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Rangers Sign Alexis Diaz

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December 16: Texas officially announced the signing of Díaz to a one-year contract. He only has three-plus years of MLB service time and will be eligible for arbitration through the 2028 campaign. This brings their 40-man roster count to 38, not including their yet to be finalized signing to bring back Chris Martin.

December 12: The Rangers are in agreement with reliever Alexis Díaz on a one-year deal, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News first suggested that the sides were closing in on a deal, and has suggested the contract will be on the cheaper side.

With Phil Maton, Chris Martin, Jacob Webb, Hoby Milner, and Danny Coulombe all reaching free agency after the season, Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young has to assemble a new bullpen once again.  He made a pair of relief additions within minutes of each other Friday night with the signings of Diaz and Tyler Alexander.

Diaz, 29, was a 12th round pick of the Reds out of a Puerto Rico high school a decade ago.  He skipped Triple-A to make the Reds’ Opening Day roster in 2022, making good on the promotion by posting a 1.84 ERA and earning a fifth place Rookie of the Year finish despite a bout with biceps tendinitis.  With a strong start to the 2023 season, Diaz earned an All-Star nod.  He finished third in the NL with 37 saves that year.  Diaz punched out 31.2% of batters faced during his first two seasons, 14th in baseball among relievers with at least 100 innings.  However, he also had the fourth-worst walk rate in that group at 12.8%.

Diaz was able to save another 28 games with a 3.99 ERA for the Reds in 2024, but his strikeout rate plummeted to 22.7% with the walks remaining a problem.  On the strength of his saves totals and early success, he landed a $4.5MM salary for 2025 as he entered the arbitration system.

The righty started 2025 on the IL with a hamstring injury, and things only went downhill from there.  Diaz was still under consideration for the Reds’ closing job when he made his mid-April season debut, but after a disastrous three-homer outing against the Cardinals on April 30th, he was sent back to Triple-A.

Diaz’s control issues continued at Triple-A, and by the end of May the Reds sent him to the Dodgers in a trade for minor league pitcher Mike Villani.  Diaz served in a low-leverage, up-and-down capacity for the Dodgers, who eventually designated him for assignment on September 4th.  He then joined the Braves in a waiver claim and made three appearances before being sent down.  Diaz elected free agency in early October.

Diaz’s nine-game stint with the Dodgers was easy to forget, but it ending up playing a role in the club signing his older brother Edwin a few days ago to a three-year, $69MM deal.  According to Edwin, “He told me the Dodgers are a really good organization. He made it easy for me.”

Alexis may be on the opposite end of the relief salary spectrum as compared to his older brother, but Chris Young had success last winter with bargain-basement relievers.  He let Kirby Yates and David Robertson depart for greener pastures, signing Armstrong, Webb, Milner, Martin, and Luke Jackson to one-year deals topping out with Martin’s $5.5MM.  All but Jackson had solid years.  Milner and trade deadline pickup Maton signed with the Cubs this offseason.  Southpaw Robert Garcia serves as the main holdover.

Mike Maddux departed for the Angels after three years as the Rangers’ pitching coach, leading the club to elevate Jordan Tiegs to the role under new manager Skip Schumaker.  According to Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News, “Tiegs, 38, ran the team’s bullpen last season in his first on-field role with the big league club, helped stabilize a group that was largely pieced together the previous winter and drew positive reviews from veteran relievers and organizational higher-ups.”

Tiegs will have his work cut out for him with Diaz.  The righty’s average fastball velocity slipped from 95.8 miles per hour as a rookie to 93.6 with his three teams this year, though it plays up with some of the best extension in the game.  It’s been two years since Diaz missed bats with a high spin rate fastball and one of the best sliders featured by any reliever.  His control is worse than ever.  Diaz has been able to dodge longballs until this year, but doesn’t really keep the ball on the ground.

Young’s active Friday evening included the signings of Diaz, Alexander, and catcher Danny Jansen in rapid succession.  He previously swapped Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo for an OBP boost.  With limited payroll flexibility, Young figures to continue adding to the pitching staff.

Subscribers On The Benefits Of Trade Rumors Front Office

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As you may know, I started a paid subscription service five years ago called Trade Rumors Front Office.  For $34.99 per year, subscribers enjoy ad-free browsing of MLBTR, access exclusive articles and chats from our writers every week, and dive into GM-caliber tools such as our MLB Contract Tracker.  Recently I asked our subscribers if they would like to provide quotes about this service for marketing purposes.  This was entirely voluntary; these are all real subscribers and none of them were paid for their quotes.  I’ve chosen a few of my favorites below.  Learn more about Trade Rumors Front Office here!

————————————————————————————————————————————

I was a free user of MLBTR for years. It was my go to app for all the latest news. When the pitch came around to consider subscribing, I figured I had gotten enough value over the years that I owed it to the team to support them. Wow! I had no idea what I was missing! Getting rid of the ads was worth it alone, but all the chats are awesome. The writers really take their time to thoughtfully answer all sorts of fake trade proposals and armchair GM scenarios. What I figured would be a one-time thing, is likely going to be an ongoing subscription. 100% worth the money! – Matt

I really appreciate the Front office exclusive chats and the emailed articles with each writer’s perspectives on a variety of topics. I also subscribe simply because I think the work MLBTR does is valuable and very much worth supporting. – Greg

MLB Trade Rumors’ Front Office subscription is worth every penny—and a whole lot more. It’s the only website I’m sure to read every day, and being a subscriber enhances the experience with features like ad-free browsing, Front Office chats and special articles. I don’t see how a diehard baseball fan can get along without the excellent work from the MLBTR team! – Tom

Trade Rumors Front Office has been a subscription worth every penny. From weekly chats to great detailed articles, every baseball fan would benefit greatly, and more importantly have a lot of fun, from enjoying their content. – Joseph

I think the member chats are always well done. I especially enjoy the member’s mailbag that Tim does every week. He really takes the time to give well thought out thorough answers. I’ve learned a lot from them. – Marc

None of the other sites I subscribe to are anywhere close to MLBTR. I’m seriously thinking of cancelling all of them. – Alf

MLBTR is my first read in the morning for news. My go to for breaking news. The front office subscription has been well worth the price and they’re always producing high quality content. They keep me up to date on basketball and football too. Highly recommend to any diehards of the Big 3 sports leagues! – Greg

MLBTR Front Office Subscription offers the greatest value differential from its free offering (essential for a baseball fan) than any equivalent that I am aware of. – Reynold

Has to be one of the best decisions I made signing up for this. Just a lack of advertisement that flashes on the side of the screens makes things so much easier to read. I also read the chats but after they’re completed. Just too busy during the day to be involved and I love all the extra stuff that I get. anyone not on the subscription based, you’re wasting your time it’s so inexpensive , Join today you’ll see the benefits right away. – Andy

I check MLBTR several times a day, and my Trade Rumors Front Office subscription would be a bargain at the twice at the price. MLBTR simply has the sharpest minds in baseball analysis, with a treasure trove of information at their disposal (and at ours). It is required reading for the serious baseball fan. – John

MLB Trade Rumors has been my baseball go-to for over a decade, and I subscribed this year both to support their work and to access additional quality content. Their writers have the passion of fans and the knowledge of industry pros. It’s a pleasure to read good, AI-free, well-researched writing, without corporate spin, and I plan to renew for many years to come.  – Lloyd

The absolute ’go-to’ source. Buries competitors. And, questions are answered! If you have made the decision to invest in this type of information, there is no better, cost effective way to do so. – Paul

To read about all the benefits of Trade Rumors Front Office – which comes with a 100% money-back guarantee – click here!

Support MLBTR With A Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

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About a month ago, MLB Trade Rumors celebrated its 20th anniversary!  We hope you enjoyed our Winter Meetings coverage!

The MLBTR writing team consists of Steve Adams, Anthony Franco, Darragh McDonald, Mark Polishuk, Nick Deeds, Leo Morgenstern, Charlie Wright, and AJ Eustace.  We all love baseball and we’re dedicated to bringing you the hot stove news with timeliness, accuracy, context, and analysis.  The essence of the website has not changed in these 20 years – we’re not jumping on any trends involving clickbait, gambling, or AI.

Part of the reason MLBTR is still going strong is the addition of our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription service five years ago.  I have never viewed that as a charity for us; my goal is to provide value well beyond the $34.99 per year cost.  Here’s what you get with your subscription:

  • Removal of all ads on the website and in our app (just make sure you’re logged in!)
  • My weekly mailbag
  • Exclusive weekly hot stove articles from expert MLB writers Steve Adams and Anthony Franco
  • Exclusive member-only online chats with Steve and Anthony every week
  • MLB Contract Tracker: a high-powered tool featuring 19+ years of free agent contracts and extensions
  • MLB GM Tracker: GM tenures for all 30 teams dating back to 2000, with links to each GM’s contract history
  • MLB Agency Database: agencies for more than three-quarters of those who played in MLB in the last three seasons, compiled from industry sources
  • Random perks such as early access to our revamped Trade Rumors app (coming soon!)

In the midst of our all the offseason action, please consider supporting MLBTR with a Trade Rumors Front Office subscription.  It comes with a 100% money-back guarantee!

MLB Mailbag: Gore, Pivetta, Phillies, Santander

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As the Winter Meetings start to pick up, this week's subscriber mailbag gets into MacKenzie Gore trade proposals, more trade ideas involving this year's Cy Young winners, the trade value of Nick Pivetta and Anthony Santander, and much more.

Steve asks:

Assuming that MacKenzie Gore has not been traded as I write this, would either of these two deals be likely to work for the teams involved?

1. Gore and Luis Garcia, Jr. to the Giants for Bryce Eldridge and Carson Whisenhunt? or

2. Gore to the Red Sox for Triston Casas and Connelly Early?

Your thoughts?

Gustav asks:

Who’d say no in a Gore & Abrams for Sheehan, Freeland, Ferris & Hope?

Gore, 27 in February, has two more years of team control remaining.  He's had a couple of 3-WAR type seasons in 2024 and '25, but they came with extreme volatility.

The lefty made 32 starts in 2024.  He had a 14-start stretch in the middle where he posted a 6.18 ERA, 19.8 K%, and 11.4 BB%.  That 8.3 K-BB% was the fourth-worst in baseball among qualified starters during that June 3rd-August 17th period.  Before and after that, Gore pitched like an ace.  His velocity was up early in the season, spiking to 96.6 miles per hour from the beginning of the year through July 1st.  It was a full mile per hour slower from that point on.

Similarly, Gore entered a July 20th start against the Padres this year with a 3.02 ERA, 30.5 K%, and 7.7 BB%.  His was back in ace form, and earned his first All-Star nod.  From that point forward, though, Gore posted a 6.75 ERA, 20.7 K%, and 12.8 BB% over his final 11 starts.  This stretch was a bit more concentrated into three or four blow-ups.  Gore's velocity was back down to 95.3 this year, but was relatively consistent game-to-game.

A run through Gore's injury history:

  • 2018: IL time with blisters and fingernail issues
  • August 2019: rested for 26 days to manage workload
  • 2020: no minor league season; pitched at Padres' alternate site
  • 2021: Started year at Triple-A; moved to Padres' alternate site in June after struggling with blisters; remained there to work on his delivery.  Finished the year with two Double-A starts.
  • 2022: Made MLB debut in April when Blake Snell got injured.  July 26th: landed on IL with elbow soreness.  August 2nd: traded to Nationals.  Made four minor league rehab starts for the Nats.
  • 2023: Exited July start with a blister; made the following one.  Removed from August 16th start due to a blister; returned a week later.  September 9th: season ended due to blisters.
  • 2024: Avoided IL and known blister issues.
  • 2025: Exited May start due to leg tightness; made his next one.  August 30th: went on IL for shoulder inflammation; ended up going 16 days between starts.

The blister issues didn't seem to pop up after 2023.  Gore has never undergone Tommy John surgery.  His 2022 elbow soreness and his 2025 shoulder inflammation seemed minor.

So Gore's injury history is not bad, but he's been a pitcher of extremes the last two years.  It's difficult to value that, but I'm sure just about every organization would like to bring him in and try to smooth things out.

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MLB Mailbag: Mets, Red Sox, Murakami, Expansion, Cubs, Tatis

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This week's mailbag gets into the Mets' offseason thus far, Craig Breslow's tenure atop Boston's front office, the Munetaka Murakami situation, how an expansion draft works, the Cubs' anti-deferral policy, Fernando Tatis Jr.'s trade value, and much more.

Ed asks:

I'm finding it hard to understand the Mets thinking. I'm scratching my head about the Marcus Semien/ Brandon Nimmo trade. I asked my friend who's a big Mets fan (his last name is Metz) what he thought and he responded that it depends on what outfielder they replace Nimmo with. I told him that unless they break the bank on Kyle Tucker its not going to be a clear upgrade. I'd say Cody Bellinger is an slight upgrade but after looking at their numbers its amazing how similar Bellinger and Nimmo are offensively and I don't see Cody putting up as good numbers in Citi Field.

Then I heard they are shopping Senga, instead of signing Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez to compliment Senga they are looking to move on all together. Again I think both Framber and Ranger are probably a little better than Senga but if you sign one of them and keep Senga he becomes your # 2 which he is much better suited for.

I believe last year was more of a fluke for Devin Williams than the new norm, but would rather have Diaz, especially since William's problem might have been that he just can't handle the New York limelight. The Mets are now going with Williams as closer unless they resign Diaz and yes it probably closes the door on Diaz unless they want to invest over $100 million on two back end of the bullpen guys.

Just curious what you think of these moves. Do you feel the Mets will be stronger in the OF, Starting and Relief pitching in 2026?

Abner asks:

As a NY Mets fan I would love to see a late innings duo of Edwin Díaz & Devin Williams. But knowing how does David Stearns operate, how realistic is the Mets signing Díaz with Williams already in the fold? Will they look for cheaper options getting a guy like Tyler Rogers and/or Emilio Pagán to be the setup man while Williams is the closer? If they decide to invest heavily in Williams and Díaz, does that mean that they will not invest in an ace for the starting rotation this offseason? Thanks in advance.

On the Nimmo/Semien trade, I agree with Ed's friend.  So far, we've seen a portion of the Mets' offseason puzzle.  It's not close to being complete.

At age 33, Nimmo projects as roughly a 2.5 WAR player next year.  It's true that the free agent market is light on outfielders who are capable of that, beyond Tucker and Bellinger.  But it's also true that 34 MLB outfielders were worth 2.5+ WAR this year, including several few saw coming.  And that doesn't account for platoons that combined for 2.5 WAR-type value.

There's also collapse risk with the 33-year-old Nimmo, who is under contract through 2030.  Let's take a quick look at the last five years and see how many 33-year-old outfielders were worth 2.5+ WAR:

Nimmo's track record is very good, and a projection system is not going to project him to fall off a cliff after a 3-WAR season.  But outfield is a young man's game, and you can see how rare good seasons are at 33+.  With Nimmo, this could be a case of the old adage about trading a player a year too early rather than a year too late.  So I don't mind subtracting a player who probably won't age well, saving some money long-term and bringing in a second baseman with strong defense.  That's not to say Semien doesn't have his own collapse risk at 35, but his speed and defense are holding strong.

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

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Free Agent Contest Leaderboard Now Available

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4,604 people entered the MLB Trade Rumors Free Agent Prediction Contest this year.  To date, eight of MLBTR’s top 50 free agents have signed, including four who accepted a qualifying offer.

MLBTR’s readership is off to a great start, particularly with those QO players.  So far, three contestants have predicted seven of eight correctly, and many people have five or six correct.  Click here to check out the contest leaderboard, which will be updated as more top 50 free agents sign.

You can search for a contestant name in the leaderboard, and clicking on a name shows you that person’s picks.  There’s also a “view all” link next to “staff entry,” which allows you to see picks by the MLBTR writing staff.  The contest closed on November 13th at 11pm central.

This leaderboard is accessible under the Tools menu for those on the desktop version of the website, and under the flame icon in the upper left for mobile web users.

To see the most popular choices for each player, click here.

Legends Memorabilia – Mike Trout Signing OPEN! (Sponsored)

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This holiday season, Legends Memorabilia Collection (LMC) offers a gift lineup for the ultimate sports fan. From MLB autographs from Hall of Famers and All-Stars to iconic NFL and college football memorabilia from the biggest names in the game, this curated guide spotlights top items perfect for the holiday gift-giving season!

Right now, there is a special opportunity for MLB Trade Rumors readers. Using the discount code “TR10”, receive 10% off any purchase.

Now through December 1st, fans can send in items to be signed by Mike Trout.

How it works:

Go to ShopLegends.com and locate the Mike Trout signing page.

There will be several options for allowable products to send-in that include:

  • Send-in baseball
  • Sent in flat item (up to 16×20 in size)
  • Trading card
  • Equipment (jersey/bat/helmet, etc).
  • Game used item
  • Original artwork
  • Team signed item

Simply pick what you’ll be sending, add to cart, and pay – don’t forget to use “TR10” as a code!

After, send-in your item to the address on the website:

Legends Memorabilia Collection
ATTN: Send Ins (CUSTOMER NAME – ATHLETE NAME)
7100 Broadway, Building 6H
Denver, CO 80221

If the signing option isn’t the best fit – don’t worry! There are tons of other products available, that include other signatures from Roki Sasaki, World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Derek Jeter, & more.

Plus, plenty of Mike Trout memorabilia available on the site too if you can’t wait for send-in items!

About Legends Memorabilia:

At Legends Memorabilia Collection, their mission is to honor the legacy of the game by preserving and showcasing iconic sports memorabilia—while giving back to the legends who made it all possible. They are committed to putting money back into the pockets of the players, ensuring they share in the value of the memories they helped create. By connecting fans with authentic, player-backed collectibles, they celebrate the past, empower the present, and invest in the future of sports history.

All items come with MLB Authentication. They are one of two companies that have access to MLB authentication, so everything is authentic from the signings.

Visit ShopLegends.com often or subscribe to their email list this offseason to stay up to date on all happenings, like their Mike Trout signing that ends on December 1st. Get your send-ins done now before the Holidays!

This is a sponsored post from Legends Memorabilia.

Most Popular Choices From MLBTR’s Free Agent Prediction Contest

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Entries for MLB Trade Rumors’ annual Free Agent Prediction Contest closed on November 13, with 4,604 different readers submitting their choice of landing spot for each of the offseason’s top 50 free agents. This year, we’re going to provide another fun resource for reference purposes — which teams were the most popular choices for each of the 50 players.

As you might expect, the bigger-spending teams got a lot of attention, though 21 of the 30 teams were the top choice for at least one free agent. (The Rockies, Cardinals, Pirates, Nationals, Astros, White Sox, Guardians, Royals, and Twins were the only teams not listed as a top choice.) Of the six players who have already signed, the plurality or majority of contestants correctly identified that Josh Naylor, Raisel Iglesias, and the qualifying offer-accepting quartet of Brandon Woodruff, Trent Grisham, Shota Imanaga, and Gleyber Torres would remain with their 2025 teams.

The most popular choice of all 50 players was Bo Bichette returning to the Blue Jays, with 81.5% of contestants predicting a reunion. This narrowly edged out Kyle Schwarber (79.9%) and J.T. Realmuto (76.1%) re-signing with Philadelphia, as readers are confident that the Phillies will retain those two veteran bats, but there is far less of a consensus about the chances of Ranger Suarez (13.2%) returning to Philly. Eight percent of readers predict Ryan Helsley to the Marlins, which represented the lowest top choice of any player in the top 50.

  1. Kyle Tucker: Dodgers (39.9%), Yankees (17.8%)
  2. Bo Bichette: Blue Jays (81.5%)
  3. Dylan Cease: Red Sox (20.9%), Cubs (17%), Mets (13.9%)
  4. Munetaka Murakami: Mets (20.3%), Mariners (17.4%), Dodgers (16.7%)
  5. Alex Bregman: Red Sox (37.3%), Tigers (30.3%)
  6. Framber Valdez: Giants (18.7%), Mets (14.2%), Orioles (10.2%), Cubs (9.8%)
  7. Tatsuya Imai: Dodgers (20.2%), Mets (13.7%), Giants (12.7%), Cubs (12.6%)
  8. Cody Bellinger: Yankees (61.2%)
  9. Kyle Schwarber: Phillies (79.9%)
  10. Ranger Suarez: Blue Jays (13.2%), Cubs (12.7%), Phillies (12.3%)
  11. Pete Alonso: Mets (35.8%), Red Sox (29.6%)
  12. Josh Naylor: Mariners (72.6%)
  13. Edwin Diaz: Mets (38.1%), Dodgers (23.2%), Yankees (10.2%)
  14. Michael King: Orioles (14.5%), Padres (12.3%), Yankees (11.8%)
  15. Zac Gallen: Diamondbacks (26.3%), Giants (10.4%), Angels (8.1%)
  16. Devin Williams: Dodgers (23.3%), Mets (9%)
  17. Brandon Woodruff: Brewers (30.3%), Mets (18.4%)
  18. Trent Grisham: Yankees (25.9%), Angels (13.2%)
  19. Kazuma Okamoto: Dodgers (11.6%), Padres (10.9%), Mariners (10%), Angels (9.9%),
  20. Eugenio Suarez: Mariners (18.7%), Reds (17.5%)
  21. Robert Suarez: Dodgers (15.7%), Mets (13.7%), Blue Jays (7%)
  22. Shota Imanaga: Cubs (22.1%), Angels (11.6%)
  23. Jorge Polanco: Mariners (37.7%), Royals (7.8%)
  24. Chris Bassitt: Blue Jays (30.8%), Braves (15.7%)
  25. Merrill Kelly: Diamondbacks (38.5%), Rangers (7.3%)
  26. Brad Keller: Cubs (15.6%), Braves (12.2%), Yankees (11.6%)
  27. Lucas Giolito: Red Sox (21.1%), Orioles (9.6%)
  28. Ha-Seong Kim: Braves (45.4%)
  29. J.T. Realmuto: Phillies (76.1%)
  30. Ryan O’Hearn: Marlins (18%), Padres (8.4%)
  31. Harrison Bader: Phillies (15.6%), Royals (11.9%), Guardians (8.8%)
  32. Raisel Iglesias: Braves (24.3%)
  33. Nick Martinez: Reds (9.6%), Padres (8.7%)
  34. Luis Arraez: Rangers (12.2%), Padres (9.1%), Angels (7.4%)
  35. Zack Littell: Angels (12.9%)
  36. Ryan Helsley: Marlins (8%)
  37. Gleyber Torres: Tigers (59.4%)
  38. Justin Verlander: Tigers (29.1%), Astros (18.2%), Giants (18.2%)
  39. Cody Ponce: Brewers (11%), Cardinals (10.1%)
  40. Kyle Finnegan: Tigers (28.1%)
  41. Luke Weaver: Yankees (17.4%), Cubs (9%)
  42. Tyler Rogers: Mets (16.1%), Orioles (13.2%), Giants (13.1%)
  43. Seranthony Dominguez: Blue Jays (25%)
  44. Pete Fairbanks: Dodgers (12.9%), Cubs (9.3%)
  45. Gregory Soto: Blue Jays (14.3%)
  46. Emilio Pagan: Reds (28.8%)
  47. Tyler Mahle: Athletics (8.9%), Rangers (8.5%)
  48. Max Scherzer: Blue Jays (33.2%), Giants (14.4%), Tigers (11.9%)
  49. Victor Caratini: Rays (22.3%), Astros (11.9%)
  50. Willi Castro: Padres (10.6%)

MLB Mailbag: Grayson Rodriguez-Taylor Ward Trade, Qualifying Offers, Duran, Abreu

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This week's mailbag gets into the Grayson Rodriguez-Taylor Ward trade, the four accepted qualifying offers, the trade value of Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu, and much more.

Nick asks:

Hi, what is Mike Elias thinking selling low on Grayson? Ward is a good, not great, hitter, and Rodriguez's ceiling is an ace. You guys have been calling for a Singer-Ward swap and I feel like 4 years of Rodriguez, even with his injuries, would have way more value than one year of Singer.

Zach asks:

For real, what's with trading Grayson Rodriguez?!?

In making this trade, Orioles president of baseball operations and GM Mike Elias made a big bet against Rodriguez.

When the Orioles drafted Rodriguez 11th overall out of high school in 2018, the club was a few months away from replacing Dan Duquette with Elias as the head of baseball operations.  So Elias wasn't involved with that pick, but he is intimately familiar with Rodriguez's career and health history.

Once one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, Rodriguez's injuries began with a 2022 Grade 2 lat strain that cost him three months and pushed back his expected Major League debut.  He was healthy in 2023, had some success in the Majors, and totaled 165 innings - the only time in his career he's topped 117 frames.

Rodriguez missed 19 days with shoulder inflammation in May 2024, and then saw his season end that year on July 31st due to what was initially called a mild lat strain.  No one could've guessed that quality start against the Blue Jays would close the book on Rodriguez's Orioles career before his 25th birthday.

The big righty supposedly entered 2025 without restrictions, and claimed he wasn't hurt when his velocity was down in spring training.  But in March he was diagnosed with elbow inflammation, compounded in April by another "mild lat strain."  It was initially thought Rodriguez would return in the second half, but he experienced elbow discomfort while rehabbing and was shut down.  After multiple opinions were gathered, Rodriguez's 2025 season ended with right elbow debridement surgery on August 11th.

As Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun reported, Elias described Rodriguez's health this way at the end of September: "There’s nothing medically to suggest that he won’t be ready, and he’s very determined and not happy about what happened last year."  Elias expressed some caution but ultimately said, "I am bullish on the situation."  The procedure involved removing bone chips from Rodriguez's elbow.

Rodriguez spoke to reporters yesterday.  Here's an excerpt from Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register:

"Rodriguez said he is “absolutely” confident that he can pitch a full season this year. He said the bone spurs had been an issue for “three or four years,” and he believes that they led to the lat injuries. “Just being able to get those out of there, my arm feels great right now throwing,” Rodriguez said. “There’s really no question for me to be ready for spring training.”"

I'm searching for an explanation why the pitching-needy Orioles would trade a pre-arbitration mid-rotation type starter with 238 2/3 pretty good big league innings to his name and four years of team control remaining for one year of what looks like, at best, a 2.5 WAR outfielder.

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The Stats Behind Some Potential 2026 Hall Of Famers (Sponsored)

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The 2025 season concluded with one of the most thrilling endings in a very long time (unless you are a Blue Jays fan), but now we’re in the Baseball Offseason, with a very long and cold winter ahead of us before there’s more baseball to watch.

We’re also in Hall of Fame season! This winter, BBWAA voters will decide whether any new players will be elected into the Hall. While there’s some exciting first time players on the ballot, there are also some very interesting ones returning for another year.

We’ll use Stathead, the Internet’s #1 Baseball Stats Search Engine, to take a look at three candidates returning to this year’s ballot. Let’s see why, or why not, they deserve a spot in Cooperstown.

Want to do your own research into the players you think deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame? Sign up for Stathead! Your first month is on us!

Carlos Beltrán
Receiving over 70% of the vote in his third year on the ballot, Carlos Beltrán seems like the safest bet for induction in 2026. How did someone with just one top-10 MVP finish in his career become a Hall of Fame lock? Let’s dig into the numbers!

Beltrán provided elite offense at a premium defensive position. From age 21-33, years where his primary position was center field, Beltrán posted an .853 OPS. He had seven seasons with an OPS over .850 while primarily playing center field. In the last 50 years, only four other CFs had more .850 OPS seasons.

Then, there’s Beltrán work in the field. He had four seasons with at least 10 Rfield, the fielding component of WAR. Rfield is scaled to runs, meaning he contributed around 10 runs of value (equivalent to about one win) four separate times in his career. Since 1990, only 38 OFs have done that four times, most of whom don’t have anywhere near the offensive numbers that Beltrán has.

Putting it all together, Beltrán is one of eight OFs in the last 50 years to have three or more seasons with an OPS of .850 and at least 10 Rfield.

Chase Utley
Switching to the infield, Utley scored a respectable 39.8% in last year’s voting. He still has a ways to go to reach election, but the numbers show why his candidacy is growing.

From 2005-09, Utley posted a ridiculous 39.7 WAR. Individually, those were seasons of 7.3, 7.3, 7.8, 9.0, and 8.2. When your worst season in that span is equivalent to Cal Raleigh’s 2025, you must be doing something right.

How to put that in context? There’s a few ways of looking at Utley’s run here:

When you factor that those five seasons all had Utley as a top five player in WAR, something only six other 2B have done, it’s clear that he has a strong case for the Hall thanks to one of the 2000s’ most impressive peaks.

Félix Hernández
Speaking of peaks, Félix Hernández got 20.9% of the vote last year, as voters weighed whether or not his run as arguably the best pitcher in baseball was enough to counteract a career that was shorter than the average Hall of Fame pitcher.

King Félix won one Cy Young and finished in second two more times. In all three seasons, he had an ERA+ of 170 or better, meaning his ERA was 70% better than the average pitcher when you account for league and ballpark.

That, it turns out, is a very rare achievement. Only 11 pitchers in MLB history have had three or more seasons where they threw 200+ innings and posted a 170+ ERA+. Of the 11, six pitched before Integration. The other five? Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martínez, Greg Maddux, and Félix Hernández.

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