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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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Poll: Will The Rays Trade Brandon Lowe This Winter?

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It’s no secret that the Rays operate differently from virtually every other team in baseball. They trade from and reshape their roster aggressively at virtually every opportunity in order to keep the team from ever needing to rebuild, and it’s a system that’s worked for quite some time at this point. From Willy Adames to Tyler Glasnow to Randy Arozarena, most players don’t stay in Tampa for long and get traded before they’d actually have a chance to sniff free agency and walk away for nothing.

The conventional wisdom for quite some time has been that as a Rays star nears free agency, a trade is inevitable. That would seemingly spell the end of Brandon Lowe’s time with the team. He can be retained via a $11.5MM club option in 2026 but is set to reach free agency after that. Tampa is coming off an 85-loss season in 2025, a worrying sign for a team that hasn’t lost more games than that since 2007. For most clubs, that would further reinforce the need to trade Lowe and focus on the future. With that being said, the Rays aren’t most clubs. Could they continue to zag where other teams would zig and view a tough 2025 season as all the more reason to keep Lowe in the fold?

The 31-year-old is coming off his second All-Star appearance but had a fairly typical season by his standards. In 134 games this year, Lowe slashed .256/.307/.477 with 31 homers and 19 doubles. That performance was good for a wRC+ of 114, and he’s typically been around 15 to 25% better than league average by that measure throughout his career. Pretty much any team that doesn’t employ Ketel Marte would happily take that sort of offensive production from the keystone, but Lowe’s offense is especially important for Tampa given that he was one of just four above-average hitters on the roster in 2025 alongside Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero, and Yandy Diaz.

That left the Rays as a below average offensive club despite banner seasons from both Aranda and Caminero, with a collective wRC+ of 98 as a team. They also ranked in the bottom half of the league in home runs this year, with the aforementioned four players accounting for 115 of the club’s 182 bombs. Tampa’s offense is one in need of addition rather than subtraction, and it’s hard to imagine the Rays getting more production out of the second base position by trading Lowe away.

Perhaps if the Rays had an elite option waiting in the wings to take over, as they did when they traded Paredes to clear the deck for Caminero, trading Lowe would be an easy call. But it’s more difficult to stick to the typical Tampa playbook when internal options to replace him are somewhat lackluster. Christopher Morel hasn’t panned out since being acquired in the Isaac Paredes trade, and while Carson Williams is a top prospect with a chance to impact the club in 2026, the Rays would be better served allowing him to push Taylor Walls back into a bench role than moving Lowe to make room for him at the keystone. Richie Palacios could be an interesting solution, but moving him to second would only further weaken an outfield that already needs reinforcements.

While the arguments for keeping Lowe in the fold are clear, there is reason to at least consider trading him despite those concerns. Lowe is arguably on the downswing at the moment. His .307 on-base percentage this year was the worst of his career. After walking at a reliable 10%+ clip throughout the majority of his career, he’s now seen his walk rate drop precipitously in back-to-back seasons. He went from 11.5% in 2023 to 7.8% and 6.9% in the two most recent campaigns.

This year was his worst defensive season at second base, and an infield with Williams at second base and Walls at shortstop would be a massive improvement defensively. While that combination wouldn’t hit as well as Lowe and Williams, an outfield that generated a paltry 85 wRC+ this year would be relatively easy to improve and make up for the loss of Lowe’s bat.

Looking at the team’s situation more broadly, Aranda and Caminero are under team control through 2029 and 2030 respectively while Williams figures to be controlled through 2031. That’s an exciting core of young talent, but they’ll need reinforcements as players like Lowe, Pete Fairbanks, Diaz, Shane McClanahan, and Drew Rasmussen depart the organization over the next two seasons. Letting Lowe walk for nothing would be a big risk for the team’s long-term competitive future, especially if the team’s new ownership group isn’t interested in escalating a bottom-of-the-barrel payroll.

On the other hand, Lowe’s apparent decline might make potential suitors hesitant to give up significant value for him. Installing Lowe in an outfield corner, where he already has 50 career appearances, would be an alternative way to both mitigate the concerns about his defensive ability on the infield while also getting more offensive production from the outfield next year. However, Lowe hasn’t played on the grass since 2022.

The Rays also don’t find themselves hurting for payroll flexibility this offseason as much as they do most years after offloading Ha-Seong Kim, Danny Jansen, and Zack Littell from their books during the season. They could even still recoup value for Lowe at the deadline if they find themselves in position to sell for the third year in a row.

How do MLBTR readers think the Rays will handle Lowe this offseason? Will he still be with the team come Opening Day, or will they trade him before then? Have your say in the poll below:

The Opener: World Series, Padres, Nationals

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. World Series heads to Toronto with Dodgers on the brink:

After tying up the World Series on Tuesday, the Blue Jays took the lead last night with a dominant 6-1 showing against the Dodgers. Rookie Trey Yesavage, in particular, was brilliant as he struck out 12 Dodgers across seven innings of one-run ball. Meanwhile, the offense did its part as Davis Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit back-to-back homers off Blake Snell to give the Jays an early lead to which they continued to add throughout the game. Now, the teams are headed back to Toronto for the final off-day of the 2025 season. That’ll be good for both teams, offering the Dodgers a chance to reset as they face elimination while allowing Blue Jays veteran George Springer the opportunity to heal up a bit more in hopes of returning to the starting lineup for Game 6.

2. Padres narrow managerial search to finalists:

It was reported yesterday that the Padres have settled on a group of finalists for to replace Mike Shildt as their next manager. Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols has gotten the most buzz out of any candidate, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale suggests that the club’s second interview with Pujols lasted a whopping 9.5 hours. Rangers special assistant and former Padres catcher Nick Hundley and current Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla are both known finalists as well, and the possibility of a fourth mystery candidate lingers as San Diego has been connected to potential options like Scott Servais and Ryan Flaherty.

3. Nationals managerial search update:

The Nationals don’t seem to be quite as far along in their own managerial search as San Diego is, but they’re still making progress. Interim manager Miguel Cairo is now out of the running, while the Nats have added three candidates to a pool that already included former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde: former Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann, and Double-A Red Sox manager Chad Epperson. Epperson and Hyde are the only candidates known to have interviewed, but it’s possible that Baldelli has as well. Given that Lehman is still in the midst of a World Series run with Los Angeles, the Nationals figure to be watching the Fall Classic closely as sort through their managerial options.

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