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Albert Pujols No Longer A Candidate In Angels’ Managerial Search

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Albert Pujols won’t be the next manager of the Angels, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman writes that Pujols and the club have broken off talks due to differences between the sides regarding “coaches, resources, and compensation.” The Athletic’s Sam Blum reports that while circumstances could change, it’s believed to be “very unlikely” that the sides find common ground after being unable to get close in terms of dollars and years on hypothetical contract.

It wasn’t long ago that Pujols appeared to be the prohibitive favorite for the job. Blum reports that when Pujols and Minasian met in St. Louis 11 days ago to discuss the managerial job, the conversation went well and there was momentum towards a contract. Clearly, however, there was a financial gap between the sides that they were unable to bridge. One wrinkle in the matter is the ten-year, $10MM personal services contract Pujols signed with the Angels during his free agent negotiations with the club back in 2011. There are still seven years and $7MM remaining on that contract, and previous reporting indicated that the deal could be a factor in negotiations though it’s unclear exactly what role it played.

While Pujols won’t be the next manager in Anaheim, that doesn’t mean he won’t be in a dugout next year. The future Hall of Famer is set to interview with both the Padres and the Orioles, though he faces more competition in the races for those jobs than he did in Anaheim. Pujols was more or less the only candidate being considered by the Halos until talks began to stall. By contrast, both the Padres and Orioles have been connected to Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, while interim Orioles manager Tony Mansolino remains a candidate in Baltimore and the Padres have also been connected to Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley.

As for the Angels, former players Torii Hunter and Kurt Suzuki are set to interview for the position. Blum reports that both are in the mix and that Hunter in particular is still a candidate but “not a slam-dunk” to land the job. He adds that while the team has interest in speaking to former Twins and Orioles managers Rocco Baldelli and Brandon Hyde, it’s unclear if that interest is mutual with either ex-skipper. Baldelli recently expressed an interest in returning to the dugout at some point but indicated he could look to take some time away from the game to spend with his family. Hyde, meanwhile, is known to have spoken to Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey amid San Francisco’s own managerial search.

Perhaps with Pujols no longer in consideration, the Angels will advance their managerial search in the coming days. That could offer some clarity on the status of possible candidates like Hyde and Baldelli, as well as other possible targets like Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty and former Astros manager Bo Porter, who served as the Angels’ third base coach this season and has expressed interest in Anaheim’s managerial gig both publicly and privately after interviewing for the position two years ago before the hiring of Ron Washington.

Marlins Interested In Devin Williams

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Coming off a season where they made a surprise push towards contention and ultimately finished just four games out of a playoff spot with a 79-83 record, the Marlins look poised to try and take a step forward towards more serious contention this winter. That could mean looking to add, and reporting has already indicated that Miami will be active in the bullpen and position player markets as they seek upgrades. When it comes to the search for relief help, Kevin Barral of Fish On First reports that one name that Miami plans to target is two-time All-Star Devin Williams.

Williams, 31, has been one of the most successful relievers in the game ever since he won the NL Rookie of the Year award with the Brewers back in 2020. In parts of six seasons with Milwaukee, Williams made a case for himself as baseball’s best reliever with a 1.83 ERA and a 39.4% strikeout rate in 235 2/3 innings of work. He converted 87.2% of his save opportunities and his 2.66 SIERA with Milwaukee was the fourth-best figure in baseball among relievers with at least 200 innings of work between 2019 and 2024, trailing only Liam Hendriks, Edwin Diaz, and Josh Hader.

Ahead of his final season of team control, the Brewers made the decision last offseason to deal Williams to the Yankees in exchange for southpaw Nestor Cortes Jr. and infielder Caleb Durbin. Williams’s year in the Bronx did not go how anyone was expecting it to, however, as he struggled significantly for the first time in his career. Williams posted a lackluster 4.79 ERA in 62 innings for the Yankees. While the right-hander was in line to potentially land one of the largest free agent deals for a reliever in history this time last year, his tough stint in New York has significantly changed the expectations surrounding Williams’s expected contract.

That drop in market value for Williams could create an opportunity for the Marlins, who have never been among the league’s biggest spenders and surely view the situation as an opportunity to potentially bring in an elite reliever on a relative bargain. Despite his poor results with the Yankees, Williams posted strong peripherals that should offer Miami some confidence in investing in the right-hander. Among qualified relievers this year, Williams’s 2.68 FIP ranks 18th, his 2.67 SIERA ranks 15th, and his 34.7% strikeout rate was still the 8th-best figure in baseball.

All of those peripherals indicate Williams still has the ability of a star closer, and after a season where the Marlins spread save opportunities between nine different players they should certainly be able to offer Williams the ninth inning. That could make Miami a more attractive destination than some other teams that might have interested in Williams but can’t offer a clear path to the ninth inning. Williams recently gave a vague answer when asked about whether or not the ability to serve as a club’s closer would impact his decision-making in free agency, saying that it “depends on the scenario.”

Given Williams’s stature in the game and likely deflated price tag, the Marlins surely won’t be the only team interested in his services. He’s indicated a willingness to stick with the Yankees even after a tough year this season, and virtually every team in baseball tends to be in the market for relief help every winter. Looking at closer jobs around the game, the Braves are set to lose Raisel Iglesias to free agency, the Dodgers could be looking for a new long-term solution in the ninth inning after Tanner Scott’s struggles led them to turn to starter Roki Sasaki when closing out postseason games, and the Tigers were known to be looking for a veteran with closing experience last winter despite ultimately coming up short.

Bo Porter Hoping For Another Managerial Opportunity

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Angels coach Bo Porter is hoping to get another chance to manager in the majors, as he told The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli recently. More specifically, Ghiroli writes that Porter is “very interested” in the current managerial vacancy in Anaheim.

Porter, 53, was previously the manager of the Astros from 2013-14. That stint in Houston did not go especially well, as the club went a combined 110-190 under his guidance in those two seasons. Outside of that managerial stint, Porter’s previously served as the third base coach with the Diamondbacks, Marlins, Nationals, and Braves. He was initially hired as the first base coach in Anaheim but was moved to third base in May. He also played parts of three seasons in the majors with the Cubs, A’s, and Rangers.

For Porter and any other former managers hoping for another shot, the current landscape is certainly a favorable one. There are seven teams currently hunting for a new manager. While the Giants seem to be closing in on their decision, searches are still ongoing in Anaheim, San Diego, Baltimore, Minnesota, Atlanta, and Washington D.C. while the Rockies have not yet even begun the managerial search as they sort out who will run the front office going forward. While it seems as though Porter is more broadly interested in a return to managing, he specifically highlighted his desire to be considered for the job in Anaheim again after interviewing for the role back in 2023 before it ultimately went to Ron Washington.

“I would enjoy managing the Angels because I’ve been there the last two years, I’ve made an investment there,” Porter told Ghiroli, “The relationships have already been fortified.”

He went on to note that he’s made his interest in interviewing for the job known to club GM Perry Minasian. As noted by Ghiroli, at one point it seemed as though the Angels’ managerial search might be a quick one given future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols’s status as the favorite. Since then, however, Pujols has also interviewed with the Orioles while the Angels have begun to interview other candidates. That seemed to suggest a more wide open search, but Ghiroli reports that some of the candidates the Angels were previously reported as hoping to interview for the position have not yet been contacted by the Angels.

That could be taken as an indication that the tide is shifting away from a wider managerial search, though it’s also possible the club is waiting for more information on Pujols’s candidacy before more fully conducting a wider search. After all, Pujols was viewed as the heavy favorite for the job at the outset of the offseason and was known to be actively discussing a contract with Angels brass less than two weeks ago. Of course, it’s also possible that the Angels are simply opting to take their time with their search for a new manager. That would make particular sense if the club has interest in interviewing any personnel from the Dodgers, Mariners, or Blue Jays organizations given that all three of those clubs are still in the playoff mix at this point.

The Opener: ALCS, Giants, Rockies

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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. ALCS Game 7

After a resounding win over the Mariners in Game 6 of the ALCS last night, the Blue Jays have managed to force a Game 7 to determine who will face the Dodgers in the World Series as they attempt to become the first team to repeat in the World Series since the 1998-2000 Yankees. Tonight’s game is scheduled for 8:10pm local time in Toronto, when right-hander Shane Bieber (3.57 ERA) is set to take the mound for the Jays opposite Seattle righty George Kirby (4.21 ERA). Kirby will be looking for redemption after he was torched to the tune of eight runs in just four innings of work during Game 3 of this series, while Bieber will look to build on a solid performance where he struck out eight Mariners while allowing two runs in six innings of work in that same game.

2. Giants managerial search nearing conclusion?

The Giants are set to potentially make waves as they zero in on University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello as their next manager. No deal is done yet, but a decision is reportedly expected in the coming days. If Vitello were to be hired, it would be a game changing hire given his lack of experience in professional baseball. Vitello emerged as San Francisco’s top choice after Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley withdrew his name from consideration for the role due to family considerations. Hundley was also viewed as a potential candidate for managerial vacancies in Anaheim and San Diego, though it seems those same family considerations would surely apply to the job in Anaheim. As a San Diego native, the Padres job might be more appealing for Hundley although it also wouldn’t be a surprise if he simply stayed in his current role with the Rangers at this point.

3. Rockies GM search nearing next stage:

San Francisco isn’t the only NL West club making progress in their search personnel search, as the Rockies are reportedly expected to narrow their search for Bill Schmidt’s replacement at the top of their baseball operations department to a list of finalists this week. While there are a number of managerial vacancies in the sport at the moment, Colorado’s job is the only vacancy at the head of baseball operations now that Paul Toboni has been hired by the Nationals to replace Mike Rizzo. Once the GM search is completed, Colorado’s new steward will immediately be tasked with their own managerial decision given that interim manager Warren Schaeffer’s status has been left up to the new baseball ops boss.

Willson Contreras’ Move To First Base Was A Success

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It was less than a year ago that the Cardinals made the decision to move three-time All-Star Willson Contreras to first base after the veteran slugger indicated he wasn’t interested in waiving his no-trade clause to leave St. Louis ahead of their impending rebuild. That decision was intended to open up the catcher position so that younger players more tied to the future of the franchise, like Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages, could get reps at the position and prove themselves capable as regulars in the majors.

Getting opportunities for those young players was a sensible goal, but it didn’t come without risk. Replacing Paul Goldschmidt at first base would be a big ask for any player, and while Contreras has long been a talented hitter he’s not always been able to produce enough offensively to justify a role as an everyday first baseman. Contreras also had just 11 appearances (three starts) on his resume at the position prior to 2025, the most recent of which had come all the way back in 2019, so learning a new position would place additional challenges on the veteran as he headed into his age-33 season.

At first, the experiment looked like it was poised to be a failure. Contreras came out of the gate ice cold in 2025, with a .145/.198/.237 slash line in his first 82 trips to the plate that was difficult to stomach from a first baseman. A month into the season, more than 65% of respondents to an MLBTR poll regarding Contreras’s future suggested that he would be either a league average hitter or worse in 2025, while just 34% of respondents believed Contreras would be able to rebound to his typical numbers. Fortunately for St. Louis, Contreras managed to overcome expectations and do just that. Flash forward to the end of the season, and Contreras is now coming off a solid .257/.344/.447 campaign. His 124 wRC+ this year is right in line with his career mark of 122 and only slightly below the 129 he’s posted to this point in his Cardinals career.

While that rebound from Contreras is certainly encouraging, a 124 wRC+ from first base isn’t exactly the sort of production that one would hope for. Among baseball’s 25 qualified first baseman, Contreras ranked just 12th by wRC+ and actually wound up tied with teammate Alec Burleson, who is entering arbitration for the first time this offseason. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Burleson for a salary of just $3.5MM in 2025, a figure that comes in well below the $36.5MM Contreras is owed over the next two years. Given that they can get similar production for much less money in-house, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Cardinals were hoping once again to trade Contreras this winter. For his part, Contreras has stated he prefers to remain in St. Louis but will at least consider waiving his no-trade clause this winter.

While Contreras’s production this year might not be commensurate with his salary now that he’s a first baseman, that doesn’t mean there’s no room for optimism. In fact, there’s plenty of positive signs in Contreras’s performance that leave the door wide open for him to deliver at a high level offensively in the coming years. From May 1 onward, Contreras hit a much more robust .268/.357/.480 with a wRC+ of 136. That’s good for the fifth-highest wRC+ in baseball among first basemen during that period, behind only Nick Kurtz, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Matt Olson, and Michael Busch.

Many players would look a great deal more impressive if you ignored their worst month of the year, of course, but Contreras’s underlying numbers reveal reason for further optimism. The veteran’s .369 xwOBA this season is more or less in line with his numbers since his offensive breakout season in 2022, and a near perfect match for the .370 wOBA he posted in 2024. That performance came with a wRC+ of 141, and there’s at least some reason to believe he could match that performance again in the future.

Contreras’s 13.8% barrel rate and 48.9% hard-hit rate this year were both career highs despite a .190 ISO that was one of the weakest of his career. That drop in ISO and walk rate that dropped to just 7.8% this year were the weakest parts of Contreras’s profile as a hitter this season, and a look at his swing decisions this year reveals the cause of that flaw. Contreras’s contact rate spiked to 73.6% this year, the highest its been since 2018. That’s not a bad thing in isolation, but digging a little deeper reveals that almost all of that improvement came on pitches outside of the strike zone, while he actually swung at pitches inside the zone far less often than he had in the past. Contreras took a swing at just 65.7% of pitches in the strike zone this year, a nearly four-point drop from the previous three seasons.

With Contreras’s impressive underlying power metrics this year, it’s certainly possible that being more aggressive on pitches inside the strike zone could allow him to access more of that power in games than he did this year. Even if that adjustment doesn’t come, however, one major feather in Contreras’s cap is his work with the glove at first base this year. Despite learning the position on the fly this past winter, the veteran posted +6 Outs Above Average this season. Just three first basemen (Olson, Ty France, and Carlos Santana) beat that mark this season, and it stands to reason that Contreras could build on his performance next year now that he has more experience under his belt.

Whether Contreras ultimately ends up finishing out his contract with the Cardinals in St. Louis or getting traded at some point over the next two seasons, it’s hard to view the contract as anything other than a success for the club. In the first four seasons of his five year deal with the organization, Contreras has hit .261/.358/.459 (129 wRC+) with 8.2 fWAR and 8.9 bWAR in 344 games for the Cardinals despite injuries and multiple moves off of his natural position. While the incoming ABS challenge system next year and the lack of catching depth around the league could make the idea of Contreras moving back behind the plate appealing for some potential suitors on the trade market, Contreras proved himself to be a quality first baseman in 2025 and should be able to provide value in that role regardless of if he does so in St. Louis or elsewhere.

Jesus Montero Passes Away

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Former big league catcher Jesus Montero passed away recently, according to a report from El Extrabase. The report indicates that Montero was part of a serious traffic accident on October 5 and passed following several days in the hospital. Montero was just 35 years old.

Montero is best known for having been one of the league’s most elite prospects in the early 2010s. Signed out of Venezuela by the Yankees as an amateur, Montero made his pro debut in 2007 at the age of 17. His second professional season saw him break out at the Single-A level, where he hit .326/.376/.491 with 17 homers and 34 doubles in 132 games. That strong performance earned Montero plenty of attention prior to the 2009 season, when he became a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport.

The youngster’s prospect star continued to shoot upwards from there. His 2009 season was cut short by a broken finger that limited him to just 92 games, but he raked when healthy and looked entirely capable in 44 games at the Double-A level. That was enough to get him promoted to Triple-A for the start of the 2010 season, at which point Montero was viewed as a consensus top-5 prospect in the sport. Baseball America went as far as to name him the sport’s #3 prospect, behind only future Hall of Famers Bryce Harper and Mike Trout. Montero did what he could to deliver on the hype at Triple-A in 2010, slashing .289/.353/.517 with 21 homers and 34 doubles in 123 games.

The next step for Montero was the majors, and after spending most of the 2011 season at Triple-A he finally made his big league debut with the Yankees on September 1 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. While he did not record a hit in his first big league game, Montero was hit by a pitch in his first game and recorded a run scored. He went on to post incredible numbers down the stretch, with a .328/.406/.590 slash line across 69 plate appearances. He made the Yankees’ postseason roster and got into Game 4 of the ALDS against the Tigers, where he went 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.

That would be Montero’s last appearance in a Yankees uniform. In January of 2012, he was traded to the Mariners in what at the time was viewed as a blockbuster deal. Montero and teammate Hector Noesi were shipped to Seattle in exchange for All-Star right-hander Michael Pineda and pitching prospect Jose Campos. Pineda didn’t live up to his sensational rookie campaign after being traded to New York, but did manage to post a solid 4.16 ERA in 89 starts from 2014 to 2017 with the Yankees after battling injuries in his first two seasons with the team. Neither Noesi nor Campos had much impact in the majors, though Noesi did manage to pitch in parts for six MLB seasons.

As for Montero, the star prospect split time between catcher and DH for the Mariners in 2012 as an everyday player. Unfortunately, his season did not go as either he or Seattle were surely hoping it would. Montero was solid enough at the plate but hit just .260/.298/.386 with 15 doubles and 20 homers. It was a roughly league average performance, but with Montero still in his age-22 campaign there was plenty of reason for optimism that he would be able to take off in the future. That did not come to pass, however, as Montero struggled early in the 2013 season before being sidelined by a torn meniscus and accepting a 50-game suspension as part of the Biogensis scandal.

A combination of injuries, under-performance, and the aforementioned suspension left Montero limited to just 73 games in the majors between 2013 and 2015. In that time, he hit a disappointing .217/.255/.374 in 243 plate appearances. Prior to the 2016 season, the Mariners designated Montero for assignment. He went on to play in the minor leagues for the Blue Jays and Orioles throughout the 2016 and ’17 seasons and even found himself named to the Triple-A All-Star game during his time with Triple-A Buffalo, but was suspended for a second time for the use of a banned substance.

Montero played in the Mexican League in 2017 and 2018 before logging 29 games in Venezuelan winter league play. He played his last professional baseball game during the 2020-21 winter league season. In all, Montero made it into 226 MLB games across parts of five seasons and hit .253/.295/.398 with 28 home runs and 31 doubles.

We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Montero’s family, friends, loved ones and former teammates.

Mets Expected To Show Interest In Tarik Skubal

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Ahead of his final year under team control, Tigers ace Tarik Skubal has gotten plenty of attention as fans and clubs alike have begun to turn their attention towards the offseason. Detroit’s reported extension offer of less than $100MM over four years last offseason does not inspire confidence that the club will be able to lock him up long-term, but president of baseball operations Scott Harris gave a non-answer about Skubal’s future during his end-of-season press conference this past week. It’s impossible to say at this point whether Detroit would consider trading their ace this winter, but Will Sammon of The Athletic writes that the Mets are expected to be involved in that market if Skubal were to be made available.

That’s not exactly a surprise. The Mets had perhaps the most disappointing season in baseball this year given that they missed the postseason during Juan Soto’s first season in Queens after signing a $765MM deal last winter. Much of that disappointment can be chalked up to a lackluster rotation that crumbled down the stretch and posted a 5.09 ERA after July 1 that was good for just 25th in the majors. Injuries and underperformance from virtually every established arm in the rotation mix besides Clay Holmes and David Peterson left New York on the outside looking in this postseason, and while youngsters like Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong offer some optimism for the future, it would be understandable for the Mets to seek more certainty this winter than they can offer.

When it comes to starting pitching, there might be no pitcher this side of Paul Skenes who offers more certainty than Skubal. He’s pitched to a 2.30 ERA with a 31.2% strikeout rate and a 4.5% walk rate across 387 2/3 innings of work over the past two seasons. That work has already won him one Cy Young award and is likely to win him a second next month. He’s also managed to take things up a notch when the lights are brightest and dominate in the postseason, with a 2.04 ERA, 1.92 FIP, and 37.8% strikeout rate across six playoff starts. Of the 33 starting pitchers with at least 20 postseason innings over the past five years, Skubal boasts the highest strikeout rate, best SIERA, and the fifth-lowest ERA.

Skubal’s resume speaks for itself, and in a free agent market that looks relatively soft on starting pitching options he figures to be all the more attractive. With that being said, there are some reasons to think the Mets might not go all-in for Skubal even if the Tigers do make him available. The lefty is represented by the Boras Corporation, and agent Scott Boras is known for preferring his clients to test free agency rather than sign extensions. That would seem to make it unlikely that the Mets (or any other acquiring club) would be able to keep Skubal long-term after trading for him unless they outbid the field next winter.

New York certainly has the financial wherewithal to do that, but (as the Soto signing last winter showed) they could also look to do so without surrendering what figures to be a massive prospect package to acquire his final year of team control. Sammon suggests that the Mets would be open to considering a deal involving any player besides McLean, who posted a 2.06 ERA in eight starts this year and is viewed as a potential ace in his own right. Sammon speculates that the Tigers could ask for a package along the lines of Tong and Sproat plus top infield prospect Jett Williams in exchange for Skubal’s services.

It should be highlighted that Sammon’s suggested package is purely speculative, but it’s still worth noting that it would be quite out of character for president of baseball operations David Stearns to surrender so much young talent for a one-year rental. That willingness to prioritize the farm system is something that he seemingly has backing from ownership on, given previous comments by Steve Cohen about the club’s current level of spending being unsustainable in the long-term and a desire to support massive deals for players like Soto and Francisco Lindor with young, homegrown talent.

The other side of that conversation is the reality that if the Mets are going to improve their rotation headed into next year, they’ll need to spend either prospect capital or more dollars. Even so, those other avenues to improving could be preferable to giving up a massive package to land Skubal. Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta is expected to be available in trade this winter, and Sammon floats him as an example of a pitcher who likely could be had for a lower prospect cost than Skubal. The Mets have been unafraid of rolling the dice on pitchers with question marks in the past during free agency, and the upside a player like Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen, or Ranger Suarez could offer is immense.

Those alternative options may end up being necessary to pursue even if the Mets decide to pursue Skubal. There’s no guarantees the Tigers will make him available at all, and even if they do New York would hardly be the only suitor for his services. Last offseason’s failed pursuit of Garrett Crochet should serve as a reminder that the Mets aren’t as able to easily outbid the competition on the trade market as they are in free agency; the Red Sox and Craig Breslow were able to offer a massive package for Crochet that few teams in the sport would have been able to match, and even the improved farm system Stearns finds himself with this winter isn’t impossible to outbid with McLean likely off the table.

Rob Refsnyder Plans To Play In 2026

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Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder flirted with retirement last offseason, but ultimately decided to continue his career in Boston. Now that he’s headed into his age-35 season, however, it appears he’s less conflicted about his future. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported yesterday that Refsnyder intends to continue his playing career in 2026, and he’s already had “informal talks” with Boston about the possibility of a return.

It’s understandable that Refsnyder would want to keep going after the year he’s had. In 70 games for the Red Sox, Refsnyder raked to the tune of a .269/.354/.484 slash line across 209 plate appearances. That was more or less a repeat of his excellent 2024, and he now enters free agency coming off a two year stretch where he’s slashed .278/.357/.476 in 163 games (516 plate appearances). In that time, he’s clubbed 20 homers with 28 doubles with a 25.6% strikeout rate against a 10.1% walk rate.

That’s incredibly strong production for a bench player, though it should be noted he sports a massive platoon split. Refsnyder is hitting .302/.396/.554 (160 wRC+) against southpaws over the past two years, but in that same time he’s hit a mediocre .250/.310/.387 (94 wRC+) against right-handed pitchers. That production against righties dropped to just .212/.268/.348 (67 wRC+) this season, leaving him has a far less viable bat against same-handed pitching. Even with that step back against right-handers this year, Refsnyder should enjoy a strong market by bench bat standards.

It’s not completely out of the question that a club could see Refsnyder as a candidate for a larger role, given his overall production the past two seasons and solid numbers against same-handed pitching in 2024. His more significant platoon split in 2025 likely puts a damper on those efforts, however, and he still figures to fit best on a team where he can be used as a part-time player. The Red Sox still make plenty of sense for his services given their heavily left-handed outfield mix. Having Refsnyder in the fold to complement Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Masataka Yoshida would go a long way to keeping Boston’s offense balanced next year.

There are a handful of other teams Refsnyder could make plenty of sense for as well, however. The Diamondbacks traded Randal Grichuk away at the deadline but have an outfield and DH mix that’s similarly heavy on lefties with Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy, and Pavin Smith all playing roles. The Cubs could view Refsnyder as an upgrade over Justin Turner who could be deployed as a platoon partner for Moises Ballesteros or Owen Caissie in the event that one of those lefty-swinging rookies takes over Kyle Tucker’s spot in the Chicago lineup. The Royals and Guardians both struggled to get production out of their outfielders this year and could view Refsnyder as a way to significantly improve their offense without breaking the bank.

Blue Jays Notes: Springer, Bichette, Bullpen

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The Blue Jays are staring down elimination as they head back to Toronto following a tough loss to the Mariners in Game 5 of the ALCS yesterday. Manager John Schneider spoke to reporters this evening about the health status of a couple of key players, as well as the club’s pitching plans headed into the final games of the series.

Perhaps the most pressing update is the one regarding veteran slugger George Springer. The 36-year-old enjoyed a career year at the plate this season as he slashed .309/.399/.560 with 32 home runs and 27 doubles. Springer has continued his strong performance into the postseason, with eight extra-base hits in nine games so far this October. That hot streak was put at risk last night when Springer was hit in the right knee by a pitch.

Initial x-rays came back negative, fortunately, and today Schneider offered more good news to reporters (including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet) when he revealed that a follow-up CT scan confirmed no fracture. Springer was set to undergo additional treatment today, but it seems as though he’s likely to be back in the lineup for Game 6. As noted by MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson, Schneider told reporters he was “hopeful and optimistic” that Springer would be in the lineup for tomorrow’s game, and added that Schneider intends to put Springer in the game as long as Springer himself says he’s ready to play.

The future is less clear for star shortstop Bo Bichette. Bichette has been sidelined since the regular season due to a PCL sprain, and his availability in the event that the Jays manage to win their next two games and advance to face the Dodgers in the World Series remains up in the air. Schneider indicated to reporters (including Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet) that Bichette has increased his running volume on the field and is “making progress” with his swing but that he’s not yet tried to run the bases after he limped off the field when he tried to do so prior to the ALCS. Even in spite of this injury, Bichette’s had a strong bounce back year ahead of free agency with a .311/.357/.483 slash line in 139 games.

Of course, if Bichette is going to even have a chance to make it back for the World Series, the Jays will need to advance there. To that end, Schneider indicated to reporters (including Mitch Bannon of The Athletic) that everyone on the pitching staff who is “physically available” will be able to pitch tomorrow. That likely rules out Kevin Gausman after he pitched 5 2/3 innings of work yesterday, but could mean that every other pitcher on the roster is available. Bannon specifically highlights that veteran right-hander Max Scherzer will be available for tomorrow’s game after his 87-pitch start in Game 4 of the series on Thursday. Trey Yesavage is poised to start tomorrow’s game opposite right-hander Logan Gilbert.

Using Scherzer and Shane Bieber in tomorrow’s game would be a risky move for the Blue Jays, as it would leave them without anyone to start in Game 7 of the series on Monday if they make it that far. Of course, saving an arm for Game 7 would do little for the Blue Jays if they were to get eliminated in Game 6. In a win-or-go-home game, it’s sensible to win that night’s game at all costs and worry about the consequences of that later. That’s the plan the Mariners used in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Tigers, when they used George Kirby, Gilbert, and Luis Castillo in a 15-inning affair to leave them with no option but to start Bryce Miller in Game 1 of the ALCS against Toronto.

Looking For A Match In A Sonny Gray Trade

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The Cardinals are entering what could be a multi-year rebuilding period where they focus more on strengthening their farm system and player development apparatus than winning games at the major league level. That’s a pivot that started last winter, but a number of key veteran players with no-trade clauses wanted to stick with the organization for the 2025 season and try to win in St. Louis. With a 78-84 season in the books and Chaim Bloom having now officially taken over John Mozeliak’s spot atop the baseball operations department, however, those same veterans are softening their stance about the possibility of a trade.

Perhaps the most interesting of those veteran is right-hander Sonny Gray, who is entering the final year of his contract in 2026. Gray is coming off a down season and will turn 36 in November, but his 4.28 ERA in 32 starts this year was still right around league average with much stronger peripheral numbers than that. He struck out 26.7% of his opponents, walked just 5.0%, and had the sixth-lowest SIERA in baseball among qualified starters this year with a 3.29 figure that clocked in behind only Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Cristopher Sanchez, Paul Skenes, and Logan Webb.

That’s good company to keep, considering that all five of those players well might end up as finalists for their respective league’s Cy Young award this year, and should help to assuage concerns about Gray’s ability to compete at a high level in his mid-30s. Few pitchers have a recent track record more impressive than the veteran right-hander, all things considered. In 116 starts since the beginning of the 2022 season, Gray has a 3.53 ERA, a 26.6% strikeout rate, and a 3.17 FIP in 650 2/3 innings of work. It’s the sort of production that virtually any team could use in their rotation, but there are complicating factors in considering a trade for Gray.

The right-hander has a full no-trade clause that he has the ability to wield as he sees fit, and Gray is due a $35MM salary in 2026 with a $5MM buyout on a 2027 mutual option. That’s a hefty salary that a good number of clubs simply won’t be able to stomach, and the fact that Gray has shown a preference for pitching in smaller markets throughout his career could mean he’d wield his no-trade clause against some of the larger market franchises that could stomach his salary. The Cardinals are open to paying down salary in trades this winter, but it’s unclear if they’d be willing to pay down enough of it to get smaller market clubs into the mix for Gray’s services.

Which clubs are the best fits for St. Louis’s veteran hurler? Here’s a look at nine potential suitors, listed alphabetically within tiers:

Best Fits

  • Braves: One of the clear best fits for Gray’s services is Atlanta, who were reportedly in on Gray when he was a free agent two offseasons ago. Since then, the Braves have struggled to stay healthy and even fell out of the playoff picture this year due in large part to a rotation that was desperately missing Max Fried’s stabilizing presence after he left for the Yankees last winter. Atlanta has never been the sort of club to go out and spend hundreds of millions on an ace in free agency, so unless they change course this year they’ll need to get creative to add some certainty to a rotation that saw all of its established starters spend significant time on the injured list this year. Bringing Gray into the fold could be just that sort of creativity, and Alex Anthopoulos has long been comfortable bringing in veterans (like Marcell Ozuna, Josh Donaldson, and Charlie Morton) on short-term deals with high salaries.
  • Giants: The Giants are going to need more than just Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Landen Roupp in their rotation next year, and Gray would make plenty of sense for that role. Gray was actually connected to San Francisco back in September as a potential trade target. Some of that report was based on Gray’s connection with former Giants manager Bob Melvin, who has since been fired, but the Giants are still one of the few clubs that could stomach most of Gray’s salary within their expected budget. Gray also had plenty of success pitching for the A’s in Oakland, so a return to the Bay Area might have appeal to him even without Melvin in the fold.
  • Orioles: The Orioles, much like the Braves, found themselves pushed out of contention early this year due in large part to a lack of pitching depth. There’s virtually no certainty in the club’s 2026 rotation outside of Trevor Rogers, and president of baseball operations Mike Elias has shown a strong preference towards short-term additions when bringing in players who make significant dollars. That could make Gray a sensible fit following a season where Baltimore paid more than $41MM combined to Tomoyuki Sugano, Zach Eflin, and Morton for lackluster performances. While the Orioles are a lower budget club than most of the teams mentioned here, St. Louis’s willingness to eat salary could make Gray less of a financial burden than comparable arms in free agency.

Next Tier Down

  • Athletics: Gray played for the Athletics in Oakland for parts of five seasons after they took him 18th overall in the 2011 draft. In that time, he posted a 3.42 ERA and 3.56 FIP across 705 innings of work. Gray was eventually dealt to the Yankees, and in the years since then the A’s have been uprooted from Oakland and moved to West Sacramento. That move came with a raised payroll and a more sincere attempt to compete than previous rebuilding years, however, and a hitting core of Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, and Tyler Soderstrom looks ready to compete in the playoffs. What they’ll need to make that happen is pitching, and Gray has front-of-the-rotation upside and experience playing in unfriendly pitching environments like Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark. Perhaps if Gray was available last offseason, the A’s would’ve been a more sensible fit, but as it stands it’s unclear if the A’s intend to continue scaling up payroll after last season’s spending brought them an 86-loss campaign.
  • Padres: No team comes to mind more quickly than the Padres when discussing creative trade proposals, and that’s entirely thanks to the efforts of president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. Preller is by far the most active and aggressive executive in baseball, and this winter he’ll be tasked with replacing Dylan Cease and Michael King at the top of the rotation despite a relative lack of budget space. Adding someone like Gray to the rotation alongside Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Randy Vasquez, and JP Sears would be a huge help in stabilizing things, but there are clear obstacles here. For one thing, the Cardinals would likely need to be willing to eat the overwhelming majority of Gray’s salary in order to facilitate a deal with San Diego. That would mean a rather high prospect cost for the Padres, and while Preller is never shy about trading prospects his push at this summer’s trade deadline has left those cupboards somewhat barren. What’s more, Gray would be controlled for just the 2026 season, and Preller usually prioritizing trades for controllable players over rentals.
  • Dodgers: When it comes to spending money, there are few (if any) teams in baseball who can do so with the same reckless abandon as the Dodgers. Their payroll this season approached $400MM and it should surprise no one if it ends up in a similar place next season. While their rotation of Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani is currently powering them through the postseason, the injury concerns in that group are obvious and the depth behind that quartet is taking a hit with Clayton Kershaw’s impending retirement. Adding a reliable workhorse like Gray would make plenty of sense, and the Dodgers are one of the few clubs that could reasonably take on most if not all of Gray’s salary without much issue. On the other hand, the Dodgers aren’t exactly the sort of small market club Gray has typically preferred to play for over the years, which could be a problem depending on how aggressive he is in using his no-trade clause.

Long Shots:

  • Cubs: On paper, the Cubs might seem like an excellent fit for Gray. The club appears likely to pursue pitching help this winter after injuries to Justin Steele and Cade Horton left them shorthanded this postseason, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has shown a proclivity towards shorter-term additions with higher salaries, and Chicago’s status as a midwest city could be attractive to Gray for the purposes of his no-trade clause considering his previous decisions to sign in Cincinnati, Minnesota, and St. Louis. With all of that said, the biggest obstacle to this sort of trade is that the Cubs and Cardinals have one of the biggest rivalries in the sport and very rarely trade with each other. Perhaps Bloom taking over as president of baseball operations could help thaw that trade embargo, given that he and Brian Cashman executed what was then just the second Yankees/Red Sox trade of the 21st century back in 2021, but it would still be a shock to see the teams line up on a trade of this magnitude.
  • Mets:  The Mets are a team with plenty of willingness to spend money, a major need in the rotation, and a strong preference for bringing pitchers in on relatively short-term contracts. That all would make them seem like an obvious fit for Gray, but it’s fair to wonder how the right-hander’s previous stint in New York could impact interest on both sides. Gray’s 4.51 ERA in parts of two seasons with the Yankees was the worst stretch of his career. It would be understandable if Gray wasn’t interested in returning to New York at this point in his career, even for a different franchise, and it’s equally possible that the Mets would shy away from a pitcher who previously struggled in the sport’s largest media market.
  • Reds: It was with the Reds that Gray turned his career around after leaving New York, and he pitched to a 3.49 ERA across three seasons in Cincinnati. He signed an extension with the club once before, so his no-trade clause would likely be a non-issue, and the Reds were connected to him both during his last trip through free agency and even on the trade market last year. It would stand to reason that there could be some interest between the two sides once again, but the Reds’ limited budget makes a trade hard to envision given that they already have a rotation of Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, and Nick Lodolo locked in for 2026 with youngsters like Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder also in the mix for starts. Whatever budget space Cincinnati has available this winter seems likely to be better used elsewhere on the roster, barring a trade of another arm that creates an opening.

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