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Angels Remove Torii Hunter From Managerial Consideration

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A pair of former Angels’ stars looked like the frontrunners to be the club’s next manager. Now, both are out of the race. Torii Hunter is no longer a candidate in the Angels’ managerial search, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The Hunter news comes after Albert Pujols’ candidacy met the same fate this morning. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports Hunter could still be a candidate for Minnesota’s managerial vacancy.

It’s the latest chapter in an ongoing saga to replace Ron Washington and Ray Montgomery, neither of whom was retained by the team. Hunter was mentioned as an option to fill the role, though only if the Pujols plan fell through. Pujols was described as the “leading choice” for the job and it appeared to be his if he wanted it. Contract negotiations ultimately broke down between Pujols and the team, leading to the Hall of Famer being removed from the search.

Hunter spent five seasons of his 19-year MLB career with the Angels. He performed well on both sides of the ball with the club, earning a pair of All-Star selections and two Gold Glove awards. Hunter didn’t reach the fringe MVP-level production he showed in his Minnesota days, but he was an above average hitter in each season with the Halos. As a 36-year-old in his final campaign with the team, Hunter hit a career-best .313 while posting a 131 wRC+.

Hunter has no prior coaching or managerial experience at the big-league level. He’s held special assistant roles for several years, including in the Los Angeles organization. Hunter was hired as a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian in 2024.

The Angels are were planning to interview another former player, Kurt Suzuki, for the managerial position. Suzuki also happens to be a special assistant to Minasian. Sam Blum of The Athletic reported the team is also interested in speaking to Rocco Baldelli and Brandon Hyde about the vacancy. Former Astros manager Bo Porter wants a chance at the job as well. Porter was the Angels’ third base coach this past season.

Twins Interested In Scott Servais For Managerial Role

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Former Seattle manager Scott Servais is a candidate to interview for Minnesota’s vacancy, reports La Velle E. Neal III of the Minnesota Star Tribune. Servais will join an extensive list that includes Vance Wilson, Nick Punto, Derek Shelton, James Rowson and Ramón Vázquez in the Twins’ quest to replace Rocco Baldelli.

Servais is the most seasoned managerial option to enter the mix for Minnesota. He spent eight full seasons as the Mariners’ skipper, beginning in 2016. Servais led the club to the postseason in 2022, its first appearance in more than two decades. He was dismissed in August of the 2024 campaign with the team sitting at an underwhelming 64-64. Servais worked as a special assistant for San Diego this past season. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Baltimore also has interest in Servais for their managerial opening.

Seattle’s recent division-winning performance under manager Dan Wilson has overshadowed the tenure of Servais, who was at the helm for the team’s return to relevance. The Mariners had finished below .500 in five of six seasons before Servais came to town. He won 86 games in his debut, good for second in the AL West. The team hadn’t finished higher than third in the division since 2007. Seattle won 90 games in both 2021 and 2022, though that wasn’t enough to challenge Houston for the division crown. The Mariners dispatched Toronto in the Wild Card round in Servais’ lone postseason appearance. The Astros swept them in the ALDS.

Shelton managed the Pirates from 2020 to 2025. He’s the only other candidate with managing experience at the MLB level. Wilson has been Kansas City’s third base coach for the past six seasons. He recently interviewed for San Francisco’s managerial opening. Rowson has been the hitting coach for the Yankees since 2024. Vasquez was one of the first names to appear in Minnesota’s search. He’s served as a bench coach for Boston since 2023.

Baldelli was relieved of his duties after winning just 70 games in 2025. He had been the skipper since 2019. Baldelli has recently expressed interest in managing again, and he’s popped up as a potential target for the Angels.

Previewing Qualifying Offer Decisions: Position Players

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The World Series looms and the offseason will begin around two weeks from now. One of the first key decisions for teams is whether to issue a qualifying offer to any of their impending free agents. Clubs have until the fifth day after the conclusion of the World Series to make QO decisions.

The QO is a one-year offer calculated by averaging the 125 highest salaries in MLB. This year’s price is $22.025MM. Players who receive the QO have around two weeks to get an early feel for the market before deciding whether to accept. If they do, they cannot be traded without their consent until at least June 15 of the following season — as is the case for any MLB free agent who signs a major league deal.

If the player rejects and signs elsewhere, his former team would receive draft compensation. The signing club would forfeit a pick (or picks) and potentially international signing bonus space. The compensation and penalties vary depending on teams’ revenue sharing and luxury tax statuses. MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently examined what each team would receive if they lose a qualified free agent, and the penalties they’d pay to sign one.

We’ll start with a look at the position players, with a preview of the pitchers to come later in the week. While there may be some close calls on the pitching side, there shouldn’t be a ton of intrigue with the hitting decisions. Many of this year’s top free agent hitters are ineligible for a qualifying offer, meaning there’ll probably only be four who receive it — each of whom would have a relatively easy decision to decline.

No-Doubters

There’s not much to say about this trio. They’ll all receive and reject a QO. Tucker could seek a contract north of $400MM, while Bichette should aim for $200MM+ despite a late-season knee sprain. Schwarber’s age and lack of defensive value will keep him below $200MM, but he’s going to easily beat $22MM per season on what should at least be a four-year contract.

Likely Recipient

Grisham is a safe bet to receive the qualifying offer as well, though that’s perhaps more of a 90-95% likelihood than the absolute locks of the top tier. It should be an easy call for him to decline on the heels of a 34-homer breakout that is supported by impressive batted ball metrics. Even with a dip in his typically strong defensive grades, Grisham has a shot at a four- of five-year deal going into his age-29 season. He’s the top center fielder in the class.

The only argument against the Yankees issuing the QO is that they’d receive the lowest compensation as a luxury tax payor: a pick after the fourth round. If they feel there’s even a 10% chance of Grisham accepting, maybe they’d rather not risk committing $22MM and an accompanying $24MM in luxury taxes within the first two weeks of the offseason. Still, one imagines they’d happily take Grisham back on the off chance that he were willing to accept a one-year guarantee.

Long Shots

Polanco has had a huge second season in Seattle. He hit 26 homers with a .265/.326/.495 slash across 524 regular season plate appearances. His .703 OPS in the postseason isn’t great overall, but he has drilled three more home runs (including two off Tarik Skubal in a Game 2 victory in the Division Series). It’s arguably the best offensive performance of his career after accounting for the difficulty of hitting at T-Mobile Park. All that said, it’s difficult to see the Mariners offering $22MM to a 32-year-old whose defensive home is in question because of knee injuries. There’s a strong chance Polanco would accept, as his age and durability issues should cap him at a three-year deal even if he’s not attached to draft compensation.

Torres was on track to receive a qualifying offer after hitting .281/.387/.425 in an All-Star first half. He subsequently hit .223/.320/.339 and underwent postseason sports hernia surgery. While the injury offers an explanation for the late-season drop in production, it’s likelier that Torres is who he is: an above-average but not great hitter who plays a mediocre second base. He finished his lone season in Detroit with a .256/.358/.387 line with 16 homers, similar numbers to those he posted (.257/.330/.378) during his walk year with the Yankees. That got him a $15MM free agent deal. It’s tough to see Detroit offering him an extra $7MM and potentially locking that money up by mid-November.

That’s essentially it for any hitters with an outside chance to receive a QO. The only other player who even received consideration in this tier is Luis Arraez. While he still has the game’s best contact skills and is a good bet to hit .300, there’s just not enough overall impact to justify a $22MM salary. Of the 32 first basemen who tallied 400+ plate appearances, Arraez ranked 19th in on-base percentage (.327) and 26th in slugging (.392).

Ineligible

Players who have previously received a qualifying offer in their careers cannot be tagged with a second one. That rules out Alonso, Bellinger, Bregman, Realmuto and Story (who seems unlikely to opt out anyway). Teams can only make the offer to players who spent the entire preceding season on their roster. Bader, Naylor, O’Hearn and Suárez were all traded at the deadline. The Braves claimed Kim off waivers from Tampa Bay in September.

Latest On Bo Bichette

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Before tonight’s ALCS Game Seven, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that shortstop Bo Bichette has been making “significant progress” in recent days, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.

Bichette had a great year at the plate but his regular season was unceremoniously ended in a collision with Yankees catcher Austin Wells in early September. Bichette suffered a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and hasn’t played since.

The Jays still managed to make the playoffs without Bichette and have stayed alive in the postseason as well. With each new playoff series, it has been a question of whether Bichette has healed enough to make the roster but he hasn’t been able to do so. If the Jays manage to hold off the Mariners tonight, there will be a few more days for recovery, as the World Series doesn’t begin until Friday.

On the one hand, getting Bichette’s bat back in the lineup to face the Dodgers in the World Series would be a tremendous boost. He hit .311/.357/.483 for a 134 wRC+ this year. On the other hand, it may lead to some tough decisions elsewhere. George Springer is banged up after fouling a ball off his knee. He has still been able to serve as the designated hitter but he wasn’t playing defensively very often this year even before that knee injury.

Between Bichette and Springer, only one of them can be the DH, so someone would have to take the field or sit on the bench if Bichette were back. Additionally, someone would have to be squeezed off the roster. Davis Schneider hasn’t been used much in the ALCS because his platoon role isn’t as needed against a Mariner club with few lefties. The Dodgers have far more southpaws, so he would probably be more useful against that club. If someone like Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Myles Straw were bumped off instead of Schneider, that would cut into the club’s defense, which has been a big part of their success this year.

They could also subtract a pitcher if they feel they have enough depth to get to the finish line with one fewer arm. Chris Bassitt is pitching out of the bullpen and has only been used once in the ALCS, so perhaps it’s possible for the Jays to live without him or one of their other relief arms.

The Jays would love to have to make these tough decisions, as that would mean they are both going to the World Series and have Bichette back in the mix. They obviously have to win tonight’s matchup first. If they can pull it off, then the focus will again turn to whether or not Bichette get back to them.

For Bichette personally, it would obviously be great to get back in there. On top of just wanting to contribute to the team, he is also an impending free agent. Demonstrating his health before the offseason could assuage some fears that clubs may have about him.

His offensive talent is undeniable but he’s never been a strong defender and has had a series of lower body injuries in recent years. Right knee and quad injuries put him on the IL in 2023. Last year, issues with his right calf contributed to the worst season of his career. He bounced back tremendously this year before this ongoing knee saga began. Some clubs will surely question his ability to stick at shortstop in the long term and will naturally have less willingness to invest in him, though playing in the World Series and coming up with some clutch moments could help him claw back some earning power.

One player who won’t be a factor in the World Series is right-hander José Berríos. Per Nicholson-Smith, John Schneider said today that the righty has resumed throwing but his season is done. That’s not especially surprising. He finished the season on the injured list due to elbow inflammation. Even before that, he had been nudged to the bullpen late in the campaign as the Jays tried to maximize their rotation for the playoffs.

Still, the fact that he has begun throwing is good news for the 2026 rotation. The Jays are set to lose both Bassitt and Max Scherzer to free agency. Shane Bieber will probably follow those two out of town, as he has a $16MM player option he should turn down in favor of a $4MM buyout and a return to free agency. On paper, next year’s likely rotation includes Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Berríos, with guys like Eric Lauer, Bowden Francis, Angel Bastardo, Ricky Tiedemann and others in the mix. The Jays will probably be looking for starting pitching this winter and a serious injury to Berríos would have only added to the need.

Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images

2025-26 MLB Free Agents

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The following players project to become free agents for the 2025-26 offseason.  The player’s 2026 age is in parentheses.  The cutoff for this list is typically 50 plate appearances or 20 innings pitched in the Majors this year.

Updated 10-20-25

Catchers

Austin Barnes (36)
Victor Caratini (32)
Elias Diaz (35) – $7MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Eric Haase (33)
Jose Herrera (29)
Danny Jansen (31) – $12MM mutual option with a $500K buyout
Luke Maile (35)
James McCann (36)
Tom Murphy (35) – $4MM club option with a $250K buyout
Tomas Nido (32)
Salvador Perez (36) – $13.5MM club option with a $2MM buyout
J.T. Realmuto (35)
Gary Sanchez (33)
Jacob Stallings (36)
Matt Thaiss (31)
Christian Vazquez (35)

First Basemen

Pete Alonso (31) – can opt out of remaining one year and $24MM
Luis Arraez (29)
Josh Bell (33)
Wilmer Flores (34)
Ty France (31)
Paul Goldschmidt (38)
Rhys Hoskins (33) – $18MM mutual option with a $4MM buyout
Connor Joe (33)
Munetaka Murakami (26)
Josh Naylor (29)
Ryan O’Hearn (32)
Salvador Perez (36) – $13.5MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Carlos Santana (40)
Dominic Smith (31)
Donovan Solano (38)
Rowdy Tellez (31)
Abraham Toro (29)
Justin Turner (41) – $10MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
LaMonte Wade Jr. (32)

Second Basemen

Ozzie Albies (29) – $7MM club option with a $4MM buyout
Cavan Biggio (31)
Kyle Farmer (34) – $4MM mutual option with a $750K buyout
Adam Frazier (34)
Jose Iglesias (36)
Nicky Lopez (31)
Brandon Lowe (31) – $11.5MM club option with a $500K buyout
Jorge Mateo (31)
Jorge Polanco (32) – $6MM player option
Luis Rengifo (29)
Brendan Rodgers (29)
Amed Rosario (30)
Gleyber Torres (29)

Shortstops

Jacob Amaya (27)
Tim Anderson (33)
Orlando Arcia (31)
Bo Bichette (28)
Willi Castro (29)
Ha-Seong Kim (30) – can opt out of remaining one year and $16MM
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (31)
Dylan Moore (33)
Kevin Newman (32)
Miguel Rojas (37)
Zack Short (31)
Trevor Story (33) – can opt out of remaining two years and $55MM

Third Basemen

Jon Berti (36)
Alex Bregman (32) – can opt out of remaining two years and $80MM
Paul DeJong (32)
Enrique Hernandez (34)
Yoan Moncada (31)
Max Muncy (35) – $10MM club option
Munetaka Murakami (26)
Luis Rengifo (29)
Emmanuel Rivera (30)
Eugenio Suarez (34)
Abraham Toro (29)
Luis Urias (29)
Gio Urshela (34)
Ildemaro Vargas (34)
Tyler Wade (31) – $1MM club option with no buyout

Left Fielders

Miguel Andujar (31)
Mark Canha (37)
Michael Conforto (33)
Bryan De La Cruz (29)
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (32) – $18MM player option
Austin Hays (30) – $12MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout
Sam Hilliard (32)
Connor Joe (33)
Jarred Kelenic (26)
Tyler O’Neill (31) – can opt out of final two years and $33MM
Tommy Pham (38)
Rob Refsnyder (35)
Chris Taylor (35)
Alex Verdugo (30)
Jesse Winker (32)

Center Fielders

Harrison Bader (32) – $10MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout
Trent Grisham (29)
Garrett Hampson (31)
Travis Jankowski (35)
Manuel Margot (31)
Cedric Mullins (31)
Luis Robert Jr. (28) – $20MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Leody Taveras (27)

Right Fielders

Cody Bellinger (30) – $25MM player option with a $5MM buyout
Adam Frazier (34)
Randal Grichuk (34) – $5MM mutual option with a $3MM buyout
Jason Heyward (36)
Max Kepler (33)
Ramon Laureano (31) – $6.5MM club option
Starling Marte (37)
Tyler O’Neill (31) – can opt out of final two years and $33MM
Joshua Palacios (30)
Hunter Renfroe (34)
Austin Slater (33)
Lane Thomas (30)
Kyle Tucker (29)
Mike Yastrzemski (35)

Designated Hitters

Mitch Garver (35) – $12MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout
Rhys Hoskins (33) – $18MM mutual option with a $4MM buyout
Andrew McCutchen (39)
Ryan O’Hearn (32)
Marcell Ozuna (35)
Joc Pederson (34) – $18.5MM player option (if Pederson opts out, Rangers can void by exercising two-year, $37MM club option)
Kyle Schwarber (33)
Justin Turner (41) – $10MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Jesse Winker (32)

Starting Pitchers

Tyler Anderson (36)
Chris Bassitt (37)
Shane Bieber (31) – $16MM player option with a $4MM buyout
Paul Blackburn (32)
JT Brubaker (32)
Walker Buehler (31)
Griffin Canning (30)
Carlos Carrasco (39)
Dylan Cease (30)
Aaron Civale (31)
Alex Cobb (38)
Patrick Corbin (36)
Nestor Cortes (31)
Nabil Crismatt (31)
Anthony DeSclafani (36)
Zach Eflin (32)
Erick Fedde (33)
Jack Flaherty (30) – $20MM player option
Chris Flexen (31)
Zac Gallen (30)
Lucas Giolito (30) – $19MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout
Austin Gomber (32)
Jon Gray (34)
Kyle Hart (33) – $5MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Andrew Heaney (35)
Kyle Hendricks (36)
Adrian Houser (33)
Shota Imanaga (32) – $57MM club option for 2026-28 or $15MM player option for 2026
Jakob Junis (33)
Merrill Kelly (37)
Michael King (31) – $15MM mutual option with a $3.75MM buyout
Zack Littell (30)
Michael Lorenzen (34) – $12MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout if team declines its end
Kenta Maeda (38)
Tyler Mahle (31)
German Marquez (31)
Nick Martinez (35)
Steven Matz (35)
Dustin May (28)
Triston McKenzie (28)
John Means (33) – $6MM club option with no buyout
Miles Mikolas (37)
Wade Miley (39)
Frankie Montas (33) – can opt out of remaining one year and $17MM
Jordan Montgomery (33)
Charlie Morton (42)
Chris Paddack (30)
Freddy Peralta (30) – $8MM club option with no buyout
Martin Perez (35) – $10MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout
Cal Quantrill (31)
Jose Quintana (37) – $15MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Colin Rea (35) – $6MM club option with a $750K buyout
Chris Sale (37) – $18MM club option
Max Scherzer (41)
Michael Soroka (28)
Marcus Stroman (35)
Ranger Suarez (30)
Tomoyuki Sugano (36)
Jose Ureña (34)
Jose Urquidy (31) – $4MM club option
Framber Valdez (32)
Justin Verlander (43)
Jake Woodford (29)
Brandon Woodruff (32) – $20MM mutual option with a $10MM buyout

Right-Handed Relievers

Shawn Armstrong (35)
Scott Barlow (33) – $6.5MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Scott Blewett (30)
Ryan Brasier (38)
John Brebbia (36)
Nabil Crismatt (31)
Chris Devenski (35)
Alexis Diaz (29)
Edwin Diaz (32) – can opt out of remaining two years and $38MM
Seranthony Dominguez (31)
Dane Dunning (31)
Pete Fairbanks (32) – $11MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Kyle Finnegan (34)
Chris Flexen (31)
Luis Garcia (39)
Kendall Graveman (35)
Chad Green (35)
Hunter Harvey (31)
Ryan Helsley (31)
Liam Hendriks (36) – $12MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Carlos Hernandez (29)
Raisel Iglesias (36)
Luke Jackson (32)
Kenley Jansen (38)
Pierce Johnson (35) – $7MM club option with a $250K buyout
Jakob Junis (33)
Tommy Kahnle (35)
Brad Keller (30)
Tyler Kinley (35) – $5MM club option with a $750K buyout
Andrew Kittredge (36) – $9MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Michael Kopech (30)
Jose Leclerc (32)
Jonathan Loaisiga (31) – $5MM club option with no buyout
Jorge Lopez (33)
Chris Martin (40)
Nick Martinez (35)
Phil Maton (33)
Shelby Miller (35)
Rafael Montero (35)
Andres Muñoz (27) – $6MM club option
Hector Neris (37)
Adam Ottavino (40)
Emilio Pagan (35)
Ryan Pressly (37)
Tanner Rainey (33)
Erasmo Ramirez (36)
Tyler Rogers (35)
Jordan Romano (33)
Joe Ross (33)
Tayler Scott (34)
Paul Sewald (36) – $10MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout
Lucas Sims (32)
Drew Smith (32) – $2MM club option
Ryne Stanek (34)
Chris Stratton (35)
Hunter Strickland (37)
Robert Suarez (35) – two-year, $16MM player option for 2026-27
Erik Swanson (32)
Lou Trivino (34)
Jose Ureña (34)
Luke Weaver (32)
Devin Williams (31)
Bryse Wilson (28)
Kirby Yates (39)

Left-Handed Relievers

Scott Alexander (36)
Tyler Alexander (31)
Jose Alvarado (31) – $9MM club option with a $500K buyout
Jalen Beeks (32)
Ryan Borucki (32)
Genesis Cabrera (29)
Andrew Chafin (36)
Danny Coulombe (36)
Caleb Ferguson (29)
Tim Hill (36) – $3MM club option with a $350K buyout
Tim Mayza (34)
T.J. McFarland (37)
Hoby Milner (35)
A.J. Minter (32) – $11MM player option
Sean Newcomb (33)
Wandy Peralta (34) – $4.45MM player option (contract also contains $4.45MM player option for 2027)
Cionel Perez (30)
Colin Poche (32)
Drew Pomeranz (37)
Brooks Raley (38) – $4.75MM club option with a $750K buyout
Taylor Rogers (35)
Gregory Soto (31)
Brent Suter (36) – $3MM club option with a $250K buyout
Caleb Thielbar (39)
Justin Wilson (38)
Ryan Yarbrough (34)

Offseason Outlook: Texas Rangers

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The Rangers failed to score enough runs for the second straight year. After making a few unsuccessful changes around the core last winter, they should be up for a more radical overhaul of the lineup.

Guaranteed Contracts

Option Decisions

  • DH Joc Pederson haș $18.5MM player option (deal includes matching mutual option for '27)

2026 guarantees (assuming Pederson opts in): $146.25MM
Total future commitments: $416.25MM through 2031

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Non-tender candidates: Heim, García, Sborz, Haggerty, Burger, Duran

Free Agents

The Rangers followed up their championship season with a 78-84 showing in which they finished 18th in scoring. They signed Joc Pederson and swapped out Nathaniel Lowe for Jake Burger, hoping to add some power and do more damage against fastballs. Neither Pederson nor Burger stepped up, and the Rangers dropped to 22nd in scoring this year. An improved pitching staff pushed them to .500, but they finished with a whimper despite buying at the trade deadline.

Bigger changes are in order. That already began in the manager's office. The Rangers parted ways with Bruce Bochy after three seasons. It took less than a week to hammer out a four-year contract with Skip Schumaker, a former NL Manager of the Year who returns to the dugout after a season working as a special assistant in the Texas front office. Schumaker should be working with a much different lineup than the one that closed Bochy's tenure.

The broad focus is to improve the offensive approach. Only the Rockies, Guardians, Angels and White Sox had a lower on-base percentage. Texas was in the bottom third of MLB in walk rate. At the end-of-season press conference, general manager Ross Fenstermaker said the team could prioritize "stable skills, on-base percentage, the ability to make contact, execute situationally" in their external additions (link via Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News).

Before that can happen, they'll need to move on from a few players. Rowdy Tellez is their only impending free agent hitter of any note, so the significant work will happen via trades and/or non-tenders. They're unlikely to find a taker for Pederson, who'll exercise a $16.5MM player option after hitting .181/.285/.328 during his first season in Texas. It's hard to imagine they'd move Corey Seager, who remains the team's best hitter and whose contract (another six years at $31MM annually) would only work for a couple large-market teams. Wyatt Langford, Josh Smith and Evan Carter should be back as affordable building blocks.

The Rangers might try to get out from under a portion of the Marcus Semien contract. He's owed $72MM over the final three seasons of his seven-year free agent deal. Semien was phenomenal during the World Series season but has tailed off over the past two years. He's coming off a career-worst .230/.305/.364 slash line with 15 homers and ended the year on the injured list with a Lisfranc issue in his left foot.

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Orioles Looking For Impact Hitter

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The Orioles are looking for an impact hitter, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Kubatko adds that the outfield is likeliest area for Baltimore to add since they are fairly set behind the plate and in the infield.

The O’s just finished up a disappointing 2025 season. After making the playoffs in the prior two campaigns, they fell to the basement of the American League East this year, finishing 75-87. Their lack of rotation depth was a big part of that but the lineup also wasn’t great. The team hit a collective .235/.305/.394. The resultant 96 wRC+ was better than just nine clubs in the majors.

As mentioned, the outfield is probably the best spot to add some thump. Cedric Mullins, Ramón Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn were all traded at the deadline. They will likely turn down their $5.5MM club option on Jorge Mateo. That leaves the O’s with an outfield mix consisting of Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson, Heston Kjerstad, Dylan Beavers and Jeremiah Jackson.

Cowser took over the center field job after the Mullins trade. His glovework there was passable but his offense declined relative to the prior year. He had hit .242/.321/.447 for a 119 wRC+ in 2024 but finished 2025 with a .196/.269/.385 line and 83 wRC+. He missed April and May due to a thumb fracture and then suffered some broken ribs in June, which he played through. It’s possible a return to health is all he needs to rebound but he’s a question mark at the moment.

O’Neill also had an injury-marred season, which is fairly normal for him. He only played 54 games and only has one career season of more than 113 games. He can opt out of the two years and $33MM left on his deal but has little incentive to do so after hitting .199/.292/.392 in 2025. Perhaps he will be rotated through the designated hitter spot more often next year to limit wear and tear.

Carlson got into 83 games but only hit .203/.278/.336. Kjerstad is trying to find answers related to some unreported medical condition. Beavers and Jackson both put up good numbers down the stretch but both still have fewer than 50 big league games played.

Kubatko suggests that an outside acquisition should be able to play center, given the uncertainty with Cowser. It’s possible that Enrique Bradfield will take over the job in the long run but Kubatko mentions he’s had some hamstring issues, a concern since speed is such a big part of his game. He also has just 15 Triple-A games under his belt and probably needs more time there.

The center field free agent market doesn’t feature a ton of guys who could be classified as impact bats. Cody Bellinger is coming off a good year but he may be a product of the short porch at Yankee Stadium. Regardless, he’s probably trending towards a nine-figure deal and it’s hard to expect the O’s to be the one to offer it. Trent Grisham is coming off a fantastic season but his previous campaigns were rough, making it fair to wonder if it was a flash in the pan.

The options thin out after that. Harrison Bader had some good numbers this year but mostly from a high batting average on balls in play. Re-signing Mullins is an option but he was dreadful this year. Luis Robert Jr. should be available on the trade market but he hasn’t been both healthy and good in a few years. Jarren Duran has come up in plenty of trade rumors but the Sox haven’t dealt him and they probably wouldn’t pull the trigger with a division rival. Perhaps Alek Thomas or Brenton Doyle could be available but they’re both coming off poor offensive seasons.

Perhaps first base would be another area the O’s could add, depending on their plans for guys currently on the roster. Adley Rutschman is going to continue as the primary catcher. That could leave Samuel Basallo spending significant time as the DH or at first base. If Basallo is going to factor in at the cold corner, that could impact guys like Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle. Mayo didn’t have a great year but at least finished strong, with a .223/.316/.424 line and 109 wRC+ in the second half. Mountcastle looks like a non-tender candidate since he had a poor season and is projected for a $7.8MM salary.

Even without Mountcastle, it might be tight finding at-bats. Rutschman, Basallo and Mayo could co-exist in three spots with one at catcher, one at first base and the other DHing, though that doesn’t leave a ton of room for O’Neill and other players to rotate through the DH spot. If the O’s feel that Mayo and/or Basallo need more time in the minors, then perhaps going after a first baseman is more feasible. There are more impact bats there, with the market featuring Pete Alonso, Josh Naylor, O’Hearn, Rhys Hoskins, Luis Arráez and others. Old friend Lewin Díaz hit 50 homers in Korea this year. The trade market could feature bats like Christian Walker, Triston Casas and Jake Burger.

In terms of payroll, the O’s could technically do all sorts of things. They have almost no future commitments on the books. RosterResource says they had a $160MM payroll in 2025 but are slated for just $69MM next year. However, they haven’t been very aggressive in free agency lately. O’Neill’s deal is the only multi-year pact the O’s have given a free agent since Mike Elias began running the front office seven years ago.

Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images

Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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Steve Adams

  • Good morning! We'll get going at 2pm CT today, but feel free to submit questions ahead of time, as always.
  • Good afternoon! Sorry to be a couple minutes late. Let's begin!

Tx Ranger stuff

  • With what’s out there and what he’s gonna cost would you keep Adolis García and hope he hits? And what about Jonah Heim.

Steve Adams

  • I think both are as good as done in Arlington. Garcia is going to make around $12MM after consecutive disappointing seasons at the plate. Heim took a huge step back and is going to earn around $6MM after a pair of ugly years. Chris Young alluded to payroll uncertainty when talking about Bochy's departure.
  • At catcher, there isn't a ton out there in free agency beyond JT Realmuto, but the Rangers could try for Minnesota's Ryan Jeffers via trade or go more direct and sign Victor Caratini. I just don't think spending $6MM or so to hope Heim returns to his 2023 levels is where they'll go.
  • In the outfield, they've got Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter. There'll be plenty of trade options even if the limited slate of corner OF bats in free agency doesn't appeal to them ... Lars Nootbaar, Taylor Ward, Brendan Donovan, Brenton Doyle, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy, JJ Bleday, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach ... any of those names could be out there in trade talks.

Buster Posey

  • Outside of 2B and RF, where can I look to improve this club other than trying to stockpile quality arms?

Steve Adams

  • Second base and right field are the primary avenues to bolstering the lineup in San Francisco, but they could also look at first base/DH and see if Bryce Eldridge can headline a package for a notable starter (e.g Joe Ryan, Andrew Abbott, etc.)Could also look into some of those same OF options I listed for the Rangers -- plus Tucker, Bellinger, Grisham, etc. -- and plug Heliot Ramos into more of a DH role.

Luis Arraez

  • Am I playable at 3B anymore? Boston would be nice... Hell it's not like Casas will be healthy, I can play 1B by Memorial Day after Triston ruptures a fingernail or something

Steve Adams

  • Cannot fathom someone signing Arraez to play third base. He's just a poor defender wherever he's at ... first base, maybe you could get something close to average, but even that's a stretch. I think Arraez is going to sign a contract that makes a lot of fans say "Uh, that's it?" But he's basically just a (very good) singles hitter with a middling OBP ... He's the type of guy I can see ending up with a boring one-year deal or maybe a cheap two/opt-out in February if he goes out looking for a notable long-term contract.

For Love of the Game

  • Given that Scott Boras advises his clients to test the free agent waters, no team is really going to drain their top prospect ranks by offering so much for Skubal that the Tigers would write off contending in 2026 (and likely 2027) for a chance to be even better in later years, right?  If I'm wrong, what would that offer look like?

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Shelby Miller Undergoes Elbow Surgery

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Right-hander Shelby Miller underwent elbow surgery last week, according to the club’s injury tracker at MLB.com. He had his ulnar collateral ligament and flexor tendon repaired in the operation and is likely to miss the 2026 season.

The news doesn’t come as a surprise. Arm issues were a notable part of his 2025 season. With the Diamondbacks earlier this year, he went on the injured list with a forearm strain in July. He was still on the IL when the Brewers acquired him at the deadline. Milwaukee was surely aware that it was a risky pick-up, which is why they didn’t include any prospect capital in the deal. They instead took on $2MM of Jordan Montgomery’s deal for a player to be named later or cash, meaning Arizona only got cost savings.

Miller came off the IL in mid-August but felt a “pop” in his elbow in early September. He was then diagnosed with a sprained UCL and placed on the 60-day IL. He told reporters that a second career Tommy John surgery was a distinct possibility.

The righty is an impending free agent. Since he will likely miss all of next season, his market will obviously be impacted. Pitchers in this situation will sometimes receive two-year offers. Those pacts allow hurlers to make some money while rehabbing, with the team hoping for return on that investment in the second season. Miller may be hard-pressed to find such an offer, however. He is 35 years old now, meaning his likely return in 2027 would come after his 36th birthday. The track record for pitchers coming back from a second UCL surgery isn’t as strong as after just one.

He did have a good season. He tossed 46 innings between the Diamondbacks and Brewers, allowing 2.74 earned runs per nine. His 8.1% walk rate was close to average while his 29% strikeout rate was quite strong. He had a leverage role with the Snakes before the swap, earning ten saves and eight holds. Teams will surely be interested but his rehab and recovery will determine if he can get back to that level in the future.

There’s also an update on Brandon Woodruff in the tracker. It says that he would not have been on the World Series roster if the Brewers had qualified but he expects to be healed in time to participate in spring training and be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign.

Woodruff is one of the more interesting free agents this winter. His deal has a mutual option but it’s been more than a decade since one of those has been exercised by both sides. They are mostly an accounting measure to kick some of the payments into the future.

The righty’s track record is excellent but the health is the question. He missed all of 2024 due to shoulder surgery. He came off the IL in July and shoved for 12 starts before going back on the IL in September due to a lat strain. In those 12 starts, he logged 64 2/3 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 32.3% strikeout rate and 5.4% walk rate. His excellent numbers will surely be enticing to teams but he’s turning 33 in February and hasn’t been healthy for an extended stretch since 2022.

Even with the age and injury concerns, he should still find lots of interest if he is on track to be healthy again next year. A few years ago, Justin Verlander got a two-year, $50MM guarantee going into his age-39 season after missing the entire 2021 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery. Carlos Rodón got a two-year, $44MM guarantee from the Giants when he had some questions about his ability to stay healthy, though he was far younger. Shane Bieber just got a two-year, $26MM deal from the Guardians even though he wasn’t expected back until midseason. In all of those deals, there was an opt-out after the first season.

Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images

Albert Pujols No Longer A Candidate In Angels’ Managerial Search

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Albert Pujols won’t be the next manager of the Angels, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman writes that Pujols and the club have broken off talks due to differences between the sides regarding “coaches, resources, and compensation.” The Athletic’s Sam Blum reports that while circumstances could change, it’s believed to be “very unlikely” that the sides find common ground after being unable to get close in terms of dollars and years on hypothetical contract.

It wasn’t long ago that Pujols appeared to be the prohibitive favorite for the job. Blum reports that when Pujols and Minasian met in St. Louis 11 days ago to discuss the managerial job, the conversation went well and there was momentum towards a contract. Clearly, however, there was a financial gap between the sides that they were unable to bridge. One wrinkle in the matter is the ten-year, $10MM personal services contract Pujols signed with the Angels during his free agent negotiations with the club back in 2011. There are still seven years and $7MM remaining on that contract, and previous reporting indicated that the deal could be a factor in negotiations though it’s unclear exactly what role it played.

While Pujols won’t be the next manager in Anaheim, that doesn’t mean he won’t be in a dugout next year. The future Hall of Famer is set to interview with both the Padres and the Orioles, though he faces more competition in the races for those jobs than he did in Anaheim. Pujols was more or less the only candidate being considered by the Halos until talks began to stall. By contrast, both the Padres and Orioles have been connected to Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, while interim Orioles manager Tony Mansolino remains a candidate in Baltimore and the Padres have also been connected to Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley.

As for the Angels, former players Torii Hunter and Kurt Suzuki are set to interview for the position. Blum reports that both are in the mix and that Hunter in particular is still a candidate but “not a slam-dunk” to land the job. He adds that while the team has interest in speaking to former Twins and Orioles managers Rocco Baldelli and Brandon Hyde, it’s unclear if that interest is mutual with either ex-skipper. Baldelli recently expressed an interest in returning to the dugout at some point but indicated he could look to take some time away from the game to spend with his family. Hyde, meanwhile, is known to have spoken to Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey amid San Francisco’s own managerial search.

Perhaps with Pujols no longer in consideration, the Angels will advance their managerial search in the coming days. That could offer some clarity on the status of possible candidates like Hyde and Baldelli, as well as other possible targets like Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty and former Astros manager Bo Porter, who served as the Angels’ third base coach this season and has expressed interest in Anaheim’s managerial gig both publicly and privately after interviewing for the position two years ago before the hiring of Ron Washington.

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