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Red Sox Sign Jason Delay To Minor League Contract

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The Red Sox have signed catcher Jason Delay to a minor league deal, according to Just Baseball Media’s Aram Leighton.  Presumably the contract contains an invitation for Delay to attend Boston’s big league Spring Training camp.

Delay was a fourth-round pick for the Pirates in the 2017 draft, and he had spent his entire pro career in Pittsburgh’s organization before he was traded to the Braves back in April.  Atlanta wanted a bit of extra catching depth while Sean Murphy was on the injured list, but Delay ended up not getting any action at the big league level.  Delay instead hit .200/.261/.257 over 251 plate appearances at the Double-A and (mostly) Triple-A levels before he was outrighted off the 40-man roster at the end of July.

Though Delay could’ve opted for free agency since he had a past outright on his record, he chose to stick it out with Triple-A Gwinnett for the rest of the season and then elected to become a free agent in early October.  It didn’t take long for Delay to line up his next team, as he’ll now become the third catcher in Boston’s organization with any MLB experience.

The first two of those backstops are Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong, who project as the starting and backup catcher in 2026.  That said, Wong is coming off a rough 2025 season and he underwent hand surgery a couple of weeks ago, plus Narvaez also had a minor knee surgery.  Both backstops are expected to be ready for Spring Training, yet Delay’s addition gives the Red Sox some guard against any rehab setbacks, or the possibility that the Sox could move on Wong entirely.

Delay received a good chunk of playing time with the Pirates in 2022-23 before Joey Bart, Yasmani Grandal, and Henry Davis pushed Delay down the depth chart in 2024.  Over 373 career PA in the majors, Delay has hit .231/.295/.315 with two home runs.

Tomas Nido, Jose De Leon Elect Free Agency

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Catcher Tomas Nido and right-hander Jose De Leon both recently elected to become free agents, as per the MILB.com transactions log.  The Red Sox outrighted De Leon off their 40-man roster last week, while Nido was outrighted off the Tigers’ 40-man roster back in May and was never added back.  These outrights and the fact that both players have over three years of MLB service time allowed the duo to test the open market.

A veteran of nine Major League seasons, Nido appeared in 10 games with the Tigers after inking a minor league pact last offseason, and hit .343/.361/.343 over 37 plate appearances on the active roster.  Jake Rogers suffered an oblique strain in April that opened the door for Detroit to select Nido’s contract, and the Tigers then designated Nido for assignment and outrighted him once Rogers was healthy.  Nido could’ve declined the outright assignment and become a free agent then, but instead chose to stay at Triple-A Toledo in a depth role, suiting up in 48 games for the Mud Hens and hitting .209/.267/.331 over 189 PA.

Nido is a classic glove-first backstop, with only a .215/.249/.310 slash line to show for his 982 PA in the majors (895 of them with the Mets).  The 31-year-old will surely land another minor league deal this winter with another team looking for experienced catching depth, though it’ll likely require another injury further up the depth chart for Nido to get any significant MLB playing time in 2026.

The Red Sox signed De Leon to a minor league contract last winter, and selected him to the active roster to make a start in Boston’s very last game of the regular season, as the Sox were saving their regular starters for the playoffs.  De Leon tossed a quality start (6 2/3 IP, three ER on eight hits and three walks, with eight strikeouts) to earn his first big league win since the 2019 season, when De Leon was still a member of the Rays.

De Leon was one of baseball’s more highly-touted pitching prospects during his minor league days, but he has amassed only 72 MLB innings over parts of seven seasons since making his debut in the Show in September 2016.  A pair of Tommy John surgeries and several other injuries were roadblocks in De Leon’s career, and the second of those TJ procedures (in June 2023) cost the righty the entire 2024 season.  De Leon has a 7.13 ERA over his 72 innings in the bigs, and some major control problems contributed to his 6.93 ERA in 75 1/3 frames with Triple-A Worcester in 2025.

Yankees Hire Desi Druschel To Coaching Staff

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7:47PM: Either Claiborne or Druschel will be the Yankees’ new bullpen coach, SNY’s Andy Martino reports.

6:53PM: Desi Druschel is returning to the Yankees as an assistant to pitching coach Matt Blake, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.  He worked in that same capacity during the 2022-24 seasons, and is now back in the Bronx after a one-year sojourn across town as an assistant pitching coach with the Mets.  Druschel wasn’t fired by the Mets, but Passan writes that the team gave him permission to speak with other teams about jobs.

The Mets’ coaching staff has already undergone quite an overhaul in the month since the team’s disappointing season came to an end.  Druschel joins bench coach John Gibbons, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, hitting coaches Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes, infield coach Mike Sarbaugh, and retiring catching instructor Glenn Sherlock as members of the 2025 staff who won’t be returning in 2026.  Two vacancies have already been filled, as the Amazins hired Kai Correa as Carlos Mendoza’s new bench coach, and Jeff Albert is the team’s new director of Major League hitting (with a more traditional hitting coach still to be hired).

Hefner’s departure was the first sign of an overhaul to the pitching department, so it isn’t a shock that Druschel is also on the way out.  The Mets’ rotation and bullpen were the primary reasons for the team’s second-half fade, as between injuries and ineffectiveness, the Amazins had trouble finding enough arms to just cover innings down the stretch, let alone effectively post results.  Forty-six different players took the mound for the 2025 Mets for a team that finished 18th in baseball with a 4.04 team ERA — after the All-Star break, the Mets’ 4.74 team ERA was the sixth-worst in baseball.

It is unfair to lay the blame entirely on the coaching staff, of course, and obviously the Mets’ pitching struggles didn’t prevent Druschel from quickly landing a job back with his old club.  The 50-year-old Druschel had a long collegiate coaching career, including stints as the Iowa baseball program’s director of operations and pitching coach before was hired by the Yankees in 2019 as their minor league manager of pitching development.

Preston Claiborne was hired as Druschel’s replacement in the assistant pitching coach role last winter.  It isn’t known if the Yankees will keep both men as Blake’s assistants, or if Claiborne could potentially be on his way out.  In other Yankees coaching news, first base/infield coach Travis Chapman, bullpen coach Mike Harkey, and assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler are on the way out (though Roessler may return in another job), and former hitting coordinator Jake Hirst will join Druschel as new members of Aaron Boone’s staff.

MLBTR Chat Transcript

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Mark P

  • The Weekend Chat is upon us!  We’ll wait a minute for the questions to start piling up, then get cracking….

Guest

  • Reds trading front of line pitcher this off-season?

Mark P

  • If by “front of the line” you mean Greene, Abbott, or Lodolo, probably not.  Petty and Burns likely aren’t going anywhere either, so Singer might be the most realistic starter Cincinnati would deal to obtain some real hitting help

Angela

  • Want do you see the phillies  doing this off-season

Mark P

  • Well, my outlook on the Phillies offseason could be summed up as….
    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/10/offseason-outlook-philadelphia-…
  • The TL;DR version is that my guess is that the Phils re-sign Schwarber and Realmuto, Suarez departs, Bohm is non-tendered or traded, and the team brings in a significant everyday outfielder to replace Castellanos (who will probably be released, in lieu of a salary-dump trade)
  • Now, whether or not this “significant everyday outfielder” is more of a stopgap or, say, Kyle Tucker or someone more eye-opening remains to be seen

Guest

  • Does Luis Arraez make more or less than 12 million AAV in free agency?

Mark P

  • Less.  I admit that Arraez is a tricky player to evaluate, but most modern front offices will look at his lack of defensive utility and lack of overall offensive production rather than just his batting averages

Jonny Venters

  • You’re the GM of the Pirates, and Bob Nutting has told you he intends to raise the payroll as high as $210 million in 2026(don’t laugh!).  What moves do you make this offseason to put PIT in contention?

Mark P

  • First I get up off the ground, since that news would’ve caused me to faint.

    Then, heck, sign Tucker, sign Schwarber, go all out on bats.

Dan

  • Who do you believe is the favorite to be the next Braves manager?

Mark P

  • The Braves are purposely keeping news quiet, but Mark Bowman of MLB.com had an interesting report the other day pointing towards Danny Lehmann as a name under increasingly serious consideration.

    Hard to call Lehmann the “favorite,” per se, but given the lack of other names, I guess it’s maybe him by default?  Just as notably, Bowman reported that guys like Ross, DeRosa, and Gibbons weren’t being considered

Read more

Dombrowski: “Bryce Harper’s Not Getting Traded”

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3:15pm: Harper spoke to Matt Gelb of The Athletic about his feelings on the situation, with Gelb describing Harper as “confused and upset.”

“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper told Gelb. “Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It’s all I heard in D.C. (with the Nationals). I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

Harper went on to note he’s not heard from either Dombrowski or Phillies managing partner John Middleton since the end of the season and described Dombrowski’s comments as “disappointing.” In his comments to Gelb, Harper highlighted his decision to not negotiate an opt-out clause into his contract because of his desire to show a commitment to the city of Philadelphia.

That certainly makes it sound as though Harper has no intention of waiving his no-trade clause even amid the current rumors, and he expressed frustration about trade talk coming up at all given the “total commitment” he’s shown to the team by moving to first base and coming back ahead of schedule from injuries.

9:33am: In his season wrap-up press conference with the media (including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki) last week, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski described Bryce Harper’s 2025 campaign as something less than “an elite season like he has had in the past,” and expressed some vague uncertainty over whether or not Harper would be able to once again be an MVP-caliber star.  While not really a criticism of Harper, Dombrowski’s comments created a bit of a stir, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post heard that Harper was “pissed off,” in the words of “people connected to the Phillies.”

Dombrowski has now spent the last two days downplaying any notion that the club is unhappy with Harper, or that the two-time NL MVP could possibly be nearing the end of his time in Philadelphia.  The executive told the New York Post by phone that, simply, “Bryce Harper’s not getting traded.  He’s a great player.  He’s a future Hall of Famer.  He’s a cornerstone of our franchise, and we look to have him be with us a long, long time.”

Dombrowski said that he had yet to speak to Harper since the press conference but probably would in order to further clarify things, again noting that he didn’t view his comments as an insult.  Turning back to Dombrowski’s initial remarks from the press conference, the PBO said that going forward with Harper, “I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good.  If you look around the league, I think…Freddie Freeman: He’s a really good player, right?  He still is a good player.  Is he elite like he was before?  Probably not to the same extent.  Freddie is a tremendous player, and that, to me, is Bryce.  Can he rise to the next level again?  I don’t really know that answer.  He’s the one that will dictate that more than anything else. 

“I don’t think he’s content with the year that he had.  And again, it wasn’t a bad year.  But when you think of Bryce Harper, you think of elite, right?  You think of one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I don’t think it fit into that category.  But again, a very good player.  I’ve seen guys at his age — again, he’s not old — that level off.  Or I’ve seen guys rise again.”

Over 580 plate appearances in 2025, Harper hit .261/.357/.487 with 27 home runs.  This production translated to a 131 wRC+, which is the fifth-lowest of Harper’s 14-year Major League career.  Of course, the fact that a 131 wRC+ counts as a down year for Harper is a testament to his high standard of play, and only 24 qualified batters in all of baseball topped the 131 wRC+ mark this season.  From an fWAR perspective, Harper’s 3.5 total was tied for 45th amongst all qualified batters.

In an interview on the Foul Territory show on Thursday, Dombrowski said he viewed his statement about Harper’s season as “a compliment,” given how a 3.5 fWAR/131 wRC+ campaign would be a career highlight for many players.

“The reality is there are eight to 10 players in the game of baseball every year, when they’re not let’s say in the MVP consideration for whatever reason — sometimes it can be an injury factor, sometimes they just have a bad year — but whatever, it’s not an elite year for them….Now I’ve been reading that, ’Oh, the Phillies may trade Bryce Harper.’  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  We love him.  We think he’s a great player.  He’s a very important part of our team. I’ve seen him have better years.  I look for him to have better years.”

Harper just turned 33 last week, and Dombrowski acknowledged that there are natural concerns to be had about any player when he gets deeper into his 30’s.  Yet, these aging concerns were already baked into the fact that the Phillies signed Harper to a 13-year, $330MM contract.  As Dombrowski said on Foul Territory, in terms of gauging how players will continue to perform into their 30’s, “I’d take my chances with Bryce more than most, because Bryce is an elite talent.  He’s a very very talented individual and he’s driven.”

Harper has already battled plenty of injuries during his career, including a bout of wrist inflammation that sidelined him for most of June.  Dombrowski told the Post that Harper’s wrist problems were a factor in his 2025 season, though the PBO didn’t mention the injury during the press conference.

Speaking with Zolecki earlier this week, Harper’s agent Scott Boras said he “was surprised” that Dombrowski didn’t initially acknowledge the wrist issue, but otherwise had no problems with the executive’s comments.  What Boras is hoping to see is more lineup protection for Harper in 2026, as the agent noted that Harper saw pitches in the zone only 43 percent of the time this season.  Harper primarily hit third in Philadelphia’s lineup, with Trea Turner usually hitting leadoff and slugger Kyle Schwarber as the primary No. 2 hitter.  The bulk of the Phillies’ cleanup at-bats went to Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto, who each had below-average years at the plate (Castellanos a 90 wRC+, Realmuto 94 wRC+).

Dombrowski perhaps put it best when he said that “this thing has got a life of its own,” in terms of how his press conference comments have become a talking point.  Dombrowski didn’t say anything untrue about Harper’s season, and it is also natural for a competitor like Harper to take umbrage at any idea that he is no longer one of baseball’s top players.

Harper is now past the halfway point of his 13-year megadeal, and is still owed $144MM over the final six seasons of the contract.  It was just shy of two years ago that Harper and Boras raised the idea of a contract extension, though there seemingly hasn’t been any movement on that front, which is understandable since the Phillies likely felt no urgency or need to extend a player who was already locked up through his age-38 season.

In terms of trade possibilities, Harper has a full no-trade clause, and might well revisit a contract extension as a condition for accepting a deal.  However, while Dombrowski has swung his share of blockbuster trades in the past, there is no reason to suspect Harper is a trade candidate this winter or in the foreseeable future.  The Phillies are clearly in win-now mode, and Harper’s importance to the lineup becomes even greater if Schwarber and/or Realmuto left in free agency this winter.

Mariners Aiming For Roughly $166MM In “Starting Point” Payroll In 2026

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The Mariners finished the 2025 season with a payroll within the range of around $165.2MM (as per calculations from Cot’s Baseball Contracts) to $166.2MM (according to RosterResource).  Either of these projections stand as the largest payroll figure in franchise history, topping the roughly $161.8MM that Cot’s estimated as Seattle’s season-ending budget for its 40-man roster in 2018.

It looks like the club will keep spending at at least this higher level in 2026, as president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto told the Seattle Times’ Adam Jude and other reporters at the season wrap-up press conference on Thursday.  When asked what the Mariners’ payroll would be for next season, Dipoto said “I would say similar to where we ended the year, as a starting point,” with the potential to boost spending during the season for trade deadline additions.

This is exactly what the M’s did at this past deadline, landing Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez in separate trades with the Diamondbacks and also bringing in left-hander Caleb Ferguson from the Pirates.  These swaps added roughly $9.5MM to Seattle’s payroll but the money was clearly worth it.  Naylor went nuclear during the remainder of the regular season and through the playoffs, Ferguson pitched well in the regular season, and Suarez was a little more inconsistent but had some big postseason moments (like his two homers in Game 5 of the ALCS).

The deadline spending was a notable step forward for a team that has largely kept its spending in check for the last two offseasons, owing largely to uncertainty over TV broadcasting rights.  Dipoto has long maintained that ownership would increase payroll as the team got deeper into regular contention, and while this wasn’t exactly the case following the Mariners’ playoff appearance in 2022, upper management did indeed step forward to approve a larger budget this summer.

“This was always the goal, to methodically build toward what we were doing,” Dipoto said.  “And I’m comfortable that the resources that we’re given, we’re going to have every ability to go out and put together a championship-quality team.  And like we have in recent years, when we get into the right position, I’m certain that we will be aggressive in doing the next thing.”

In terms of money on the Mariners’ books for 2026, RosterResource projects the team at slightly under $132MM in payroll, and Cot’s with a slightly higher total of roughly $132.4MM.  This would seemingly leave about $34MM in payroll capacity for Dipoto and GM Justin Hollander to work with this winter, and of course some more money could be freed up by non-tenders or trades.

Dipoto has stated multiple times that the M’s would love to re-sign Naylor in free agency, so assuming that happens, Naylor alone will take up a significant portion of available payroll space.  With Naylor as the stated top priority, the perception is that Suarez likely won’t be retained, while Jorge Polanco (who is expected to reject his player option and re-enter free agency) is a bit more of a 50-50 proposition.  Chances are that Seattle will focus its energies on Naylor first and then turn to Polanco, or potentially to other first base options should Naylor sign elsewhere.

As always, expect plenty of trade speculation about the possibility of the Mariners trading from their rotation depth.  The cost of keeping the starting five together is on the rise, as Logan Gilbert and George Kirby are due significant arbitration raises and Bryce Miller is now arb-eligible for the first time.  Dipoto wasn’t as adamant about not trading starting pitching as he was last winter, but it is fair to assume that it would take a huge offer to get the M’s to even consider moving any of their top five starters.

Jason Varitek To Return To Red Sox Coaching Staff

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The Red Sox and Jason Varitek are in the final stages of a new multi-year contract for the 53-year-old to return to the team’s coaching staff, MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam reports.  The official announcement “is expected soon,” McAdam writes, and chances are the two sides may just be waiting until either the end of the World Series or until an off-day.  The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier writes that Varitek has agreed to a new deal.

Varitek has been part of Boston’s coaching staff in each of the last five seasons, all as a game-planning coordinator.  He was also a catching coach from 2021-24, but his job title was switched to game-planning and run prevention coach prior to this season.  It isn’t known if he’ll return to that job or if Varitek might have some different responsibilities in 2026, but whatever the capacity, he’ll be back as a trusted member of Alex Cora’s staff.

Most coaches generally operate on year-to-year contracts, but Varitek’s previous deal was a three-year pact covering the 2023-25 seasons.  McAdam speculates that Varitek’s forthcoming contract could be a two-year deal, in order to line Varitek up with Cora (whose contract is up after the 2027 campaign).

Acquired from the Mariners in a trade at the 1997 deadline, Varitek spent his entire 15-season playing career in a Red Sox uniform, and he has remained with the organization since he retired from on-field action.  He worked as a special assistant within the front office before also taking on a roving catching instructor role in 2020, prior to his formal designation as part of the big league coaching staff in 2021.

Poll: Are The Mets Likelier To Re-Sign Pete Alonso Or Edwin Diaz?

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Coming off an epic collapse and a non-playoff season, there are plenty of questions facing the Mets heading into the offseason.  As the club explores ways to get better, however, they face a couple of big decisions just in regards to keeping two long-time roster staples in first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Diaz.  Alonso has already said he will be declining his $24MM player option for 2026 in order to re-enter free agency, and Diaz is widely expected to test the market as well by declining his player options for the 2026-27 seasons (as per the terms of Diaz’s deal, he must exercise or decline both options at once).

Many Mets fans will make the point that the club could or should just re-sign both players.  Money isn’t really an object for a team that has boasted record payrolls under Steve Cohen’s ownership, and Alonso and Diaz are each coming off big seasons.  For all of the Mets’ issues in 2025, Alonso and Diaz weren’t part of the problem — Alonso hit .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs over 709 plate appearances, and Diaz recorded 28 saves while posting a 1.63 ERA and 38% strikeout rate over 66 1/3 innings.

Retaining either player, of course, comes with a few concerns.  The Mets and Alonso just went through this free agent dance last winter, as after a lack of interest from other suitors and a protracted series of negotiations with New York’s front office, Alonso settled for a two-year, $54MM deal with an opt-out clause after the first season.  Alonso’s goal of entering the market with a better platform season came to fruition, and he also won’t have the qualifying offer attached to his services this time, for any clubs concerned over giving up draft picks to sign him.

While Alonso’s numbers were decidedly better in 2025 than in 2024, the question of whether or not Alonso was still a top-tier bat wasn’t really one of the chief concerns facing the Mets or other free agent suitors last offseason.  Alonso is a right-handed hitting first base-only player, and the market simply hasn’t been too welcoming to such players in recent years, no matter how much pop is in their bats.  Speaking of defense, Alonso’s subpar glovework has him pointed towards a future as a DH, so any team signing the slugger will face the immediate question over how much longer they’re willing to deploy him at first base.  If Alonso projects as a one-dimensional player going forward, the fact that he’s entering his age-31 season means that he is one year closer to the end of his prime.

One plus in Alonso’s favor is his extreme durability.  Diaz is entering his age-32 season, and his health record includes a 2023 season entirely lost due to knee surgery, and a (minimal) stint on the 15-day injured list in 2024 due to a shoulder impingement.  While Diaz isn’t showing any signs of slowing down on the mound, there are also the natural concerns present when considering any bullpen arm for a long-term contract, given how inconsistent most relievers can be on a year-to-year basis.

Diaz’s knee injury obviously hadn’t happened at the time of his last foray into free agency, but larger concerns over his future performance didn’t weigh too heavily on the Mets’ minds in 2022 when the team quickly re-signed the righty to his five-year, $102MM deal soon after the free agent market opened.  Cohen was naturally the one making the final call on Diaz’s new contract, though it is worth noting that Billy Eppler was New York’s general manager at the time of that signing.

Current president of baseball operations David Stearns may well have a different view of Diaz’s value, which is why MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo feels that if the Mets only keep one of the two star free agents, “Alonso has a better chance of staying.”  Stearns has traditionally preferred to build his bullpens with relievers on shorter-term commitments, both when he was running the Brewers’ front office (and focusing more on inexpensive hidden-gem types) and during his two years in Queens (when working with a much larger payroll).

DiComo also observed that “just about everyone needs relief pitching,” so while perhaps only a few teams may be able to meet Diaz’s expected price tag, “Díaz is also likely to have at least as many suitors as Alonso.”  Diaz’s age is a factor in another sense here, as SNY’s Andy Martino points out that Diaz may view this trip to free agency as his “last bite at the apple at getting a huge contract.”  Despite the mutual interest between Diaz and the Mets in a reunion, he might not be able to resist taking the larger offer if a closer-needy team outbids the Mets in years.

Could it be possible that both Alonso and Diaz have played their last game in a Mets uniform?  This seems like perhaps the least-likely scenario, as then the Mets would have to add both first base and closer to an offseason shopping list that is already headlined by a severe need for starting pitching.  Technically, letting both Alonso and Diaz walk would free up more payroll room for the Amazins to splurge on rotation help, or for the club to pursue other quality first base or high-leverage relief that would come at lower price tags.  But, “payroll room” is probably not a big deal to a club with a more or less endless budget.  And, letting two fan favorites go in the same offseason might not appeal to a Mets fanbase that is already upset over the disappointment of 2025.

What do you think will happen with the Mets and these two big free agent decisions? Vote now in our poll.

Offseason Outlook: Philadelphia Phillies

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For the second straight season, the Phillies won the NL East and earned a bye to the NLDS, only to lose in four games.  The Phils again face some big decisions about retaining or replacing members of their core, and the bigger-picture question might be if this core group needs a larger shakeup to get the team over the top.

Guaranteed Contracts

Option Decisions

2026 financial commitments (assuming Alvarado's option is exercised):$177.34MM
Total future commitments (assuming Alvarado's option is exercised): $642.54M

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Free Agents

Coming off a 56-homer season, Kyle Schwarber is understandably looking to cash in, and could aim for a five-year free agent deal that would cover his age 33-37 seasons.  That would be a hefty commitment to a player who is basically a DH-only bat at this point in his career, though it is possible that in exchange for a longer term, Schwarber and his reps at Excel might be willing to bend a little on the contract's average annual value.

Speculating on the tenor of negotiations could be a moot point, however, since there is a sense that the Phillies are dead set on bringing Schwarber back.  There has been public interest in a reunion from Schwarber himself, from president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, and (most importantly) from owner John Middleton.  The Phils have been more than willing to pay top dollar to retain most of their top talents during the Middleton era, ranging from Zack Wheeler's extension to new contracts with Aaron Nola and J.T. Realmuto after first letting them test free agency.

Realmuto is back on the market again now that his five-year, $115.5MM deal is up.  It was money well spent, as Cal Raleigh is the only catcher in baseball to post a higher fWAR than Realmuto's 17.8 number over the 2021-25 span.  On the flip side, Realmuto's production at the plate dropped in his age-34 season, as he hit .257/.315/.384 with 12 homers (for a 94 wRC+) over 550 plate appearances in 2025.

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Giants Hire Tony Vitello As Manager

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The Giants finalized their bold managerial move on Wednesday. San Francisco announced that they’ve hired University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello as the 40th manager in franchise history. He reportedly signed a three-year contract that pays $3.5MM annually with a vesting option for 2029.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Tony to the Giants family,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in the press release. “Tony is one of the brightest, most innovative, and most respected coaches in college baseball today. … We look forward to the energy and direction he will bring, along with the memories to be made as we focus on the future of Giants baseball.”

In recent years, several MLB teams have looked to hire coaches from the collegiate ranks or from other backgrounds with little or no pro experience, and some past or current managers have gotten their jobs with little to no coaching or managerial experience.  However, Vitello is a unique case of a lifelong collegiate coach who is moving to professional baseball with no past history as a player, coach, or manager in either Major League or minor league ball.

This isn’t to say that Vitello doesn’t have a decorated resume, as the 47-year-old is one of the most successful NCAA coaches of the last decade.  Since Vitello was hired by Tennessee in June 2017, the program won its first national baseball title in 2024, and made two more trips to the College World Series in both 2021 and 2023.  The Volunteers also won the SEC regular-season and tournament crowns during the 2022 and 2024 seasons.  Before coming to Tennessee, Vitello was an assistant baseball coach at Missouri, TCU, and Arkansas from 2003-2017.

Several of Vitello’s former players (including Missouri’s Max Scherzer) have reached the major leagues, and 10 Tennessee players have gone on to be first-round draft picks since Vitello took over the program.  The Giants have four ex-Tennessee players  — Drew Gilbert, Blade Tidwell, Maui Ahuna, and 2025 first-rounder Gavin Kilen — in their organization, which undoubtedly helped forge a connection between Vitello and Posey.

Vitello is Posey’s first managerial hire since taking over the PBO role a year ago, as Bob Melvin was a holdover from Farhan Zaidi’s time in charge of San Francisco’s front office.  Melvin had only been in the job for one season, and after he followed up that 80-82 campaign with an 81-81 mark in 2025, the Giants chose to fire Melvin once the 2025 campaign was over.  This decision was made despite the fact that the Giants had exercised their 2026 club option on Melvin on July 1, yet the team’s inconsistent play over the last three months convinced Posey that a change had to be made.

Though Melvin’s time in San Francisco was uneventful, it will be fascinating to see how the team and the organization as a whole adjusts from a Major League lifer (and three-time Manager of the Year winner) like Melvin to Vitello in his first foray into pro baseball.  That said, Vitello has something of an old-school approach himself, with a focus on fundamentals and competitiveness.

In a recent appearance on a Youth.inc podcast (hat tip to Baggarly for the partial transcript), Vitello said “I think everyone is suffering the consequences all the way up to the big leagues where guys are super skilled, but there’s less development, less coaching, less accountability and therefore less understanding of how to actually play the game to win.  And it starts all the way, trickle-down effect.”

As Baggarly notes, Posey has shared similar critiques about players, which may explain why Vitello became a more attractive managerial candidate in the PBO’s eyes.  It is also worth noting that Vitello may not have been Posey’s initial top choice, as initial reports pegged former Giants catcher Nick Hundley as a favorite for the manager’s position.  Hundley withdrew his name from consideration, reportedly due to concerns over how the day-to-day grind of managing in the big leagues would impact his family.

Of all the names publicly linked to the Giants’ search, former Orioles skipper Brandon Hyde was the only one with past managerial experience at the big league level.  Other known candidates included Royals third base coach Vance Wilson and two ex-players in Hundley and Kurt Suzuki (just hired yesterday as the Angels’ new manager) who had no coaching/managerial experience in the majors or minors.  Clearly a traditional managerial resume wasn’t a key priority for Posey in assessing his choices, even if Vitello is a step beyond.

Managing a big league team and coaching a college team are very different animals, not to mention the gap between coaching college kids and overseeing a clubhouse of highly-paid veteran professionals.  That said, Vitello is renowned as a leader and motivator.  As detailed in Baggarly’s piece, such big leaguers as Scherzer and Angels reliever Ben Joyce (a Tennessee product) heavily praised Vitello, and think he’ll thrive managing in the Show.

With Vitello now in San Francisco, the Giants join the Angels (Suzuki) and Rangers (Skip Schumaker) as clubs who have now removed themselves from a busy managerial carousel.  The Twins, Orioles, Padres, Nationals, Rockies, and Braves all remain as teams still looking for a new dugout boss.

Andrew Baggarly, Brittany Ghiroli and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported last week that the Giants were closing in on a deal with Vitello. Jacob Rudner of Baseball America was first to report that an agreement was in place. John Shea of The San Francisco Standard reported the contract terms. Photo courtesy of Brianna Paciorka — Imagn Images

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