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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.

Tigers Extended Manager A.J. Hinch Earlier This Season

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The Tigers and manager AJ Hinch quietly agreed to a long-term contract extension during the 2025 season, president of baseball operations Scott Harris announced today at his end-of-season press conference (video link). Harris and Hinch did not specify the length of the contract, but Hinch ostensibly is now signed through at least 2027. Harris effused praise for Hinch, calling him one of the best managers in the sport and saying he hopes to continue working with him “as long as I can possibly work with him.”

Hinch, 51, just wrapped up his fifth season as the manager in Detroit. This is already the second time the organization has “proactively” extended him — as Harris phrased it — before the conclusion of his existing contract.

The Tigers have reached the postseason and won a Wild Card series before falling in the ALDS in each of the past two seasons. Hinch’s club has gone 394-416 since he was hired following the 2020 season, though the Tigers spent the first three years of his managerial tenure wrapping up a large-scale rebuilding effort, so it’s hard to ding him for a sub-.500 record. Hinch has spent parts of 12 seasons as a major league manager in Detroit, Houston and Arizona.

With regard to the team’s coaching staff, the Harris/Hinch duo did not specify whether changes are on the horizon. Hinch voiced pride in his staff but noted that there will be an assessment period at all levels within the organization in the days ahead as leadership looks ahead to the 2026 season.

Of course, even if Harris and Hinch fully intend to bring back the same staff, there’s no guarantee that’ll happen. An incredible eight teams are on the hunt for a new manager right now, and it’s common for clubs seeking new skippers to look to the coaching staffs of contending clubs. Even if no Tigers coach is plucked away for a new managerial gig elsewhere, new managers with other teams will also look to contenders’ coaching staffs to fill out their own. If another team is interested in a Tigers assistant pitching coach or assistant hitting coach to take a lead role in their organization, for instance, that could lead to some turnover.

While some changes further down the ladder can’t be ruled out, however, the leaders in the baseball operations department and in the dugout are squarely returning, providing continuity as the Tigers look to capitalize on ace Tarik Skubal’s final season of club control prior to his entrance into the free-agent market next offseason.

There was never any real thought that Hinch’s job would be in jeopardy, even after his team’s collapse in the season’s final few months. The Tigers floundered down the stretch and ultimately ceded the division crown to the Guardians despite holding a 9.5 game lead in the AL Central as deep into the season as Sept. 10. They rallied to topple Cleveland in the Wild Card round, however, before falling in a 15-inning ALDS Game 5 nailbiter against the AL West champion Mariners.

Fans of any of the incredible eight (!!) teams seeking a new skipper might have hoped that Hinch would potentially be available, but all indications since his hiring in Detroit are that he’s firmly entrenched himself as a pillar of the organization. Harris’ comments today reflect that, and Hinch himself spoke of how much he’s embraced the Tigers organization, the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan. Said Hinch:

“I’m so happy being in Detroit. I’m so proud to be the manager here. I love working for [Harris]. And this is the second time that I was approached and was asked for more — and it was an immediate ’yes’ for me. When you have an environment that both pushes you and satisfied you, you want to be in it. I was honored. I was thrilled. It was one conversation with my wife, and I went back to Scott with an immediate ’yes,’ and off we went.

…I can’t tell you how proud I am to be the manager of the Tigers. It’s a rewarding place to be. I bought a home here. We live here the majority of the year and we continue to be thrilled to become more and more Michiganders as a family.”

Chris Owings Announces Retirement

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Infielder Chris Owings announced his retirement on his Instagram page last week. He last played in affiliated ball in the Dodgers organization in 2024. Now, it appears the 11-year big-league veteran will hang up his spikes at the age of 34. “This game has given me more than I could’ve ever imagined,” said Owings, who went on to thank his family, coaches, and the various organizations of which he had been a part during his career.

Owings was drafted in the first round by the Diamondbacks in 2009, making his major-league debut four years later. He would spend six seasons with Arizona, playing a total of 575 games out in the desert and batting .250/.291/.378 with a 73 wRC+. During that time, he maxed out at 552 plate appearances in 147 games in 2015. The following year, he led the majors in triples (11) while batting .277/.315/.416 in 119 games and splitting time between shortstop and center field. After leaving the Diamondbacks following the 2018 season, he went on to spend brief major-league stints with the Royals, Red Sox, Rockies, Orioles, and Pirates, often acting as a utility player. His last big-league appearances came in 2023 with Pittsburgh. He signed a minor league pact with the Dodgers in February 2024 and played in 80 games at the Triple-A level before being released in July of that year.

In all, Owings played in 723 games and earned just over $11MM in his career. He batted .239/.286/.364 with 550 hits, 37 home runs, 220 RBI, and 79 stolen bases. He was also a serviceable defender, grading out as below-average in 2,105 1/3 innings at shortstop (-11 career DRS) but above average in 1,647 2/3 innings at the keystone (9 DRS). We at MLBTR congratulate Owings on a solid career and wish him the best in retirement.

Photo courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images

The Opener: ALCS, NLCS, Lukes

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

1. ALCS Game 2:

After a solo homer by George Springer in the first inning, Bryce Miller and the Mariners’ bullpen managed to shut down a Blue Jays offense that throttled the Yankees in the division series to take Game 1 of the ALCS 3-1. Seattle will look to build on that lead later today with right-hander Logan Gilbert (3.44 ERA) on the mound, while the Blue Jays will turn to rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage (3.21 ERA) as they look to tie up the series before it heads to Seattle for Game 3. Yesavage is coming off a dominant performance against New York where he struck out 11 in 5 1/3 hitless innings, but Gilbert had a strong showing in the ALDS himself. He struck out seven Tigers across six innings of one-run ball in his lone start in the series before pitching two scoreless innings of relief in Seattle’s marathon Game 5 win over Detroit. The teams are set to face off at 5:03pm local time this evening in Toronto.

2. NLCS Game 1:

Just over three hours later, at 7:08pm local time in Milwaukee, the Brewers and Dodgers will kick off Game 1 of the NLCS. Left-hander Blake Snell (2.35 ERA) is slated to take the mound for L.A. He’s already come up with wins for the Dodgers against both the Reds and Phillies this October, combining for 13 innings of two-run ball with 18 strikeouts. Milwaukee, meanwhile, has not announced a starter but plans to go with an opener for the start of the game, with either Quinn Priester (3.32 ERA) or Jose Quintana (3.96 ERA) to follow as a bulk arm. Quintana was the far more effective of the two in the NLDS, as he threw three scoreless frames against Chicago while Priester surrendered four runs and recorded just two outs in his lone appearance.

3. Lukes day-to-day:

Turning back to the ALCS, Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes exited yesterday’s game after fouling a ball off of his knee. He was eventually diagnosed as a right knee contusion after x-rays came back negative. It’s a good sign for his availability at some point later in the series, but manager John Schneider told reporters yesterday that it wouldn’t be known if Lukes was available for today’s game. Lukes will be evaluated by the Jays’ medical staff when he arrives at the park today. If he’s unavailable, Davis Schneider or Myles Straw would likely step into the starting lineup in his place.

Nathan Lukes Exits ALCS Game 1 Due To Knee Contusion

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Outfielder Nathan Lukes exited Game 1 of the ALCS during the fourth inning tonight after fouling a ball off of his knee earlier in the game. He was replaced by Myles Straw in the outfield, and manager John Schneider noted to Ken Rosenthal on the FOX Sports broadcast that Lukes was going to get an x-ray done on his ailing knee, and that the issue “looked more like a bruise” upon initial evaluation. The Blue Jays later announced that he had exited the game due to a right knee contusion and would undergo further evaluation. After the game, Schneider told reporters (including Mitch Bannon of The Athletic) that Lukes’s x-rays came back clean and would be back in the lineup tomorrow if medically cleared to play.

While it’s undoubtedly good news that Lukes avoided a fracture, the injury is still worrisome for the Jays. Lukes was only an average bat in the regular season this year, with a 103 wRC+ across 135 games, but in five playoff games so far this postseason he’s been a key piece of the Toronto lineup with a .286/.357/.429 slash line across his 14 plate appearances this October. Straw and Davis Schneider would be the most likely candidates to step into the lineup if Lukes were forced to miss time, and while they both were respectable pieces for the Jays this year, adding another right-handed bat to the lineup would be less than ideal against Seattle’s heavily right-handed pitching staff given that Lukes is a career 109 wRC+ hitter against righties.

It likely won’t be clear just how serious the bruise Lukes is dealing with is until tomorrow, when he’ll be re-evaluated to see if he can play. Players like Kyle Tucker, Mike Trout, and Cody Bellinger have missed significant time during the regular season in recent years due to bone bruises after fouling balls off of their knee or shin, though it’s unclear if Lukes’s ailment is at quite that level of severity. It’s entirely possible that Lukes is dealing with a much less serious contusion and won’t be at substantial risk for missing time, particularly given the fact that players will typically attempt to play through injuries they normally wouldn’t in the postseason.

With that being said, it’s worth keeping an eye on Lukes even if he’s able to play tomorrow. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the contusion was serious enough to impact his ability on the field. Even if he’s not impacted at the plate, he’ll surely be moving more gingerly on the bases and in the field than he normally would. With Schneider boasting a 127 wRC+ in the regular season and a 2-for-8 line with two walks in the posteason this year, it’s not hard to imagine a diminished Lukes no longer being preferable to start over Schneider, who could be brought into the lineup either by shifting Anthony Santander to right field and placing him in left, or moving Addison Barger to right field to open up third base for Ernie Clement so he can play second.

Guardians To Look For Outfield Upgrades This Winter

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The Guardians managed to make a miracle run to not only squeak into the postseason, but pry the AL Central title away from the Tigers over the final weeks of the season. That wasn’t enough, however, to stop them from falling to their division rivals in the AL Wild Card series, sending them home just a few days into the postseason. Now that the offseason is upon them, Cleveland’s front office has turned its attention to the 2026 campaign. As Zack Meisel of The Athletic discussed earlier this week, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters in the aftermath of the Guardians’ loss that improving production in right and center field would be a priority this offseason.

That’s not necessarily a surprise. GM Mike Chernoff noted to reporters (including Meisel) that the club ranked 28th in runs per game this year, and described the offense as a “clear area” in need of improvement next season. Getting more offense out of the outfield should be the easiest way to do that by far, seeing as the Guardians ranked 29th in the majors with a 77 wRC+ from their outfielders this year. Part of that is due to left fielder Steven Kwan’s down season, although he still posted a 99 wRC+ and seems to be a fairly safe bet to handle left for Cleveland again in 2026, barring a surprise trade.

While there’s little reason to worry about Kwan in left, the same can’t be said for the other two outfield spots. Angel Martinez, Nolan Jones, Lane Thomas, and Jhonkensy Noel handled most of the reps at those positions, and all four turned in negative WAR performances according to Fangraphs this season. Thomas will be hitting free agency after this year’s injury-marred campaign where he appeared in just 39 games. The other three will all remain under club control next year, but none inspires much confidence heading into next year.

Some opportunity for improvement could come from within. Chase DeLauter has not yet made his regular season debut but appeared in the Wild Card series, and Meisel relays that Antonetti expects him to compete for a roster spot in Spring Training next year. Rookie George Valera managed a 113 wRC+ in 16 games this year and could get an opportunity next year, as well. Perhaps an outfield of Kwan in left, DeLauter in center, and Valera in right could work out for the Guardians, but it seems fair to argue that at least one external addition will be necessary to offer some certainty, and perhaps help balance a trio of lefty-swinging outfielders with a right-handed hitter.

Reuniting with Thomas is at least plausible, but he’s hit just .189/.258/.340 in 92 games with the Guardians over the past two seasons and a change of scenery may be what’s best for both sides. Harrison Bader would be perhaps an ideal acquisition for the team, but it’s possible that his excellent work with the Phillies down the stretch (129 wRC+ in 50 games) may have put him out of Cleveland’s price range. Rob Refsnyder and Austin Hays are both also set to be available in free agency this winter. Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia and Astros outfielder Chas McCormick are both possible non-tender candidates who could help improve Cleveland’s outfield mix with a bounce-back season, as well.

Yomiuri Giants Interested In Kenta Maeda

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The Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball have interest in acquiring veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda, according to a report from Yahoo Sports Japan. Maeda, 37, indicated back in August that he plans to leave MLB and return to Japan for the 2026 season, where he hopes to find a role in NPB.

The veteran’s decision to leave MLB behind isn’t exactly a surprise given how difficult the past two seasons have been for him. After he struggled to a 6.09 ERA in 112 1/3 innings of work with the Tigers in 2024, he failed to make the club’s rotation out of Spring Training and opened the season as a long relief option out of the bullpen. He ultimately wound up making just seven appearances, however, and allowed eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits, six walks, a home run and three hit batsmen while striking out eight across eight innings of work. He was ultimately released in early May, bringing the two-year, $24MM contract between the sides to a disappointing end.

Since being released by Detroit, Maeda has pitched in the minor leagues for both the Cubs and Yankees this year. In 20 starts between those two organizations, he pitched to a 5.40 ERA in 100 innings at the Triple-A level, with a 19.5% strikeout rate against a 9.2% walk rate. With that said, he did improve a bit during his stint with the Yankees’ affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, as he posted a 4.64 ERA with a 21.5% strikeout rate and a 7.9% walk rate over his final eight starts of the season. He ended his stateside career on a positive note when he threw five scoreless innings against the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons and struck out five batters.

Weak as Maeda’s results at the big league level have been over the past two years, one shouldn’t forget that he was a quality starter for several years for the Dodgers and Twins after making his big league debut back in 2016. Through the end of his age-35 campaign in 2023, Maeda had posted a career 3.92 ERA and 3.74 FIP in 866 1/3 regular season innings in the majors to go along with a strong postseason resume that saw him pitch to a 3.24 ERA and strike out 26.8% of his opponents in 41 2/3 playoff innings.

That solid track record in the majors, of course, came after eight seasons with NPB’s Hiroshima Carp. After breaking out during the 2010 season at the age of 22, Maeda posted six consecutive seasons with an ERA of 2.60 or lower across 175 innings or more for the Carp, including an eye-popping 1.53 ERA in 206 1/3 innings across 29 starts during the 2012 season. He made five All-Star games for Hiroshima, but now it’s possible that he’ll join a new club in his return to NPB next year given Yomiuri’s interest in his services. Of course, it’s also possible that the Carp (or another club) could express interest in Maeda’s services once the NPB offseason begins later this month.

Guardians Expect To Be Granted Fourth Option Year On Juan Brito

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The Guardians expect to be granted a fourth option year on infield prospect Juan Brito, according to a report from Zack Meisel of The Athletic earlier this week.

Typically, players have three option seasons with one used each season during which the player spends at least 20 days on optional assignment in the minor leagues. A player is considered to be on optional assignment when on a club’s 40-man roster but sent to the minor leagues while not on a rehab assignment. Brito, 24, was selected to the 40-man roster in Cleveland in November of 2022 in a move that protected him from that year’s Rule 5 draft after he was acquired from the Rockies in exchange for Nolan Jones. Since then, Brito has been optioned to the minors in the 2023, ’24, and ’25 seasons with at least 20 days in the minors in each of those years.

Under normal circumstances, that would mean that Brito would have to be exposed to waivers before he could be sent back down to the minors starting in 2026. Occasionally, however, teams are granted a fourth option year on certain players, typically due to the player missing significant time with injury. MLB.com explains that players with less than five full professional seasons (defined as at least 90 days on a major or minor league active roster) are eligible for a fourth option year. That should certainly apply to Brito, who played full-season ball for the first time in 2022 and appeared in just 31 games this year between thumb and hamstring injuries that both ultimately required surgery. When fourth option years are granted to teams on their players, it’s most often in a situation like the one Cleveland now faces with Brito, where the player missed a significant amount of time due to injury during one of their option years.

Assuming the fourth option year is granted as expected, it should afford the Guardians additional flexibility as they look towards building their roster in 2026. Prior to his injury-marred 2025 season, Brito actually put together a strong performance in Spring Training and made a push for the Opening Day second base job, but the team ultimately cycled through Daniel Schneemann, Angel Martinez, and Gabriel Arias in that role before settling on Brayan Rocchio late in the year. All of those players wound up producing well below average results offensively, meaning that if Brito can return healthy and effective in 2026 there should be a path to big league reps for him barring an external addition that changes the makeup of the roster.

That’s especially true given how strong Brito’s results were in his limited sample of healthy games. After hitting .256/.365/.443 with 21 homers and 40 doubles at Triple-A in 2024, he more or less replicated that line in 99 plate appearances at the level this year where he slashed .256/.357/.463 with a 13.1% walk rate against a 21.2% strikeout rate. Even if Brito ends up winning the job come March, however, it’s not uncommon for rookie players to be optioned back to the minors at some point in their rookie season if they begin to struggle to give them a lower pressure environment in which to develop.

MLBTR Live Chat

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Mark P

  • The Weekend Chat is upon us!  We’ll get things started in a minute or two after the questions start to pile up….

Dave

  • Update on G Stone and R Ryan for Dodgers for beginning of 26

Mark P

  • Definitely the top question on Dodgers fans’ mind as the NLCS begins.  :)

    Both should be on track to be ready for the start of Spring Training.  It doesn’t appear either pitcher has had any setbacks.

Julio

  • Can my team beat the mighty canadiens

Mark P

  • The Mariners would definitely beat the Montreal Canadiens in a baseball game.

Mike Cutter

  • Will the royals Sign Yaz back .

Mark P

  • A reunion would make a lot of sense.  KC desperately needs outfield help, and Yaz played really well for them in a brief spell.  While it’s safe to assume Yaz wouldn’t keep up those numbers over a full season, it wouldn’t hurt the Royals to sign him to a relatively inexpensive one-year deal as just a part-timer, if necessary

NY Mess

  • Pete wants 7 years. Five seems too long. What is realistic?

Mark P

  • I think he’ll get five years.  It’s hard to imagine any team giving Alonso seven years, and that might’ve just been an aim-high negotiating tactic that will eventually get reduced to a more manageable number.

Angela

  • Want do you see the phillies  doing this off-season

Mark P

  • I’m slated to write the Phillies offseason outlook piece, so stay tuned on that front.  But broadly speaking, I think they need to shake things up as much as they can with the roster.  That means doing all they can to retain Schwarber, but parting ways with Bohm, Stott, Castellanos, and maybe Realmuto.  (The latter one I’m more lukewarm about, since JTR walks, the Phils then have to find another catcher somewhere.)

Michael King

  • Should I opt in with the Padres after the season I just had?

Mark P

  • I assume by “opt in” you mean accept a qualifying offer, since there’s no scenario where King and the Padres both trigger the mutual option.
  • Assuming the mutual option is declined and the Padres issue the QO, I think there’s a more than decent chance King accepts.  He’ll still draw plenty of interest on the open market, but with his injury-riddled 2025 hanging over his head, he might prefer a QO in a familiar locale than rolling the dice on a short-term opt-out laden deal (or a one-year pillow deal) on a new team entirely

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