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Brad Keller Interested In Re-Signing With Cubs

By Darragh McDonald | October 14, 2025 at 3:06pm CDT

Right-hander Brad Keller is slated for free agency but would seemingly be very happy to be a Cub again next year. “Chicago is my favorite city,” Keller said, per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. “I love being in Chicago. I love playing for the Cubs. This is definitely a place that I want to come back to and enjoy. I know a lot of these guys are returning to this clubhouse, and I feel like there’s something special here. I would love to be a part of it, for sure.”

Keller, 30, is going to have a far more robust market than he did a year ago. Coming into 2025, he had to settle for a minor league deal with the Cubs. He spent a lot of 2023 on the injured list due to shoulder problems and then had surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome in the fall of that year. He was back on the mound in 2024 but tossed 41 1/3 innings between the White Sox and Red Sox with a 5.44 earned run average.

No one was willing to give him a big league spot last winter but he has raised his stock considerably since then. The Cubs added him to their 40-man roster after the Tokyo Series but before domestic Opening Day. He went on to toss 69 2/3 innings out of the Chicago bullpen this year with a 2.07 ERA. He struck out 27.2% of batters faced, limited walks to an 8% clip and got opponents to hit grounders on 56.1% of balls in play.

The ERA is probably a bit misleading. Keller’s .243 batting average on balls in play and 81.6% strand rate were both the fortunate side. But his 2.93 FIP and 3.04 SIERA still suggest it would have been a great year even with neutral luck from the baseball gods. The Cubs moved him into a leverage role as the year wore on, with Keller eventually earning three saves and 25 holds. He made the postseason roster and tossed 5 2/3 playoff innings with just one run allowed.

Some teams may still have some hesitations about committing to Keller based on one strong season but we’ve seen clubs spend on players in these kinds of situations before. Last winter, Jeff Hoffman got three years and $33MM from the Blue Jays after two good years in Philadelphia’s bullpen. He actually had higher offers from Baltimore and Atlanta before concerns about his shoulder tamped down his market somewhat. The prior offseason, Robert Stephenson was able to get the same $33MM over three years from the Angels after just half a season of dominance with the Rays.

It’s also possible some team envisions Keller as a possible starter next year. He was largely in the rotation with the Royals from 2018 to 2022, with some decent results in there as a ground ball guy. He had a 3.50 ERA over the first three years of that span. His 16.8% strikeout rate was subpar but he got grounders at a 52.1% clip. His ERA rose above 5.00 in his final two years in Kansas City and he had his aforementioned injury-marred 2023 and uninspiring bounceback season in 2024.

Some pitchers have been put back into starting roles after reaching free agency lately, with mixed results. Seth Lugo got $15MM over two years from the Padres but then opted out of the second year of that deal and got $45MM over three years from the Royals. Last winter, Clay Holmes got three years and $38MM from the Mets. He had a longer track record of relief success than Keller but hadn’t really started in the majors. That deal has worked out well so far, with Holmes posting a 3.53 ERA in 165 2/3 innings this year. Jordan Hicks, another ground ball specialist, also got $44MM over four years but his rotation conversion didn’t go nearly as well. Reynaldo López got $30MM over three years from Atlanta and the first year went great but the second year was marred by injuries.

Whether or not any club wants to try Keller in the rotation remains to be seen. Even as a pure reliever, he has a case for a strong multi-year deal. That’s more than the Cubs like to spend on the bullpen. Since Jed Hoyer took over as president of baseball operations five years ago, the club hasn’t given out a multi-year deal to a reliever. As shown in MLBTR Contract Tracker, Hoyer has only once given out more than $5MM, which was a $9MM deal for Héctor Neris.

The club clearly prefers to find diamonds in the rough, like they did by getting Keller in his minor league deal last winter. Perhaps that means Keller will get paid elsewhere as the Cubs look to find another Keller in the bargain bin. If they do want to bring him back, they should have the ability to do it. RosterResource estimates that the Cubs had a $206MM payroll in 2025 with just $136MM slated for next year’s roster.

They will have other needs, including the rotation. It’s also possible they look to re-sign Kyle Tucker or perhaps make another run at Alex Bregman. But the bullpen should also be a focus this winter. In addition to Keller, Caleb Thielbar, Drew Pomeranz, Ryan Brasier, Michael Soroka and Aaron Civale are impending free agents. Andrew Kittredge could be added to the list, though he has a $9MM club option for next year with a $1MM buyout. Colin Rea has a $6MM club option with a $750K buyout. In short, bolstering the bullpen will be on the to-do list this winter.

Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images

Phillies Notes: Schwarber, Realmuto, Suarez

By Steve Adams | October 14, 2025 at 1:48pm CDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MLB Mailbag: Alonso, Skubal, Grisham

By Tim Dierkes | October 14, 2025 at 12:33pm CDT

This week's mailbag gets into Pete Alonso's reported contract demand, the Tigers and Tarik Skubal, possible Trent Grisham suitors, and much more.

Chris asks:

Alonso saying he is seeking a 7 year deal is essentially him saying that he's out of Queens. So if you're Stearns, is the play to go all out for Murakami? Short-term on a Josh Naylor? Or give the keys to Clifford, strengthen up elsewhere like CF, 3B, DH to supplement the offense now you don't have Pete? Or just really go all in on your "Run Prevention" Plan, go get a Skubal or Skenes, sign Valdez or Cease and fortify the defense. There's a lot of questions for the Mets who honestly feel like they are only a few pieces for being a legit World Series Contender again.

Abner asks:

Pete Alonso is asking for a 7 year deal (he will be 31 by the beginning of next season) and David Stearns does not like that type of commitment for players in the wrong side of the 30's. It is known that the Mets are showing interest in NPB player Munetaka Murakami who is a slugger in Japan, but is not yet proven against MLB pitching. Murakami also comes with some concerns (poor plate discipline/not excel with defense), but based on recent Japanese stars that have come to MLB (Roki Sasaki/Yoshinobu Yamamoto/Seiya Suzuki) we could expect him to command a longer and more expensive deal than the one Alonso is looking for. Additionally, there will be no other first basemen of that same caliber available in this offseason free agency class. So, how feasible for the Mets would be to get a deal done with Pete Alonso and how that deal would look like? Thanks in advance.

On Saturday, Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote, "Alonso, who turns 31 in December, is expected to seek a contract of at least seven years — a length consistent with deals the player’s agent, Scott Boras, completed in recent seasons for Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman at the same age (Chapman received a six-year extension from the Giants after his first season with the club on a different contract)."

Start with the fact that both of those comps are a major stretch for Alonso.

Semien did indeed sign a seven-year deal heading into his age-31 season. This came off a monster 6-WAR campaign, Semien's second in three years. Alonso has not even reached 4 WAR since he was a rookie. The gap in defensive value on the two is enormous. Semien was a Gold Glove second baseman who was also capable of playing shortstop.

Puma makes a case that Alonso's first base defense isn't as bad as the metrics suggest, because he's good at making scoops. That may be true, but he's still a pretty clear net negative given what two completely different metrics, Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved, say.

More crucially, Semien was an up-the-middle player, not a first baseman who's expected to move to DH soon. Semien's defensive abilities have sustained 2+ WAR value even as his offense has slipped below league average. And Semien's seventh year, brought about by a level of free agent competition Alonso is unlikely to have, looks regrettable.

Chapman's deal was not signed on the open market. It's a six-year extension covering age 32-37. I suppose a case can be made that if a 32-year-old can get six years, a 31-year-old should get seven. Like Semien, defense is a huge part of Chapman's game, making him a poor comp for Alonso.

The correct comps are other first basemen, plus designated hitters. Modern GMs have clearly demonstrated they will not give first basemen and DHs long-term deals. The fact that no one offered Alonso a good one last year was not entirely due to the qualifying offer. It has been nearly four years since a free agent first baseman of any age signed for even five years. That was Freddie Freeman getting six in March 2022. Freeman clearly a better hitter than Alonso is.

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Twins Ask Permission To Interview Red Sox’s Bench Coach Ramon Vazquez

By Anthony Franco | October 14, 2025 at 10:18am CDT

The Twins have sought permission from the Red Sox to interview bench coach Ramón Vázquez in their managerial search, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. It’s standard practice for clubs to allow coaches or front office personnel to interview for potential promotions, so it’d be a shock if the Red Sox didn’t grant that request.

Vázquez, 49, would become the first known candidate to interview for the Minnesota position. A native of Puerto Rico, he played parts of nine MLB seasons across six clubs as a utility infielder during the 2000s. He has spent over a decade in the coaching ranks since ending his playing career. Vázquez worked as a minor league coach in the Houston system and spent a season on the Padres’ MLB staff before joining Alex Cora in Boston for the 2018 season. The Sox promoted him to bench coach three years ago.

Aside from one game filling in while Cora was attending his daughter’s graduation, Vázquez has no MLB managerial experience. He has managed in the Puerto Rican winter league and managed one season in A-ball while coming up through the Houston system. This would be his first publicly reported interview for an MLB managerial job.

The Twins are one of eight teams with a vacancy after firing Rocco Baldelli at season’s end. The team never really recovered from their late-season collapse in 2024, when they squandered a playoff berth despite peaking at 17 games above .500 in the middle of August. They had a 13-game winning streak early this past season but were otherwise a well below-average team.

After injuries decimated the starting rotation in June, they embarked on a massive deadline sell-off that sent Carlos Correa back to Houston for salary relief. The deadline also left Baldelli and his staff with a bullpen consisting mostly of waiver pickups and journeymen. The Twins went 19-35 in the final two months and finished with a 70-92 record that had them as the second-worst team in the American League. Only the White Sox, who lost over 100 games for a third straight year, kept Minnesota from the bottom of the AL.

An incoming manager seems likely to step into a rebuild. The Pohlad family had considered selling the franchise but reversed course in August, instead bringing on minority investors to pay down significant debt which the team had reportedly accrued. Their season-ending payroll has dropped in consecutive seasons (per Cot’s Baseball Contracts) following the collapse of their local broadcast contract. They have a handful of question marks at the bottom of the lineup and arguably MLB’s worst bullpen.

That won’t all be fixed in one offseason, meaning they should be active sellers this winter and at next summer’s deadline. Ryan Jeffers is headed into his final season of arbitration control. Joe Ryan is down to two arbitration years, while Pablo López is signed for two more seasons at $21.75MM annually. They could listen on role players like Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner as well. Minnesota added upper level starting pitchers (e.g. Mick Abel, Taj Bradley) in a couple of their trades last summer, so perhaps there’s a path back to contention in 2027, but they’re facing an uphill battle to compete next year.

The Opener: NLCS, Managerial Openings, Blue Jays

By Nick Deeds | October 14, 2025 at 8:30am CDT

Here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on throughout the day today:

1. NLCS Game 2:

The Dodgers took home a hard-fought victory in Game 1 of the NLCS yesterday when Blake Treinen struck out Brice Turang with the bases loaded to preserve a one-run lead in the ninth inning. Now, the Brewers will be looking to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole before they head to L.A. for Game 3, while the Dodgers will try to keep the good times rolling and build on their lead.

The game is scheduled for 7:08pm local time, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.49 ERA) on the bump opposite Freddy Peralta (2.70 ERA). Yamamoto dominated the Reds in the Wild Card series with two runs (zero earned) and nine strikeouts across 6 2/3 innings of work, but he didn’t fare quite as well against the Phillies in the NLDS as he surrendered three runs in four innings of work. As for Peralta, he made two starts against the Cubs in the NLDS where he allowed five runs in 9 2/3 innings of work. While he struck out 15 batters, he also allowed three home runs.

2. Another manager job opens up:

Yesterday, Padres skipper Mike Shildt announced his decision to step down from the manager’s chair. That creates yet another opening in the dugout for an MLB club, and San Diego will now join the Giants, Braves, Orioles, Rockies, Angels, Twins, and Nationals in the hunt for a new manager. Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty has already emerged as a candidate in San Diego, and he’s getting a look in Baltimore, too. He’s surely far from the only candidate for either role, however, and with so many vacancies around the game it may take a little bit longer than usual for teams to find the right fit on the market.

3. Blue Jays in a bind:

After a dominant performance against the Yankees in the ALDS, the Blue Jays find themselves in a bind. Right-hander Trey Yesavage was unable to replicate his previous dominance and surrendered five runs in four innings of work to take the loss in what ultimately became a 10-3 win for Seattle. That leaves Toronto down two games as they head to the west coast for the next three games of the series. With the Mariners now enjoying a one-game cushion as they look to clinch a trip to the World Series at home, the Blue Jays will be looking for their offense to wake up and start scoring runs like they did against New York if they’re going to represent Canada in the World Series for the first time since 1993. The ALCS has no game today as the two teams travel to Seattle. Will the day off be enough for the Jays to bounce back?

Mike Shildt Steps Down As Padres Manager

By AJ Eustace | October 13, 2025 at 11:59pm CDT

In a surprising move, Padres manager Mike Shildt has announced he is stepping down from that role, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego-Union Tribune. The decision was Shildt’s, Acee adds. He has managed the club for two years and had two years remaining on his contract.

“The grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally,” Shildt wrote in a letter to the Union-Tribune. “While it has always been about serving others, it’s time I take care of myself and exit on my own terms.” He went on to thank the Padres organization, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller, and the players for his time with the team and wished them future success. In a statement released by the team, Preller said of Shildt, “His dedication and passion for the game of baseball will leave an impact on our organization, and we wish him the best in his next chapter.”

Shildt, 57, has led the Padres to a 183-141 (.565) record since the start of 2024. The club made the postseason in both of those years, reaching the National League Division Series in 2024 and the Wild Card Series this year. In that time, the team has gotten strong performances out of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jake Cronenworth among others, while also seeing the emergence of Jackson Merrill. The club is tied for seventh-best in the league with a 107 wRC+ in that time. Pitching-wise, the team ranks fifth in the majors with a 3.75 ERA and seventh with a 15.7% K-BB rate since the start of 2024. That success includes strong performances from starters Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Nick Pivetta, along with relievers Adrian Morejon and Robert Suarez. If not for the perennially excellent Dodgers, the Padres may have had a shot at first place in the NL West in those two years. Even then, it is hard to consider Shildt’s tenure with San Diego as anything other than a success.

Prior to managing the Padres, Shildt held various roles in the Cardinals organization, acting as quality control coach and third base coach in 2017 and bench coach in 2018. He was named the interim manager upon the firing of Mike Matheny in July 2018 and became the permanent manager in August of that year. He held that post through the 2021 season before departing the organization due to what were described at the time as “philosophical differences.” Shildt was hired by San Diego in a player development role in January 2022 and became the manager in November 2023 following Bob Melvin’s departure for the Giants. In all, he has posted a 435-340 (.561) record in parts of six seasons as a big-league manager and has twice finished in the top two for the NL Manager of the Year Award, winning it in 2019 with the Cardinals and finishing as the runner-up last year with the Padres.

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Shildt is not necessarily retiring from baseball altogether. Rather, he is simply not looking to continue managing in the immediate future. When asked about the possibility, Shildt said, “Not at the moment. I need a break and take care of myself.” That’s not a definitive declaration that he’ll return to the dugout at some point, but Shildt left the door open for potential future opportunities. A return under those conditions would hardly be unprecedented; we’ve recently seen both Bruce Bochy and Terry Francona return to big league dugouts at older ages than Shildt.

With the Padres now looking for a new skipper, a staggering 10 out of 30 teams will enter 2026 with a different manager than the one with which they opened the 2025 season. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller thanked Shildt for his “significant contributions to the Padres and the San Diego community over the last four years” in a press release this morning and added that the search for a new manager will begin immediately.

Ryan Flaherty Expected To Be In Mix For Orioles, Padres Managerial Searches

By Anthony Franco | October 13, 2025 at 11:03pm CDT

Mike Shildt’s decision to step down as San Diego’s manager opens an eighth vacancy around the game. Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty could be in the mix for at least a couple of those positions.

Joel Sherman of The New York Post listed Flaherty and Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla among those to keep an eye on as potential options to replace Shildt. Meanwhile, The Post’s Jon Heyman writes that Flaherty could be among the top choices for the Orioles position. (Heyman adds that Baltimore still hasn’t closed the door on giving the full-time job to Tony Mansolino, who held the role on an interim basis after Brandon Hyde was fired in May.)

Neither Flaherty nor Niebla is confirmed to have scheduled an interview. The Padres are surely in the very early stages of the process. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Shildt informed the team he was stepping down on Saturday.

Flaherty has ties to both the Padres and Orioles. He spent the majority of his playing career with the O’s, appearing in six seasons between 2012-17. Even though neither owner David Rubenstein nor president of baseball operations Mike Elias were part of the organization at that time, Flaherty surely has some connections to the club.

He’s also a known commodity to the San Diego front office. The 39-year-old began his coaching career with the Padres and quickly worked his way up to bench coach. He and Shildt were the top internal candidates for the managerial job after the Friars parted ways with Bob Melvin two years ago. Flaherty interviewed but was granted permission to explore other opportunities once the Padres hired Shildt. He took the bench coach role under Craig Counsell in Chicago, a job he has held for the past two seasons.

Niebla, 53, has built a reputation as one of the sport’s top pitching coaches. He was an assistant in Cleveland until landing the pitching coach job with San Diego over the 2021-22 offseason. His hiring came a few days before the Padres tabbed Melvin, and he has held the role under a pair of managers. The Friars signed Niebla to a multi-year extension last offseason.

It’s not all that common for pitching coaches to jump into managerial roles. The bench coach position is typically more of a springboard to the top gig. Still, that’s not entirely unheard of — former Cincinnati manager Bryan Price was a pitching coach both before and after his managerial stint, as one example — and the Padres’ front office clearly values Niebla’s work with the pitching staff.

Red Sox To Retain Most Of Coaching Staff, Part Ways With Assistant Hitting Coach Ben Rosenthal

By Anthony Franco | October 13, 2025 at 9:24pm CDT

The Red Sox are parting ways with assistant hitting coach Ben Rosenthal, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. It’s possible that’ll be the only change to Alex Cora’s staff.

Rob Bradford of WEEI reported over the weekend that bench coach Ramón Vázquez, hitting coach Peter Fatse, pitching coach Andrew Bailey, bullpen coach Chris Holt, and base coaches José David Flores and Kyle Hudson would all be back. Cotillo reports that the same is true for assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, catching instructor Parker Guinn and game planning/run prevention coach Jason Varitek — assuming none of that group leave to pursue better opportunities with another club.

Rosenthal joined the Sox over the 2021-22 offseason. A former minor league player, Rosenthal had coached in college and in the Astros’ farm system before joining Boston’s MLB staff. For his first three seasons, Rosenthal worked alongside Luis Ortiz as an assistant hitting coach under Fatse. The Red Sox parted ways with Ortiz and added Lawson onto the MLB staff last season. It stands to reason they’ll now look for a new assistant hitting coach to split duties with Lawson.

Offseason Outlook: Chicago White Sox

By Tim Dierkes | October 13, 2025 at 7:46pm CDT

The Reinsdorf era may be drawing to a close. With clean books and many unsettled positions, do the White Sox have any bold offseason moves up their sleeve?

Guaranteed Contracts

Andrew Benintendi, LF: $31MM through 2027

Option Decisions

Luis Robert Jr., CF: $20MM club option ($2MM buyout); deal includes $20MM club option for 2027
Martin Perez, SP: $10MM mutual option ($1.5MM buyout)

Total 2026 commitments (if Robert's option is exercised): $38MM
Total long-term commitments (if Robert's option is exercised): $52.5MM through 2027

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

Mike Tauchman (5.143): $3.4MM
Steven Wilson (3.166): $1.5MM
Derek Hill (3.040): $1MM

Non-tender candidates: Wilson, Hill

Free Agents

Tyler Alexander, Michael A. Taylor (retired)

In last year's Offseason Outlook, we briefly touched on the bigger-picture questions of who will own the White Sox long-term and where they will play in 2030. One of those questions has likely been answered. In June of this year, the team announced that "Jerry Reinsdorf and Justin Ishbia have reached a long-term investment agreement that establishes a framework for Ishbia to obtain a future controlling interest in the White Sox," adding that "Ishbia will make capital infusions into the White Sox as a limited partner in 2025 and 2026 that will be used to pay down existing debt and support ongoing team operations."

That's the headline, but the details are crucial:

"The agreement provides that, from 2029–33, Reinsdorf will have the option to sell the controlling interest to Ishbia. After the 2034 season, Ishbia will have the option to acquire the controlling interest. In the event of any such future transaction, all limited partners of the Sox would have the opportunity to sell to Ishbia at that time. In addition to Justin Ishbia, his brother Mat Ishbia, and father Jeff Ishbia will also be significant investors. There is no assurance that any such future transaction will occur, and in no event will such a transaction take place before 2029."

If you've got 20 minutes to spare, check out this discussion between Alex Maragos of NBC 5 Chicago and Jon Greenberg of The Athletic, who has done a lot of reporting on this planned transfer of ownership. You'll hear the word "transformative" thrown around, but there's no reason to expect a significant player payroll increase in the near future. White Sox fans have a new sense of hope about the future of the franchise, but for the 2025-26 offseason, we don't expect much of an Ishbia effect.

The 2025 White Sox were just normal bad, rather than historically bad. It was the team's third consecutive 100-loss season, with a 60-102 record. The White Sox ranked 14th in the AL with 3.99 runs scored per game. The starting rotation ranked 11th with a 4.39 ERA, while the bullpen checked in at 10th with a 4.16 mark. The defense seemed to be bottom-five in the league.

Despite that, positives are emerging. The White Sox have established a Kyle Teel-Edgar Quero job-share at catcher. Teel came up in June and posted 1.9 fWAR in 78 games, including a 125 wRC+ at the plate that ranked sixth among all catchers. Shortstop Colson Montgomery came up in July and slugged at a level well beyond anything he'd done at Triple-A: a 129 wRC+ with 21 home runs in just 284 plate appearances.

On the pitching side, GM Chris Getz snagged Shane Smith from the Brewers in the Rule 5 draft last winter, and he remarkably became the team's All-Star representative. The righty, 26 in April, faltered in the middle of the summer but posted a 3.09 ERA and 27.1 K% over his final ten starts.

First base was a bit of a black eye. The White Sox justifiably gave up on former third overall pick Andrew Vaughn, optioning him to Triple-A in May and sending him to the Brewers for pitcher Aaron Civale in mid-June. The Brewers brought Vaughn up a few weeks later and he put up a surprising and robust 142 wRC+ in 254 plate appearances, plus a couple of key home runs in the Division Series against the Cubs.

The White Sox never really settled on a first baseman after moving on from Vaughn, with guys like Tim Elko, Ryan Noda, and trade deadline pickup Curtis Mead getting looks. The majority of starts went to Miguel Vargas, who also played a bunch of third base. Vargas flashed signs of life in May and August, but overall his 101 wRC+ doesn't really play for a starter at an infield corner. So what can be done?

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Tobias Myers, Ben Casparius Added To NLCS Rosters

By Anthony Franco | October 13, 2025 at 6:49pm CDT

The Brewers and Dodgers kick off the National League Championship Series in less than an hour. Each team made one change to the rosters from their respective Division Series.

Milwaukee made a move in the bullpen, swapping out Nick Mears for Tobias Myers. General manager Matt Arnold told reporters the decision was mostly about adding length to the pitching staff (link via MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy). Mears has only once completed two innings in a game this season. All but five of his 63 appearances have been a single inning or less. Myers has been a starter for much of his career and was working a handful of 2-3 inning stints in long relief down the stretch. The Brewers will lean heavily on their relievers, especially in games not started by Freddy Peralta, and have Aaron Ashby kicking off a bullpen game tonight.

Still, it comes as a moderate surprise that the hard-throwing Mears gets left off the roster entirely. Over the course of the season, only Trevor Megill entered the game in higher-leverage spots on average for skipper Pat Murphy. Mears was third on the team with 16 holds. He’d also pitched three times in the five-game Division Series win over the Cubs, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless frames while striking out three of seven batters faced. Mears missed a couple weeks in September with back tightness, but Arnold suggested the decision was less a health question and more about the need for multi-inning arms in a seven-game set.

The Dodgers also made a change, adding a 12th pure pitcher after carrying 11 pitchers (not including Shohei Ohtani) and 15 position players for their series against the Phillies. Right-hander Ben Casparius draws in while the team subs out third catcher Dalton Rushing. That’s most notable as a positive sign for Will Smith. The Dodgers were apprehensive about having Smith catch early in the Philly series. The star backstop came off the bench as a pinch-hitter for the first two games as he plays through a finger fracture.

Smith caught the last two games in full and apparently showed enough that the Dodgers no longer feel they need to keep Rushing active behind Smith and Ben Rortvedt. The 24-year-old Rushing struck out in a pinch-hit at-bat in his only appearance during the Division Series. Casparius adds a mop-up option to the bullpen after pitching to a 4.64 earned run average across 77 2/3 innings during the regular season. He pitched very well for the first two months but posted a 6.31 ERA in 27 appearances after June 1.

The full rosters break down as follows:

Brewers

Catchers: William Contreras, Danny Jansen

Infielders: Jake Bauers, Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang, Andrew Vaughn

Outfielders: Jackson Chourio, Isaac Collins, Sal Frelick, Brandon Lockridge, Blake Perkins, Christian Yelich

Right-Handers: Grant Anderson, Trevor Megill, Jacob Misiorowski, Tobias Myers, Chad Patrick, Freddy Peralta (Game 2 starter), Quinn Priester, Abner Uribe