette. The Los Angeles Dodgers have some flexibility in their outfield, but signing another player to the type of long-term contract Tucker is seeking would be unprecedented, even for them.

What teams could make sense?

The Philadelphia Phillies could still use another outfielder even after signing Adolis Garcia and should never be counted out in free agency as long as Dave Dombrowski is running their baseball operations. The San Francisco Giants have a hole in right field and could look to keep adding star power even after acquiring Willy Adames and Rafael Devers. The Diamondbacks have shown a willingness to spend and are always an appealing option to players who want to live year-round in the same place.

A reunion with the Chicago Cubs would be a great fit baseball-wise. But, Cubs ownership does not seem like they are comfortable spending the type of money necessary to keep Tucker in Chicago long-term.

The longer Tucker’s free agency goes on, the less likely it is that a long-term deal for the amount of money that he desires will materialize. If he is still looking for a team in a month, then he may have to settle on a “pillow contract,” a one-year or shorter-term deal that likely would include yearly opt-outs, similar to what Bregman, Alonso, Matt Chapman and many others have done over the last few seasons.

Let’s dig a little deeper into some of the relationships between the key decision makers on these two teams that could allow a sort of superstar swap like this to even be possible.

Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo both have deep ties to the Red Sox. Hazen was with the Red Sox organization from 2006-2016, serving as the team’s general manager under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski from 2015-2016. Lovullo served as the Red Sox bench coach from 2013-2016, and was briefly the interim manager during the end of the 2015 season. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was a part of the Red Sox organization as a player from 2012-2015, overlapping with both Hazen and Lovullo.

Hazen, Lovullo and Breslow all played key roles on the Red Sox team that won the World Series in 2013.

Hazen has used his familiarity with the Red Sox organization to woo free agents to the desert in the past. Most notably, he utilized his relationship with Eduardo Rodriguez, who he worked with on the Red Sox from 2015-2016, Rodriguez’s first two seasons in the Majors, to sign him following the D-backs’ World Series appearance in 2023. Hazen said that his meeting with Rodriguez at that year’s Winter Meetings lasted over two hours and was the longest he has had with a player in his career.

Here’s what Rodriguez said about his relationship with Hazen during his introductory press conference (via MLB.com).

“They didn’t have to sell me too much, because I trust them back from Boston. That stems from the relationship we had back then.”

In Bregman’s case, while he has only played in Boston for one season, it is clear that Hazen and Lovullo are still aware of the inner-workings of the Red Sox organization and could likely use that to help them in their pursuit of the two-time World Series champion.

In addition to Hazen and Lovullo’s Boston connections, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal laid out some of the other reasons why Bregman could be a match with the Diamondbacks. Rosenthal points out some of the similarities between Bregman and Corbin Burnes, who surprisingly signed a six-year, $210 million contract with the Diamondbacks last offseason. They are both represented by super agent Scott Boras, live in Phoenix during the offseason and have young families, making the ability to live in the same place year round even more appealing.

Bregman is also very familiar with the Southwest. He grew up in neighboring New Mexico, about six hours away from Phoenix in Albuquerque where his father Sam Bregman is currently running for governor.

Now let’s look at the Marte side of the equation. Ever since reports came out during the season about the Diamondbacks possibly considering a trade because of his clubhouse issues, most notably him missing crucial games after the All-Star break, the Red Sox have been linked to him.

The Red Sox seem like a perfect fit. They have not had a consistent, everyday second baseman since Dustin Pedroia’s career ended prematurely after he got spiked by Manny Machado in 2017. The Red Sox are also one of the only teams that has the combination of Major League talent and prospect capital to put together a strong enough offer for the Diamondbacks, who are notoriously averse to fielding non-competitive teams.

The potential framework for a Marte trade with the Red Sox could include one of the Red Sox’s Major League outfielders, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu or Ceddanne Rafaela, along with one or two of their top younger players or prospects, like shortstop Marcelo Mayer or pitchers Payton Tolle and Connelly Early. The Red Sox also have a surplus of pitchers with more Major League experience than Tolle and Early after trades for Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo if that is what the Diamondbacks prefer.

With a deal of this magnitude and so much talent potentially transferring between teams, it helps to be working with someone you trust. Just this offseason, Breslow has shown a willingness to make deals with front offices with Red Sox ties.

Ben Cherington was with Boston during Breslow’s initial stint as a player with the team in 2006 and later as the general manager when Breslow returned from 2012-2015. Breslow sent the Red Sox’s No. 3 prospect (per MLB Pipeline), Jhostynxon Garcia, to the Pirates, where Cherington is currently the general manager, for Oviedo.

Paul Toboni, who was with the Red Sox since 2015 before being named the Washington Nationals’ president of baseball operations in September, was considered one of Breslow’s most trusted assistants over the last two seasons. On Monday, the two completed a rare pitching prospect for pitching prospect trade, with Jake Bennet (Nationals No. 11 prospect) heading to Boston and Luis Perales (Red Sox No. 7 prospect) heading to D.C.

If you peel back the layers a bit, it is easy to see just how much familiarity there is between the Red Sox and Diamondbacks. That familiarity may just be enough to get the ball rolling on some league-altering moves involving Bregman and Marte.

Cease is represented by super agent Scott Boras. Boras is known for his willingness to hold out as long as possible to try and squeeze every last dollar out of teams to get his clients the largest possible contracts. That was seen most clearly during the 2024 offseason when a group of top free agents, Jordan Montgomery, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman and Blake Snell, all waited until after pitchers and catchers reported to sign deals.

It is not unheard of for Boras clients to sign early, like Snell did when he signed his five-year, $182 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year on Nov. 30. But it is definitely not Boras’ standard operating procedure.

After coming within inches of winning the World Series and with two of their starters, Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer, entering free agency, it is clear that the Blue Jays did not want to risk waiting on signing a starter. They certainly did not, blowing Cease and Boras away with an offer they could not refuse and bolstering their rotation just before American Thanksgiving.

The seven-year, $210 million deal that the Blue Jays gave Cease was significantly more than experts’ pre-offseason projections. MLB Trade Rumors, which many in the industry view as the most realistic and accurate, ended up being the closest and projected Cease would get a seven-year, $189 million contract. Tim Britton of The Athletic projected a six-year, $174 million contract. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN projected a five-year, $145 million contract.

Some of the uncertainty and variability that came with looking at a potential Cease contract came from his year-to-year inconsistencies. Despite having some of the most electric stuff in baseball, showcased by his MLB-best 11.5 SO/9 last season, Cease’s overall production did not seem to match that high strikeout rate.

Cease’s 4.55 ERA pops out as a potential area of concern. While ERA is no longer a metric that front offices usually use to gauge the value of pitchers, it is still a warning sign. Some of Cease’s ERA can be explained away by poor defense showcased by his relatively lower 3.56 FIP and an early-season start in the Athletics’ minor league ballpark in Sacramento where he gave up nine earned runs, but he also gave up 71 walks, the second-most in the National League.

2025 was not the first year Cease has struggled. In a very 2010s San Francisco Giants fashion, Cease has not been able to string together consecutive seasons with elite production. In 2022 and 2024, Cease was one of the most effective pitchers in baseball and earned top-five Cy Young finishes. In 2023, Cease struggled like he did in 2025, putting up a 4.58 ERA. Despite Cease’s strikeout ability, there is enough of a sample size to show that there are legitimate control and consistency issues.

That is part of the reason why the specific figures of his deal with the Blue Jays are so surprising. Cease has not performed like the type of pitcher who has gotten these mega-deals in the past. The only pitchers in MLB history who have signed larger contracts than Cease are Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-year, $325 million), Gerrit Cole (nine-year, $324 million), Stephen Strasburg (seven-year, $245 million), Justin Verlander (10-year, $219.5 million), Max Fried (eight-year, $218 million) and David Price (seven-year, $217 million).

Garrett Crochet, last season’s AL Cy Young runner-up, signed a six-year, $170 million extension in April. Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner (who also dealt with his own inconsistencies) signed a five-year, $182 million deal last offseason. In the 2024 offseason, Aaron Nola signed a seven-year, $172 million deal.

If Cease was able to get such a large deal, what will his free agent starting pitching peers get later this offseason? Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Cease’s former San Diego Padres teammate Michael King and Tatsuya Imai all have arguments that they are better than Cease and should earn more money. Especially for Suarez and Imai, who are both Boras clients, expect the Cease deal to be used as somewhat of a framework in negotiations.

What about in the trade market? Many thought the Boston Red Sox overpaid for Sonny Gray when they gave up a top-five prospect and another promising young pitcher for the 36-year-old Gray, who has another year plus a mutual option for 2027 left on his contract. But, based on what Cease earned, that may have been a bargain. For some of the other top available pitchers on the trade market like Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, MacKenzie Gore, Freddy Peralta, Kris Bubic and Joe Ryan, their prices just skyrocketed.

The biggest potential starting pitcher available for trade is of course reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. Even though he only has one more year of team control left before hitting free agency, it is difficult to imagine the type of godfather offer that it would take for the Tigers to even consider moving their ace now.

Do not even try to think about what a potential Paul Skenes trade could look like…

Teams always need pitching. This offseason, Cease’s contract showed that it will be tougher and more expensive to get than ever before. The ripple effects will be fascinating to see. Buckle up!

There is a lot to unpack from this trade. First of all, it is always fun to see a legitimate baseball trade featuring two proven Major League talents. It seems like nowadays most deals are just contenders unloading no-name prospects to worse teams for players nearing the end of their deals. But Ward and Rodriguez, when healthy, are both fringe All-Star-caliber players going between teams that should both be trying to contend in the 2026 season.

The big question from this trade regards the Orioles. They are not exactly in the position to be moving on from proven, Major League starting pitching. Last season, their rotation’s 4.65 ERA was 13th in the American League. Looking towards their offseason, everyone around baseball had identified starting pitching as Baltimore’s biggest need.

For the Angels, this deal was a no-brainer. As an organization, the Angels have struggled to develop pitching, which has been one of the biggest reasons why they have been unable to capitalize on so much of the offensive talent that has come through Anaheim. Last offseason, the Angels threw a three-year, $63 million contract at Yusei Kikuchi to try and help, and while he put together a productive season, it was not enough to carry one of the worst staffs in baseball. Rodriguez will be an immediate upgrade and could end up being their ace if he is able to stay healthy.

So, why did the Orioles move on from Rodriguez? Were there serious enough injury red flags for them to feel like moving him was their best option despite their lack of starting pitching depth? Do they have other moves to acquire starting pitching lined up?

Looking at Rodriguez’s health, he missed the end of his stellar 2024 campaign where he went 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 20 starts due to a back injury. This past season, he was sidelined to begin the year with elbow inflammation, missed more time with other shoulder and back injuries and was eventually shut down without having thrown a pitch to receive season-ending surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow.

Rodriguez is just 26 and has only played two seasons in the Major Leagues. It would not be surprising for the Orioles to have significant long-term concerns about Rodriguez’s ability to stay healthy and pitch a full season, something he has yet to do. Speaking to the media after the trade on Wednesday, Rodriguez said that he is planning on being ready for the start of Spring Training (via the Associated Press). However, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal had some reporting on Thursday that goes a bit against what Rodriguez said.

“The trade of right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels for Ward does not alter the Orioles’ pitching equation — they were not counting on Rodriguez for much, at least in 2026,” Rosenthal wrote.

If that really is the case, that Rodriguez’s 2026 season is in doubt, then the Orioles made out great. Having been buried outside the national spotlight with the Angels for his entire career, Ward has quietly developed into one of the most underrated power hitters in all of baseball. Last season, he hit 36 home runs and drove in 103 runs and should be in line to man left field at Camden Yards.

Even with the concerns regarding Rodriguez’s health, the Orioles do not have enough organizational starting pitching depth to be competitive next season without making some additions. Insiders have been reporting all offseason that they expect the Orioles to be major players in free agency, even potentially pursuing the consensus top free agent Kyle Tucker. While Tucker would be a great boost to the middle of the Orioles lineup, they still need pitching, now more than ever following the Rodriguez trade.

Kyle Bradish is expected to be fully healthy for the 2026 season after returning late this season from Tommy John surgery. Trevor Rogers, who was one of the biggest surprises in baseball, recording a sub-two ERA and even earning Cy Young votes in 18 starts, will be counted on at the top of the rotation as well. Outside of Bradish and Rogers, Dean Kremer and Tyler Wells could both contribute but they have their own injury concerns as well.

The top available free agent starters are Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Tatsuye Imai, Ranger Suarez, Zac Gallen and Michael King. Starters potentially available for trade include Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan from the Minnesota Twins, Kris Bubic from the Kansas City Royals and Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins.

The Orioles could also look just about an hour south in D.C. at Washington Nationals ace Mackenzie Gore, or do what they did two offseasons ago and trade for a Milwaukee Brewers ace with one more year of team control, this time Freddy Peralta instead of Corbin Burnes.

The Orioles still have a surplus of young, infield bats the trade from. Even if they are committed to spending in free agency, president of baseball operations Mike Elias is running out of time to capitalize on his young players’ trade value. Samuel Basallo, Coby Mayo and Heston Kjerstad will all struggle to find regular playing time at the Major League level if the Orioles lineup is fully healthy. There is enough value there to put together a deal for a front-end arm.

At first glance, trading Rodriguez seems like a crazy move for an Orioles team desperate for innings. But maybe it makes a bit of sense. Now, one thing is for sure: the pressure for the Orioles to add another starter this offseason is through the roof.

Here are some of the biggest storylines to watch:

1. The ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations

The collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1, 2026. While that is still a bit over a year away, tension is growing between the two sides and there is a growing belief about the potential for a lockout.

The biggest gap between the commissioner’s office/owners and the players appears to be the salary cap. Discussions surrounding a potential salary cap have only intensified in recent weeks. During the NLCS between the small-market Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who appear to have bottomless pockets, ESPN’s Jeff Passan addressed how the league could view another Dodgers World Series win.

“Owners across the game want a salary cap -- and if the Dodgers, with their record $500 million-plus payroll, win back-to-back World Series, it will only embolden the league’s push to regulate salaries.”

According to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal, both sides have recently held preliminary meetings before the formal negotiations officially begin.

Some teams are already prepared to approach their spending this offseason differently because of the uncertainty surrounding a potential salary cap or lockout. Here are what executives across baseball are saying about that (all quotes via the Associated Press):

Brewers general manager Matt Arnold: “I’m looking at long term always. Right now, we’re worried about the ’26 season. We’re always keeping an eye on ’27, ’28 and ’29 as well.”

Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow: “Every team seems to be approaching that a little bit differently, which I think is to be expected. The position that we’re in here with the Red Sox is pretty firmly focusing on what we can do for the ‘26 roster and contending for the World Series.”

Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos: “I think it’s something on the horizon that’s well above my head. I just want to try to win games.”

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski: “It has not affected us so far. I can’t speak for other clubs, but we’re moving forward.”

Athletics general manager David Forst: “It’s not part of our daily conversation. We let other people sort out the labor situation.”

For more from us on Manfred and the ongoing CBA negotiations, check out videos from Trevor May on the Harper/Manfred situation, a potential salary cap and Manfred’s plan on speaking directly with players:

2. Will the Dodgers keep spending in free agency?

The Dodgers, who have baseball’s highest payroll, a star-studded roster and are fresh off of winning their second-straight World Series, are already being linked to some of the top free agents. Because of the positional flexibility the Dodgers have with guys like Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernandez, they have the ability to fit basically anyone into their lineup except for a full-time designated hitter like Kyle Schwarber.

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported in October that the Dodgers will pursue Kyle Tucker, the consensus top free agent in this year’s class. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon listed the Dodgers as the only “Tier 1” destination for Tucker ahead of the general manager meetings. Tucker would perfectly slot into right field, shifting Teoscar Hernandez to left field and moving Kiké Hernandez to the bench in a super-utility role.

The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya recently linked the Dodgers to beleaguered reliever Devin Williams. Just a season ago, Williams was considered one of the best closers in baseball. But after a trade from the Brewers to the Yankees, Williams took a significant step back. He recorded a career-high 4.79 ERA and lost his closer job. Williams’ 2.68 FIP suggests that he was more effective than some of his other numbers suggest. That, along with his track record with the Brewers should still earn him a hefty payday.

For more from us on Devin Williams, check out this video from Trevor May:

Other big names that would fit on the Dodgers include Bo Bichette (most likely at second base), Gleyber Torres, a reunion with Cody Bellinger or any of the other free agent relievers like Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias.

3. Are the Orioles finally going to make a move?

There has been a surprising amount of smoke surrounding the Baltimore Orioles the last few days. Multiple insiders, including MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand have said the Orioles could be major players in free agency. With so much young talent entering their primes on team-friendly contracts, like Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman, the Orioles are firmly in win-now mode. This offseason could be the perfect opportunity for new owner David Rubenstein to make his presence known and make a big splash in free agency.

According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Katie Woo, a rival executive said, “it seems the only team willing to open the checkbook right now is Baltimore.”

Since losing Corbin Burnes in free agency last offseason, the Orioles obvious need is starting pitching. Their rotation’s 4.65 ERA was 13th in the American League and Grayson Rodriguez missed the entire year with various injuries. While Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish and Rodriguez are all quality arms, there is a clear need for another starter or two if the Orioles want to compete in an AL East with the Toronto Blue Jays, Red Sox and Yankees, who are all looking to improve after making the postseason last year.

With so much position player talent, the Orioles could also dip into their robust prospect pool to make some trades.

Here’s what Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias had to say about his team’s offseason, per MLB.com’s Jake Rill.

“This is a group that’s really enabling us to invest. We’re going to go out in the market, see what we’re able to do to improve the team. But we’ll definitely be behaving as buyers this season, whether it’s free agency or trade.”

If the Orioles do end up making some big moves this offseason, the AL East will instantly become as competitive of a division there has ever been since the postseason was expanded in 2022.

4. Where will the new Japanese stars end up?

Over the last two seasons, the free agencies of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, both Japanese star pitchers coming over to MLB from Nippon Professional Baseball dominated the Hot Stove. They both ended up on the Dodgers with fellow countryman Shohei Ohtani and have helped Los Angeles to back-to-back World Series.

This offseason, there are three players who are expected to command significant contracts–RHP Tatsuya Imai, 1B/3B Munetaka Murakami and 1B Kazuma Okamoto. According to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s contract projections, Imai will receive 6 years, $135 million with a $22.125 million posting fee. Murekami will get 5 years, $80 million with a $13.875 million posting fee. Okamoto will get 3 years, $36 million with a $6.925 million posting fee.

Will the Dodgers load up on even more Japanese talent? Will Imai, Murakami and Okamoto live up to the hype built by the success of Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki, Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki and others? Their free agencies should be a ton of fun to follow.

5. The World Baseball Classic!

It always seems like the World Baseball Classic sneaks up on everyone (except Jon Morosi of course), but this year’s should be as competitive as any.

In 2023, Japan beat the United States in a final for the ages. The world was introduced to Roki Sasaki, Trea Turner tied the WBC record with five home runs, including a go-ahead grand slam against Venezuela in the quarterfinals and Shohei Ohtani recorded the final out of the tournament by striking out his then-Angels teammate Mike Trout in a storybook ending.

Stars like Cal Raleigh, Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Bobby Witt Jr. have already committed to playing for Team USA, which will be managed by MLB Network analyst and longtime big leaguer Mark DeRosa. The reigning champs, Japan, should once again have a dominant team led by the Dodgers trio of Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. The Dominican Republic is always a threat with the ability to trot out a lineup featuring Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jose Ramirez, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Rafael Devers. Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Netherlands South Korea and Chinese Taipei should all be competitive as well.

World Baseball Classic Pool Play starts on March 5. What a treat it is to get competitive baseball a month early.

After three straight seasons of 100+ losses, including an MLB and organization-worst 119 loss season this year, the Rockies announced that they were moving on from general manager Bill Schmidt. Schmidt began his career with the Rockies in 1999 as a scout and eventually worked his way up to general manager in 2021.

In many ways, Schmidt represented a belief throughout baseball that the Rockies were too insular and resistant to any sort of new ideas. Rockies owner Dick Monfort, whose son and Rockies executive vice president Walker Monfort is leading the search for a new face of the front office, is trying to change that perception.

“As with any transition, Bill [Schmidt’s] departure allows our club to seek a new leader of our baseball department experienced in areas where we know we need to grow within the operation,” Dick Monfort said in the release announcing Schmidt’s departure. “A new voice will benefit our organization as we work towards giving our fans the competitive team they deserve.”

On Monday, The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli reported that the two finalists for the Rockies’ head of baseball operations, Arizona Diamondbacks assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye and Cleveland Guardians assistant general manager Matt Forman, were no longer in the running for the position. On Tuesday, The New York Post’s Jon Heyman added some additional context, reporting that one declined an offer and the other dropped out.

Another, more surprising name has also been linked to the Rockies job–Adam Ottavino. According to The Boston Globe’s Tim Healy, Ottavino “has spoken with Rockies owner Dick Monfort about the team’s head of baseball operations opening.”

Ottavino, a 15-year MLB vet, appeared in three games for the Yankees at the beginning of the 2025 season, has been making the media rounds and is the host of his own Youtube show, “Baseball & Coffee.” Ottavino has a strong connection to the Rockies, having pitched for the organization for seven years from 2012-18.

Our own Trevor May was Ottavino’s teammate in the New York Mets bullpen during the 2022 season and loved the idea of his friend potentially running the Rockies organization.

“He’s not afraid to think outside the box and he has a very scientific way of breaking things down and making things simple,” May said. “He is infinitely curious and is not afraid to try things. I think that’s what the Rockies need, they need to shake things up a bit, but they could finally get a guy who thinks differently but is still part of the family.”

The Rockies have never won the World Series and have made it to the Fall Classic just once in their 33-year history, where they got swept by the Boston Red Sox in 2007. Playing in Denver at the highest altitude in Major League Baseball, 5,200 feet above sea level, Coors Field presents a very unique challenge for the Rockies to try and build a winning team.

The thinner air in higher altitudes has many different impacts on baseball. For the most part, pitches spin less and balls travel farther. While the deeper outfield walls have offset some of the home runs, with Coors Field ranking sixth in home run park factor via Baseball Savant, the larger outfield has made it far and away the leader in park factor for hits of any kind.

There are also physical challenges playing at altitude, with some players experiencing significant altitude sickness. The most well-known example of this is longtime closer Kenley Jansen choosing not to travel to Colorado due to adverse reactions he has had while pitching at altitude due to a heart condition, atrial fibrillation.

These factors do not necessarily mean that a job in the Rockies front office is undesirable. In fact, in a sort of masochist sense, it may actually make it more appealing for some of the top minds in the sport according to The Wall Street Journal’s Jared Diamond.

“I need you all to understand how many VERY smart people in baseball view running the Rockies as a dream job,” Diamond wrote on Twitter after Schmidt’s departure was announced. “It’s the ultimate challenge–trying to figure out how to build a winner in that environment. Smart executives are tantalized by it. They want to prove they can do it.”

Ottavino spoke about pitching at Coors Field in an appearance with May on our “Cut on the Diamond” podcast in February.

“At Coors Field, you have to anticipate the lower break and set up your pitches a little differently. If you want them to chase something below the zone, you have to throw a fastball down there to get them to swing because there is not as much difference in the break,” Ottavino said. “I wanted to understand it and I wanted to figure it out… I’m probably the guy who took it the most seriously and therefore was able to combat it better than guys who were in denial about it.”

Ottavino had arguably the best year of his career in 2018 pitching for the Rockies at Coors Field. In 75 appearances, he had a 2.43 ERA along with career-highs in strikeouts (112) and FIP (2.74). If anyone understands the unique challenges associated with Coors Field and is equipped to build a winner in Colorado, it’s Ottavino.

Even though it seems unlikely that Ottavino will end up getting the head of baseball operations job, the fact that the Monforts are thinking outside the box and even considering a candidate like Ottavino is very, very promising for the future of the Rockies organization.

A previous edition of this article included an inaccurate quote from Adam Ottavino. The article has been updated. We regret this error.

The hero for the Blue Jays was Eric Lauer. Lauer, the 30-year-old journeyman who had spent time in the Majors with the Padres and Brewers and played last season in South Korea, pitched 4 ⅔ scoreless innings and saved the Blue Jays from over-extending the rest of their bullpen or having to burn a starter.

Coming in with one out in the bottom of the 12th, Lauer threw 68 pitches, wiggled out of a bases loaded jam with Freddie Freeman at the plate in the 13th and made it three times through the Dodgers vaunted lineup before handing the ball off to Brendon Little for the 17th.

“[Schneider] came up to me a few times and asked if I was good,” Lauer said via MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos. “Of course I was good. I was ready to go, and that’s pretty much all we left it at. He was like, ‘This is your game. We’re going to try to win it for you. Just keep going out there and doing your thing.’”

While the Blue Jays did of course end up losing the game, with Little giving up a walk-off home run to Freeman to lead off the 18th, the way Lauer held the line and allowed the Blue Jays to keep the rest of their bullpen and starting rotation fresh enough for the rest of the series is arguably just as important as getting the win.

It would have made sense for Lauer to struggle in this situation. A starter for the majority of the season, Lauer lost his spot in the rotation after the meteoric rise of rookie Trey Yesavage and deadline acquisition Shane Bieber’s recovery from Tommy John surgery. One of the Blue Jays’ most important and consistent arms during the regular season with a 3.18 ERA in 28 appearances and 15 starts, Lauer was forced into more of a mop-up, long relief role in the postseason.

Lauer’s last two appearances were in Game 1 of the World Series and Game 2 of the ALCS, both low-leverage situations where he threw just one inning.

Instead of struggling, Lauer shoved, and, despite the heartbreaking Game 3 loss, set the Blue Jays up for success in Game 4. Manager John Schneider did not have to go to any of his starters, allowing Bieber, who ended up throwing 5 ⅓ innings of one-run ball and earned the win, to pitch as scheduled.

The only pitcher that Schneider had to officially rule out for Game 4 was Lauer.

Despite the pain of an 18-inning loss still fresh on their minds, Lauer’s Blue Jays teammates made sure to sing his praises after the game (all quotes via Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.)

“He’s got some balls on him,” said Davis Schneider. “Lauer’s a dawg out there. We have a lot of dawgs on that field. Lauer’s one of them. He came up clutch for sure.”

“He’s great,” said Ernie Clement. “He’s been awesome all year. I’m happy for him because he’s been through it. And anything we’ve asked of him, he’s done it. It’s not surprising one bit.”

“I thought he pitched incredible,” said Kevin Gausman. “You don’t really know exactly what you’re getting yourself into in that spot, but he just kept getting outs, and getting out of big spots and making great pitches. That’s what we’ve seen him do all year. Now that he’s out in the bullpen it’s a little different, but he’s still that animal out there.”

This is actually a pretty similar situation to what happened with the Red Sox and Dodgers during the 2018 World Series. Both 2025 and 2018 Game 3s at Dodger Stadium lasted 18 innings, ended with a Dodgers walk-off home run, featured heroic bullpen performances from unlikely candidates and even had the same national anthem singer–Dodgers superfan and country music star Brad Paisley (Paisley even played a role in the Dodgers trading for last night’s starter Tyler Glasnow).

The Dodgers avoided going down 3-0 in 2018 with their Game 3 win, but ended up losing the World Series in five games with the Red Sox dominating the rest of the way. One of the ways the Red Sox were able to do that was because of Nathan Eovaldi’s bullpen performance in extra innings. Like Lauer and Klein did for the Blue Jays and Dodgers, Eovaldi was able to save the Red Sox bullpen and allow them to be as close to fully rested as possible for the rest of the series.

Eovaldi pitched six innings and gave up just one unearned run before allowing a walk-off home run to Max Muncy in the 18th. Those gutsy six innings of work earned him cult hero status in Boston and even though he was tabbed with the loss, his performance is considered by many to be the most consequential of that whole World Series and went as far as to bring Eovaldi’s Red Sox teammate Rick Porcello to tears.

An 18-inning game has the chance to destroy a team’s chances in a postseason series, especially if they come out on the losing end. But Lauer did not let that happen. Now, because of Lauer, the Blue Jays were able to tie the series at two and guarantee a Game 6 back in Toronto.

If the Blue Jays end up winning the World Series, the MVP will likely go to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk or maybe one of the starting pitchers. But Lauer’s contributions, despite coming in a loss, should not be forgotten.

In 32 at-bats so far this postseason, Hernandez has 11 hits, four of them for extra bases, four RBI and has scored seven runs. During the regular season, he was barely above the infamous “Mendoza Line,” hitting just .203 in 92 games and barely had a positive bWAR at 0.1 while dealing with a left elbow injury. In 95 career postseason games, Hernandez is slashing .286/./361/.515. His regular season career slash line is .236/.305/.403.

After the Dodgers swept the Reds 2-0 in the Wild Card Round, with Hernandez going 4-8 with a double and three runs, he and his manager, Dave Roberts, were asked about his postseason success via MLB.com’s Andres Soto.

“I know they brought me here for these type of moments,” Hernandez said. “It sucks that for 162 games, it didn’t really go well. But once we get here, it doesn’t really matter.”

“October Kiké is something pretty special,” Roberts said. “And the track record speaks for itself. Throughout history, he’s one of the best throughout history of the postseason.”

While Hernandez, known more for his defensive versatility than his bat, is a very solid contributor, he definitely falls more into the “role player” category during the regular season.

Thanks to Hernandez, the Dodgers are up 3-0 on the Brewers in the NLCS and are just one win away from making it back to the World Series. If the Dodgers do end up going all the way, Hernandez will almost certainly cement himself as a true legend. While he will never be in the Hall of Fame and will likely never make an All-Star team, his postseason success has cemented “October Kiké” in baseball history.

Who else across sports elevates their game in the postseason like Hernandez?

1. Nick Foles, NFL

A backup for the majority of his career, Nick Foles stepped in as the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles during Week 14 of the 2017 season after Carson Wentz tore his ACL.

Foles dominated during the 2017 playoffs and helped lead the Eagles over the New England Patriots and Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Leading up to the Super Bowl, he went 23-30 and threw for 246 yards against the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round and 26-33 for 352 yards and three touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship.

In the Super Bowl, Foles out-dueled Brady, the undisputed greatest quarterback of all time. Foles threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns, and even caught a touchdown on a trick play, and the Eagles beat the Patriots 41-33, earning Super Bowl MVP honors in one of the greatest offensive performances in Super Bowl history.

2. Robert Horry, NBA

A career role player, Robert Horry, nicknamed “Big Shot Rob,” is one of the most clutch and overall winningest players in NBA history. A seven-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, Horry played a crucial role on each of those teams and hit some of the biggest shots in NBA history.

Horry hit countless buzzer-beaters, crucial late-game shots and made other big plays throughout his 16-year NBA career. Some highlights include a game-winning shot with 6.5 seconds left in Game 1 of the 1995 to lead the Rockets over the Spurs, a buzzer-beating three with the Lakers to take down the Sacramento Kings in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals and a 21-point fourth quarter and game-winning three-pointer with the Spurs against the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals.

3. Steph Curry, NCAA Men’s Basketball

Once upon a time, Steph Curry was not in the conversation as the best point guard of all time, but was an undersized and overlooked shooter on the Davidson Wildcats. When Davidson made it to the 2008 NCAA Tournament as a 10 seed, Curry really took off and began to build his legacy as an all-time great.

Curry showed out in the first round against the seven-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs with 40 points. Through four games in the 2008 edition of March Madness, Curry averaged 32 points and shot 44.2% from deep, becoming the fourth player ever to score 30 points in his first four tournament games.

After the Toronto Blue Jays’ ALDS-clinching win on Wednesday, there is now a real argument that someone else has joined the ranks of Ohtani and Judge: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Guerrero put on a clinic at the plate against the Yankees in the ALDS. Through the four games, he went 9-17 with three home runs and nine RBI while drawing two walks and slashing an other-worldly 529/.550/1.059. Vladdy homered in each of the first three games and in Game 4, chipped in with an RBI and a few crucial defensive plays at first base. Guerrero’s fourth inning Grand Slam to go up 9-0 in Game 2 was the biggest swing by a Blue Jay since Jose Bautista’s famed bat flip during the 2015 ALDS. If MLB awarded an ALDS MVP like they do for the Championship and World Series, Guerrero would have been a shoo-in.

Perhaps more importantly for Vladdy’s case to be the newest face of baseball, he has a personality that fans can relate to.

Baseball fans have been aware of Guerrero long before he made it to the Major Leagues. The son and namesake of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr., Vladdy was one of the consensus top prospects in baseball during his time in the minor leagues, tore his way through the Blue Jays organization and had one of the most highly-anticipated Major League debuts of all time at age-20 in 2019.

Throughout his career, Guerrero has had no shortage of off-the-field storylines to keep fans entertained. Most notably, in 2022, he was asked about potentially playing for the Yankees one day and said that he would “never sign with the Yankees, not even dead.” In 2023, he clarified those comments, saying it was “a personal thing that goes back with my family. ... I would never change that.”

While he later walked those comments back a bit ahead of his potential free agency in order to give himself as many options as possible, Guerrero made his stance on the Yankees clear.

This postseason, Guerrero backed up all of his talk. He got his moment to truly relish in his victory over New York during the Blue Jays’ champagne celebration while he was being interviewed by the FOX Sports studio crew of Kevin Burkhardt, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter.

Much to the delight of Ortiz and to the dismay of Rodriguez and Jeter, Guerrero copied Big Papi’s now-signature phrase used to mock former Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling’s iconic call, “Theeeeee Yankees Lose!” After going back and forth with Ortiz a few times, it was clear that Jeter and A-Rod were getting a little tired of the two rubbing it in their faces that the Yankees lost, with the two Yankees legends exchanging some smirks and awkward glances.

At the time this article was published, the FOX Sports: MLB Twitter account’s post featuring their interview with Guerrero had over 18 thousand reposts, 80 thousand likes and 11 million views.

One of the biggest complaints baseball has faced is that its stars do not have enough personality and are not marketed well enough. Guys like Mike Trout and Judge are naturally more soft-spoken. Ohtani does not speak English, and while he is a marketing superstar in his home country of Japan, it is more difficult for MLB to show off his personality.

Not only does Guerrero have an infectious personality, but he has the ability to grow the game in two more countries (and in three languages, being born in Montreal he speaks French)–his home country and where he plays home games with the Blye Jays, Canada, and where he grew up and who he represents in the World Baseball Classic, the Dominican Republic.

Guerrero has already put together an incredible career. A five-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger and Gold Glove winner at first base, Vladdy signed a jaw-dropping 14-year, $500 million contract extension to keep him in Toronto and make him one of the highest paid players of all time. Guerrero has also put together some historic Home Run Derby performances, winning the contest in 2023 and hitting a mind-numbing 91 home runs before losing in the final round to Pete Alonso in 2019.

Especially if Guerrero and the Blue Jays are able to keep winning after their stunning performance against the Yankees in the ALDS, Vladdy’s superstardom will continue to rise and there will be no doubt that he is one of the faces of baseball alongside Ohtani and Judge.

Generally, if the pitch is in the red, past results say that they can hit that spot hard. That is considered a “mistake.” The blue indicates the opposite, so if they still hit it out, they outplayed the pitcher.

This is an oversimplified version of how I used to use scouting reports when I played and I thought you may enjoy seeing it the same way.

Disclaimer: Obviously, more context is always better and Im not trying to say all of these pitchers are stupid. Pitching is mostly mistakes after all.

Mistake or Outplay?

Michael Busch off of Freddy Peralta

Ian Happ off of Freddy Peralta

Nico Hoerner off of Jared Koenig

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off of Luis Gil

Alejandro Kirk off of Luis Gil

Alejandro Kirk off of Paul Blackburn

Teoscar Hernandez off of Matt Strahm

Julio Rodriguez off of Troy Melton

Kerry Carpenter off of George Kirby

Ernie Clement off of Max Fried

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off of Will Warren

Daulton Varsho off of Will Warren

George Springer off of Will Warren

Daulton Varsho off of Will Warren again

Jorge Polanco off of Tarik Skubal

Jorge Polanco off of Tarik Skubal again

Totals: 12 Mistakes, 4 Outplays | 75% mistakes.

The WNBA is also going through a similar situation. Their CBA expires in just under a month on Oct. 31 and they have yet to agree on a new deal.

Napheesa Collier, the vice president of the WNBA and one of the league’s biggest stars and most well-known figures, made headlines when she read a statement during her media availability on Tuesday after her team, the Minnesota Lynx, were eliminated from the playoffs, directly calling out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

(Full video of Collier’s comments courtesy of Zone Coverage’s Andrew Dukowitz)

“We have the best league in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But we have the worst leadership in the world,” Collier said. “Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders.”

Collier criticized Engelbert for her lack of response to officiating issues, overall lapses in communication and treatment of star players, especially Caitlin Clark. As a part of her statement, Collier shared a conversation she had with Engelbert about Clark and overall concerns about low salaries across the league.

“Her response was, ‘[Clark] should be grateful. She makes $16 million off the court because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’ And in that same conversation, she told me, ‘Players should be on their knees, thanking their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got them.’”

Now, how does this relate to baseball? This season, in preparation for the upcoming CBA negotiations, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred visited clubhouses to have in-person conversations with players across the league in order to share his side of many contentious issues, including a new media rights deal, potential changes to free agency and the infamous salary cap.

“The strategy is to get directly to the players,” Manfred said per The Athletic’s Evan Drellich. “I don’t think the leadership of this union is anxious to lead the way to change. So we need to energize the workforce in order to get them familiar with or supportive of the idea that maybe change in the system could be good for everybody.”

Those conversations were met with varying levels of enthusiasm. Most notably, Manfred had an especially hostile interaction with Bryce Harper when he spoke with the Phillies.

When Manfred began speaking about the league’s economics, Harper became angry, believing that Manfred was implying that he wanted to introduce a salary cap. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Harper approached Manfred and said, “If you want to speak about that, you can get the fuck out of our clubhouse.” Manfred reportedly responded by saying that he was “not going to get the fuck out of here.”

While the details of Manfred’s interaction with Harper and the Phillies were reported publicly, they happened behind closed doors. Harper did not do anything as drastic as Collier did by reading a prepared statement at a press conference. However, Harper is certainly not alone in his feelings about Manfred, how he is handling the upcoming negotiations and the overall state of baseball.

The WNBA is dealing with different, but similarly polarizing issues. Thrust into a national spotlight with the incredible popularity of new superstars like Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, there are more eyes on the WNBA than ever before. After Collier’s comments, her peers around the league spoke up in near-unanimous support. Media members, including Stephen A. Smith, who works for WNBA league partner ESPN, called on Engelbert to retire.

Collier’s unprecedented public comments could be a harbinger of what is to come. Once MLB’s Dec. 1, 2026 gets closer, members of the MLBPA’s executive subcommittee, who will be voted in for a new two-year term at the start of the upcoming offseason, could look towards their WNBA counterparts and publicly apply pressure to Manfred.

What would it look like if, say, instead of keeping it inside the clubhouse, Harper aired out his grievances with Manfred during next season’s postseason media availability in front of the national media, like what Collier did. If Manfred continues to try and drive a wedge between players and MLBPA leadership and manipulate players into believing that a salary cap would be in their best interests, he could find himself in a similar spot to Engelbert.

While Manfred has been making a clear effort to appeal to the general public, like by doing interviews with Pat McAfee and Barstool Sports, which is more than Engelbert, it may not be enough if some of the biggest names in baseball publicly take a stand against him.

The relationship between the players and Manfred is already tense. The situation in the WNBA has shown it can get significantly worse.

For more from us on Manfred and the ongoing CBA negotiations, check out videos from Trevor May on the Harper/Manfred situation, a potential salary cap and Manfred’s plan on speaking directly with players.