Author: Deesha Thosar Rowan Kavner

<!–>

The New York Yankees had seven months to think about their fifth-inning collapse in Game 5 of the World Series last October. The Bronx Bombers dropped a 96.5% chance of winning the game, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rubbed it in their noses all winter. Los Angeles players said they were just waiting for the Yankees to make mistakes, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts felt that their challenging NLDS matchup against the San Diego Padres “was the World Series.” 

This offseason, both pennant winners added to their dominance (and payrolls) while maintaining their momentum. The Yankees lost Juan Soto in free agency, but they responded aggressively. The Dodgers went on a spending spree, with their future salary commitments rising to nearly half a billion dollars.

The Yankees are hungry to avenge. The Dodgers are ready to defend.

That’s the backdrop to this weekend’s highly anticipated World Series rematch, set to kick off on Friday night at Chavez Ravine. It’s a new season, with fresh starts, and yet both the Yankees and Dodgers represent two of the top five teams in Major League Baseball. 

There are the top storylines to keep track of as these teams meet again, and FOX Sports MLB writers Deesha Thosar and Rowan Kavner broke them down for you. Here are the six themes to watch this weekend.

<!–>

The Dodgers remain the talk of the sport this offseason as they continue hauling in MLB’s top talent. Their latest flurry of activity has increased their projected 2025 payroll to above $370 million, which clears the next-closest teams, while giving the defending champions perhaps their best roster yet. 

It all has many wondering what’s next, not just for the Dodgers but Major League Baseball.

FOX Sports MLB experts Deesha Thosar and Rowan Kavner weighed in on the Dodgers’ sweeping supremacy and how it could impact the future of the league.

Moderator: The Dodgers, coming off a dominant World Series run, have only added to their superteam and assembled one of the best rosters we’ve ever seen. It has the makings of a potential dynasty and has made them the sport’s biggest villains since the Yankees of the late 90s/early 2000s. Is this ultimately good or bad for baseball?

Rowan Kavner: The payroll discrepancy is not a good thing for baseball, but we also haven’t seen repeat winners since the early 2000s. There is still parity in the sport (for now), and what the Dodgers are doing also shouldn’t be maligned so much. Yes, they can outspend teams, but their success goes far beyond that. There’s a reason players want to go there. They’ve built a machine through spending, development and opportunism. 

The Red Sox could have paid Mookie Betts what he was worth, but they didn’t. The Braves could have made more of an effort to keep Freddie Freeman, but they didn’t. The Angels didn’t even try to match the offer for Shohei Ohtani that most other contenders would’ve gladly taken. I would argue the bigger issue is the lower payroll teams not doing more to field a competitive group.

Deesha Thosar: One way or another, what the Dodgers are doing is good for baseball — even if they are irritating 29 other fan bases — because they are prioritizing winning. To lean on what Rowan said, owners who are crying poor should either look at the Dodgers’ model and be inspired to change their own methods, or they should sell their teams to someone who will develop good players and find, at the very least, creative ways to stretch the payroll into building an exciting roster. 

What’s the point of punishing teams that are successful within the existing MLB rule book, while rewarding incompetent ownership groups, largely made up of billionaires, who are apathetic to winning?

Kavner: And to go back to the unfairness/competitiveness aspect, yes, it would have kicked up the Dodgers/Padres rivalry a notch — which I would say right now is the best in baseball — had Roki Sasaki chosen to join San Diego and face Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto rather than play alongside them, but can you really blame him? He’s trying to maximize his value while he has the chance, and the Dodgers’ spending and successful operation show players they’re serious about winning for the long haul. 

Credit to the rest of the NL West, too, which rather than crying foul is also still trying to win. The D-backs, Padres and Giants aren’t going anywhere. (Well, most of the rest of the NL West, at least.)

Do you believe Japanese ace Rōki Sasaki would have insisted on being posted two years early if he weren’t signing with the Dodgers this winter?

Thosar: Based on how this all played out, there seems to be little to no evidence that Sasaki was ever considering going anywhere but with the Dodgers — whether he was posted earlier or later. Los Angeles targeted Sasaki for years, and from his point of view, what’s the point of waiting? The Dodgers can help Sasaki develop his arsenal now, rather than the 23-year-old potentially harming his arm and increasing his chance for injuries by placing more focus on just high velocity. (Already, his four-seamer touches 102 mph.)

Kavner: I’m surprised he did it now, but I don’t think the Dodgers are the reason for that decision. Wherever he ended up, he was forfeiting a huge sum (at least for the next six years) by making this choice. At the winter meetings, even Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, had a hard time saying definitively why Sasaki didn’t wait two more years, when he would have almost certainly made nine figures. 

It sounds like, especially after playing in the WBC, Sasaki just decided he wanted to get to MLB as quickly as possible. Wolfe mentioned the tragedies that Sasaki has experienced — Sasaki lost his father and paternal grandparents in the devastating 2011 tsunami in Japan — have shaped his outlook on life. He knows there are no guarantees, so if he has the chance to do something now, he doesn’t want to wait. I can’t blame him for that.

What was the Dodgers’ smartest move this offseason?

Thosar: Loading up on arms. More specifically, adding Blake Snell to the mix and getting him to agree by increasing his annual average value (he actually received the highest AAV among Corbin Burnes and Max Fried) while offering the smallest overall contract within that trio. To further sweeten the deal, and perhaps get Snell to take deferred money, the Dodgers seemed to blow Snell away with a colossal $52 million signing bonus. The deferred money allowed the Dodgers to keep adding to build the roster on the margins, and they now have a rotation, on-paper, that is made up exclusively of aces. 

I view their biggest concern as their recent negative trend of pitching injuries, and that’s still something to look out for as Shohei Ohtani returns to the mound and Roki Sasaki begins his development in Los Angeles, but they have at least safeguarded the likely possibility of arm injuries by creating a significant pool of depth.

Kavner: Can I say enticing Sasaki for hundreds of millions less than he would have gotten on the open market? If we’re sticking to the more traditional free agents, though, I’ll go with bringing back Teoscar Hernández. It’s not that three years and $66 million is some sort of massive steal, but I thought he was the best outfielder on the market behind Juan Soto and wondered if he’d end up getting more from a team desperate to make a splash. 

As stacked as the Dodgers’ roster is, there were a ton of question marks in the outfield had he not returned (especially with Mookie Betts expected to return to the infield). Hernández, a fan favorite and seed-throwing joy in the clubhouse, provides stability to a group determined to preserve its championship mojo.

Is there any move the Dodgers made this winter that you didn’t like?

Kavner: I’m surprised they’re planning to put Mookie Betts at shortstop and not second base, but extending Tommy Edman with Miguel Rojas and now Hyeseong Kim on the roster at least gives them options if it doesn’t work out. It’s really difficult to poke holes in anything they’ve done. A+.

Thosar: This is nitpicking, but I thought the addition of Michael Conforto was weird to begin with, and then to give him $17 million was way more than I expected for someone who is five years removed from his best season. The deal would make more sense if they didn’t re-sign Teoscar Hernández.

What do you think is the ceiling for this team in the regular season?

Thosar: A lot of things have to go right (health, primarily) but in their best-case scenario, if everything is clicking on all cylinders, I’ll go with 105 wins. They wanted the pressure, they got it.

Kavner: They set their franchise record for wins with 111 three years ago; I’ll say 115. The team is absolutely stacked, but how many times will we actually see Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki all pitch in order? There are a lot of health question marks, but this is undoubtedly the most talented group they’ve assembled during their run of excellence. (I’m taking the over on 105.)

What seems more likely for MLB when the next CBA expires after the 2026 season: a salary cap or a lockout?

Kavner: Seeing how the discrepancies in payrolls are only getting worse, it seems like the latter. The players absolutely do not want a salary cap, although one positive with that would be a salary floor (which I think is the bigger issue). You’re not getting one without the other, and where do you set either when the highest-payroll teams are so high and the lowest-payroll teams are so low? I could see rules about deferrals getting modified, but this is probably shaping up for an ugly battle.

Thosar: At this point, I would be surprised if there wasn’t a lockout. The industry seems to be expecting it, which likely means it will be ugly, as Rowan alluded to. But I still think there are way too many moving parts with a salary cap that would allow the league to actually pull it off. 

A primary talking point in the next CBA will be the future of local TV rights, and there’s probably enough overlapping concern among MLB owners and players to find a solution that works for everyone (pooling all the TV money for both high and low revenue teams, for example) that will push the possibility of a salary cap to the CBA after this next one.

So, could you see the players possibly caving on a salary cap if it meant avoiding being locked out for a full season? The ghost of Marvin Miller eagerly awaits your answers.

Thosar: Things could change, but I don’t think all 30 owners are aligned on wanting a salary cap well enough to be able to pull off that kind of ultimatum.

Kavner: If the owners make a salary cap a hard stance, any number of missed games will be possible. It’s just too early to know at this point how far owners are going to go with that demand, and that gets back to the griping about what the Dodgers are doing. We still have two seasons before we know how this is going to play out (although we’ll rightfully be talking about this throughout the 2026 season). So, enjoy next season, everyone! I promise there will still be 11 teams other than the Dodgers who’ll get a chance to play in October.

Thosar: Especially because Rob Manfred & Co. made it easier for small-market, low-revenue teams to sneak into October when they expanded the playoffs. Superteams going for it and inviting public pressure to be successful is fun to talk about, right? Right!

Kavner: If the Padres beat the Dodgers in the NLDS, which many expected to happen, how much are we talking about demands to fix the game?

Thosar: Well, I think the damage is done in that sense. Whether or not the Dodgers repeat as champions, the calls to fix the game have been put in motion by the way they conducted their offseason and the previous one. The league will remember their exorbitant spending, including the topic of deferrals, either way.

Kavner: That’s fair. The deferrals are significant and noteworthy, but if other teams want to offer exceptionally high signing bonuses to get players to agree to defer some money, by all means, they’re free to do so. The highest payroll in the sport doesn’t always win the World Series, we haven’t seen a repeat championship winner since 2000, and until a new CBA is put in place, there’s not much to do about it other than try to field a competitive roster. 

The D-backs made the World Series with a payroll that ranked in the bottom half of the sport two years ago. That’s not a sustainable recipe for success, but they saw the possibilities when you secure a spot in the dance, and they’ve spent the past couple of years spending enough to stay relevant. Not every deal has worked out, but they’re going to be a formidable group in 2025. More teams should follow suit. Or sell to someone who will try harder.

Rowan Kavner covers the Dodgers and NL West for FOX Sports. He previously was the Dodgers’ editor of digital and print publications. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

–>

---

---

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

<!–>

With Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell and Max Fried having already made their decisions in free agency, the top pitcher remaining on the market presents an unconventional case.

Money won’t play much of a factor in the decision for Rōki Sasaki, who has reportedly narrowed down his destination to three contenders — the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays — but can’t take anything more than a team’s international bonus pool money. Beyond Sasaki, though, there are plenty of more standard free agents left on the board for teams to fill their needs, pitching or otherwise.

Three of the top sluggers on the market, Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso and Anthony Santander, remain unsigned. Tanner Scott, the top closer in free agency, has also yet to sign and could ignite a slow relief market once he makes his decision. In addition, helpful depth pieces remain available both on the mound and in the field.

Certainly, money will play a factor in every player’s decision. But as far as team fits go, Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar identify the best landing spots for 10 of the most intriguing free agents still on the board.

10. SP Max Scherzer: Washington Nationals

Not one starting pitcher in the Nationals’ projected rotation is older than 27, and while MacKenzie Gore has shown promising swing-and-miss stuff, the staff is green and largely unproven. Those arms could really use some veteran leadership to take them to the next level. So, why not welcome a reunion with Scherzer, who spent the bulk of his prime with the Nationals?

The market for starters has been incredibly expensive this winter, and Washington was never expected to be competitive for top-end arms. Scherzer’s age and myriad injuries last year (back surgery, shoulder pain, hamstring injury) should bring his price down to a range the Nationals are comfortable spending. And even if he needs to spend some time on the injured list again, his insight and experience in the game are invaluable, particularly for a Nationals team that should be competitive enough to push for a wild-card berth given their exciting young offensive core. Don’t forget, Scherzer can still pitch. He had a sub-4.00 ERA and low walk rate when he was healthy enough to be on the mound for the Rangers last year — and the Nationals would happily take that kind of performance. 

If 2025 is Scherzer’s swan song before Cooperstown, a homecoming with the Nationals could be something that works wonders for both sides. They could even retire his jersey while he’s on the mound. — Thosar

9. SP Nick Pivetta: Atlanta Braves

A year after the Chris Sale renaissance, could the Braves get the best out of another former Red Sox starter? Max Fried and Charlie Morton are gone. Spencer Strider will be back, but unlikely by Opening Day. Sale was the best pitcher in the National League last year, but the 2024 season was the first time he logged more than 20 starts since 2019. It was also the first time Reynaldo López was a full-time starter in four years, and his body started to wear down late in a terrific return to the rotation. The Braves should be excited about the follow-up campaign for Spencer Schwellenbach, and it’s more than reasonable to expect AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep or one of their young arms to take a leap forward. Still, this is a team that has done nothing of note this offseason and could use more depth to complete a thinned-out rotation.

If the Braves want to keep the honor of the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the majors, Pivetta would help. He pitched much better in 2024 than his 6-12 record or 4.14 ERA would indicate (his expected ERA was 3.51), putting together the 10th-best K/BB ratio among all starters with at least 100 innings. The qualifying offer he rejected could be a hold-up in finding a new team, but perhaps the Braves — who will be getting a compensation pick after Fried went to the Yankees — would be a willing suitor. — Kavner

8. RP Carlos Estévez: Arizona Diamondbacks

After shocking the industry with the Corbin Burnes signing, the D-backs need to shore up their bullpen depth before spring training rolls around. Their relievers recorded a 4.41 bullpen ERA that ranked 25th in baseball last year and now that they lost Paul Sewald to free agency, the need to supplement the relief corps with a top closer or setup man is pretty apparent. Lucky for them, Estévez is flying a bit under the radar while Tanner Scott remains unsigned. But the former Angels and Phillies closer could be a steal for the cost-conscious D-backs. 

A two- or three-year deal with the 32-year-old Estévez should only cost the D-backs around $9-10 million per year, whereas Scott is likely looking for a deal with an AAV upwards of $10 million. Estévez’s 57 saves and 3.22 ERA since 2023 indicate that he’ll provide the back-end reliability they need to contend in 2025. Arizona has solid internal bullpen options like southpaw A.J. Puk and right-handers Justin Martinez and Kevin Ginkel, but general manager Mike Hazen indicated at December’s winter meetings that he’d like to add someone else to the mix. Estévez’s hard-throwing, high-leverage experience should be the answer. — Thosar

7. INF Ha-Seong Kim: New York Yankees

Despite the flurry of needle-moving additions the Yankees made after they lost Juan Soto to the Mets, they still have a major hole in the infield following the departure of longtime second baseman Gleyber Torres. The Bronx Bombers need more guys who can get on base and create runs, and that’s where Kim can come in and put his savvy baserunning to use. Plus, his excellent plate discipline (18.6% chase rate in the 98th percentile, per Baseball Savant) will do wonders if he’s batting alongside Aaron Judge.

Kim’s high baseball IQ and defensive versatility and prowess would be a breath of fresh air for a Yankees team that ranked 30th in FanGraphs’ baserunning metrics in 2024 and routinely suffered from defensive miscues, poor fundamentals, and mental lapses in the infield (see: the World Series). The Yankees don’t need more flashy free-agent signings now; they need a dynamic jack-of-all-trades Gold Glover like Kim who can quietly transform their offensive production. — Thosar

6. OF Jurickson Profar: Kansas City Royals

A more traditional slugger in the middle of the order wouldn’t hurt, but in the cavernous domain of Kauffman Stadium, a player who can get on base at a high clip and lengthen the lineup might be more important to help jump-start the Royals offense. Adding Jonathan India was a start, but more needs to be done for a team that last year ranked 19th in on-base percentage and had the second-lowest OPS out of the leadoff spot. More specifically, they need more pop in an outfield that ranked in the bottom two in every slash-line category last season. Profar should provide a boost in every regard.

While his breakout season seemed to come out of nowhere at age 31, it wasn’t just luck. Profar hit the ball harder than ever before and chased and whiffed less than ever before. Whether Profar can replicate his power numbers remains to be seen, but he has always been someone with a keen eye for the strike zone and would represent a difference-making upgrade from the pieces in place. — Kavner

5. RP Tanner Scott: Chicago Cubs

All 30 teams could use a reliever of Scott’s caliber at the back end of the bullpen. So, sure, the odds might be better that the most coveted closer on the market ends up with the Dodgers or Mets — who are both interested in Scott — than the Cubs, who finally got the superstar they’ve needed only to now be arguing over a couple million dollars in arbitration with Kyle Tucker. They’ve yet to open up the pocketbooks in a significant way this winter, but they’re now off Cody Bellinger’s contract and should have considerable room to add before they even approach their 2024 payroll or the first CBT threshold. It would be inexcusable to save all that money and end up with Matthew Boyd as their biggest pitching addition.

You could make the argument they’d be better off using the extra room to continue making depth moves rather than one big reliever splash, but given how uncertain the closer role was last season, Scott could help balance a righty-heavy bullpen that needs more proven commodities and help take the late-inning weight off 23-year-old Porter Hodge. If they only have Tucker for one season, it’s especially important that they strike now as they seek to end their four-year playoff drought in a winnable division. — Kavner

4. SP Jack Flaherty: Detroit Tigers

The emergence of Tarik Skubal as a Certified Ace™ (and of course, reigning AL Cy Young/triple crown winner) is a source of luxury for the Tigers rotation, but their magical postseason run was cut short, in part, because they severely lacked a dependable, experienced arm behind Skubal. Now, Detroit only has to look as far back as last summer to find a solution in Flaherty. 

He thrived alongside Skubal in the four months he spent in Motown, posting a 2.95 ERA before being traded to the Dodgers. The Tigers need a more reliable 1-2 punch in their staff to make the most of their exciting, youth-driven window of contention. Flaherty is the only free-agent starting pitcher in his 20s outside of Sasaki, and he’s coming off some really mixed results in the 2024 postseason. He was better for the Dodgers in the regular season and hurled a gem in the NLCS opener, so the upside is certainly there. The Tigers could point to his successful track record in Detroit and perhaps convince him to accept a short-term deal that would make sense for both sides. — Thosar

3. OF Anthony Santander: Toronto Blue Jays

Santander is sort of the Alonso of the outfield market. It’s not a perfect comparison — Santander doesn’t barrel the ball as often and chases more (while whiffing less) than Alonso — but the two players both belt a ton of homers without providing much with their gloves or their legs. For the Blue Jays, though, Santander’s power bat fills a clear need. Toronto’s outfielders had the fifth-lowest slugging percentage in the majors last year, and only four teams hit fewer homers than the Blue Jays.

Toronto has been linked to several top free agents each of the past couple years and whiffed. This offseason, the Blue Jays have yet to extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or do anything to impact the power shortage that has held the offense back. They’re running out of time to strike with this core, but adding Santander would represent a meaningful step forward toward relevance. Over the past three years, only five hitters — Alonso, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber and Matt Olson — have launched more home runs than Santander. — Kavner

2. 1B Pete Alonso: New York Mets

The number of teams who need a first baseman with Alonso’s skill set are dwindling. The Astros and Yankees signed their answers at the spot in Christian Walker and Paul Goldschmidt, respectively. The Diamondbacks filled the vacancy left by Walker by trading for Josh Naylor. The Nationals traded for Nate Lowe and signed Josh Bell.

The Giants and Mariners could both use the right-handed power at first base, but San Francisco already forfeited its second- and fifth-highest selections in the 2025 draft after signing Willy Adames, who had a qualifying offer attached. If the Giants signed Alonso, they’d also forfeit their third- and sixth-highest selections after exceeding the luxury-tax threshold last year at a time when their farm system could use an injection of talent. The Mariners seem unlikely to pay what would be required for Alonso, and if he signs a short-term deal to re-establish his value — say, a structure similar to Cody Bellinger’s last year — it’s unlikely that T-Mobile Park would be an attractive venue. 

The Mets might be better off signing Alex Bregman and bumping Mark Vientos to first base, but as currently constructed, a return to Queens for Alonso seems like the logical fit. — Kavner

1. 3B Alex Bregman: Boston Red Sox

Just like last year, when we all thought Juan Soto would flourish with Yankee Stadium’s short porch, Bregman and the Green Monster have always seemed like a perfect match. Boston’s lefty-heavy lineup needs a power-mashing righty to take advantage of that towering left field, and Bregman’s penchant for crushing home runs over the Crawford Boxes should translate well at Fenway Park. He’d also represent a notable defensive upgrade at third base over Rafael Devers, who could slide over to first or DH. Moreover,  he Red Sox would get the public-facing, face-of-the-franchise competitor they’ve been seeking long term.

Bregman is five years removed from his best season (41 home runs, 1.1015 OPS, 8.9 bWAR) in 2019, and has racked up a lot of mileage before entering free agency (he’ll reach 5,000 career plate appearances sometime in May 2025). But he remains one of the top all-around players and one of the few remaining available difference-makers in baseball. The Red Sox have the capital — and perhaps even the desperation — to get this deal done. — Thosar

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

–>

---

---

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

<!–>

The hot stove hasn’t cooled off during the holidays.

Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell and Max Fried are all finally signed, and each one of their contracts surprised to some degree. But which team negotiated the best deal between that trio? Which American League contender is having the best offseason? Where will Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman sign, and for how much?

FOX Sports MLB experts Deesha Thosar and Rowan Kavner weigh in on those topics and more in our latest roundtable.

1. Which of the big three pitcher contracts do you like best from the respective teams’ perspective?

Thosar: Maybe it’s partly due to the shock of the signing, but I like the deal the Diamondbacks worked out with Corbin Burnes. Even though they weren’t linked to him all winter, Burnes’ residency in Arizona clearly made the organization a top candidate internally, and they capitalized on that advantage to secure the top free agent starting pitcher left on the market. The D-backs already had a strong rotation (Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery) without Burnes, and those supporting arms will decrease the pressure for him to uphold an entire pitching staff. 

The NL West, dominated by the Dodgers, is arguably baseball’s toughest division, and the D-backs needed someone with the top talent of Burnes (2.94 ERA since 2021) to become a viable contender. As far as the money (six years, $210 million), Burnes was always expected to earn at least $35 million per year on a long-term deal, and the D-backs deserve credit for being able to deliver.

Kavner: Blake Snell with the Dodgers. I didn’t anticipate Max Fried getting the biggest contract (both by years and total value) of any pitcher this winter. I would have been hesitant to give eight years to a 30-year-old with recent forearm issues, so then it comes down to Snell and Corbin Burnes for me, and while I give major credit to the D-backs for swooping in to add an ace to a pitching staff that needed an upgrade, I’ll still take Snell for five years and $182 million on the Dodgers over Burnes for six years and $210 on the D-backs for a few reasons.

For starters, Burnes can opt out after two years. In addition, the deferrals in Snell’s deal lower his average annual value to between $3-4 million less per season than what Burnes is making. Plus, the Dodgers get added protection with their conditional club option on Snell’s contract for a sixth season at just $10 million should Snell suffer a serious injury at some point during his Los Angeles tenure. Burnes is certainly the bigger workhorse, but the upside is higher with Snell, who stabilizes a Dodgers rotation that had a lot of injury questions and whose overpowering swing-and-miss stuff can make him the best pitcher in the game when he gets on the type of roll he was on in the second half of the 2024 season. He’s a game-changer in October like few others.

2. The Yankees and Astros have been among the more active teams this winter among American League contenders. Which club has had the better offseason?

Kavner: Right now, I would not project either team to be better than what they were last year. But you can at least see a clearer path toward that potentially being possible for the Yankees, and I think they’ve had the better offseason of the two teams. Christian Walker is one of the more underrated players in baseball and was my favorite first baseman on the market (at least for the next 2-3 years), and I also think Isaac Paredes should have a field day with the Crawford Boxes, but I would much rather have Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman than what the Astros have now.

That’s not to say what the Yankees are doing will make up for the losses of Juan Soto, Nestor Cortes and Clay Holmes. The additions of Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt don’t exactly ease my concerns about that offense without Soto, but the pitching upgrades give them the nod here.

Thosar: Both teams lost at least one star player this offseason, but the difference for me is the Yankees’ strong response to losing Juan Soto in free agency, versus Houston’s game plan and execution once they decided to trade Kyle Tucker to the Cubs and most likely let Alex Bregman walk away in free agency. After Soto’s decision to decamp to Queens, the Yankees pivoted by acquiring Max Fried, Devin Williams, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. Sure, we can go back and forth about the value of each of those contracts and how risky it could be to improve the lineup with two questionable/inconsistent bats, but the sheer volume of star players the Yankees added gives them the trophy for the better offseason when comparing them to Houston. 

The Astros’ big move was signing first baseman Christian Walker, but that was a necessity for a while now (they had among the worst offensive production in MLB at the corner infield position in 2024). Often, the team’s financial limits in free agency are forgiven just because Jim Crane has set the standard that he won’t go above a certain payroll threshold to win. In the end, the Astros are a weaker team without Tucker and Bregman, just like the Yankees have a weaker lineup without Soto. But New York’s fully committed response to improve the entire roster gives it the better offseason.

3. What’s been your favorite short-term deal thus far?

Thosar: This isn’t the sexiest answer, but I like the Tigers’ deal with Gleyber Torres because it works out for everyone involved. Detroit is gambling just $15 million on a one-year deal — and that’s just about how much Torres was expected to earn on the market after recording his worst career OPS (.709) in his walk year with the Yankees. The Tigers have the opportunity to improve Torres’ defensive shortcomings at second base within the backdrop of an exciting, youth-driven roster that exceeded expectations last season. 

As for Torres, he’s betting on himself with a prove-it deal to improve his value before he hits free agency again next winter, when he’ll still only be just 29 years old. It has always seemed like Torres would excel outside of the high-pressure New York market, and now he finally has the chance to improve his slugging (his high-water mark, astonishingly, was when he crushed 38 home runs in the 2019 season) and find his form again amid what is still the prime of his career. It’s a good deal for both sides in a world where overpayments are the norm.

Kavner: It’s one of Gleyber Torres, Shane Bieber or Walker Buehler for me, and I’ll go with Torres for one year and $15 million to the Tigers. This wasn’t the walk year he envisioned in New York, but if he performs to his capabilities in Detroit, this could be the steal of the offseason.

I thought the Tigers might try to upgrade at corner infield first, but wherever it was, they desperately needed another right-handed bat to both balance the lineup and raise its floor. Torres was a league-average hitter this year with the Yankees, but he’s a 28-year-old two-time All-Star who should have some extra motivation and a chance now to re-establish his value in a lower-pressure environment. He might never fully realize the upside many expected when he launched 38 home runs as a 22-year-old, but for just $15 million, it’s a low-risk chance that could reap big rewards for Detroit.

4. What are your best guesses for the teams and terms for Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso?

Kavner: I don’t feel particularly confident that either player reaches the $200 million mark, though Bregman certainly has the better chance. At 30 years old, he’s still a terrific defender who packs 20-plus homer pop with elite plate discipline. And now that a reunion in Houston appears out of the question, the possibilities are numerous. Any contending team with a need at third base (or second base) should be interested. The Tigers make the most sense for me as a fit, but I don’t anticipate their best offer will be enough. So, I’ll say the Blue Jays, coming off their massive 2024 disappointment, do what it takes to land the star that has eluded them and give him seven years and $196 million.

I don’t expect quite the same robust market for Alonso, given his defensive deficiencies and troubling offensive trends outside of his prodigious power. Now that the Astros and Yankees have already found their answers at first base in free agency, I think it comes down to the Mets and Giants for Alonso with a return to Queens ultimately in the cards. I could see this contract getting creative, but let’s say six years, $156 million.

Thosar: I have always expected Alonso to end back up with the Mets, and I’m not changing my answer now. The Mets know firsthand how pivotal Alonso’s role was in their 2024 playoff run — and even though he had a substandard regular season, his ninth-inning go-ahead home run off Devin Williams in the wild-card series propelled his club all the way to the NLCS. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns can try his best to take sentimentality out of the equation, but I think the emotional tie to Alonso might just push Steve Cohen to get the deal done somewhere around $130 million for five years. 

As for Bregman, the Red Sox seem like the ideal landing spot for the two-time World Series champion. He would likely have to switch positions and play second base in Boston, but a potential Bregman signing would make the Red Sox contenders in the AL East. I would hesitate to give Bregman more than five years since he’s entering his age-31 season, but I think if the Sox are desperate enough, going to six years for around $165 million could make sense for both sides, which would include a reunion with his former Houston manager, Alex Cora.

5. Would signing Rōki Sasaki cap off an ideal offseason for the Dodgers? Do you have any real concerns with their roster?

Thosar: The Dodgers signing Sasaki would make for a fantastic offseason for the club. They have already addressed several roster concerns by paying up for typical top free agents (Blake Snell and Teoscar Hernandez), further signaling to the industry that they have every intention to defend their title. And landing Sasaki through an unusual free agency, plus adding yet another Japanese pitcher, would send the message that they have cemented themselves as the premiere landing spot for overseas talent. 

The roster — mainly the outfield — would be more concerning if the Dodgers hadn’t reached a deal with Hernandez. But now, with Mookie Betts set for another move to the infield, the outfield looks like it will be Michael Conforto in right, Tommy Edman in center, and Hernandez in left, which makes for a solid roster construction that will in no way limit their offensive strength. The only concern they have left is making sure their arms stay healthy — and that can be safeguarded by adding more depth.

Kavner: It would make for an unbelievable offseason. There’s an argument to be made that even without Sasaki, a rotation featuring Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani might already be the best in baseball. Add Sasaki (and eventually free agent Clayton Kershaw) to that list, and it’s easily the most talented group in the game.

Now, talent and availability are two different things. Glasnow missed the end of the season with an elbow issue, Yamamoto missed nearly three months with a rotator cuff strain, and Ohtani, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin all didn’t pitch in 2024, so it’s hard to know exactly what to expect from the group. But if health is more on their side this year, the ceiling is massive for that unit, even after losing Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty.

The Dodgers already answered the two biggest concerns on their roster — starting pitching and outfield — by signing Snell, retaining Teoscar Hernández and adding Michael Conforto. You could quibble about their apparent decision to go with Mookie Betts at shortstop rather than second base or right field, but Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas provide some insurance at the spot, and they already demonstrated they can win a World Series with those pieces as the options at the position. I’d expect them to try to further bolster the back end of their bullpen before offseason’s end, but even if they do nothing else from here, the moves they’ve made have positioned them to be an even more formidable group in 2025.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

–>

---

---

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

<!–>

DALLAS — The Yankees didn’t get what they ultimately wanted. But there’s still time for them to get what they need. 

Despite October’s World Series run, New York entered the offseason with more than a few holes on its roster. The starting rotation might not have appeared to be one of them, but the addition of Max Fried gives the Yankees arguably the best staff in the American League. While it was a surprise that they guaranteed the 31-year-old Fried the most money for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history ($218 million over eight years), their quick pivot to a second ace could provide flexibility in how they address the offensive void created by losing the Juan Soto sweepstakes. 

That prompted the following debate between our MLB writers: 

Given what it would have cost to sign Juan Soto, how do you feel about the Max Fried contract? Could you see the Yankees being better off in the aggregate without Soto?

Deesha Thosar: Finally, Yankees fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the team has shrugged off the loss of Soto and moved on in a significant way. Brian Cashman revealed the Yankees weren’t able to go all-in on a competitive offer for Blake Snell because they were waiting to see how their payroll would be impacted by Soto’s decision. That ultimately cost them when Snell quickly signed with the Dodgers. So, it was smart of the Yankees front office to go right after Fried, the other top left-handed pitcher on the market, less than 48 hours after they lost Soto to the Mets.

I’m more surprised at the length of the Fried contract than I am with the expenditure. Giving an eight-year deal to a 31-year-old with a history of recent forearm injuries is certainly a risk. Fried has the third-best ERA (2.81) among all major-league starting pitchers since 2020, but the Yankees betting on him to be anywhere near that productive into his age-39 season is bold. 

Those extra years the Yankees tacked on to the deal, however, allowed them to lower his annual average value to $27.25 million, which means they can keep spending this winter.

Reading Cashman’s tea leaves, it sounds like the Yankees would not have been in the mix for Fried if they had acquired Soto. So, in that vein, the Yankees are beginning to improve their roster — in potentially multiple ways — without Soto. 

The rotation now consists of seven starters. In addition to Fried, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón figure to be the only mainstays, with at least one of Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman likely to be traded. There is no denying that the Yankees offense is worse without Soto, but they can bolster it by swapping an arm or two for an impact bat.

That’s where a trade for Cody Bellinger is beginning to make too much sense for the Yankees. Bellinger’s versatility allows the Yankees to plug him in at first base, center field or right field, and even though he’s no Soto (no one is), his left-handed bat figures to play well in Yankee Stadium. Bellinger is set to make $27.5 million this season and has a player option for $25 million in 2026, and the Yankees still have payroll flexibility for him even after signing Fried. 

Signing Fried alone doesn’t make the Yankees better off without Soto, but they’re positioned well to make a couple more splashy moves to try and get there.

Rowan Kavner: This is more than I expected for Fried, but in this post-Soto world, my brain might not work anymore. The average annual value is completely reasonable — his $27.25 million per year is just a tick ahead of what his rotation mate Carlos Rodón will be making — but the length of the contract came as a surprise as Fried enters his age-31 season coming off back-to-back years of forearm issues. 

That’s a long time for a starting pitcher in his 30s, particularly one with an injury history. Then again, the Yankees clearly felt like they had to do something quickly to save face in the aftermath of Soto’s departure, and they aren’t wrong. I would’ve liked Snell more for them, but after missing out on him during their pursuit of Soto, it certainly doesn’t hurt their cause to grab one of the top pitchers on the market, even if eight years is one or two more than I would’ve felt comfortable with.

Fried’s consistency is exemplary. His ability to keep the ball on the ground and induce soft contact has led to a 2.81 ERA over the past five years — the best mark among pitchers who have logged at least 500 innings in that time — and he has posted a 3.25 ERA or lower every year in that stretch. 

He was clearly in the upper tier of free-agent pitchers this winter, but for a contending team looking for a difference-maker in October, I would have slotted him just behind Corbin Burnes and Snell, given Fried’s inability to consistently miss bats. That has gotten him into trouble in recent postseasons — he has allowed 14 runs (12 earned) in his past three playoff appearances dating back to 2022 — but he did throw six shutout innings in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series while helping the Braves to a championship.

It’s still hard to imagine any non-Shohei Ohtani player being worth more than $700 million, but to be better in the aggregate without Soto, it will take a LOT more work from the Yankees this winter. I don’t see that happening without multiple impact bats, at minimum. 

They’d probably have to get two of Alex Bregman, Christian Walker or Teoscar Hernández to start building an argument. On the trade market, it also wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see them go after Cody Bellinger, given his ability to help in center and at first.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

–>

---

---

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

<!–>

We’re in Week 5 of the Juan Soto sweepstakes, and with every report, the Yankees appear more vulnerable to losing him. The Dodgers, meanwhile, are rumored to be weighing potential trades for at least three stars.

Speaking of stars, Willy Adames isn’t a household name but is by far the best free agent among shortstops. Where would he make the most impact? Pete Alonso is the top first baseman on the market, but would he be a better buy than Christian Walker? What position players and pitchers will be the steals of free agency? 

FOX Sports MLB experts Deesha Thosar and Rowan Kavner weigh in on those topics and more in our latest roundtable.

1. What potential trade target do you like best for the Dodgers: Cody Bellinger, Carlos Correa or Nolan Arenado?

Kavner: I’d rank them Correa, Arenado and then Bellinger. Correa — if the Dodgers and their fans can look past any lingering disdain from what transpired in 2017 — makes the most sense, even if outfield is the more pressing need with Teoscar Hernández hitting free agency and Mookie Betts supposedly moving back to the infield. The Dodgers moved on from Bellinger once when they thought his salary would no longer be commensurate with his value two years ago. I highly doubt their opinion changes now, with Bellinger set to earn $27.5 million in 2025 with a player option for 2026 after his power dipped and he hit just 11% better than league average in a more pedestrian 2024 season. There are more obvious fits for him elsewhere, where he can utilize his versatility and move between the outfield and first base. Plus, it’s easier for a team to patch together an outfield than it is to find an All-Star caliber everyday shortstop, which is something the Dodgers have lacked since letting Corey Seager and Trea Turner go and is now a bigger need than third base.

Arenado could get moved, and the Dodgers have long held interest in the eight-time All-Star, but they’d have nowhere to put Max Muncy after his strong 2024 season if they trade for Arenado and Betts is occupying second base. Plus, Correa was a more valuable player in 86 games last year (3.7 bWAR) than Arenado was in 152 (2.5) and Bellinger was in 130 (2.2). He has the most upside of this trio and would provide the Dodgers a lot more certainty in their infield. Miguel Rojas, Tommy Edman and Betts are capable of taking down innings at shortstop, but Betts is better suited at second, Edman graded out better in center than at shortstop last year, and the Dodgers have preferred to keep Rojas in a part-time utility role. They demonstrated last year they don’t need a prototypical everyday shortstop to win a World Series, but having one the caliber of Correa would certainly be a nice luxury.

Thosar: I’m going with Bellinger. Even beyond the sentimentality, the Dodgers will need Bellinger’s expertise in the outfield if they don’t bring Teoscar Hernandez back in free agency. The Cubs are reportedly looking to trade Bellinger after he exercised his $27.5 million player option for 2025, and that kind of financial cost is a big risk for a player who was beset by injuries in 2024 after a promising season in 2023. But the Dodgers know Belli best, and the former MVP is a better option than Correa (who is still hated in Los Angeles after his bad blood with the 2017 championship Astros) and Arenado (who’s coming off his worst career season). 

Arenado might want to be traded to the Dodgers, but do they want him? Max Muncy is signed through 2025, so they would have to shift him to second to accommodate the 10-time Gold Glove winner … but they also declared that Mookie Betts was returning to the infield next season. A reunion with Bellinger isn’t as risky or complicated as acquiring the other two trade targets.

2. Would you bet on the Yankees or The Field to sign Juan Soto? If the Yankees miss, what must they do to make this a successful offseason?

Thosar: The Yankees have to finish what they started and sign Juan Soto. They just have to, and the sky is falling if they don’t. Giving Soto a blank check in free agency was always a possibility when they traded for him in the first place, and after he enjoyed his best career season in the Bronx and took the Yankees to the World Series, presenting Soto with an offer he can’t refuse has become their only option to survive the offseason without angering the fan base. Soto was so clearly the missing piece for Aaron Judge’s Yankees, and the hope would be that if he sticks around, they might close the gap against the almighty Dodgers. 

It’s hard to imagine a Soto-less Yankees team having anywhere close to the talent needed to win the American League pennant, let alone win it all, what with ace Gerrit Cole being a year older and Giancarlo Stanton on the verge of playing in his age-35 season. But landing Corbin Burnes, Teoscar Hernandez, and one of Pete Alonso/Christian Walker would qualify for a productive offseason … but the Yankees run the risk of seeing those impact players drop off the board while they wait it out for Soto.

Kavner: While Soto has to be the top priority for the Yankees (who remain among the few favorites to sign the unquestioned top player on the market), I’m going with the field, especially after hearing Hal Steinbrenner’s uncertainty following his meeting with Soto. If they don’t land him, they better get to work quickly trying to save the offense. A successful offseason would require at least two impact bats, one of which has to be a corner infielder. And even then, it might also take a difference-making starter to prevent bedlam in the Bronx. 

One of Christian Walker or Alex Bregman would make a lot of sense, but Soto’s absence would also open a door in the outfield, where Teoscar Hernández or Anthony Santander linger as the top options behind Soto. A trade for someone such as Cody Bellinger, who can play both center and first, would also be in play. I want to make clear: keeping Soto is and should be the top priority. But if they could land two of those players and get Corbin Burnes or Max Fried, it might not fully make up for losing Soto, but it would provide plenty more optimism, help them save face and still cost less than what Soto will make.

3. Which team would Willy Adames make the biggest difference for? What would be your max offer for him?

Kavner: The San Francisco Giants.  I have a hard time believing they won’t try to do something substantial to start the Buster Posey era, especially after their whiffs for big-ticket players in recent offseasons. Even if they do reduce payroll in 2025, as it sounds like they might, they have $30 million that they now won’t be paying Blake Snell next year. This is an offense that desperately needs a difference-making piece in the middle of the order to contend again, and the Giants could also use the help up the middle defensively. 

Posey already made it clear at the GM meetings that finding a shortstop is a priority this winter, and Adames checks every box. He knocked in more runs than any shortstop in the majors this year, ranks third among all shortstops in homers over the past three seasons and plays plus defense. His presence would allow Tyler Fitzgerald to bump over to second base after his breakout rookie season. I’d expect Adames’ deal to look closer to Dansby Swanson’s than Trea Turner’s or Xander Bogaerts’. So, let’s say seven years, $182 million for my max offer.

Thosar: The Mets. Hear me out … Adames is reportedly willing to change positions if the team is a good fit for him. Since Francisco Lindor will be holding it down at short for the Mets for the next seven years, Adames would make sense in New York at either third or second base — regardless of whether they sign Juan Soto and/or keep Pete Alonso in Queens. Without the Polar Bear, Mark Vientos will likely shift to first, and the Mets could use Adames at third. Even if Alonso is re-signed, then Vientos will presumably stay at third, and Adames can take over at second base while Jeff McNeil shifts to the outfield. If Soto becomes a Met, that could limit how much the front office is willing to spend on Adames. But since finances are abundant in Steve Cohen’s neighborhood, signing Soto shouldn’t entirely stop David Stearns and company from going for it. 

Adames and Lindor could team up to create the top middle infield in the National League, rivaled only by the Rangers pairing of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien across MLB. Depending on how desperate teams are, I wouldn’t go higher than $180 million, seven years for Adames, who set career highs in home runs (32), RBIs (112), and doubles (33) in his best major-league season in 2024. Realistically, I think he ends up signing in the $150-160 million range.

4. What’s the better buy: Pete Alonso for $160 million over six years or Christian Walker for $70 million over three years? Where’s the ideal landing spot for each player?

Thosar: Alonso. Even though that’s probably one year too many for a potential Polar Bear deal, the fact that his future home is likely at designated hitter shouldn’t entirely scare executives from agreeing to that deal. Alonso has power that few hitters possess in the major leagues, and he’s been able to do it at a mostly consistent clip since his 2019 rookie season. Removing the shortened 2020 pandemic season, Alonso has hit at least 34 home runs every year, and Walker has crossed that threshold just once (36 home runs in 2022) since his first full season in 2019. Alonso is also four years younger than Walker, and has shown he can dominate in the toughest media market, too. 

While Walker has been consistent in Arizona, it’s entirely unknown if he can reproduce that production on a new team in a new city while entering his age-34 season. I still think Alonso makes the most sense on the Mets, with the Yankees being an ideal landing spot for Walker, who would be a solid replacement and upgrade over Anthony Rizzo.

Kavner: Walker. I think he’s one of the most underrated players in the game, and at 33, he’s demonstrating no signs of slowing down. In fact, his quality of contact numbers were considerably better in 2024 than they were in 2023. He was arguably MLB’s biggest All-Star snub this year after launching 22 homers in the first half, and even after his production dipped in the second half following an oblique issue, he still posted an OPS over .800 for the third straight year in his third straight Gold Glove season. Over those three years, he has been a more valuable player (10.8 fWAR) than Alonso (8.7), whose overall production has started to trend the wrong way.

Alonso can certainly still help a team that needs the pop, but a six-year, nine-figure deal for an inferior defender who has seen his batting average and on-base percentage decline the past two years would scare me. He’s a better bet to launch more homers than Walker over the next few years, as he has throughout his career, but I’m not sure what else he will reliably do better. Give me Walker for half the cost and time. Alonso in Houston and Walker in Seattle would make for great fits, though I’m not sure either will fork over the cash required to get them. Walker would be a great fit for the Yankees, too, so (going back to question No. 2) that’s a player they would probably need to be in on if they don’t get Soto.

5. Who is one position player and pitcher you predict will be a steal for the teams that sign them?

Kavner: Speaking of Walker, I’d expect him at his age to probably get a 2-3 year deal. For all the aforementioned reasons, I think he will be a steal in that shorter timeframe. There’s still a lot of juice in that bat — he has had an OPS+ over 120 in each of the past three seasons — and the elite defense provides a high floor. 

For the pitcher, I assume it’s unfair to pick Roki Sasaki here (as long as he stays healthy, he should far outpace the capped salary he’s set to get as an international amateur). So, let’s go with Shane Bieber. It was an unfortunate situation for him injuring his elbow and undergoing Tommy John surgery right before free agency. That will surely depress the earnings on his next contract and add risk for any team signing him, but it also creates a fascinating buy-low opportunity on a former Cy Young Award winner who saw his strikeout rate skyrocket in two dazzling starts before being sidelined. It will require patience for any interested buyer, but the reward could be significant.

Thosar: Gleyber Torres and Walker Buehler. Torres was shrouded by superstars and the bright lights in the Bronx, getting heavily criticized (often, rightfully so) for misplays and sluggish decision-making in some of the Yankees’ biggest moments. Though he had a down year in 2024, he’s a two-time All Star, is only 27 years old, and has a career OPS+ of 112. It has always seemed like he would thrive in the right city, and I think he’ll end up being an under-the-radar difference-maker for whatever club signs him. 

As for Buehler, it looks like his revenge era is just getting started after the dominance he showed in big-time October and World Series moments for the Dodgers. He seems to operate with a chip on his shoulder after the injuries that sidelined him, and he found new ways to be effective with a nasty knuckle curveball even after his second Tommy John surgery took away some of his elite fastball prowess. Buehler seems like the perfect candidate to be a hidden gem.

Bonus: What do you make of Rob Manfred saying there is “buzz” around adding a “Golden At-Bat” rule that would allow teams to use anyone in their lineup for one at-bat per game, regardless of where they’re at in the order?

Thosar: I had two words when I learned about the possibility of the golden at-bat: no thanks. This rule change would, in my opinion, mess with the integrity of baseball because it would minimize the importance of it being a team sport. Sending the best hitter to the plate in the game’s biggest moment takes away the opportunity for the supporting cast members to try and do something special and get their flowers. The unsung hero coming through is one of any sport’s most joyful moments. The idea that every hitter could be as critical to a team win would be negated. And then the possibility of intentionally walking Aaron Judge only for him to remain at the plate for a second straight at-bat because the Yankees would enact the golden rule is not only bizarre, it’s just plain weird. The golden at-bat rule just isn’t baseball. Hard pass.

Kavner: No thanks! For some background, this rule would allow a team to choose one at-bat in every game to send its best hitter to the plate, even if it wasn’t that player’s turn to hit. Fun idea, right? Sounds like something you and your buddies might throw around at the bar. If MLB wanted to do this in an All-Star Game setting, sure. I’m all for finding a way to spice that up in an otherwise inconsequential contest. But while I understand the effort to try to appeal to a bigger audience by finding ways to create more tension and make the game more compelling and exciting, this feels like a step too far. It’s a quick way to undo the progress made by some really great and beneficial rule changes in recent years and would fundamentally alter the game in a way that I think is too drastic.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

–>

---

---

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports