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Angels To Make Significant Coaching Changes

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Manager Kurt Suzuki won’t be the only fresh face in the Angels’ dugout next season. Sam Blum of The Athletic reports that Los Angeles is expected to have an almost entirely new coaching staff in 2026. It’s unclear whether any coaches will return. Hitting coach Johnny Washington and pitching coach Barry Enright are among the coaches not being brought back.

The Angels’ managerial search has earned plenty of headlines in recent weeks after the team decided neither Ron Washington nor Ray Montgomery would return in 2026. Albert Pujols seemed to be next in line, but the sides couldn’t come to terms on a contract. Torii Hunter was seen as the fallback if Pujols didn’t work out, but he was also removed from consideration. Suzuki was announced as the new skipper on Tuesday.

Suzuki received a one-year contract. As Blum noted, the length of the deal could make it more difficult to put together a coaching staff. Candidates would likely be looking for more stability than a manager on a one-year deal (though it does have multiple option years).

After a few years as a minor league pitching coach in Arizona, Enright worked as the Diamondbacks’ assistant pitching coach in 2022. He held that role through 2023. He became the pitching coach of the Angels in 2024. Los Angeles ranked 26th in ERA in Enright’s first season. The pitching staff had the second-lowest strikeout rate and the second-highest walk rate. The Angels weren’t much better this past season, finishing 28th in ERA. They had the fourth-lowest strikeout rate and the highest walk rate.

Enright pitched in parts of four big-league seasons. He played for the Angels in his final two seasons, though he totaled just 12 innings.

Washington received his first big-league coaching gig with San Diego, serving as the first base coach in 2017. He became the team’s hitting coach in 2018, holding that role through 2019. After two years as an assistant with the Cubs, he was hired as the Angels’ hitting coach in 2024

The Angels ranked 28th in scoring in Washington’s first season. Only the Mariners and White Sox had a lower batting average. Los Angeles improved to 25th in scoring this past season. They jumped to fourth in home runs, though it came with a league-leading 27.1% strikeout rate.

Red Sox Promote John Soteropulos to Assistant Hitting Coach

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The Red Sox have made John Soteropulos an assistant hitting coach, reports Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. Soteropulos had been a minor-league hitting coordinator since 2023. Before joining Boston’s organization, Soteropulos was a trainer at Driveline Baseball.

McCaffrey adds that Soteropulos worked with minor leaguers on boosting bat speed and exit velocity during his time as a hitting coordinator. That group included top prospects Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer. The trio debuted in 2025, with varying results.

Campbell made the team out of camp. He hit .301 through April, then fell off a cliff in May, batting .134. He continued to scuffle into June and found himself back in the minors. Mayer got the call at the end of May. He showed big power, though it came with strikeout issues. A wrist injury ended his season in July. Anthony had by far the most success of the bunch. He joined the big-league club a few weeks after Mayer. Anthony shook off a slow June to put up a massive July and August. He posted a .920 OPS and a 156 wRC+ from the beginning of July through the first week of September, when he injured his oblique. The strain would end his season.

Boston’s hitting coach is Pete Fatse. He joined the team as an assistant hitting coach in 2020, before being promoted to the head job in 2022. Dillon Lawson is also joining the staff as an assistant hitting coach. He served as hitting coach for the Yankees from 2022 until midway through 2023.

Add Soteropulos to the growing list of employees to make the jump from Driveline to big-league organizations. Driveline founder Kyle Boddy spent time with multiple teams, including as a consultant with the Red Sox. Eric Jagers, the company’s former Manager of Technical Development, is currently the Vice President of Pitching for the Mets. Sam Briend, who led Driveline’s pitching development program in Seattle, has been the Yankees’ Senior Director of Pitching since 2019.

Blue Jays Notes: Bichette’s Role, Game 1 Starter, Gausman’s Usage

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Bo Bichette is doing everything he can to help the team in the World Series, even if it means playing a position for the first time at the MLB level. The star shortstop has been taking reps at second base, reports Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, among others, as he works his way back from a PCL sprain suffered in early September. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help this team win in whatever role it is – it doesn’t matter,” Bichette told reporters, including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

Manager John Schneider said before Game 7 of the ALCS that Bichette had been making strides in his recovery. The shortstop resumed on-field running work ahead of the series against Seattle, but was ultimately left off the ALCS roster. Regarding Bichette’s role if he’s cleared to return, Schneider said he “could” appear at second base, shortstop, or DH, relayed Mitch Bannon of The Athletic.

All 716 of Bichette’s MLB appearances in the field have been at shortstop. He’s made 31 appearances at DH. Bichette does have professional experience at second base, but it’s been quite some time since he played there. He made a single appearance at the position for Triple-A Buffalo in 2019. Bichette logged 29 starts at second base in the minors from 2016 to 2018.

Bichette’s playing time in the infield, whether at second base or shortstop, will likely come at the expense of Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The utilityman started the final four games of the ALCS at second base. While he did go 5-for-15 against Seattle, Kiner-Falefa is known much more for his glove, and Bichette’s bat would be preferred in the lineup. Andres Gimenez moved over from second base to shortstop when Bichette went down. He could slide back to his original position if Bichette can handle shortstop, or remain there if Bichette heads to second.

The middle of the infield will shuffle depending on Bichette’s status, but one lineup spot that isn’t up for debate is the starting pitcher for Game 1. Right-hander Trey Yesavage will get the ball on Friday, reports Bill Shaiken of the Los Angeles Times, among others. He’ll be opposed by lefty Blake Snell.

Yesavage’s ascent up the Blue Jays’ system has been one of the more fascinating stories of the postseason. He was taken in the first round of the 2024 draft and made his professional debut with Single-A Dunedin in April of this year. Huge strikeout numbers propelled Yesavage to High-A Vancouver and then to Double-A New Hampshire. By August, he had reached Triple-A Buffalo. Yesavage piled up 26 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings with the Bisons, earning an MLB callup in mid-September. He dazzled in his big-league debut against Tampa Bay, striking out nine over five innings. Yesavage earned his first MLB win in his third and final start of the regular season, shutting down the Rays again over five scoreless innings.

Yesavage saved his best for the postseason. In his playoff debut, he fired 5 1/3 hitless innings against the Yankees in the ALDS. He took the loss in Game 2 of the ALCS, but came back with a strong start in Game 6, earning a win to even the series. Yesavage will have a tough test on Friday, facing a Los Angeles lineup that has posted a 113 wRC+ so far in the postseason. He’d be in line to start Game 5, if necessary.

Kevin Gausman would’ve been the top candidate to start Game 1 of the World Series, but he was needed in relief in Game 7 of the ALCS on Monday. Toronto’s ace tossed a scoreless seventh inning and ended up with the win after George Springer launched a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the inning. Gausman told reporters, including Davidi, that he knew pitching on Monday would likely cost him the start on Friday. “That was hard for me to swallow, to be honest … [but] I would hate to go out there not knowing exactly what I’m going to get out of myself. That played a big part in the last couple days.“

Davidi mentioned that Gausman’s side session on Thursday likely sets him up to start Game 2 on Saturday. He’s posted a 2.00 ERA across four appearances in the postseason. Gausman earned the win in Toronto’s blowout victory over New York in Game 1 of the ALDS. He was outdueled by Bryce Miller in Game 1 of the ALCS, but was in line for the win in Game 5 until the bullpen ceded five runs in the eighth inning. If Gausman does start on Saturday, he’d be on track to start again in Game 6, if necessary.

Brewers Announce Injury Updates: William Contreras, Caleb Durbin, Sal Frelick

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Milwaukee announced health news for several players on Thursday. Catcher William Contreras may be facing a corrective procedure for his finger, while infielder Caleb Durbin is expected to have elbow surgery, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, among others. Outfielder Sal Frelick was cleared of any concern, as were pitchers Trevor Megill, DL Hall, and Logan Henderson.

Contreras played through a fractured left middle finger for the majority of the season. The injury was announced in early May, but it was believed to have occurred during the 2024 season. Contreras is meeting with a hand specialist next week for a “potential correction,” noted McCalvy.

The 27-year-old backstop endured his worst season in his three-year tenure in Milwaukee. Contreras slashed .260/.355/.399 with a 113 wRC+. Those would be solid marks for most catchers, but Contreras had set quite the standard since coming over from Atlanta. He posted back-to-back seasons with a batting average above .280 and a slugging percentage over .450. Contreras didn’t miss any time with the finger injury, but it seemed to inhibit his power. He totaled 35 extra-base hits this past season after exceeding that mark in doubles alone in both 2023 and 2024.

Durbin is slated for arthroscopic elbow surgery next week. The infielder dealt with elbow irritation near the end of the season, reports Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He’s expected to be healthy for the 2026 campaign.

Durbin came to the Brewers this past offseason in the trade that sent closer Devin Williams to the Yankees. He opened the season at Triple-A Nashville, but was promoted to the big-league club a few weeks into the season.  Durbin hit well enough to hold down the third base job for the rest of the year. He also made appearances at second base and shortstop. Durbin slashed a respectable .256/.334/.387 while recording double-digit home runs and stolen bases. He hit safely in six of Milwaukee’s nine postseason games, including two doubles and a triple.

Frelick battled knee soreness over the final months of the regular season. He missed a handful of games in early August, but never went to the IL. Offseason imaging on the knee came back clean, with the team describing the findings as “unremarkable.” Frelick is expected to have a normal offseason.

Megill and Hall both returned from injuries just in time for the playoffs. Megill’s flexor strain and Hall’s oblique issue were deemed fully recovered. Henderson’s season was cut short by a flexor strain of his own, but he’s also good to go now.

Quinn Priester is expected to have a normal offseason after dealing with wrist soreness. He never went to the IL with the injury and was available for a pair of postseason appearances. The issue will be managed with treatment and rehab heading into the 2026 season.

Astros Sign Nate Pearson

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October 21: Houston officially announced their one-year deal with Pearson on Tuesday. According to The Associated Press, the deal includes $150K in incentives. He’d earn $50K for reaching 50 innings and $50K apiece at 20 and 25 starts.

October 17: The Astros are in agreement with right-hander Nate Pearson on a one-year, $1.35MM guarantee, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Pearson, a client of Excel Sports Management, is expected to work as a starter. The deal also includes performance bonuses.

Pearson will get the opportunity to pitch out of the rotation for the first time since his brief MLB debut in 2020. The hard-throwing righty made four starts as a rookie with Toronto. He’s made 118 appearances over the past five seasons, and all but two have been out of the bullpen. Pearson spent the last season and a half with the Cubs. He came to Chicago in 2024 via a midseason trade from Toronto.

Pearson made 11 appearances with the Cubs this past season. He broke camp with the team, but gave up 10 earned runs over his first 8 2/3 innings and soon found himself back at Triple-A. Pearson made it back up for a weekend in June, only to be hammered for five earned runs in his lone appearance. His final stint with the big-league club would be two solid outings in August, when he tossed four scoreless innings. In total, Pearson posted a 9.20 ERA across 14 2/3 MLB innings, including an untenable 7:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Chicago released Pearson during the final week of the regular season.

A major-league agreement for Pearson might seem surprising given his recent output at the highest level, but his results were much better at Triple-A Iowa. Pearson recorded a 2.22 ERA with a stellar 30.6% K% across 38 minor-league outings. Free passes remained a problem (12.9% walk rate), but Triple-A batters hit just .170 against Pearson.

Houston is likely betting on pedigree here. Pearson was a first-round selection for Toronto back in 2017. His development was delayed by a broken arm and an oblique injury in 2018, but he broke through with a tremendous 2019 season in the minors. Pearson tossed 101 2/3 innings across three levels, notching a 2.30 ERA with a 30.7% strikeout rate over 25 starts. He entered the 2020 campaign as a top 10 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline and Baseball America.

Pearson made five appearances with the Blue Jays in the shortened 2020 season before an elbow injury cut his year short. Injuries would continue to derail him moving forward. A litany of health issues capped Pearson at 45 2/3 innings in 2021 and 30 2/3 frames in 2022. He stayed healthy for 2023 and 2024, working exclusively as a reliever with the Blue Jays before being dealt to Chicago.

Houston has some uncertainty in the rotation heading into 2026. Framber Valdez is a free agent. The club lost Ronel Blanco, Luis Garcia, and Brandon Walter to Tommy John surgery. Spencer Arrighetti’s season ended prematurely due to elbow concerns. Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr. were healthy to close the season, but have dealt with injuries of their own. Jason Alexander went from depth option to rotation mainstay after getting scooped up as a waiver claim. Hunter Brown is the only rock-solid member of the staff at the moment. Pearson comes with plenty of his own question marks, but the risk is minimal. He could return to a bullpen role if starting doesn’t work out.

Image courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images.

Tigers Not Bringing Back Anthony Iapoce

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First base coach Anthony Iapoce will not return to the team next season, as first reported by Andy Martino of SNY. He had served in the position since 2024. Iapoce had been in the organization for the past three seasons. He managed Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens, in 2023.

As Jason Beck of MLB.com noted, Iapoce was well-regarded in the Tigers’ clubhouse. Players were seen with “Coach Poce” t-shirts before games.

Iapoce has held a variety of roles since wrapping up an 11-year playing career in 2005. He worked as a minor league hitting coach for the Marlins’ organization from 2006 to 2009. Iapoce spent the next three seasons as a minor league hitting coordinator with Toronto. From there he moved on to the Cubs, working as a special assistant to the General Manager from 2013 to 2015.

Iapoce earned his first MLB gig in 2016, serving as the hitting coach for the Rangers. He held that role until 2019, when he became the Cubs’ hitting coach, a position he would occupy through 2021. Texas was a top 10 scoring offense in 2016 and 2017, before slipping to 14th in Iapoce’s final season. Chicago topped out at 10th in scoring during Iapoce’s tenure.

Given his extensive experience and the support he had in Detroit, Iapoce seems like a good bet to latch on with another club this upcoming season.

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.

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.

Cardinals Announce Surgery For Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Ivan Herrera

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A trio of Cardinals underwent surgical procedures in recent weeks, the team announced Friday. Lars Nootbaar had surgery on both heels, and Brendan Donovan underwent a sports hernia repair on October 7. Ivan Herrera had surgery on his elbow to remove bone spurring on Oct. 15. John Denton of MLB.com was among those to report that Nootbaar’s procedure was to shave down Haglund’s deformities. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was among those to note that the recovery timetables are uncertain.

Nootbaar is coming off his healthiest big-league season. The 28-year-old played a career-high 135 games and topped 500 plate appearances for just the second time. Nootbaar missed a few weeks at the end of July with a rib injury, but that was his only IL stint. He was also sidelined for a brief stretch in August with a knee issue.

While Nootbaar stayed on the field in 2025, he struggled to produce at the plate. He slashed an underwhelming .234/.325/.361, resulting in a career-low 96 wRC+. Nootbaar maintained his solid plate discipline numbers, but he fell off significantly in the power department. His .361 SLG was a career-worst by more than 50 points, and his .128 ISO was unbefitting of a corner outfielder.

Nootbaar is arbitration-eligible this offseason. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a $5.7MM salary.

Donovan dealt with multiple injuries in 2025, with a groin strain in August costing him the most time. He initially tried to play through the injury, but eventually landed on the IL. Donovan appeared in just eight games over the final few weeks of the regular season.

The injuries capped what was shaping up to be a career season for Donovan. He hit .329 through May, before a turf toe issue popped up. Donovan earned a trip to the All-Star game and still had an OPS near .800 heading into the break. His numbers trailed off from there, but the final line was strong. Donovan finished with career-best marks in batting average and slugging percentage to go with an excellent 119 wRC+.

Donovan is also heading to arbitration. Swartz projected him for a $5.4MM salary, just behind Nootbaar.

Herrera battled several injuries himself this season, though the elbow issue is his first of the upper-body variety. He missed most of April with knee inflammation, then a hamstring strain cost him three more weeks in the summer.

A three-homer game put Herrera on the map in the first week of the season. He piled up 11 RBI in the Cardinals’ first seven games. Herrera continued to mash after the knee injury, maintaining an OPS over .900 before the hamstring injury. He scuffled in July and August, but bounced back with a massive September. Herrera wrapped up his first full big-league season with a strong .284/.373/.464 slash line. He’s been a standout at the plate whenever given the opportunity. He even saw some outfield reps this past season as St. Louis tried to find ways to get him in the lineup.

The Cardinals have several options behind the plate, which made it easier for Herrera to spend the majority of his time at DH. A potential trade could clear out some of that depth, but Herrera should find regular at-bats in the Cardinals’ lineup next year, whether at catcher or DH.

Reds Plan To Keep Elly De La Cruz At Shortstop

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Elly De La Cruz has led the league in errors the past two seasons, but the Reds intend to keep him at shortstop, at least for the time being. President of baseball operations Nick Krall spoke to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com for a piece about Cincinnati’s top prospects. With shortstop prospect Edwin Arroyo knocking on the door of the majors, Krall was asked if there were plans to move De La Cruz off the position. “As of right now, no,” Krall told Sheldon.

After posting 29 errors in 2024, De La Cruz racked up another 26 this past season. He’s been at least three errors clear of the next-closest defender in each of the past two seasons. Durability is somewhat at play here. De La Cruz has been remarkably healthy in his first two full seasons in the big leagues, appearing in at least 160 games both times. More games equal more fielding opportunities, though De La Cruz has also struggled on a per-chance basis. He finished with the third-worst fielding percentage among qualified players in 2025.

De La Cruz has tantalizing tools at the position. He averaged 92.2 mph on throws in 2025, which ranked in the 93rd percentile. De La Cruz posted standout marks in terms of range last season, with StatCast having him at 14 Outs Above Average. That mark plummeted to -3 this past year, though.

Center field has been rumored as a future destination for De La Cruz. It’s a path many struggling infielders have taken over the years, with Oneil Cruz serving as the most recent notable example. Cruz finished second in errors last season with 26. While a couple of those miscues came in the outfield, 24 of them were at shortstop. Pittsburgh moved Cruz to the outfield full-time in 2025, opting to go with the sure-handed Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop.

While Arroyo might not be an immediate MLB option, Cincinnati has alternatives already on the big-league roster. Matt McLain made 52 starts at the position when he first debuted in 2023. The same goes for Noelvi Marte, who played a handful of games at shortstop when he first joined the Reds. Santiago Espinal has plenty of experience up the middle, but he’s likely ticketed for a utility role. Cincinnati now has Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base to buttress the left side of the infield, which should allow some flexibility with the shortstop decision.

No matter where he plays, De La Cruz’s bat will be in the lineup. He’s been the engine of the offense the past two seasons, topping 20 homers and scoring 100+ runs in back-to-back years. De La Cruz has at least 35 stolen bases in all three of his MLB seasons, including a league-leading 67 swipes in 2024. De La Cruz has trimmed his strikeout rate in each year of his career. He hit a career-best .264 this past season.

Despite De La Cruz’s struggles, Cincinnati only had the 11th-most errors last season. They ranked 21st in fielding percentage. A full season of Hayes should boost those marks.

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