Sonny Gray Plans To Pitch In 2027
There were some retirement rumblings around Sonny Gray this year but he’ll be back, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “My family and I have talked about it and it’s an easy decision,” Gray said in a text message to the Globe. “I still want to win a World Series, whether that is [with] Boston or with whoever wants me.”
Gray will soon turn 37 but he is still a very effective pitcher. He just gave the Red Sox 169 innings over 29 starts, allowing 2.72 earned runs per nine innings. His 21.8% strikeout rate was essentially league average for a starter this year while his 6.7% walk rate and 46% ground ball rate were both better than par. He got a bit of help from a .283 batting average on balls in play and 83.2% strand rate. His ERA is perhaps a bit misleading but his 3.47 FIP and 3.92 SIERA suggest he would have still been effective with more neutral luck.
The only reason his status was somewhat questionable was due to his personal life. Gray mentioned in September that he would “be done in a heartbeat” if his family wanted him to give up the sport and be a full-time dad. It seems that the family discussion didn’t last too long. The Red Sox were eliminated less than two weeks ago but the Gray family has already made a decision about next year.
Gray will be heading to free agency in a few weeks. His contract with the Cardinals originally had a club option for 2027 but that was converted to a mutual option as a condition of him waiving his no-trade clause to be dealt to Boston. It has been over a decade since a mutual option was triggered by both sides, so it’s fair to assume a player will become a free agent in such situations.
He should be in high demand, as effective starting pitchers always are. His market will be interesting to watch due to his personal preferences. As mentioned, he has flirted with retirement. He also seems to have a preference for East Coast clubs so that he can be near to his Nashville home. The last time he was on the open market, he signed with St. Louis, one of the MLB cities closest to his home. He did approve a trade to move further away, so it’s not as though he has set strict limits, but it’s hard to say how willing he is to go to the West Coast.
Based on his performance, Gray has a case for a two-year deal at a hefty salary. Even if their late 30s, pitchers can be paid well if they continue putting up numbers. Max Scherzer got a three-year, $130MM deal from the Mets for his age-37 to age-39 seasons, though he just posted a 2.46 ERA with a 34.1% strikeout rate and 5.2% walk rate. Justin Verlander got two years and $86.67MM for this age-40 and 41-seasons, though he was coming off a 1.75 ERA season with a 27.8% strikeout rate and 4.4% walk rate. Gray isn’t quite in that league.
Merrill Kelly just got two years and $40MM last winter for a deal beginning with his age-37 campaign. Gray has a case to beat that. Kelly’s 2025 numbers were somewhat comparable to Gray in 2026 but Kelly’s 3.52 ERA was higher and his track record was more of a solid mid-rotation guy whereas Gray has long had front-end upside. Gray could perhaps seek a two-year deal worth $50 to $60MM in total.
That’s if he is looking to max out. Perhaps he would prefer to limit himself to a one-year deal so that he can reconsider retirement a year from now. His geographic preferences might also limit the field. If he does in fact prefer East Coast teams, that takes a few clubs off the board. Some of the East Coast teams are also potentially off his list. He infamously didn’t enjoy his time pitching for the Yankees in New York, for instance.
He also didn’t leave Boston on a great note this year. He was pulled from his start in the Wild Card round after 70 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. Afterwards, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, he expressed dissatisfaction with not having more trust. When asked if he would be willing to return to Boston in 2027, he said simply “I don’t know.”
His message to Speier today was more open but it’s hard to say if that’s genuine. As a free agent, it would be in his financial interest to express as much openness as possible. More viable landing spots would drive up the bidding. If he stated he were not willing to play in Boston, that would only hurt his earning power.
The Sox could certainly use him. They have three rotation spots accounted for by Garrett Crochet, Payton Tolle and Ranger Suarez, though Crochet isn’t exactly a sure thing after injuries wiped out most of his 2026. Beyond those three, the Sox have guys like Jake Bennett, Brayan Bello, Johan Oviedo and others in the mix but Gray would certainly be an upgrade over that crew.
There are many other options, as there are very few clubs who couldn’t use more starting pitching. There has been plenty of speculation over the years about Gray ending up in Atlanta due to that city’s proximity to Nashville but he hasn’t ended up there yet and there are other clubs with somewhat similar proximities. It’s also possible he prioritizes winning over geography this time, since his message today mentioned the World Series as his main goal.
Photo courtesy of Paul Rutherford, Imagn Images
Zach Eflin Hopes To Remain With Orioles
Although Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin slumped to a 5.93 ERA during an injury-limited, 71 1/3-inning campaign in 2025, the O’s brought him back on a one-year, $10MM contract last winter. It didn’t work out for either side, as Eflin left his first start with elbow discomfort and had to undergo Tommy John surgery in early April.
Eflin’s contract includes a $25MM mutual option for 2027, but the Orioles are certain to buy him out for $2MM. That could end a hard-luck tenure in Baltimore for Eflin, but perhaps the team will welcome him back on a much cheaper arrangement. The 32-year-old would “love to stay” with the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes.
With Eflin likely to miss a sizable portion of next season as he rehabs, he may seek a two-year deal when he reaches the open market. Regardless, the team that signs him (assuming one does) will hope he goes through a smooth recovery and turns back into the capable mid-rotation type he was before lat, back and elbow injuries knocked his career off course.
Eflin isn’t far removed from a highly effective two-year stretch divided between Tampa Bay and Baltimore, which acquired him from the Rays in July 2024. Over that 59-start, 343-inning span, Eflin put up a 3.54 ERA that was backed by encouraging peripherals. ERA estimators such as xERA (3.36), FIP (3.37), xFIP (3.45) and SIERA (3.62) all looked favorably on his work. He also walked a mere 3.5% of hitters during that run, trailing only the Mariners’ George Kirby (2.7%).
Although Eflin doesn’t throw hard or rack up many strikeouts (20.7%), he has consistently shown an ability to limit free passes (5.7%) and induce ground balls (43.8%). Those skills have helped him carve out a long career as a starter since he debuted with the Phillies in 2016. His first couple of years didn’t go well, nor did the 2025 campaign, but Eflin pitched to a useful 4.07 ERA with similar peripherals in 949 2/3 innings from 2018-24.
While Eflin was barely part of the mix in Baltimore over the past two seasons, he’s one of three veteran starters the team could lose in free agency. Southpaw Trevor Rogers is a strong qualifying offer candidate who should draw plenty of interest if he rejects it and treks to the market. Righty Chris Bassitt, who’s also an impending free agent, is weighing retirement at the age of 37. As things stand, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz and Brandon Young are the only locks for the Orioles’ rotation in 2027. Trey Gibson, Luis De León and Cade Povich are a few other in-house options, but president of baseball operations Mike Elias will likely look for answers in free agency and on the trade front.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
Braves Select Danny Young, Designate Luke Williams
The Braves have selected left-hander Danny Young from Triple-A Gwinnett, 680 The Fan reports. In a corresponding move, the club designated infielder Luke Williams for assignment.
Young had been in line to become a minor league free agent, but he will instead remain with the Atlanta organization. The 32-year-old first joined the Braves off waivers from the Mariners in August 2022. After he made nine appearances in their uniform through 2023, the Braves released Young. He went on to spend two seasons with the Mets, and he threw a career-high 37 2/3 innings and posted a 4.54 ERA in his first year with the team. However, Young tossed just 8 1/3 frames in 2025 before undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Still recovering from the procedure, Young reunited with the Braves on a split contract last December. He made his season debut on July 3 and did a good job keeping runs off the board that month. Young recorded a 2.08 ERA over a dozen appearances and 8 2/3 innings, though he did so despite tallying a matching number of strikeouts and walks (eight). The wheels then came off during four straight rough outings in August. While striking out seven and walking five, he gave up nine earned runs on nine hits – including two homers – in 3 2/3 frames. The Braves designated Young for assignment on Aug. 16 and replaced him with fellow southpaw Ray Kerr, who held his own down the stretch and became a feel-good story during the Braves’ two-series postseason run.
Young, who ended the season with an 8.03 ERA and 15 strikeouts against 13 walks in 12 1/3 innings, owns a 4.68 mark across 73 major league frames. However, he did throw 13 scoreless innings in the minors last season. He also experienced a roughly 2 mph increase in velocity on his sinker (93.7 mph) and slider (82.8 mph), his two main offerings.
The Braves are intrigued enough by Young to keep him around for the time being, but it comes at Williams’ expense. Although the versatile defender only played in two regular-season games in 2026, the Braves added him to their roster for their ill-fated NLDS matchup with the Dodgers. Williams didn’t end up seeing any action during the four-game series. The 30-year-old, who has been with the Braves since 2023, has hit .212/.272/.280 with two homers and 25 stolen bases over 350 plate appearances and 232 games in the majors. Williams will presumably clear waivers and become a free agent.
Photo courtesy of John Jones, Imagn Images
Diamondbacks To Retain Hitting Coach Joe Mather
There were questions about manager Torey Lovullo’s future after the Diamondbacks’ season ended, but they put those to bed when they gave him a two-year deal on Oct. 1. While the D-backs parted with pitching coach Brian Kaplan five days later, Lovullo’s staff will have the same hitting coach in 2027. Joe Mather will return for a sixth season, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports reports (via Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports).
Mather, a former outfielder who played in the majors from 2008-12, became a minor league coach for the Diamondbacks in 2015. He left the organization to become the Reds’ assistant hitting coach ahead of the 2020 season. After two years in Cincinnati, he returned to Arizona in his current position. Although the Diamondbacks have only made the playoffs once since then (their NL pennant-winning season in 2023), they have scored the majors’ fifth-most runs during Mather’s tenure.
Arizona finished sixth in runs and seventh in wRC+ in 2025, but it fell to 11th and 18th in those respective categories this season. Catcher Gabriel Moreno hit .311 and won the NL batting title, which is a feather in Mather’s cap. He also oversaw a resurgence from third baseman and offseason acqusition Nolan Arenado, who swatted 30 home runs for the first time since 2022. On the other hand, core players like outfielder Corbin Carroll, second baseman Ketel Marte and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo were less effective than they were last year. All three turned in above-average numbers, but the mercurial Marte had a stark drop-off (his wRC+ plummeted from 146 to 103) and served as a distraction at times.
Marte was MIA for the start of a series in Boston on Aug. 17, leading Arizona to place him on the restricted list. The club moved Marte to the injured list with left knee inflammation on Aug. 20, which occurred the same day he smoothed things over in a meeting with his agent, Lovullo and general manager Mike Hazen. Marte returned to play 22 games in September, but he struggled to a .683 OPS in the final month.
After the Diamondbacks finished 86-76 and fell two games shy of a playoff berth, Lovullo suggested he would no longer treat Marte with kid gloves. Meanwhile, Hazen said he hopes Marte, who will turn 33 on Oct. 12, “will overcome his consistent acts of immaturity.” Hazen listened to offers for Marte last offseason, though he didn’t find anything to his liking. While Hazen could do so again this offseason, Marte has full no-trade protection after earning 10-and-5 rights in April.
Assuming Marte sticks around, Mather will try to get more from him next season. With Moreno, Carroll, Perdomo, Arenado, and outfielders Lars Nootbaar, Ryan Waldschmidt and Jordan Lawlar also among position players still under control through 2027, Mather could work with largely the same cast next year. Hazen has publicly identified the need for a left-handed hitter, however, meaning there may be at least one outside addition.
Garrett Whitlock Diagnosed With Fractured Tibia
Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock capped off a terrific regular season with a quality September, but it turns out he worked through a serious injury over the final month of the campaign. Whitlock unknowingly pitched with a fractured right tibia, he told Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald.
Boston’s season ended in late September at the hands of the archrival Yankees, who swept them in a two-game Wild Card round matchup. Whitlock made his lone appearance in Game 2 and yielded three earned runs on three hits, including a Cody Bellinger homer, and a walk in 1 1/3 innings. The right-hander was diagnosed with a fracture when he underwent imaging after the series, per Starr, who adds he will not require surgery. While Whitlock will spend four to six weeks in a walking boot, he should be back to full strength in plenty of time for Spring Training.
The Red Sox’s staff helped Whitlock with pain management in September, but you wouldn’t know he was hurt by looking at his results. The 30-year-old took the ball eight times last month and didn’t allow an earned run over 7 1/3 innings. He fanned nine, walked two and scattered six hits along the way.
Whitlock dodged the injured list in September, but he had two separate IL stints as a result of knee inflammation and an elbow issue earlier in the season. When healthy enough to pitch, he was one of the majors’ premier relievers for the second year in a row. While relying on a sinker, slider and changeup, he notched a 1.72 ERA with a 29.8% strikeout rate and a 4.5% walk rate in 52 1/3 innings. Among 140 relievers who amassed at least 50 frames, Whitlock ranked fourth in walk rate, sixth in ERA and ninth in K-BB percentage. He also tallied a career-high 26 holds, giving him 50 since 2025.
Thanks to Whitlock and closer Aroldis Chapman, the Red Sox boasted an elite late-game setup this season. Chapman’s option vested after he passed a physical last week, setting him up to return in 2027 for between $13MM and $14MM. Whitlock, a 2020 Rule 5 pick whom the Red Sox stole from the Yankees, is still under control via the four-year extension he signed in 2022. The Red Sox will surely exercise his $8.25MM club option for 2027 in lieu of a $1MM buyout in the coming weeks. Whitlock also has a similarly reasonable $10.5MM club option for 2028.
Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images
Two Pitchers Elect Minor League Free Agency
A pair of veteran relievers have elected minor league free agency, per the MiLB.com transactions page. Here’s a rundown…
Ian Hamilton (Braves)
A few weeks after the Yankees non-tendered Hamilton last November, the right-hander landed a non-guaranteed, major league contract with the Braves. Hamilton did not make the Braves’ Opening Day roster, though, and they wound up outrighting him three times during the season. The 31-year-old made just four appearances with Atlanta and gave up four earned runs on six hits and three walks (against four strikeouts) in 4 2/3 innings. He was far more successful with Triple-A Gwinnett, where he posted a 2.79 ERA with a 27% strikeout rate and a 9.4% walk rate in 38 2/3 frames. Also a former member of the White Sox and Twins, Hamilton is returning to the open market with a 3.72 ERA and a strong 46.8% ground-ball rate over 155 major league innings. He has fanned hitters at a 25.2% mark and issued free passes at an 11.1% clip.
Rob Zastryzny (Brewers)
The left-handed Zastryzny debuted with the Cubs back in 2016, the season they snapped a 108-year World Series title drought, but hasn’t seen much major league action. Over a combined 80 appearances and 89 innings with the Cubs, Mets, Angels, Pirates and Brewers, the journeyman has recorded a 3.84 ERA with below-average strikeout and walk rates of 19% and 10.5%, respectively. Zastryzny threw a career-high 22 frames and logged a stingy 2.45 ERA with the Brewers in 2025, but a trapezius strain ruined his season this year. The injury prevented the 34-year-old from pitching in the majors and limited him to 11 minor league frames. When Zastryzny was able to take the mound, his average fastball velocity dipped from 92 mph to 90. The Brewers outrighted him on Sept. 21.
Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Anthony Franco
- Good evening, hope all is well!
- Sorry about the different start time, trying to get numbers down for the free agents on the Top 50
- Let’s get rolling
Jordan
- Is Chris Bassitt’s Toronto contract a decent comp for what Tyler Mahle might look for?
Anthony Franco
- $63M is ambitious for two good months — we’re not that far removed from him getting traded for Anthony Molina when he was making $10MM — but I imagine they’ll go out looking for a three-year deal not too far below this
- I’m skeptical it’ll be there but he’s got more support from the other MLBTR staff (especially Darragh) based on the finish with the heavier splitter usage
BrewCrewzing
- Will the world series participants impact the CBA? (I think 4 out of the 5 left would be considered small market?)
Optimistic Giants Fan
- While I doubt it will actually change much about the negotiations privately, if the Dodgers win the WS, do you think the league will use their threepeat as public marketing to push for a salary cap with fans?
Boom!
- 4 of the 5 teams remaining are small market teams (and then there’s the Dodgers). Do you see this as some kind of seismic shift where youth movements and developing good farm systems is now more important than spending in free agency?
Anthony Franco
- I don’t think it ultimately matters much in negotiations. Talking point, sure. If the Dodgers win, it’s a public point of emphasis for MLB. If anyone else wins, the PA will use it to argue that payroll doesn’t equal playoff success
- It’s all kind of disingenuous messaging. Both sides recognize that making sweeping conclusions off 3-5 game samples is silly and recognize the truth is somewhere in the middle
- Boom!’s question is a little bit different and I think there’s some truth to what you’re suggesting but I wouldn’t say seismic shift
- More so the continuation of what most teams have realized that FA spending beyond the superstars tends to be pretty inefficient so if you’re not going to play for the top handful of players available, you really need to be good at player development rather than trying to fix everything in the middle tiers of free agency
- But that’s more a hope than a strategy. Everyone would love to develop a World Series core internally. Most teams don’t and need to supplement with mid-tier free agents who have a lower success rate on average
Morgan
- Which guy will have return to MVP form in 2027, Julio Rodriguez or Ronald Acuna Jr?
Anthony Franco
- I think they’ll both be fine but Julio’s younger and doesn’t have the history of lower half injuries that Acuña does, so I’ve got a little more faith in Rodriguez to recapture an MVP ceiling
Bob
- How do the white Sox move forward from leading the AL in runs? Major investment in FA pitchers or Trades or development from within.
Anthony Franco
- Not trying to give you a cop out answer but it’s probably all three. Books are open enough that they can make a run at a playoff-caliber FA (e.g. Trevor Rogers or Freddy Peralta) while leveraging the middle infield talent in the farm system to see what controllable starters come available on the trade front
- There’s a little less internally coming up the system but they should stretch Grant Taylor out at some point (hopefully Hagen Smith can step into the multi-inning relief weapon role) and have more development time with Noah Schultz
Coping Braves fan
- what moves do you think Braves make in the offseason from a roster standpoint?
Guest
- Do you see the Braves moving some of their core players this offseason?
MrBill
- The Atlanta offense dwindled noticeably after the all star break and collapsed in the playoffs while their supposed weakness,starting pitching ,held up all season.Besides a new hitting coach what do they need to do?
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Corey Seager Undergoes Elbow Surgery
Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young told reporters last week that shortstop Corey Seager was dealing with a bone spur in his right elbow. Minor surgery was on the table, and it appears Seager went that route. Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports first pointed out an Instagram post from Seager’s wife, Madisyn, mentioning the procedure. Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, among others, has since reported the surgery happened on Tuesday.
It’s unclear exactly how long Seager was playing through the elbow injury, though Young mentioned it was multiple months. Seager had two separate IL stints for back inflammation and also spent time on the seven-day concussion IL. He didn’t miss time specifically for the elbow.
Seager was available for the final two months of the regular season. He certainly didn’t let the elbow injury slow him down at the plate. The five-time All-Star slashed .269/.332/.472 with 10 homers after coming off the IL at the end of July. His strikeout rate, which had been unusually high in the first half, dropped to a more typical 20.3%.
Injuries have hindered Seager over the past few seasons. After reaching 663 plate appearances in his first year with the Rangers (2022), that number has gone down in each of the subsequent campaigns. Seager has played in 102 games in each of the past two years.
Performance hadn’t been a question mark for Seager until this season. The solid second half wasn’t enough to make up for his brutal first half, and he finished with a career-low 106 wRC+. The uncharacteristic spike in strikeout rate suggested the persistent back issues hindered him over the first few months of the season. The aforementioned timeline from Young around the elbow injury means Seager probably wasn’t healthy at all in 2026.
Seager is only halfway through the massive 10-year, $325MM deal he signed with Texas heading into the 2022 season. He’ll make $31MM in each of the next five years. The elbow surgery is not expected to impact his 2027 campaign.
Wilson also mentioned that third baseman Josh Jung is not expected to have offseason surgery. He suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right hand during the final series of the regular season. Jung was plunked by a 94 mph sinker from Joe Ryan in the Rangers’ third-to-last game of the year. He initially stayed in the game, but was removed for a pinch-hitter when his spot came up.
Jung put together his best season as a big leaguer with an .827 OPS across 104 games. A calf strain cost him significant time, though. Jung has dealt with broken bones in the hand area before. He fractured his left thumb in August 2023. A right wrist fracture limited him to 46 games in 2024. The broken hand is not expected to affect his availability heading into 2027.
Catcher Danny Jansen had a bone growth removed from his right hand this week, relays Landry. Like Seager and Jung, he’s expected to be fine for Spring Training in 2027. Jansen also spent plenty of time on the IL this season, but not for the hand issue. A right forearm strain cost more than two months over the summer.
Jansen hit .203 with eight homers in 67 games this year. Texas leaned on veterans at the position, with Jansen, Kyle Higashioka, and Elias Diaz handling most of the playing time behind the plate. The Rangers’ catchers ranked 22nd in OPS. Jansen has a year left on his deal, but Diaz is a free agent and Higashioka (mutual option) is likely headed to the open market.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Jairaj and Jesse Johnson, Imagn Images
Reviewing The Athletics’ Young Hitters
The Athletics were hampered by several major injuries to an up-and-coming lineup this season. Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, and Tyler Soderstrom all missed significant time. An offense that ranked 12th in scoring in 2025 slipped to 20th in 2026.
The absences in the middle of the order opened up playing time for a handful of inexperienced bats. The A’s got a good look at several players who could contribute in 2027, even when everyone is healthy. Here’s a look at each young hitter and where they might fit in the plans for next season.
Bolte repeated Triple-A to begin the year, but quickly proved too talented for the level. He slashed .348/.418/.658 with a dozen homers and 17 steals across 37 games with Las Vegas. Bolte was promoted for his big-league debut in mid-May. He got off to an uninspiring start, carrying a .690 OPS into the All-Star Break.
The former second-round pick took off over the final two months of the season. Bolte hit .307 with eight homers and nine steals from August on. He scored 37 runs in 52 games as a reliable table setter in the leadoff spot. Bolte sprinted through the finish line of his rookie season with a .945 OPS in September.
Bolte wasn’t just a major contributor with the bat. He also posted 5 Defensive Runs Saved in center field. The strong debut campaign, and particularly the sizzling stretch to close the season, likely earned Bolte the Opening Day gig in center field next year.
After tapping into a bit more power in the minors, Kuroda-Grauer got a chance to earn everyday reps in the A’s infield at the end of June. He was tremendous over a brief sample, posting a 146 wRC+ across 21 games. An unfortunate below-the-belt injury cost him two months in the second half.
It’s a shame Kuroda-Grauer didn’t get a longer stint in the majors. His high-contact, minimal-power approach isn’t super popular in today’s game, but could fit nicely among the A’s sluggers. He also brings experience at second base, third base, and shortstop. Kuroda-Grauer brings the type of versatility the club has leaned on guys like Jeff McNeil, Donovan Walton, and Max Muncy for, but with potentially more offensive upside. He’ll probably open the year with Las Vegas.
‘Tommy Tanks’ joined the club after the All-Star Break. He recorded a .600 OPS in 56 games as a regular at first and third base. White hasn’t shown the typical power of a corner infielder, especially one with a cool nickname. He hit 10 homers in 76 minor league games this year. He went deep a dozen times between High-A and Double-A last season. White posted a .328 SLG and a .074 ISO in 195 plate appearances with the A’s.
The fit is difficult for White. Kurtz will soak up the majority of the reps at first base. Rooker is the everyday DH, with Langeliers occasionally slotting there when he isn’t behind the plate. Zack Gelof is locked in at third base after a resurgent 2026 campaign. White probably needs more injuries to get another look in 2027.
A foot injury limited Clarke to 40 games this year. He was the club’s Opening Day center fielder, but was sidelined from May through August. Even with Bolte’s emergence, the runway would’ve been there for Clarke to prove he could hit at the major-league level. He just couldn’t stay on the field.
When Clarke was available, he struggled mightily at the plate. He scuffled to a .409 OPS across 87 plate appearances. Clarke now has a 49 wRC+ over parts of two MLB seasons. He was still a plus defender in center field, but Bolte has cruised by him on the depth chart. His path to a big-league role is probably as a fourth outfielder/defensive replacement.
Cheating here a bit, as Cortes isn’t a young hitter. But he’s young in terms of MLB experience. Cortes earned his first opportunity in the big leagues in the second half of 2025. He broke camp with the club this season and spent the whole year on the roster. Cortes recorded a 93 wRC+ across 381 plate appearances, the majority of which came against right-handed pitching.
Cortes actually had a better OPS in his brief opportunities against lefties (.757) than in a much larger sample versus righties (.711). Those splits were flipped in 2025, so there’s hope he can be a viable platoon bat. The issue is his defensive limitations. Cortes posted -9 Defensive Runs Saved in 91 appearances at the corner outfield spots. He’s probably a DH-only option, but the A’s already have that spot covered. Even if he could play the outfield, there isn’t a viable platoon partner. Both of the starting corner outfielders (Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler) are left-handed hitters. Clarke, despite his lack of offense, might make more sense for the final bench spot.
Photo courtesy of Sergio Estrada, Imagn Images
Details On The Guardians’ Deadline Moves
The Guardians were abnormally active as buyers at the trade deadline this summer. The club didn’t make any big swings, but added three players who’ve played key roles in the postseason. Zack Meisel of The Athletic shared details on what went into bringing Jo Adell, Foster Griffin, and Nathaniel Lowe to Cleveland.
Adell came over from the Angels for catching prospect Jacob Cozart. The Guardians had pursued Adell for multiple years, per Meisel. The departure of Angels general manager Perry Minasian and arrival of John Mozeliak helped the sides finally work out a deal.
The 27-year-old Adell failed to replicate his breakout 2025 campaign in the first half of this season. He posted a 91 wRC+ with the Angels before the trade. Adell picked things up in Cleveland, closing the year with a .741 OPS as a mainstay in the middle of the Guardians’ lineup. The former top prospect was especially adept at driving in runs, racking up 32 RBI in 48 games with Cleveland.
Adell’s first taste of the postseason got off to a rough start. He struck out in his first six at-bats, with a walk mixed in. Adell narrowly missed a game-tying home run in the eighth inning of Game 2 and had to settle for an RBI triple. He tripled again in Game 3, part of a two-hit effort. Adell has knocked in five runs across Cleveland’s two ALDS victories.
Griffin emerged as one of the more intriguing arms available at the deadline after a stellar first half. In his return to the majors after three seasons in Japan, the lefty posted a 3.06 ERA in 22 starts with the Nationals. He was dealt to the Guardians for a four-player package headlined by left-handers Will Dion and Josh Hartle.
Cleveland was looking to bolster its rotation beyond Gavin Williams, Parker Messick, and Tanner Bibee. The club considered going after José Soriano, Trevor Rogers, and Tyler Mahle, per Meisel. Soriano ended up in Toronto, while Mahle landed in Atlanta. Rogers remained in Baltimore through the deadline.
Griffin struggled in nine regular-season starts in Cleveland, recording a 5.19 ERA. He’d been a quality start machine with the Nats, but covered more than five innings just three times for his new team. Griffin came through with a huge performance in Game 3 against the White Sox. With the Guardians on the brink of elimination, the lefty relieved opener Daniel Espino and wiggled out of a first-inning jam. He tossed 2 2/3 innings of bulk relief, striking out seven while allowing one earned run in the victory.
Cleveland executives thought they had missed out on Lowe, but were able to grab him from the Reds shortly before the bell sounded on deadline day, relayed Meisel. The Guardians sent young righty Alejandro Rivera to Cincinnati. Lowe was in the middle of a nice bounceback season. He put together a strong 123 wRC+ as a semi-regular with the Reds.
Lowe scuffled to a .650 OPS in Cleveland, but he’s been an important chess piece in the playoffs. Manager Stephen Vogt has faced some tricky lineup decisions against the White Sox. Chicago’s reliever-heavy approach has made it more difficult to platoon against them. Vogt went with righty-swinging David Fry in Game 1 against left-handed opener Hagen Smith, only to pinch-hit Lowe after one time through the order. He’s gone with Lowe as the starter the rest of the way. The veteran has reached base eight times in 17 plate appearances.
Photo courtesy of David Banks and Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images