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Dodgers Announce World Series Roster

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The Dodgers announced their 26-man roster for their World Series showdown against the Blue Jays this morning. Among the notable omissions are Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott and Ben Casparius. Scott has been out since the NLDS after undergoing a lower body abscess excision. He was hopeful of returning for the World Series but has seemingly not been cleared. The Dodgers announced that Vesia is “away from the team as he and his wife Kayla navigate a deeply personal family matter.”

Los Angeles’ 26-man roster breaks down as follows:

The Dodgers will turn to Snell to start Game 1 of the World Series tonight against Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage. Yamamoto is lined up to start Game 2, which is expected to be started by Jays righty Kevin Gausman.

Glasnow and Ohtani figure to start Games 3 and 4 for L.A., while Toronto will have Shane Bieber and former Dodger Max Scherzer as options in those contests. Of course, specific matchups haven’t yet been finalized and are subject to change anyhow, given the all-hands-on-deck nature teams tend to employ in critical postseason series.

Blue Jays Add Bo Bichette To World Series Roster

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Bo Bichette is back. The Blue Jays announced their World Series roster today, and it includes the two-time All-Star infielder. Bichette has been sidelined since early September due to a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Manager John Schneider indicated yesterday that Bichette could see time at shortstop, second base and/or designated hitter if cleared to rejoin the roster. If he appears in a game at second base, it’ll be his first time playing there since the minor leagues in 2019.

The Jays dropped outfielder Joey Loperfido and righty Yariel Rodriguez from their roster, which contains 14 position players and 12 pitchers. It breaks down as follows:

Yesavage gets the ball opposite Blake Snell in Game 1, becoming the second-youngest Game 1 starter in World Series history (trailing Ralph Branca of the ’47 Dodgers (as noted by MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson). The Jays haven’t formally announced a Game 2 starter to take on righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but it’s expected to be Gausman. Bieber and Scherzer are likely up, in some order, for Games 3 and 4. The Dodgers figure to counter with Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani.

Of course, all eyes will be on Bichette in his return to the diamond after an absence of roughly seven weeks. It’s not likely that he’s at 100%, but the Jays medical staff cleared him to take the field for the franchise’s biggest series in more than 30 years.

There’s an offseason component to consider as well, given Bichette’s status as an impending free agent. Any time at second base in the World Series could offer a potential glimpse of the future, too; Bichette’s glovework at shortstop has been perhaps the key knock on his free agent case, and it’s likely that some clubs will prefer to sign him and move him to second base. A small handful of appearances when he’s coming off a notable knee injury isn’t going to be indicative of how he’d look there at full strength in 2026 and beyond, but it’s still a source of intrigue both for the duration of the Fall Classic and for the broader, long-term picture.

Offseason Outlook: Minnesota Twins

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The Twins gutted their roster at the trade deadline, fired their manager after the season and still haven't divulged any information on their new limited partners who bought a heavy share of the club. To call morale "low" among fans would be an egregious understatement, and the looming offseason doesn't offer much reason for optimism.

Guaranteed Contracts

Other Financial Commitments

  • $30MM owed to Astros through 2028 as part of Carlos Correa trade ($10MM annually)

Total 2026 commitments: $46.5MM
Total long-term commitments: $118MM through 2028

Option Decisions

  • Justin Topa, RHP: $2MM club option with $225K buyout (Topa remains under control via arbitration if Twins decline)

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

Non-tender candidates: Cabrera, Tonkin, Larnach, Misiewicz

Free Agents

The Twins were in contention for much of the season's first half, even rattling off a 13-game winning streak from early May into the middle portion of the month. When things went south and the club fell below .500 with the deadline approaching, Minnesota emerged as a clear seller. It was originally expected to be a minor sale of pending free agents like Willi Castro, Chris Paddack and Harrison Bader. Instead, Minnesota traded a staggering 11 players, including several who were controlled beyond the current season -- in some instances (e.g. Louis Varland) as far out as 2030.

Whether that was due to the front office acting opportunistically in a market that lacked many pure sellers or (more likely) because ownership mandated further payroll cuts after being unable to find a buyer for the team due to a reported $400MM+ in outstanding debt, Minnesota's stunning deadline fire sale set the stage for what feels like a notable step back that will continue into the forthcoming offseason.

The large-scale changes didn't stop at the deadline. Manager Rocco Baldelli was the sacrificial lamb at season's end, getting fired with a year to go on his contract. Baldelli's tenure was far from perfect, as the Twins have had their share of disappointing seasons (including 2024's September collapse), but no manager could have succeeded in the wake of such a dramatic teardown, which included shipping out the five best relievers in what had been an excellent bullpen.

The Twins' offseason, accordingly, commences with a managerial search that has already seen them tied to names like former Mariners skipper Scott Servais, Red Sox bench coach Ramon Vazquez, and old friends Derek Shelton, James Rowson and (stretching much further back) Nick Punto. Change is coming in the Twins' dugout, but there's also still a fair bit of turnover possible on the roster itself.

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Mariners Expected To Prioritize Josh Naylor In Free Agency

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The Mariners’ season ended with heartbreak in Game 7 of the ALCS versus the Blue Jays, and they’ll now turn their focus to an offseason aimed at building upon what was clearly a World Series-caliber roster (even if they fell just short). They’ll be faced with several key free agent departures — Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor and Jorge Polanco chief among them. Per both Daniel Kramer of MLB.com and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, Naylor is the team’s top priority among all of its potential free agents.

The 28-year-old Naylor (29 next June) was outstanding after being acquired in a deal sending young pitchers Ashton Izzi and Brandyn Garcia back to Arizona. Already in the midst of a nice season with the D-backs (.292/.360/.447), Naylor found another gear in the Emerald City, erupting for a .299/.341/.490 slash (137 wRC+) and astonishingly stealing nearly as many bases (19) in 54 games as he had in his entire career prior (25).

In many ways, Naylor embodies the approach the Mariners have sought in recent offseasons where improving the club’s contact skills has been a goal (one that’s largely eluded them). He punched out in only 13.7% of his plate appearances this year (16.2% with the Mariners) and carries just a 15.2% strikeout rate dating all the way back to 2020. He’s not a traditional slugging first baseman, but Naylor is typically good for around 20 homers per seasons — he hit nine in his 54 games with the M’s — and does have a 31-homer campaign on his résumé with the 2024 Guardians.

Heading into his age-29 season and coming off a career-best year with no qualifying offer attached — he’s ineligible to receive one after being traded midseason — Naylor will be a hot commodity in free agency. In president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto’s nearly a decade running baseball operations in Seattle, he has only given out one multi-year deal to a free agent position player, that being Mitch Garver’s modest two-year, $24MM pact a couple offseasons ago. Clearly, that will need to change in order to retain Naylor.

That said, Dipoto told MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald on our podcast last month that the Mariners have definite interest in keeping Naylor long-term and believe the feeling is mutual. Dipoto noted that Naylor is “as good as anybody that’s played in the last handful of years at hitting [at T-Mobile Park]” — notoriously one of the most pitcher-friendly stadiums in the game. Naylor himself spoke about that to Jude’s colleague Ryan Divish last month, too, stating that as a visitor he “couldn’t wait” to come to T-Mobile Park and emphasizing how much he enjoys the stadium and the atmosphere created by the fan base. He used the word “awesome” multiple times in his more recent chat with Kramer and Jude about his experience in Seattle and the “ride-or-die” mentality of Seattle fans.

Even with mutual interest, the Mariners will have to extend well beyond their prior comfort levels in free agency to keep Naylor. At just 28 years old and coming off four straight seasons of well above-average offense, he should be in position to command a deal of at least four and possibly up to six years in length. In all likelihood, Seattle will need to more than triple and perhaps quadruple its investment to Garver in order to keep Naylor. Currently, the M’s have about $139MM on next year’s books (once Andres Munoz’s option is exercised), per RosterResource, though non-tenders and trades will surely impact that sum. They finished up the current season at about $166MM in payroll.

To be clear, the Mariners have signed players to lucrative long-term deals under Dipoto — just not specifically free agent position players. Left-hander Robbie Ray signed a five-year, $115MM deal in free agency following his Cy Young win back in 2021. The Mariners extended Luis Castillo on a five-year, $108MM deal after acquiring him from the Reds in a deadline swap. And of course, homegrown stars Cal Raleigh (six years, $105MM) and Julio Rodriguez (12 years, $210MM) signed nine-figure extensions to remain in Seattle for the long haul.

That the Mariners will prioritize Naylor over other free agents doesn’t necessarily make it a foregone conclusion that Polanco and Suarez will depart. Both Jude and Kramer suggest that with top prospect Colt Emerson and slick-fielding Ben Williamson in the mix at third base, re-signing Suarez on a weighty multi-year deal that covers his mid-30s is unlikely. However, both also note interest in retaining Polanco, who enjoyed a remarkable rebound campaign after re-signing on the heels of a 2024 season that was ruined by a knee injury.

Polanco underwent surgery last October and roared back into relevance this year with a .265/.326/.495 batting line (132 wRC+) and 26 homers during the regular season. He added three more postseason homers, including a pair of long balls against likely AL Cy Young winner (for the second consecutive season) Tarik Skubal.

The Mariners have a high-upside long-term option at second base in former first-round pick and top prospect Cole Young, but the 22-year-old Young hit just .211/.302/.305 in his first 77 MLB games this year. Even if Young is the long-term answer at second base — and some early struggles in fewer than 300 plate appearances hardly erodes the chances of that happening — Seattle could bring Polanco back as a primary designated hitter and part-time infielder. That’s the role he filled in 2025, tallying 88 games at DH, 38 at second base, five at third base and even one at first base.

As with Naylor, Polanco would require the Mariners to commit a multi-year deal, although not nearly on the same scale. Polanco will turn 33 early next July. A deal for him seems likely to be capped at three years, particularly when considering his recent injury troubles. He’d still require a more sizable commitment than the one made to Garver in free agency two years ago, but not by an especially large margin.

Mariners brass is set to talk with the media at an end-of-season press conference later this morning (1oam PT), and they’ll surely touch on this and a broad range of topics as they look ahead to the offseason, so there could be a fair bit of Mariners news emerging in the very near future.

Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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Steve Adams

  • Good morning! We'll get going at 2pm CT today, but feel free to submit questions ahead of time, as always.
  • Good afternoon! Sorry to be a couple minutes late. Let's begin!

Tx Ranger stuff

  • With what’s out there and what he’s gonna cost would you keep Adolis García and hope he hits? And what about Jonah Heim.

Steve Adams

  • I think both are as good as done in Arlington. Garcia is going to make around $12MM after consecutive disappointing seasons at the plate. Heim took a huge step back and is going to earn around $6MM after a pair of ugly years. Chris Young alluded to payroll uncertainty when talking about Bochy's departure.
  • At catcher, there isn't a ton out there in free agency beyond JT Realmuto, but the Rangers could try for Minnesota's Ryan Jeffers via trade or go more direct and sign Victor Caratini. I just don't think spending $6MM or so to hope Heim returns to his 2023 levels is where they'll go.
  • In the outfield, they've got Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter. There'll be plenty of trade options even if the limited slate of corner OF bats in free agency doesn't appeal to them ... Lars Nootbaar, Taylor Ward, Brendan Donovan, Brenton Doyle, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy, JJ Bleday, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach ... any of those names could be out there in trade talks.

Buster Posey

  • Outside of 2B and RF, where can I look to improve this club other than trying to stockpile quality arms?

Steve Adams

  • Second base and right field are the primary avenues to bolstering the lineup in San Francisco, but they could also look at first base/DH and see if Bryce Eldridge can headline a package for a notable starter (e.g Joe Ryan, Andrew Abbott, etc.)Could also look into some of those same OF options I listed for the Rangers -- plus Tucker, Bellinger, Grisham, etc. -- and plug Heliot Ramos into more of a DH role.

Luis Arraez

  • Am I playable at 3B anymore? Boston would be nice... Hell it's not like Casas will be healthy, I can play 1B by Memorial Day after Triston ruptures a fingernail or something

Steve Adams

  • Cannot fathom someone signing Arraez to play third base. He's just a poor defender wherever he's at ... first base, maybe you could get something close to average, but even that's a stretch. I think Arraez is going to sign a contract that makes a lot of fans say "Uh, that's it?" But he's basically just a (very good) singles hitter with a middling OBP ... He's the type of guy I can see ending up with a boring one-year deal or maybe a cheap two/opt-out in February if he goes out looking for a notable long-term contract.

For Love of the Game

  • Given that Scott Boras advises his clients to test the free agent waters, no team is really going to drain their top prospect ranks by offering so much for Skubal that the Tigers would write off contending in 2026 (and likely 2027) for a chance to be even better in later years, right?  If I'm wrong, what would that offer look like?

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Phillies Notes: Schwarber, Realmuto, Suarez

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The Phillies are keeping manager Rob Thomson in place for the 2026 season, but there are still some potentially notable changes coming to the roster. Kyle Schwarber, Ranger Suarez and J.T. Realmuto are among the team’s most notable free agents. Zack Wheeler’s health outlook is a question mark after he required thoracic outlet surgery. With Suarez and Wheeler’s status uncertain at best and Aaron Nola coming off an ERA north of 6.00, Philadelphia’s rotation isn’t the typical powerhouse to which we’ve become accustomed in recent seasons.

First and foremost, it sounds as though retaining Schwarber will be one of the top’s top priorities — if not the very top item on president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s to-do list. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that executives with other clubs expect owner John Middleton to do whatever it takes to keep Schwarber in the City of Brotherly Love. Matt Gelb of The Athletic suggests that Schwarber, who’ll turn 33 next spring, is planning to seek a five-year contract in free agency.

That’d be unheard of for a designated hitter at his age, but Schwarber’s 2025 season was the best of his career. He clubbed an NL-best 56 home runs en route to a .240/.365/.563 slash. Schwarber topped the century mark in both runs scores and runs driven in for a third consecutive season.

Schwarber’s 14.9% walk rate was 6.5 percentage points higher than the 8.4% league average, and while Schwarber’s 27.2% strikeout rate was also considerably higher than average (22.2%), it was also his lowest since 2021. The NL home run leader has also made immense gains against left-handed pitching in recent seasons, shedding platoon concerns that followed him earlier in his career. Schwarber was actually better against lefties than righties, hitting same-handed opponents at a .252/.366/.598 against clip.

If one were to set MLBTR’s Contract Tracker to show the number of position players commanding a five-year free agent deal beginning in their age-33 season, well … there aren’t any. In fact, the only free agent hitters in the past decade to sign even a four-year deal beginning at age 33 or later are Ben Zobrist ($56MM), Starling Marte ($78MM) and Josh Donaldson ($92MM). All are at least four years old now (10, in Zobrist’s case), and Schwarber is coming off such a prodigious offensive showing that he should top all of them with ease.

Gelb also suggests that Realmuto is expected to seek a three-year deal — a hefty ask considering he’ll turn 35 next spring. Again, looking to our Contract Tracker to find catchers who signed for three or more guaranteed years beginning with their age-35 season (or older) reveals only two: Carlos Ruiz’s three-year, $26MM deal to return to the Phillies all the way back in 2013 and Yadier Molina’s three-year, $60MM extension back in 2017.

Realmuto showed in 2025 that there’s still plenty left in the tank, but his days as a premium all-around catcher also look to be in the past. His .257/.315/.384 batting line was 6% worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+, but still checked in a bit better than that of the average catcher, specifically. He’s still plus when it comes to controlling the run game (29.7% caught-stealing rate), but Realmuto has now registered negative blocking grades (according to Statcast) in consecutive seasons and has seen his once-vaunted framing grades decline sharply.

The market offers little in the way of starting-caliber catchers, which could work to Realmuto’s benefit. Victor Caratini and Danny Jansen are arguably the most notable alternatives on the open market. The former has posted nice rate stats in the batter’s box but has primarily operated as a backup. The latter has now had back-to-back poor seasons at the plate. Potential non-tenders (e.g. Jonah Heim, Joey Bart) could add some change-of-scenery candidates to the list of options, and the trade market will surely offer a few names to ponder (e.g. Ryan Jeffers, Jake Rogers, Ivan Herrera).

Turning to Suarez, he made no secret of his hope to remain in Philadelphia. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes that the left-hander was among the last players to leave the clubhouse after the 2025 season ended. He told reporters at the time: “I don’t want it to be the last year with the team.”

The 30-year-old Suarez has been a rock in the Philly rotation, averaging 26 starts per season across the past four years and pitching to a 3.59 ERA in that time. He’s been even better in the playoffs, with a sub-2.00 ERA in his postseason career. Suarez doesn’t throw especially hard, sitting 91-92 mph with his sinker, but he still consistently posts better-than-average strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates.

As it stands, the Phillies’ rotation will include Nola, Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo. The team hasn’t yet provided a timetable for Wheeler’s recovery from his thoracic outlet procedure. Taijuan Walker is signed for $18MM in 2026, but the Phillies would probably welcome the opportunity to shed the some or all of that remaining sum. Top prospect Andrew Painter could make his long-awaited debut next year, but he posted uneven minor league results in his return from Tommy John surgery. Mick Abel was traded to the Twins in the Jhoan Duran swap.

Retaining Suarez would go a long way toward solidifying a rotation with an atypical number of red flags, but the Phillies already project for a nearly $228MM payroll before making any additions or bringing back any potential free agents (via RosterResource). It’s hard to imagine them keeping all three of those prominent impending free agents — particularly when there are other needs elsewhere on the roster.

Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat, Today 3pm CT

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Steve Adams

  • Good afternoon! I'll get this going in a couple hours, but feel free to submit questions ahead of time, as always.
  • Hello there!
  • Let's get underway

Mariners

  • Mariners have announced starters for games 3 and 4 already, and woo is not among them. Do you think he appears in the ALCS at all?

Steve Adams

  • Adam Jude with the Seattle Times reported a bit ago that they're targeting a Game 5 start for Woo, so as long as the M's don't sweep, yeah I expect to see him.

Gavin Cordes

  • Should the Padres trade Pivetta for prospects and use that money to sign King longterm

Steve Adams

  • This might've felt more plausible if King had repeated his 2024 season, but his earning power was crushed pretty heavily by all the health struggles this year. I think they can probably find a way to try to keep him on a creative deal like the ones president AJ Preller has dreamt up with Robert Suarez, Nick Martinez and Pivetta himself. The Padres are pretty good at manipulating player options and back/front-loading contracts to mitigate the CBT hit but do so with a notable guarantee and a crack at returning to free agency early for the player in question.And really, because of that, I doubt Pivetta has the value many would see upon first glance at his numbers. He can opt back into free agency next season.Pivetta  was only paid $4MM this year. He's still guaranteed $51MM over three years, with $19MM of that paid out in 2026.
  • Any team trading for him knows that if he pitches like he did in '25, he's opting out, effectively rendering him a one-year rental. If he struggles or suffers a major injury, they're on the hook for $51MM guaranteed.
  • As with all player option/opt-out contracts, there's just far more downside than there is upside.

Eutaw Street

  • I know Alonso wants a 7 year deal, but those long term deals are just not popular with teams anymore. And I think it’s even less likely for a power hitting first baseman. Could something like a 4 year/$180 million deal with a 5 year player option do it for Alonso?

Steve Adams

    • I don't think Alonso has any delusions of signing a 7-year deal this winter, and I don't think any team in its right mind would do 4/180. We're going to end up predicting some $60-70MM less than that on our top 50

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Sandy Alomar Sr. Passes Away

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Former All-Star infielder Sandy Alomar Sr. has passed away, per an announcement from the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League. He was 81 years old and would have turned 82 this coming weekend.

The father of big leaguers Roberto Alomar and Sandy Alomar Jr., Sandy Sr. enjoyed a 15-year playing career of his own. From 1964-78, he suited up for the Angels, Yankees, White Sox, Braves, Rangers and Mets. The elder Alomar made the 1970 All-Star team as a member of the Angels during a season in which he batted .251/.302/.293 and played in all 162 games while providing quality defense and 35 stolen bases.

In all, Alomar hit .245/.290/.288 in 5160 major league plate appearances across his decade and a half as a big league player. He played primarily second base but also logged more than 1200 innings at shortstop and made a handful of appearances at the hot corner. Alomar was known for his glove and speed more than his bat; he totaled just 13 career home runs, 126 doubles and 19 triples but piled up 227 career stolen bases. He’s one of just 300 players to ever steal at least 225 bags in his career.

Beyond his career as a player, Alomar logged parts of 16 season as a coach in the major leagues, spending time with the Padres (third base coach), Cubs (first base coach), Rockies (third base coach) and Mets (bench coach, first base coach). He also managed in the minor league ranks for both the Cubs and the Mets and spent several seasons coaching and managing teams at home in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Our condolences go out to each of the organizations Alomar impacted, as well as the Alomar family and friends, and the countless fans he accrued over a baseball career that spanned more than 50 years.

Submit Your Questions For This Week’s Episode Of The MLBTR Podcast

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On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we regularly answer questions from our readers and listeners. With the next episode set for Wednesday, we’re looking for MLBTR’s audience to submit their questions and we’ll pick a few to answer.

The 2025 regular season is now over and the playoffs are in full swing. Do you have a question about the season which just ended? The postseason? The upcoming offseason? If you have a question on those topics or anything else baseball-related, we’d love to hear from you! You can email your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.

Also, if you want to hear your voice on the podcast, send us your question in audio form and we might play it. iPhone users can find instructions on how to do so here.

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Rob Thomson Will Return As Phillies’ Manager In 2026

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The Phillies’ latest postseason exit has led to some speculation about manager Rob Thomson’s job security, but Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of the New York Post report that Thomson is “safe for 2026” and is expected to return to lead the Philadelphia dugout next year. The team is planning a formal announcement later in the week.

As pointed out by Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Thomson is just the fourth manager in major league history to lead any team to the postseason in each of his four years on the job. He’s also only the third Phillies manager to guide the club to consecutive NL East championships.

Thomson, 62, was elevated to the manager’s post midway through the 2022 season when Joe Girardi was fired. The team’s bench coach at the time, Thomson has now famously indicated that he was actually planning to retire at the end of that 2022 season before being reinvigorated by the promotion to manager.

In three-plus seasons at the helm, Thomson guided the Phillies to a 346-251 regular season record and steered the ’22 Phillies all the way to an NL Pennant and to Game 6 of the World Series before falling to the ’22 World Champion Astros. Thomson’s Phillies reached Game 7 of the NLCS against the Diamondbacks in 2023 but have now lost in the Division Series in consecutive seasons, falling to the ’24 Mets and the ’25 Dodgers.

Prior to his time as the Phillies’ manager, Thomson spent five years as the bench coach under Girardi. He was also the Yankees’ bench coach under Girardi, holding that position from 2008-17. He’d served as a major league coach with the Yankees prior, dating back to 2003, and has also held roles in their front office (specifically in player development) in addition to various coaching positions in the Yankees’ minor league ranks.

Though some fans might’ve hoped for a change in voice after four consecutive earlier-than-hoped playoff exits, it doesn’t seem that any such sentiment exists within the clubhouse. Phillies players emphatically voiced last week — via both Lauber and The Athletic’s Matt Gelb — that Thomson has their support.

“I love Topper, man,” Harper said after the team’s heartbreaking end to the season. “He’s done a great job for us. I don’t know what the future holds. I have no idea. I think that’s a [question for president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski]. But obviously, we love Topper in here.” Teammate Trea Turner agreed wholeheartedly.

“I’ve been blessed with a lot of good managers in my career — I’ve probably played for four or five now, and they’ve all been really good — and he’s right up there with them,” said Turner. “He’s got all the qualities. He keeps it even-keeled all year long. He’s great, man. I don’t think you can ask for more out of a manager.”

Thomson is currently signed through the 2026 season. The Phillies inked him to a one-year extension last offseason — a move that prevented him from playing out the current campaign as a lame-duck manager. Perhaps they’ll go a similar route this time around, but for right now, Thomson’s contract is slated to conclude at the end of the ’26 season and is not believed to contain any kind of option for the 2027 season.

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