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Mariners Decline Mutual Option On Mitch Garver

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Catcher Mitch Garver is headed into free agency after his mutual option with the Mariners was declined, according to an announcement by the Major League Baseball Players Association this morning. The union didn’t specify which side declined its half of the option, though MLBTR has confirmed that it was (rather unsurprisingly) the Mariners who turned down their half. Garver will be paid a $1MM buyout rather than a $12MM salary for 2026.

That the option was declined is hardly a surprise; mutual options are very rarely exercised to begin with, and the Mariners have long been expected to decline their end of the option. Garver initially signed in Seattle on a two-year, $24MM deal. That remains the club’s largest expenditure on a free agent hitter under president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, though they’ve invested significantly more than that on extensions for players like Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh.

Unfortunately, Garver’s deal with the Mariners did not go especially well. He slashed a lackluster .187/.290/.341 in 201 games as a Mariner, good for a wRC+ of just 88. While he did slug 24 homers in 720 plate appearances and walk at a healthy 11.5% clip, he struck out 29.6% of the time while posting a line drive rate well below his career norms. That combination of an elevated strikeout rate and deflated BABIP was simply too much for his power and discipline to overcome when it came to being an above-average hitter with Seattle.

While an 88 wRC+ is below average, it’s still generally acceptable offensive production from a backup catcher, which is the role Garver found himself in this year for the most part. He had not been paid as a backup, however, and the Mariners envisioned him as a primary DH who could also take occasional starts behind the plate at the time of the signing. There was some logic in signing Garver for that role, given that he had just put together an explosive 2023 season with the Rangers where he slashed .270/.370/.500 with 19 homers in just 87 games, but the results of that deal are undeniably disappointing.

Now entering his age-35 season, Garver returns to free agency in a very different spot than last time. No team is going to invest in a multi-year deal to make him their starting DH. That doesn’t mean a big league deal is off the table, however, and Garver should benefit substantially from a weak catching market. While Garver grades out as a below-average defender behind the plate across the board, the pop he’s displayed in his bat over the years could be enticing to a team that needs to add power to the lineup and has a hole behind the plate. The veteran is far from the first hitter to struggle in the pitching-friendly environment of T-Mobile Park, and teams might think that getting him out of Seattle could help him rebound somewhat offensively.

In a market with virtually no depth behind J.T. Realmuto, Danny Jansen, and Victor Caratini, it’s not at all hard to see a catching-hungry team bringing Garver into the fold. The Padres, Astros, and Rays are known to be in need of catching help, and they could be joined by teams like the Rangers and Red Sox depending on the decisions those clubs make on arbitration-level players who could be possible non-tender or trade candidates.

The Opener: Dodgers, Free Agents, Options

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As the offseason gets underway, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Dodgers celebrate their championship:

The Dodgers emerged victorious from the World Series, winning back-to-back elimination games in Toronto to seize the commissioner’s trophy. Today, they’ll join the city of L.A. in celebrating their victory. Festivities are scheduled to begin at 11am local time in the city, with a parade slated to begin at Temple Street and Broadway. The parade is set to travel west on Temple, south on Grand Avenue, west on 7th Street, and north on Figueroa Street before ending at 5th Street. Simultaneously, a ticketed celebration event at Dodger Stadium will be taking place, with the parade showcased on the stadium’s video boards. The stadium celebration is scheduled to begin at 12:15pm local time, though stadium entry will begin as early as 9am.

2. Free agents hit the market:

Yesterday, over 100 players officially entered free agency as the offseason began. While those players are technically free agents, don’t expect top free agent Kyle Tucker to sign with a new team any time soon. He and the rest of this year’s free agent class won’t actually be able to negotiate with all 30 clubs until November 6. Until then, negotiations are limited to the club each player finished the 2025 season with. That lack of competition doesn’t mean a deal can’t come together, though. The Royals and right-hander Michael Wacha signed a new contract in this limited negotiation window just last year. In terms of this year’s likely free agents, one has to look no further than star closer Edwin Diaz, who re-signed with the Mets on his current deal before negotiations with other clubs could begin during the 2022-23 offseason. Will any team work out a deal to keep one of their players on board before they hit free agency?

3. Options decisions incoming:

November 6 is also the date by which players and clubs need to make their decisions about outstanding contract options. Two such decisions have already been made. Michael King declined his end of a mutual option with the Padres, while the Royals declined their end of a mutual option with Michael Lorenzen. Mutual options are rarely exercised, so those and other mutual options (like the one for Red Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito) are easy bets to be declined. Other no brainers include the Brewers’ club option on Freddy Peralta, which will surely be exercised, and Pete Alonso’s opt out with the Mets, which he has already said he plans to decline. Not every option decision is so easy, however, and there’s at least some intrigue surrounding players like Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story and Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga.

Michael King Declines Mutual Option With Padres

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Right-hander Michael King has declined his mutual option with the Padres, according to a report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He’ll head into free agency and collected a $3.75MM buyout rather than stay with the Padres on what would have been a $15MM salary for next year.

King’s decision was entirely expected. Mutual options are virtually never exercised, and King will need to top just $11.25MM in free agency in order to come out ahead in making the choice to decline his option. That’s a number he’s essentially guaranteed to clear, both due to the high price of starting pitching in recent free agent classes and thanks to King’s own success in recent years. After moving to the rotation as a member of the Yankees in late August 2023, King fired off eight starts where he posted a 1.88 ERA with a 31.4% strikeout rate to end the season. After being shipped to San Diego as part of that offseason’s Juan Soto trade, he turned in a 2.95 ERA in 173 2/3 innings of work during his first full-time season as a starter and finished seventh in NL Cy Young award voting last year.

2025 wasn’t quite as strong as 2024, as King was limited to just 15 starts by a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder and a subsequent knee issue. King did return to the mound late in the year, but didn’t look like his usual dominant self with a 5.74 ERA across 15 2/3 September innings. He looked much better in a scoreless inning of relief work against the Cubs, however, and struck out all three batters he faced without issue. That’s good news, since prior to the injury King looked as dominant as ever with a 2.59 ERA and 3.26 FIP across his first ten starts of the year. While he finished the year with a 24.7% strikeout rate against an 8.4% walk rate, those figures were 28.4% and 7.6% prior to his injury.

Thanks to King’s dominance when healthy, he enters free agency with a real chance at a strong multi-year deal so long as suitors are convinced that this year’s shoulder woes are behind him. King is marketing his age-31 season, so between that fact and his shoulder problems this season it’s possible he’ll be boxed out of the five-, six-, or seven-year offers that top of the market aces have gotten in recent years. Even so, he should have the opportunity to clean up fairly handsomely on the open market in a way that would’ve been hard to imagine when looking at his first few years in the league as a middle reliever for the Yankees.

In the short-term, the Padres seem all but certain to extend King a Qualifying Offer, which King seems equally likely to reject. That process will leave King tied to draft pick compensation this winter. Last month, MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk took a look at what each team would receive if they lose a qualified free agent, and the penalties they’d pay to sign one. If King departs San Diego, the Padres would receive a compensatory pick after the fourth-round in the 2026 draft. Of course, that would only come in to play if King doesn’t re-sign with the Padres. The team’s clear needs at the top of the rotation mean that a reunion can’t be entirely ruled out, but in recent years San Diego has eschewed giving out large paydays to free agent starters in favor of a more creative approach.

Chris Bassitt Interested In Return To Blue Jays In 2026

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After last night’s heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Dodgers, the Blue Jays have been thrust into the offseason on a far more somber note than they were hoping when they headed back to Toronto one win away from a World Series championship. For several of the team’s players, however, yesterday also marked their last official day as a member of the organization before they became free agents earlier today. One such player is right-hander Chris Bassitt, but the veteran told reporters (including MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson) that he hopes he’ll have another chance to play with this group of Blue Jays.

There’s certainly room in the Toronto rotation mix for Bassitt to return. Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios all figure to enter Spring Training with locked-in rotation jobs next spring, but that still leaves two spots open for reunions or external additions. Internal options exist to fill those holes. Eric Lauer and Bowden Francis both started plenty of games for the Jays this year, while the farm system boasts youngsters like Adam Macko and even rehabbing top prospect Ricky Tiedemann, both of whom could impact the big league club next year in theory.

The Jays will likely want more certainty than those internal options can provide for their rotation next year, however, and Bassitt can offer that. He’s made at least 30 starts in four consecutive seasons now, pitching to a 3.77 ERA with a 4.01 FIP in that time. Three of those seasons came with Toronto as part of a three-year, $63MM deal signed prior to the 2023 season. It was more of the same from Bassitt this past year, as he offered the Blue Jays 170 1/3 innings of work while posting a 3.96 ERA and 4.01 FIP. He didn’t slow down much in the second half, either, despite an injury that limited him in late September and cost him spots on the Jays’ Wild Card and ALDS rosters. After posting a 3.69 ERA after the All-Star break in the regular season, he went on to move to the bullpen for the ALCS and became one of the club’s most important arms throughout the final stages of the playoffs with a 1.04 ERA, 1.52 FIP, and 33.3% strikeout rate across seven appearances.

While Bassitt is certainly a useful pitcher even as he looks ahead to his age-37 season, it’s fair to wonder if the Jays might have their sights set higher in free agency this winter. There’s a plethora of quality arms available this winter ranging from Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, and Dylan Cease at the top of the market to other intriguing options like Zac Gallen, Michael King, and Tatsuya Imai. Meanwhile, hurlers like MacKenzie Gore, Joe Ryan, and Sandy Alcantara could be available on the trade market. For a Blue Jays team that saw how valuable a true ace can be after facing Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the playoffs, it would be understandable if a front-of-the-rotation arm was at the top of their wish list this winter.

That’s not a profile Bassitt can fill, and trade deadline acquisition Shane Bieber could be much more reasonably expected to provide that sort of production if the Jays want to bring back a newly-minted free agent from the 2025 team. With that said, it’s possible the Jays will aim lower as they fill out their rotation or pursue multiple starters. In those cases, a reunion with Bassitt would make much more sense. If Bassitt doesn’t end up returning to Toronto, there’s a number of teams that figure to be on the lookout for pitching help this winter, and he should have little trouble securing a rotation job somewhere even if his age seems likely to limit him to one-year offers.

Latest On Rockies’ Front Office Search

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1:00pm: Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports this afternoon that there’s “no truth” to rumors that the Rockies’ search for a new front office leader have stalled or that they have begun looking at alternative candidates. That doesn’t necessarily mean a deal with Sawdaye or Forman is close or even expected, of course, but it suggests that the team’s search continues with the same group of finalists they had narrowed the field to in recent weeks. While Sawdaye and Forman are the only two names known to be in that group, it’s possible that additional finalists have been in the mix throughout the entire process who simply haven’t been named publicly.

11:50am: The Rockies have been on the hunt for a new head of baseball operations ever since GM Bill Schmidt departed the club at the beginning of October. With the offseason now officially upon us, the pressure to find the next person who will lead Colorado’s front office is growing significantly.

While Diamondbacks assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye and Guardians assistant GM Matt Forman both emerged as finalists for the job in recent weeks, today a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggests that, at least for the time being, neither Sawdaye or Forman appear poised to be named the Rockies’ head of baseball operations. Thomas Harding of MLB.com adds that conversations with both Sawdaye and Forman have been “productive,” but the Rockies are still in the midst of their search and “the feeling was” that other candidates were still in the mix despite Sawdaye and Forman being the only two publicly identified finalists.

It’s not clear if Sawdaye and/or Forman are still in the running for the job or if they’re no longer under consideration, but at the very least it seems as though the Rockies will spend at least the first few days of the offseason without a proper head of baseball operations. That’s not completely unheard of, as the Astros famously parted ways with James Click early in the 2022-23 offseason and didn’t hire a new head of baseball operations until late January, with club chairman Jim Crane running baseball operations in that interim period.

As previously mentioned, Sawdaye and Forman are the only two names who have been confirmed as finalists for the role. Click and Royals assistant GM Scott Sharp were once part of the search but are reportedly no longer in consideration. Former Twins GM Thad Levine was connected to the position immediately after Bill Schmidt’s departure, but has never been confirmed to have even spoken to the Rockies about the role to this point.

Whoever ultimately ends up taking the reins of baseball operations in Colorado, their first decision will be one that becomes less flexible the longer the search drags on. The Rockies finished the season with interim manager Warren Schaeffer at the helm of the dugout, but his future in the role as well as the futures of the rest of the coaching staff in the organization are set to be determined by the club’s eventual baseball operations hire. If the team’s search for a new baseball operations leader drags deep into the offseason, the continuity offered by keeping Schaeffer and much of the Rockies coaching staff in the fold could become more valuable as other candidates settle into roles elsewhere around the league.

Max Scherzer Plans To Play In 2026

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The 2025 season ended in heartbreak for the Blue Jays and their fans last night, but future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer made it clear that yesterday’s somber note isn’t the one he intends to wrap his career up on. Scherzer was asked about his future and, while he avoided specifics, made clear that he’s not yet ready to call it quits.

“The only thing I can say is,” Scherzer told reporters, as relayed Jesse Rogers of ESPN in the aftermath of last night’s game, “it’s going to take some time to give a full answer to that, but there is no way that was my last pitch.”

Scherzer turned 41 back in July, and it’s fair to wonder if the current season could be a player’s last even when he enters his late thirties. Fellow future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw wrapped up the final season of his career last night, having announced prior to the postseason that he wouldn’t be returning in 2026 for what would have been his age-38 campaign. Questions regarding Scherzer’s future were especially understandable given the health issues he’s dealt with in recent years. While the three-time Cy Young award winner was once among the most durable pitchers in the entire sport, nerve issues in his hand and thumb have contributed to him making just 26 starts over the past two years. His performance has slipped over that time as well, with a 4.77 ERA and a 4.72 FIP in 128 1/3 innings of work since the 2024 season began.

Even if Scherzer isn’t the surefire ace he once was, he’s still a valuable pitcher and one many teams would be happy to have on their roster. The veteran added 14 1/3 innings of 3.77 ERA baseball to his postseason resume during Toronto’s run and, while his regular season run prevention numbers may have been lackluster, his peripherals indicate that he’s still a solid starter. Scherzer’s 4.26 SIERA puts him in line with the performance of solid mid-rotation arms like Mitch Keller, Robbie Ray, and Yusei Kikuchi. His 16.5 K-BB% was on the same level as players like Carlos Rodon, Casey Mize, and Kris Bubic. His 12.4% barrel rate this year is certainly a potential red flag, but a team that believes they can help Scherzer keep the ball off the barrel next year would surely see Scherzer as a solid addition to their pitching staff.

Even so, it’s likely that Scherzer’s ceiling in free agency figures to be the one-year, $15.5MM contract he signed with Toronto last year, coming off a nine-start 2024 campaign with the Rangers. It’s possible he’ll need to come down from that price tag after a second injury-shortened season, though fellow future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander secured a similar one-year, $15MM guarantee from the Giants last winter coming off a season where he posted a 5.48 ERA in 17 starts quite similar to Scherzer’s 5.19 ERA in that same number of starts. At this stage in his career, Scherzer is sure to prioritize competing in October as he looks for his next team. That could well mean a return to the Blue Jays, as both Scherzer and teammate Chris Bassitt’s departures will leave room for the club to pursue additional rotation help.

Toronto is far from the only contender in need of starting pitching this offseason, however. The Cubs, Padres, and Red Sox all made the postseason this year and have already been linked to the starting pitching market. Meanwhile, teams like the Braves, Astros, and Giants that missed the playoffs this year still figure to try and contend next year and could pursue Scherzer from a similar position to the one the Blue Jays found themselves in this offseason. All of those clubs would be new to the veteran, but reunions with any of the Mets, Tigers, and Diamondbacks are at least plausible as well in addition to a return to the Jays.

Offseason Outlook: Boston Red Sox

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The Red Sox finally made it back to the postseason this year, though their third place finish in the AL East and a quick exit in the Wild Card Series at the hands of the Yankees leaves fans hoping for more in 2026.

Guaranteed Contracts

  • Garrett Crochet, LHP: $166MM through 2031 (deal includes conditional $15MM club option for 2032; can opt out after 2030)
  • Roman Anthony, OF: $125MM through 2033 (deal includes $30MM club option for 2034)
  • Brayan Bello, RHP: $50.5MM through 2029 (includes $1MM buyout on $21MM club option for 2030)
  • Kristian Campbell, 2B/OF: $47MM through 2032 (includes $4MM buyout on $19MM club option for 2033, deal includes $21MM club option for 2034)
  • Ceddanne Rafaela, OF/2B: $46MM through 2031 (includes $4MM buyout on $16MM club option for 2032)
  • Masataka Yoshida, DH: $36MM through 2027
  • Jordan Hicks, RHP: $24MM through 2027
  • Aroldis Chapman, LHP: $13.3MM through 2026 (includes $300K buyout on $13MM vesting option for 2027)
  • Patrick Sandoval, LHP: $12.75MM through 2026
  • Garrett Whitlock, RHP: $8.25MM through 2026 (includes $1MM buyout on $8.25MM club option for 2027, deal includes $10.5MM club option for 2028)

Option Decisions:

  • Alex Bregman, 3B: Will opt out of $80MM through 2027 ($40MM deferred)
  • Trevor Story, SS: Can opt out of final $50MM through 2027. If opt out exercised, Red Sox can either void it by exercising $25MM club option or pay Story a $5MM buyout.
  • Lucas Giolito, RHP: $19MM mutual option with $1.5MM buyout.
  • Liam Hendriks, RHP: $12MM mutual option with $2MM buyout.
  • Jarren Duran, OF: $8MM club option with $100K buyout. Eligible for arbitration if option is declined.

Total 2026 commitments: $168.9MM
Total future commitments: $662.4MM

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

Free Agents

Much of Boston's offseason will be dictated by the opt out decisions made by the left side of the club's infield. Alex Bregman is already expected to opt out of his contract and return to the open market, but it's not yet clear whether or not Trevor Story will follow in those footsteps. With no locked in starter at second base and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow unwilling to commit to Triston Casas at first base for next year, it's not impossible to imagine a scenario where the Red Sox are looking to reshape their entire infield as they look for defensive upgrades.

At the very least, they'll need to either re-sign or replace Bregman. Re-signing the veteran coming off his third career All-Star appearance may prove to be the most sensible course of action. While he'll be seeking a true long-term deal this winter as he heads into his age-32 campaign, it would be difficult to find the sort of production Bregman offers elsewhere. Just three third basemen (Jose Ramirez, Junior Caminero, and Isaac Paredes) posted a higher wRC+ than Bregman's 125 this year, and Fangraphs' Def metric pegs Bregman as the seventh-most valuable defensive third baseman in baseball this year despite a quad injury limiting him to just 114 games.

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Poll: Should The Marlins Keep Their Rotation Together This Winter?

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While the 2025 season started off rough for the Marlins, things turned around in a big way once the calendar flipped to June. After going 23-33 through the end of May, Miami went 56-50 from June onward. That’s nearly an 86-win pace if maintained over the course of a full season. Coming off a year where 83 wins was all it took to secure a Wild Card spot in the NL, it’s not hard to imagine the rebuilding Marlins making the jump into legitimate contention next year.

That relative success this season came through steps forward across the roster. Liam Hicks and Agustin Ramirez provided intriguing results from the catcher position. An outfield trio of Kyle Stowers, Jakob Marsee, and Griffin Conine figures to have real potential next year. The combination of Ronny Henriquez, Anthony Bender, Calvin Faucher, Andrew Nardi, and Tyler Phillips has the look of a legitimate relief corps as well. Those areas still need reinforcements, of course. The Marlins are expected to take a look at the high leverage relief market and add a bat this winter for a reason.

The team’s rotation is the one place where there’s really no need for an upgrade. If healthy and firing on all cylinders, a starting five that features Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Eury Perez, Braxton Garrett, and Ryan Weathers could be among the best in the majors next year. Arms like Max Meyer, Janson Junk, and Ryan Gusto offer legitimate depth behind that five as well, which will be important given the lengthy injury histories across that group. Thomas White and Robby Snelling, two of the club’s top prospects, reached Triple-A in 2025.

The combination of Miami’s questionable competitive status, that impressive pitching depth behind the starting five, and a number of exciting pitchers within the rotation itself has made the idea of the Marlins trading a pitcher for help on offense a widely-discussed possibility over the years. The team certainly isn’t opposed to the idea in theory, having already traded Pablo Lopez to the Twins to land Luis Arraez years ago and then shipping Jesus Luzardo to the Phillies for prospects last winter.

Now that the team is returning to competitiveness, however, are they really best served by dealing away someone like Alcantara or Cabrera? Alcantara is the Marlins’ only guaranteed contract on the books for next year, and they have zero guaranteed dollars on the books for 2027. Even for a small market team that routinely runs some of the lowest budgets in the league, that’s enough payroll flexibility that no hitter this side of Kyle Tucker appears to be completely out of reach. While it would be a surprise to see the Marlins make a splash for someone like Alex Bregman, it’s not hard to imagine the team being able to build out its lineup in free agency by targeting players like Ryan O’Hearn or Rhys Hoskins.

Signing a player in that tier would hardly be a major financial burden and it would allow them to reshape their offense without having to trade from their strong rotation group. With that being said, it’s unclear what sort of spending Marlins ownership might give the green light to this winter. If there isn’t room in the budget to add, then it would certainly be better to trade from the rotation.

It’s also possible that, in a class of starters that lacks a true shutdown ace like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, or Yoshinobu Yamamoto from recent years, teams will be hungry enough for starting pitching that the Marlins receive an offer they can’t refuse. As much as this rotation is a strength if kept together, would it make sense to do so if they could get a legitimate upgrade in a trade?

The majority of contending clubs will be likely to pursue starting pitching help this winter. Many of those will have young infield prospects or players they could offer the Marlins in exchange for a starter. If the Marlins see any of those players as a potential anchor for their lineup, giving up a member of a rotation that would remain full of quality options even after a trade might wind up looking like a relatively small price to pay.

How do MLBTR readers think the Marlins should handle their rotation this offseason? Should they hold their starters and try to upgrade the infield through free agency, or would they be better off trading a starter to restock their infield? Have your say in the poll below:

The Opener: World Series, Managerial Vacancies, Trade Candidates

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Here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on as we head into the final weekend of the 2025 season:

1. World Series comes to a head:

The World Series will wrap up this weekend, with Game 6 scheduled for this evening and Game 7 scheduled for tomorrow if necessary. As the clubs head back to Toronto, the Blue Jays are up 3-2 and need just one more win to secure their first World Series championship in more than 30 years, while the Dodgers will need to win both games if they’re going to successfully defend their title from last year. Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.49 ERA) is set to take the mound for L.A. tonight as he goes for his third consecutive complete game this postseason. Those sterling outings lowered his ERA this postseason to just 1.57 across four starts, though his three runs surrendered to the Phillies across four innings in the NLDS show he’s not invulnerable. Yamamoto’s opponent tonight will be Blue Jays veteran Kevin Gausman (3.59 ERA), who has a 2.55 ERA this postseason but did take the loss when he last matched up against Yamamoto in Game 2.

Neither team has announced starters for a hypothetical Game 7, although Tyler Glasnow and Max Scherzer would be in line to take the ball for the Dodgers and Blue Jays respectively. Of course, with the Dodgers fighting for their playoff lives tonight it will surely be all hands on deck if Yamamoto doesn’t dominate like he did during Game 2. That could involve Glasnow, although manager Dave Roberts teased the possibility that Shohei Ohtani could be available in relief if needed as well. Will the full force of the Dodgers dynasty be enough to beat the Blue Jays in back-to-back games on their home turf?

2. Managerial vacancies dwindling:

After an offseason where a third of the league’s teams had managerial vacancies to fill, only a few remain. The Padres appear to be the closest to a decision of those remaining, as they’ve narrowed their search down to a small group of finalists headlined by future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. While there’s been plenty of transparency about the search in San Diego, the same can’t be said for Atlanta as the Braves have kept their plans close to the vest. Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehman, Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, and Tigers bench coach George Lombard have been floated as possible options, but it’s unknown what stage in the process the club is at or even if any of those potential candidates have interviewed. The third managerial vacancy left unfilled is that in Colorado, but that search for a new manager won’t even begin until they have a new front office boss to lead it.

3. Top 40 Trade Candidates list:

The end of the World Series will mark the start of the 2025-26 offseason, and here at MLBTR we’ll be celebrating by publishing our list of the top 40 trade candidates for the offseason the day after the World Series concludes. More than half the league has at least one player who they could consider dangling on a list that digs deeper than the most obvious rebuilding clubs and midseason trade candidates, so be sure to check back in the day after MLB crowns its next champion to prime yourself for what could be a busy winter all around the league!

Offseason Outlook: Houston Astros

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The Astros missed the postseason for the first time in a decade, and now they'll enter the offseason in the unfamiliar position of underdogs in the AL West.

Guaranteed Contracts

Option Decisions

  • None

Total 2026 commitments: $155.85MM
Total future commitments: $407.35MM

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

Non-Tender Candidates: Dubon, Garcia, Urias, De Los Santos, McCormick, Sanchez, Trammell

Free Agents

The Astros finished the season with an 87-75 record and missed out on the final AL Wild Card spot after losing the season series tiebreaker to the Tigers. As far as seasons that don't end in a postseason berth go, Houston's year certainly could've been worse. Yet there's plenty of work for GM Dana Brown and the rest of the front office to do this winter.

The elephant in the room is the impending departure of southpaw Framber Valdez. It's a safe bet that he will be pitching elsewhere come Opening Day, as Houston has rarely made a full-scale effort to retain their free agents over the years. Alex Bregman walked in free agency last winter, and Kyle Tucker was traded before his final year under team control so that he wouldn't do the same. Gerrit Cole previously left for New York after reaching free agency after the 2019 season. Justin Verlander and Carlos Correa both signed elsewhere on two separate occasions, though both did return to Houston in trades after their respective departures.

Jose Altuve is the only one of the club's stars they've managed to keep in town consistently, and comments from Brown haven't offered much reason to expect Valdez's free agency to reverse that trend. Brown said that he expected to have "some conversations" with Valdez's camp, but otherwise largely focused on the emergence of Hunter Brown as a legitimate ace and the club's other internal options when asked about the possibility of a reunion. Valdez is sure to be well outside the club's typical comfort zone even as he enters free agency marketing his age-32 season, and Brown has suggested that the club could look to the trade market in any efforts to bolster its rotation.

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