Steve Adams | MLB Trade Rumors

MLBTR Chat Transcript

By Steve Adams | November 11, 2025 at 1:01pm CDT

Steve Adams

Good morning — and happy offseason! Apologies for the lack of chat last week. We had a pretty big push to get the Top 50 out, finish the Offseason Outlook series, etc. We’ll get back into a rhythm with regular chats on Tuesdays again. We’ll get going at 1pm CT, but feel free to ask a question ahead of time if you prefer.
Good afternoon! Let’s get underway
We published our collaborative Top 50 Free Agents and Contract Predictions last week:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/2025-26-top-50-mlb-free-agents-…I may differ slightly from contract to contract, but in general, most of the numbers on there are pretty closely in line with my expectations (or at the very least seem pretty plausible to me)
Quick note since many of the early questions are asking for contract predictions on prominent free agents

Hunt for Reds October

Given the payroll is the same, how can the Reds claim they will compete in 2026? Isn’t it more of the same dumpster diving and wishing something good happens?

Steve Adams

They nabbed a Wild Card spot in 2025 and did so in a season where they went through notable stretches without Hunter Greene, Tyler Stephenson, Noelvi Marte and others — plus they got nothing out of Matt McLain.They have a handful of notable free agents in Nick Martinez, Emilio Pagan, Zack Littell and Miguel Andujar, but I think most of that group is composed of regression candidates anyhow
All of which is to say, I don’t think they need to send payroll soaring to compete. Obviously it’d be nice if the Castellinis gave Krall & Co. an extra $20MM or so on top of last year’s budget, but they’ve got some wiggle room right now as it is, especially if they trade Brady Singer

Jays Fan

Will the Blue Jays pursue Kyle Tucker? I’d like to see them re-sign Bichette AND bring in Tucker.

Steve Adams

They’ll pursue him. I wouldn’t get your hopes up for a Tucker+Bichette combo, but it’s at least slightly plausible, which is more than can be said for most clubs

Jose G

What reliever are the Dodgers going got sign?

Steve Adams

This is a boring answer, but the Dodgers don’t even know the answer to that question yet.I expect they’ll be in on Edwin Diaz, Devin Williams and other prominent bullpen arms though.

Stevey Steve

Steve why did Baldwin beat out Cade Horton for NL ROY? To me that is a joke. He was unbelievable in the 2nd half. His ERA over his last 14 starts was 1- something. Come on, what are we doing here?

Steve Adams

Horton would’ve been perfectly deserving, but focusing only on his final 12 starts also ignores a good-not-great 10 starts to begin his career.Drake Baldwin was in the majors all year (Horton wasn’t) and was 25% better than average at the plate as a catcher — a position where the standard player is about 10% worse than average.
I wouldn’t begrudge anyone preferring Horton over Baldwin, but there wasn’t a cavernous gulf between them at all.

I’d also have voted for Baldwin, in full transparency. Sorry! (If Horton had been up on Opening Day and pitched like that in the majors all season, it’d be another story)

Mitch

Dodgers could pretty easily trade for a Kwan loke player rather sign Tucker. I think that hype is there just because they are the Dodgers. They need to clean up 40 man space and have a ton of depth at the same positions in the minors

Steve Adams

I’m sure they’ll look into both. Kwan would cost quite a bit in a trade, and I’d take Tucker over him in a heartbeat. But sure, if the Dodgers feel Tucker’s asking price is prohibitive, Steven Kwan is a nice alternative.

over/under 2.5 years for OHearn?

Steve Adams

We predicted two but were at three years for a long while. I don’t think three is out of the question, but my very fake and not at all off-the-cuff odds would be like 70% two years and 30% three years.

Action M’s

Josh Naylor aside . I’m of the opinion the Mariners are in need of bullpen arms. Options, they could turn to in that area?

Steve Adams

The Mariners haven’t spent much on bullpen arms under Jerry Dipoto — in part because they’re so good at finding quality contributors on the scrap heap. (Hey there, Gabe Speier)I don’t expect them to spend heavily on the ’pen. Guess they could re-sign Caleb Ferguson, but they already have Munoz, Brash, Speier, Bazardo, Vargas … it’s a strong group as is, and I’m curious to see what Hancock would do over a full year in the ’pen.

Cards

Ive always thought teams should be more open to trading within their divisions. For example if the Cubs wanted Donovan, who cares the cards aren’t going to be good anytime soon and if you can get good prospects back it’s a win for both teams.

Steve Adams

I don’t have a ton of insight other than to say I generally agree with this. Lots of clubs caught up in optics. I get that you don’t want to strengthen a division rival for years to come, but I still feel it’s a bit of a blind spot for a lot of clubs.

Donovan

Do you think Brendan Donovan could hold down SS for the Braves? He and Gray would make amazing pickups and fill 2 huge needs for them.

Steve Adams

I’ve wondered whether the Braves might consider this. I kind of like it as an out-of-the-box option for one year, given the lack of alternative options. It’s a leap of faith in a guy who hasn’t played there much, but there’s just not a ton out there and I think Donovan is probably athletic enough to make it work short-term if you give him an offseason and spring training to prepare. Worst case, he’s well below average and you move him into a utility role and plug Nick Allen’s glove back in there.

Doghouse Riley

Have the Giants absolutely ruled out signing a FA pitcher like Suarez?

Steve Adams

Ranger or Robert? I assume you mean Ranger.Greg Johnson downplaying the idea of a long-term deal doesn’t mean they won’t ultimately sign a pitcher for multiple years, or even to a semi-long-term pact. The Giants were putting out signals to their beat last year that they might not go wild with spending or anything, and then they signed Adames and traded for Devers.
In the wake of Johnson’s comments, I don’t expect them to go long-term on a FA SP, but if something they deem the right opportunity presents itself, I’m sure they’ll consider it.

Johnson making the comments he did feels different than, say, White Sox GM Chris Getz pretty strongly indicating last week that he doesn’t want to sign free agents for more than a year.

John Travolta

What type of contract do you think Cedric Mullins will fetch?

Steve Adams

I tried to push for Mullins on a two-year deal to get him to the back end of the list, but most of the rest of the staff was pretty set on him as a one-year guy in the $10-12MM range. He was awful after April, and the 30-30, 6-WAR season from 2021 feels like a clear outlier at this point.I like him to do a bit better than that, but whatever he signs, I don’t expect it to go beyond two years and don’t think it’ll have an especially high AAV.

Let’s say the Pirates flip Burrows and Keller for bats, also freeing up capital for a few years on Keller’s deal. Opening day rotation starts Skenes-Chandler-Ashcraft-Oviedo. Do you add a 5th starter (classic Cherington soft-tossing lefty) or give Hunter Barco a shot?

Steve Adams

You’re forgetting Jared Jones as a potential entrant in that rotation. He’ll be more than a year removed from Tommy John surgery.But I still think if they traded Keller and Burrows both, then yes, they’d add a cheap one-year SP in February or so.

Charlesco

Hello, can Murakami hit high speed pitches? I saw one stat but I do not believe is real.

Steve Adams

He’s struggled greatly against fastballs north of 95 mph, but those are also quite rare in NPB, where the average heater is like 91 mph. Guys like Seiya Suzuki and Jung Hoo Lee also had some concerns about their ability to handle plus MLB velo, but they sorted it out as they became more accustomed to seeing it.Talked to an NL scout recently who said he’s more concerned with Murakami being able to adjust to better breaking stuff here than he is about his ability to adjust to fastballs, where he thinks Murakami will be fine after more exposure to said velo.

Mets fan

Make me believe diaz and alonso will come back. If they do what else do we need plus a top level starter?

Steve Adams

I don’t believe Alonso will be back. Diaz, maybe if Steve Cohen just swoops in and acts aggressively early on, but we’re already further into the offseason now than we were last time he re-signed with the Mets.I didn’t choose either to re-sign, but Diaz feels more plausible.

Jim

A’s don’t get a PPI pick because Nick Kurtz spent 3 weeks in AAA. What about in future years if he finishes top 3 in MVP voting; do the A’s get a PPI pick then? Or are they out of luck because he debuted 3 weeks into the 2025 season?

Steve Adams

They’d get a pick in that MVP scenario.

If you are advising Alex Anthopoulos, do you urge him to make a big push to bring Raisel Iglesias back and, if so, what contract do you offer him in terms of years and money?

Steve Adams

I don’t think Iglesias, specifically, is a must-have. Generally, just adding some quality arms in the back of the ’pen seems wise, though. I have Iglesias at 2/25

PaulF

Is Casas with Alonzo so far fetched? Gives two power bats , one from each side, and both can at least take field defensively. Current DH not so much. More outfield depth still a weapon if trade needed. And we still have money .

Steve Adams

If the Red Sox signed Alonso, I’d expect them to trade Casas, but sure you could make it work if you just dump Yoshida.

James

Will Rendon be released?

Steve Adams

Wouldn’t surprise me.

Adell

Do the Angels keep Adell and believe the breakout or sell high based on last year to add multiple pieces

Steve Adams

I don’t know that you’re selling that high on Adell. He hit 36 homers, but he was terrible defensively and his OBP was under .300.He’s a useful player and I do think he could fetch them an arm to plug into the middle/back end of the rotation, but he’s not going to fetch them a major haul — at least not in my view. But hey, even a serviceable fourth starter with a few years of control would be big for the Angels, given their perennial need for pitching. And Adell’s defensive grades would surely tick up if he weren’t being forced to masquerade as a center fielder.

Johnny U

do you feel the Reds bring in a 1B/DH or an OF as their big bat, via trade or signing?

Steve Adams

I expect them to be open to it but think it could just as likely be in the OF — or that they could (should) add one of each

PhilsPhansince1965

How much of the Tajuan Walker contract can we unload this winter if we take back a couple of nominal prospect types?

Steve Adams

I think you could dump half to 60% for no return. They’re not going to get a good prospect even if they eat the whole thing, but if they absorb 75% or more, I suppose you could get the “nominal” prospect you’re referencing here.

POBO Paul

Breslow says the Bosox are looking for a starting pitcher. Would they hve any intereat in Mackenzie Gore? What kind of return could we expect?

Steve Adams

I’m sure the Red Sox do have interest, and I’ve said before that last year’s Crochet-to-Boston trade is a decent framework for what to expect re: Gore.

Adam

True or False. The Reds have a top 5 rotation in all of baseball

Steve Adams

Off the cuff, I think this is probably right. Greene-Abbott-Lodolo-Singer-Burns, with Petty/Lowder waiting in the wings. Tons of talent there.

AstrosFAN

Could Christian Walker go back to the Diamondbacks?

Steve Adams

I tried to kick around an Eduardo Rodriguez-for-Christian Walker framework but couldn’t get there. The D-backs need innings, too, and they have cheap 1B options in Locklear/Pavin Smith. Paying $20MM per year for another first baseman — even one they love — and reducing their rotation to basically Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson doesn’t seem prudent.Can’t count on E-Rod for a ton right now, but at least you can hope he gives you innings.

Benson DuBois

Are the Pirates going to have a hard time dealing Keller? There are good free agent options at 3 years/$54MM. No need to trade a good bat for Keller if you can get a comparable talent on the open market.

Steve Adams

Keller at 3/54 is solid value. It’s true there are pitchers like Merrill Kelly or Chris Bassitt who could be had on shorter deals, but they’d require larger AAVs and are already 37.If Keller were a free agent coming off this season (really his past several seasons) and heading to market ahead of his age-30 campaign, you’re not getting him for “only” three years. There’ not necessarily a ton of surplus value AAV-wise, but a durable 30-year-old midrotation arm is going to get four or five years.

Drive to left by Castellanos

Any chance the Phils swap Casty to St. Louis for Arenado? Then flip Bohm to the Angels for Ward? Arenado has two years left, so that could appeal to the Cards.

Steve Adams

Arenado’s contract is even less desirable than Castellanos’. And I’d rather have Taylor Ward than Alec Bohm.

Bregman or Tucker

Who gets the higher aav?

Bailey Ober

If Pablo and Joe are traded, what will become of me? I may as well get traded too then, right?

Steve Adams

Eh, the Twins would be selling low enough that the return would be pretty negligible. And if you’re trading Lopez/Ryan, you need SOMEONE to pitch innings. I think they’d hang onto Ober. Could always move him in July if he’s bounced back (and/or if younger arms have jumped into the rotation mix)
Fwiw, i am very much team Tucker in this poll, too.

MLP

Iron Man Adams back on the mound again today, I see. If the Cubs were to find a deal acceptable to Ian Happ or Seiya Suzuki, how much of their final year salaries would they have to absorb to get a useful return?

Steve Adams

I don’t think they’d need to eat money for either player, but both have full no-trade clauses.

Brian

Do the Yankees prioritize Tucker or Bellinger? If Tucker, will that put Bellinger on the back burner until Tucker is signed? (I.e. just like waiting for Soto to sign before pivoting)

Steve Adams

In general, I think Tucker feels likelier to sign earlier. Boras tends to be pretty comfortable waiting. They’re in a tough spot with Bellinger a little bit. If his market does pick up early, the Yanks could run into the same scenario they saw with Willy Adames last winter … interested, but unwilling to commit until they know how the bigger fish pans out. By the time Soto was off the board last winter, it was too late on Adames.

Tim

Heard some early rumors Kazuma Okamoto wants to play for the Halos? You hearing any truth to that?

Steve Adams

I don’t know anything about the Angels podcaster who reported that. I wouldn’t put much stock in it this early. Like most free agents, you can assume Okamoto’s priorities will be:1) Role (he’s not going to sign as a part-time player)
2) Money
3) Winning
4) Location

Maybe he became an Angels fan during Ohtani’s heyday there. But even still, if a contending club offers him its everyday 3B job at comparable or greater money to what the Angels put out, then that prior affinity for the Halos won’t matter much

LaTroy Hawkins

Any chance I’m both the bullpen coach and opening day closer in Minnesota this year?

Steve Adams

I endorse this.

Dan

Harrison Bader makes too much sense for the O’s IMO.

Steve Adams

Bader is a plus defensive OF who can hit a little bit and will at absolute max cost three years — two seems likelier. He fits/makes tons of sense for a lot of teams.

Gabe’s Gaffs

What’s the over/under on the number of players the Marlins churn through with Kapler as the GM

Steve Adams

Kapler isn’t running baseball operations. He’s the GM, but Peter Bendix is the president of baseball ops. Kapler is the No. 2 in that hierarchy

Who is DH for Atlanta next year?

Steve Adams

I imagine after years of having a set DH, they’ll just rotate guys through the position this year

Cleveland

I would say Cleveland makes the most sense for a Ketel Marte trade. Good farm, and he could hit in front of Jose, which has been a problem for years trying to find production there. They also have the farm to pull it off.

Steve Adams

I don’t think Arizona is trading Ketel Marte. Even if they did, I have a hard time seeing a low-payroll club like the Guards make that move when Travis Bazzana is so close to the majors and plays the same position.

Yoshida

Is it possible that I end up just like Rusney Castillo and in AAA playing out my contract?

Steve Adams

Rusney was sequestered in AAA because of the now-defunct rule that his contract didn’t count toward the Red Sox’ CBT bill unless they added him back. Yoshida’s 18MM AAV counts for the Sox no matter what they do with him.He might still end up playing in AAA, but if he does, it’ll be because he’s just not performing well enough to merit an MLB look

Derek Shelton

What other former Twins greats will I bring onto my coaching staff?

Steve Adams

Star Tribune reported this morning that the Twins want James Rowson as a bench coach

Djboy2898

What would it cost the Giants to get trade for Brandon Lowe? Would trading Ramos for Mitch Keller or Pablo Lopez be enough

Steve Adams

Ramos isn’t enough for either, especially Lopez
Brandon Lowe … it’s one year at $11.5MM. Notable injury history, plenty of swing-and-miss. He has some value but it’s not through the roof or anything. Couple of 40 or 45 FV prospects

Jed

Matt Shaw and a TOR starter or go outside the organization to fill 3rd base and go lesser in the rotation?

Steve Adams

Latter scenario is likelier. I’m not personally huge on Matt Shaw after 2025. I don’t think it’s at all out of the question that he just puts it together in his second year, but there weren’t a ton of positives in his rookie campaign other than the plus DRS rating at 3B.I assume there are teams (probably including the Cubs) who are higher on Shaw than me, so in the very hypothetical scenario (which Cubs fans should not at all want), I’d be seeing what kind of SP I could get with Shaw as one of the headliners and then looking at 3B alternatives.
I put the Cubs on Kazuma Okamoto on our Top 50 for this reason (and because I had a hard time placing Okamoto in general, ha)

Arte Moreno

What’s a realistic return for Taylor Ward?

Steve Adams

I will call for the Brady Singer/Taylor Ward trade until I’m blue in the face. Or until it happens. Or until one of them is traded for a different player

Tim

Clase and Ortiz definite banned from baseball?

Steve Adams

I don’t see how either comes back from this.

Vrmind

Back to ATL: Baldwin just won ROY, they got Murphy coming off an injured/down year. How do you see that playing out? Just rotate the two through C/DH or start shopping Murph this off-season just to get rid of the contract?

Steve Adams

Rotate them. They’d be selling low on Murphy. Having both gives them a nice C/DH tandem next year, protects against further health trouble for one or the other, and keeps open the possibility of eventually dealing Murphy when his value is higher.
Alrighty, I’ve got to call it this week. I’m on X @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social if you have more questions.If you want more opinions from the MLBTR team, you can learn about our Front Office subscription package and sign up here. In addition to ad-free viewing on the site and in the app, you’ll get weekly analysis/opinion columns from Anthony Franco and myself, a weekly mailbag column from Tim Dierkes, weekly fantasy baseball chats and columns with Nicklaus Gaut, weekly subscriber-only chats with Anthony and me (where your odds of getting a question answered are much, much higher), extra insight from Darragh McDonald, access to our Contract Tracker (a vital offseason resource) and our Agency Database, and more.
Thanks all!

Twins Rumors: Payroll, Ryan, Coaching Staff

By Steve Adams | November 11, 2025 at 12:30pm CDT

The Twins are expected to listen to trade offers on several of their remaining veterans after gutting the roster — particularly the bullpen — ahead of this year’s trade deadline. Right-handers Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez ranked prominently on MLBTR’s list of the offseason’s top 40 trade candidates, as did catcher Ryan Jeffers. The extent to which the Twins further subtract from the roster will at least in part stem from ownership’s budget for next year’s payroll. To this point, the Pohlad family has not given the baseball operations department “a clear direction” on next year’s payroll, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

RosterResource currently projects a $95MM payroll for the Twins, which is down more than $40MM from their Opening Day mark in 2025. That doesn’t include potential subtractions from the arbitration class. Trevor Larnach, projected for a $4.7MM salary (via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz), stands as a non-tender or trade candidate. Obviously, trades of Ryan, Lopez and/or Jeffers would further scale back spending. Lopez is earning $21.75MM in each of the next two seasons. Ryan is projected for a $5.8MM salary. Jeffers is projected to earn $6.6MM. (Center fielder Byron Buxton is guaranteed $15MM but has a full no-trade clause and has said even after the team’s summer fire sale that he won’t consider approving a trade.)

The idea of Minnesota taking that newfound payroll flexibility and reinvesting it in a series of win-now moves to complement a roster still featuring Ryan, Lopez, Buxton, Jeffers and several promising young position players (Luke Keaschall perhaps chief among them) makes at least some sense on paper, but there’s little in the Pohlads’ history of owning the club to support the notion that they’d go that route. Further subtraction still seems likely, though until the Twins tip their hand with whatever the first moves of the offseason are, perhaps fans can hold out some faint hope for a quicker-than-expected turnaround.

Assuming they indeed operate more on the sell side of things, Ryan in particular will be one of the most sought-after names on the trade market. The Twins discussed the 29-year-old righty, who has two years of affordable arbitration control remaining, with several clubs ahead of the summer trade deadline. No deal came to pass, but the Red Sox are known to have had substantial discussions regarding the right-hander, while the Yankees and Mets were among the others to at least check in.

Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register adds the Angels to the list of clubs that showed interest in Joe Ryan prior to the trade deadline. With the Halos set to seek pitching upgrades again this winter, it stands to reason that they could circle back and talk with the Twins this winter. The Angels’ farm system is not well regarded, though they have a fair number of young big leaguers or nearly MLB-ready arms who could pique the Twins’ interest (e.g. George Klassen, Ryan Johnson, Nelson Rada, 2025 first-rounder Tyler Bremner).

The Angels would surely face competition in any bid for Ryan. The 2025 All-Star tossed 171 innings of 3.42 ERA ball this past season, fanning 28.2% of opponents against a tidy 5.7% walk rate. He sports a career 3.79 earned run average that’s skewed a bit by an outlier 4.51 mark in 2023. Ryan has virtually no platoon split in his career, with the main blemish against him being some susceptibility to home runs (particularly in that rocky ’23 campaign). Angel Stadium, notably, has been more conducive to home runs than Minneapolis’ Target Field — both over the past three seasons and in 2025, in particular.

Much of the focus in the early stages of the offseason will be in determining exactly which direction the Twins will go and — if they indeed sell more veterans — the depth of that potential teardown. Minnesota already had a relatively well-regarded farm system prior to the deadline, and the Twins now boast one of the best minor league systems in the sport. They’re not a system that’s devoid of minor league talent, so the extent to which ownership is willing to invest in the club will be especially instructive when it comes to their 2026 outlook.

Looking beyond the roster, however, there are still some short-term decisions that need to be made in the dugout. Longtime manager Rocco Baldelli was fired at season’s end and replaced by his former bench coach from 2019, Derek Shelton. Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes that the Twins initially began their search for a manager with a speculative list running around 80 names deep. They whittled that to 15, conducted Zoom interviews with seven and held in-person interviews with Shelton, Yankees hitting coach James Rowson (another former Twins staffer) and former Mariners skipper Scott Servais.

The decision, per Nightengale, ultimately came down to Shelton or Rowson. While Shelton won the job in the end, the Twins are hopeful of hiring Rowson back to the organization as Shelton’s new bench coach, Nightengale reports. The rest of the staff is largely up in the air. Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports that the Twins will retain pitching coach Pete Maki, pairing him with newly hired bullpen coach LaTroy Hawkins to oversee the staff in Minnesota.

Third base coach Tommy Watkins has already departed for Atlanta, and Hayes writes that assistant bench coach/catching coach Hank Conger and quality control coach Nate Dammann have both been dismissed. Decisions have yet to be made on hitting coaches Matt Borgschulte, Trevor Amicone and Rayden Sierra.

Braves Add Tony Mansolino, J.P. Martinez To Coaching Staff

By Steve Adams | November 11, 2025 at 10:09am CDT

Nov. 11: Mansolino will serve as the bench coach and work with the team’s infielders rather than his previously reported role of third base coach, according to David O’Brien of the Athletic. Instead, the Braves have hired Tommy Watkins to be the third base coach, per Dan Hayes of the Athletic. Watkins was a long-time Twins coach and was given permission to interview for the role with the Braves. O’Brien adds that Eddie Perez will be remaining as a major league coach for Atlanta. The club also officially announced Dustin Garneau as catching coach, Darnell Coles as assistant hitting coach, and Tony Diaz as a major league coach.

Nov. 7: The Braves on Friday announced the hiring of former Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino as their new third base coach. He’ll take over for Fredi Gonzalez, whose departure from the staff was reported earlier in the week. Atlanta also hired former Giants pitching coach J.P. Martinez — not to be confused with the former Braves outfielder of the same name — as their new bullpen coach.

The 43-year-old Mansolino took over for O’s skipper Brandon Hyde after Baltimore dismissed him back in mid-May. He’d been Hyde’s third base coach prior to that appointment — a role he’d held dating back to the 2021 season. Mansolino was previously a hitting coach and infield coordinator in Cleveland prior to being hired in Baltimore. A 26th-round pick by the Pirates back in 2005, he played professional from 2005-10 as an infielder Pittsburgh’s system and later on the independent circuit.

Mansolino guided the O’s to a 60-59 record, but that wasn’t enough to erase a disastrous start to the season. Baltimore finished last in the AL East with a 75-87 record. He was in the running for the Orioles’ full-time managerial gig moving forward, but that job went to Guardians associate manager and bench coach Craig Albernaz.

Martinez, also 43, was San Francisco’s pitching coach in 2025 and an assistant pitching coach with the Giants from 2021-24. He broke into the coaching ranks in the low levels of the Twins’ system back in 2015. He served as a pitching coach with Minnesota’s Rookie-level and High-A affiliates before being named the organization’s overall minor league pitching coordinator in 2018 — a role he held until being hired by the Giants in the 2020-21 offseason.

Rangers Had Interest In Lars Nootbaar Prior To October Surgery

By Steve Adams | November 10, 2025 at 10:06pm CDT

The Rangers are looking for several new bats as they look to, as GM Ross Fenstermaker indicated at season’s end, improve their on-base percentage and contact skills. Newly installed manager Skip Schumaker has already spoken about finding a new offensive identity. One potential target who had popped up on the Rangers’ radar, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, was Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar. Goold writes that the Cardinals are open to hearing what other clubs will offer on Nootbaar and adds that the Rangers and at least one other AL club had shown interest in the 28-year-old outfielder. That, however, came prior to the public revelation that Nootbaar was undergoing surgery on both heels to address Haglund deformities.

At present, it’s not clear whether Nootbaar will be ready for Opening Day. Newly minted Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said two weeks ago that Opening Day is neither firmly off the table nor a guarantee for Nootbaar. His readiness (or lack thereof) is still up in the air and hinges on the speed of his recovery. It’s also not clear to what extent (if any) the procedure has cooled the Rangers’ interest.

Even if Texas is out on Nootbaar entirely, the team’s interest in him is telling in some regards. On paper, the Rangers seem to have a full outfield. Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter and Adolis García are currently projected to line up from left to right field. However, García is coming off two consecutive poor seasons at the plate and projected to earn more than $12MM in what’ll be his final trip through the arbitration process. Given his recent struggles, mounting price tag and the Rangers’ desire to improve their on-base and contact skills, García stands as a trade candidate or non-tender candidate. Interest in Nootbaar, whose best defensive grades have come in right field — the same position García occupies in Texas — at least supports the notion that García is on somewhat shaky ground.

Nootbaar’s projected $5.7MM salary in arbitration is less than half that of García. He also sports one of the lowest chase rate on balls out of the strike zone, per Statcast: 26th lowest among (21.5%) among the 215 big league hitters who took at least 400 plate appearances in 2025. García, conversely, has the 26th-highest chase rate at a whopping 35.1%. Nootbaar’s 20.4% strikeout rate isn’t all that far south of league average, but it’s several ticks lower than that of García. Additionally, Nootbaar’s contact rate is about four percentage points higher than average, while his swinging-strike rate is about 3.5 percentage points lower than average.

There’s little sense in reading too heavily into one individual target, but interest in Nootbaar supports the idea that the Rangers, who had the tenth-highest chase rate in MLB as a team and the eight-worst walk rate, are looking for a different type of approach at the plate. Nootbaar, like García, draws strong defensive marks for his corner outfield work. He lacks García’s raw power but still makes hard contact at plus levels.

The salary discrepancy between the two players is of some note, too. When announcing at season’s end that Bruce Bochy would not be returning as the Rangers’ manager, president of baseball operations said that when Bochy was hired in 2022, the team had “a little more certainty in terms of payroll” before adding, “We don’t have that at this point” (link via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News).

That doesn’t necessarily indicate that Texas will gut payroll in extreme fashion this winter, but Nootbaar’s salary is far more palatable than a projected $12.1MM for García. Texas finished the 2025 season with a payroll north of $224MM and currently is projected for a $198MM payroll in 2026 (per RosterResource) before making a single offseason move.

Orioles Sign Enoli Paredes To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | November 10, 2025 at 4:35pm CDT

4:35pm: The O’s officially announced that they have signed Paredes to a minor league deal.

12:54pm: The Orioles are in agreement on a minor league deal with free agent righty Enoli Paredes, reports Ari Alexander of 7News. He’ll be in major league camp as non-roster invitee next spring.

Paredes, who turned 30 in September, is no stranger to Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias. He originally signed with the Astros as an amateur back in 2016, when Elias was the scouting director in Houston. Elias had already jumped to Baltimore by the time Paredes had emerged as one of Houston’s more notable pitching prospects and then made his subsequent MLB debut, however.

In parts of four major league seasons between the Astros, Brewers and Cubs, Paredes has totaled 54 innings with a tidy 3.00 ERA but far more concerning rate stats. He’s fanned a slightly below-average 21.7% of his opponents but walked a ghastly 16.8% of the hitters he’s faced in the majors. Paredes keeps the ball on the ground at a solid clip, has averaged better than 95 mph on his four-seamer and has done a nice job avoiding hard contact, but the lack of command is a glaring flaw.

In 2025, Paredes spent the season with Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett. He tossed 57 1/3 frames with a 4.40 earned run average, a strong 27.6% strikeout rate and an ugly 11.5% walk rate (plus another seven plunked batters and four wild pitches). Paredes posted sub-3.00 ERAs in Triple-A in both 2024 and 2022, but he’s consistently logged sky-high walk rates in both Triple-A and MLB.

The O’s have plenty of uncertainty in their bullpen after Felix Bautista underwent shoulder surgery that’ll keep him out for all of 2026. They further thinned out their relief corps at the July trade deadline, shipping out Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto, Bryan Baker and Andrew Kittredge — though they’ve since reacquired Kittredge from the Cubs. Dominguez and Soto were free agents anyhow, but Baker was under club control through 2028. Yennier Cano’s uneven season and poor cumulative results this year make it hard to count on him heading into ’26 as well.

Kittredge, Cano, Keegan Akin and Albert Suarez are the only relievers on Baltimore’s roster with even two years of big league service. Given the lack of defined options in the late innings, the Orioles will be active in bringing in bullpen help — both in the form of established arms and also in the form of low-cost depth grabs like today’s Paredes deal.

Nationals Hire Rays’ Michael Johns As Bench Coach

By Steve Adams | November 10, 2025 at 4:00pm CDT

4:02pm: It is now official, as both the Nats and Rays announced Johns’s hiring.

1:57pm: The Nationals are planning to hire Rays first base coach Michael Johns as the bench coach under new manager Blake Butera, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Butera, like Johns, was with the Rays prior to being hired in Washington. He’d been Tampa Bay’s senior director of player development and surely has a strong rapport his new bench coach.

Johns has been in his current position for the past two seasons and has more than two decades in professional baseball as a minor league manager, coach and coordinator. The 50-year-old has spent his entire career to date in the Rays organization and previously managed Tampa Bay’s Triple-A, High-A and Rookie-ball affiliates, totaling nine years as a minor league skipper.

In addition to his lengthy coaching/development background, Johns had a brief career as a player. The former Tulane infielder was selected by the Rockies in the 19th round back in 1997 and spent two seasons in the low levels of Colorado’s system before playing a third year on the independent circuit.

Johns is the first known hire who’ll serve on what’s expected to be a fully revamped coaching staff in 2026. New president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has previously suggested that big league experience is not a prerequisite but would be a bonus to any candidates’ cases as they look to fill out the staff.

Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

By Steve Adams | November 10, 2025 at 3:00pm CDT

Steve Adams

Good afternoon! I'll get going at 3pm CT, give or take a minute or two. If you've got questions about our Top 50 agent list, our Top 40 trade candidate list, or anything more broadly pertaining to the offseason, let's discuss!
Greetings! Let's get goingn
going, eve
Oh my
Going, even*********
Bad omen for the chat today, ha

Rangers13

What would Padres want for Campusano?

Steve Adams

I assume Campusano can be had for little to no return at this point. He's a non-tender candidate. He demolished AAA pitching all season while the Padres trotted out Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado ... then traded for another light-hitting, glove-first catcher at the deadline (Freddy Fermin)
If they had any faith he could catch in the majors, he'd have gotten another look this summer

Dana Brown

what type of return could the Astros get if they pick up half of Christian Walker's salary, and what type of return for Jake Meyers if he is available?

Steve Adams

Picking up half of Walker's contract still means he'd cost $20MM over two years, which is more than I think he'd get in free agency right now. I don't think they can move him if they're only eating half the deal (and, if they did find a taker at that price point, there'd be zero return)Meyers is cheap with a solid to good glove in CF, an average-ish bat and above-average baserunning contributions. He's two years from free agency. I don't think he's going to command a massive haul, but I think they could flip him for a back-end option in the rotation that's more or less ready right now.

Blue Jays

Aside from Bo, who do you think are the main blue jays targets this offseason (trade or free-agent)?

Steve Adams

I fully expect the Blue Jays to be in on basically every prominent free agent, including Kyle Tucker. They can accommodate him on the payroll. They don't have a set option in right field. (Barger can play 3B.) They just came two outs away from a World Series and have a bunch of extra revenue as a result.They also have multiple rotation vacancies -- and they were gifted a playoff-caliber starter when Shane Bieber exercised a player option that was somewhere around 10% of his market value (net $12MM for him). Still can't believe that.
They're flush with cash, vibes are good, fan support through the roof. Free agents will want to go there after the WS appearance. No one's off the table.

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Royals Add Marcus Thames To Coaching Staff

By Steve Adams | November 10, 2025 at 2:23pm CDT

The Royals are hiring former big league outfielder and veteran coach Marcus Thames as a hitting coach, reports Anne Rogers of MLB.com. He’ll join recently hired Connor Dawson, 32, as a second hitting coach under senior director of hitting Alec Zumwalt. Kansas City did not renew the contracts of now-former assistant hitting coaches Joe Dillon and Keoni DeRenne at season’s end.

Thames, 48, enjoyed a decade-long career in the big leagues as an outfielder and designated hitter from 2002-2011. Shortly after his playing career ended, he took a job as a minor league hitting coach in the Yankees’ system. Within three years, he’d been promoted to the major league staff in the Bronx.

From 2016-21, Thames was an assistant hitting coach or hitting coach with the Yankees’ big league staff. He’s since jumped to the Marlins, Angels and White Sox, holding hitting coach titles within each system. The Mississippi native spent the past two seasons as the hitting coach for the White Sox but was let go as part of a coaching staff shakeup at season’s end.

Thames played in 640 major league games and totaled 2016 plate appearances as a big leaguer. In that time, the former 30th-round pick slashed .246/.309/.485 with 115 home runs, 83 doubles, four triples, a 7.9% walk rate and a 25.3% strikeout rate. Thames’ bat was particularly potent against left-handed pitching in his playing days, as evidenced by a .260/.328/.496 line in his career. The 2026 season will mark his eleventh consecutive year on a big league coaching staff.

Justin Turner Plans To Play In 2026

By Steve Adams | November 10, 2025 at 11:27am CDT

The 2025 season was a tough one for two-time All-Star Justin Turner, who batted just .219/.288/.314 in 191 plate appearances with the Cubs. Between that rough showing and Turner’s looming 41st birthday later this month, some have wondered whether he’ll continue playing. Agent Greg Genske of Vayner Sports tells Jon Morosi of MLB Network that Turner indeed is intent on playing in what would be his 18th major league season in 2026.

The 2025 season was the first below-average season Turner has had at the plate since establishing himself as a big league regular. He hit .259/.354/.384 between Boston and Seattle in 2024 and was 16% better than average at the plate in both ’23 and ’24, by measure of wRC+. This year’s downturn in production was steep, but it came in a relatively minimal sample and wasn’t accompanied by a glaring uptick in punchouts Turner’s strikeout rate did climb from 17.6% to 19.4%, but his contact rate — specifically his contact rate on balls within the strike zone — was largely unchanged.

Virtually all of Turner’s struggles in 2025 came against right-handed pitching. He tallied 109 plate appearances versus lefties and delivered a solid .276/.330/.429 batting line (112 wRC+). Against right-handed opponents, he was one of the worst hitters in MLB: .141/.232/.155 in 82 plate appearances (a gruesome 16 wRC+). At least some of that is attributable to a .179 BABIP against righties, though his struggles can’t be blamed solely on poor fortune. Turner’s 39.7% ground-ball rate was his highest since 2014, and he posted career-worst marks in pop-up rate, line-drive rate and hard-hit rate.

Based on Turner’s age and last year’s lack of production, anything more than a modest one-year deal seems unreasonable. Turner’s one-year deal with the Cubs paid him a guaranteed $6MM, and he’ll almost certainly need to take a pay cut on that sum. Last year’s struggles will make a club reluctant to offer him regular at-bats, but a team with payroll concerns and a left-handed option at first base/DH could view him as an affordable veteran roll of the dice who brings plenty of clubhouse benefits to the fold. Clubs like the Padres (Gavin Sheets), Rangers (Joc Pederson), Guardians (Kyle Manzardo, C.J. Kayfus) and Royals (Vinnie Pasquantino) all have lefty-hitting first base and/or designated hitter options that struggled against southpaws in 2025.

Mets, Jose Rojas Agree To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | November 10, 2025 at 10:30am CDT

The Mets agreed to a minor league deal with infielder/outfielder Jose Rojas, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The Gaeta Sports client will be invited to major league camp this spring and would be paid $820K if he makes the roster.

Rojas, 32, hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2022 but is coming off a monster 2025 season with the Yankees’ Triple-A club. The lefty-swinging slugger popped 32 home runs last year, tops in the Triple-A International League, and slashed .287/.379/.599 overall (153 wRC+). Since his last MLB appearance with the ’22 Angels, he’s spent a year in the Korea Baseball Organization (.253/.345/.474 with the Doosan Bears) and bounced between the Triple-A affiliates for the Pirates and Yankees.

All of Rojas’ big league experience has come with the Angels. He’s struggled considerably, hitting just .188/.245/.339 with a 28.6% strikeout rate — albeit in a relatively small sample of 241 plate appearances. He’s consistently torched Triple-A pitching in a much larger sample of 2050 plate appearances.

Defensively, Rojas is experienced at all four corner positions and, to a lesser extent, second base (865 innings). He played the outfield exclusively during his 2023 season in the KBO and has primarily played the infield and outfield corners since returning to North American ball. He’ll vie for a bench spot in camp and give the Mets some thump to stash in Triple-A if he doesn’t make the roster. Rojas also has a minor league option remaining, so if he’s selected to the 40-man at any point he can be shuttled between Syracuse and Queens without needing to be exposed to waivers.

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