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Mike Elias Discusses Orioles’ Rotation, Roster

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Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias spoke to the media today, just after the club wrapped up a disappointing 2025 season. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to report on what was discussed, with various details at these links.

The rotation was a natural point of focus, with Elias saying the club wants to add a starter to the front half of its rotation, which could be either a #1, a #2 or a #3. Such distinctions are fairly subjective but the point would be to have another guy capable of slotting in next to Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers somewhere in the front half of the rotation. Baltimore starters ranked 24th in the majors with a 4.65 earned run average this year, so bolstering the rotation is a straightforward target.

What will be interesting to monitor is if the club changes its level of aggressiveness. Throughout Elias’s tenure, the club has never given a free agent pitcher a multi-year deal, as shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker. The only time they’ve gone beyond one year for any free agent was Tyler O’Neill’s three-year pact, which had an opt-out after the first season.

Many Baltimore fans were hoping for change last winter, which was the first offseason under new owner David Rubenstein. In November of last year, Elias raised those hopes by saying that the O’s were considering “the whole spectrum” of available players, which included “high-end free agent deals over many years.” But in the end, their rotation adds were fairly modest. They gave a one-year deal to 41-year-old to Charlie Morton and another one-year deal to 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano, who was coming over from Japan and had no major league experience.

As mentioned, the club’s rotation went on to be a big part of their rough 2025 season. The coming weeks and months will eventually shed some light on if they plan to alter the way they go about bolstering the group for 2026.

While Bradish and Rogers are locked into two spots and Elias hopes to bring in another, that still leaves a couple of spots open at the back end. And of course, a modern baseball team never gets through a full 162-game season using just five starters, so various arms of the roster should play important roles. With that in mind, Elias noted that Grayson Rodriguez is expected to be ready for spring training. He also said that Tyler Wells is good with being a starter or a reliever but the club plans on him being a starter.

Rodriguez has shown tremendous promise but is a huge question mark right now. He logged 122 innings in his 2023 rookie season. Ideally, he would have increased his workload in 2024 but shoulder injuries limited him to 116 2/3 frames. In 2025, both elbow and shoulder injuries wiped out his entire season. He started the campaign on the IL due to elbow inflammation. While on the IL for that, a lat strain set him back. In July, the shoulder was apparently fine but the elbow still a problem. He underwent a debridement surgery in August.

While it’s encouraging that he is on track to be ready by spring training, the O’s probably can’t rely on him at this point. Even if he proceeds without setbacks through to the start of next season, the O’s will have to think about his workload after this lost year.

As for Wells, he just came back from a UCL surgery he underwent in 2024. He got back to the majors in time to make four starts with a 2.91 ERA. He now has a solid 3.98 ERA in his career, as well as a 22.8% strikeout rate and 6.2% walk rate. Those numbers make him a decent rotation candidate next year but he may also have workload limits. Between his rehab work and his big league starts to finish the season, he only logged 47 innings in 2025.

Elias also addressed the club’s catcher situation, saying that Adley Rutschman will be the club’s primary backstop. Rutschman once seemed well establish in that role but his performance has dipped in recent years. He had a .268/.369/.439 batting line through 2023 and was continuing in that fashion through the first half of 2024. However, he appeared to injure his hand when it was struck by a foul ball, which led to a .207/.282/.303 line in the second half of last year.

Ideally, he would have been fully healthy and back on track in 2025 but that didn’t happen. He strained both his right and left oblique at separate times this season and only got into 90 games with a .220/.307/.366 line.

As Rutschman has been struggling, Samuel Basallo has continued to raise his stock. He reached the majors late this season and then the O’s signed him to an eight-year extension. That’s obviously a tremendous vote of confidence but he’s still just 21 years old, has questions about his defense and a .165/.229/.330 line thus far in the big leagues.

Though Basallo has a bright future, it’s understandable that he Rutschman is still ahead of him on the depth chart. Basallo can also play some first base, so perhaps that allows him and Rutschman to co-exist in the lineup, though that could also impact other players like Coby Mayo or Ryan Mountcastle.

Elias also provided a vague update on outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who is seeing doctors due to some unspecified medical condition. Kjerstad didn’t play after the month of July this year with reports of fatigue. His current medical examinations could be related to that fatigue, though that’s mere surmise.

Photo courtesy of Tim Heitman, Imagn Images

Lucas Giolito Dealing With Elbow Issue, Will Not Be On Red Sox’ Wild Card Roster

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Red Sox righty Lucas Giolito is dealing with an elbow issue and won’t be included on Boston’s roster for their Wild Card Series showdown with the archrival Yankees, manager Alex Cora told reporters at today’s media session (link via Christopher Smith of MassLive.com). Cora did not provide a specific diagnosis or tip his hand as to whether Giolito would be available in subsequent rounds, should the Red Sox advance. Giolito would’ve been Boston’s starter for a potential Game 3 of the series. He’ll see a specialist today, MassLive’s Sean McAdam adds.

Giolito, 31, missed the entire 2024 season due to UCL surgery but returned with a flourish in 2025, firing 145 frames of 3.41 ERA ball. That number is inflated a bit by a poor start to the season; from June 10 onward, he made 19 starts with a 2.51 ERA. Giolito’s 19.7% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate contributed to more tepid evaluations from metrics like FIP (4.17) and SIERA (4.66), but his bottom-line results were unequivocally strong, even if their sustainability merited some skepticism.

Upon reaching 140 innings pitched this season, Giolito triggered a vesting clause in his $14MM club option that converted it into a $19MM mutual option. When he reached that threshold, it appeared all but certain that the right-hander would turn down his end of the mutual option and reenter the market. Suddenly, the health of his elbow clouds that decision. If the issue is serious, the Red Sox will surely decline their end and send Giolito into free agency anyhow, but he’ll return to the open market under very different circumstances than seemed likely even one week ago.

Giolito did experience a velocity drop of some note in September. After averaging 93.4 mph on his heater through the season’s first five months, he averaged 92.5 mph on his four-seamer over his final five appearances — including a season-low 92.1 mph in his final appearance. He still posted a 3.16 ERA over 25 2/3 innings in those outings, but he also issued 18 walks. At first glance, that could’ve been chalked up to fatigue for a pitcher who didn’t throw a single inning in ’24 but was pushing up toward 150 frames in the stretch run — but word of a possible elbow injury now makes that late slide all the more concerning.

The Red Sox figure to have more information on Giolito’s status later in the week, once he’s met with that specialist and discussed any findings with team brass. That’ll determine his availability — or lack thereof — for potential appearances in the ALDS, ALCS or World Series, depending how far Boston progresses in the postseason. For the series at hand, the elbow trouble for Giolito likely thrusts one of the team’s promising young lefties, like Connelly Early or Kyle Harrison, into that Game 3 start. Top prospect Payton Tolle was moved to the bullpen in early September and hasn’t pitched more than three innings in an outing since Sept. 29 as a result, so he’s not likely to get the nod.

Giants Fire Bob Melvin

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1:40pm: Bench coach Ryan Christenson and third base coach Matt Williams tell Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that they will not be returning to the team in 2026, either. Both were with the Giants in those roles from 2024-25.

11:35am: The Giants announced Monday that they’ve fired manager Bob Melvin. They’ll spend the early portion of the offseason looking for a new skipper.

“After meeting with ownership, I met with Bob today to inform him of my decision,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in a press release. “On behalf of the organization, I want to express my appreciation to Bob and for his dedication, professionalism, and class. I wish him all the best.

After a careful evaluation, we determined that making a change in leadership was in the best interest of the team. The last couple of months have been both disappointing and frustrating for all of us, and we did not perform up to our standards. We now turn our focus to identifying a new leader to guide us forward.”

As recently as July 1, things looked quite different. The Giants announced at the time that they were exercising their 2026 club option on Melvin, who’d spent the first three months of the season with no guarantees beyond the current campaign. At the time, Melvin’s Giants were 45-40, firmly in the mix a National League Wild Card berth. They played at a disappointing 36-41 pace down the stretch, finishing the year with a .500 record that landed them 12 games behind the NL West-champion Dodgers and two games behind the Reds for the final postseason spot. Despite Melvin being under contract on a guaranteed salary, the Giants will cut ties and look for a new dugout boss.

Melvin is one of the most decorated managers in the game today — and in MLB history. He’s currently 20th all-time in managerial wins. A three-time Manager of the Year who’s won that honor in both the American League and National League, the 63-year-old Melvin has 22 years of managerial experience and a winning 1678-1588 record. That includes an 853-764 record in 11 seasons as manager in Oakland, despite perennially operating clubs that had one of the game’s lowest payrolls (if not the lowest in a given season). He was 161-163 in his two seasons at the helm on the other side of the Bay.

As the Giants slipped down the stretch, Melvin’s job status became a source of increased speculation. Just yesterday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale suggested that, in the wake of a playoff miss, Posey might look to move on from Melvin and try to bring his own former manager, Bruce Bochy, back to San Francisco. Bochy’s contract in Texas is up and, as with Melvin, there’s been plenty of speculation regarding his future following a second straight disappointing season in Arlington.

Anyone with a résumé as prolific as that of Melvin will figure to get looks at other managerial vacancies as they arise around the sport. The Orioles, Nationals and Rockies already have interim managers after midseason dismissals of Brandon Hyde, Davey Martinez and Bud Black. Braves manager Brian Snitker has said he’s yet to decide whether he’ll retire or continue managing. Bochy’s contract in Texas is up. A handful of other managerial vacancies could very well emerge, too, and there are surely no shortage of clubs who’d be interested in bringing someone with Melvin’s acumen board in an advisory capacity, if he doesn’t want to jump right back into the rigors of helming a club for 162 games.

As for the Giants, Melvin’s ouster all but guarantees substantial turnover on the coaching staff. It’s commonplace when a manager is let go for his coaching staff to be given the green light to explore opportunities with other clubs. Incoming managers typically want to have say in the coaching staff at their disposal, after all. Melvin’s dismissal should be the first of several shakeups to the dugout staff at Oracle Park.

Pirates Sign Manager Don Kelly To Extension

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The Pirates announced Monday morning that manager Don Kelly has been signed to a contract extension. He was named manager back in May, after the team fired Derek Shelton, but there was never any commitment beyond the current season (despite Kelly not having an “interim” label included in his title). Today’s announcement makes it official that he’ll continue managing the team beyond the current season. Pittsburgh did not specify the length of Kelly’s new contract.

“Donnie has earned the respect of the players, front office, and our fans –- and he has certainly earned mine,” chairman/majority owner Bob Nutting said in this morning’s press release. “Donnie took over the team at a true low point. Since then, we’ve seen meaningful progress, not just in the clubhouse culture, but on the field. His connection to the community and passion for the franchise make him more than just a manager. He is a Pittsburgher; he is part of our community. He’s the right fit, at the right time, and is the right person to lead us forward.”

“I’m proud to continue leading the Pirates,” said Kelly himself in the press release. “Our clubhouse is full of players who care deeply about each other, about winning, and about representing Pittsburgh the right way. I was a Pirates fan first. I know our fans deserve a team that delivers on the field, and it’s on me to make sure we reach that standard.”

“Donnie is an elite communicator. He is deeply trusted by our players because he’s credible, consistent, and unafraid of tough conversations,” said general manager Ben Cherington in the press release. “His background as both a scout and a coach gives him a rare perspective: patience when it’s needed, and an unwavering belief in players’ ability to improve. Above all, he values people and winning. His ability to adjust, lead, and do the hard work makes him the right leader.”

The Pirates have been mired in mediocrity for a long time now. They last made the postseason in 2015. They have only finished above .500 once since then, which was back in 2018. They lost at least 100 games in 2021 and 2022. They showed a bit of promise in 2023 and 2024, flirting with contention at times, but finished both of those seasons with 76 wins.

Ideally, they would have taken another step forward in 2025, but they got out to an awful start. They were 12-26 when Shelton was fired in May. Kelly took over from there and the club fared better the rest of the way, though their 59-65 record under the new skipper was still subpar.

Going into 2026, there will be pressure for the club to finally get to another level. The Bucs have graduated a large number of pitching prospects to the majors. That’s obviously a good thing but it’s also a bit of a ticking clock. They have four remaining years with Paul Skenes. The Mitch Keller contract runs another three seasons.

In the past, the Bucs have traded some of their most prominent pitchers before they have reached free agency, a consequence of their consistently low payrolls. Pitchers like Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon are a few of the notable examples. As such, it’s common for people in the baseball world to speculate about Skenes being traded before those four years are up. Keller was in plenty of trade rumors this past summer but ultimately stayed put.

On the offensive side, the club has had far less success. They didn’t have a qualified hitter post an above-average season in 2025, by measure of wRC+. Spencer Horwitz did finish the season with a 119 wRC+, though his offseason wrist surgery limited him to just 411 plate appearances. Joey Bart got just over the line with a 101 wRC+ but in just 332 trips to the plate. The team-wide wRC+ came in at 82, behind all MLB teams apart from the Rockies. Improvement will obviously be required there for the club to be a real threat.

As the skipper, Kelly can only work with the players he is given. While the club still lost more games than they won with him at the helm, the organization seems to feel he did a good job regardless. A lot of a manager’s duties occur in the clubhouse, communicating with players on things like preparation, usage, strategy and the like. The Bucs are presumably pleased enough with Kelly’s work in those areas to keep him around as they try to find a new gear in 2026 and beyond.

Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images

Jake Burger To Undergo Wrist Surgery

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Rangers first baseman Jake Burger will undergo surgery to repair a tendon sheath in his left wrist later this week, he tells Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The injury originally occurred in mid-August. There’s no firm timetable on the recovery process, though Grant likens the forthcoming procedure to the surgery Josh Jung had following the 2024 season, and Jung was ready for spring training.

Burger, 29, joined the Rangers via trade after president of baseball Chris Young brought him over from the Marlins during last offseason’s winter meetings — a swap that sent infielder Maximo Acosta, infielder Echedry Vargas and left-hander Brayan Mendoza back to Miami. The acquisition of Burger, much like the signing of Joc Pederson, was intended to improve the Rangers’ teamwide production against fastballs after a down year in that regard in 2024. That didn’t pan out, however, despite the slugger’s prior excellence against four-seamers.

Though Burger had a terrific track record against velocity, headlined by hitting .302 and slugging .651 against four-seam fastballs with Miami in 2024, he hit just .195 and slugged only .416 against four-seam fastballs in his first season with Texas. Overall, Burger’s .236/.269/.419 batting line was the worst of his career and about 11% worse than that of a league-average offensive player, per wRC+. His 90.4 mph average exit velocity was a career-low, as was his 13.6% homer-to-flyball ratio.

That August wrist injury surely played some role in his offensive downturn, but it’s not the lone culprit. Burger tells Grant that he received a cortisone injection at the time of the injury, which helped for a few weeks before he began feeling his tendon “popping” in his wrist for the season’s final few weeks. Unsurprisingly, Burger finished the year in a pronounced slump. He also dealt with injuries prior to that wrist issue, however. Burger missed time with a strained left oblique back in June and was sidelined by a quadriceps strain the following month.

Even before his injuries, Burger’s struggles were glaring enough that Texas optioned him to Triple-A at the beginning of May. He’d opened the season in a .190/.231/.330 swoon and fanned in nearly 30% of his plate appearances. A .254/.284/.453 slash and 22.4% strikeout rate in 268 plate appearances following his recall was an obvious improvement but still not up to Burger’s prior standards. He’s never been a disciplined hitter, but Burger’s walk rate cratered to 3.2% in 2025. That was the third-lowest mark among the 277 players who reached 300 plate appearances. Burger also had the ninth-highest chase rate on pitches off the plate and the 16th-highest overall swing rate in that set of hitters, per Statcast.

Ideally, better health and a fresh slate in 2026 will bring about better results. The Rangers will certainly be hoping as much. Burger is controlled for three more seasons and is slated to reach arbitration for the first time this winter after falling five days shy of Super Two status last offseason. For now, he projects to be back atop the team’s depth chart at first base in 2026 as well, though a further shakeup of the team’s offense is possible after another playoff miss.

The Opener: Postseason, Leadership Changes, End-Of-Season Pressers

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The 2025 regular season is in the books. Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world in the final day before the playoffs:

1. Teams gear up for the postseason:

The 2025 playoff field is now set. The Reds squeaked into the NL’s final Wild Card spot over the Mets, while the Guardians’ late surge pushed Detroit out of the AL Central division title and the Astros out of the playoffs entirely. The Brewers, Phillies, Blue Jays, and Mariners get to enjoy a few days off to prepare for the start of the Division Series, but the rest of the playoff field now needs to focus on the Wild Card Series, which begins tomorrow. The Tigers, Padres, Red Sox, and Reds will need to travel to Cleveland, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles respectively. All eight teams will be weighing who exactly will make the final cut of their Wild Card roster.

2. Which teams will see leadership changes?

The end of a season brings with it the winds of change around baseball for many of the league’s losing teams. The Nationals have already settled on Red Sox executive Paul Toboni as their new president of baseball operations, and that’s likely just the first of several notable changes. Interim managers in Washington, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Colorado could have the “interim” tag removed from their titles or be shown the door, and there’s additional managerial uncertainty in places like Anaheim, San Francisco, and Atlanta. Meanwhile, Houston GM Dana Brown told reporters yesterday that a “full assessment” of the Astros organization will be taken after the team’s playoff miss this year, and other teams facing disappointing ends to their season will undergo similar evaluation periods.

3. End-of-season press conferences:

Traditionally, most organizations will have the head of baseball operations hold a press conference or otherwise make comments to the media following the conclusion of their team’s season. These media sessions typically include the president/GM reflecting on that year’s campaign, indicating where the organization might be headed in the future, and discussing in broad strokes their short-term plans for the coming offseason. These comments often offer valuable insight into the organization, particular in the cases of executives who don’t talk to the media very often or newly-appointed leadership figures. Most of the 18 clubs that missed the postseason will hold a press conference or offer some sort of comments in the coming days.

Pete Alonso To Opt Out Of Mets Contract, Enter Free Agency

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Pete Alonso is returning to free agency, as the Mets first baseman told the New York Post’s Mike Puma and other reporters that he won’t be exercising his player option for the 2026 season.  Alonso will instead leave his $24MM salary on the table and head to the open market in search of a longer and more lucrative deal.

The announcement came just minutes after the Mets’ season-ending 4-0 loss to the Marlins, which officially eliminated New York from postseason contention and put a coda on the club’s devastating second-half swoon.  Given the timing, Alonso’s statement adds to the sting of a dismal day for Mets fans, yet there wasn’t much point in Alonso waiting a few more weeks to make what seemed like an obvious decision.  Even dating back to when Alonso signed his two-year, $54MM deal last February, there was little doubt that he would be re-entering free agency again this winter.

Over 709 plate appearance and a full 162 games played, Alonso hit .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs.  This is the best batting average Alonso has posted over his seven Major League seasons, as well as his second-best slugging percentage.  Alonso’s 141 wRC+ is tied for his second-highest career mark in that category.  His 144 wRC+ from his 53-homer rookie year in 2019 remains his career peak, but the 141 number is well above the 121 wRC+ Alonso delivered over the 2023-24 seasons.

The “Polar Bear” had a lower walk rate in 2025 than in 2024, but he also reduced his strikeout rate.  His already-strong hard-hit ball rate jumped up to elite levels, as his 54.3% hard-hit ball rate ranks in the 96th percentile of all batters.  It all adds up to a stronger platform year for Alonso than his free agent trip last year, when his market never seemed to gel and he ended up settling for his short-term deal with New York.  Alonso is also no longer eligible to receive a qualifying offer, so teams will no longer have to surrender any draft compensation to make a signing.

Some questions will still linger for potential suitors.  Alonso turns 31 in December, and he remains a first base-only player whose limited glovework is rated negatively by public defensive metrics.  Several clubs will be wary about making a huge financial commitment to a player in his 30s who might already be best suited to DH duty, which automatically puts some limits on Alonso’s market.

Still, Alonso’s power is hard to ignore, and he would provide an immediate jolt to any lineup in search of a hitting upgrade.  Agent Scott Boras has a long history of eventually finding his contracts for his clients, even if perhaps they first need to take a shorter-term, opt-out laden deal like Alonso did last winter as a stop-gap.

Alonso famously turned down a seven-year, $158MM extension offer from the Mets back in 2023 (when Alonso wasn’t represented by Boras), and he has already made $50.5MM over the 2024-25 seasons — a $20.5MM salary in his final arbitration-eligible year of 2024, and a $20MM salary and $10MM signing bonus in 2025.  In that sense, Alonso needs to land a five-year, $107.5MM contract this winter to at least match the money left on the table in that extension offer, and a five/$107.5 deal certainly seems feasible in the wake of his big 2025 numbers.

Could another reunion with the Mets be in the offing?  While owner Steve Cohen is known to be a big Alonso fan, he was public about his displeasure with the nature of negotiations with Alonso’s camp last offseason, and it looked for a while like Alonso would be signing elsewhere.  Who knows if any hard feelings may still exist, and this winter, it certainly seems less likely that Alonso will be willing to settle for much below his asking price.  If Cohen or president of baseball operations David Stearns continue to hold a hard line on their valuation of an Alonso contract, Alonso’s time in Queens might finally be up.

The Mets’ collapse could work for or against Alonso’s chances of a return.  On the one hand, Alonso was clearly not part of the problem, so Cohen might decide to throw financial caution to the wind to bring back a fan favorite slugger.  On the other hand, the Mets might prefer to direct their biggest spending towards their larger need of pitching help, and address first base either with a lower-cost acquisition or an internal answer.  Mark Vientos looked like a possible in-house replacement at first base after his breakout 2024 campaign, but Vientos’ lackluster 2025 numbers raised several doubts about his viability as a long-term part of New York’s lineup.

Bob Melvin Uncertain About Future As Giants’ Manager

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After the Giants posted an 80-82 record in Bob Melvin’s first season as manager, the club improved by just a single game in 2025.  The 81-win campaign means that the Giants have still had just one winning season in the last nine years, and since their 107-win outburst in 2021, San Francisco has an almost exactly middling 321-327 record.

More was expected heading into 2025 and even during the season, especially after the club was firmly in NL West contention by mid-June.  With just a .500 record as the final result, however, Melvin admitted to reporters (including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Shayna Rubin) that he hadn’t been told that he’ll be returning as manager in 2026.

“It is what it is.  We’ll see what the next day brings,” Melvin said, noting that he believe he’ll be meeting with “somebody” in the front office on Monday.

The lack of clarity about Melvin’s status is perhaps a red flag, and as Rubin writes, “the shift in Melvin’s tone is stark compared to earlier this year.”  Back on July 1, in fact, the Giants seemed to be getting an early jump on any lame-duck speculation by exercising their 2026 club option on Melvin’s contract.  The team was actually in a bit of a slump on July 1, but rebounded to take a 51-42 record into action on July 9.  An ugly 13-0 loss to the Phillies that day was a bad omen, as it started a 3-13 stretch for the Giants through the end of July.

More streaky play followed, as the Giants followed up a 2-11 stretch in August by suddenly going 13-3 in their following 16 games.  This briefly brought San Francisco back into the wild card hunt before another 2-9 stretch sunk the team in September.  Both the lineup and the pitching staff seemed to take turns being inconsistent, though the offense in particular was a letdown given the premium talent (i.e. Rafael Devers, Willy Adames) acquired within the last year.

How much of this is Melvin’s fault, naturally, is a matter of debate.  Questions can certainly be asked about the roster Melvin was given by president of baseball operations Buster Posey, who has now completed his first year in charge of the Giants front office.  But, Posey obviously isn’t going anywhere so early in his tenure, and despite his commitment to Melvin in July, the PBO could be looking to make his own hire in the dugout.  Melvin was hired by former baseball ops head Farhan Zaidi, who had a longstanding past history dating back to their days with the Athletics when Melvin was the manager and Zaidi was an assistant GM.

Melvin turns 64 at the end of October, and he has now managed for parts of 22 Major League seasons over tenures with the Mariners, Diamondbacks, A’s, Padres, and Giants.  Melvin has a 1678-1588 record and three Manager of the Year awards over his outstanding career as a skipper, and chances are he would draw immediate attention on the job market if the Giants did choose to fire him in the coming days.

Garrett Cooper Announces Retirement

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After eight Major League seasons, first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper has decided to retire.  The 34-year-old Cooper made the announcement on his Instagram account, praising his family and the many others who helped him along the way.

“This game has given me more than I could have ever imagined,” Cooper wrote in his goodbye post.  “I’ve had the privilege of living out every little kid’s dream and calling baseball my career for over a decade.  I poured everything I had into this game, and in return, it gave me memories, lessons, and relationships that I will carry with me forever.”

Beginning his career as a sixth-round pick for the Brewers in the 2013 draft, Cooper never suited up for Milwaukee, as he was dealt to the Yankees in July 2017.  He made his MLB debut that year by playing in 13 games in the pinstripes before the Yankees traded him to the Marlins in November 2017, as part of a noteworthy deal that brought Michael King to the Bronx.

Miami was Cooper’s professional home for the next six seasons, as he established himself as a regular in the Marlins’ lineup whenever his health allowed.  Cooper was plagued by multiple injuries during his time with the Fish, and since he was already 26 years old when he first broke into the majors, his status as a somewhat older “prospect” on a rebuilding Marlins club led to Cooper losing out on some playing time in favor of younger players.

However, Cooper showed his value at the plate when he was able to play.  Cooper hit 274/.350/.444 over 1273 plate appearances during the 2019-22 seasons, translating to a 116 wRC+ over that span.  His best performances came in the middle two years of that four-season span, and his .853 OPS over 133 PA in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season helped the Marlins make a surprise playoff appearance.  Cooper’s good numbers early in the 2022 campaign earned him a selection on the NL All-Star team.

As he was approaching free agency after the 2023 season, Cooper was dealt to the Padres at the trade deadline, with Ryan Weathers heading back to Miami in return.  Cooper’s production was on the decline in 2023 and he could only land a minor league deal with the Cubs that offseason.  Cooper’s final MLB season saw him appear in 12 games with the Cubs and 24 more appearances with the Red Sox in 2024, and another minors contract with the Braves last winter resulted in Cooper getting released in May without any call-ups to the Show.

Over 517 games and 1929 career plate appearances, Cooper hit .265/.333/.427 with 57 home runs.  We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Cooper on a fine career, and we wish him the best in his post-playing days.

Poll: Who Will Win The Wild Card Series?

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The 2025 regular season is in the books, and the baseball world is now gearing up for what might be a wild postseason.  It took until Game 162 to finalize the full slate of playoff teams and matchups, but now we know the eight clubs who will take part in the wild card round that begins on Tuesday, as “October baseball” gets started a bit early this year on September 30.  All WCS matchups are best-of-three, and will take place entirely in the home ballpark of the higher-seeded team.

The Guardians will meet the Tigers again after Cleveland posted a 5-1 record against Detroit over a pair of series in the last two weeks, contributing to the AL Central’s epic shakeup.  The Tigers held a 9.5-game lead in the division before going 3-13 over their last 16 games to barely eke out a wild card slot.  The Guards, meanwhile, went 19-4 over their final 23 games to overtake Detroit and claim Cleveland’s third division title in the last four years.

After all of that, the two clubs find themselves facing off in the postseason for the second straight year.  The Guardians needed the full five games to oust Detroit in the 2024 AL Division Series, as last season the Tigers were the team surging into the playoffs after a late-season hot streak.  All of the momentum is on the Guardians’ side at this point, and even though the Tigers will have Tarik Skubal going in Game 1, Cleveland’s pitching has been on such a roll that the Guards have the overall pitching advantage.  The Guardians held an 8-5 record against the Tigers in regular-season play this year.

One of baseball’s greatest rivalries will be renewed again in October when the Yankees host the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.  The Yankees lost the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Blue Jays to fall just short of the AL East crown, despite an eight-game winning streak to finish the regular season.  New York’s rotation and homer-heavy offense seem to be clicking at the right time, yet the Sox had seemingly had the Yankees’ number this year, with a 9-4 record in head-to-head play.

After falling short to the Dodgers in last year’s World Series, the Yankees are eager to return the Fall Classic and finally win the first championship of the Aaron Judge era.  Boston hasn’t quite been the same since Roman Anthony was lost to an oblique injury in early September and the rookie star’s status remains unclear for postseason action.  However, the Red Sox have a well-rounded roster and an ace of their own in Garrett Crochet, plus the organization is hungry for postseason success in their first playoff trip since 2021.

The Cubs have also just ended a mini-drought in reaching October for the first time since the shortened 2020 season, as Chicago stepped up to win 92 games after posting 83-79 records in both 2023 and 2024.  They’ll now host the Padres in the first postseason meeting between the two clubs since 1984, when San Diego fought back from a 2-0 series deficit to win a best-of-five NLCS and deny Chicago a trip to the World Series.  Forty-one years later, it’s the Padres who might feel slightly more cursed at the moment, since the club has yet to advance beyond the NLCS in their three previous playoff trips in the last six seasons.

There’s plenty of pressure on the Friars to finally reach the pinnacle of this era of success, though Chicago is hoping for more than just a playoff appearance after its win-now trade for Kyle Tucker last winter.  After starting 38-22, the Cubs have been more okay than elite (54-48) over the better part of the last four months.  The series’ Wrigleyville locale could be impactful, as the Padres were only 38-43 on the road this season.

The Dodgers host the Reds in a matchup of two teams with very different recent postseason histories.  Los Angeles has won 12 of the last 13 NL West titles, and is looking to become baseball’s first repeat World Series champ since the 1998-2000 Yankees pulled off the three-peat.  Cincinnati, meanwhile, is in the playoffs for just the fifth time in the last 30 years, and the Reds haven’t won a playoff series since all the way back in 1995 — when they beat the Dodgers in the NLDS.

Winning “only” 93 games counts as a relative disappointment by the Dodgers’ standards, and the club will need to navigate an extra playoff round.  This puts more pressure on the beleaguered L.A. bullpen, and Will Smith’s participation is a question mark due to a hairline fracture in his right hand.  The rotation is on a roll, however, and naturally there’s a lot of built-in playoff experience for the reigning champs.  The young Reds gained some seasoning in beating out the Mets for a wild card berth, and of course manager Terry Francona is no stranger to October.  Cincinnati’s rotation and bullpen will need to continue their excellent form to counter Shohei Ohtani and company, and the wild card series would be a great time for the inconsistent Reds lineup to get on track.

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