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Connor Wong Undergoes Hand Surgery

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Red Sox catcher Connor Wong went under the knife for a right hand carpal boss excision. The procedure, which the team described as “successful,” was performed earlier this morning by Dr. Matthew Leibman at Mass General Brigham Hospital. The Red Sox have not yet provided further details about the timeline for Wong’s recovery.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, a carpal boss is a benign “bony overgrowth or lump” found on the back of one’s hand or wrist. The condition doesn’t always cause pain, but the fact that Wong had his carpal boss removed suggests it was causing him at least some degree of discomfort. Most people return to “typical activity” within two to six weeks following a carpal boss excision. While that timeline could be longer for a professional athlete, it seems likely Wong will be back to full strength by the time he reports for training camp next spring.

The 29-year-old, who bats and throws right-handed, spent four weeks on the injured list early in the season after fracturing his left pinky finger. However, this is the first time the Red Sox have mentioned any sort of issue with his dominant hand. Wong started behind the dish on the final day of the regular season, and while he did not appear in the playoffs, that decision seemingly had more to do with his poor performance all season than any injury concerns. As for how much his poor performance might have had to do with the carpal boss? Wong can only hope it played a significant factor and that having it removed will help him rebound in 2026.

After significantly outperforming his expected stats (en route to a .280/.333/.425 slash line) last season, Wong saw his luck take a sharp turn for the worse. Through 63 games in 2025, he hit below .200 with zero home runs. The 42-point gap between his wOBA and xwOBA is a good sign for Wong going forward, but that said, even his xwOBA would have ranked him among the bottom 3% of hitters in the sport if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. He grounded into seven double plays, drove in just seven runs, and finished with -0.7 FanGraphs WAR. It certainly didn’t help that, once again, he posted negative defense metrics across the board.

Wong wasn’t Boston’s only backstop who spent time at Mass General Brigham recently. Carlos Narváez, who usurped Wong as the team’s starting catcher this year, went in for a left knee meniscectomy yesterday. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow previously described the procedure as a “cleanup,” clarifying that he expects Narváez to be back at full strength by spring training. Narvaez will presumably slot in as Boston’s primary catcher for 2026, while Wong’s status with the organization is up in the air. He is projected to earn $1.6MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility, and after the season he just had, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see the Red Sox non-tender him instead.

Poll: Should The Twins Trade Pablo Lopez This Offseason?

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The Twins conducted a complete fire sale at the trade deadline this year as they shipped 11 players off their big league roster, but one significant player who stayed in place was ace right-hander Pablo Lopez. The talented righty was limited to just 14 starts this season by a hamstring strain and a shoulder strain before his season came to an end in September due to a forearm strain.

The fact of Lopez’s injury-marred season left the Twins unable to move him at the deadline this year when they purged the majority of their veteran players, but that doesn’t mean a deal can’t be made this offseason. After all, the aforementioned forearm strain that ended his season came with “no concern” regarding Lopez’s UCL or elbow, and all indications point to him being expected to have a normal offseason and be ready for the 2026 campaign. What’s more, Lopez was nothing short of excellent when healthy this year as he pitched to a 2.79 ERA with a 3.19 FIP in 75 2/3 innings of work.

That’s the sort of top-of-the-rotation potential that contending teams will want to bring in desperately this winter, and the Twins could stand to benefit from trading Lopez during an offseason where there are few free agents who offer much certainty. Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen, and Framber Valdez all had tough years that didn’t quite reach their typical standards, while Brandon Woodruff and Shane Bieber face health-related questions after seasons coming off major surgery. Lopez has his own flaws, of course, including his array of recent injuries and a pedestrian 4.08 ERA as recently as last year. Even so, the uncertainty surrounding this crop of free agent starters can only serve to make Lopez more attractive by comparison.

It’s unclear what the Twins’ payroll capacity or competitive expectations for 2025 are, but if the team embarks on a lengthy rebuild it would make little sense to hold onto the final two years and $43.5MM left on the Lopez’s contract. Young arms like Mick Abel, Simeon Woods Richardson, Taj Bradley, Zebby Matthews, and David Festa are all likely to compete for a spot in the rotation. Holdovers Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober will surely be in the rotation (unless they’re traded themselves), and Kendry Rojas could be ready for the majors at some point next year as well. That deep group of young rotation pieces makes Lopez a bit more expendable to the Twins than he would be for most teams, at least if they aren’t expecting to compete next year.

Given the fact that Lopez would surely bring back a hefty return on the trade market and the depth the Twins currently enjoy in their rotation, using the right-hander to infuse more offensive talent into the club’s roster would make a lot of sense. With that being said, it’s worth noting that the Twins actually still have some notable talent on paper. Lopez, Ryan, and Ober could form a front three in the rotation that many contenders in the league would be jealous of. Star outfielder Byron Buxton has been healthier of late and has the offensive ability to be an anchor for a playoff lineup. Players like Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner have shown impressive ceilings despite their inconsistency, while young bats like Brooks Lee and Luke Keaschall could take a big step forward. It’s not impossible to imagine a viable offensive core coming together as soon as next year, especially if top prospects like Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins can contribute at some point.

Of course, even with those positives the Twins would need to significantly invest in the team in order to build a real contender for 2026. RosterResource estimates the club’s current payroll for 2026 to fall into the range of $95MM, and while that leaves around $40MM in budget space relative to the 2025 club’s payroll it’s an open question how much of that (if any) will actually be reinvested into the major league club given the clear financial motivations behind this summer’s Correa trade.

The Twins would need serious help in the bullpen in order to compete after losing Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, and Jhoan Duran at the deadline, and players like Kody Clemens and Austin Martin starting regularly at first base and in left field wouldn’t exactly inspire confidence either. If the front office is facing substantial financial constraints that weren’t in place this time last year, there may be an argument for moving Lopez even if they do want to compete next year. After all, his $21.75MM salary could then be reinvested into the offense or bullpen, both of which have much less depth than the rotation does at present.

How do MLBTR readers view the situation? Should the Twins trade Lopez this offseason, either in hopes of reallocating his salary to other parts of the roster or as part of a full-scale rebuild? Or should they keep their ace in the fold to give themselves the best shot of winning next year? Have your say in the poll below:

Carlos Narvaez Undergoes Knee Surgery

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October 9: The Red Sox announced this morning that Narvaez underwent a successful left knee meniscectomy and that the procedure was performed by Dr. Eric Berkson at Mass General Brigham Healthcare Center (Waltham).

October 6: Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez will undergo a “cleanup” procedure on the meniscus in his left knee, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow announced Monday at his end-of-season press conference (link via Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald). He’s expected to be ready for spring training.

Narvaez played through much of the second half with pain in his knee. He missed four straight games in early August due to the injury. Narvaez’s splits from the season generally reflect that the catcher was playing at less than 100 percent down the stretch. From Opening Day through July 9, he slashed .280/.354/.453 in 274 turns at the plate. From that point through season’s end, Narvaez turned in a lowly .181/.229/.369 batting line. His strikeout rate climbed in each of the season’s final three months and reached a boiling point by mid-September; Narvaez fanned in a bit more than 23% of his plate appearances through the season’s first three months but went down on strikes in 13 of his final 44 plate appearances (29.5%).

Even with the ugly finish to the season, Narvaez’s overall 2025 campaign was a roaring success. Acquired from the archrival Yankees in exchange for pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, Narvaez broke camp as the backup in Boston but quickly laid claim to the starting catching job. He finished out the year with a roughly league-average batting line of .241/.306/.419 (97 wRC+) and swatted 15 home runs in his first big league season. Narvaez also graded out as a plus defender, thwarting 28% of stolen-base attempts against him while delivering above-average grades for pitch framing and blocking balls in the dirt (via Statcast).

Narvaez’s ascension dovetailed with regression from former starter Connor Wong. Assuming all goes well with Narvaez’s knee procedure, he’s the favorite to head into spring training as the Red Sox’ starting catcher next season. Boston has an additional five full seasons of club control remaining, and Narvaez won’t even be eligible for arbitration until after the 2027 season.

The Opener: Phillies, Cubs, Yankees

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As the playoffs continue, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Phillies stave off elimination:

The Phillies managed to keep their playoff hopes alive last night as they clobbered the Dodgers 8-2 off the back of two home runs from Kyle Schwarber. Today’s game will kick off in Los Angeles at 3:08pm local time as the Dodgers send right-hander Tyler Glasnow (3.19 ERA) to the mound opposite lefty Cristopher Sanchez (2.50 ERA). Both already pitched in Game 1 of this series, though they had different roles in the game. Sanchez drew the start for Philadelphia and allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings of work while striking out eight against two walks. Glasnow, by contrast, was used as a reliever and recorded 1 2/3 scoreless innings of work where he struck out two with two walks.

2. Cubs survive to see Game 4:

Philadelphia wasn’t the only team to remain standing after an elimination game last night, as the Cubs beat the Brewers 4-3 after rallying to a lead in the first inning they would not relinquish. At 8:08pm local time this evening, Chicago and Milwaukee will take the field on the north side. Neither team has announced its starter for the game. Southpaw Matthew Boyd would be on regular rest after starting Game 1 for the Cubs, but after failing to make it out of the first inning in his last start against the Brew Crew there’s at least a possibility Chicago will consider other options. Meanwhile, Freddy Peralta would be on regular rest for Milwaukee, though it’s at least plausible they could go with another arm for Game 4 and save Peralta for either a decisive Game 5 or keep him fresh for the start of the NLCS should they win tonight.

3. Yankees head home after ALDS defeat:

After winning the AL pennant last year for the first time since 2009, the Yankees won’t be able to recapture it this year. They dropped last night’s game to Toronto in a 5-2 loss and will now head into the offseason earlier than they were surely hoping to. This offseason likely won’t involve quite as much upheaval as last winter, when New York overhauled its roster after losing Juan Soto to the Mets, but there are still some significant pieces ticketed for free agency including Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham, and (most likely) Cody Bellinger. The Yankees will surely hold a presser in the coming days that will shed some light on their offseason plans as they look ahead to the 2026 campaign, when Gerrit Cole will return from Tommy John surgery to help lead the rotation alongside Max Fried.

MLBTR Podcast: Rockies’ Front Office Changes, Skip Schumaker, And ABS Talk

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • The Rockies parting ways with general manager Bill Schmidt (1:45)
  • The Rangers hiring Skip Schumaker as manager (9:50)
  • The ABS challenge system coming to MLB for 2026 (15:20)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Will the upcoming expiration of the CBA after 2026 lead teams to not spend money this winter? (24:10)
  • With some recent teams selling at the deadline and then making late surges, will it lead to changes in how teams approach future deadlines? (30:15)
  • Which free agent pitchers could sign one-year deals to be traded next summer? (35:15)
  • Who are realistic targets for the Orioles this offseason? (46:10)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Orlando Ramirez, Imagn Images

Brewers Notes: NLDS, Chourio, Hoskins

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The Brewers couldn’t capitalize on their first chance to close out the Cubs, as they dropped a 4-3 contest at Wrigley Field this evening. Chicago put up a four spot against Quinn Priester in the first inning, building a 4-1 cushion from which the Milwaukee bats couldn’t recover.

Priester didn’t make it out of the first. Manager Pat Murphy used five pitchers — Nick Mears, Jose Quintana, Grant Anderson, Jared Koenig and Chad Patrick — to combine for 7 1/3 scoreless frames out of the bullpen. The damage had been done, however, and the Brewers will need to try to close things out again tomorrow.

Neither Milwaukee nor the Cubs have announced a starter for tomorrow’s game, though ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that Chicago will give the ball back to Matthew Boyd. The Brewers pummeled Boyd for six runs in the first inning in Game 1 and cruised to a victory behind Freddy Peralta. Milwaukee could turn back to Peralta on four days rest for the same matchup, though Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that they’ve worked to provide their starters with an extra rest day when possible during the season.

Saving Peralta for a potential Game 5 on Saturday would probably mean the Brewers go back to a bullpen game, which they did in Game 2. Aaron Ashby opened that contest and surrendered a three-run homer to Seiya Suzuki, but the Brewers blanked the Cubs from then on and won 7-3. Running a bullpen game one day after their starter failed to escape the first inning isn’t ideal, but Murphy mostly relied on lower-leverage arms tonight. The Brewers stayed away from Ashby, Jacob Misiorowski, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill entirely. Koenig only threw seven pitches and is surely still in the mix for tomorrow.

On the position player side, Jackson Chourio played the full eight innings in left field tonight. He went 1-4 with a strikeout. Chourio has battled a nagging right hamstring injury and made early exits in favor of defensive substitute Brandon Lockridge in Games 1 and 2. Those were mostly precautionary absences with Milwaukee holding decent leads.

Meanwhile, Rhys Hoskins is watching the NLDS from the dugout, a difficult outcome for a player who had a solid season. Even though he didn’t make the postseason roster, Hoskins has remained involved as a teammate. “You got to play the hand that you’re dealt and try to help these guys accomplish the goal we set out to do,” the first baseman told Hogg in a separate column at the Journal Sentinel.

With Andrew Vaughn and Jake Bauers handling first base duties, the Brewers opted for Lockridge to add a speed element and provide cover for Chourio with their final roster spot. While Hoskins admitted to being frustrated, he accepted the role of supportive teammate after Murphy pushed to keep him in the mix. “He’s a great voice for these young players,” Murphy told Hogg. “He’s also well-respected and being genuine really adds to our whole unit.”

The NLDS exclusion wasn’t the first time Hoskins was pushed aside this season. After the veteran went down with a thumb injury in early July, Vaughn emerged as a key cog in the middle of Milwaukee’s lineup. Hoskins was limited to bench duties once he rejoined the team in September. The lefty-hitting Bauers provides more balance in a platoon with the right-handed Vaughn.

Hoskins was hitting .242/.340/.428 across 318 plate appearances when he suffered the injury. That opened the door for Vaughn, who cemented himself in the lineup with a monster performance as soon as he was recalled from Triple-A. Hoskins was limited to pinch-hitting when he returned, going 1-10 in eight games.

There’s a decent chance he’s made his final appearance with the Brewers. The team will buy him out for $4MM in lieu of an $18MM mutual option. He’ll be a free agent and almost certainly will head to a team that has more at-bats available at first base. Milwaukee could still swap Hoskins onto the roster for future playoff rounds should they advance, but they’re already carrying 14 position players. While Lockridge would probably be the player they might swap out, they’ll be reluctant to subtract outfield depth while Chourio is at less than full strength.

Emilio Pagán Interested In Returning To Cincinnati

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After recording a career-high 32 saves in 2025, right-hander Emilio Pagán has expressed interest in rejoining the Reds. “I’d love to be back and run it back with them and take another run at it,” Pagán told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The pending free agent has spent the past two seasons in Cincinnati’s bullpen.

Pagán stepped in as manager Terry Francona’s preferred 9th inning option after Alexis Díaz went down with a hamstring injury in the spring. He entered the year with 33 career saves across eight MLB seasons. Pagán nearly doubled that mark as the Reds’ stopper, going 32-for-38 in save opportunities. He notched a 2.88 ERA across a career-high 70 appearances. Pagán was tied with Aroldis Chapman and Jhoan Duran for fifth in the league in saves.

A solid campaign with Minnesota in 2023 earned Pagán a two-year, $16M deal with Cincinnati ahead of the 2024 season. Injuries limited him to 38 innings in his first year with the team. He spent time on the IL with triceps tightness and a lat strain. The latter issue cost him more than two months. Pagán struggled when healthy, pitching to a 4.50 ERA with a bloated 1.34 WHIP. He was set to open the 2025 season on the periphery of Cincinnati’s late-inning mix, but Díaz’s injury opened the door for another reliever to step forward. Despite having former closers Taylor Rogers and Scott Barlow on the roster, it was Pagán and Tony Santillan who emerged as the top candidates for the role. Both pitchers earned a save within the team’s first 10 games, but Santillan wouldn’t get his second save until early June. By then, Pagán had run away with the job.

The closer role wasn’t completely foreign to Pagán, but it had been a while since he had spent the majority of a season in the position. He served as Tampa Bay’s primary closer in 2019 after Diego Castillo and Jose Alvarado faltered. Pagán earned 20 saves that year. He was dealt to San Diego in the offseason, and then to Minnesota a couple of years later. Pagán opened the 2022 season as the Twins’ closer, but lost the job to Duran after an extended stretch of poor performance.

Pagán will be one of many intriguing names on the closer market this offseason. Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley, and Raisel Iglesias are free agents. Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez could opt out of their current deals and hit the open market. Kenley Jansen, Luke Weaver, Kirby Yates, Ryan Pressly, and Kyle Finnegan have extensive late-inning experience. Pagán’s best choice might be to stick with the club where he just posted a career season. It sounds like the interest is mutual, too. Team president Nick Krall told Wittenmyer that Pagán would be “tremendous to have back.” Krall added that the veteran “fits in the culture of our bullpen.”

The Reds should certainly have the financial flexibility to add in free agency. FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool has them below $100MM for next year’s payroll, though the team does have an ample group of arbitration-eligible players. The club had a payroll of around $120MM this past season. Cincinnati is stuck paying $13MM to Jeimer Candelario next year, but he’s currently the only player on the books for more than seven figures in 2026, assuming they decline the $12MM mutual option on Austin Hays. If the Reds don’t make any additions to the bullpen, they’re likely looking at patching together the closer gig with Santillan and converted starter Graham Ashcraft.

Sandy Leon Remains Free Agent

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9:14 pm: The minor league transaction log entry showing Leon re-signing with the Braves is not accurate, MLBTR has learned. Leon remains a free agent.

7:23 pm: Catcher Sandy Leon has returned to the Braves on a minor league deal, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. The veteran was assigned to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, where he’s spent the majority of the past two seasons. Leon appeared in five games with Atlanta over the final two months of the 2025 campaign.

The 36-year-old Leon joined Atlanta as a free agent ahead of the 2024 season. He played in 79 games with the Stripers that year, but didn’t make an appearance in the big leagues for the first time since 2011. Leon had two separate stints with the Braves this past season. He made his MLB return on July 22, coming on as a defensive replacement. Leon was sent back to Triple-A on August 15, only to come back up a few weeks later. Leon finished the year with just one hit in 12 at-bats, though he made it count, launching a three-run home run off Craig Kimbrel on September 14.

Leon made his debut with the Nationals in 2012. He’s spent parts of 13 MLB seasons with seven different teams. The backstop had his longest big-league stretch with one organization from 2015 to 2019 with Boston. He appeared in 358 regular-season games with the Red Sox. Leon was part of the World Series-winning squad in 2018.

The 2016 season was Leon’s only campaign as a viable hitter at the highest level. He posted a 124 wRC+ across 283 plate appearances. Leon popped seven home runs and drove in 35 while splitting time with Christian Vázquez. He would never post another season with better than a 66 wRC+. Leon is more known for his work behind the plate. He threw out at least 36% of would-be base stealers in each of his first three seasons in Boston. Statcast began tracking fielding run value in 2018, and Leon ranked fourth among catchers that season.

Leon will serve as a depth option for Atlanta behind Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy. The Braves ranked sixth in OPS at the position this past season. Baldwin is among the favorites for NL Rookie of the Year after slashing .274/.341/.469 in his first taste of MLB action. Murphy failed to hit .200 for the second straight year, but did pop 16 homers in just 337 plate appearances. Murphy has been banged up during his tenure in Atlanta, so Leon could assume backup duties behind Baldwin if injuries strike again.

Bo Bichette Resumes Light Jogging

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Bo Bichette took a small step forward on Wednesday in his recovery from a left PCL sprain. The star shortstop was seen jogging in the outfield at Yankee Stadium prior to Game 4 of the ALDS, reported Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. It’s the first we’ve heard of on-field running work for Bichette since he went down with the knee injury on September 6. Bannon added that Bichette jogged three times in the outfield for about 50 yards, but still had a noticeable limp when he walked back.

Bichette has been out for just over a month since injuring his knee on a slide against the Yankees. He’d been able to hit in the batting cage, but hadn’t progressed to any sort of running drills until today. Bichette was unsurprisingly left off of Toronto’s ALDS roster. Andres Gimenez has picked up the majority of the starts at shortstop in Bichette’s stead. He’s played short in each of the Blue Jays’ playoff games so far. Ernie Clement also picked up a couple of starts at shortstop in September.

While the progress is encouraging for Bichette, he still has multiple hurdles to clear before making his 2025 postseason debut. He’ll certainly need to shake off the limp before moving to more intense drills. Toronto will likely want to see him field ground balls at shortstop before considering adding him to the playoff roster. The ALCS starts on Sunday, so there isn’t much time for Bichette to get back into playing shape before the next round. The World Series, if the Blue Jays were to advance that far, might be a more reasonable goal for Bichette at this point.

Toronto’s DH situation is somewhat crowded, so the best route for Bichette to make an impact in the playoffs might be off the bench, similar to how the Dodgers used catcher Will Smith as he recovered from a hand fracture. Smith didn’t make an appearance against Cincinnati, but has been able to contribute as a sub in the NLDS against Philadelphia. He scored on Teoscar Hernandez’s go-ahead home run in Game 1, then knocked in a couple of runs with a single in Game 2. Smith will draw his first start of the postseason in Game 3 on Wednesday.

The knee injury cut short Bichette’s best full season at the plate. He posted a healthy 134 wRC+, his best mark since his brief 46-game stint as a rookie in 2019. Bichette’s .311 batting average ranked second in the league behind only Aaron Judge. The shortstop finished the regular season with 628 plate appearances, his most since 2022. While the power and speed tailed off, Bichette showed the best plate discipline of his career in 2025. He cut his strikeout rate to 14.5%, the first time he’d been below 19% in the big leagues. Bichette’s 6.4% walk rate, while still not great, was his best mark since 2019.

Toronto’s offense hasn’t felt the loss of Bichette so far in the postseason, piling up 29 runs against the Yankees. They lead the league with nine playoff home runs, which is especially impressive considering they’ve only played three games. On an individual level, the results haven’t been as inspiring. Gimenez has been fine, going 3-for-11 with a couple of runs batted in. Glove-first veteran Isiah Kiner-Falefa has seen time at second base with Gimenez sliding over to shortstop, but has gone hitless in six at-bats and made an error in Game 3. Addison Barger then had his own defensive miscue after replacing Kiner-Falefa in the eventual loss.

A return in the postseason might ease some concerns for potential Bichette suitors this offseason. He’ll be one of the top free agents on the market heading into 2026, but persistent injury issues might affect the length and dollar amount of his next contract. Calf and finger injuries wrecked Bichette’s 2024 season. He missed time with knee and quad issues in 2023. Getting back to action during this playoff run could be a boost to his value as he looks for a new deal.

 

Owner John Sherman Discusses Royals’ Payroll

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Royals owner John Sherman spoke to Anne Rogers of MLB.com and addressed various topics related to the club. He voiced his support for general manager J.J. Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro. He expressed optimism about the way things have been trending for the club, while simultaneously noting that they need to do more. He also said he would love for Salvador Perez to continue on with the club, something that already seems inevitable.

Perhaps most notably for fans, he said the payroll is “in a good spot.” Rogers notes that Picollo said last week that he and Sherman hadn’t discussed a firm payroll number but he added that what the club has now is “plenty” and it is the responsibility of the front office “to make that work.”

Those comments seem to suggest that the 2026 payroll will likely stay in a similar range to 2025. According to RosterResource, the Royals spent $138MM on their players this year and have $127MM committed to next year’s club, which doesn’t appear to include Perez’s $13.5MM club option. There’s a $2MM buyout on that option, so picking it up would add $11.5MM to the club’s ledger.

That would put the Royals fairly close to this year’s payroll before even doing anything, but not all of their arbitration-eligible players will be tendered contracts. In MLBTR’s recent Offseason Outlook for the Royals, Jonathan India, Kyle Wright, Bailey Falter, Sam Long, Michael Massey, MJ Melendez and James McArthur are listed as non-tender candidates. That would be a projected $18.9MM saved if all were let go, though the Royals may not part with every name on that list. A trade or two could also open up some more breathing room.

Time will tell exactly how things shake out but it doesn’t appear there will be a massive amount of powder dry for the front office. Going into 2026, adding offense is the goal, an annual concern in Kansas City. The pitching staff had a collective 3.73 earned run average this year, good for sixth among MLB teams. But the bats had a collective .247/.309/.397 batting line. The resultant wRC+ of 93 was better than just eight big league clubs.

Second base could be a target area if the club does decide to move on from India and/or Massey, but as is customary for the Royals, the outfield will be a focus. The club bolstered their group on the grass with midseason trades for Mike Yastrzemski, Randal Grichuk and Adam Frazier but all three are impending free agents. That will leave them with a lackluster group consisting of Jac Caglianone, Kyle Isbel, John Rave, Drew Waters and a few others.

The free agent market is headlined by Kyle Tucker, but no one will be expecting the Royals to be in the running there. Guys like Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham are likely a bit outside their price range as well. Going after someone like Harrison Bader, Cedric Mullins or bringing back Yastrzemski should be more.

The trade market could also have some possibilities. The Cardinals appear to be entering a rebuild period and could make players such as Lars Nootbaar or Alec Burleson available. The Twins also might be taking a step back, so Trevor Larnach or Matt Wallner might be out there. Further possibilities will surely emerge in the coming weeks and months.

The details will become more clear as the offseason rolls along but the Royals will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 82-80 season. “We’re looking forward to the future, and I feel pretty good about it,” Sherman said. “It’s hard to look at this season by itself. When you think about what we’ve accomplished the last couple of years, I feel really good about the fact that the franchise has been turned around. We’re going in the right direction. We should be proud of that. But we’re also very unsatisfied.”

Photo courtesy of Denny Medley, Imagn Images

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