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Art Deco · 04-13-2026, 07:58 PM

We didn't waste any time getting the hot stove warmed up, making a couple of trades:

Although Kim is one of the better relievers in the league we were never going to pay him his projected arbitration award of $22M this year, so he was shopped and Milwaukee was willing to send us a good young SS prospect in Trinidad. He had a +10.2 ZR in 76 games at AAA last year, as he moved up level and level from A ball to start the year. The bat could be very good too - right now he's ranked 45/45 but he has 55/55 potential. He can also play an above average 2B and 3B so he'll be helping us somewhere.

While shopping Kim we noticed that Colorado was making Burress available, and it took swingman Yan to get him. The Georgia Tech product, the 10th overall pick in the 2026 draft, made it to the bigs last year with the Rockies and although he didn't overwhelm (232/278/408) he still has 3.5-star, 60/60 potential, great speed, and elite defense (he had a +5.9 ZR in 95 games for Colorado in CF). We already have a Gold Glover in center with Parker Meadows but Burress could play a corner and as a RH batter could spell Meadows against lefties. Or he could start the year at Durham. Either way, not a bad return for a pitcher we grabbed on waivers last June.

Awards season:

Gold Gloves: As expected Meadows won the AL CF award. Former Ray and current Dodger Shane McClanahan took the NL P award.

Reliever of the Year: This guy in the AL:

Not shocked he won, but surprised it was unanimous. And our rental Kim took third. The NL winner was also unanimous, Cincinnati's Jhoan Duran who saved 31 games with a 1.40 ERA and 74 whiffs in 58 innings.

Silver Slugger: No Rays winners.

Rookie of the Year: 29-year-old C Jin-man Kim won unanimously for a .263-20-68 season which was good for 5.2 WAR. Our catcher Ike Irish finished a distant second and our Lazaro Montes was fourth. The NL recipient was no surprise as Miami 2B Alex Lodise took 29 of 30 first-place votes after a .282-41-109 year which also earned him a Silver Slugger.

Cy Young: Cleveland's Ian Anderson won in the AL, he would have been unanimous but I voted for our Jessie McGee who did finish second. Anderson was 17-6, 2.72 with 206 K in 205 IP and 5.9 WAR. And Taj Bradley took third after winning last season. Speaking of Bradley he wants $36M/season so we won't be re-signing him. In the NL Philly's Andrew Painter was another 29 of 30 first-place votes guy thanks to a 19-6, 2.50 with 259 K in 209 IP.

MVP: There was never going to be any doubt as Baltimore's Jackson Holliday put up a 10.6 WAR season that saw him hit .350 with 29 HR, 118 RBI, 205 hits, 47 doubles, 30 steals and a Gold Glove. He was a unanimous pick as Baltimore swept the top 3 spots with Samuel Basallo and Gunnar Henderson finishing 2-3. The NL MVP is once again Jordan Walker as the St. Louis star was #1 on all but one ballot after a .314-41-117 season good for 7.7 WAR which followed up his MVP 8.9-WAR 2028.

November 24: Got a big offer from the Angels, looking to send us C/DH Logan O'Hoppe (who won the AL Silver Slugger award) for starter Hagen Smith and prospect Alec Blair. Turned them down of course (we can't afford to lose any more SP) but usually the deals offered are more down-roster players.

November 25: Arbitration day and we only had one case that didn't settle: Emmett Sheehan got $10.5M instead of the $9.6M we offered. Taj Bradley rejected our qualifying offer of course, so we'll net a supplemental 1st rounder in all likelihood.

November 26: An uninspiring international free agent class this year, a disappointment because I often like to shop in that market.

November 27: Added P/DH Kruz Schoolcraft, 3B Kale Fountain, SP Cooper Fulbright, and RP Hunter Watson to the 40-man roster.

December 1: A trade to beef up the bullpen:

The veteran Kerkering is heading into his final season before free agency so Philly was willing to flip him for a mid-level prospect like Ontiveros. He'll pitch in an 8th-inning role setting up Will Klein after saving 64 games over the previous three seasons.

December 11: The first big wave of free agents signed including our own guy Taj Bradley who unfortunately joined the Yankees on a 6/199 deal (essentially $33M/season). Also Framber Valdez to Atlanta (1/8.1), Brandon Woodruff to Atlanta (1/16), and 41-year-old Jacob deGrom to Boston (1/9.3).

December 13: SP Jordan Montgomery joined Toronto on a 2/40 deal.

December 14: SP Max Fried joined Seattle on a 3/52 contract.

December 19: The Red Sox traded Blake Snell to Cleveland and the White Sox sent Jazz Chisholm Jr. to Kansas City.

December 23: The Rule 5 Draft was held today and we lost one and gained one. The loss was 2026 first-round pick Kyle Johnson, a 2-way guy who mostly was seen as a pitcher. He hasn't really panned out and had a 5.54 ERA at Durham last year which is why he was left unprotected. Meanwhile, say hello to Cameron Flukey, a reliever we took from Toronto who is rated 50/50/45 with 65 stuff potential according to my scout but OSA thinks he could reach 80 stuff. We'll see how it goes and whether he'll stick on the big league roster which of course he has to.

December 28: A big trade for a starting pitcher:

We had been negotiating with Ni Guan, who pitched real well for us as a rental a couple of years ago, and were originally in the 2/20 to 2/24 range with him before he kept jacking up his demands. So we turned to the trade market instead and the Angels were looking to move Strider, who boasts 70/50/50 ratings. He had a 5.00 ERA last year but was the victim of a .331 BABIP and should be much better than that. He's signed through 2031 but we got LA to pick up $6M of his $20M salary for this year and next so he's costing us $14M per. In return we give up Horton, who would have competed for a starting role but was viewed as the long reliever he was last season, and Sephus, who's a very good relief prospect.

December 29: Philly signed former Oriole OF Colton Cowser to a 4/45 deal.

04-13-2026, 07:58 PM	#282
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,832	2029-30 Offseason: Part 1 We didn't waste any time getting the hot stove warmed up, making a couple of trades: Although Kim is one of the better relievers in the league we were never going to pay him his projected arbitration award of $22M this year, so he was shopped and Milwaukee was willing to send us a good young SS prospect in Trinidad. He had a +10.2 ZR in 76 games at AAA last year, as he moved up level and level from A ball to start the year. The bat could be very good too - right now he's ranked 45/45 but he has 55/55 potential. He can also play an above average 2B and 3B so he'll be helping us somewhere. While shopping Kim we noticed that Colorado was making Burress available, and it took swingman Yan to get him. The Georgia Tech product, the 10th overall pick in the 2026 draft, made it to the bigs last year with the Rockies and although he didn't overwhelm (232/278/408) he still has 3.5-star, 60/60 potential, great speed, and elite defense (he had a +5.9 ZR in 95 games for Colorado in CF). We already have a Gold Glover in center with Parker Meadows but Burress could play a corner and as a RH batter could spell Meadows against lefties. Or he could start the year at Durham. Either way, not a bad return for a pitcher we grabbed on waivers last June. Awards season: Gold Gloves: As expected Meadows won the AL CF award. Former Ray and current Dodger Shane McClanahan took the NL P award. Reliever of the Year: This guy in the AL: Not shocked he won, but surprised it was unanimous. And our rental Kim took third. The NL winner was also unanimous, Cincinnati's Jhoan Duran who saved 31 games with a 1.40 ERA and 74 whiffs in 58 innings. Silver Slugger: No Rays winners. Rookie of the Year: 29-year-old C Jin-man Kim won unanimously for a .263-20-68 season which was good for 5.2 WAR. Our catcher Ike Irish finished a distant second and our Lazaro Montes was fourth. The NL recipient was no surprise as Miami 2B Alex Lodise took 29 of 30 first-place votes after a .282-41-109 year which also earned him a Silver Slugger. Cy Young: Cleveland's Ian Anderson won in the AL, he would have been unanimous but I voted for our Jessie McGee who did finish second. Anderson was 17-6, 2.72 with 206 K in 205 IP and 5.9 WAR. And Taj Bradley took third after winning last season. Speaking of Bradley he wants $36M/season so we won't be re-signing him. In the NL Philly's Andrew Painter was another 29 of 30 first-place votes guy thanks to a 19-6, 2.50 with 259 K in 209 IP. MVP: There was never going to be any doubt as Baltimore's Jackson Holliday put up a 10.6 WAR season that saw him hit .350 with 29 HR, 118 RBI, 205 hits, 47 doubles, 30 steals and a Gold Glove. He was a unanimous pick as Baltimore swept the top 3 spots with Samuel Basallo and Gunnar Henderson finishing 2-3. The NL MVP is once again Jordan Walker as the St. Louis star was #1 on all but one ballot after a .314-41-117 season good for 7.7 WAR which followed up his MVP 8.9-WAR 2028. November 24: Got a big offer from the Angels, looking to send us C/DH Logan O'Hoppe (who won the AL Silver Slugger award) for starter Hagen Smith and prospect Alec Blair. Turned them down of course (we can't afford to lose any more SP) but usually the deals offered are more down-roster players. November 25: Arbitration day and we only had one case that didn't settle: Emmett Sheehan got $10.5M instead of the $9.6M we offered. Taj Bradley rejected our qualifying offer of course, so we'll net a supplemental 1st rounder in all likelihood. November 26: An uninspiring international free agent class this year, a disappointment because I often like to shop in that market. November 27: Added P/DH Kruz Schoolcraft, 3B Kale Fountain, SP Cooper Fulbright, and RP Hunter Watson to the 40-man roster. December 1: A trade to beef up the bullpen: The veteran Kerkering is heading into his final season before free agency so Philly was willing to flip him for a mid-level prospect like Ontiveros. He'll pitch in an 8th-inning role setting up Will Klein after saving 64 games over the previous three seasons. December 11: The first big wave of free agents signed including our own guy Taj Bradley who unfortunately joined the Yankees on a 6/199 deal (essentially $33M/season). Also Framber Valdez to Atlanta (1/8.1), Brandon Woodruff to Atlanta (1/16), and 41-year-old Jacob deGrom to Boston (1/9.3). December 13: SP Jordan Montgomery joined Toronto on a 2/40 deal. December 14: SP Max Fried joined Seattle on a 3/52 contract. December 19: The Red Sox traded Blake Snell to Cleveland and the White Sox sent Jazz Chisholm Jr. to Kansas City. December 23: The Rule 5 Draft was held today and we lost one and gained one. The loss was 2026 first-round pick Kyle Johnson, a 2-way guy who mostly was seen as a pitcher. He hasn't really panned out and had a 5.54 ERA at Durham last year which is why he was left unprotected. Meanwhile, say hello to Cameron Flukey, a reliever we took from Toronto who is rated 50/50/45 with 65 stuff potential according to my scout but OSA thinks he could reach 80 stuff. We'll see how it goes and whether he'll stick on the big league roster which of course he has to. December 28: A big trade for a starting pitcher: We had been negotiating with Ni Guan, who pitched real well for us as a rental a couple of years ago, and were originally in the 2/20 to 2/24 range with him before he kept jacking up his demands. So we turned to the trade market instead and the Angels were looking to move Strider, who boasts 70/50/50 ratings. He had a 5.00 ERA last year but was the victim of a .331 BABIP and should be much better than that. He's signed through 2031 but we got LA to pick up $6M of his $20M salary for this year and next so he's costing us $14M per. In return we give up Horton, who would have competed for a starting role but was viewed as the long reliever he was last season, and Sephus, who's a very good relief prospect. December 29: Philly signed former Oriole OF Colton Cowser to a 4/45 deal.