Category: Baseball

Shohei Ohtani has won the fourth Most Valuable Player Award of his storied career, which is an achievement stuffed inside another achievement.

Ohtani is just the second player in MLB history to win more than three MVPs, with Barry Bonds — who stands atop the mountain with seven MVPs.

Here are three other ways Ohtani’s MVP is historically significant — not just in baseball, but in all North American sports:

1. Four MVPs

Ohtani joins an elite group across the major North American sports with his fourth MVP, as well. In the NBA, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), LeBron James (four) and Wilt Chamberlain have as many or more MVPs as Ohtani. 

In the NFL, it’s just quaterback legends Peyton Manning (five) and Aaron Rodgers (four) who have managed to collect at least as many year-end honors.

Wayne Gretzky was named NHL MVP nine times, with Gordie Howe earning the award on six occasions and Eddie Shore four times. And in the WNBA, A’ja Wilson’s most recent MVP season broke her out of a tie for what had been the most in league history, and into the same company as Ohtani with four.

2. Unanimous greatness

While Bonds, Abdul-Jabbar, Jordan, Russell, Manning and Gretzky have won more MVPs in their respective leagues than Ohtani has, he has managed something none of them have: he has won four MVP awards unanimously. 

MLB has had MVP awards in both leagues since 1931, and on just 24 occasions has a player received every possible first-place vote. Four of those seasons belong to Ohtani, who also happens to be the only MLB player to unanimously win the MVP more than once.

This is not just an MLB rarity, but rare in North American sports. Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry is the only unanimous MVP in NBA history, achieving as much for his 2015-2016 season. LeBron James, while with the Miami Heat, fell short of a unanimous vote in 2012-2013, while Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal missed out by a single vote in 1999-2000. In the NFL, Tom Brady’s 2010 win as the New England Patriots quarterback provided a unanimous MVP decision, while Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson received every first-place vote in 2019 … and just missed a second unanimous MVP win in 2024 by one vote.

Wayne Gretzky’s 1981-1982 MVP with the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid’s 2020-2021 MVP — also with the Oilers — are the NHL’s two unanimous campaigns. The WNBA’s inaugural MVP in 1997, Cynthia Cooper, was a unanimous selection for her season with the Houston Comets, while A’ja Wilson’s 2024 season with the Las Vegas Aces was just the second in league history. And MLS has never had a unanimously chosen MVP.

Which is to say that Ohtani has more unanimous nods than every other major sports league in North America has managed.

3. Three-peat

Ohtani has also now earned three straight MVP awards, which included the 2024 season in which he became the first in MLB history to win as a full-time designated hitter. That puts him just one shy of Bonds in at least this regard, as the Giants’ slugger won four in a row from 2001 through 2004. 

But Ohtani is now tied with the NFL’s Brett Favre and the three NBA legends – Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird and Bill Russell. 

Favre won the MVP in 1995, 1996 and 1997 with the Green Bay Packers; Chamberlain was named MVP in the 1965-66, 1966-67 and 1967-68 seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers; Bill Russell won in 1961-62, 1962-63 and 1963-64 for the Boston Celtics, while Larry Bird matched the both those records in the 1983-84, 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. 

Wayne Gretzky is on an island here: of his nine MVPs, he won eight of them in a row, starting with the 1979-80 season, and ending in 1986-87.

All that is to stay that Ohtani still has worlds to conquer.

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The Mariners will try to turn their Game 7 heartbreak into championship fuel. The Astros are hungry to get back into postseason contention after missing the playoffs for the first time in nine years. 

The Rangers desperately need their once-powerful offense to find success again while their All-Star starting pitchers are still dealing. The Athletics have a West Sacramento problem. And the Angels, once again, are facing significant challenges to build a winning club under a short timeline.

After assessing the National League Central, our series continues with the American League West. Here are the biggest needs for a division that could feature cutthroat races between at least three legitimate contenders:

Teams are listed in order of their records, best to worst, in the 2025 season.

SEATTLE MARINERS

Biggest need: 3/4 of the infield

The only infielder left over from Seattle’s hard-fought postseason run is shortstop J.P. Crawford. Everyone else, including Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, and Jorge Polanco, entered free agency. But the Mariners came one win away from their first World Series appearance in franchise history, and they’d like to run it back. Now, they’re essentially at the same place they were during July’s trade deadline, before the front office added Naylor and Suarez to play first and third base, respectively. 

Re-signing Naylor should be their top priority. He was a seamless fit in Seattle, posting a 138 OPS+ in 54 games while adding the pesky attitude and competitive energy that the team lacked before the trade. Naylor, set to enter his age-29 season, is at the top of the first-base market alongside Pete Alonso, and he’s expected to receive plenty of calls from contending teams. So running it back won’t be easy for the M’s. But they should have the financial flexibility to have a splashy offseason — with Alex Bregman being another solid fit for their opening at third. 

HOUSTON ASTROS

Biggest need: Starting pitching

Sure, the Astros would like to re-sign free agent Framber Valdez, but I’m not convinced they’ll remain in the mix for their long-time ace when his price inevitably gets too steep. Valdez is the top left-handed free-agent starting pitcher on the market this winter. The highly-coveted 32-year-old would significantly improve the chances of any World Series contender. Recent history shows the Astros are comfortable backing out of a bidding war even when their high-profile players hit free agency, like they did with George Springer, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker. 

So if Houston moves on from Valdez, they’ll be on the lookout for a quality starting pitcher to take his place. I’m still expecting the Astros to pivot to top-tier arms, with someone like Ranger Suarez, Michael King, or Zac Gallen potentially being good fits. When healthy, Houston still has the pieces to be a threat in the division. This year they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Astros should be plenty hungry to get back into contention. 

TEXAS RANGERS

Biggest need: Pitching depth

The Rangers were among the top 10 teams in terms of payroll, and it helped them record the best team ERA in the majors this year. They’ve since lost several of those effective arms to free agency (Tyler Mahle, Patrick Corbin, Merrill Kelly, Shawn Armstrong and more). Now the Rangers must work to revamp the pitching staff and recreate the team’s strength for 2026. A rotation of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, Cody Bradford and Jacob Latz only works if their veteran starters stay healthy. And pinning their hopes on 38-year-old deGrom and 36-year-old Eovaldi combining for 50–60 starts again is a lofty, if unwise, expectation. 

It would help to add another back-end starter and bullpen arms to safeguard against injuries and bolster a strong pitching staff. But, as terrific as those arms were in 2025, the Rangers ultimately didn’t qualify for the playoffs due to a lack of offense. Their 92 wRC+ ranked 25th in MLB, pointing to a second-straight down year for a lineup that won the World Series in 2023. Marcus Semien and Joc Pederson are owed a combined $43 million in 2026, and they have to start pulling their weight. Ditto for Adolis Garcia, who has hit below-league average for the past two seasons. The Rangers can stock up on excellent pitching all they want, but they’ll need their lineup to bounce back to contend again. 

ATHLETICS

Biggest need: Starting pitching

The A’s were actually in a better spot at this time last year, because they were able to land an established starter like Luis Severino to pitch in West Sacramento. But, after seeing his results in the hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park, it will be extremely challenging to persuade any quality starter to pitch there. Severino went 2-9 with a 6.01 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 15 home games, compared to his 6-2 record with a 3.02 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 14 road games this year.

Career numbers will take a hit and future contract value will depreciate for any pitcher willing to take the mound for the A’s while they continue to play in West Sacramento. That’s not a great combination when the club needs an established veteran arm or two to lead what was otherwise an encouraging offensive performance from the young A’s lineup in the second half of the season. The A’s ranked 27th in team ERA this year, and it’s difficult to see that position improving in 2026.

LOS ANGELES ANGLES

Biggest need: Starting pitching

New Angels manager Kurt Suzuki and GM Perry Minasian are on one-year deals … and the team is not a contender as the roster currently stands. Coming off a 90-loss season, Los Angeles needs starting-pitching help to even consider vying for a wild-card spot, but they might have to trade one of their offensive assets to get there. And if they want to improve via free agency, shopping in the mid- to low-tier market range for starters isn’t going to be a significant enough upgrade to the rotation to make a difference in this division. So, barring some shocking and splashy moves, the Angels appear headed toward extending the longest active postseason drought in MLB. Los Angeles has missed October baseball since 2014. But hey, at least they have Mike Trout.

Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist 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.

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Two-way star Shohei Ohtani won his fourth MVP award in a unanimous vote for the National League honor on Thursday and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge earned the American League accolade for the third time.

Ohtani won the MVP for the third straight year, his second in the NL with the Los Angeles Dodgers after two in the AL with the Los Angeles Angels. All four have been unanimous.

Judge became the Yankees’ fourth three-time winner, edging Seattle’s Cal Raleigh with 17 first-place votes to 13 for the switch-hitting catcher. The vote was the closest for an MVP since the Angels’ Mike Trout topped Houston’s Alex Bregman by 17-13 in 2019.

Ohtani became just the second player to win at least four MVP awards, trailing only seven by Barry Bonds.

The 31-year-old Ohtani is the first to win in each league twice after getting the AL honor in 2021 and 2023. He signed with the crosstown Dodgers the following offseason and won NL MVP in 2024 during his first season in Chavez Ravine. He’s also won the World Series in both his seasons with the Dodgers.

Ohtani won all four of his MVPs in unanimous fashion with all 30 first-place votes.

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber finished second with 23 second-place votes while New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto was third with four.

Ohtani hit .282 and led the NL with a 1.014 OPS. He also had 55 homers, 102 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

The right-hander returned to pitching in June after missing 1 1/2 seasons on the mound because of an elbow injury. He struck out 62 batters over 47 innings, slowly increasing his workload while preparing for the postseason.

Ohtani continued to shine in October with arguably the greatest individual game in MLB history. He hit three homers at the plate while striking out 10 over six dominant innings on Oct. 17, leading the Dodgers over the Milwaukee Brewers to finish an NL Championship Series sweep.

Schwarber — who earned a $50,000 bonus for finishing second — was a finalist for the Phillies after hitting an NL-best 56 homers and leading the big leagues with 132 RBIs. The three-time All-Star played in all 162 games, anchoring a lineup that won 96 games.

Soto overcame a slow start to the season to have his typically stellar offensive output. The four-time All-Star — who signed a $765 million, 15-year deal last December — had 43 homers, 105 RBIs and an NL-best 38 stolen bases. He received a $150,000 bouns for finishing third in the MVP voting.

Judge, who won the AL award in 2022 and 2024, joined Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle as three-time MVPs with the Yankees. The 33-year-old outfielder led the majors with a .331 batting average and 1.144 OPS while hitting 53 homers.

The prior winner of back-to-back AL MVPs was Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and 2013.

Raleigh led the big leagues with 60 homers, the most for a player primarily a catcher. He started 119 games behind the plate and another 38 at designated hitter.

The 28-year-old also had a career-high 125 RBIs, leading the Mariners to one of their best seasons in franchise history.

Cleveland’s José Ramírez finished third.

Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo finished fourth in the NL voting, earning him $2.5 million annual salary increases in 2028 and 2029 along with the price of Arizona’s 2030 club option.

Reporting by The Associated Press. 

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Cleveland Guardians star pitcher Emmanuel Clase was arrested Thursday at John F. Kennedy Airport on charges accusing him of taking bribes to help gamblers win bets on his pitches.

Clase, 27, was taken into custody after arriving on a morning flight from his native Dominican Republic, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

The three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year is expected to appear in Brooklyn federal court later Thursday for his arraignment.

His Guardians’ teammate Luis Ortiz, who was also implicated in the alleged scheme, pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

The two pitchers have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July, when MLB began investigating what it said was unusually high in-game betting activity when they pitched.

According to prosecutors, the two accepted thousands of dollars in bribes to help two unnamed gamblers in their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on bets placed on the speed and outcome of their pitches.

They allege that Clase, who is on the fourth season of a $20 million, five-year contract, began providing the bettors with information about his pitches in 2023, but didn’t ask for payoffs until earlier this year.

Prosecutors say Clase often threw the rigged pitches on the first pitch of an at-bat, making sure to throw the ball in the dirt and well outside the strike zone in order to assure the umpire called it a ball rather than a strike.

During an April game against the Boston Red Sox, Clase even spoke to one of the betters by phone just before taking the mound, prosecutors contend. Minutes later, the bettor and his associates won $11,000 on a wager that Clase would toss a certain pitch slower than 97.95 mph (157.63 kph).

Prosecutors say Clase recruited Ortiz to join the scheme earlier this year and sometimes provided money to the gamblers to fund the bets.

Michael Ferrara, one of Clase’s lawyers, has said the Guardians’ all-time saves leader maintains his innocence.

“Emmanuel Clase has devoted his life to baseball and doing everything in his power to help his team win,” Ferrara said in a statement Wednesday.

Chris Georgalis, a lawyer for Ortiz, has also denied the charges, saying payments between his client and individuals in the Dominican Republic were for legal activities.

Clase and Ortiz are each charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. The top charges carry a potential punishment of up to 20 years in prison.

Following the pitchers’ indictments, Major League Baseball announced new limits on betting on individual pitches.

The charges against Clase and Ortiz are the latest gambling scandals to roil American professional sports following the landmark 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized sports betting in most states.

Last month, more than 30 people, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in a gambling sweep that involved leaked inside information about NBA athletes and rigged poker games backed by Mafia families.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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The family of the late San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler is exploring the possibility of selling the franchise.

The Padres announced the Seidler family’s decision to examine a sale Thursday. The club has hired BDT & MSD Partners, which served as an adviser on similar discussions in recent years to MLB’s Chicago White Sox and the NBA’s Boston Celtics.

John Seidler, who became the Padres’ chairman after his brother’s death in November 2023, said his family is “evaluating our future with the Padres, including a potential sale of the franchise.”

“We will undertake this process with integrity and professionalism in a way that honors Peter’s legacy and love for the Padres and lays the foundation for the franchise’s long-term success,” John Seidler added in a statement. “During the process and as we prepare for the 2026 season, the Padres will continue to focus on their players, employees, fans and community while putting every resource into winning a World Series championship. We remain fully committed to this team, its fans, and the San Diego community.”

Peter Seidler was part of a group that purchased the Padres for $800 million in 2012, and he became the team’s primary owner in November 2020 after buying out Ron Fowler’s majority stake. He quickly endeared himself to Padres fans with his aggressive spending in an attempt to win San Diego’s first major professional sports championship.

After the two-time cancer survivor died two years ago, his wife, Sheel, sued her brothers-in-law Matthew and Robert in an attempt to prevent John Seidler from becoming the team’s control person. Sheel Seidler alleged Peter Seidler wanted her to succeed him, but Matthew Seidler said Sheel Seidler’s claims were “entirely untrue, and we will vigorously defend ourselves against them.”

Peter Seidler, a grandson of former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, built the foundation for the longest sustained stretch of winning in Padres history.

San Diego has made the postseason four times in the past six years, winning at least 90 games in each of the last two seasons with an exciting roster built around stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. The Padres continued to win despite reducing their payroll in 2024 following Peter Seidler’s death, with general manager A.J. Preller maintaining the aggressive mindset encouraged by Peter Seidler with a series of ambitious moves.

The Padres won 90 games this year before losing a tense three-game wild-card series to the Chicago Cubs. Earlier this week, Preller introduced former Padres reliever Craig Stammen as the club’s new manager.

The Padres’ large, loyal fan base and their home, the well-regarded Petco Park, would be significant assets for a potential new owner. The club has set a franchise record for home attendance in each of the past three seasons while drawing more than 3 million fans for the first three times in team history, capped by 3,437,201 in 2025 — a record average of 42,435 per game.

The San Diego metropolitan area is among the top 20 largest markets in the U.S., yet the Padres were the only major professional sports team in town between the departure of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers in 2017 and the arrival of MLS‘s expansion San Diego FC this season.

Not every consideration of a potential sale leads to an actual sale in MLB.

Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno explored a sale of his franchise for several months in late 2022 before deciding to keep the team. Last August, the Pohlad family took the Minnesota Twins off the market and instead took on two limited partnership groups.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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A proposal to build a gondola from downtown Los Angeles to Dodger Stadium hit some turbulence this week when the City Council voted overwhelmingly to urge transportation officials to ground the project. 

The estimated $500 million aerial tramway would connect fans between the stadium about a mile away to Union Station, the heart of Los Angeles’ rail system. Supporters say the gondola would help fans of the World Series champions avoid nightmarish traffic, but critics point to a study that found it would do little to keep cars off the roads.

In a 12-1 vote, council members on Wednesday approved a resolution to advise the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to kill the project. 

Mayor Karen Bass must sign off for it to take effect, and the mayor has previously voted in favor of the project as a Metro board member. Her office didn’t immediately reply to an email Thursday asking if she will OK the council’s resolution.

A full council vote to approve the project is expected next year, but this week’s action is a sign that developers could face an uphill battle getting it built.

Backers say the gondola would be relatively inexpensive, it won’t cost taxpayers any money, it’s better for the environment than cars and aerial tramways are safe and quiet. They estimate that each ride would take about five minutes and that the system could move at least 5,000 people an hour in each direction.

When the gondola was first proposed in 2018, Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies, a company founded by former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, said it would pay for a portion of the project. The firm said it would seek private financing for the remainder.

But the nonprofit group Stop The Gondola says McCourt hasn’t released a full financial plan, so it is still unclear whether taxpayers could ultimately get hit with bills for building it or ongoing maintenance and operations.

The group says neighborhoods, many of them lower-income, between the train station and the stadium will be stuck with the “eyesores” of huge towers that support the cables that run the large gondola cabins. And there are concerns that construction could clog up traffic along the route for years.

Research from the UCLA Mobility Lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that the gondola could end up carrying fewer passengers than supporters claim and have little or no impact on reducing auto traffic. In fact, researchers said, many fans could simply drive downtown to get on the gondola, rather than taking public transportation.

The ultimate goal is to get people to take Metro buses and trains to Union Station. But that’s a tough proposition in sprawling, car-centric Los Angeles, where many people live in areas far beyond the bus and rail networks.

The Dodgers have called the gondola an “innovative project” that would improve the fan experience.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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In September, McAllen, Texas teen Ximena was recognized as Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s 2025-2026 National Youth of the Year. This puts her in a spokesperson role for millions of Club Kids, won her a $50,000 scholarship to help support her as her life after high school begins, as well as a brand new car and — along with the other five finalists — a robust shopping experience provided by Kohl’s. 

The most memorable part of it all, though, might be that Ximena was able to attend Game 2 of the World Series and meet a few MLB legends, thanks to FOX broadcasting the Fall Classic and their role as a partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for this award.

“Getting to go to the World Series in general is just a really amazing opportunity,” Ximena said, “but getting to deliver the ball is even crazier.”

Ximena, who has been a member of the Boys & Girls Club of America for nine years, recounted her incredible experience attending the World Series, delivering the ball to the mound and meeting FOX MLB analysts and baseball legends David Ortiz, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez — who, along with CEO of FOX Sports, Eric Shanks, is a co-chair of the National Youth of the Year leadership committee — while speaking with the FOX affiliate in Rio Grande Valley. 

“It was actually A-Rod, and David Ortiz and Derek Jeter, all of these amazing people, they presented [this award] to me from FOX,” she said. “It was a really good opportunity, it was an amazing experience. I wasn’t expecting it, but just to hear that more kids after me will be able to get scholarships because of FOX Studios and FOX production is really amazing, so I’m really happy about that.”

Ximena, who became a youth leader in McAllen through the Clubs’ “Think, Learn, Create, Change” advocacy program and even presented to the U.S. Congress as part of her volunteer work for BGCA, is referring to how the Boys & Girls Clubs scholarship system works in practice — it’s not meant to “just” benefit the winner of the annual award. 

Now that Ximena has been named Boys & Girls Clubs National Youth of the Year, FOX Sports Gamechanger Fund will set up a scholarship in Ximena’s name, allowing future Boys & Girls Club members to receive the same opportunities that she herself did. In fact, Ximena was a recipient of funds from the FOX Sports’ inaugural World Series Scholarship created in the name of 2023-2024 winner Alejandra, who was in the same Boys and Girls Club in McAllen, Texas — the idea is to give future members opportunities they might not otherwise have, and Ximena is proof of that idea working as it should.

“It’s really exciting — the more opportunities for kids and their impact through the Boys and Girls Club, and through partnerships like FOX,” Ximena said.

As Ximena said of the award to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America upon receiving the honors in September, this is about more than just the award, the car and a trip to the World Series, however. 

“Being named National Youth of the Year is an incredible honor,” she said. “My Boys & Girls Club wasn’t just a second home; it was the place where I found my voice, built confidence, and learned to advocate for my community. This recognition shows what’s possible when young people are supported and given opportunities to thrive. I’m proud to represent why America Needs Club Kids, because when we’re empowered to reach our full potential, we can change the world.”

The FOX Sports World Series Scholarship recognizes the accomplishments of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year, the teen ambassador for more than 3.5 million Boys & Girls Club youth across the country, and is granted to future Youth of the Year representatives of their hometown Club — honoring their legacy for years to come.

FOX Sports has been a longtime supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs at the local, regional and national levels and has made the Clubs a featured beneficiary of the Gamechanger Fund since its inception in 2020 at Super Bowl LIV in Miami. Presented to Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade, the Gamechanger Fund equipped the club’s youth to explore future careers in television, digital and social media production and enabled the organization to provide needed upgrades to its four teen centers. 

At Super Bowl LVII in Arizona in 2023 and Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in 2025, the Gamechanger Fund addressed local Clubs’ civilian and U.S. military-connected youth population’s life and workforce preparation needs while also granting the FOX Sports Super Bowl Scholarships to Arizona’s and Louisiana’s representatives for the Youth of the Year and Military Youth of the Year programs.

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So, does Paul Skenes want to play for the New York Yankees?

A Wednesday report from NJ.com detailed how a player on the Pittsburgh Pirates – who is, of course, teammates with Skenes – said that the superstar right-hander is “hoping for a trade” and has repeatedly expressed wanting “to play for the Yankees.” The report also stated that Skenes has “no confidence the Pirates ever are going to win.”

“I’m on the Pirates. My goal is to win with the Pirates. I love the city of Pittsburgh. The fans are hungry to have a winner in Pittsburgh, and I want to be a part of the group that did that. I don’t know where that came from,” Skenes said on Wednesday night about the report regarding his interest in playing for the Yankees.

“The goal is to win. I don’t know the reporter that reported it. I don’t know the player who supposedly said that, but the goal is to win, and the goal is to win in Pittsburgh.”

Earlier this week, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that Skenes “is going to be a Pirate in 2026.”

Skenes, whom the Pirates selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, is under team control through 2029. The starting pitcher for the National League in each of his first two MLB seasons, Skenes recorded a 1.97 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 7.7 wins above replacement and 216 strikeouts in 187.2 innings pitched (32 starts) last season, helping him win the 2025 NL Cy Young Award.

The Pirates are coming off a 71-91 campaign. They haven’t had a winning record since 2018, haven’t made the playoffs since 2015 and haven’t won a playoff series since the 2013 NL Wild Card Game. Meanwhile, the Yankees are coming off a 94-68 season and have made the playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons. 

Prior to Yoshinobu Yamamoto signing a $325 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, the Yankees held the record for the largest contract given to a starting pitcher, as they signed Gerrit Cole to a nine-year, $324 million deal in 2019.

Maybe Skenes and the Yankees will someday break that record together.

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How could arguably the best starting pitcher in MLB be available in a trade?

With now-two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal one year away from free agency and the superstar left-hander and Detroit Tigers reportedly having a nine-figure gap in extension talks, there’s an at least greater-than-zero percent chance that a trade could happen this offseason.

Of course, any potential trade offer for Skubal – even with the risk of losing him for nothing in free agency – is going to cost a team multiple top prospects and emerging young MLB players. But if Skubal is attainable for the king’s ransom, teams will be making the call. Here are three best trade fits for Skubal should Detroit entertain such a move.

As great of a season as the Blue Jays had before disaster struck in Games 6 and 7 of the 2025 World Series, that campaign came with a starting rotation that was 20th in MLB in ERA (4.34). Acquiring Skubal would take this roster to the next level from a talent standpoint.

Kevin Gausman was great in both the 2025 regular season and postseason for Toronto; Trey Yesavage was a breakout star in the postseason; having a healthy Shane Bieber and Chris Bassitt (if re-signed) will be crucial for the Blue Jays in 2026. Add Skubal to the mix and Toronto has an elite starting staff that will help them fend off the New York Yankees – who finished with the same number of wins as the Blue Jays (94) – Boston Red Sox and potentially resurgent Baltimore Orioles for the American League East in 2026.

Skubal, who dominates with his changeup, four-seamer and sinker, would provide an elite pitcher in his prime who throws gas to be the backbone of Toronto’s pitching staff. Skubal’s theoretical arrival also takes some of the pressure off both Bassitt and Bieber to be 100% during the season and Yesavage to build on his 2025 postseason. The Blue Jays could make a trade proposal for Skubal that includes left-hander Ricky Tiedemann, right-hander Gage Stanifer and shortstop and 2023 first-round pick Arjun Nimmala.

Why isn’t Toronto higher on the Skubal list? Despite their inconsistencies on the hill, the Blue Jays still managed to be two outs away from winning the World Series, and there are two other teams who came nowhere close to that potential feat. Plus, Detroit would likely require Yesavage to be part of any trade involving Skubal.

One year ago, Chicago’s starting rotation was a strength. Last season, it was a mixed bag, and adding a top-of-the-rotation pitcher is of the essence this offseason. 

Matthew Boyd was tremendous for the Cubs last season, and Cade Horton (2.67 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 23 appearances/22 starts) was spectacular in his first stretch as an MLB starting pitcher. At the same time, left-hander Shota Imanaga and midseason pickup Michael Soroka are free agents, and even if Justin Steele (UCL surgery) makes a full recovery, another arm is needed on the rotation front. How about a trade for the best left-hander in the sport?

Skubal recorded a 2.21 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 241 strikeouts in 195.1 innings pitched (31 starts) in the regular season, which he followed up by posting an absurd 1.74 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 36 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched in the postseason (three starts). He’s exactly what the Cubs, who were one win away from advancing to the National League Championship Series, need: an ace.

Skubal would put the Cubs in the Milwaukee Brewers‘ ballpark when it comes to winning the NL Central. Chicago can headline a trade package for Skubal around outfielder and 2025 first-round pick Ethan Conrad, catcher Moises Ballesteros and right-hander Jaxon Wiggins. There just happens to be a team in the Northeast that needs to make a rotation splash that much more than Chicago.

If Skubal can be had, the Mets make the most sense for a trade.

A benefit to New York’s historic spending under owner Steve Cohen since the 2021-22 offseason is that there have been few blockbuster trades, outside of Francisco Lindor. Rather the Mets’ biggest moves have been signings – Juan Soto, Max Scherzer, Starling Marte and re-signing Brandon Nimmo. In other words, because the Mets have primarily done their damage on the free-agent market, they can afford to trade from the top of their farm system (e.g. a trade offer based on infielders Mark Vientos and Luisangel Acuna and right-hander Jonah Tong, among others) for a player worth doing so like Skubal.

The Mets have a top-10 offense from a talent standpoint, but their starting rotation overperformed in the first half of 2025, and it caught up to them down the stretch. David Peterson has the potential to be a plausible, top-of-the-rotation arm; when healthy, Kodai Senga is a dominant force; Clay Holmes held his own in his first starter as a starting pitcher; maybe young right-hander Nolan McLean becomes a fixture in 2026? But New York, which finished the 2025 season with a 4.13 starting rotation ERA – 18th in MLB – doesn’t have a bonafide, proven ace on its staff, a void that Skubal would fill up and overflow. 

If Skubal, who will be 29 at the start of the 2026 MLB season, anchors New York’s rotation and its club bounces back from a cataclysmic collapse – they missed the playoffs with just 83 wins despite being firmly in playoff position for the entire season against the backdrop of a $342 million payroll – the Mets are the best team in the NL East and the biggest threat to the Los Angeles Dodgers winning a third straight NL pennant.

This is a move that would make the Mets a legitimate World Series contender – and they most definitely have the coin to make Skubal the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history the following offseason.

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The small-market Brewers are all-in on their competitive window after a sensational 97-win season. The Cubs made it as far as the National League Division Series with their new lineup that featured (most likely) only one season of Kyle Tucker. Will Chicago take another big swing on top talent this winter?

Then there’s the Reds offense, which has a slugging problem. The Cardinals are starting a new era and going back to the foundational basics. And the Pirates, with the fourth-lowest payroll in baseball, have to prove they’ll be aggressive enough to build a significantly stronger lineup that could actually support their star ace.

After unpacking the American League Central, we look at the NL Central. Here are the biggest needs for a division that this year featured three teams competing in the postseason:

Teams are listed in order of their records, best to worst, in the 2025 season.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Biggest need: Starting pitcher(s)

Milwaukee made an uncharacteristic move when it extended a one-year, $22 million qualifying offer to right-hander Brandon Woodruff. The homegrown Brewer declined his $20 million mutual option, becoming a free agent, and then the front office gave him the opportunity to come back on a one-year deal. Though we don’t yet know Woodruff’s decision, which very well could involve seeking a multi-year deal with another top contender, it was surprising to see the low-revenue Brewers go all-in for the starting pitcher. Woodruff missed the 2024 season with injury and returned this year to make 12 starts and record a 3.20 ERA before missing the postseason with a different injury. That the Brewers extended the qualifying offer to Woodruff suggests that they believe his health issues are behind him, and they’re confident he will put up excellent numbers in 2026.

If Woodruff walks away from Milwaukee, the Brew Crew will need an established starting pitcher to lead what is otherwise a young and thin rotation. They picked up the club option on Freddy Peralta, making him a steal at $8 million next season, but the Brewers are said to be shopping the right-hander before he enters free agency next offseason. The Brewers are in a competitive window, and with two huge question marks in the rotation, they’ll need to acquire quality starters this winter, depending on the futures of Woodruff and Peralta.

CHICAGO CUBS

Biggest need: Replenishing the bullpen

Brad Keller, Ryan Brasier, Aaron Civale, Drew Pomeranz, Taylor Rogers, Michael Soroka, and Caleb Thielbar have all entered free agency. That means the Cubs lost seven relievers – nearly their entire bullpen, except Daniel Palencia — this offseason. The front office not only has to restock its relief corps, but the Cubs need high-leverage arms as their top priority. They’ll have to get creative, through both free agency and trade, to replenish a bullpen that ranked 11th in ERA (3.78) and flashed the lowest walk rate (7.9%) in the majors. 

Still, Cubs relievers deeply struggled to induce swing-and-miss. Chicago’s bullpen had the fourth-highest contact rate this year, better only than the Giants, Tigers, and Royals. They’ll have to do better than that to remain competitive in a Kyle Tucker-less world, since they’re not expected to bring back the highly coveted free-agent outfielder. While they could still be in the market for an outfielder, they seem comfortable with their in-house options (Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, top prospect Owen Caissie) filling out their vacancies.

CINCINNATI REDS

Biggest need: Power hitters, more offense

The Reds had the fifth-worst offense in baseball this year, and thanks to the Mets’ collapse, they still managed to make the playoffs as the final wild-card team before being swept by the Dodgers in the first round. But the true fabric of Cincinnati’s lineup needs some major retooling. The Reds’ .391 slugging percentage was ranked 21st in the majors, and Elly De La Cruz’s second-half slump didn’t help. The offense needs a consistent power hitter to help improve those numbers, but they’ll have to spend big in free agency, or dip into the more attractive pieces in their farm system, to land a top-tier slugger who could make any sort of difference. 

The Reds front office was encouraged by the team’s first postseason appearance since 2020. But the organization still has not advanced beyond the Division Series since 1995, when the Reds lost to the Braves in the Championship Series. Their rotation, led by All-Star Hunter Greene, is ready to compete. Cincinnati must capitalize on that starting-pitching strength by building a better offense.

ST LOUIS CARDINALS

Biggest need: Set the groundwork for a better future

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Cardinals have a new front-office leader in Chaim Bloom. The new president of baseball operations will begin this new era of St. Louis baseball by focusing on building a talent base for the long-term, and that starts by trading away some, if not all, of these top veteran players: Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras. That’s just the baseline; there could be more 40-man players on the move. The Cardinals want young and controllable players in return, particularly starting pitchers, to shape future rosters. They want to focus on drafting and developing star players again. 

You would be right to think this is a rebuild, even if there’s no bulldozer tearing down the entire roster. Just don’t expect their payroll for 2026 to be among the top in the sport. The Cardinals are allocating any financial flexibility toward improving internal systems before spending money on a roster that’s for sure not going to contend next year. They’re aiming to set the groundwork for a better future this offseason. The return pieces on trade packages will be crucial to their goals. Keep an eye on the players the Cardinals will get back.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Biggest need: Major offensive boost

The Pirates’ numbers on offense this year were downright ugly. Spencer Horwitz (118 wRC+) and Joey Bart (101 wRC+) were the only hitters to perform better than league average. Not even Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen or Tommy Pham cracked that mark. They hit the fewest home runs in baseball, and it wasn’t even close, as well as recording the third-worst batting average in MLB. It was a real shame, because the Pirates pitching staff recorded the seventh-best ERA (3.76) and the fourth-best fWAR (19.1) in the major leagues, wasting away a Cy Young season from Paul Skenes. 

With a dominant ace leading the rotation, the Pirates actually have a chance at contending for the postseason. But they have major work to do to improve the offense to get there, and it remains a long shot that they’ll boost the lineup enough to be considered competitive all in one offseason. McCutchen and Pham are free agents, so they’re looking to fill at least a corner-outfield vacancy. Will Oneil Cruz finally take a significant step forward in his age-27 season? Either way, expect the Pirates to make moves to try and give their pitching staff some level of run support. 

Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist 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.

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