17+ hour, 19+ min ago (267+ words) Japan's chances at defending its World Baseball Classic title received quite a boost Monday. "Thank you to all the fans for another great season," he wrote. "I'll train hard and look forward to seeing you all next year." Ohtani was nothing short of dominant in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He won the Pool B MVP during round-robin play and then took home the entire tournament MVP while leading his country to a championship. As a pitcher, he finished with a 2-0 record, save and 1.86 ERA, while as a hitter he slashed .436/.606/.739 with four doubles, nine runs scored and eight RBI. The two-way star was also a featured player in the tournament's biggest moment. His then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout stepped to the plate in the ninth inning of the championship game with the bases loaded and two outs. Japan was…...

18+ hour, 20+ min ago (290+ words) To hear Brandon Nimmo tell it, he was traded more because the Texas Rangers wanted him and less because the New York Mets preferred to get rid of him. "The Mets would not have brought this trade if they didn't feel like it put the Mets in the best position to win going forward," he said, per SNY. "They made it very apparent that they weren't actively shopping me but that the Rangers really, really, really wanted me." Nimmo had to approve the deal given his no-trade clause, and he opened up about that decision process as well. "From my perspective " I tried to familiarize myself with the Rangers and where they were at because this was going to be a huge decision for me," he said. "Spring training is in Arizona, we live in Port St. Lucie, Florida. We…...

21+ hour, 1+ min ago (251+ words) The New York Yankees may be a strange source for worries about payrolls being too high in Major League Baseball, but owner Hal Steinbrenner expressed "concern" about the Los Angeles Dodgers winning back-to-back titles. Los Angeles had the highest active payroll in the league last season and have certainly turned heads with moves such as deferring significant money to pay for stars such as Shoehei Ohtani. But that doesn't make it any less strange to hear such concern coming from the Yankees. After all, they were fourth in the league in active payroll in 2025 after they led the league in the category in 2024. And they have built up the reputation as being one of the sport's biggest spenders for decades, especially when Hal's father, George, was the team owner. There is a reason the Yankees were known as the Evil…...

1+ day, 1+ hour ago (234+ words) Warren Schaeffer will return to the Colorado Rockies following one of the worst seasons in franchise history. Colorado fired Bud Black following a 7-33 start to the 2025 season. Colorado then went 36-86 record under Schaeffer. The 2025 campaign marked the third straight season during which the Rockies have racked up more than 100 losses. That stretch hit an all-time low as the Rockies finished the season with a 43-119 record. That came just short of the Chicago White Sox's all-time record 121 losses in 2024, but the franchise still set an MLB record with a run differential of minus-424. Colorado's struggles have been worsened by an ineffective draft strategy that has seen Rockies draft picks accumulated the lowest combined WAR in MLB over the last 10 years, per ESPN's Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers. The Rockies are hoping a change in front office will lead to more impactful…...

1+ day, 4+ hour ago (1019+ words) The free agent market is heating up, with increased rumors and speculation about the potential landing spots for the top options available, including Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Kyle Tucker, Devin Williams, and Framber Valdez. All are among the best at their respective positions and figure to have plenty of suitors, if they have not already heard from them. What is the latest on them from trusted insiders and where might they ultimately end up? Find out in this preview, including predictions for each. Williams has been an elite reliever in his career but his first year with the Yankees saw him as anything but. His ERA ballooned to a career-high .479, he allowed the most hits of his career (45), and his four blown saves tied for his most ever. Still, the 31-year-old righty is a talented pitcher who the Yankees believe…...

1+ day, 5+ hour ago (1287+ words) Four players this offseason have already made out very well by taking the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer: Gleyber Torres (Detroit Tigers), Brandon Woodruff (Milwaukee Brewers), Trent Grisham (New York Yankees) and Shota Imanaga (Chicago Cubs). Torres was an All-Star for the third time in his career this past season, but he posted just a .659 OPS in the second half of the season as he dealt with a sports hernia on his right side. Woodruff is a multiple-time All-Star himself, but while he went 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 2025, he's made only 12 starts over the last two years and ended this past campaign with a right lat strain. Finally, Imanaga was excellent in his first MLB season of 2024, posting a top-five finish in NL Cy Young Award voting by going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA. He regressed in his second season, though, finishing with…...

1+ day, 6+ hour ago (219+ words) Sammon reported the Mets would like to retain both D'az and first baseman Pete Alonso, but they "are not going to be persuaded by emotion." When it comes to the veteran reliever, "contract length is a sticking point in talks." On Nov. 12, Sammon and colleague Ken Rosenthal reported D'az is aiming to sign a contract similar to the five-year, $102 million pact he got from New York in 2022. Sammon followed up Sunday to say the Mets would like a shorter deal, and they've already started evaluating replacements in the event they move on from D'az. They reached out to representatives for Devin Williams and Robert Suarez. D'az is coming off another strong season. He appeared in 62 games and notched 28 saves with a 1.63 ERA and 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings. Big contracts for relief pitchers can be a risky investment, though. The right-hander…...

1+ day, 7+ hour ago (1766+ words) The MLB offseason is officially underway, and with contract option decisions and the non-tender deadline in the rearview, teams will now turn their full attention to free agency and the trade market. In anticipation of a busy winter, we've assigned all of the top upcoming free agents to logical landing spots and projected a few trades on the way to predicting each team's Opening Day lineup for the 2026 season. Lineup data from Baseball Reference, roster data from FanGraphs and a healthy amount of speculation on where free agents will sign went into compiling each team's batting order. This will be updated throughout the offseason, so this is just the starting point. SS Geraldo Perdomo2B Ketel MarteRF Corbin CarrollDH Miguel Andujar1B Pavin SmithC Gabriel MorenoLF Jake McCarthy3B Jordan LawlarCF Alek Thomas Quick Thoughts:The D-backs have a lot of offensive thump to replace after…...

2+ day, 2+ hour ago (336+ words) John and Matthew Bains had a lofty goal when they decided to sell the Game 7 home run balls they caught during the 2025 World Series. While they didn't meet that $2.5 million goal, they did take home a nice chunk of change. They sold the balls for a combined $324,000 through SCP Auctions on Saturday with Smith's going for $168,000 and Rojas' going for $156,000. It was a notable price, but John Bains previously said, "I'd take $1 million for the Rojas ball and $1.5 million for the Smith ball. They were both game-changing baseballs." He also said he used SCP for the auction since it sold Freddie Freeman's walk-off grand slam ball from the 2024 Fall Classic for $1.56 million." While it seemed like the father and son each threw the ball back on the field after the two home runs in Toronto, John Bains clarified that they…...

2+ day, 4+ hour ago (693+ words) The 2025 edition of MLB free agency is well underway. The World Series ended on November 1, and free agents have been free to sign since November 6. However, this doesn't mean that the offseason action is about to die down in the near future. Free agency doesn't unfold as rapidly in Major League Baseball as it does in some other major professional sports. Big-ticket free agents like Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez and Cody Bellinger will take their time making decisions. While we don't yet know how this year's hot stove will unfold, we do know that big-market teams like the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox are likely to be major players. Let's dive into the latest buzz and make a few predictions. What's next for L.A.? Trying to assemble a roster capable of a three-peat. According to Alden Gonzalez, the Dodgers…...