Bill Schmidt Will Not Return As Rockies’ GM
The Rockies announced Wednesday that general manager Bill Schmidt is stepping down from his post. While Schmidt and the team framed it as a mutual parting of ways, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports that Schmidt was fired. Regardless, they’ve begun a search to bring in a new head of baseball operations from outside the organization, according to the team.
“After a number of conversations, we decided it is time for me to step aside and make way for a new voice to guide the club’s baseball operations,” Schmidt said within this morning’s press release. “It’s been an honor to serve the Rockies family for over 25 years. I’m thankful to the Monfort family for the opportunity, to my family for their constant support, and our staff for their tireless dedication. Better seasons are ahead for the Rockies and our great fans, and I look forward to seeing it come to life in the years ahead.”
Schmidt spent four-plus seasons as the GM in Colorado, originally taking over for Jeff Bridich after Bridich was fired during the 2021 season. The Rockies quickly stripped away the interim title following the season and named Schmidt the full-time general manager — just the fourth GM in Rockies franchise history. As was the case with predecessors Bridich and Dan O’Dowd, Schmidt was an internal promotion. He’d previously served as the club’s scouting director dating back to the 2000 season.
The move to hire someone from outside the organization represents a major ideological shift. Owner Dick Monfort would surely prefer to describe his family as loyal — perhaps to a fault — but onlookers and critics would frame the Rockies as an insular organization that has fallen behind the times. Colorado’s baseball operations and analytics departments are reportedly among the smallest in Major League Baseball, if not the smallest. Beyond remaking the roster, the incoming baseball operations head will also have ample work to do in modernizing and bolstering the team’s infrastructure.
“Bill’s departure allows our club to seek a new leader of our baseball department experienced in areas where we know we need to grow within the operation,” Monfort said in the press release.
Monfort’s son, Walker, who was promoted to executive vice president this past June, added: “A new voice will benefit our organization as we work towards giving our fans the competitive team they deserve. We are setting our sights on finding the right leader from outside our organization who can bring a fresh perspective to the Rockies and enhance our baseball operations with a new vision, innovation and a focus on both short and long-term success.”
The Rockies, under Schmidt and Bridich before him, have enjoyed little to no success. Colorado hasn’t made the postseason since back-to-back Wild Card appearances in 2017-18. Those were just the fourth and fifth postseason berths of what is now the franchise’s 33-year history. The Rockies have never won the National League West. This year’s 43-119 record is the worst in franchise history and marks their third consecutive 100-loss season.
As Saunders points out in his piece, this year’s collective 6.65 ERA from the Rockies’ rotation is the worst mark by any club since earned run average became an officially tracked statistic back in 1913. Among the 12 pitchers to start a game for the Rockies this year, only Kyle Freeland (4.98), Ryan Feltner (4.75) and Ryan Rolison (0.00) had an ERA under 5.00. Feltner made only six starts due to injury. Rolison “started” one game, tossing a scoreless inning as an opener.
Schmidt’s four-plus seasons as general manager saw the Rockies move away from the prior core featuring notable veterans like Jon Gray, Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon and Ryan McMahon. While there have been some high points — the emergence of shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and catcher Hunter Goodman, most notably — they’ve been vastly outweighed by missteps that have left the club with a roster devoid of talent and a barren farm system. Baseball America ranked the Rockies’ system 27th following this year’s draft and trade deadline — the same as when Schmidt took over as permanent general manager.
The Rockies have regularly opted not to trade players at peak value even in losing seasons, holding onto Story, Gray, German Marquez and Daniel Bard, among many others, when any could have been valuable trade chips at the deadline. Colorado netted a draft pick for Story’s departure when he rejected a qualifying offer and signed in Boston, but Gray simply left with no compensation for the organization. Bard, rather than being traded at the 2022 deadline, instead signed a two-year, $19MM extension that did not pan out well for the team. This year’s trade of McMahon to the Yankees marked a notable change in direction, but even that decision was arguably made a year too late. Schmidt was also in the GM chair when Colorado signed Kris Bryant to a disastrous $182MM contract, though that decision very likely falls more on ownership than the front office.
Beyond the team’s distaste for trading veteran players to bring in young talent, the Rockies haven’t capitalized on their perennially high selections in the amateur draft. Colorado hasn’t selected lower than tenth in the draft since 2019, but none of their top picks in that time — Charlie Condon, Chase Dollander, Gabriel Hughes, Benny Montgomery, Zac Veen — have made an impact on the team to date. Condon and Dollander remain promising, well-regarded young players, but Condon’s selection over likely AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz (who went to the A’s one pick later) now looks glaring, even if it was sensible at the time. The last Rockies day one pick with even one WAR, per Baseball-Reference, was Brendan Rodgers, whom they selected third overall back in 2015.
Overhauling this operation will be a daunting task — one that’ll surely take multiple years. The Rockies will need to significantly build out their baseball operations, analytics and player development departments and build a farm system practically from the ground up. That’ll need to happen without the benefit of shopping many players on the current roster, as the majority of their team possesses minimal trade value — as one would expect from a club that just lost 119 games. There are a handful of big leaguers who could bring back a notable return on the trade market, but Schmidt’s ouster has the feel of a total system reboot that could very well see the team extend its streak of 100-loss seasons.
Brian Snitker Will Not Return As Braves’ Manager In 2026
The Braves will have a new manager in 2026. Brian Snitker has informed the team that he will not continue in the dugout beyond the 2025 season, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. Snitker will remain with the organization as a senior advisor but will hand over the reins in the dugout to a new hire. The Braves formally announced the decision just minutes after Passan’s report and added that Snitker will be inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame prior to a game next season.
The 69-year-old Snitker has spent the past decade as the Braves’ manager but has been in the organization for a staggering 49 years. He’s previously managed at nearly every minor league level in the system and held roles as the major league bullpen coach and third base coach.
Snitker was named interim manager in May 2016, when the organization dismissed then-skipper Fredi Gonzalez, who’d been on the job since 2011. Snitker quickly shed the interim label that offseason after an Atlanta club that started the season in a 9-28 swoon rallied to a more respectable 59-65 showing. Snitker signed a two-year contract to see the team through a rebuild but emerged as a mainstay in the dugout on the other side of that youth movement. The Braves won 90 games in 2018, leading to not only their first postseason appearance in five years — but an NL Manager of the Year win for Snitker.
Atlanta has since extended Snitker multiple times. The Braves organization lifer has compiled an 811-668 record as the big league skipper, overseen seven postseason berths (including six straight division titles) and, of course, guided the team to a victory in the 2021 World Series. He’ll step down as the skipper with the second-most wins in Atlanta Braves history, trailing only Bobby Cox’s 2,149. (Frank Selee’s 1,004 wins for the then-Boston Beaneaters in the late 1800s technically stand as second in franchise history.)
The 2025 season was the final year on Snitker’s contract. Between that and the fact that he’ll turn 70 later this month, he’s faced plenty of questions and speculation about his future throughout the season. He’s remained noncommittal and focused on his duties in the dugout but never firmly dismissed the possibility of continuing on as manager. Similarly, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said late in the season that he had “absolutely not” begun laying groundwork for a potential managerial search, calling the notion of doing so “completely disrespectful” to Snitker and his legacy within the organization.
Anthopoulos will now embark in earnest on a managerial search. Incredibly, the new hire will be just the fourth Braves manager since 1990. Cox led the team from 1990-2010, with Gonzalez stepping in from 2011-16 and Snitker helming the club since. It’s commonplace in situations like this for an organization to allow its coaching staff to at least explore new opportunities, as a new manager will generally be given plenty of say over the rest of his dugout staff. That’s not to suggest that Atlanta will have an entirely new cast of coaches next year; some members of the current staff may even be considered for the newly created vacancy. Bench coach Walt Weiss, for instance, has four years of major league managing experience and has served as Snitker’s right-hand man since 2018.
Snitker’s decision to step down means there are now a remarkable eight teams in search of a new manager this offseason — with the possibility for further turnover still existing, depending on the decisions of clubs still alive in the postseason. The Nationals, Orioles and Rockies all finished the 2025 season with interim managers after firing their skippers midseason. The Twins and Giants fired Rocco Baldelli and Bob Melvin following the season. The 2025 season was the final year of Bruce Bochy’s contract in Texas, and he won’t return to the Rangers in 2026. And the Angels, who elevated Ray Montgomery to interim manager after Ron Washington required midseason heart surgery, have announced that neither Montgomery nor Washington will return to their club next year. This winter will be the most active offseason in recent history with regard to managerial activity.
Kendrick: D-backs’ Payroll Likely To Decline, Club Still Intent On Competing In 2026
The D-backs sold off at the 2025 trade deadline, most notably shipping Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez to Seattle in separate deals and trading Merrill Kelly to the Rangers. Despite effectively waving the white flag on the ’25 season with that series of moves, Arizona rallied in the final two months and was in the mix for a postseason spot right up to the final weekend of the season. Owner Ken Kendrick chatted with John Gambadoro and Dave Burns of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM about his team’s hot finish, the decision to retain manager Torey Lovullo for a tenth season, and his club’s outlook for next year (YouTube link to the full 16-minute interview). Most notably, Kendrick conceded that payroll is likely to decline, but that doesn’t mean the Diamondbacks are entering a rebuild or moving out of win-now mode.
“We will not be spending at the same level,” Kendrick said when asked about payroll. “…We don’t just pay the 26 guys on the active roster. We have a 40-man roster. The amount of money we spent on our 40-man roster this year is $220MM. … Will we spend 220 next year? I don’t think that we will. Will we have a very significant payroll that will allow us to compete and be in the playoffs? I think we will.”
The 2025 season, fueled by last year’s surprise signing of Corbin Burnes, pushed the Diamondbacks to a franchise-record payroll. The deep postseason run in 2023 likely left the team with some extra spending capital, and that won’t be the case this year, but Kendrick repeatedly thanked fans for their commitment to the team and the manner in which they turned out. He pointed out this year’s 2.4 million tickets sold were the highest since 2008 and give the club the ability to be more competitive in subsequent seasons than if the fan base had checked out following the deadline.
“While we didn’t have playoff money, we had significant revenues from our fans attending games,” Kendrick continued. “And what I’ve said, and I’ll continue to say it, the money that is there from the revenue we take in, we’re going to reinvest in the team. We’re in a good position to have a very, very credible commitment, financially, to next season. Will the number be the same? It probably won’t be, but I think it’ll be a handsome number that will allow us to have a very, very competitive team — and I wouldn’t want us to back away from the goal of being in the postseason a year from now.”
With a return to the postseason the stated goal, the Snakes will have no shortage of work to do. Burnes will miss most or all of the 2026 season due to Tommy John surgery. Relievers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez are in similar boats. Zac Gallen is a free agent. Kelly was traded midseason and would have been a free agent anyhow. The pitching staff will need significant help in order to reassemble a playoff-caliber roster.
At the moment, the only starters who can safely be penciled into next year’s staff are Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson. Both Rodriguez and Pfaadt posted ERAs north of 5.00 as they battled home run troubles throughout the year, though the veteran Rodriguez at least finished with a respectable 4.09 ERA following the trade deadline. Nelson was terrific all year, finishing out the 2025 campaign with a 3.39 ERA in a career-best 154 1/3 innings at the MLB level.
General manager Mike Hazen cited the rotation, the bullpen and solidifying the defense around the diamond as the top priorities this offseason (link via 98.7’s Alex Weiner). Pitching help takes priority, per Hazen, but the D-backs clearly plan to focus on run-prevention.
Could a reunion with Gallen be part of that? It’s possible. While the longtime Arizona ace struggled greatly through the season’s first four months, he finished brilliantly, tossing 65 innings with a vintage 3.32 ERA following the deadline (albeit with lesser strikeout numbers than we’re accustomed to seeing from him). Gallen has been open about his love for the organization and the roots he and his family have put down in Arizona. Kendrick heaped praise on Gallen when asked about the right-hander’s future, adding that he wouldn’t say it’s “out of the realm of reality” that the two parties could come to terms on a deal to bring Gallen back next year.
Whether it’s a reunion with Gallen, a reunion with Kelly or bringing a new rotation piece aboard via free agency or trade, the D-backs will have to add at least one starter this offseason — and likely two. Many of the organization’s top pitching prospects either took steps back or went down with notable injuries in 2025. Beyond needing help on the big league staff, the depth is going to need to be bolstered. The bullpen is every bit as much of a puzzle — if not an even larger quandary. It won’t be an easy path for Hazen and his staff.
In discussing the decision to retain Lovullo, Kendrick pointed both to the injuries he navigated — six D-backs pitchers had Tommy John surgery this year — and added that it wasn’t Lovullo’s decision to trade key veterans like Naylor, Suarez and Kelly at the deadline. That decision, he noted, came from himself, from president/CEO Derrick Hall and from general manager Mike Hazen. However, it was Lovullo who kept the team’s spirits up and guided the club down the stretch.
“I don’t think a single one of our fans, on the first of August, would have thought we could be potentially on the edge of being in the playoffs on the final weekend of the season,” Kendrick said. “[Lovullo] did manage all of those games.”
Even with a spending reduction, the Snakes could have room to maneuver this offseason. RosterResource pegs their 2025 payroll at $188MM with a $212MM competitive balance tax calculation. Both of those are below Kendrick’s $220MM figure, though the Diamondbacks moved a bunch of money off their books at the deadline, so those numbers would have been higher before the trades.
Going into 2026, RR lists the payroll at just $107MM with a CBT number of $142MM. Those numbers don’t include the club’s arbitration-eligible players but there should be some dry powder there, depending on exactly how much lower the payroll will go.
Astros Notes: Brown, Espada, Rotation, Caratini, Hader
The Astros’ streak of consecutive postseason appearances ended in 2025. A poor second half, highlighted by a late sweep at the hands of the eventual division-champion Mariners (in Houston, no less), left the ‘Stros on the outside looking in for the first time since 2016. Despite a disappointing finish to the season, it doesn’t seem like major changes are coming to the organization’s leadership. Speaking to reporters at a season-end press conference, general manager Dana Brown suggested both he and manager Joe Espada would return in 2026.
Brown declined to definitively comment on his own status, stating only: “I’m the GM of the Astros, and that’s what I would expect to be tomorrow, the next day and the next day” (audio link to the full 27-minute press conference, courtesy of SportsTalk 790). On Espada, he provided a clearer answer, stating: “Joe is the manager. Joe is under contract [for 2026].”
Any change up top would be at least somewhat surprising. Brown was hired as general manager in Jan. 2023 and has only had three full seasons and two full offseasons at his current post. Espada was elevated to the manager post for the 2024 season, following Dusty Baker’s retirement. While we’ve seen occasional instances of executives and managers having leashes that short, most are provided a lengthier runway after coming aboard with a new organization.
It’s possible there’ll be some changes further down the ladder. Brown vowed Sunday to conduct a “full assessment” and to “think about the entire operation.” Changes in the coaching staff and/or on the player development front haven’t decisively been ruled out. “The season ended 48 hours ago,” said Espada. “We are trying to have conversations and see how we’re going to move forward. That’s where we’re at right now.”
With regard to the roster itself, there’ll be clear turnover. Framber Valdez and Victor Caratini are free agents. Houston has a massive class of 14 arbitration-eligible players. Mauricio Dubon, Bryan Abreu, Ramon Urias, Luis Garcia, Steven Okert and Isaac Paredes are all eligible for the third time this winter (Paredes as a Super Two player who’ll be eligible once more after the ’26 season). Jesus Sanchez, Jeremy Pena, Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers are all eligible for the second time. Hunter Brown, Yainer Diaz, Bennett Sousa and Hayden Wesneski are eligible for the first time.
Not everyone from that group will return, of course. Garcia suffered another significant elbow injury late in the 2025 season. Urias and Sanchez struggled badly after being acquired at the trade deadline. McCormick tallied just 116 plate appearances and turned in his second consecutive poor year at the plate.
Possible non-tender/trade candidates aside, the most consequential departure will be Valdez — a rock in the Houston rotation since 2020. The Astros won’t outright close the door on a reunion, but Valdez figures to command the type of long-term contract that the Astros have reserved for position players only under Jim Crane’s ownership. Houston hasn’t gone beyond $95MM guaranteed to any pitcher under Crane, and that was to reliever Josh Hader. Lance McCullers Jr.‘s ill-fated five-year, $85MM extension is the largest pact Crane has given to a starting pitcher.
“I think it’s going to be headed up with [Hunter] Brown,” the GM said when asked about his rotation. “We’re going to have some conversations, like we’ve had in the past, with Valdez. We’ve got some young guys. We’re going to see what they can do, and we’re going to have some other guys coming back off the IL.”
Both Brown and Espada praised the work Cristian Javier did in his return from Tommy John surgery and spoke of him as an important piece of the 2026 rotation. Righty AJ Blubaugh was also mentioned as a potential factor on next year’s staff. McCullers drew praise for making it back to the field after an arduous rehab process spanning more than two years, but Brown suggested only that McCullers will compete for a job in camp next year. The GM also suggested he’ll be on the hunt for additional starting pitching: “We’re going to probably be in the market to trade for an arm.”
Again, nothing within Brown’s comments expressly rules out the return of Valdez, but specifically calling out the possibility of addressing the rotation via trade is notable. Houston already has a bit more than $159MM on the 2026 books, per RosterResource, and that’s before accounting for any of the arbitration class. Their 2025 payroll finished at just under $225MM.
In addition to the rotation, catching help will be a priority. Brown noted that the Astros “definitely” have interest in bringing Caratini back after a successful run in Houston. The switch-hitting 32-year-old signed a two-year, $12MM deal prior to the 2024 season and wound up appearing in 201 games over his two seasons, slashing .263/.329/.406 in 660 turns at the plate.
“If you don’t bring him back, you definitely need a backup catcher,” said Brown. ” He’s been one of the best backup catchers in the league. … He’s going to be a free agent, so if he decides to go somewhere else, we have to be in the market for a backup — but we definitely have interest in talking to him.”
It’s a thin class of catchers in free agency this winter, with Caratini, 35-year-old J.T. Realmuto and Danny Jansen standing as the most notable names on the free agent market. The Astros don’t need a starter behind the plate. Yainer Diaz, 27, was terrific in 2023-24, hitting .293/.318/.478 with 39 homers in 996 plate appearances. He slipped in ’25, batting “only” .256/.284/.417 with 20 homers, but that’s plenty productive for a catcher. He figures to see a significant portion of the workload behind the plate again in 2026, regardless of who stands as the other half of the catching tandem.
Given the thin supply of backstops and Caratini’s success with the Astros, it’s possible catching-needy clubs could offer Caratini more playing time than Houston. That’d leave Brown and his staff searching for help behind the plate, as he alluded to; Cesar Salazar, who’ll turn 30 next March, is the only other catcher on Houston’s 40-man roster and turned in a tepid .213/.353/.353 batting line in Triple-A this season.
One other notable storyline for Astros fans to track this winter will be the progress of Hader, whose season ended in mid-August due to a capsule injury in his shoulder. Brown revealed that the team has “consistently” had imaging performed on Hader’s shoulder and that the closer is feeling better and appears to be “moving in the right direction.” Hader, however, has yet to resume throwing, and the Astros won’t have a clear picture on his timetable for a return until he takes that step and they can gauge how his shoulder responds. It’s not yet clear when Hader might pick up a ball.
Marlins Could Be Active In Bullpen Market This Offseason
The Marlins’ 2025 season marked a step forward. The rebuilding Miami club finished just four games under .500, thanks largely to a 56-50 record from June 1 onward. The Fish went 14-11 in September and won 13 of their final 17 contests. A fair portion of those wins came against last-place teams in Washington and Colorado, but Miami also won series against the Tigers and Mets, swept the Rangers and won a pair of games against the Phillies during that blistering finish.
With those improvements fresh in mind, they’re expected to be more active in free agency than in recent offseasons, per Craig Mish of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun (video link). Specifically, Mish highlights the bullpen as a likely area of focus, noting that the Marlins seem poised to target late-inning arms with closing experience and/or left-handed relievers.
The Miami bullpen was a below-average unit in 2025, ranking 22nd in the majors with a 4.28 ERA on the whole. Marlins relievers ranked 24th in strikeout rate (21.2%) and 18th in walk rate (9.3%). Only six teams saw their bullpens give up more home runs per nine innings pitched than Miami.
That’s not to suggest that there were no bright spots. Waiver claim Ronny Henriquez was outstanding in his first full season in the majors (2.22 ERA, 32.3 K%, 73 innings), and other low-cost pickups like Lake Bachar, Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender and Tyler Phillips all pitched well, too. Homegrown lefty Cade Gibson had a nice rookie showing as well, but other Marlins draftees/signees like George Soriano and Josh Simpson struggled.
Relief pitching is the most volatile commodity in the game, and it should be noted that the vast majority of the Marlins’ success stories in relief this year carried rate stats that were less encouraging than their earned run averages. Bender, Gibson and Phillips all had well below-average strikeout rates. Bachar, Bender, Gibson and Faucher all had walk rates that were worse than the league average. Gibson (.260), Phillips (.253), Bachar (.250) and especially Bender (.213) each benefited from BABIP marks that were well shy of the league-average .289.
The extent to which Marlins ownership will allow president of baseball ops Peter Bendix and his staff to spend is an open question, but it’s worth noting that Miami’s payroll is exceptionally clean. Sandy Alcantara is the only player with a guaranteed salary for the 2026 season ($17MM). They still owe the since-released Avisail Garcia the $5MM buyout on his 2026 option and owe the Yankees $10MM as part of the Giancarlo Stanton trade, but those are their only notable expenditures.
The Marlins also have a small arbitration class featuring Bender, Faucher, Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett, Ryan Weathers, Max Meyer and Andrew Nardi. Each of Faucher, Weathers, Meyer and Nardi is eligible for the first time, meaning their salaries will be small. Bender, Garrett and Cabrera all earned under $2MM in 2025.
Suffice it to say, there’s ample room for the Fish to spend on some bullpen help if the market presents offers to their liking. That could include buy-low opportunities for star relievers like Devin Williams and Ryan Helsley, or short-term deals for older veterans like Raisel Iglesias and Kenley Jansen. It’s not likely that they’d shell out the money needed to sign a prime-aged reliever who’ll command a notable multi-year deal (e.g. Edwin Diaz, Luke Weaver), but they’ll have plenty of opportunities to consider both in free agency and potentially via trade, where names like Pete Fairbanks, JoJo Romero and Dennis Santana will be among the potentially available names.
Guardians Promote Chase DeLauter For Wild Card Series
The Guardians are carrying top outfield prospect Chase DeLauter on their Wild Card series roster against the Tigers, the team announced. Zack Meisel of The Athletic first reported yesterday that the Guardians were considering that possibility. Guardians Prospective reported overnight that DeLauter would indeed be on the roster. Cleveland already had an opening on the 40-man roster, so they didn’t need to make another move to select the former first-rounder’s contract.
If he gets into a game, it’ll be the 23-year-old’s first MLB action. It’s rare but not entirely unheard of for top prospects to get a postseason roster spot before making their regular season major league debut. The Twins went that route with Alex Kirilloff in 2020, while the Royals had Adalberto Mondesi make his first appearance during the 2015 World Series. DeLauter is not in the starting lineup for this afternoon’s Game 1. Cleveland is going with Steven Kwan, Angel Martínez and Johnathan Rodriguez in the outfield against Tarik Skubal.
It’s certainly feasible that DeLauter finds his way into a game, of course, be it in the later innings this afternoon or tomorrow, when Detroit sends righty Jack Flaherty or Casey Mize to the mound. The lefty-swinging DeLauter is on the bench at least in part due to the presence of a southpaw on the mound. DeLauter posted much better numbers versus lefies than righties in a small sample during an injury-shortened 2025 season, but he’s historically been better against righties. Beyond that, left-handed batters have slashed a putrid .214/.235/.269 against Skubal in 2025.
DeLauter, the Guardians’ first round pick out of James Madison University in 2022, opened the season on the shelf after undergoing sports hernia surgery and was sidelined for two months later in the season after suffering a hamate fracture when he was hit by a pitch. That pair of health troubles limited him to just 42 games and 177 plate appearances, but the touted young outfielder lived up to his reputation when on the field, slashing .278/.383/.476 in Triple-A. DeLauter is a career .302/.384/.504 hitter in the minors since being selected 16th overall in 2022.
While DeLauter won’t gain any big league service time for days spent on the postseason roster, his ascension to the 40-man roster and the fact that the organization is entrusting him with a spot on the playoff roster is a clear sign that he’ll be in the mix for an Opening Day roster spot next year
Kwan is locked in as Cleveland’s left fielder, but other two outfield spots are far less certain. DeLauter has more than 300 professional innings in center and over 600 innings in right field. He’ll be an option in either spot, depending on other moves the front office makes over the winter. The Guardians can control DeLauter through at least the 2031 season, and assuming he breaks camp with the club in ’26, he can gain the Guardians a future draft pick depending on award voting during his pre-arbitration seasons.
That’s a matter for another day, though. For the time being, the focus for DeLauter and the organization will be on advancing as deep into the playoffs as possible. Cleveland just wrapped up one of the most stunning late-season comebacks in modern baseball history, erasing a 9.5-game deficit over the final two and a half weeks of the season, usurping the Tigers as division champions in the American League Central.
Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- The offseason and postseason are here! Well, kind of. Not really. No playoff games until tomorrow and no formal offseason transactions until after the postseason, but you get the point. Let's talk offseason, playoffs, weird collapses and whatever else is on your mind! I'll get rolling at 3pm or so, but as always, feel free to submit questions ahead of time.
- Good afternoon!
- Let's get underway
Lefty
- Eldridge and Schmitt from SF to MIA for X.Edwards. Who says no?
Steve Adams
- Highly doubt the Giants would give up Eldridge alone for Edwards
Trout Phishin'
- What does the contract look like for Kyle Schwarber to stay in Philadelphia?
Steve Adams
- To me, looks like $120MM+ wherever he goes
Dan S.
- What's more likely for Dylan Cease, 2/70 with an opt-out or 6/180?
Steve Adams
- The AAV on that two-year deal is too steep, but in general, two years and an opt-out feels more likely to me than him just getting $30MM per year over six seasons.
- Something like 2/50 with an out feels more feasible than 2/70
Guarded Indian
- I know there will be several Alonso questions today, but I'll throw mine in. I just don't see a huge market for the guy and think he should opt in. I think is best option besides the Mets is the Nationals as far as a position fit, possibly Texas. Most teams do not need a 1B or a DH and those that do likely can't afford him, especially when there is a much more affordable option available in a very good Josh Naylor. Am I wrong and where else could he possibly fit?
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Carlos Mendoza To Return As Mets’ Manager In 2026
The Mets’ astonishing collapse and postseason miss has led to plenty of speculation among fans about what changes might be coming to the organization, but president of baseball operations made clear today in meeting with the media that a managerial switch isn’t happening (via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo). Carlos Mendoza will return to manage the team in 2026, per Stearns. The remainder of the coaching staff will continue to be evaluated over the coming week.
Mendoza, 45, has spent the past two seasons as the Mets’ manager. Next season, his third year on the job, is the final guaranteed year of his contract. The Mets hold a club option on him for the 2027 season. Mendoza’s Mets went 89-73 in 2024 and made it all the way to Game 6 of the NLCS before falling to the Dodgers. This year’s club finished 83-79, missing the playoffs by the narrowest of margins.
On the surface, that wouldn’t appear to be a colossal failure — but there are, of course, other elements to consider. The Mets added Juan Soto on a record-breaking free agent deal and pushed payroll up to $340MM this past offseason. As of June 1, they were tied with the Cubs for the best record in the National League, at 37-22. From that point forth, however, the Mets played at a 46-57 pace — just a .447 winning percentage that’s akin to the season-long output from a 72-90 Angels club that finished last place in the American League West.
August and September were particularly brutal months in Queens. The Mets won just 21 of their final 53 games (.396) despite an offense that ranked as arguably the best in the sport over that stretch. Mets hitters led the majors in runs scored from Aug. 1 through season’s end and ranked second in homers, third in batting average, second in on-base percentage and second in slugging percentage. Their collective 126 wRC+ suggested that the teamwide offensive output was 26% better than that of an average offensive performer in MLB.
The Mets, however, simply ran out of pitching — both in the bullpen and especially in the rotation. Kodai Senga never regained his form after returning from a hamstring strain that derailed what was shaping up to be a strong rebound season. He struggled enough that he consented to being optioned in September. Veterans Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea struggled greatly. Both opened the season on the injured list — Montas due to a lat strain, Manaea an oblique strain — and Montas lasted only a handful of ugly starts before requiring UCL surgery upon his return. Tylor Megill underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month. Griffin Canning was looking like a terrific bargain grab — until a ruptured Achilles tendon wiped out his season in June.
Rather than make a substantial upgrade at the trade deadline, the Mets instead tapped into their farm system. Top prospect Nolan McLean hit the ground running and pitched like an ace following his promotion in August. Late call-ups for Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat yielded more mixed results. Mendoza’s rotation posted a 5.65 ERA following the trade deadline — fourth-worst in the majors. The front office’s attempt to bolster the bullpen on the summer trade market came up well short of expectations. Tyler Rogers was outstanding, but Ryan Helsley melted down in Queens and Gregory Soto was merely serviceable.
In a results-driven business, it wouldn’t necessarily be a surprise to see the manager take the fall for a pitching collapse of this magnitude, even though he’s not the one who put together the staff. Mendoza will get another shot for at least the 2026 season, though, but it seems likely there’ll be some new faces on his staff. SNY’s Andy Martino reported last last night that “widespread” changes could be coming to the coaching staff despite the fact that the organization had no plans to fire Mendoza.
Lucas Giolito Dealing With Elbow Issue, Will Not Be On Red Sox’ Wild Card Roster
Red Sox righty Lucas Giolito is dealing with an elbow issue and won’t be included on Boston’s roster for their Wild Card Series showdown with the archrival Yankees, manager Alex Cora told reporters at today’s media session (link via Christopher Smith of MassLive.com). Cora did not provide a specific diagnosis or tip his hand as to whether Giolito would be available in subsequent rounds, should the Red Sox advance. Giolito would’ve been Boston’s starter for a potential Game 3 of the series. He’ll see a specialist today, MassLive’s Sean McAdam adds.
Giolito, 31, missed the entire 2024 season due to UCL surgery but returned with a flourish in 2025, firing 145 frames of 3.41 ERA ball. That number is inflated a bit by a poor start to the season; from June 10 onward, he made 19 starts with a 2.51 ERA. Giolito’s 19.7% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate contributed to more tepid evaluations from metrics like FIP (4.17) and SIERA (4.66), but his bottom-line results were unequivocally strong, even if their sustainability merited some skepticism.
Upon reaching 140 innings pitched this season, Giolito triggered a vesting clause in his $14MM club option that converted it into a $19MM mutual option. When he reached that threshold, it appeared all but certain that the right-hander would turn down his end of the mutual option and reenter the market. Suddenly, the health of his elbow clouds that decision. If the issue is serious, the Red Sox will surely decline their end and send Giolito into free agency anyhow, but he’ll return to the open market under very different circumstances than seemed likely even one week ago.
Giolito did experience a velocity drop of some note in September. After averaging 93.4 mph on his heater through the season’s first five months, he averaged 92.5 mph on his four-seamer over his final five appearances — including a season-low 92.1 mph in his final appearance. He still posted a 3.16 ERA over 25 2/3 innings in those outings, but he also issued 18 walks. At first glance, that could’ve been chalked up to fatigue for a pitcher who didn’t throw a single inning in ’24 but was pushing up toward 150 frames in the stretch run — but word of a possible elbow injury now makes that late slide all the more concerning.
The Red Sox figure to have more information on Giolito’s status later in the week, once he’s met with that specialist and discussed any findings with team brass. That’ll determine his availability — or lack thereof — for potential appearances in the ALDS, ALCS or World Series, depending how far Boston progresses in the postseason. For the series at hand, the elbow trouble for Giolito likely thrusts one of the team’s promising young lefties, like Connelly Early or Kyle Harrison, into that Game 3 start. Top prospect Payton Tolle was moved to the bullpen in early September and hasn’t pitched more than three innings in an outing since Sept. 29 as a result, so he’s not likely to get the nod.
Giants Fire Bob Melvin
1:40pm: Bench coach Ryan Christenson and third base coach Matt Williams tell Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that they will not be returning to the team in 2026, either. Both were with the Giants in those roles from 2024-25.
11:35am: The Giants announced Monday that they’ve fired manager Bob Melvin. They’ll spend the early portion of the offseason looking for a new skipper.
“After meeting with ownership, I met with Bob today to inform him of my decision,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in a press release. “On behalf of the organization, I want to express my appreciation to Bob and for his dedication, professionalism, and class. I wish him all the best.
After a careful evaluation, we determined that making a change in leadership was in the best interest of the team. The last couple of months have been both disappointing and frustrating for all of us, and we did not perform up to our standards. We now turn our focus to identifying a new leader to guide us forward.”
As recently as July 1, things looked quite different. The Giants announced at the time that they were exercising their 2026 club option on Melvin, who’d spent the first three months of the season with no guarantees beyond the current campaign. At the time, Melvin’s Giants were 45-40, firmly in the mix a National League Wild Card berth. They played at a disappointing 36-41 pace down the stretch, finishing the year with a .500 record that landed them 12 games behind the NL West-champion Dodgers and two games behind the Reds for the final postseason spot. Despite Melvin being under contract on a guaranteed salary, the Giants will cut ties and look for a new dugout boss.
Melvin is one of the most decorated managers in the game today — and in MLB history. He’s currently 20th all-time in managerial wins. A three-time Manager of the Year who’s won that honor in both the American League and National League, the 63-year-old Melvin has 22 years of managerial experience and a winning 1678-1588 record. That includes an 853-764 record in 11 seasons as manager in Oakland, despite perennially operating clubs that had one of the game’s lowest payrolls (if not the lowest in a given season). He was 161-163 in his two seasons at the helm on the other side of the Bay.
As the Giants slipped down the stretch, Melvin’s job status became a source of increased speculation. Just yesterday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale suggested that, in the wake of a playoff miss, Posey might look to move on from Melvin and try to bring his own former manager, Bruce Bochy, back to San Francisco. Bochy’s contract in Texas is up and, as with Melvin, there’s been plenty of speculation regarding his future following a second straight disappointing season in Arlington.
Anyone with a résumé as prolific as that of Melvin will figure to get looks at other managerial vacancies as they arise around the sport. The Orioles, Nationals and Rockies already have interim managers after midseason dismissals of Brandon Hyde, Davey Martinez and Bud Black. Braves manager Brian Snitker has said he’s yet to decide whether he’ll retire or continue managing. Bochy’s contract in Texas is up. A handful of other managerial vacancies could very well emerge, too, and there are surely no shortage of clubs who’d be interested in bringing someone with Melvin’s acumen board in an advisory capacity, if he doesn’t want to jump right back into the rigors of helming a club for 162 games.
As for the Giants, Melvin’s ouster all but guarantees substantial turnover on the coaching staff. It’s commonplace when a manager is let go for his coaching staff to be given the green light to explore opportunities with other clubs. Incoming managers typically want to have say in the coaching staff at their disposal, after all. Melvin’s dismissal should be the first of several shakeups to the dugout staff at Oracle Park.