Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Angels To Have New Manager In 2026

By | at

The Angels are going to have a new skipper next year. Sam Blum of The Athletic reports that neither manager Ron Washington nor interim manager Ray Montgomery will return as manager in 2026.

The Halos hired Washington as their skipper ahead of the 2024 season, a two-year deal with a club option for 2026. After a 63-99 showing last year, he began 2025 back in that job. In June, it was reported that he had to step away from the club indefinitely due to an unspecified health concern, with Montgomery moving from his bench coach role to take over as interim manager. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Washington would stay on leave for the remainder of the season.

In August, Washington revealed that he had undergone a quadruple bypass to remove blockages from his heart valves. He said the health scare prompted him to quit smoking and make other lifestyle improvements. He also said he expected to be fully cleared medically in December and hoped to be back in the dugout next year.

It seems the Angels have other plans, however, and will be making a change. The club didn’t perform especially well under either manager. They were 36-38 when Washington began his leave but, as mentioned, they almost lost 100 games last year. They finished this season with a 72-90 record. Of course, a manager can only work with the roster they are given, so it’s up for debate whether the club’s lack of success has anything to do with Washington or Montgomery.

Blum adds that it’s unclear if general manager Perry Minasian will return. He is signed through 2026 with a club option for 2027. Minasian first got the gig in November of 2020. During his tenure, the club has flirted with competitive baseball but has always come up short. They won 77 games in 2021 but dropped to 73 wins in each of the next two seasons. As mentioned, they dropped to 63 last year. Getting to 72 wins in 2025 was technically an improvement over last year but it was only a return to the same unsatisfactory level of the preceding campaigns.

In time, more should be revealed about the club’s plan. They will at least need to conduct a managerial search. Whether that search is conducted by Minasian or someone else remains to be seen. If he is removed, then a front office search will likely be conducted before the managerial search. Washington and Montgomery, meanwhile, will presumably be looking for new coaching gigs elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images

Brewers Outright Erick Fedde

By | at

September 30: As expected, Fedde went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. He can stick in the organization for the rest of the postseason in case injuries open a path back to the big league bullpen.

September 28: The Brewers announced today that left-hander DL Hall and right-hander Trevor Megill have been reinstated from the 15-day injured list. In corresponding moves, they have optioned right-hander Carlos Rodríguez and designated righty Erick Fedde for assignment. It was reported in recent days that Megill would likely be back from the IL today.

Fedde, 32, was picked up off the scrap heap about a month ago. A rough first half with the Cardinals led to him being designated for assignment in July. He landed with Atlanta but was released a few weeks into August.

The Brewers had suffered a few injuries and brought Fedde aboard. Since then, he absorbed 16 innings over seven appearances out of the Milwaukee bullpen. His 3.38 earned run average in that time was fine but his matching 10.6% strikeout and walk rates were both subpar.

Milwaukee has just one regular season game remaining and then have a bye through the Wild Card round. They don’t really need a long reliever anymore and Fedde wasn’t going to be in line for playoff innings, so he’s been bumped off the roster.

He’ll be placed on outright or release waivers now but there will be no point in any club putting in a claim. He wouldn’t be postseason eligible with any other team and he is a free agent at season’s end. He would have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, though he might accept an outright for the off-chance that the Brewers suffer some injuries and need him later in October.

Overall, between his three clubs, Fedde logged 141 innings this year with a 5.49 ERA, 13.3% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and 40.4% ground ball rate. That’s a hugely disappointed campaign when compared to his 2024 season.

After a seeming breakout in Korea in 2023, he returned to North American ball by signing a two-year, $15MM deal with the White Sox. The first year of that pact worked out quite well. Last season, he tossed 177 1/3 innings with a 3.30 ERA, 21.2% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate and 42.1% ground ball rate. The Cards acquired him from the White Sox ahead of the deadline. He’ll face a far softer market in his return to free agency this winter.

Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images

Athletics General Manager David Forst To Return In 2026

By | at

Athletics general manager David Forst will be back in that job next year, he tells Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. His previous contract ran through 2025. It was reported last week that he and the A’s were in discussions to keep him around. It now seems he and the club have worked out a new pact of some sort, though he didn’t provide any specifics.

Forst was hired as a scout for the A’s back in 2000 and moved up the front office ranks over the years. After the 2022 season, he took over the top job in the front office when Billy Beane moved into more of an advisory position.

So far, Forst’s tenure has seen the club in rebuild mode. They went 60-102 in 2022, the year before he was hired. That record dropped to 50-112 in the following season but has been ticking up since. The A’s won 69 games last year and got up to 76 here in 2025.

Ideally, Forst can help the club take another step forward in 2026. The A’s have a bit of momentum, as they went 35-29 in the second half this year. What remains to be seen is what kind of resources he will have to work with in building the 2026 roster. Last offseason, multiple reports indicated the A’s needed to get their competitive balance tax number over $105MM or else they would risk a grievance from the MLB Players Association related to their revenue-sharing status.

That prompted the A’s to throw some money around. They signed Luis Severino and José Leclerc to eight-figure deals, acquired Jeffrey Springs and gave extensions to Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler.

RosterResource pegs their 2025 CBT number at $118MM, though that number is slated to be just $77MM next year. Arbitration raises for players like Shea Langeliers and JJ Bleday will bump that up, but only slightly, as both of those guys will be qualifying for arbitration for the first time.

If the A’s have to hit a similar CBT target in 2026, then we could see them doing some more spending this winter. The starting rotation would be a natural target since that was a weak point for the club in 2025, though finding pitchers to take their money will be a challenge. The A’s are playing in a minor league facility as they await the construction of their new home in Las Vegas. No free agent pitchers will have the A’s atop their wish list. The industry consensus is that the club had to overpay to lure in Severino and he still publicly complained about his plight.

Perhaps that will lead the A’s to take on money in trade or sign a few more extensions. Per Gallegos, Forst says he has had “a lot of conversations” with ownership about the possibility of extending young players like Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson.

Kurtz came up this year and had just about the best debut that anyone could have hoped for. He hit 36 home runs in just 117 games. His 30.9% strikeout rate was certainly high but he also walked at a strong 12.9% clip. The result was a .290/.383/.619 batting line and 170 wRC+.

He wasn’t called up until late April but seems highly likely get a full year of service time anyway. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, top prospects can be retroactively awarded a full year of service time if they finish in the top two of Rookie of the Year voting. Kurtz is the industry favorite to win the award in the American League this year.

That would still leave the A’s with five years of club control but it would mean Kurtz is slated to hit free agency after his age-27 season, instead of age-28. That greatly increases his earning power since teams greatly value that youth.

Some large extensions have been given out to players this early in their careers. Guys like Julio Rodríguez, Jackson Merrill, Roman Anthony and Corbin Carroll have received nine-figure guarantees with less than two years of service time. However, those players offered more value via their baserunning and defense than Kurtz, who is a first baseman without speed. Yordan Alvarez is perhaps a closer analogue as a bat-first player. He got a $115MM extension from the Astros in 2022, though he was a bit further along in his career and just a few months away from qualifying for arbitration.

Wilson will be between one and two years of service this winter, meaning he will also be five years away from free agency. He only hit 13 home runs this year but showed exceptional contact skills. His 5.2% walk rate was subpar but his 7.5% strikeout rate was miniscule, about a third of the league-wide average. That helped him slash .311/.355/.444 for a wRC+ of 121.

He provides more defensive value than Kurtz as a shortstop but his reviews at that position aren’t strong. He was credited with -10 Defensive Runs Saved this year and -2 Outs Above Average. Regardless, FanGraphs still credited him with 3.5 wins above replacement this year and it’s possible his glovework can improve over time.

If the A’s are happy with the contributions from Kurtz and Wilson so far and if they are facing a similar grievance threshold this offseason, then exploring extensions makes plenty of sense. Though as is always the case in these situations, it takes two to tango and the players would have to be on board as well.

Gallegos also relayed one other detail relayed to the A’s, noting that Butler was playing through a patellar tendon strain in his right knee in the final few weeks of the season. He will visit a doctor, presumably soon, to see if surgery is required.

Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images

Rays Sale To Patrick Zalupski’s Group Officially Completed

By | at

The Rays officially have a new owner. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the sale from Stuart Sternberg to a group led by Patrick Zalupski is now rubber stamped with the sale officially closing today.

“It’s an incredible honor to become the stewards of the Tampa Bay Rays, a franchise with a proud history and a bright future,” Zalupski said in a news release. “We are especially privileged to have been chosen by Stu Sternberg as his successors, and we’re all energized by the responsibility to serve Rays fans everywhere and this great game.”

This development was largely a formality. The reported $1.7 billion sale price was agreed to back in July and it was approved by Major League Baseball owners last week. It was noted that the time of that approval last week that the sale still needed to formally close, though that box is now ticked and the keys have changed hands.

Now that the new ownership group is in place, the attention will turn to the unanswered questions surrounding the franchise. The Rays had to play in a minor league park this year due to the extensive hurricane damage done to Tropicana Field. It is hoped that The Trop can be repaired and playable in time for the start of the 2026 season. The club’s lease originally ran through 2027 but the lost year in 2025 has extended that through 2028.

There isn’t a formal plan in place for 2029 and beyond. Zalupski is expected to explore building a new stadium in Tampa itself, as opposed to St. Petersburg, where The Trop is located. That process will take time, as the Rays will have to work out all the particulars with government officials to get the new venue designed, approved, funded, etc.

As Zalupski works on that, president of baseball operations Erik Neander will work on making the club as competitive as possible. Topkin reports that Neander will stay in his job. That’s not especially surprising, as the Rays have generally performed well on tight budgets throughout his tenure. In early 2024, he and manager Kevin Cash were extended through at least 2028.

However, the Rays are currently in a bit of a downswing. They just finished 77-85 after posting an 80-82 record last year. The last time they had losing records in consecutive seasons was back in 2016 and ’17. Amid the uncertainty away from the roster, it’s unclear what kind of resources Neander will have to work with this winter. Topkin notes that there is an introductory press conference scheduled for October 7th, at which point the new owners might shed more light on the next steps for the franchise.

Matt Strahm Passes Physical, Guarantees 2026 Option

By | at

Phillies left-hander Matt Strahm is now officially on the books for 2026. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the southpaw has passed the requisite end-of-season physical to lock in a $7.5MM salary next year.

The Phils and Strahm agreed to an extension in March of 2024. He was already under contract for the 2024 season, with the new pact adding a $7.5MM salary for 2025. It also included a club option for 2026 with a $4.5MM base salary. Strahm could increase the value of that option by $1MM by getting to 40 innings pitched in 2025, then another $1MM for 50 innings. If he got to 60 innings, it would bump by another $1MM to $7.5MM. It would also become guaranteed, as long as he passed an end-of-season physical.

Strahm went on to toss 62 1/3 innings for the Phils this year, allowing 2.74 earned runs per nine. He struck out 27.3% of batters faced while only giving out walks at a 7.8% pace. He recorded six saves and 22 holds, his fourth straight season getting to double digits in the latter category.

Given his solid production, the Phils were probably going to trigger Strahm’s option regardless, but he has now made it official. He’ll return to the club next year and should serve as a key lefty reliever in the Philadelphia pen once more.

As for the other lefties in the bullpen, the Phils will face a decision on José Alvarado, who can be brought back for next year via a $9MM club option or be bought out for $500K. He had a solid performance when on the mound this year, with a 3.81 ERA, 28.1% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate and 45.8% ground ball rate. However, he was limited to 26 innings due to an 80-game PED suspension and a September forearm strain. Tanner Banks had a 3.07 ERA this year and can be retained for next year via arbitration. Tim Mayza is an impending free agent.

Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images

Twins Fire Rocco Baldelli

By | at

The Twins announced that they have fired manager Rocco Baldelli. “This game is ultimately measured by results, and over the past two seasons we did not reach the goals we set,” said president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. “I take personal responsibility for that. After discussions with ownership, we determined this is the right moment for a change in voice and direction.”

Baldelli, now 44, was hired by the Twins seven years ago. Minnesota had a disappointing season in 2018, finishing 78-84, and bumped Paul Molitor from the skipper position. Baldelli’s first few seasons went quite well. The club went 101-61 in 2019 and followed that up with a 36-24 showing in the shortened 2020 season. They won the American League Central in both of those years, though were quickly dispatched in the playoffs on both occasions.

The club fell below .500 in the next two seasons but bounced back to win the Central again in 2023. They actually managed to win a playoff series this time as well, defeating the Blue Jays in the Wild Card round, though they were then felled by the Astros in the ALDS.

More recently, things in Minnesota have gotten quite wobbly. Despite that strong 2023 season, the club went into 2024 determined to cut payroll. Their offseason spending consisting of one-year deals for Carlos Santana, Jay Jackson and Josh Staumont worth a total of $7.7MM. They seemed to be cruising to another postseason berth for most of the year but then went 9-18 in September and missed with an 82-80 record.

Going into 2025, their regional sports network deal was not renewed. That left the club little choice but to have Major League Baseball handle their broadcasts, an arrangement that is generally believed to bring in less revenue than the previous setup. The Pohlad family began exploring a sale of the franchise about this time a year ago.

Going into 2025, the club again made almost no investments in upgrading the roster. Late in the winter, they gave one-year deals to Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe and Ty France, spending a combined $10.25MM in the process.

This year, they hovered around contention for a while but fell behind the rest of the American League pack. Their trade deadline selloff ended up being more extensive than anticipated. They flipped controllable relievers Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Louis Varland. They also sent Carlos Correa back to Houston in a salary dump deal. Minnesota limped to the end of the season with a 70-92 record.

Since that selloff, the Pohlads have decided not to sell the franchise after all. Instead, they have lined up minority investors who are reportedly going to help the franchise pay down its $500MM debt load.

Taking all that into consideration, it’s hard to know how much blame to assign to Baldelli. Evaluating managers from afar is always a tough business, but that’s especially true when the club is actively trying to cut payroll, which naturally gives the manager less talent to manage.

Regardless, the Twins have decided to shake things up with a change in the dugout. Baldelli’s original deal ran from 2019 through 2022, with multiple club options. He was still around in 2023 with some uncertainty around his contract status, but it was reported in May of that year that he had been extended through at least 2025. In June of this year, it was reported that the club had exercised Baldelli’s 2026 option at some point. It’s unclear when that option was triggered but the club has decided to make a change since then.

Time will tell what the Twins have in mind for their next manager, as their general approach for 2026 remains unconfirmed. If they still need to pinch more pennies, then perhaps they will trade Pablo López this winter and go into a rebuilding phase. On the other hand, they have already moved out a lot of payroll and targeted a lot of MLB-ready players in this year’s deadline deals. Perhaps their direction will impact what sort of skipper they look for.

In the coming weeks and months, more information about the club’s general plans and their managerial search should come to light. For now, this opens another managerial vacancy. The Giants also fired Bob Melvin today. There were also some midseason managerial firings in Pittsburgh, Colorado, Baltimore and Washington. The Pirates have decided to keep Don Kelly for next year but those other situations are less clear. It’s also not certain if Ron Washington will be managing the Angels again next year, after a quadruple bypass forced him to depart the team in 2025.

 Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Mike Elias Discusses Orioles’ Rotation, Roster

By | at

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias spoke to the media today, just after the club wrapped up a disappointing 2025 season. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to report on what was discussed, with various details at these links.

The rotation was a natural point of focus, with Elias saying the club wants to add a starter to the front half of its rotation, which could be either a #1, a #2 or a #3. Such distinctions are fairly subjective but the point would be to have another guy capable of slotting in next to Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers somewhere in the front half of the rotation. Baltimore starters ranked 24th in the majors with a 4.65 earned run average this year, so bolstering the rotation is a straightforward target.

What will be interesting to monitor is if the club changes its level of aggressiveness. Throughout Elias’s tenure, the club has never given a free agent pitcher a multi-year deal, as shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker. The only time they’ve gone beyond one year for any free agent was Tyler O’Neill’s three-year pact, which had an opt-out after the first season.

Many Baltimore fans were hoping for change last winter, which was the first offseason under new owner David Rubenstein. In November of last year, Elias raised those hopes by saying that the O’s were considering “the whole spectrum” of available players, which included “high-end free agent deals over many years.” But in the end, their rotation adds were fairly modest. They gave a one-year deal to 41-year-old to Charlie Morton and another one-year deal to 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano, who was coming over from Japan and had no major league experience.

As mentioned, the club’s rotation went on to be a big part of their rough 2025 season. The coming weeks and months will eventually shed some light on if they plan to alter the way they go about bolstering the group for 2026.

While Bradish and Rogers are locked into two spots and Elias hopes to bring in another, that still leaves a couple of spots open at the back end. And of course, a modern baseball team never gets through a full 162-game season using just five starters, so various arms of the roster should play important roles. With that in mind, Elias noted that Grayson Rodriguez is expected to be ready for spring training. He also said that Tyler Wells is good with being a starter or a reliever but the club plans on him being a starter.

Rodriguez has shown tremendous promise but is a huge question mark right now. He logged 122 innings in his 2023 rookie season. Ideally, he would have increased his workload in 2024 but shoulder injuries limited him to 116 2/3 frames. In 2025, both elbow and shoulder injuries wiped out his entire season. He started the campaign on the IL due to elbow inflammation. While on the IL for that, a lat strain set him back. In July, the shoulder was apparently fine but the elbow still a problem. He underwent a debridement surgery in August.

While it’s encouraging that he is on track to be ready by spring training, the O’s probably can’t rely on him at this point. Even if he proceeds without setbacks through to the start of next season, the O’s will have to think about his workload after this lost year.

As for Wells, he just came back from a UCL surgery he underwent in 2024. He got back to the majors in time to make four starts with a 2.91 ERA. He now has a solid 3.98 ERA in his career, as well as a 22.8% strikeout rate and 6.2% walk rate. Those numbers make him a decent rotation candidate next year but he may also have workload limits. Between his rehab work and his big league starts to finish the season, he only logged 47 innings in 2025.

Elias also addressed the club’s catcher situation, saying that Adley Rutschman will be the club’s primary backstop. Rutschman once seemed well establish in that role but his performance has dipped in recent years. He had a .268/.369/.439 batting line through 2023 and was continuing in that fashion through the first half of 2024. However, he appeared to injure his hand when it was struck by a foul ball, which led to a .207/.282/.303 line in the second half of last year.

Ideally, he would have been fully healthy and back on track in 2025 but that didn’t happen. He strained both his right and left oblique at separate times this season and only got into 90 games with a .220/.307/.366 line.

As Rutschman has been struggling, Samuel Basallo has continued to raise his stock. He reached the majors late this season and then the O’s signed him to an eight-year extension. That’s obviously a tremendous vote of confidence but he’s still just 21 years old, has questions about his defense and a .165/.229/.330 line thus far in the big leagues.

Though Basallo has a bright future, it’s understandable that he Rutschman is still ahead of him on the depth chart. Basallo can also play some first base, so perhaps that allows him and Rutschman to co-exist in the lineup, though that could also impact other players like Coby Mayo or Ryan Mountcastle.

Elias also provided a vague update on outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who is seeing doctors due to some unspecified medical condition. Kjerstad didn’t play after the month of July this year with reports of fatigue. His current medical examinations could be related to that fatigue, though that’s mere surmise.

Photo courtesy of Tim Heitman, Imagn Images

Padres Place Ramón Laureano On Injured List Due To Finger Fracture

By | at

TODAY: Laureano told reporters (including Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune) that his finger will be in a splint for roughly the next three weeks.  As such, Laureano said he has only “delusional hope” that he’ll be able to play again in 2025.

September 27: The Padres officially placed Laureano on the 10-day injured list today, per a club announcement. The move was retroactive to September 25, and San Diego recalled infielder Will Wagner to take Laureano’s place on the active roster for the final two games of the regular season.

September 24: Padres outfielder Ramón Laureano has a fracture in the index finger of his right hand and will miss at least the first round of the playoffs. Manager Mike Shildt informed reporters, including Julian Del Gaudio of Fox 5 San Diego, after today’s game.

Laureano appeared to injure his hand when fouling off a ball in today’s game. As seen in this video from MLB.com, he was shaking his hand in discomfort after the pitch. He was removed from the game in the second inning.

Shildt sounded fairly pessimistic when asked if Laureano would be able to return after the first playoff round, as heard in this audio clip from 97.3 The Fan. “Sometimes, we come in and talk about, you know, slight fracture, hairline fracture,” Shildt said. “It’s a fracture. So I want to temper expectations but I also want to keep everything on the table. But I wouldn’t expect to see him early in the playoffs but I would hold out hope for later.”

Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn were acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline. The Friars sent six prospects to Baltimore in one of several aggressive moves they made to bolster the club for the stretch run.

Since then, Laureano has become an everyday part of the club’s outfield and performed quite well. He has nine home runs in 49 games, helping him produce a .271/.325/.492 line and 128 wRC+. He has also stolen three bases and bounced around between all three outfield spots.

Losing that kind of player with just a few games left in the season is obviously less than ideal timing. Based on Shildt’s comments, the club will probably have to operate under the assumption that Laureano is done for the year. If they can engineer a deep postseason run and get him back in the second half of October, they can cross that bridge when they come to it.

That will leave the Padres with an outfield mix consisting of Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Gavin Sheets. Tatis has been ill this week but Shildt said in the comments linked above that he has been feeling better. O’Hearn has mostly been playing first base but can play a bit of outfield as well. Bryce Johnson is on hand as a bench guy. Tirso Ornelas is on the 40-man roster and could perhaps be recalled. Tyler Wade is in the system in a non-roster capacity and could be selected to the 40-man.

The Padres hold a $6.5MM option to bring back Laureano for 2026, with no buyout. This injury is minor enough that it shouldn’t impact that decision, so that option is likely to be picked up. The Friars have been working around notable financial constraints in recent years but could likely find a trade partner if they don’t have the budget space to cover that amount of money themselves.

Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images

Michael A. Taylor Announces Retirement

By | at

White Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor announced his retirement to members of the media today, ahead of the Sox facing the Nationals in Washington, a place he played for many years. “To be able to play my last games of my career here in this ballpark in front of these fans, it’s just the icing on the cake,” Taylor said, per Andrew Golden of The Washington Post. He is in the lineup for the Sox today, playing center field and batting ninth, in what will be his final game.

Michael A. Taylor | Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY SportsTaylor, now 34, was a sixth-round pick of the Nationals back in 2009. He was a shortstop at that time, considered to be raw, but in possession of some elite tools. He was moved to the outfield and quickly showed the potential to be a strong defender. He also showed more pop with the bat as he climbed the ladder, hitting 23 homers in the minors in 2014.

Going into 2015, he was considered to be one of the top 100 prospects in the game. Baseball America gave him the #32 spot, MLB Pipeline had him at #42, Baseball Prospectus at #57 and ESPN at #71. FanGraphs was a bit more bearish, putting him at #133 on their top 200 list.

Taylor had already made a brief major league debut in 2014 but got more properly established in 2015. He got into 138 games for the Nats, popping 14 homers and stealing 16 bags, but his overall value was held back by subpar walk and strikeout rates of 6.8% and 30.9%. Over his career, he would have his ups and downs, but his contributions mostly took that shape. He could put the ball over the fence, track it down with his glove and swipe some bags, but the plate discipline was never good.

Despite his flaws, he was a useful player for the Nats during their best stretch in Washington. The club finished above .500 in each season from 2012 to 2019, making the playoffs in five of those eight seasons. Those clubs featured stars like Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Trea Turner, Juan Soto, Max Scherzer, Anthony Rendon and others, but Taylor often played a solid supporting role.

In 2019, Taylor spent a decent chunk of the year in the minors, only getting into 53 big league games with one home run. But he took on a more prominent role at just the right time. As the Nats made a miracle charge through the postseason, Taylor got into eight of the club’s playoff contests. He clinched the NLDS over the Dodgers with a diving catch, as seen in this video from MLB.com. He also slashed .333/.391/.619 in his 23 plate appearances as the Nats eventually went on to win the World Series.

In the shortened 2020 season, Taylor had a rough showing, slashing .196/.253/.424. At the end of that campaign, the Nats put him on waivers and he elected free agency after clearing. That led to a one-year, $1.75MM deal with the Royals for 2021. He bounced back somewhat that year with a .244/.297/.356 line and 14 stolen bases. As the season was winding down, the Royals didn’t want him to get away, so they gave him a two-year, $9MM extension for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

He had a somewhat similar campaign in the first year of that extension but the Royals flipped him to the Twins for 2023. He hit a career-high 21 home runs for Minnesota that year but also struck out at a 33.5% rate, leading to a .220/.278/.442 batting line.

That was a relatively strong campaign for him but he remained unsigned into mid-March of 2024, when he settled for a one-year, $4MM deal with the Pirates. His year in Pittsburgh turned out to be fairly forgettable, as he hit just five home runs and put up a .193/.253/.290 line. He then secured a one-year, $1.95MM deal to join the rebuilding White Sox this year. With one game remaining, he is currently sporting a .199/.256/.366 line.

Taylor currently has 1,215 games played with 3,797 plate appearances, with one more contest to go. He has 806 hits, including 109 home runs. He has drawn walks at a 6.9% clip and struck out 30.7% of the time, producing a .232/.287/.379 batting line. He stole 128 bases. He was credited with 90 Defensive Runs Saved and 61 Outs Above Average in his career as an outfielder. For the 2014-2025 period, that DRS total was sixth among outfielders and his OAA tally was eighth. FanGraphs credited him with 10.2 wins above replacement. Baseball Reference gave him 12.6 WAR and pegs his career earnings above $27MM.

We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Taylor on a solid career and wish him the best in whatever comes next. He tells Golden that he plans to spend more time with his kids but would consider a coaching role in the future.

Photos courtesy of Geoff Burke, Steve Mitchell, Imagn Images

Clayton Kershaw Will Not Be On Dodgers’ Wild Card Roster

By | at

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tells Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times that left-hander Clayton Kershaw will not be on the club’s Wild Card roster. The veteran southpaw is starting today’s game and it will be a normal start for him. The Dodgers recalled right-hander Landon Knack to give them a fresh arm, with left-hander Andrew Heaney optioned out as the corresponding move.

The decision on Kershaw makes sense given the short series, as they wouldn’t need him to make a start in the best-of-three. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell will likely take the ball for the first two contests. Tyler Glasnow started yesterday but only went three innings. He should be plenty rested to start on normal rest for Thursday’s Game Three, if necessary. Shohei Ohtani could also be a factor in there, depending on how the Dodgers want to use him.

The Dodgers have experimented with Kershaw as a reliever a little bit recently, as he tossed a relief inning on Wednesday. However, Kershaw lacks the top-end velocity that teams generally like to have coming out of the bullpen these days. His fastball averaged 90.4 miles per hour during that appearance out of the bullpen on Wednesday. Even with the Dodger bullpen scuffling a bit in recent weeks, they seemingly prefer to go with their typical relievers instead of having Kershaw convert to a pen role.

Since the Dodgers don’t plan on using Kershaw in the Wild Card round, they can have him absorb as many innings as possible today. Their contest this afternoon is meaningless, as they have already been locked into the #3 seed in the National League. It’s also meaningless for the Mariners, who are locked into the #2 seed in the American League. The Dodgers presumably hope to have Kershaw and Knack cover as much of the game as possible. Though they do have an off-day tomorrow before the Wild Card series begins, so they could perhaps have some relievers get limited work during today’s contest. Kershaw should get more consideration for a spot on the NLDS roster, if the Dodgers advance.

As for Heaney, he has more than enough service time where he can only be optioned to the minors with his consent. Presumably, he has agreed to be optioned off the active roster. That arrangement likely works for both sides. He probably isn’t going to be on the club’s initial playoff roster but could be recalled if some injuries pop up. That gives the Dodgers some extra depth. For Heaney, it’s a chance to potentially pitch in the postseason, whereas not consenting would only allow him to get a headstart on his offseason. He’ll be eligible for free agency at season’s end regardless.

Roberts also provided updates on some position players, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com. Roberts expects third baseman Max Muncy to be ready by Tuesday’s game. He hasn’t played since Wednesday due to some unspecified lower body injury. Roberts added that infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman should be able to play the field by Tuesday as well. Due to some right ankle soreness, he hasn’t played the field since Wednesday, though he did serve as the designated hitter on Saturday.

Catcher Will Smith is a bit more up in the air. He hasn’t played in almost three weeks due to a hairline fracture in his hand, suffered when he was hit by a foul ball. Roberts says he has been swinging lately but will need to take live at-bats tomorrow to be considered for the roster. Currently, the Dodgers have Ben Rortvedt and Dalton Rushing handling the catching duties.

Photo courtesy of Joe Rondone, Imagn Images

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top