Latest blog entries about MLB
Welcome back to the 2025-26 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Today we look at a veteran pitcher who had something of a bounce-back year in 2025. Who is he […]
With the draft lottery officially in the books, it’s time to check out our first 2026 MLB Mock Draft! This year’s draft class is already grabbing attention thanks to a potential superstar at the very top and an impressive wave of first-round talent behind him. It brings together an exciting mix of high-upside high school standouts and college players who have already shown they can deliver under bright lights. The depth, the versatility, the across-the-board skill, it’s all present, and t...
The Pittsburgh Pirates wasted little time putting some of the Kyle Schwarber savings to use, reportedly signing lefty Gregory Soto to a one-year, $7.75 million deal. The reliever market seems to be picking back up. Soto, 30, has been a below-league-average reliever the last three straight season by the results, but in all three seasons, he’s had well-above-average peripherals. The culprits seem to be uncommonly high BABIPs the last two years and an uncommonly low LOB% the year before, bec...
Soucy went from disaster to defensive anchor under Mike Sullivan, and with no internal replacements coming, the Rangers suddenly can’t afford to lose him.
In a (finally?) fortuitous turn of events, the Tampa Bay Rays have been awarded the second overall pick in the 2026 draft. They entered the lottery with a 3.03% chance of being awarded the top draft choice, which went to the Chicago White Sox. The Rays had not drafted in the top-10 of the draft […]
David Stearns was hired as general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers in September 2015, promoted to president of baseball operations in 2019, and served in that capacity until he stepped down in October 2022. During that period of time, he oversaw multiple Rule 5 drafts and made three picks during the major league portion of […]
New San Diego Padres Manager Craig Stammen made the rounds at the MLB Winter Meetings, Monday. He spoke with various reporters and joined the MLB Network crew for additional conversation. One of the most notable statements made by Stammen was about the future of his bullpen. According to the manager and Padres general manager A.J. […]
We all love Michael Soroka. We’re all sad his career has gone the way it has, right? Well, Soroka had his second-best season last year, putting up 1.1 fWAR for the Nationals and Cubs. He actually had 1.2 fWAR for the Nationals in 16 starts, but then kind of imploded while barely pitching for the […]
Good news, everybody, the Red Sox are totally in on Ketel Marte! Except maybe they’re not: The Sox have also checked in with the Diamondbacks — a team in need of rotation help — about the availability of star second baseman Ketel Marte, though one industry source downplayed the team’s pursuit of Marte, suggesting other […]
Yesterday brought two pieces of welcome news, both contract-related. One was an extension: Rob Thomson’s contract now goes through the 2027 season. The other was a new contract for an old friend: Kyle Schwarber signed with the Phillies for 5 years and $150 million. The work of negotiating these contracts is hard. So many clauses […]
Mike Elias deserves credit for taking the 2018 Orioles and turning them into a playoff team. He drafted well, hired a solid manager for a rebuilding squad, and injected talent into the organization without spending in free agency. After a few dark seasons, the Birds returned to relevancy ahead of schedule. They secured a division […]
The final review of the 2025 season will be looking at each position in the Astros farm system. First up is the catcher position. BEST OF THE BUNCH Walker Janek The Astros’ 2024 first-round pick, Janek made a strong impression in his first professional season. The 22-year-old slashed .263/.333/.433 across 92 games for High-A Asheville, […]
Hunter Pence would be next on the list, but I don’t think many people, who aren’t related to him, would vote for him to make the Hall of Fame. He played for 14 seasons, had a 30.9 bWAR. Hit .279/.334/.461 with 244 home runs and 120 steals. He got MVP votes four times, finishing as […]
Meet the Mets The Mets lost closer Edwin Díaz to the reigning champions Dodgers, with the reliever agreeing to a three year, $69 million contract with Los Angeles and setting a new AAV record for relievers. The Mets’ offer to Díaz was for three years and $66 million with some deferrals, though they expressed a […]
The MLB Draft Lottery took place on Tuesday evening, and the Atlanta Braves unfortunately slipped a few spots. Heading into the lottery, Atlanta had the sixth-best odds. Instead, the Braves will have the ninth overall pick in the 2026 draft. The Chicago White Sox will pick first, followed by the Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota […]
The winter meetings are already in full swing, and the Dodgers have secured their first major splash of the offseason in former New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz. The Dodgers and Díaz agreed to a three-year, $69 million deal on Tuesday which will make him the highest paid closer per annual average value. Díaz is […]
Your morning round-up of the latest from Blueshirt Banter, Rangers News, and updates from around the NHL
Good morning.
Good morning, baseball fans! The San Francisco Giants recently announced their planned promotions for the first half of the 2026 season. So let’s take a look at the highlights. Firstly, as McCovey Chronicles’ resident Brandon Belt superfan, I am delighted to report that the team will be hosting a Brandon Belt Celebration Day event on […]
Lady Luck smiled on the Kansas City Royals in the 2026 MLB Draft lottery on Tuesday, much to the pleasure of the front office. “It’s awesome. It’s exciting,” said Royals general manager J.J. Picollo. “We had less than a one percent chance of getting the first pick, we probably should have been closer to 16, […]
Braves Franchise History 2009 – The Braves trade Rafael Soriano to the Rays in exchange for Jesse Chavez. He will appear in 28 games while posting a 5.89 ERA and a 4.69 FIP in 36 2⁄3 innings. Atlanta will send him to Kansas City at the trade deadline along with Gregor Blanco and Tim Collins […]
Now that the Colorado Rockies have announced Josh Byrnes as their new general manager, it was time for my Out of the Park Baseball simulation to come to an end. If you’ll recall, in my last update, the Rockies had struggled in July despite the All-Star performance of Mickey Moniak and Hunter Goodman in the […]
It’s been a relatively quiet Winter Meetings thus far for the league as a whole. However, there has been plenty of eventful things happening in the Rays tiny corner of the map as Wander Franco’s conviction was overturned and he’ll be receiving a new trial. In the draft lottery, the Rays were awarded the #2 […]
With their loss to Everton in the Women’s Super League last weekend, the dream of a truly unbeaten season for Chelsea Women has come to an end. It might be the “punch” we need to get back on the winning track as we host Italian outfit AS Roma at Stamford Bridge on a night of […]
Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown finally returned to action this past week against Minnesota after missing time with a groin/knee injury since Week 2. With Brown’s return, there are outside questions surrounding his future with Washington along with the emergence of former first-round pick Treylon Burks. Burks returned two weeks ago against Denver after missing […]