Nov 4, 2026, 10:02 PM ET

First baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers received a one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer from the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Of the eight players who were extended qualifying offers by their respective teams, Bauers is the most surprising. The 31-year-old left-handed slugger had a strong year in 2026 and definitely played a key role in helping the Brewers capture their first-ever World Series title, but coming into this season, he had never produced more than 12 home runs in a single season in six years in the big leagues. In 144 games and 578 plate appearances with the Brew Crew during the regular season, Bauers hit .266/.389/.484 with a career-best .874 OPS, 26 home runs, 86 RBI, 93 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases. He had a career slash line of .208/.302/.361 at the end of the 2024 season and came close to hanging up his cleats. Bauers tapped into a side we had never seen before this year, walking at a 16.3% clip, with only six qualified hitters having a higher wRC+ than Bauers. He was named the National League Championship Series MVP and could serve as the Brewers' primary first baseman in 2027 if he accepts the qualifying offer, which he is expected to do.--Keith Hernandez
Source: New York Post - Joel Sherman

Nov 3, 2026, 8:26 PM ET

Major League Baseball proposed postponing the implementation of a salary cap until the 2028 season on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, as the current collective bargaining agreement approaches its Dec. 1 expiration. The league has pressed forward with its pursuit of a cap and floor despite the Players Association voicing its objection to any cap. The $258.2 million cap and $180.2 million floor that MLB projected for 2028 were higher than the $245.3 million and $171.2 million numbers that the league proposed as its original cap-and-floor offer for 2027. MLB also proposed giving $282 million in competitive balance tax proceeds to players in cash payments, according to sources. Union officials have said that players would lose more than $1 billion over the life of the league's proposal if they agreed to a cap. The last time MLB formally proposed a cap-and-floor system in 1994, players went on strike for 232 days, and the World Series was canceled. Under the 2028 cap-and-floor projections, 12 teams, including the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers, would need to increase their payrolls to reach the floor. Eight teams carried payrolls that would have been in excess of the ceiling. The MLBPA has proposed maintaining the current framework of the league's financial system while increasing spending, and the union has also asked for a surge in the minimum salary from $780,000 to $1.5 million and free agency for players 30 and older after five years of major-league service, not six.--Keith Hernandez
Source: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan

Nov 3, 2026, 2:10 PM ET

The Seattle Mariners are hiring former Chicago Cubs' director of player development Jason Kanzler as their new manager, a source told Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. Houston Astros manager Joe Espada had been among the finalists to land the job in Seattle, but it will instead go to Kanzler in an unconventional move by the Mariners. Kanzler, 36, will be replacing Dan Wilson after he was fired following the team's disappointing 2026 season. Kanzler has never managed at any level, but he will be inheriting one of the league's deepest, most talented rosters. Seattle has stars in outfielder Julio Rodriguez and catcher Cal Raleigh, not to mention some of the best starting-pitching depth in baseball. Kanzler is a former outfielder who was drafted in the 20th round in 2013. He previously spent five years with the Houston Astros, serving as a major-league coach in 2022 and 2023. He was hired by the Cubs as their director of player development at the start of the 2024 campaign. Kanzler will be the third skipper to serve under general manager Jerry Dipoto, who was brought in near the end of the 2015 season.--Keith Hernandez
Source: ESPN.com - Alden Gonzalez

Nov 1, 2026, 10:20 PM ET

The Minnesota Twins have declined a $10 million team option on first baseman/designated hitter Josh Bell for the 2027 season, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Bell will now hit free agency and appears unlikely to be back in Minnesota next year. The 34-year-old had a solid season for the Twins in 2026, hitting .255/.319/.419 with 21 home runs, 96 RBI, 78 runs scored, and two stolen bases across 631 plate appearances. The veteran switch-hitter does not offer much defensive value at this point in his career, but he's a proven run producer and an adequate power source. If he lands in a spot where he can earn everyday playing time once again in 2027, Bell profiles as a four-category compiler who can provide value in deeper fantasy leagues.--Will Brady
Source: The Athletic - Dan Hayes

Oct 27, 2026, 9:44 PM ET

Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (wrist) could be a candidate to start the 2027 season in Triple-A, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. Casas did not play at all in 2026 due to wrist, knee, and intercostal injuries. It's been a while since the 26-year-old was able to string together an extended stretch of health, as injuries limited him to just 112 plate appearances in 2025 and 243 plate appearances in 2024. However, Casas was productive in his lone healthy big league season, hitting .263 with 24 home runs across 502 plate appearances in 2023. If he can get back to full health, Casas could be a useful power bat for Boston. Still, the Red Sox currently have a logjam at first base/designated hitter between Willson Contreras, Roman Anthony, Masataka Yoshida, and Curtis Mead. Casas is a name for deeper-league fantasy managers to monitor, but he could be forced to prove he can still be productive at the lower levels before he gets another shot in the big leagues.--Will Brady
Source: The Athletic - Jen McCaffrey

Oct 26, 2026, 9:37 PM ET

Major League Baseball is experimenting with restricting the positioning of outfielders on every at-bat in the Arizona Fall League, according to ESPN.com. The goal is to boost the game's sluggish offense by making outfielders play straight up, instead of adjusting for individual hitters' tendencies, which will in theory lead to more doubles and triples. Outfielders will look up at a small video board that can tell a player where they are in the field and will either generate an "X" if he is incorrectly positioned or an "O" if he is in a defensively acceptable spot. "The hardest part is cutting off doubles in the gap, and they're even turning into triples," Minnesota Twins prospect Kyle DeBarge said. "That's what they told us they wanted in the beginning. So it works." A recent game saw Scottsdale beat Salt River 15-8 in a game that featured five triples, which was an AFL record.--Keith Hernandez
Source: ESPN.com

Oct 26, 2026, 10:27 AM ET

Former Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is interviewing for the vacant Houston Astros general manager role, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. As general manager of the Nationals, Rizzo built up the franchise and led Washington to its first-ever World Series title in 2019, defeating the Houston Astros. Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez were fired in 2025, ending Rizzo's 19-year tenure with the franchise. Rizzo was considered for the Athletics job in a similar role this offseason, but withdrew his name from consideration to focus on the Astros position, according to Nightengale.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: Bob Nightengale, USA Today

Oct 26, 2026, 10:12 AM ET

Los Angeles Dodgers special assistant Rocco Baldelli has withdrawn from the search for a new Seattle Mariners manager, according to a report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. Rosenthal reports that Baldelli has cited "family considerations" in withdrawing his name from consideration for the Mariners' open position. Baldelli currently serves as a special assistant to the president of baseball operations with the Dodgers. He was previously the manager of the Minnesota Twins from 2019 to 2025 and was the American League Manager of the Year in 2019 and won three AL Central division titles.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal

Oct 25, 2026, 10:28 PM ET

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch said he is focused on being more aggressive at the plate to regain his pull-side power in 2027, per Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Busch had a breakout year in 2025, hitting .261 with 34 home runs, 90 RBI, and 78 runs scored across 592 plate appearances. However, the 28-year-old's numbers regressed across the board in 2026, as he hit .242 with only 20 homers and 77 RBI across 710 plate appearances this past season. Busch's walk rate improved to a career-best 13.0%, but his pull rate fell from 46.8% to 40.0%. Perhaps due to letting the ball travel, Busch's barrel rate plummeted from 17.1% to 9.1%. If the lefty slugger can regain some of his missing power over the offseason, he would become a much more attractive option for fantasy managers in 2027.--Will Brady
Source: The Athletic - Patrick Mooney, Sahadev Sharma

Oct 24, 2026, 10:24 PM ET

Cleveland Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said that first base/outfield prospect Ralphy Velazquez could be in the organization's big-league plans in 2027, per Joe Noga of cleveland.com. Velazquez put together a monster year in the minors in 2026, hitting .290/.379/.548 with 29 home runs, 93 RBI, 78 runs scored, and two stolen bases across 538 plate appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A. The 21-year-old showed off significant power upside for a young player, posting a 13.7% barrel rate at Triple-A. Cleveland does not have a clear answer at first base heading into 2027, as trade deadline acquisition Nathaniel Lowe is set to hit free agency. If Velazquez puts together a strong Spring Training, he could be a riser in fantasy drafts ahead of 2027.--Will Brady
Source: cleveland.com - Joe Noga

Oct 24, 2026, 1:38 PM ET

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda did his part in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night in Milwaukee against the Brewers, but it was not enough in the 3-2 loss. Aranda went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate out of the two-hole for the Rays with a run scored and a walk. It was the second three-hit game of this postseason for the 28-year-old left-handed slugger, and Aranda has now gone 12-for-38 (.316) with a homer, five RBI, and five runs scored in 10 postseason games this year for the Rays. However, Aranda has not homered since Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the division-rival New York Yankees on Oct. 3. The Rays are going to need Aranda's bat to stay hot if they are going to have any chance of taking down the red-hot Brewers in this year's Fall Classic, especially after falling down 1-0 on Friday night. Aranda broke out during the 2026 regular season in his third full season in the majors, slashing .274/.358/.434 with a .792 OPS, 22 home runs, 92 RBI, and 73 runs scored in 155 games and 668 plate appearances.--Keith Hernandez
Source: MLB.com

Oct 22, 2026, 11:02 PM ET

Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said that he will return to the team next season after losing to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series this year, according to The Associated Press. "I'm here," Vogt said at a news conference Thursday. "I'm coming back." There were rumblings that Vogt could leave Cleveland for the Seattle Mariners' managerial opening so that he could be closer to his family's home in Washington. The former big-league catcher has led the Guardians to a division crown in each of his three seasons at the helm and has been named American League Manager of the Year twice. The 41-year-old said he has not been contacted by the Mariners, who fired Dan Wilson last month following the disappointing year after Seattle made it to the AL Championship Series in 2025. Although the M's have not reached out to Vogt, it is possible that they contact Cleveland with a trade proposal.--Keith Hernandez
Source: The Associated Press

Oct 22, 2026, 10:56 AM ET

According to The Athletic's Chandler Rome, two former members of the Houston Astros staff -- Joe Espada and Jason Kanzler -- have emerged as serious candidates in the search for a new Seattle Mariners manager. Kanzler was on the Astros' 2022 staff and is now the Cubs farm director. And The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal added that Rocco Baldelli, the Dodgers' special assistant, is also in the mix for the Mariners job. The Mariners finished 76-86 overall and in third place in the AL West behind the Houston Astros, who finished with an 81-81 record to win the division. The Astros parted ways with Espada this offseason after the team lost to the Chicago White Sox in the postseason.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: Chandler Rome, The Athletic

Oct 22, 2026, 10:17 AM ET

The Los Angeles Angels have announced that they have declined the option in Kurt Suzuki's contract and will search for a new manager and coaching staff for next season. "Kurt has earned tremendous respect in our clubhouse, and I've seen firsthand how much he cares about our players. I do not believe our record this year was a true reflection of his abilities as a manager," Angels baseball operations consultant John Mozeliak said. Mozeliak said Suzuki has been offered to stay on the Angels staff as a special assistant. The Angels finished this season 62-100 and in last place in the American League West division, 19 games back of the division winners, the Houston Astros.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: Los Angeles Angels