Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Okamoto to be posted:
Earlier this morning, it was reported that NPB’s Yomiuri Giants will be posting slugger Kazuma Okamoto for MLB clubs this winter. A career .277/.361/.521 hitter in NPB, the 29-year-old faces questions about his ability to hit velocity and whether he’ll end up playing third or first base in the majors but has prodigious power and figures to shake up the corner infield market in a big way this offseason alongside fellow NPB slugger Munetaka Murakami, who also plays the infield corners and is expected to be one of the league’s top free agents this winter. Unlike most free agents, who become available five days after the World Series, Okamoto and other players coming to MLB through the posting system will have a 45-day window to sign in the majors once they’re officially posted. That’s unlikely to happen for at least another month, but MLB teams are surely already adjusting their offseason plans to account for Okamoto’s availability.
2. One managerial vacancy down:
The Angels brought an end to their managerial search yesterday when they hired Kurt Suzuki to take over for Ron Washington and Ray Montgomery in the dugout next year. While Suzuki assembles a coaching staff and the Angels begin to move on with their offseason, seven other clubs still have leadership positions to fill. The Giants, Padres, Braves, Orioles, Nationals, and Twins all still need to hire a manager, while the Rockies need to hire a new head of baseball operations, who will then decide on the status of interim manager Warren Schaeffer. San Francisco appears to be the closest to landing a new skipper at this point, with University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello viewed as the favorite for the position.
3. Brewers, Mariners head into the offseason:
While the focus in recent days has been on the Dodgers and Blue Jays after they punched their tickets to the World Series, the two teams that came within a series of a pennant are now headed into the offseason a little bit earlier than they were hoping. End-of-season press conferences from Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and Milwaukee GM Matt Arnold are likely to occur in the coming days with both clubs facing significant decisions this offseason, with Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor both set to hit free agency after joining the Mariners at the trade deadline while the Brewers are expected to contemplate the possibility of trading Freddy Peralta. Perhaps comments from those front offices in recent days will shed additional light on the offseason plans in Milwaukee and Seattle as they look to build towards a return to the playoffs in 2026.
It’s a shame. We were all hoping for a team with a bunch of homegrown core pieces and castoffs that nobody wanted turning their careers around to win it all.
C-drafted and developed
1B-dumped by the Braves
2B-dumped by St Louis
3B-waiver claim
SS-dumped by the Red Sox
LF-no one wanted the replacement, who replaced an overpaid guy that no one else wanted
CF-home grown
RF-dumped by Seattle/Toronto
DH-now that every kid in Japan is a fan of this team, your owner had no reason to not back up the dump truck full of money to his house
SP-dumped by Tampa/San Diego/San Fran
SP-dumped by Tampa
SP-Star from Japan who wanted to play with the DH
SP-also the DH
Bullpen-homegrown
Everyone loves an underdog team that develops its own players and takes discarded veterans from other teams and squeezes every last bit of value out of them.
Oh wait, that’s the Dodgers xD
There’s a difference between dumping and parting ways or not affording, not everyone has the infinite money to outbid everyone
Also I don’t count Freddie because it looks like he was screwed by his agent and would have stayed in Atlanta
I only say “dumping” because Freddie got lowballed by everyone in the 2021-2022 offseason. Crying poor about Covid and TV contracts or whatever lame excuse the teams had. I remember being annoyed at Chaim Bloom that $170 million wasn’t spent to out-bid the Dodgers because *checks notes* “Bobby Dalbec took a step forward” (he had a career year and I would have dumped Dalbec)
And adding on to your good point about the Braves, they were too cheap to give him $30 mil AAV? come on
Freddie didn’t get lowballed just because the Braves didn’t want to go a 6th year. His agent also notably dropped the ball a lot during that negotiating process.
Also would like to know, what’s the difference exactly between “home grown” and “drafted and developed”?
Trades also aren’t always a “dump” unless it’s a literal, actual salary dump. Glasnow wasn’t dumped by Tampa bay. Tampa bay wasn’t going to be able to afford him in the long run. They maximized their return for him. Betts was traded because the Red Sox were under the impression he wanted to test free agency. He chose not to after going to LA. Meaning he either didn’t want to stay in Boston, or he wanted to go to the west coast to begin with.
I cannot imagine a more inaccurate synopsis of Dodger baseball. What a stupid team.
They are stupid though I think so for different reasons (13 of the 26 players on their opening day roster were stupid contracts, and only 7 or 8 of those 13 depending on Tanner Scott are even on the World Series roster). We eventually come to the same conclusion from two different starting points.
It’s almost like politics
A narrative worthy of a political spinmeister.
How about the angels giving up on that DH/SP and dumping him?
How about the $68 mill they will pay for 10 years after he is long gone sitting on a beach sipping Sake? I know it is just money but not every team can afford to have almost half their money in dead money as it would be called on the FB side of this board.
Like someone before said the Angels didn’t dump him they couldn’t afford him. Plus he wasn’t going back anyway. They had two of the best players in years if not ever on the team and couldn’t win.
Seattle will take its home grown C thank you very much. They will also keep their 4 SPers. Soon to be 5 starters. 1st will be a dumped player or realistically a player another team couldn’t afford. Second will be a homegrown player in Young. SS was a dump given up on too soon. Third will be one of two homegrown guys. Hate to say it but Geno has proven he can’t hit in T Mobile Park. Have to let him go. Williamson can secure it until Colt is ready. LF another not being able to afford Center home grown all the way. RF is a player who felt immensely comfortable in our unis. DH is a question mark. Hopefully we find a back up C to fill that role.
This isn’t filled with the self grandizing BS Troy wrote. How could he write that and not know it is a bunch of bull crap. I believe he did and thought maybe he could get people off track and think the Dodgers are a bunch of misfits nobody wanted. If we had owners that would spend we would have gladly paid for Ohtani. We would be in the WS with him on the team.
Last thing Naylor has to be priority #1. He has always hit well at T MOBILE and proved it more since being traded here. He seemed to have a ton of fun playing here so sign him. Geno unfortunately can’t hit here. Not sure if it is in his head or what but he has to be a hard pass. Hate to say it. I think we trade Castillo for a good LHed SPer. We can use the money to sign Naylor. I also believe we should trade Ford. He deserves better than to be a back up. Unless they talk to him. Tell him he is our back up for one year. Use him there and DH. Then can go over plans down the road. If he is going to be as good at the plate as we all think trade him if not keep him as backup C and part time DH. No wallowing in a pig sty with money and claim it doesn’t stink just my honest feeling’s for the team. Disagree with me let me know how wrong I am. Bring it on.
As much as I love Dan, he was outmanaged by Schneider. We have to improve our 7-9 also. We have three guys and two subs that can’t hit. And it cost us at the end for sure. Teach Harry to play one. Many catchers do it plus that bat will play at first. I’d also love them to choose Naylor over Geno but Jerry ain’t much of the free agent type. Geno is exactly someone he’d usually target. But yeah, Geno can’t hit in a mariners uni.
The Dodgers signed a contract with an amazing business marketing opportunity which has already paid for itself.
It just happens to hit and pitch as well.
100%! What a great player … er, I mean marketing opportunity haha
When will NPB stop all their best players from defection ?
Feel sorry for the fans over there that no longer can afford to see them in person.
The lure of big money is going to weaken that league, as all the best players come here.
@oldgfan
They’ve been saying that for decades now. Essentially, NPB has become the unofficial minor league of the MLB. More options to choose from.
Great for us, sad for fans there.
More specifically, the NPB has become amother farm system for the Guggenheim Group
Do the Guggenheim Group own all these teams as well?
Boston Red Sox: Masataka Yoshida
Chicago Cubs: Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga
Los Angeles Angels: Yusei Kikuchi
Detroit Tigers: Kenta Maeda
New York Mets: Kodai Senga
Baltimore Orioles: Tomoyuki Sugano
Seattle Mariners: Shintaro Fujinami (minors)
Philadelphia Phillies: Koyo Aoyagi
Washington Nationals: Shinnosuke Ogasawara
Not really. As a Yakult fan, we know that Murakami probably will jump to Majors sooner or later. Better jump now than wait a little longer and got hurt, and lost his peak times, just like Tetsuto Yamada. Dude was hitting with OPS 1.000 in 2014-2016, and again in 2018-2019. But got injured, and never the same star player again. He just batting with .700 ops now. And Yamada just 33 years old, born in 1992.
That’s like feeling bad for international basketball teams when their players come to the NBA.
There’s a lot of national pride for countries when their players do well in the best leagues. It’s not just the money.
Polanco will also be a free agent. I want the M’s to give him a QO, which I am sure he will gladly except. with his clutch play this year he more than deserves the pay. That will give the Mariners one season to fully develop Colt Emerson and decide if he will replace JP or Jorge in the infield.
Don’t bet on mariners giving money I remember we didn’t QO teoscar because we didn’t want to risk the chance of him accepting it
Teoscar was bad with Seattle. After putting up a combined 130 OPS+ over the previous two seasons in Toronto, he put up a 108 with Seattle and was just barely over 2 WAR for the season. He wasn’t worth a qualifying offer.
Polanco was actually quite productive this year for the M’s.
On the other hand, this feels like a career year that is unlikely to be repeated, so they may be better off letting Jorge walk.
Toycannon
I bet you are wrong on Jorge. He will be looking for 2 maybe a 3 year deal. He will decline the offer because of that. Would be great if he did decline it. The draft pick will be helpful. The way they have been drafting lately it will be a player ready in 3-5 years and be a star. Offer and hope for rejection but be happy if he accepts too. Don’t think they can miss.
Polanco was a stud in the playoffs, and it’s his time to take advantage of his stock/profile being as high as it might get after that run.
I hope the Mariners bring back as many free agents as they can. I know it’s difficult, but they have a shot to be right back in the ALCS next season.
Brewers will be fine. Even if they trade Peralta, they’ll probably get back prospects that are MLB-ready, and be right back in the playoffs.
Hopefully, the playoff revenue gives the M’s a little more wiggle room. I really hope they find a way to bring back Naylor.
Raleigh – Rodríguez – Arozarena – Naylor is a heck of a solid offensive foundation for next year.
If there was ever a time to max out the old credit card, now is that time. This is a good roster that doesn’t really need a whole lot of additions.
Indeed,the time is now for ownership to push all their chips into the pot and give Seattle another shot at a championship.
@Canuckleball Agreed. Naylor is the most important if only because I got a sense that he likes it here and let’s face it, there’s no one else in the organization (unless a miracle happens and they choose to teach Lazaro Montes how to play first because he’s not a good fielding outfielder). After a winter of working on line drives, Williamson would be fine at 3rd and Young would be fine at 2nd. Plus, Emerson is on the way. Could use a better LHR, and a starter to replace Castillo wouldn’t be out of the question.
Zippy I forgot about Montes they need him hitting against every MLB SPer they can find in ST to see if he can be our DH. If he does good great a cheap DH. If not him then Ford maybe. I believe even though many disagree it is not fair to Ford to make him a full time backup. It would be better for the team if we were fair with him. Players will notice and maybe be more willing to come here. If they feel they will be honest and fair with players.
Yes in ST try Montes out at DH. Dangle Ford out there but be picky on who you trade him too. Atlanta is probably destination #1 for him. See what they will offer and maybe they can come to a deal. If not there are 25 other teams. That is minus ALW teams don’t trade him in conf.
Montes will BE hitting against every MLB SPer in ST but there is no way in H E Double Hockey Sticks that will put him on Seattle’s 2026 opening day roster. He’d look worse than D. Solanio in the box this year with only 282 PA over 64 AA games.
All that “fair” talk sounds like fan emotions.
They moved Ford to LF for 8 games and Jerry said “It wasn’t a natural transition for him, And we were really loathe to do. He is a catcher.” They talked with him the whole time he has been here about his position.
It will be a Raleigh-Ford catching combination with both rotating through DH & off days.
Atlanta doesn’t have the prospects/MLB ready talent to entice Seattle with for Ford.
The #1 prospect in Atlanta, Drake Baldwin, is a catcher Atlanta just called up in 2025. The pitching was a train wreak so no pitchers are moving out from Atlanta. And don’t forget about the 6 yrs/$73MM contract that C Sean Murphy signed in 2023. And they just signed catcher Austin Nola to a minor league deal bringing the catcher total to 4.
Montes will spent 26 in AA perfecting his 12 steps, to improve his baseball skills.
Harry Dumper will make out after out with switch hitters by a pickle DP in 2026.
Baty and Tong for Freddy Peralta….who says nah?
Mets all day. Too many years of control left for those two for one year of Peralta.
@YBC – At first, I completely agreed. Then, when I think about how iffy Tong still is at this level of development and the fact that Baty still has quite a few question marks, I thought that the deal was actually relatively fair. Plus, given the need for pitching, the Mutts might just take the risk and then try to sign him to an extension…after all, their money doesn’t really matter much.
Mets need an ace. I think Peralta is a #2-#3 for a contender. Why not sign Cease, Valdez, or Suarez without trading them if money isn’t a factor?
My take – they need more than the ace. I would assume that they are planning to sign one of the top FA arms as well, although it will make me ill if they sign Ranger Suarez. He is far too good of a person to end up a Met. Framber Valdez is a better fit as a human being. ; )
He was just the ace of the team with the best regular season record… how is he a 2 or 3?
They could trade for Castillo. He was a #1 then Roy took it then he saw the young kids all were before him. He is a good guy but that had to hurt him. If he is brought in as a #1 all along he would be back to that level of pitching even though he was not that bad this year. Maybe bundle Ford in the deal.
In all seriousness, though, it has been a great postseason because the last four standing consisted of two teams that have never won it all, one that hasn’t won in my lifetime, and the Dodgers. Of the final four spots, you figure at least one of them will be a team that “won” a few off-seasons. That’s good enough for me.
So, so tired of watching the Brewers trade away their best players, year after year, after year, after year…
As a Dodgers fan, i would love to see either Okamoto/Murakami & Tatsuya Imai join the Dodgers, but thats probably wouldnt happen since the Mets will try to outbid other teams offer, especially for SP like Tatsuya Imai.
And, how about the Cuban player that play for Softbank Hawks, Livan Moinelo? Can he play for MLB teams?
baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=moi…
Small frame (5’10 154lbs) but delivered good result in NPB.
2024 25 GS 163 innings 1.88 ERA (11-5)
2025 24 GS 167 innings 1.56 ERA (12-3)
At some point, Ohtani will REALLY be on a plane to Toronto.
Morosi has entered the chat!
Yes the Brewers have traded some excellent players just before they became FA but is there any actual truth to this rumor? Yes, it is MLBTR but it sort of reads as if it is reporting and not just rumor.
I feel like the Mariners need to do a few things and they may be right back at the top of the AL west. First and foremost is signing Josh Naylor, Besides being a great player, competitor, and clubhouse leader the Mariners have no other decent 1st base option on the current roster or in the Minors. Second is to get at least one more bat that consistently puts the ball in play. It could be a DH, 2b, 3b or RF. Polanco would be nice to have back but I cannot see then giving him more than two years. As much as I love Suarez as a person, I don’t believe that he is a good match for the Mariners fiscally at age 35. I would like to see them go with Ben Williamson who has an amazing glove and did hit for more power in the minors after the Eugenio trade, although it is the minors. One more LH relief pitcher in the bullpen and I am curious what a healthy Gregory Santos may do for the M’s bullpen but his availability has been non existent. If the rotation can return to consistent health and their ability you could see perhaps one of the best rotations in MLB next year, So much that Luis Castillo could be your 5th starter. Colt Emerson ss-3b, Laz Montes out/DH, and Kade Anderson LH SP and a few other top prospects are all a year away but coming and could be difference making. The. Future could be pretty good.
Looking at this depth chart, I’d be looking for a .380 OBP guy to bat leadoff, who is probably a RF. Expect Arozarena to DH a bit more (and maybe all the outfielders), while the team sees if Ford and Young and (pretty quickly) Emerson can hit well enough to stick and thrive. (Colt Emerson hit very well in his Tacoma cup of coffee. It’s not clear how much more minor league time he needs.)
[I just looked it up: It turns out I’m asking the Mariners to sign Kyle Tucker, unless Fernando Tatis, Jr. happens to magically become available. Not bloody likely.]
C Raleigh/Ford
1b Naylor
2b Young
SS JP/Emerson
3B Williamson/Emerson
LF Arozarena
CF Julio
RF Canzone/Robles?
DH Ford/Raleigh
SP Woo
SP Gilbert
SP Kirby
SP Castillo
SP Bryce
SP Kade Anderson
RP Munoz
RP Speier
RP Brash
RP Bazardo
RP Hancock
RP?
RP?
RP?
Ok, then what? I agree, We are not going to spend K. Tucker money. I hope that we spend Josh Naylor type money….. Do you try and sign both Naylor and Polanco and call it a day? Do you sign Naylor and then try to trade for a Brendan Donovan type? Appreciate the depth chart…
Man, I really hope the Mariners return to the ALCS next year. Their recent defeat hurt so bad.
Okamoto and Murakami future Mariners?