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Mets Acquire Joey Gerber

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The Mets have acquired right-hander Joey Gerber in a trade with the Rays, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports.  Tampa Bay will receive cash in return for Gerber, who was one of six players the Rays designated for assignment yesterday.

After making his big league debut in the form of 17 games and 15 2/3 innings of 4.02 ball with the Mariners in 2020, Gerber then missed virtually all of the next three seasons due to back surgery and a Tommy John surgery.  He resurfaced to pitch in the Yankees’ farm system in 2024, and a subsequent minor league deal with the Rays last winter paved the way for his return to the Show.  Gerber appeared in two games (4 1/3 innings) for the Rays in September, posting a 2.08 ERA.

There is still a bit of a “work in progress” aspect to Gerber’s performance in the wake of such an extended layoff, as reflected by his 6.23 ERA over 43 1/3 innings with Durham last season.  An inflated .351 BABIP and a lot of home run problems contributed to Gerber’s ERA, but he has a 26.74% strikeout rate over 57 1/3 total frames at the Triple-A level.

It was enough to pique the Mets’ interest, and president of baseball operations David Stearns has long had a reputation for seeking out undervalued relievers with intriguing stuff.  Gerber has a minor league option remaining, which gives the Mets some extra roster flexibility if he does happen to make the team.

Diamondbacks Decline Elvin Rodriguez’s Club Option

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The Diamondbacks declined their $1.35MM club option on right-hander Elvin Rodriguez for the 2026 season.  A press release from the MLBPA broke the news by adding Rodriguez to its updated list of free agents, and reporter Francys Romero added the detail that Rodriguez is already receiving interest from teams in Asia.

Rodriguez is no stranger to playing overseas, having already spent parts of the 2023-24 seasons in Japan with the Yakult Swallows.  He delivered a 2.77 ERA over 78 innings in Nippon Professional Baseball, which led to a one-year split contract with the Brewers last winter to mark his return to MLB.  The deal contained both the club option and a $900K salary for Rodriguez’s time in the majors in 2025, which ended up being 19 2/3 innings of 9.15 ERA ball with the Brewers and Orioles.

Milwaukee was dealing with a ton of rotation injuries early in the season, which opened the door for Rodriguez to make the Opening Day roster and make two starts over his six total appearances for the Brew Crew.  After being designated for assignment in July, the O’s claimed Rodriguez but DFA’ed him as well in early September, upon which Arizona stepped in for another waiver claim.  The Diamondbacks didn’t give Rodriguez any looks on their active roster, and his time in the organization will now end after four Triple-A appearances.

Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2022, and his total resume in the bigs consists of a 9.40 ERA over 52 2/3 total innings.  The righty allowed a whopping 21 homers within that small sample size, and keeping the ball in the park has been a consistent issue for Rodriguez even in his minor league career.  Notably, Rodriguez allowed just a single home run over 45 innings with the Swallows in 2024, which may be why he could again be considering leaving North American ball.  A deal with an international team would surely represent more guaranteed money for Rodriguez than a contract with an MLB team, as Rodriguez is likely facing just minor league offers this winter.

Offseason Outlook: Toronto Blue Jays

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After falling painfully short in the World Series, the Blue Jays now face the challenge of keeping their core roster together, starting with the possible departure of cornerstone Bo Bichette.

Guaranteed Contracts

  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B: $480MM through 2039
  • Andres Gimenez, 2B/SS: $86.5MM through 2029 (includes $2.5MM buyout of $23MM club option for 2030)
  • Jose Berrios, SP: $66MM through 2028 (Berrios can opt out of contract after the 2026 season)
  • Anthony Santander, OF/DH: $65.5MM through 2029 (includes $5MM buyout of $15MM club option for 2030; Santander has opt-out after 2027 season that Jays can override by increasing salary and exercising 2030 option)
  • Alejandro Kirk, C: $52MM through 2030
  • Kevin Gausman, SP: $23MM through 2026
  • George Springer, OF/DH: $22.5MM through 2026
  • Jeff Hoffman, RP: $22MM through 2027
  • Yariel Rodriguez, RP: $17MM through 2028 (includes $6MM player option for 2028; Blue Jays have $10MM club option if Rodriguez declines)
  • Myles Straw, OF: $8.75MM through 2026 (includes $1.75MM buyout of $8MM club option for 2027; Blue Jays also have $8.5MM club option for 2028 with $500K buyout; Guardians paying $2.75MM to Jays as condition of January 2025 trade)
  • Yimi Garcia, RP: $7.5MM through 2026

Option Decisions

  • Shane Bieber, SP: $16MM player option for 2026 ($4MM buyout)

2026 financial commitments (assuming Bieber declines player option): $164.75MM
Total future commitments (assuming Bieber declines player option): $850.75MM

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projections from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Free Agents

As devastating as Game 7 was for the Blue Jays and their fans, the rest of the 2025 season was an unqualified success.  The club won its first AL East title in 10 years and its first AL pennant since 1993, in a stunning turn-around for a club that finished in last place in the AL East just a season ago (and held a modest 26-28 record through the first two months of 2025).

Just about every single Toronto hitter improved on their 2024 numbers, turning the Jays into a dangerous all-around offense fueled by putting the ball in play, high-volume and quality contact, and timely (if not always consistent) power.  Bichette was a key element of this formula.  After struggling with injuries and inconsistent play since August 2023, he returned to his old self in 2025 by hitting .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs over 628 plate appearances.  Those numbers likely would've been even stronger if Bichette wasn't sidelined by a left PCL sprain in early September, which kept him out of action until the World Series.  Even while clearly limited in terms of running or normal flexibility, Bichette still hit .348/.444/.478 over 27 PA during the Fall Classic.

Bichette has stated that he won't need a knee surgery this winter, and while we could perhaps wait a few days to make sure Bichette wasn't just trying to tough it out for the postseason, it would seem like his PCL sprain shouldn't leave him any worse for wear for Opening Day 2026.  That means the Blue Jays and other suitors will probably feel comfortable in bidding normally on the All-Star now that he's hitting the open market.

There has been speculation for years about how the Jays would approach the free agencies of Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. during the 2025-26 offseason, and the Guerrero debate was firmly answered last April when the two sides agreed to a 14-year, $500MM extension.  With such a big commitment made to Guerrero, of course, that only raised fresh questions about Bichette's future.  Especially when coming off a down year in 2024 and with the Jays acquiring Andres Gimenez last winter, it seemed like Toronto was preparing itself to let Bichette walk.

The team's magical run in 2025 may have changed the equation.  Ownership and the front office may have some natural inclination to try and run it back (as much as possible) with a roster that came two outs away from a championship.  The Rogers Communications ownership group is very wealthy and has been comfortable in taking the Blue Jays' payroll into luxury tax territory in both 2023 and 2025, including the team's record high payroll and tax number this season.  (Cot's Baseball Contracts estimates payroll at $254MM and the tax number at roughly $278.8MM, while RosterResource estimates a $257.8MM payroll and a $282.7MM tax number that would put the Jays over the third penalty tier.)

Would the Blue Jays be willing to pay something in the $150MM-$200MM range on Bichette and add yet another long-term deal to a ledger that already has over $850MM in future commitments?  Guerrero alone takes up a big chunk of that $850MM-plus figure, but the Blue Jays also have to factor in other potential expenditures.  As we'll explore later in the outlook, Toronto will again need to make some investments in its rotation, and Kevin Gausman is a free agent next winter.  Extending George Springer didn't seem like a consideration a year ago, but after Springer's big comeback season, the Jays must now at least be thinking about retaining the veteran when his current deal is up next winter.

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Coaching Notes: Mets, Padres, Leiper, Rays

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Many teams are still setting up their coaching staffs for the 2026 season, and some news broke about some departures on the Rangers staff earlier tonight.  Let’s check in with some more coaching-related rumblings from around the league…

  • The Mets have interviewed Padres third base/infield coach Tim Leiper for an unspecified role on New York’s coaching staff, according to The Athletic’s Tim Britton.  SNY’s Andy Martino reported yesterday that the Mets were nearing a hire for their third base coach vacancy, so it would seem logical that Leiper might be the one being tapped as Mike Sarbaugh’s replacement.  Leiper has been San Diego’s third base coach for the last two seasons, and since the Padres are looking for a new manager, it makes sense that Leiper would be exploring other options if the Padres’ staff is about to get shaken up.  Leiper has close to 30 years as a coach and manager in the minors and in international baseball, plus he was also the Blue Jays’ first base coach for five seasons (2014-18).
  • The Rays are looking for a new assistant hitting coach, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.  Brady North previously filled the role, but the team announced last month that North would be moving on to a possible new role in the organization after four years on the coaching staff.  Topkin notes that Ozzie Timmons is one of the internal candidates for the assistant hitting coach role, which would mark Timmons’ return to Tampa’s staff after a four-year absence.  Timmons was the Rays’ first base coach from 2018-21 before moving onto a three-year stint as a hitting coach with the Brewers.  Tampa Bay brought Timmons back into the fold as a special assistant and roving coach role within the organization prior to the 2025 season.

Gold Glove Winners Announced

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Major League Baseball announced the Gold Glove winners tonight, as selected by managers, coaches, and statistical analysis.  Twenty-five percent of the selection total was determined by SABR’s Defensive Index metrics, while the other 75 percent was determined by votes from all 30 managers and up to six coaches from each team.  The utility Gold Glove was determined in a separate fashion, via a defensive formula calculated by SABR and Rawlings.

National League winners

American League winners

Royals Decline Mutual Option On Michael Lorenzen

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The Royals have declined their end of the $12MM mutual option in Michael Lorenzen’s contract for the 2026 season, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers reports.  Lorenzen will instead receive a $1.5MM buyout and enter free agency.

The veteran right-hander first came to Kansas City in a trade from the Rangers prior to the 2024 deadline, and Lorenzen delivered 28 2/3 innings of 1.57 ball down the stretch for the Royals even though a hamstring strain kept him on the injured list for about a month.  The two sides reunited on a one-year free agent last winter worth $7MM in guaranteed money — a $5.5MM salary for 2025, and then the $1.5MM buyout.

Mutual options are almost never mutually exercised, so both sides surely viewed the contract as just a one-year pact.  Lorenzen’s numbers weren’t as sharp in 2025, as he posted a 4.64 ERA, a subpar 21% strikeout rate, and a host of other uninspiring Statcast metrics over 141 2/3 innings (starting 26 of 27 games).  Lorenzen’s 4.16 SIERA at least outpaced his ERA by almost half a run, perhaps due to a solid 6.4% walk rate that matched the righty’s career best.

Kansas City brought Lorenzen back with the idea that he could eat innings at the back of the rotation, and he ended up being particularly important given how many Royals starters missed time on the IL.  The injury bug bit Lorenzen himself in July when an oblique strain sidelined him for a month, but over the last three years, Lorenzen has quietly averaged 141 2/3 innings per season.

Lorenzen’s lack of velocity and strikeout ability will limit his earning potential, and he’ll probably get just one-year offers since he turns 34 in January.  But plenty of teams are in need of back-end rotation help or starting depth in general, plus Lorenzen’s past history as a relief pitcher makes him a candidate to be converted into a bullpen role on a postseason roster.  Kansas City has enough rotation depth that another deal with Lorenzen is probably unlikely, but the Royals could look to trade a starter and then re-sign Lorenzen to fill that void later in the winter.  This is exactly what the Royals did last offseason, in trading Brady Singer to the Reds and then signing Lorenzen about six weeks later.

The Royals’ other option decisions include a $5MM mutual option with Randal Grichuk’s services for 2026 (with a $3MM buyout), and a $13.5MM club option Salvador Perez.  It is expected that Grichuk’s option will be declined and Perez’s option will be either exercised, or the team will negotiate another multi-year extension with the longtime catcher.

Ryan Borucki, Michael Stefanic Elect Free Agency

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Left-hander Ryan Borucki and infielder Michael Stefanic have both elected free agency, as per the MILB.com transactions wire.  Both players were outrighted off the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster during the regular season and chose to accept the outright assignments rather than elect free agency at the time, but it was expected that they would opt into minor league free agency at some point after season’s end.

Borucki began his career in Toronto’s organization and spent parts of his first five MLB seasons (2018-22) with the Jays before he was traded to the Mariners in June 2022.  After a brief stint in the Cubs’ farm system, the southpaw’s next big league action came with the Pirates from 2023-25 until he was designated for assignment and released in August.  The Jays soon picked him up on a minor league contract and he got a brief run on their active roster in September, appearing in four games before being DFA’ed and outrighted.

Over 256 1/3 innings in the Show, Borucki has a career 4.28 ERA, 19.7% strikeout rate, 8.9% walk rate, and 48.3% grounder rate.  Those numbers included a 4.63 ERA in 35 combined innings with the Pirates and Blue Jays in 2025.  Borucki is the type of specialist reliever whose career was heavily impacted when MLB instituted the three-batter rule for relievers in 2020, as Borucki has struggled badly against right handed-hitting batters but dominant against left-handed bats.

Between those splits, his low strikeout totals, and the natural variance involved with being a grounder specialist, Borucki will very likely again have to settle for a minor league contract as he enters his age-32 season.  He is bound to land somewhere since so many teams need bullpen depth and/or left-handed relief help, but Borucki may be facing another round of DFA and outrights unless he can both earn a look in a big league bullpen and start producing consistent results.

Stefanic began his pro career as an undrafted free agent with the Angels in 2018, and broke into the majors by appearing in 90 games with Los Angeles over the 2022-24 seasons.  He inked a minors deal with Toronto last winter and had his contract selected for a nine-game cup of coffee in May when the Jays were in need of infield depth.  Stefanic produced a .462 OPS over 25 plate appearances in 2025, and he has hit .227/.314/.267 in 289 career PA in the Show.

This uninspiring slash line is a far cry from the impressive numbers Stefanic has posted in Triple-A, as he has batted .332/.427/.454 over 1884 PA with the Blue Jays’ and Angels’ top affiliates.  Between these stats and his ability to play all over the infield, Stefanic should catch on somewhere on another minors contract, but he is out of minor league options.

Tony Beasley, Bret Boone Expected To Leave Rangers’ Coaching Staff

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Veteran pitching coach Mike Maddux has already left the Rangers to become the Angels’ new pitching coach, and now some other members of the Texas staff are on the way out.  Third base coach Tony Beasley and co-hitting coach Bret Boone aren’t expected back with the team in 2026, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

Replacements may come from within, as Grant writes that first base coach Corey Ragsdale will change roles and take over from Beasley as the third base coach.  Justin Viele was splitting the hitting coach duties with Boone, but Viele will now become the Rangers’ lead hitting coach.  In a separate item, Grant said that the Rangers view former Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron “as a very strong candidate” for the job of assistant hitting coach, and it isn’t clear whether or not current assistant hitting coach Seth Conner will head elsewhere or remain in his position.

Beasley was the longest-tenured member of the Texas staff, having been hired as a coach back in 2015 and working in a few different roles under multiple managers.  One of those roles was as an interim skipper himself, as Beasley stepped in as manager for the last 48 games of the Rangers’ 2022 season after Chris Woodward was fired.  Beasley then returned to third-base coaching duties under Bruce Bochy and won a World Series ring with the club in 2023.

According to Grant, Beasley is expected to look for a job with another team.  It isn’t clear if Boone will continue to pursue his coaching career or if he might return to retirement and his podcasting job.  When hired in May, Boone made it clear that he was eager to work with his former manager and longtime friend Bochy, so it could be that Boone is now moving on since Bochy won’t be back as the Rangers’ skipper.

Even though new manager Skip Schumaker has been working as an advisor to the Rangers front office for the last year, it isn’t surprising that he’ll want to shake things up a bit and put his own stamp on the coaching staff.  Beyond Beasley, Boone, and Maddux, catching coach Bobby Wilson announced last month that he is also departing after six years in the organization.

Giants Chairman Greg Johnson Discusses Team Spending

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Giants chairman Greg Johnson discussed several topics in an interview with John Shea of the San Francisco Standard, including some talk about how the team plans to spend this winter.  As usual with any upper-level executive, Johnson spoke in generalities about payroll rather than citing any specific figures, and downplayed the idea of any huge spending splashes.  For instance, while Johnson cited “starting pitching help” as “probably No. 1 on the list” of offseason priorities, he said the Giants would “be very cautious about” signing a pitcher to a nine-figure contract.

As to whether or not the Giants would exceed the threshold of $200MM in spending, “it just depends on what’s out there.  We may be over.  We may be under,” Johnson said.  “We’re going to look at each situation and make the decision and see how it fits into not only next year, but the longer-term plans.”

San Francisco has exceeded the Competitive Balance Tax line four times in their history.  They paid the tax in each of the 2015-17 seasons, as a function of the rising costs associated with trying to keep their championship core from the early 10’s teams together.  The club also narrowly exceeded the tax line in 2024, as a function of the Giants making a series of pricey acquisitions during the 2023-24 offseason.

In 2025, the Giants ducked back under the tax line, even after some more prominent moves — i.e. extending Matt Chapman, signing Willy Adames to a seven-year/$182MM free agent deal, and their June trade for Rafael Devers.  Even with these salaries involved plus major commitments to Logan Webb, Jung Hoo Lee, and Robbie Ray, San Francisco’s books are relatively clean since almost all of the team’s money is tied into just these six players.  Ray is also a free agent next winter, leaving more space open for longer-term commitments even though Johnson is wary of such contracts.

“We can go up [in spending], but I think the risk is having too many people on similar six-year-type deals that create less flexibility to the payroll,” Johnson said.  “I think you can always do things on a shorter basis, but you’ve got to be careful about having too many of your players being late 30s at a high-payroll level.  I think you have to balance that.”

San Francisco fans may not love hearing about ownership’s financial caution, yet pretty much any owner or front office executive would share Johnson’s concerns on overspending now on players who could soon be future albatrosses.  This was, in fact, the very situation the Giants found themselves in during their previous highest-spending years, once some of the key players from their World Series teams started to decline.

There’s also the fact that the Giants are far enough under that $200MM line that there’s room for the team to spend rather substantially this winter while still remaining under the threshold.  Cot’s Baseball Contracts estimates the Giants at roughly a $152.7MM payroll and a $182MM tax figure for 2026, while RosterResource’s estimates are a bit higher ($169.3MM payroll and a $192.4MM tax number).

Whichever estimate you prefer, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey figures to have financial flexibility in pursuing more big-ticket targets this winter.  Upgrading the pitching staff (not to mention the team’s other needs) likely won’t come cheap, and with just one winning record in their last nine seasons, the Giants figure to again be very active in trying to get back into contention.

MLBTR Chat Transcript

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Mark P

  • Almost seven and a half months after the Dodgers and Cubs squared off in Tokyo, the 2025 MLB season will officially end today.*  But, almost as importantly as Game 7, it’s also time for the final Weekend Chat of the 2025 season!

    *= I guess it could technically end on November 2 if Game 7 goes past midnight, but what are the chances the Dodgers and Blue Jays play some crazy extra-inn…..oh wait

World Series Prediction

  • Who you got?  Blue Jays win 4-3 or Dodgers steal the show?

Mark P

  • Who wins Game 7?
    Blue Jays (65.3% | 548 votes)
    Dodgers (34.6% | 290 votes)
    Total Votes: 838

AA

  • Do I sign cease or king this offseason?

Mark P

  • Leaning towards no, since the Braves under Anthopoulos haven’t pursued longer-term pitching contracts.  Cease is also a Boras client, and AA generally doesn’t do business with Boras on a free agent level.

    King is an interesting option for a somewhat shorter-term contract with opt-outs involved.  It depends on how his market shapes up since there’s still a very good chance he lands a big multi-year deal anyway, but if he doesn’t want to fully commit himself after a shortened 2025 season, he and his reps might be open to more creative contracts.  This might open the door to a team like Atlanta to get involved.

Hang over

  • So will the first day of free agency be crazy after the World Series is completed?  Which teams do you see making the most waves?

Mark P

  • Free agency doesn’t begin until five days after the final game of the WS.  The offseason in general starts immediately, however, so I’d expect a lot of news on options being exercised/declined, maybe a couple of trades, maybe the Padres/Rockies/Braves announce their new manager or GM, etc.

Dean

  • Who’s the splashiest surprise (ala Eflin, HSK) FA signing you could see the Rays making?  Realmuto?

Mark P

  • It’s hard to see the Rays outbidding Philly for Realmuto.  I can also assume that Realmuto probably feels the Phillies are closer to winning in 2026 than the Rays are, so that’s not likely to be an option for him.

    Projecting free agent moves for Tampa is difficult since when they do strike, it tends to be somewhat out of nowhere.  Nobody saw them as suitors for Kim, for instance.  Bringing in an Eflin type of innings-eater might be a good move this winter due to the injury uncertainties in their rotation.

BrianM

  • Does Pete resign with the Mets?

Mark P

  • Leaning towards no.  I think it took a particular set of circumstances to reunite Alonso and the Mets last winter, and it feels like the Mets only have a certain price point for Alonso in mind.  Coming off a much better platform season, Alonso likely isn’t in the mood to take any kind of shorter-term pact this time around.

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