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Giants “Briefly Considered” Patrick Bailey Trade At Deadline
The Giants were 2-12 in the 14 games leading up to the trade deadline, a cold stretch that convinced the team to deal away some impending free agents (i.e. Tyler Rogers, Mike Yastrzemski) and a controllable asset in Camilo Doval. According to Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants also “briefly considered” the possibility of trading another notable player under longer-term control — catcher Patrick Bailey.
The way Rubin phrases the club’s thought process could mean that the Giants front office was simply doing due diligence in assessing its trade chips heading into the deadline, or perhaps another team made an interesting enough offer to at least get Buster Posey and company mulling the idea. “There isn’t a strong motivation to trade” Bailey, Rubin writes, which makes sense given Bailey’s defensive excellence and pre-arbitration status.
Bailey was the 13th overall pick of the 2020, and his emergence and Joey Bart’s struggles led the Giants to opt for Bailey as the team’s proverbial “catcher of the future.” Through three Major League seasons, Bailey has hit only .230/.287/.340 over 1253 plate appearances, but he has won the last two Gold Gloves and Fielding Bible Awards for his superb glovework. In addition to his latest Fielding Bible Award, Sports Info Solutions also named Bailey the defensive player of the year in all of baseball for the 2025 season.
Bailey fell just a couple of days short of Super Two status and an extra year of arbitration eligibility. As a result, his first trip through the arb process won’t come until next winter, and he isn’t eligible for free agency until the 2029-30 offseason. There’s no rush for San Francisco to move the 26-year-old, and trading Bailey would then leave the Giants trying to find a new backstop within a thin catching market.
Creating a new roster need probably doesn’t appeal too much to the Giants, whose offseason to-do lists includes a focus on both starting and relief pitching, plus right field or second base as areas of concern around the diamond. That said, Rubin suggests the incoming Automated Ball-Strike challenge system might give the team some reason to move Bailey before the ABS system is implemented next season. While Bailey is a strong all-around defensive catcher, his elite framing skills are his bread-and-butter, and Bailey’s ability to frame pitches (and steal strikes) could be hampered now that opponents are allowed to challenge umpire calls.
It remains to be seen exactly how the ABS system will impact day-to-day play in the majors, though we’ve already seen the system in use at the Triple-A level over the last four seasons, and big leaguers got a taste at last year’s Spring Training and in the All-Star Game. It may be that the effect on Bailey or other excellent framers will be relatively minimal, though it could be argued that anything that diminishes his glovework has an outsized impact on his overall value, since Bailey isn’t providing anything at the plate.
San Francisco’s catching position should get some attention anyway this winter since the team might non-tender Andrew Knizner, creating the need for a new backup. The Giants are likely to bring in a veteran or two to compete for the job in Spring Training, plus Jesus Rodriguez is an internal candidate for the role. Rodriguez was one of the four prospects acquired from the Yankees for Doval, and Rubin notes that Rodriguez would’ve made his MLB debut with the Giants last year if Rodriguez hasn’t been set back by a shoulder injury.
Steve Hargan Passes Away
Former big league right-hander and All-Star Steve Hargan passed away last week at age 83. Hargan pitched with the Indians, Rangers, Blue Jays, and Braves from 1965-77, posting a 3.92 ERA over 1632 innings and 354 career games (215 of them starts).
The first eight of Hargan’s 12 MLB seasons were spent in Cleveland, where he worked as both a starter and a reliever in his first two years before gaining a firm rotation foothold in 1967. That breakout campaign saw Hargan post a 2.62 ERA and a league-leading six shutouts over 223 innings, and Hargan was named to the AL All-Star team for the first and only time in his career. Hargan also hit his only career home run on June 19, 1967, in a rare instance of a pitcher hitting a walkoff homer — the righty capped off a complete-game victory over the Kansas City Athletics with a two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth to give the Indians a 4-2 win.
Unfortunately, Hargan developed bone chips in his throwing elbow and underwent an ulnar nerve surgery in 1968. As Hargan told SABR’s Gregory H. Wolf, “I was able to continue on with my career, but I wasn’t the same after that,” and Hargan felt he returned too quickly from his surgery. Apart from some success in the second half of the 1970 season, Hargan’s numbers dropped off during the remainder of his time in Cleveland, resulting in both the loss of his rotation job and a 1973 season spent entirely in the minor leagues.
A trade to Texas helped Hargan gain a fresh start in his career, and he had a 3.81 ERA over 500 1/3 innings (starting 61 of 105 games) with the Rangers from 1974-76. Taken by the Blue Jays in the expansion draft, Hargan pitched for Toronto during the team’s inaugural season but also bounced back to Texas and then to Atlanta in 1977, which ended up being Hargan’s last year of Major League action. Carpal tunnel syndrome bothered Hargan late in his career, and after spending 1978 in the minors, he decided to retire.
We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Hargan’s family, friends, and loved ones.
White Sox Notes: Free Agency, Hitting Coaches, Young Bats
The White Sox lost 100+ games for the third straight season in 2025. Their 60 wins were the fewest in the American League. The club has multiple areas for improvement, but is unlikely to address those needs via lengthy free agent deals, general manager Chris Getz told reporters this week, including Scott Merkin of MLB.com. “Free agency is an avenue to bring in players to help in the win total,” Getz said. “But to go beyond this upcoming season I think would be a little premature considering the state of our club right now and the development of these young players.”
Chicago wasn’t expected to be a major player in free agency, and Getz’s comments confirm the club will continue to get by with veterans on short deals around their young players. In two offseasons at the helm, Getz has only handed out one multi-year deal, inking Erick Fedde to a two-year, $15MM pact in 2024. Getz’s largest investment this past offseason was a one-year, $5M deal to Martin Perez. The contract included a $10MM mutual option for 2026, which Perez declined. Getz will need to replace Perez and fellow journeymen Adrian Houser and Aaron Civale, who all made double-digit starts with Chicago this past year. If Chicago goes the free agent route, reinforcements will likely be of the one-year variety.
“More than anything we want to strengthen our coaching staff, improve our processes within the front office and go out there and try to win as many games as we can next year,” Getz said. “That’s something we can control, and then in the future years, when we are approaching that ’27 season, we’ll adjust and put together the best club for the future that we can after the ’26 season.”
Getz has already made headway regarding the coaching staff. The White Sox announced this week that Derek Shomon will take over as hitting coach, and Sherman Johnson Jr. will join the organization as minor league hitting coordinator.
Chicago had the third-lowest OPS and the fourth-lowest wRC+ as a team last season, but did get promising contributions from some young hitters. Top prospect Colson Montgomery debuted in July and delivered strong power numbers, belting 21 home runs in just 71 games. The Garrett Crochet trade paid immediate dividends, as Kyle Teel posted a 125 wRC+ and Chase Meidroth offered decent production at the top of the order with a .329 OBP. The White Sox were even able to get a league-average season from Miguel Vargas. The former top prospect came over in 2024 as part of the Michael Kopech trade. He struggled to close that season, but bounced back with a respectable .234/.316/.401 in his first full year with the team.
Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images
Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz Indicted On Gambling Charges
Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted by prosecutors in Brooklyn on charges involving sports betting, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN, among others. Ortiz was arrested earlier today. Clase is not currently in custody.
Clase and Ortiz are charged with “wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy, for their alleged roles in a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown” according to the Department of Justice, relayed by Zack Meisel of The Athletic. The indictment details an alleged scheme that involves the pitchers purposely throwing balls so gamblers could bet on pitches being balls or strikes. It began as early as May 2023 with Clase, according to the indictment.
The allegations from prosecutors in the indictment include a specific incident on June 15, when Ortiz was paid $5K for throwing an intentional ball, and Clase received $5K for facilitating it. Co-conspirators won at least $400K on fraudulent wagers relating to Clase and at least $60K on fraudulent wagers relating to Ortiz, prosecutors allege in the indictment. Clase and Ortiz face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
“MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process. We are aware of the indictment and today’s arrest, and our investigation is ongoing,” the league said in a statement to ESPN.
Minasian: Giants Will Prioritize Adding Pitching Depth
The Giants finished 2025 at an even 81-81, their fourth consecutive season without posting a winning record. The club, which recently hired Tony Vitello as its new manager, is clearly hoping to improve that performance in 2026. General manager Zack Minasian said as much in speaking to John Shea of the San Francisco Standard, noting that the Giants will be active in acquiring pitching depth during the offseason.
“Right now there are holes,” Minasian said. “It’s not to say that some of those holes can’t be filled from within… But obviously, if we can bring some pitching in from the outside to continue to build up depth and try and find quality, we’re going to look at that as much as possible.” Minasian later added that the club will be cautious of adding pitchers on long-term deals due to the risk of injury.
San Francisco pitchers had a 3.84 combined ERA in 2025, ranking 10th-best in the majors. The team’s 45.3% ground ball rate was the third-highest in the league, and they also did well at limiting hard contact, with a 39.6% hard hit rate that was sixth-best. In the rotation, much of that success came from ace Logan Webb, who posted a 3.22 ERA in 207 innings and got grounders at a well-above-average 53.2% clip. He was worth a career-high 5.5 fWAR.
Robbie Ray, Justin Verlander, and Landen Roupp gave solid performances behind Webb, each having an ERA under 4.00. However, the club’s depth was sorely tested throughout the season. Hayden Birdsong had a 4.80 ERA in 11 starts before he was optioned in July. Jordan Hicks made nine starts before being sent to the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers trade. Beyond Webb, Ray, Verlander, and Roupp, no other Giant reached 100 innings. Roupp went on the injured list twice with right elbow and left knee inflammation, and 10 pitchers (including Hicks) made between one and nine starts.
The Giants could also use a few more arms in the bullpen. That unit was a strength for the team until it was gutted by trades and injuries. San Francisco shipped Camilo Doval to the Yankees and Tyler Rogers to the Mets at the trade deadline. Standout setup man Randy Rodriguez stepped into the closer role, only to suffer an elbow injury that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. The Giants ranked second in bullpen ERA through July. They sank to 13th over the final two months of the season. As Shea pointed out, Ryan Walker and Spencer Bivens were the only relievers on the Opening Day roster to make it through to the end of the season.
Minasian and company have plenty of names to choose from on the free agent market, though any long-term commitments seem unlikely. Team chairman Greg Johnson recently mentioned trepidation about signing a pitcher to a nine-figure deal, and Minasian echoed those sentiments. “I would just say it’s important for us to make good decisions no matter what players are making,” Minasian said, “but also understanding when you’re getting into very lengthy deals, I think you do approach it with some caution because if there is a major injury, it becomes a very difficult hurdle.”
San Francisco hasn’t handed out more than $100MM to a free agent pitcher since handing Johnny Cueto a six-year, $130MM deal back in 2015. The approach could rule out the Giants from shopping in the Dylan Cease/Framber Valdez tier, making them more likely to dabble in the Zack Littell range. A reunion with Verlander would fit the short-term strategy, and president of baseball operations Buster Posey has said he’d be open to bringing the veteran back.
Johnson didn’t give a firm answer regarding spending, though the club’s financial situation is in a decent spot. FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool has them at around $170MM for next year’s payroll. The recent signings of Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, and Jung Hoo Lee, along with the midseason addition of Devers’ massive contract, will eat up a significant portion of the payroll for the next several seasons, but Webb is the only pricey commitment on the pitching side. Ray’s deal is expiring at the end of 2026. There should be room for additions in the rotation and in the bullpen.
Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images.
Christian Roa Elects Free Agency
Right-hander Christian Roa has elected free agency, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. The Marlins recently outrighted Roa to Triple-A Jacksonville. As a player who has been outrighted before, he had the right to elect free agency rather than accept the assignment.
Roa, 26, was a second-round draft pick by the Reds in 2020 and remained in their system through the 2024 season. The Marlins claimed him off waivers in November of that year, though he spent most of 2025 in the minors before eventually having his contract selected in September. He made his big-league debut on September 6 and made two appearances for the Marlins, logging three innings and three strikeouts without allowing an earned run, although he did issue three walks. Roa was optioned back to Triple-A on September 15 and eventually outrighted on November 6 before electing free agency.
During his time at Triple-A, Roa relied on a sinker-slider combination, with the former accounting for 39.7% of his pitches and averaging 95.6 mph. He used the slider 31.2% of the time, while his 96.0 mph four-seamer was his third-most used pitch at 21.1%. Across 60 1/3 innings over 50 appearances, Roa posted a 2.83 ERA with a solid 26.1% strikeout rate. However, that output came in the International League, which is considered the more pitcher-friendly of the two Triple-A leagues. He also walked 11.4% of hitters, and his .225 BABIP allowed suggests that Roa benefitted from good luck.
Still, the solid ERA and high-velocity pitch mix might be intriguing for teams in need of bullpen depth. Roa has less than a year of big-league service time, so he would come with several years of team control. He also still has two minor-league options remaining and could be shuffled between the majors and Triple-A if needed.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Rockies Name Paul DePodesta President Of Baseball Operations
Nov. 9: DePodesta is aiming to hire a general manager and other front office personnel by the time of the winter meetings, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
Nov. 7: The Rockies formally announced DePodesta as their new president of baseball operations today.
“Paul’s previous work in MLB set the foundation for many aspects of the way the game is analyzed today and we are thrilled for him to be a key figure in our future,” executive vice president Walker Monfort said within today’s press release. “Under his leadership, we will evolve the Colorado Rockies into what we know will be an exciting new era. Hiring Paul is an essential first step to the evolution of our baseball department and we’re confident that he will not only maximize our current personnel but will also bring in additional leaders from outside the organization to help lead us forward.”
Nov. 6: The Rockies are reportedly in agreement with Paul DePodesta to run baseball operations. The team has yet to announce the hire, nor whether he’ll be the general manager or president of baseball operations. In any case, it’s a stunning move that brings DePodesta back to baseball after a decade.
DePodesta has worked with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns since January 2016. He has not been the general manager. His relatively vague title has been chief strategy officer. DePodesta has worked under a few GMs in Cleveland — the past five of which have come under executive vice president and GM Andrew Berry. He has seemingly held a high-ranking scouting/player acquisition position without ever having the top spot in football operations.
The Browns have made the playoffs twice in the past eight years and are coming off a 3-14 season that had them in last place in the AFC North. They’re currently 2-6 and at the bottom of the division as they’re amidst another rebuild.
Before his move to the NFL, DePodesta was a high-ranking baseball operations executive. He’s probably most famous for his time as the assistant general manager with the A’s under Billy Beane. That’s due largely to the success of Moneyball, the Michael Lewis book chronicling the A’s being at the forefront of using more advanced player metrics to succeed despite significant budgetary constraints. That was adapted into an acclaimed 2011 film in which Jonah Hill played a composite character that was largely based on DePodesta.
While Moneyball’s popularity makes DePodesta most associated with the A’s, his highest-ranking MLB position came when he accepted the general manager job with the Dodgers in 2004. DePodesta was just 31 years old at the time. He held the role for two seasons, winning 93 games and the NL West title in 2004. The team stumbled to a 71-91 showing the following year, and the Dodgers fired him at the end of the ’05 campaign. DePodesta worked as a high-ranking assistant with the Padres and Mets for the next decade before making the jump to the NFL.
Now 52, DePodesta returns to baseball almost 20 years since his last GM job. He’s facing a monumental challenge. The Rox are coming off a 43-119 season that is tied for the third worst of the modern era. Their -424 run differential was somehow even worse. They were the first team since 1899 to be outscored by more than 400 runs. They scored the second-fewest runs in MLB despite playing half their games at Coors Field. They allowed 122 more runs than the next-closest team.
Despite the abysmal state of the major league roster, the Rockies don’t have the kind of high-end farm system that one would expect from a club that has finished fourth or fifth in the division in seven straight years. Baseball America credited them with two Top 100 prospects on their latest update in August: recent top five picks Ethan Holliday and Charlie Condon. As a result of those consecutive lottery picks, the Rockies are prohibited by the CBA from picking any higher than 10th in the 2026 draft.
There aren’t many buildings blocks on the MLB roster. Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, center fielder Brenton Doyle, and starting pitcher Chase Dollander have the best chance to be key pieces of a long-term contender. They’re all coming off underwhelming seasons. Hunter Goodman was the team’s best player in 2025. He was one of only four primary catchers to hit 30-plus homers, but he’s a 26-year-old coming off a breakout season in which his strikeout and walk profile was poor. He’s probably more of a good complementary player than someone who’d be one of the three to five best position players on a contender.
On top of all that, the front office faces the unique challenge of building a pitching staff that can succeed at altitude. They’re always likely to face heavier pitch counts and workloads over the course of a 162-game season at MLB’s most hitter-friendly park. Colorado hitters need to adjust to different pitch movements at home and on the road. They’re in a division with the two-time defending World Series winners. The Padres have won 90-plus games in two straight seasons. The Diamondbacks and Giants have been around average of late, but both teams have the kind of impact position player talent that the Rockies have not developed since the Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon heyday.
DePodesta will be the surprise choice to turn things around. The Rockies had seemingly settled on Diamondbacks assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye and Guardians AGM Matt Forman as the finalists last week. Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes that Sawdaye rejected Colorado’s offer, while Forman took himself out of consideration. That led them to go well outside the box for DePodesta.
It’s Colorado’s first external GM hiring in more than a decade. They’d stayed internal with the promotions of Jeff Bridich and Bill Schmidt. DePodesta’s first task will be the final managerial decision of the offseason. Interim skipper Warren Schaeffer has been in limbo since the team moved on from Schmidt at the end of the regular season.
Thomas Harding of MLB.com first mentioned that DePodesta was a strong candidate for the position. ESPN’s Jeff Passan mentioned that they were nearing a deal, while The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Brittany Ghiroli and Zac Jackson first reported the agreement was in place.
Image courtesy of Ken Blaze, USA Today Sports.
Pirates To Sign Joe La Sorsa
The Pirates are expected to sign left-hander Joe La Sorsa, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network. It’s a minor league deal with an invite to MLB Spring Training.
La Sorsa has pitched in parts of three MLB seasons with three different teams. He debuted with the Rays in 2023. La Sorsa was most recently with Cincinnati. He made five appearances with the Reds last season.
Tampa Bay drafted La Sorsa in 2019. He tossed 36 1/3 innings at Low-A that same year. La Sorsa delivered a 3.60 ERA across 31 appearances in 2021, striking out nearly a batter per inning. He took a step forward the following season, with an elite 36.3% strikeout rate leading to a Double-A promotion. Minor leaguers hit just .191 against La Sorsa in 2022. He posted a 2.33 ERA across a career-high 73 1/3 innings.
La Sorsa was designated for assignment after just two games with the Rays in 2023. He was quickly scooped up by the Nationals via waiver claim. La Sorsa logged 23 appearances out of Washington’s bullpen that season. He limited walks and kept the ball in the yard, but finished with a 4.76 ERA. After a half-season with Triple-A Rochester, La Sorsa was back with the Nationals in August of 2024. He delivered similarly tepid results and was released in the offseason.
Cincinnati had La Sorsa traveling back and forth from Triple-A Louisville to Great American Ball Park all summer. He was recalled to the big-league club on four separate occasions, including three times in June. La Sorsa was knocked around for eight earned runs in 6 2/3 innings with the Reds. He allowed four home runs in his five outings with the team.
Brewers Release Tucker Davidson
The Brewers have moved on from left-hander Tucker Davidson. He was released at the end of the season, as noted by Baseball America’s Matt Eddy in a breakdown of minor league transactions. The 29-year-old had latched on with Milwaukee in August. He made six appearances for Triple-A Nashville prior to his departure.
Davidson had one of his most successful professional seasons in 2025. He headed overseas to pitch for the KBO’s Lotte Giants and delivered 22 starts with a 3.65 ERA. Davdison struck out just under a batter per inning and won 10 games with the Giants. He was waived in August when the team brought in Vince Velasquez. Davidson was unable to continue his solid season upon joining the Sounds. He posted a 4.68 ERA across six starts. Triple-A bats hit .277 against Davidson over 25 innings.
Atlanta took Davidson in the 19th round of the 2016 draft. He cruised through the minors, reaching Triple-A by 2019. Davidson put up a pristine 2.15 ERA across 25 starts between Double-A and Triple-A that season. He wasn’t missing a ton of bats, but he piled up ground balls at a high rate.
The strong year earned Davidson an MLB look in 2020, though just for one appearance. He made seven starts for the Braves from 2021 to 2022, before heading to the Angels in the Raisel Iglesias trade. Davidson was moved to relief in 2023, making 37 appearances out of the bullpen for the Angels and Royals. He also made a start with Kansas City, who acquired him in an August trade after the Angels designated him for assignment. Davidson has a 5.76 ERA across 129 2/3 big-league innings.
Photo courtesy Denny Medley, Imagn Images.
