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Brett Phillips Retires

By Mark Polishuk | October 5, 2025 at 10:43pm CDT

Outfielder Brett Phillips has announced his retirement after seven Major League seasons.  In an Instagram reel released today, Phillips credited his career to his family, his faith, and to many people in and out of baseball that helped him achieve his success.  Beyond those named in his speech, the 31-year-old Phillips also had a whiteboard full of names of many former teammates and executives who played key roles in his career.

Phillips hit .187/.272/.347 with 31 homers over 971 plate appearances and 393 games during his MLB career, while playing for five different clubs at the big league level.  Phillips’ speed was his chief offensive weapon, as he stole 39 bases on 45 career attempts.  That speed also helped him deliver outstanding defense at all three outfield positions — over his 2321 1/3 innings as a big league outfielder, Phillips amassed +41 Defensive Runs Saved, +31 Outs Above Average, and a +13.0 UZR/150.

The Astros made Phillips a sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft, though before he could make his debut in the Show, Houston dealt Phillips as part of the huge trade at the 2015 deadline that brought Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers from Milwaukee.  Phillips was one of four pieces of the very prominent trade package acquired by the Brew Crew, as Josh Hader, Adrian Houser, and Domingo Santana were the other members of the haul.  Not to overshadowed at the time of the trade, Phillips was drawing top-100 prospect attention heading into the 2016 season and for a couple of years afterwards.

Phillips got his first taste of the majors in 2017, and he appeared in 52 games for the Brewers over the next two seasons before the outfielder was moved to the Royals in another notable deadline deal that saw Mike Moustakas shipped from K.C. to Milwaukee.  This tenure in Kansas City stretched over parts of three seasons before Phillips was dealt again to the Rays partway through the abbreviated 2020 season, which set the stage for the most memorable moments of Phillips’ career.

Tampa Bay won the AL pennant that year, with Phillips chipping in as a defensive specialist during the rest of the regular season and then as a defensive sub and pinch-runner throughout the playoffs.  He had just three plate appearances during the postseason, and his one hit during that stretch couldn’t have been bigger.  With the Dodgers holding a 7-6 lead over the Rays with two outs in the bottom of the ninth of Game 4, Phillips lined a single that tied the game, and ended up as the walkoff hit when Randy Arozarena also on the play due to a Will Smith catching error.  Beyond the hit itself, Rays fans will always remember the image of Phillips’ celebratory airplane-style sprint around the outfield.

The following season saw Phillips deliver his best year at the plate, as he hit .206/.300/.427 with 13 homers and 14 steals (out of 17 attempts) in 292 PA while playing in a part-time outfield role in Tampa Bay.  His numbers dropped off sharply in 2022, however, and the Rays designated him for assignment and then dealt Phillips to the Orioles.

Phillips moved on to play 39 games with the 2023 Angels in what proved to be his last MLB campaign, as subsequent minor league deals with the White Sox and Yankees didn’t result in any more calls to the Show.  His stint with the Yankees saw the start of a new career path for Phillips, as he attempted to convert to pitching.  Phillips’ final stop of his career came with Kane County of the independent American Association this year.

Beyond his energy and contributions on the field, Phillips became a fan favorite and social media darling due to his outgoing personality.  “Baseball Is Fun” became Phillips’ unofficial catchphrase, and he finished his retirement announcement by repeating his mantra one more time.  We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Phillips on a fine career and we wish him plenty of more fun in his post-playing endeavors.

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Kansas City Royals Milwaukee Brewers Tampa Bay Rays Brett Phillips Retirement

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MLBTR Chat Transcript

By Mark Polishuk | October 5, 2025 at 9:41pm CDT

Mark P

  • The Weekend Chat (postseason edition) is here! We’ll take a minute for some questions to stack up, and then pitter patter, let’s get at ’er

Phillie Phanatic

  • If Phils lose does Thomson get fired?

Mark P

  • I’m not sure there’s anything that be pointed at as Thomson’s fault, in relation to why the Phillies aren’t able to get over the hump and win a title.  But, with relatively little roster flexibility, it’s possible a managerial change might be viewed as a step that can be taken to try and shake things up.

    If Thomson wanted to continue managing, I suspect he might find another job as early as this offseason, given his track record and how many teams are looking for new dugout bosses

Ca$hman

  • Did Devin Williams late season resurgence get him into qualifying offer territory and if so does he accept it?

Mark P

  • He would absolutely accept it, but there’s no chance the Yankees would float $22MM to a reliever coming off such an inconsistent season.

Joe

  • Do the Reds trade for a middle of the order bat or sign one? What would they have to trade?

Mark P

  • Given their payroll limitations, a trade seems more likely, though the Reds should or could be able to find a decent hitter at a reasonable price.  Martinez and Pagan both coming off the books frees up a big chunk of payroll space that Cincinnati can re-invest towards a big bat.

    On the trade front, the Reds technically have a pitching surplus.  But, like I say about any team that seemingly has “too much” pitching, trading one arm and then running into an injury or two can very quickly put a team into a rotation hole.  So, if the Reds go this route, they’ll have to be very careful about who they’d trade.

Boomington

  • Christian Walker a good fit for Reds?

Mark P

  • If the Reds are going to trade for someone, probably not the guy entering his age-35 season, who is owed $40MM over the next two seasons, and is coming off a 99 wRC+ year

Read more

Jim

  • When do the Arb projections drop?

Mark P

  • I believe they’re coming this week, and possibly as early as tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Mariners

  • I’m both nervous and confident…. which one wins out versus the tigers?

Mark P

  • Losing Game 1 was a real blow to the Mariners with Skubal going tonight.  If the Tigers are up 2-0 with the series going back to Detroit and Skubal on tap again for a hypothetical Game 5, the M’s are in major hot water.

Ang T

  • Is it a given that Vientos replaces Alonso if Pete leaves in free agency?

Mark P

  • In my Mets offseason outlook from the other day (self-promotion, woo hoo!), I suggested that the Mets could sign a veteran left-handed bat to platoon with Vientos.  Someone like a Cody Bellinger who can play both 1B and the outfielder would be ideal, though Bellinger is a nice fit on a lot of teams.

    Vientos’ offense was so lackluster in 2025 that if you’re the Mets, I’m not sure how confident you can be in just handing him the first base job outright.

Dylan beavers

  • Do I get extended this off-season

Mark P

  • /checks MLBTR Agency Database
    /sees Beavers is repped by someone other than Scott Boras

    Yes, it’s possibility!  Now that Basallo has been extended, you wonder if that breaks the seal on the Orioles locking up more players from this second wave of the young core.  Beavers is repped by the Beverly Hills Sports Council, who has negotiated other early-career extensions for the likes of Jackson Chourio and Kristian Campbell

Mets fan

  • Should I expect the mets to have the same coaching staff layout with a pitching and hitting coach with an asst for each or is it possible we get an associate manager, offensive coordinator, field coordinator, etc?

Mets shakeup

  • Were you surprised to see to the Mets fire so many coaches? Hefner had a pretty good reputation as a pitching coach before this year and Stearns didn’t do a good job of giving him much to work with this year.

Mark P

  • Speaking of people who won’t be unemployed for long, I expect Hefner to quickly land on another MLB staff for 2026.  I agree with the assessment that the Mets’ pitching struggles were more due to personnel and a flawed approach to the rotation more than anything Hefner did.  (That said, there’s also the caveat that I don’t know what was happening within the Mets clubhouse.)

    As to the team’s coaching titles, it’s possible they might switch up some titles and responsibilities, perhaps to more directly specify coaches into specific duties.  Probably depends on who they end up hiring.

Bobby Cox

  • I thought Skip S would have been a good choice for us. I dont want Ross, maybe DeRo or eddie p. How about you?

Mark P

  • A few months ago, I predicted that John Gibbons would be the Braves’ next manager.  I’ll continue to stand by that call in the wake of the news that Gibbons is leaving the Mets’ bench coach job.

Kwan

  • As rough as the outfield situation had been in Cleveland, it feels like they hang on to me for this next season.

Mark P

  • Kwan is arb-controlled through 2027, and the Guardians traditionally wait to deal a player prior to his final year before free agency. So unless the Guards are out of the race at the deadline (like this year!….wait….), Kwan will probably get traded next winter

Guardians of the Galaxy

  • Given the absolutely abysmal offense displayed by the Guardians this season, do you see ownership finally opening their wallets at least a little to acquire some reliable offense (OF/INF) or should we expect another year of bottom-dwelling offense while we waste quality pitching and JRam’s prime?

Mark P

  • You’re preaching to the choir on this.  Moving Gimenez’s contract and most of Straw’s contract opened up a lot of extra money for the Guardians, plus Emmanuel Clase’s contract might well be wiped off the books by a suspension.

    This is a team with only $37.2MM committed to next year’s payroll even with Clase’s money still considered.  Even with a gigantic arb class pushing that number up, you’d think there would be some urgency to bring in some kind of proven bat.

Rodney

  • The Jays fired on all cylinders the first two games against the Yanks, but baseball fortunes can turn on a dime. Where does your biggest fear lie with the team?

Mark P

  • As we saw today, Toronto’s relief corps is very shaky.  That doesn’t bode well for the bullpen game the Jays have lined up for Game 4, if the Yankees can win Game 3.

    Speaking as a Jays fan, I’m obviously very happy with the series thus far, but I’m absolutely not counting my chickens yet

Stevie Wonder

  • Do the Royals resign Jonathan India?

Mark P

  • I’d think pretty hard about non-tendering him.  It would be a tough pill to swallow just a year after trading away Singer for him, but India had a sub-replacement season. The money KC can save with a non-tender can be spent on a better replacement for 2B, or for outfield help

Tigers Rock!

  • Favorite Detroit rockers?  Funkadelic, the Stooges, MC5, or Alice Cooper?

Mark P

  • I assume that by “rockers” you’re not counting umpteen incredible Motown artists (like Stevie Wonder, who just asked that Royals question).  If so, my answer is the White Stripes.

Mark

  • Would the Rangers move Langford? What do you think they would ask for from the Red Sox? I think his bat would be special in Fenway.

Mark P

  • Firstly, Langford is maybe the last person the Rangers would trade.  Secondly, the Red Sox have an outfield surplus already.

Angels fan

  • What are the playoffs that this chat is speaking of?

Mark P

  • Cast your mind back to the magical 2002 season…

Blake

  • With the Texas Rangers seemingly heading toward austerity, do you think they will try to move any surprising names this off-season?

Mark P

  • Loosely translated, this means “which of the big four contracts do you think is most movable”?

    Semien is least-tradable, Seager is next, and the Rangers would get a lot of interest if they shopped deGrom or Eovaldi.  Frontline pitching is always valuable, even for two veterans with injury histories making significant money.

    DeGrom getting through 2025 healthy is a big plus for his market, and Eovaldi was incredible when healthy this year.  One wrinkle for Eovaldi’s trade market is the possibility of a sports hernia surgery, so teams may be unsure about how his offseason routine will be disrupted

Angry Fan

  • Have you ever witnessed a fanbase as mad as Pittsburgh Pirates fans currently are?

Mark P

  • I’m not even sure if the Pirates are the angriest current fanbase.  Angels, Rockies, Twins, White Sox, etc.

Brewers Fan

  • I’m not sure who you had going into it, but if Chourio missed the rest of it, does that change your view of the series?

Mark P

  • I still think Milwaukee wins with or without Chourio, but obviously losing him would be a blow

Verlander

  • Do the giants resign me?

Mark P

  • They need pitching and JV did well enough in 2025 that you’d assume the Giants would welcome a reunion.  The ball might be in Verlander’s court about whether he’d like to return to a familiar spot, or perhaps seek out a team better positioned to contend

Don Zimmer

  • PCA has peaked, and his career year is over. He hits 230 vs LHP and is an easy out vs same. What can we get if we trade him in Dec?

Mark P

  • The Cubs would get an absolute haul for a pre-arb player who’s turning 24, and who (at minimum) is a speed demon with Gold Glove-level defense in CF

    As much as PCA tailed off in the second half, there is absolutely zero chance the Cubs move him.

Frank Drebin Jr

  • Have you changed your World Series prediction yet or are you still confident?

Mark P

  • My preseason pick was Dodgers/Royals.  I won’t lie, I don’t love KC’s chances of reaching the Series.  Not being in the playoffs is a real setback.

David

  • Wells or Rice as the Yankees’ primary catcher next year?

Mark P

  • Wells, with Rice moving in as the primary first baseman and occasional backstop

Rockies Front Office

  • Who do you feel will be the front runners for the Rockies front office role?

Rockies FO

  • Any rumblings on the person to replace Bill?

Mark P

  • This will be one of the more interesting GM searches in a while, just because it’s so unlike the Rockies to go outside the organization for a hire.  Who knows what their criteria might be, or how they’re approaching this process.

    I tend to agree with the idea that they’ll turn to someone who has worked with the Rox in the past.  For all the Thad Levine buzz, his tenure in Colorado only slightly overlaps with the Monforts’ purchase of the team, so I’m not sure he’s exactly the known quantity to the Monforts that people think.

Bobby Cox

  • I could see Sox signing ozuna to a 1 year deal. They could use him

Mark P

  • The Red Sox?  They probably need to keep the DH spot open, either for Yoshida or to cycle multiple guys through.

    The White Sox?  Hey, why not, as a veteran bat who can probably then become trade bait at the deadline.  Even for Chicago, however, they might prefer to keep their DH spot free for getting Quero and Teel both into the lineup as much as possible

Torii Hunter

  • Should I add wash to my staff if I am the manager?

Mark P

  • Speculative on my part, but my guess is that Washington wouldn’t want to return to a team that just fired him as manager.

    Wash’s most probable landing spot might be back in Atlanta as a coach on the new manager’s staff.  As for the Angels, I do think that if the new skipper is a first-timer like Hunter or Pujols, hiring an experienced bench coach is a must.

Guest

  • Don’t get Cardinals thinking are the going to youth or not

Mark P

  • They certainly are this time around.  Given how the veterans with no-trade clauses are all at least “thinking about” waiving their protection, the writing is on the wall about the rebuild.

Phil

  • Which MLB veteran do you see having the most difficult time finding a Major League contract next season, similar to the way that JD Martinez and Anthony Rizzo did?

Mark P

  • We just mentioned Ozuna in a recent question, and he might fit the bill.  His numbers were okay (21 homers, 114 wRC+) but way down from his previous two seasons.  Ozuna turns 35 next month, he’s a DH-only player, and his past off-the-field issues make him a no-go for some teams automatically.

Ang T

  • Which route will the Mets go to acquire a staff Ace?

Mark P

  • Valdez might be the closest thing to a clear-cut ace in this year’s free agent market, given the questions about Cease and Gallen.  (And Tatsuya Imai, who is an unknown against North American hitting.)  So based on scarcity alone, the Mets are likelier to go the trade route for frontline pitching.

Joe

  • Are the Rangers able to move any of their big contracts before next season?  If so will the return be worth it?

Mark P

  • I think there’s some logic in selling high on DeGrom or Eovaldi, because as great as they looked in 2025, the injury risk won’t just go away.

    The problem is that if you deal one of those two, that opens up yet another hole in a rotation that may lose all of Mahle, Kelly, and Corbin to free agency.

Ebenezer_Batflip

  • Seems like everyone said Story would almost never opt-out, but his season has substantially exceeded expectations and he only has 2 years left on his deal, which would end during a potential CBA lockout. Feels like he’s the kind of guy who would prioritize getting a 3rd of 4th year over AAV money. What do you think? Story opts out or stays in Boston?

Mark P

  • Story is owed $25MM in both 2026 and 2027, plus he’ll get another $5MM on his buyout of a $25MM club option for 2028.  So that’s $55MM left on the table if he does opt out, and his contract does last through the end of the CBA following the 2026 season.

    Story turns 33 next month, and he’s coming of a 101 wRC+ season.  The counting numbers look better than the overall offensive impact for Story, and his defense really dropped off significantly, to boot.  All in all, I suspect he stays in his contract, since his market might not be all that robust.  Besides, why not stick around in Boston on a very promising young team?

  • Worth noting that if he did opt out, the Red Sox could override his decision by guaranteeing Story’s 2028 salary.  But, I think we can rule that scenario out.

Felix

  • Did Shane Bieber show enough in his abbreviated 2025 to get a multi-year pact?

Mark P

  • 40 1/3 innings of 3.57 ERA ball, with pretty good peripherals (especially a great walk rate) but a lot of homers allowed.  A lot of teams would happily give Bieber multiple years off that production.

Hits Like Rays

  • Chances that the Rays keep Christopher Morel around next year for only about $800k?

Mark P

  • Morel’s arb-eligible salary won’t be much, but he also hasn’t shown much since arriving in Tampa Bay.  The Rays have their usual gigantic arbitration class that I have yet to entirely sift through, but between their usual slate of trades and non-tenders, I’d lean towards Morel being elsewhere in 2026

Marlins

  • Willson conteras as our trade. His contract is underwater, but he supplies defense and offense at first, send lottery ticket for STL to pay half the contract. Sign a good RP and we are a wildcard team

Mark P

  • I don’t even think I’d call his contract underwater, considering that Contreras has been quite steady over his three years in STL.

    Miami is an interesting team to watch this winter since they “might” pivot to a bigger move or two if they feel they can legitimately contend.  I do kinda think they’re more prone to play it more conservative, but since we don’t know how Bendix will operate once he gets the green light to build a competitive team (or spend), it’s a bit of a question mark

  • Plus, don’t forget that Contreras has a no-trade clause.  So he’d have to be convinced that the Marlins will be pushing to contend before he signs off on such a trade.

Cry young

  • Crochet vs skubal but what about Chapman or freid?

Mark P

  • Both have good cases for top-five finishes, even if I think most voters will favor starters over Chapman.

Larry

  • Is AJ Preller’s job safe? Seems like it is too late to move on after letting him gut the farm .

Mark P

  • Preller’s contract is up after the 2026 season, so ownership will be making a decision on his future sooner rather than later.  My guess is that he’ll get another extension since the Padres keep winning, even if they haven’t broken through for consistent playoff success

Ohtani

  • MVP again as this king deserves or some other mortal?

Mark P

  • Going forward, we should be thinking about what it’ll take for Ohtani to “not” win MVP, assuming he stays healthy.  If it wasn’t for Judge having one of the best hitting seasons of all time, Ohtani would have four MVPs in a row and be rolling towards a fifth.

Mariners

  • Polanco seems to have skubals number

Mark P

  • In these chats last winter and spring, I vaguely recall naming Polanco re-signing with the Mariners as perhaps the offseason’s most baffling move.

    Whoops!

Trip

  • Edwin Diaz to the Braves possible?

Mark P

  • The Braves generally don’t go quite that big in free agency, and Diaz will be looking for a deal at least matching his current contract.  I don’t see a fit, and if I had to pick Diaz’s 2026 team, my guess is a reunion with the Mets

Tiny Tigs

  • Any chance ownership and the front office stop sitting on their hands and sign some real vets to compliment the young players on the team? Sick of 1 year deals, expecting to make a legit push when it matters

Mark P

  • In fairness, Detroit did try to sign Bregman, so they at least attempted to make a splashier long-term signing.  Wouldn’t shock me if Bregman is on their radar again this winter, as well some other bigger names.

    A full season of competitive baseball and the September scare should probably convince ownership to spend a little more, though we should wait until the Tigers’ season is actually, y’know, over.  If they make the ALCS or better, our takes on Detroit’s strategy will look a lot different.

Squatter Talk

  • Was Shea Langeliers’ season under appreciated?

Mark P

  • Absolutely, in part because the A’s generally fly under a lot of fans’ radar

CT

  • Do you think Shane McClanahan could be traded if he pitches well next season?

Mark P

  • McClanahan is arb-eligible for the third of four trips this winter, and will get just a minimum raise since he didn’t pitch this year.  All his injuries have pushed his salaries down enough that he likely won’t get expensive enough for the Rays to pursue trading.
  • Say he returns to have a full and healthy 2026 with ace-level numbers.  That bumps his 2027 salary up to perhaps $8MM or $8.5MM, which even by Rays standards is something they an afford for a frontline arm.

Andy

  • Is Muncy an automatic to have his option picked up by the Dodgers?

Mark P

  • Yep

Jay

  • So Trey Day is pretty fun – wouldn’t you say?

Mark P

  • Just an unreal start.  A kid with all of 14 MLB innings to his name just dominates the Yankees to that extent…you can’t make this up.

Slick Ric

  • I think you are short changing how angry Pirates fans are.

Mark P

  • While there’s undoubtedly a lot of (deserved) frustration in Pittsburgh, there are unfortunately a lot of fanbases that are irate at their teams right now.

Kyle

  • Do the Red Sox go into 2026 with Casas penciled in at 1B or do they look for an external option?

Mark P

  • Casas will probably get one last chance for next year.  He might be a trade candidate this winter, except the Sox would be selling low since Casas barely played last year.

Ray

  • In addition to Tucker, who else isn’t with the Cubs next season, Alcantara, Ballesteros or Caissie, or more than 1 of the latter?

Mark P

  • As in, you’re assuming the Cubs make another big trade of a prospect (or two?) in exchange for a star veteran?  It’s a possibility, except with Happ/Seiya both just a year away from free agency now, the Cubs are going to be less keen on moving an outfield prospect

Bucco Fan

  • Which teams do you consider to be the best trade match for a Pirates team with SP depth?

Mark P

  • Mariners, Red Sox, Mets….basically any club that has a distinct need in the rotation, and has a prospect pool that is generally deeper in top bats than top arms.

    Cardinals or Cubs maybe fit here except they’re division rivals.  Dodgers technically fit except their best position-player prospects are a few years away, and the Pirates need help now.

  • We’re over two hours now, so it’s time to wrap this one up.  Thanks so much for all your questions, and more chatting should be taking place next weekend!
  • If you’re interested in more baseball Q&A, one of the many benefits of our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription is the exclusive weekly live chats. The more limited field means you’re about 10 times more likely to get a question answered, as opposed to battling for space with hundreds of other questions in today’s chat. For more on our memberships, check out this link:

    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/membership?ref=chat-10-05-25

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AL East Notes: ALDS, Rodriguez, Weaver, Orioles

By Mark Polishuk | October 5, 2025 at 7:02pm CDT

The Blue Jays hold a 2-0 lead in the ALDS after a 13-7 win over the Yankees today.  Toronto has torched the Yankees for 23 runs over the two games, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3-for-5 with a grand slam) and Daulton Varsho (4-for-5 with two homers and two doubles) doing the most damage today with four RBI apiece.  Max Fried was charged with seven earned runs over three-plus innings in a disastrous outing for the Yankees ace.

New York’s lineup came to life with seven late runs against Toronto’s bullpen, after Jays starter Trey Yesavage was nothing short of dominant.  In just his fourth career outing in the majors, Yesavage allowed only a walk over 5 1/3 hitless innings, with 11 strikeouts — the most K’s from any Blue Jays pitcher in a postseason game.  The decision to pull Yesavage after 78 pitches seemed to be based on a desire to keep Yesavage from facing Yankees batters a third time, and to potentially keep Yesavage fresh for usage later in the series.  Of course, the Yankees can only hope that there will even be a “later in the series,” as the Jays are just one win away from advancing to the ALCS.  Game 3 is on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

More from around the AL East…

  • Rays assistant general manager and VP Carlos Rodriguez officially announced on Wednesday that he is leaving the organization.  Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Rodriguez “had been talking about [departing] for a while,” so the move has nothing to do with the Rays’ new owners, as it is believed that the incoming ownership group won’t be making any major changes to the baseball ops group.  Rodriguez was one of four AGMs under president of baseball operations Erik Neander, and Topkin believes the club will fill Rodriguez’s spot by promoting from within.  Rodriguez has been in his VP/AGM role for the last four seasons, and a member of Tampa’s organization for the last 15 seasons.  Beginning as a scout, Rodriguez had many roles as he worked his way up the front office ladder, including multiple years running the Rays’ Latin American scouting and international scouting operations.
  • Luke Weaver retired the only batter he faced in a mop-up appearance for the Yankees today, providing some small hope that the right-hander is turning things around.  After an inconsistent regular season, Weaver has had a nightmarish postseason, as he hadn’t recorded a single out from six batters faced in two prior outings against the Jays (in Game 1 of the ALDS) and Red Sox (in Game 1 of the wild card series).  Weaver discussed his struggles with MLB.com’s Jake Rill and other reporters before today’s game, suggesting that he may have been over-correcting in an attempt to keep from tipping his pitches.  “I’m at a point where I’m just, ’Full send,’ and none of that’s going to matter anymore.  So I’m going to be what I think is best for me, and I’m going to go out there and attack the way I need to do,” Weaver said.
  • After a disappointing season for the Orioles and their core of young players, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko opines that the team should go big in adding both experience and quality by signing Cody Bellinger this winter.  To be clear, this is a speculative opinion on Kubatko’s part, rather than a suggestion that Bellinger might be on the Orioles’ radar this winter.  Baltimore hasn’t been linked to Bellinger when he has been a free agent or trade candidate in the past, and signing Bellinger would represent far and away the team’s biggest financial splash of the Mike Elias era.  Tyler O’Neill’s three-year, $49.5MM contract from last winter is the only multi-year free agent signing Elias has made, though the Orioles’ eight-year, $67MM extension with Samuel Basallo from the summer indicates that the club may be getting a bit more comfortable with larger spending.
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Baltimore Orioles New York Yankees Notes Tampa Bay Rays Carlos Rodriguez Luke Weaver Trey Yesavage

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Jackson Chourio Day-To-Day After “Inconclusive” MRI

By Mark Polishuk | October 5, 2025 at 5:18pm CDT

Right hamstring tightness forced Jackson Chourio out of Game 1 of the NLDS in the second inning, though Chourio had already logged three hits by that point in the Brewers 9-3 win over the Cubs.  In the aftermath, Chourio told reporters “I feel good, and I feel I’m in a position where I’m ready to keep going and ready to keep competing,” though he underwent an MRI to check for any sort of serious injury.

That MRI didn’t come back entirely clean, as Brewers manager Pat Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Curt Hogg and other media that the MRI was “inconclusive. It’s not a serious hamstring strain, but it’s not necessarily something that won’t limit him.  We’re going to kind of see how he feels. He’s going to go through some testing, and if he feels anything, we’re going to shut it down.”

As Hogg describes it, Chourio’s work today was limited to some runs from home plate to first base, with the outfielder moving “at roughly 50 percent.”  Chourio “appeared to move gingerly but did not seem to be in any pain during or after the running,” Hogg writes.

The off-day between Game 1 and Game 2 of the series gave Chourio and the Brewers extra time to monitor the situation, and kept alive the chance that Chourio might yet be able to play in the next contest.  There is also an off-day between Game 2 and Wednesday’s Game 3, so the Brewers could conceivably rest Chourio for Monday and then not make a final determination on his status until prior to Wednesday’s game.

Issac Collins took over for Chourio in Game 1, and Murphy said Collins will remain as the Brewers’ left fielder if Chourio indeed can’t play.  As Hogg noted, Collins cooled off drastically over the last six weeks of the season, bringing a quiet end to an otherwise strong rookie season that saw Collins finish with a .263/.368/.411 slash line and nine homers over 441 plate appearances (122 wRC+).

If Chourio has to be removed from the NLDS roster for injury purposes, the Brewers would get to add a replacement to their roster, but Chourio wouldn’t be eligible to return to action until the World Series (if Milwaukee advanced through both the NLDS and NLCS).  Outfielders Blake Perkins and Brandon Lockridge are already on the 26-man roster, so the Brew Crew wouldn’t necessarily summon another outfielder in Chourio’s place.

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Nick Hundley “Strongly” In Giants’ Managerial Mix

By Nick Deeds | October 5, 2025 at 3:40pm CDT

As the Giants get their managerial search underway following Bob Melvin’s recent dismissal, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that catcher Nick Hundley is “strongly in the mix” for the job. It’s unclear whether Hundley has interviewed for the position at this point, but the fact that his name has come up so clearly is nonetheless notable.

Hundley, 42, was a big league catcher for parts of 12 seasons and served as the Giants’ primary backup to Buster Posey for the 2017 and ’18 seasons. After serving under Posey as part of the team’s catching tandem, it now appears Posey has interest in bringing Hundley in to serve as his manager now that he’s become San Francisco’s president of baseball operations. Hundley immediately jumped into an off-the-field role with the league upon announcing his retirement in 2020, as he became a senior director of baseball operations with the commissioner’s office.

He spent two years in that role before departing the league office to take up a job in the Rangers organization, where he serves as a special assistant to president of baseball operations Chris Young. Hundley won a World Series in the organization in 2023, and during that playoff run was actually a candidate to manage the Giants when then-president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi was looking to replace Gabe Kapler in the dugout. At the time, it was reported that Hundley had withdrawn himself from consideration before receiving an interview due to family considerations. He had talked to both Zaidi and Posey himself about the role before making that decision, however, indicating that he had at least some level of interest.

With no interview confirmed to have taken place, it’s not necessarily a lock that Hundley would accept the opportunity to interview if offered given his past decision to decline that invitation. With that being said, it’s entirely possible that whatever concerns Hundley had about jumping back into the grind and travel involved with a managerial role have resolved themselves in the past two years, or even that the idea of reporting directly to a former teammate like Posey holds enough appeal to get him involved in the process again. It’s also worth noting that Heyman made clear Hundley has “no guarantees” of landing the position, even in the event he has changed his mind about his desire to manage.

Whatever the case may be regarding Hundley’s candidacy, he’s far from the only person the Giants will talk to about their managerial gig. Former All-Star and longtime Oakland A’s catcher Kurt Suzuki is known to have interviewed for the position. Former Giants bullpen coach Craig Albernaz, now in Cleveland as Stephen Vogt’s bench coach and associate manager, is “expected to get a look” for the job as well. It’s worth noting that all three of Hundley, Suzuki, and Albernaz have connections to the Bay Area, though that may not necessarily be something Posey is looking for specifically in his next manager. Whoever next sits in the manager’s chair for the Giants will be an external hire, as Posey is not expected to interview any members of the current coaching staff for the job.

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Coaching Notes: Royals, Pirates, Diamondbacks

By Nick Deeds | October 5, 2025 at 2:54pm CDT

Royals GM J.J. Picollo told reporters (including Anne Rogers of MLB.com) after the regular season came to a close that he expected that “most of the [coaching] staff” (including hitting coach Alec Zumwait) will return to Kansas City in 2026. At the time, he acknowledged that there might be some “tweaks” to the staff in hopes of getting the most out of the club’s players. Today, Picollo provided more details on those tweaks when he told Rogers that the Royals won’t renew the contracts of assistant hitting coaches Keoni DeRenne and Joe Dillon for the 2026 campaign.

DeRenne has been in the Royals organization since 2020 and has spent the past four seasons as the club’s assistant hitting coach. He previously coached in the Cubs and Pirates organizations at the minor league level. Dillon, meanwhile, has been an assistant hitting coach for the Royals in each of the past two seasons and has previously served as an assistant hitting coach for the Nationals and spent two years as the hitting coach for the Phillies in addition to time in the Nationals and Marlins organizations coaching at the minor league level. Picollo praised the pair’s work in Kansas City, telling Rogers that both are “really good, tireless workers” who will “end up in a good spot somewhere in the game.” The duo figure to have plenty of opportunities to catch on somewhere with so many teams changing managers this winter. Many of those new managers will look to make tweaks to their team’s coaching staff, which could benefit coaches like DeRenne and Dillon.

As for the Royals themselves, the departures of their assistant hitting coaches will create an opportunity to bring in fresh voices to complement Zumwait. Kansas City finished the season with a team-wide wRC of just 93, even in spite of strong performances from core pieces like Vinnie Pasquantino, Maikel Garcia, and Bobby Witt Jr. at the place. That’s because much of the club’s supporting cast disappointed in a big way, while some players counted on to be threats high in the batting order like Jonathan India and Jac Caglianone failed to produce. While the Royals might hope that a veteran like India can return to form on his own, a young player like Caglianone could surely benefit from the guidance that new members of the coaching staff could offer.

More from around the league’s coaching staffs…

  • Pirates hitting coach Matt Hague is expected to continue in his current role with the club, according to a report from Alex Stumpf of MLB.com earlier today. Hague, 40, spent part of three seasons as a big league player before starting his coaching career in 2020 as a minor league coach with the Blue Jays. He spent the 2024 season with Toronto in the big leagues as an assistant hitting coach, before getting hired away by Pittsburgh last offseason to serve as their primary hitting coach in the majors. Hague’s Pirates were the second-worst team in baseball by wRC+ this year as even well-regarded hitters like Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz took significant steps back at the plate. Even so, he’ll get another opportunity to guide the team’s offense in 2026, and with improving the lineup being a top priority for the Pirates this season he’ll hopefully have more talent to work with on the field next year.
  • The Diamondbacks are expecting to retain their 2025 coaching staff for next season, manager Torey Lovullo told Dave Burns and John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports last week. Lovullo left the door open for some roles on the coaching staff to change even as the entire group is retained for the 2026 campaign, though he suggested that coaches will generally remain in their same role they had this season. While the Diamondbacks disappointed with an 80-82 record this year, it’s hard not to see how injuries to key players like Corbin Burnes, A.J. Puk, and Justin Martinez wound up significantly impacting the team for the worse, and it’s not impossible to imagine that the club could have squeaked its way into the postseason had core pieces like Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, and Merrill Kelly not been traded at this year’s deadline. Evidently, that’s enough for Lovullo and GM Mike Hazen to feel comfortable sticking with their current staff for at least one more year.
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Mets’ Andy Green Declining To Be Considered For Managerial Vacancies

By Nick Deeds | October 5, 2025 at 1:03pm CDT

With so many managerial vacancies around the sport at the moment, it should be expected that a large crop of potential candidates are seeing their name come up in those conversations. While the 30 MLB manager positions are among the most coveted jobs in the baseball world and the opportunity to even interview for one is a significant honor, that doesn’t mean that everyone on a front office’s shortlist will have interest in the job. One such case is former Padres manager Andy Green, who Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports has declined “multiple managerial opportunities” in order to stick in his current role as a player development executive within the Mets’ front office.

It should be noted that it isn’t clear which teams contacted Green or how serious those clubs were in their interest. Still, it’s interesting to hear both that Green was receiving interest from clubs and that he preferred to stick in his current role with the Mets than pursuing another round in the manager’s chair. After spending parts of four seasons in the majors as a player, Green briefly served as the third base coach in Arizona before taking over as San Diego’s manager during the 2015-16 offseason.

Green managed the Padres for four seasons but ultimately was fired shortly before the end of the 2019 season, eight games before the end of what would be the club’s fourth-consecutive 90-loss campaign. While Green did well in bringing young players like Manuel Margot, Chris Paddack, and Fernando Tatis Jr. along in the majors, San Diego felt the results on the field weren’t improving fast enough under Green. It didn’t take long for him to find a new position, however, as he was quickly snapped up by the Cubs and newly-minted manager David Ross to serve as Ross’s bench coach for the 2020 season.

Green remainder in Chicago for Ross’s entire tenure as skipper, but chose to depart the club when Ross was dismissed in favor of Craig Counsell. Leaving Chicago is what led Green back to Queens, where he briefly appeared as a player for the Mets across four games in 2009. Green was hired by new president of baseball operations David Stearns in November of 2023 for an unspecified “senior role” in player development. It was later revealed that Green had been given the role of senior vice president, and he’s worked under Stearns as part of New York’s front office in each of the past two seasons.

For Green to turn down the opportunity to return to the dugout, he’s clearly comfortable with his position in the Mets organization. It’s certainly possible that the 48-year-old appreciates the move to a front office role and the flexibility afforded by no longer being part of the day-to-day grind of traveling with the team during the season, or that his player development skills are better suited for work behind the scenes rather than in the dugout.

Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Green wouldn’t consider a jump back to the dugout at some point in the future. Will Venable famously declined an interview with the Mets organization in order to stay in his associate manager role with the Rangers, only to accept an offer to manage the White Sox just a year later. Perhaps Green could reconsider a move back to the dugout at some point down the line if the right opportunity came along, but it seems for now that he’s content to stay with the Mets even as nearly a third of the league is looking for a change in the manager’s chair.

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Alex Anthopoulos Discusses Managerial Vacancy, Offseason Plans

By Nick Deeds | October 5, 2025 at 11:31am CDT

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos spoke to reporters (including David O’Brien of The Athletic) yesterday in an end-of-season press conference yesterday and covered a variety of topics. Much of the focus, however, was on Brian Snitker’s decision to step down as manager and the impending hunt for a new manager.

Anthopoulos made sure to emphasize that Snitker’s departure from the role was in fact the veteran manager’s own decision, and that if he had wanted to remain in the dugout for an 11th season Anthopoulos would not have stood in the way of that. He spoke glowingly of the relationship and trust the two of them had built, and went on to reveal that Snitker is actually under contract with the organization through the 2030 season.

That’s because, Anthopoulos revealed, Snitker’s January 2023 contract extension that was announced as a three-year deal that ended in 2025 was actually an eight-year contract where he would serve as manager through the end of the 2025 season before shifting into a senior advisor role for the final five years of his deal. It was left to Snitker to decide whether that latter portion of the extension would be announced at the time, and Snitker opted against that. It’s an interesting reveal that makes clear Snitker’s move out of the manager’s chair is not related to Atlanta’s disappointing 2025 season, and lends credence to the idea that the Braves would have been happy to bring him back for an 11th season as manager if he was inclined to pursue one.

Snitker ultimately opted to step aside, however, and that’s left Anthopoulos to begin his first search for a new manager since joining the Braves in November of 2017.  Anthopoulos told reporters that he had not yet even made a list of potential candidates for the role in deference to Snitker, though he added that doing so was the next item on his offseason to-do list. Anthopoulos noted that the next manager doesn’t necessarily need to follow in the footsteps of Snitker, a 49-year veteran of the organization, and have deep roots within the organization. That should allow Anthopoulos to cast a wider net in finding the right partner to bring playoff baseball back to Atlanta.

Former Braves players like David Ross and Walt Weiss have been popular speculative picks for the job among fans and in the media, and while O’Brien notes that someone like that cannot be ruled out there’s been no indication of who Anthopoulos may be looking at as a candidate. Anthopoulos told reporters he hopes to keep it that way, though he also acknowledged that with as many managerial vacancies as there are in baseball at the moment even his notoriously leak-free front office may have trouble keeping the team’s plans completely under wraps.

Regardless of who is ultimately leading the Braves from the dugout next year, it’s clear that some changes will be necessary on the field. The first major decision point of Atlanta’s offseason (aside from finding Snitker’s replacement) will not actually sit with Anthopoulos at all, as Ha-Seong Kim will be able to decide whether to exercise his $16MM player option for 2026 or return to free agency. Kim had a tough year between the Rays and Braves this season, appearing in just 48 games and slashing just .234/.304/.345 overall. Atlanta was quite impressed with his work after they claimed him off waivers, however, and he posted a respectable 91 wRC+ across his 98 plate appearances with the organization.

Anthopoulos was candid with reporters (including Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) about the fact that the Braves hope to keep Kim in the fold, though it remains to be seen if he’ll simply exercise his player option or if he’ll instead look to test free agency. O’Brien suggests that the club could look to preempt Kim’s opt-out decision by negotiating a contract with him before he reaches the open market, as the Royals did with Michael Wacha last winter. That would make plenty of sense given Anthopoulos’s proclivity towards extensions, even for recently-acquired players like Sean Murphy and Chris Sale. At the same time, Kim’s combination of an impressive ceiling and difficult 2025 season could make him a difficult player to find the proper value for on a longer-term deal.

Keeping or replacing Kim isn’t the only priority of the team’s upcoming offense, of course. Burns notes that Anthopoulos highlighted both the bullpen and the starting rotation as areas he hopes to upgrade this winter in addition to shortstop. The loss of Max Fried to the Yankees last offseason was badly felt in the Atlanta rotation, and while talented arms like Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Schwellenbach all remain under team control, that entire group faces questions headed into 2026 whether those concerns are about age, health, or performance. Bringing in a stable arm who can provide reliable, mid-rotation or better innings would make plenty of sense, and a bullpen that stands to lose Raisel Iglesias and could also see Pierce Johnson head into free agency if Anthopoulos does not exercise his $7MM club option after losing A.J. Minter last year will also need significant reinforcement.

The free agent market looks to be littered with quality options in both regards, but the Braves have typically resisted spending large sums of money in free agency and have long preferred to get creative on the trade market when looking to bring in new talent. Perhaps that could change this year after 2025’s disappointing finish, and Atlanta will go out and sign someone like Dylan Cease or Edwin Diaz to a sizable contract. It seems more likely, however, that the Braves will instead look to be opportunistic in free agency and focus their more aggressive pursuits on the trade market, which has brought them success when adding players like Sale, Murphy, and Iglesias over the years. Joe Ryan, Sandy Alcantara, Pete Fairbanks, and JoJo Romero are among the players who could theoretically be available this winter who would fit Atlanta’s pitching needs.

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Harrison Bader To Undergo Imaging For Groin Injury

By Nick Deeds | October 5, 2025 at 10:43am CDT

October 5: Thomson said this morning that Bader’s MRI showed no major tear or strain, as relayed by Varnes. He’ll continue receiving treatment and the team will know more about his availability for Game 2 tomorrow, but MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki notes that Thomson said Bader is feeling better after receiving treatment last night.

October 4: The Phillies pulled outfielder Harrison Bader from Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers tonight due to what was at first described by the team has hamstring tightness, but manager Rob Thomson later relayed to reporters (including Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic) that the issue was actually groin tightness. Bader himself later spoke to reporters (including Tim Kelly of On Pattison) and revealed that he would be undergoing imaging to determine the extent of his injury.

While the situation might seem concerning, Bader is considered day-to-day for the time being and expressed confidence that he’ll return to the Phillies’ lineup during this series. He noted that he’ll rest during tomorrow’s day off and “go from there,” adding that playing in the postseason is the time where you “empty the tank,” suggesting a willingness to try and play through an injury that might otherwise sit him down at another point in the season. That’s surely encouraging for Phillies fans to hear given Bader’s emergence as a key piece of the team in recent weeks.

Acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline back in July, Bader had already been enjoying a solid season with the Twins but kicked things up to another gear when he arrived in Philadephia. In 50 games with the Phillies, Bader has hit .305/.361/.463 with five home runs, eleven doubles, and a triple in 194 trips to the plate while serving as the team’s regular center fielder. He’s done his part defensively as well, with +1 Fielding Run Value in center this year despite playing the outfield corners exclusively in Minnesota. Bader has long been a well-regarded center fielder in the majors, but was pushed into a corner with the Twins due to the presence of a healthy Byron Buxton in the club’s lineup.

The addition of Bader at the deadline helped to stabilize the Phillies on both sides of the ball. Nick Castellanos struggled badly this year, with below-average offensive numbers that paired with his typical lackluster glove in the outfield to make him a below replacement level player. Max Kepler and Johan Rojas had disappointing seasons of their own as well, leaving Bader to step up alongside Brandon Marsh to help create some more production for the Phillies on both offensively and defensively. Few deadline additions have been more impactful for their club down the stretch, and it would be devastating for the club to go without Bader during a tough matchup against the Dodgers this week, especially after dropping game 1 of the series at home earlier this evening.

If Bader were to miss Game 2 on Monday, an outfield featuring Marsh in center flanked by Kepler in left and Castellanos in right seems like the most likely outcome, though Weston Wilson is also on the roster as a potential right-handed complement to Kepler. In a worst-case scenario where Bader needed to be pulled from the club’s NLDS roster entirely, the Phillies would have the option to place him on the injured list and replace him on the roster. Doing so would mean that Bader would miss the entire NLCS, however, and only be eligible to return this year if the Phillies made it all the way to the World Series. Needless to say, that’s a situation the Phillies will surely be hoping to avoid.

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Torii Hunter Expected To Be Considered In Angels’ Managerial Search

By Nick Deeds | October 5, 2025 at 9:03am CDT

Both Ron Washington and Ray Montgomery have been evicted from the manager’s office in Anaheim, as the Angels plan to hire a new manager rather than tabbing either their manager or interim manager from this season to return in 2026. Most of the attention has been focused on the candidacy of Albert Pujols to this point, but Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reported yesterday that one other expected candidate is Torii Hunter.

Hunter, 50, played 19 seasons in the majors. He made it to the All-Star game five times, won nine Gold Glove awards for his work in the outfield, and enjoyed an impressive five-year run with the Angels from 2008 to 2012 where he slashed .286/.352/.462 in 713 games. Hunter being a candidate for the job is hardly a surprise, given the fact that he was reportedly in the mix for the job following the 2023 season before Washington was hired. At the time, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale highlighted Hunter as “tremendously regarded” by club owner Arte Moreno, which was enough to make him an option even in spite of his lack of coaching experience at a time when the Angels were specifically focused on bringing in a more experienced voice at the time.

While Hunter did not ultimately land the job, that didn’t end the organization’s interest in bringing him into the fold. They pursued him as a potential member of Washington’s coaching staff, and while he declined to be considered for that role he was hired as a special assistant to Minasian in April of 2024. He’s remained in the organization ever since, and the relationship that role has surely created with Minasian over the past two years could help give Hunter a leg up in the hunt for the job if Minasian has a say in the hiring process despite his status as a lame duck GM.

Still, it’s must be remembered that Pujols is held in a similar regard by Moreno and is also already employed by the organization as a result of his ten-year personal services contract with the club signed at the time of his free agency as a player. Some reporting has gone as far as suggesting that it might be the Hall of Famer’s decision to make whether or not he serves as Anaheim’s next manager. Even with Pujols emerging as an early favorite, however, that doesn’t mean he’s a lock to be in the dugout next year. There’s certainly a chance that someone with Pujols’s profile might prefer to hold out for a team with stronger prospects than the Angels currently have coming off their tenth consecutive sub-.500 season. The turnover rate of Angels managers might also be a concern. After all, the team has churned through five managers (Brad Ausmus, Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin, Washington, and Montgomery) in the last seven years since Mike Scioscia left the club following the 2019 season.

Even aside from those potential concerns on Pujols’s end, it’s not impossible to imagine GM Perry Minasian pushing for a different candidate or even Moreno himself having a change of heart. All of that is to say, keeping other candidates in mind for the position is sensible, and Hunter has a lot of the same qualities that have made Pujols the early favorite for the job. Given that, it stands to reason that Hunter might find himself in strong position to land the gig if Pujols were to decline to be considered. What’s more, every indication points to Hunter having interest in both managing generally and leading the Angels specifically. He not only interviewed for the role in 2023, but also told reporters at the time that he would relish the “challenge” of helping turn the Angels franchise around.

On the other hand, it’s worth noting that Hunter is arguably even more connected to the Twins organization than he is to the Angels after playing 12 seasons in Minnesota. The Twins also have a managerial opening after their decision to fire Rocco Baldelli, and while there’s not yet been any solid connection between Hunter and that gig it would certainly be one worth considering from Hunter’s perspective. The organization’s massive sell-off this past summer would certainly provide a challenge if Hunter is looking for one, but the team’s history suggests that Twins managers have more job security than those in Anaheim. Every manager in Minnesota in the past 35 years has had at least four full seasons on the job to prove themselves, while Scioscia is the only Angels skipper since inaugural manager Bill Rigney to be afforded that same opportunity.

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