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Jarred Kelenic, Three Others Elect Free Agency

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October 2nd: Kelenic, Díaz, Dunning and Williams have officially elected free agency, according to David O’Brien of The Athletic.

October 1st: The Braves have begun offseason roster housekeeping. Atlanta announced they’ve outrighted five players — outfielder Jarred Kelenic, right-handers Alexis Díaz and Dane Dunning, catcher Sandy León, and utility player Luke Williams — off the 40-man roster. They’ll all be minor league free agents in the next couple weeks.

Atlanta had 11 players finish the season on the 60-day injured list. They’ll all need to be activated or placed on waivers within five days of the end of the World Series. This clears five spots, and three more will open when Raisel Iglesias, Marcell Ozuna and Charlie Morton reach free agency. Ha-Seong Kim will need to decide on his $16MM player option. They’ll need to drop at least two more players (three if Kim doesn’t opt out) within the next few weeks.

These were all relatively easy cuts, though it marks an unceremonious end to Kelenic’s disappointing time in Atlanta. The Braves took a lot of dead money off Seattle’s books to acquire the former top prospect during the 2023-24 offseason. He hit .231/.286/.393 with a near-30% strikeout rate across 449 plate appearances in 2024.

Atlanta signed Jurickson Profar to replace him as the starting left fielder. With Ronald Acuña Jr. rehabbing ACL surgery and Profar getting suspended for a failed PED test, Kelenic had another shot early in the season. He batted .167 and played his way off the MLB roster by the third week of April. Kelenic’s only MLB appearance after that was as a pinch runner on July 30.

Things were equally bleak in Triple-A. The 25-year-old hit .213/.286/.309 with only four homers while striking out at a 27.6% clip with Gwinnett. Kelenic has never found sustained MLB success but had reliably hit Triple-A pitching until this year. As a former sixth overall pick, he’ll get minor league offers, but it’d be a surprise if he commands a major league contract.

The Braves grabbed Díaz off waivers from the Dodgers in early September. They had roster space to burn and wanted a look at a former All-Star closer who had recorded 28 saves with Cincinnati just last season. Díaz had an uphill path to a 2026 bullpen spot and certainly didn’t do much to convince the Braves to keep him around. He walked five batters and gave up five runs (four earned) in 2 2/3 innings. Díaz had a nightmare season between three teams, giving up 17 runs over 17 2/3 big league frames. He also struggled to a 5.61 ERA across 25 2/3 Triple-A innings.

Díaz made $4.5MM this year in his first trip through arbitration. He would’ve made something close to or matching that if he were tendered a contract. That’s an easy pass for the team coming off the season he had. Díaz has never had strong command, and his velocity and strikeouts have dipped since his excellent first two MLB campaigns. The 29-year-old could also be in minor league deal territory.

The Braves acquired Dunning from the Rangers in July. It was a salary dump for Texas and one of a number of buy-low fliers that Atlanta took as members of their pitching staff kept dropping to injuries. Dunning was an up-and-down reliever for the Braves and gave up 12 earned runs in 10 innings. León, a longtime third or fourth catcher, finished the season on the MLB roster after Sean Murphy underwent hip surgery. He appeared in five games and went 1-12. Williams got into 45 contests as the last man off the bench and designated position player pitcher in blowouts. He hit .129 and owns a career .212/.270/.280 slash over 349 plate appearances.

Mets Notes: Alonso, Marte, Manaea

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First baseman Pete Alonso has already said he will be opting out of his deal with the Mets and re-entering free agency, which could set up another will-they-won’t-they winter. A report from Will Sammon of The Athletic suggests that the Mets aren’t thrilled with Alonso’s defense and that spending more time at designated hitter may be necessary if the two sides do end up reuniting.

Alonso has been a mainstay at first base for the Mets for many years. He has started at least 134 games there in each of the past six full seasons, including at least 160 games in each of the past two campaigns.

While that reliable presence is valuable, the actual results have been less consistent. Defensive Runs Saved oscillated between giving Alonso positive and negative grades earlier in his career but has soured on him more recently. He was credited with a -3 score last year and -9 this season, bringing him down to -7 for his whole career. Outs Above Average has been more consistently down on him, as 2021 is the only year that metric had him above average. He’s at -33 for his career overall, including -8 in 2024 and -9 in 2025.

Alonso has only ever played for the Mets but the club seemed willing to let him go last winter. He reached free agency and lingered unsigned until February, when he and the Mets finally reunited on a two-year, $54MM deal which allowed him to opt out after the first season. Just prior to that reunion, Mets owner Steve Cohen publicly complained about the “exhausting” negotiations.

It was often speculated last offseason that the Mets were willing to let Alonso walk. At that point, the Mets would perhaps move Mark Vientos from third base to first base, leaving the hot corner open for someone like Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio or Luisangel Acuña. Now that Alonso is returning to free agency, that kind of speculation might return.

It’s unknown if Alonso is willing to spend more time in the DH slot or if he prides himself on continuing to be out there at first. If he is open to it, the Mets could accommodate him. Most of their DH at-bats went to Starling Marte this year, with Jesse Winker also in the mix before he got hurt. Both players are impending free agents, so the Mets could offer plenty of DH time to Alonso or someone else.

It’s also possible Alonso plays for a team other than the Mets for the first time. He didn’t get the long-term deal he was looking for last winter but his upcoming market could be stronger. He won’t be attached to a qualifying offer this time since players can only receive the QO once. He’s also coming off a better offensive platform, having increased his batting line from .240/.329/.459 in 2024 to .272/.347/.524 in 2025. But on the other hand, he’s about to turn 31 years old and other teams might be just as concerned about his glovework as the Mets.

Speaking of Marte, he spoke to Sammon this week, saying that he hopes to play for several more years and would be open to doing that as a Met. “Only God knows, but with continued good health, I’d love to have the opportunity to play at least three or four more years,” Marte said, “and continue to be part of this team and continue to help the young guys grow.”

Marte last reached free agency ahead of the 2022 season, when he was going into his age-33 campaign. He and the Mets agreed to a four-year, $78MM pact, which is now ending. The first year went well, as he slashed .292/.347/.468 for a 133 wRC+ and stole 18 bases.

However, he required groin surgery after that season and hasn’t been at that level since. He made multiple trips to the IL in 2023 and hit just .248/.301/.324 for a wRC+ of 75. He has bounced back somewhat in the two most recent seasons. He just hit .270/.335/.410 for a 112 wRC+ this year but, as mentioned, was mostly a DH. He only logged 65 innings in the outfield.

The bat is still decent but he’s about to turn 37 years old, so he’s probably ticketed for a part-time role somewhere. Based on Sammon’s piece, Marte seems to also provide intangibles as a clubhouse leader. That could help his market somewhat but he’ll have considerably less earning power than in his previous trip to free agency. As mentioned, the Mets have DH at-bats available, though they will probably wait to see how things go with Alonso and other free agents before they consider bringing back Marte.

Elsewhere on the roster, Andy Martino of SNY provides an update on left-hander Sean Manaea. Martino says Manaea finished the season with his elbow feeling good and may not need surgery, though the final decision will wait until after a cool-down period.

Manaea began the season on the injured list due to an oblique strain. He was working back from that injury in June when a loose body was found in his elbow. Despite that elbow issue, he made it back from the IL in July.

His results from there weren’t great, though there was less concern under the hood. A 5.64 earned run average is obviously not good but his 28.5% strikeout rate and 4.6% walk rate were both strong. He allowed 13 home runs in just 60 2/3 innings, with a home run to flyball rate of 19.4% in that small sample. His 3.08 SIERA, a measure that corrects for such abnormalities, suggested his ERA would have been much better with some normalization in a larger sample size.

The Mets signed the lefty to a three-year, $75MM deal coming into this season. They will obviously want him to be fully healthy and back to his usual self next year, especially with questions all throughout the rest of their rotation. The fact that he’s trending towards not needing surgery is encouraging, though further updates should be forthcoming in the future.

Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images

Mariners Notes: Woo, ALDS Roster, Raleigh

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No, Ichiro Suzuki isn’t coming out of retirement to be part of the Mariners’ playoff roster.  The Hall-of-Famer played six innings in the outfield during a split-squad tune-up game yesterday at T-Mobile Park, adding some extra fun to the proceedings as the M’s got ready for the start of their ALDS matchup with either the Tigers or the Guardians on Saturday.

The final calls on the 26-man playoff roster won’t be announced until a few hours before Saturday’s game, and as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times notes, some of the Mariners’ decisions will likely depend on whether they’re facing Detroit or Cleveland.  Perhaps the biggest roster question revolves about Bryan Woo’s status, but manager Dan Wilson said Woo is set to toss a bullpen session today.

“It seems like things are going according to plan,” Wilson told Divish and other reporters.  “He’ll get off the mound on Thursday, and so getting a chance to hear how he comes back from that on Friday and whatnot….We’ll just a continue to take it day by day and assess.  And I do believe that we’re in a good spot with that.”

The bullpen session will mark Woo’s first time throwing off a mound since September 19, when pectoral tightness forced him out of a start after five innings.  The injury wasn’t severe enough to merit a placement on the 15-day injured list, though naturally the M’s are being as cautious as possible with a pitcher who has been Seattle’s most reliable starter in 2025.

No announcement has been made about the Mariners’ playoff rotation, as Wilson said those decisions will wait until they team knows their opponent and has more input on Woo’s availability.  Assuming Woo is able to pitch, however, Divish doesn’t think the right-hander will work in either of Seattle’s first two games of the series.  Based on mound work during Wednesday’s warm-ups, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert (in some order) could be the favorites to start Game 1 and Game 2.

The Mariners have long envisioned the idea of these two homegrown arms headlining a playoff series, ever since Kirby was drafted 20th overall in 2019 and Gilbert was the 14th overall pick of the 2018 draft.  As MLB.com’s Jim Callis writes, team scout Rob Mummau played a big role in convincing the M’s to select Gilbert, whose stock had somewhat dropped after an ill-timed bout of mononucleosis during the spring before the draft.

The focus of Callis’ piece is on Mummau’s real find of the 2018 draft, as the scout’s glowing reports led the Mariners to take Cal Raleigh with their third-round pick (90th overall).  Raleigh wasn’t a complete diamond in the rough, as the M’s had to pay Raleigh $221.3K over the slot value of the 90th overall pick to convince Raleigh to leave Florida State after his junior year.  However, while Raleigh was coming off a big season at FSU, his draft stock had fallen due to an unimpressive sophomore year.

Mummau (who had some past ties to Raleigh’s family) knew that Raleigh had been dealing with a thumb injury that season.  As a result, Mummau’s grades on Raleigh’s offensive and defensive tools were notably higher than other scouts, who projected Raleigh as a part-time starting catcher at best.  It was enough for the Mariners to make the pick and the rest has become history, as Raleigh has exceeded all expectations to become a superstar on both sides of the ball.

Blue Jays Notes: Bichette, Bassitt, France, Berrios

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Winning the AL East allowed the Blue Jays to bypass the wild card round, and get some needed time off before the ALDS begins on Saturday.  The longer break created some hope that Bo Bichette (who hasn’t played since September 6 due to a left PCL sprain) could get healthy enough to be part of Toronto’s first postseason roster, yet at the moment it looks like the shortstop won’t be ready.

Jays manager John Schneider told The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon and other reporters that Bichette has yet to start running as part of his recovery process.  Schneider and GM Ross Atkins were both, as Bannon put it, ” vague and cautiously optimistic” about Bichette’s availability, yet it is hard to imagine Bichette being included on the roster if he isn’t yet able to run.  Such a lack of mobility would naturally rule out a return to shortstop duty, and even a DH-only or pinch-hitting role seems like a long shot.  Despite the importance of Bichette’s bat to Toronto’s lineup, it hurts the Jays’ overall flexibility by devoting a roster spot to someone playing under what would seemingly be severe limitations.

Schneider said that a decision on Bichette’s status won’t be made until tomorrow, and the Blue Jays don’t have to officially announce their ALDS roster until Saturday morning.  Some gamesmanship could be at play here just to not tip the Jays’ hand about Bichette to the Red Sox and Yankees’ advance scouts, but for now, the question might be if Bichette will even be available for the ALCS should the Jays advance.

Bichette’s bounce-back season was a huge part of the Blue Jays’ run to the division crown.  After an injury-marred down year in 2024, Bichette rebounded to hit .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs over 628 plate appearances this year, with a 134 wRC+ that ranked 20th among all qualified hitters in baseball.  Getting Bichette back even in a bat-only capacity as a DH would be welcome news for the Jays, but all this uncertainty over one of their top players is a cloud hanging over the club’s postseason chances.

In a more positive injury update, Chris Bassitt is slated to pitch multiple innings during an intrasquad game today, which will be the final checkpoint towards the right-hander’s availability for the ALDS roster.  Bassitt last pitched on September 18, and was then (retroactively) placed on the 15-day injured list the next day due to lower back inflammation.  The timing has worked out well enough that the 15-day minimum will expire just prior to Game 1 of the ALDS, and Bassitt is expected to be part of Toronto’s pitching mix.

How the Jays’ pitching plans will shake out is anyone’s guess, beyond the expectation of Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber acting in traditional starting roles.  A healthy Bassitt might be viewed as a favorite for another rotation spot, and the Blue Jays are also weighing both ends of the experience spectrum in future Hall-of-Famer Max Scherzer and rookie Trey Yesavage.

One pitcher who won’t be involved in at least the ALDS roster is Jose Berrios, who went on the 15-day IL on September 25 due to inflammation in his throwing elbow.  Initial scans didn’t indicate any structural damage, and Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith writes that this diagnosis was supported once Berrios got a second opinion.  Since Berrios hasn’t started throwing, it is hard to project whether or not he could be available if the Blue Jays make it deeper into October.  The Jays had already made the decision to move the longtime starter into a bullpen role a couple of weeks ago, and Berrios likely would’ve continued to work as a reliever during the postseason.

Atkins also had an update on first baseman Ty France, who is “feeling better” and “progressing at a level that he could be a factor for us” in the aftermath of an IL placement due to oblique inflammation.  France last played on September 21 and is expected to try and face some live pitching soon, but it remains to be seen if this will come in time for France to be included on the ALDS roster.  Acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline, France has hit .277/.320/.372 over 103 PA in a Jays uniform, and his right-handed bat could be a counter to Boston and New York’s left-handed pitchers.

Diamondbacks Notes: Gallen, Kelly, Rotation, First Base

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Zac Gallen is one of the more intriguing pitchers on the free agent market this winter, as interested clubs will have to balance the right-hander’s solid track record up against his shaky 2025 season.  Theoretically, the situation could present an opening for Gallen to accept a qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks, though John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7FM Radio (multiple links) feels “there is no chance he accepts it.”

This winter’s qualifying offer is estimated to be worth roughly $22MM.  While a nice one-year payday, Gallen is undoubtedly looking for much more in a longer-term commitment as he tests the market for the first time.  Even if his struggles this year inevitably lower his asking price, baseball’s ever-present need for pitching means that Gallen should be able to land some kind of acceptable multi-year pact.

Scott Boras (Gallen’s agent) has a long history of finding such deals for his clients, though Boras has also explored relatively shorter-term contracts with opt-out clauses for players who are entering free agency on the heels of so-so platform years.  It isn’t hard to imagine Gallen signing such a deal, and then if he returns to form in 2026, enacting an opt-out clause to immediately return to free agency.  Obviously there’s some risk in betting on himself in such a fashion, plus next year’s market has the added uncertainty of labor unrest and a potential lockout as the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires.

Gallen posted a 4.83 ERA, 21.5% strikeout rate, and 8.1% walk rate over 192 innings in 2025, with the ERA and K% both standing out as career worsts.  Pretty much all of Gallen’s Statcast numbers were below the league average, and he was continually plagued by the home run ball — Gallen’s 31 homers allowed were the third-most of any pitcher in baseball.  The inflated number is related in part to the number of innings Gallen tossed, though his barrel rate and hard-hit ball rates didn’t surpass the 26th percentile of all pitchers.

The good news for Gallen is that he seemed to get on track over the season’s final two months.  After posting a 5.60 ERA over his first 127 innings, he improved to a 3.32 ERA over his last 65 frames and 11 starts.  Gallen’s turn-around came directly after the trade deadline, and had he started pitching better a little earlier, it is quite possible he already would’ve been gone from Arizona considering the Diamondbacks’ other deadline sells.

Ken Kendrick is a known fan of Gallen, and the D’Backs owner stated earlier this week that it isn’t “out of the realm of reality” that the righty could be re-signed.  Within that same interview, however, Kendrick said that “we will not be spending at the same level” as in 2025, though the Diamondbacks still plan to have a competitive payroll and are intent on winning next year.

Whether this adds up to a salary number that can work for both the D’Backs and Gallen’s camp remains to be seen.  If Gallen did reject the qualifying offer and sign elsewhere, Arizona would receive a compensatory draft pick just after the first round of the 2026 draft.  Landing an extra pick in the 31-36 overall range would be a decent consolation prize if Gallen did depart, especially if the Diamondbacks could add starting pitching elsewhere at a lower price.

For instance, a reunion with Merrill Kelly has been speculated on basically ever since Kelly was traded to the Rangers at the deadline.  Kelly was open about his desire to stay in Arizona both before and after the trade, and Kelly would be available at a lower price than Gallen given their ages (Kelly turns 37 in a couple of weeks, and Gallen turned 30 last month).  Gambadoro feels the Diamondbacks will pursue one of Gallen or Kelly but not both, leaving one rotation spot open for a younger pitcher until Corbin Burnes is ready to return from Tommy John surgery.

Between Arizona’s pitching needs and the team’s desire to lower payroll, some other areas of the roster might receive less focus.  For instance, Gambadoro thinks the D’Backs will probably stand pat at first base, with Pavin Smith getting the bulk of at-bats and Tim Tawa or Tyler Locklear facing as the right-handed hitting side of the platoon.  Bringing in a veteran bat for the first base/DH mix would also seem logical, even if such an acquisition isn’t likely to be as high profile as last offseason’s trade for Josh Naylor.

Smith appeared in only eight games after July 5, as an oblique strain and then a quad strain cost him essentially all of the back half of the season.  Smith hit .258/.362/.434 with eight home runs over 288 plate appearances in 2025, facing right-handers in all but 24 of those trips to the dish.  The result was a very solid 123 wRC+ for the season, yet almost all of Smith’s production came during a scorching-hot April, and his strikeout rate ballooned upwards to an ungainly 31.9%.  Getting more out of Tawa or Locklear would go a long way towards solidifying the Diamondbacks’ first base platoon, but the unproven duo has only 390 combined Major League PA between them.

The Opener: Wild Cards, Rockies, Managerial Vacancies

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Wild Card Series continues:

The Dodgers bested the Reds 8-4 yesterday to complete a two-game sweep of Cincinnati and advance to the NLDS against the Phillies. The other three Wild Card matchups all saw the team facing elimination force a Game 3, leaving us with plenty of baseball to enjoy today. Things will kick off in Cleveland, at 3:08pm local time, when Jack Flaherty and the Tigers face off against Slade Cecconi and the Guardians to decide who will represent the AL Central against the Mariners in the ALDS.

In Chicago, at 4:08pm local time, the Cubs take the field at Wrigley behind Jameson Taillon as they try to advance in the playoffs for the first time since 2017 against the Padres and former Cub Yu Darvish. Finally, the Wild Card series will wrap in the Bronx, at 8:08pm local time, when the Red Sox and Yankees conclude the latest chapter in their storied archrivalry. That game will feature two rookies, with Connelly Early taking the ball for Boston in light of Lucas Giolito’s recent injury. The Yankees will turn to right-hander Cam Schlittler.

2. Rockies searching for new leadership:

Bill Schmidt is out as Rockies GM after this year’s brutal 119-loss season. He was promoted from within the organization to take over for Jeff Bridich in May of 2021, who himself was promoted to the top job from within in organization back in 2014. For a franchise that has dealt with a lot of struggles and failure over the years, this stands out as a rare opportunity for the club to bring in an outside voice and see what that sort of breath of fresh air could do to rejuvenate the organization. Perhaps that could come in the form of someone with ties to the organization like Thad Levine, who is already rumored to be in the mix for the job. Of course, it’s at least possible that owner Dick Monfort could break with his past tendencies and look for a less familiar partner to help lead the Rockies back to the postseason for the first time since 2018.

3. Managerial vacancies continue to grow:

While the Rockies likely won’t have clarity on their managerial situation until they bring in Schmidt’s replacement, there’s still plenty of intrigue surrounding the various managerial vacancies that have been created around the game in the past few days. Yesterday, Atlanta joined the pile of teams searching for a new voice in the dugout after Brian Snitker opted to retire from the dugout, though he’ll remain in the organization for a landmark 50th season in an advisory role. The Braves have a talented core and could very feasibly be back in the playoffs as soon as next year, so they’ll be one of the more attractive managerial vacancies available for candidates to pursue.

Elsewhere, the rumor mill is buzzing over the possibility that Hall of Famer Albert Pujols could take a turn as manager. He’s a strong candidate to take over for Ron Washington and Ray Montgomery in Anaheim with the Angels. The Rangers, Giants, Twins, Nationals and Orioles are each in the market for a new manager as well, and there’s always the possibility that a playoff club will look to make a change following an earlier-than-hoped-for exit from the postseason field.

MLBTR Podcast: Mike Elias On The State Of The Orioles

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias to discuss…

  • Elias’s promotion from general manager to president of baseball operations (1:45)
  • Why the Orioles underperformed in 2025 (3:30)
  • The club’s lack of investment in free agent pitching (5:25)
  • The decision making about playing time for prospects when they don’t find immediate big league success (9:20)
  • How Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo can co-exist on the roster (12:35)
  • Getting six prospects from the Padres in the Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano trade (14:50)
  • Trading Bryan Baker to the Rays for a draft pick (16:55)
  • Seeing the potential in O’Hearn before his breakout (18:45)

Plus, Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors joins the show to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Tim Heitman, Imagn Images

MLB Mailbag: Cubs, Mets, Guardians, Athletics

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This week's mailbag gets into offseason possibilities for the Cubs and Mets and also includes questions on the Angels, Guardians, and A's.

Walter asks:

With the Cubs probably not getting serious on Tucker, how much money will the Cubs have to spend and what are the likely targets to hopefully build a champion next year? Starting pitching? Bullpen?

Colin asks:

How should the Cubs replace Kyle Tucker? It feels like keeping it internal with a combo of Seiya and Caissie and Alcantara in RF and the first two and Ballesteros at DH won't make up for Tucker's production. Curious if there are any good targets out there for them to pursue.

Kelly asks:

The Cubs have several players going into next season in their final year. What do you predict will happen with Boyd, Suzuki, Happ and Hoerner? I know some of it is predicated on Tucker, but which are the priorities in your opinion to extend or trade this off-season? Where do Ballesteros, Amaya, Cassie and Long factor into their decision?

Nick asks:

Tucker leaves, Caissie in right, and sign Bregman. Can the Cubs package Happ and Shaw together for a controllable starter? Anybody come to mind?

It seems odd to get into the Cubs' offseason as they host the Padres in the Wild Card Series, but I received many of these questions and I aim to please with this mailbag.

The Cubs will easily come in below the $241MM competitive balance tax this year, after going a little bit over in 2024.  They were also under the CBT from 2021-23.

Regular season attendance was up 3.7% this year, plus at least a few playoff games are taking place at Wrigley Field.  In theory, the Cubs could get into the range of the $244MM threshold, if president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer sees reasonable ways to spend that money.  So what do the 2026 commitments look like?

I'll also make a few option assumptions:

  • Cubs will pick up Andrew Kittredge's $9MM club option
  • Cubs will pick up Colin Rea's $6MM club option
  • Cubs will pick up Shota Imanaga's three-year, $57MM club option.  I'm not entirely sure on the CBT hit in this case, but $19MM should be close enough for our purposes.

There is a case to be made for declining Imanaga's three-year option, but we can get into that another time.

I dared to enter Matt Swartz's top-secret arbitration lab, in the basement of the MLB Trade Rumors building, to beg for some early numbers.  But the Cubs' class is only Justin Steele, Javier Assad, Reese McGuire, and Eli Morgan.  We can just worry about Steele and Assad, who have respective projections of $6.55MM and $1.9MM.

These 12 players, plus other stuff such as player benefits, brings the team's estimated CBT payroll to $176MM.  If these estimates are generally correct, the Cubs will enter the 2026-27 offseason about $68MM shy of the $244MM CBT threshold.  There's space to spend some serious money this winter!

Assessing potential Cubs targets will require a team breakdown!

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Albert Pujols To Interview For Angels’ Managerial Vacancy, May Be “Leading Choice”

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Albert Pujols could be returning to Anaheim, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Angels are planning to interview the future Hall-of-Famer for their managerial opening.  Beyond just being a candidate for the job, Pujols already looks like a favorite, as The Athletic’s Sam Blum, Katie Woo, and Ken Rosenthal write that “Pujols is believed to be the leading choice” for Angels owner Arte Moreno.  A source close to Pujols says “the decision may be Pujols’ to make” in regards to whether or not he’ll take the job.

Reports emerged yesterday that the Halos were making a change in the dugout, as neither Ron Washington nor Ray Montgomery would be managing the team in 2026.  Washington took a leave of absence in June after undergoing a quadruple bypass, and Montgomery (previously the team’s bench coach) took over as interim manager for the remainder of the 2025 campaign.

Montgomery told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that he is deciding whether or not to accept an offer to remain in the Angels organization in another role.  As for Washington, the Angels held a club option on his services for next season, but chose to decline that option in favor of a new face as skipper.

Or, perhaps not an entirely new face if Pujols ends up as the hire.  Pujols spent parts of 10 seasons playing with Los Angeles, hitting .256/.311/.447 with 222 home runs after signing a 10-year, $240MM free agent contract in the 2011-12 offseason.  Much more was expected from Pujols given the size of the deal and his past superstar-level production with the Cardinals, but between injuries and age (Pujols was entering his age-32 season at the time of the signing), the slugger hit the decline phase that most players experience during their 30s.

In theory, the tandem of Pujols and the emerging Mike Trout (and by 2018, Shohei Ohtani) would’ve promised a glorious era of Angels baseball.  Los Angeles did post winning records in four of Pujols’ first five years with the team, though only the 98-win 2014 squad made the playoffs, and the Angels were swept out of the ALDS by the Royals.  That remains the Halos’ last postseason appearance, and the team hasn’t had a winning season since 2015.

With Pujols’ numbers falling off and Ohtani’s presence covering the DH position, the Angels decided to designate Pujols for assignment in May 2021 and then released him soon after.  Pujols moved across town to sign with the Dodgers for the rest of the 2021 campaign, and then played one final season in St. Louis, turning back to the clock to hit .270/345/.550 with 24 homers in 351 plate appearances during his farewell.

Since retiring, Pujols has still been an Angels employee, due to the 10-year personal services contract that was attached to his free agent deal for his post-playing days.  He been open about eventually wanting to return to baseball as a coach or manager, and he has been a special instructor during the Halos’ spring camps, and a skipper in the Dominican Winter League.  Pujols’ most high-profile managerial gig is slated for this coming spring at the World Baseball Classic when he is slated to helm the Dominican Republic’s team, though those plans will naturally change if he is hired to manage the Angels.

Pujols’ lack of direct MLB managing or coaching experience doesn’t make him all that different from some other recent managers who were hired to run teams shortly after their careers were over.  It is increasingly rare to see a true superstar-level talent move into a managerial role, though naturally plenty of Hall-of-Famers have also become skippers (or, back in the day, even served as player-managers).

The idea of Pujols returning as manager to try and restore the Halos to prominence carries some natural intrigue.  If the ball is truly in Pujols’ court about whether he wants the job or not, he may view his past history in Anaheim as part of the challenge, and beginning his managerial career in a familiar environment undoubtedly holds some appeal.  In a sense, there is nowhere to go but up, given how the Angels are on a decade-long run of losing seasons.  Since seven other teams besides the Angels are also looking for managers this offseason, it is possible Pujols could emerge as a candidate for one of those positions as well.

Rockies Expected To Consider Thad Levine In Front Office Search

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The Rockies officially parted ways with general manager Bill Schmidt this morning, finalizing what had become an expected decision after one of the worst seasons in MLB history. The Rox have already announced they’ll go outside the organization for their next baseball operations leader.

That alone is a change for a franchise that has promoted from within for its past two GM hires. Jeff Bridich and Schmidt had each been longtime members of the Colorado front office before ascending to the top of the staff. The Rockies will go in a different direction on the heels of their first three 100-loss seasons in franchise history. Yet given owner Dick Monfort’s reputation for loyalty that arguably tips into insularity, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the next GM has some history with the organization.

Schmidt’s ouster immediately sparked speculation about former Twins’ general manager Thad Levine, who had worked in the Colorado front office between 1999-2005. Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post listed him among five potential candidates for the position this morning. While that was a largely speculative tie, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi also suggested this evening that the Rockies are likely to consider Levine.

Despite holding the GM title in Minnesota, the 53-year-old Levine has never led a baseball operations department. He worked as the #2 executive under chief baseball officer/president of baseball operations Derek Falvey for eight seasons. He stepped down at the beginning of the 2024-25 offseason. Before that, Levine had spent over a decade as an assistant GM with Texas under Jon Daniels.

Levine’s name has come up in plenty of front office searches over the years, including with the Rockies in 2021 before Schmidt had been tabbed as the permanent general manager. He did not work in baseball operations this past offseason, but Morosi reports that he’d have interest in the Colorado GM job.

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