What is the story about?
Good
morning.
- The trial of Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz for pitch-rigging started this week with opening statements. Prosecutors called them “cheaters” and defense attorneys claim they were set up.
- Sam Blum has more on the start of the trial. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- Former Guardians catcher Bo Naylor testified that he found nothing unusual about the pitches that Clase and Ortiz threw.
- The Blue Jays have said that outfielder Anthony Santander does not speak for the team when he shared two Islamophobic videos on his Instagram page.
- On the eve of the owners locking out the players, the Braves released their quarterly report and touted the record revenues the team earned in 2026. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- Russell Dorsey explains what is likely to happen at next week’s General Manager Meetings.
- Congratulations to former All-Star Mark Teixeira, who was elected to the House as the representative of Texas’s 21st congressional district.
- The Mariners held their news conference to introduce their new manager (and former Cubs farm director) Jason Kanzler.
- The Astros plan to interview Albert Pujols for their vacant managerial position. Considering the new GM in Houston is Pujols’ former teammate Randy Flores, I’d say he has a good chance of landing the job.
- Dayn Perry has the biggest questions of the offseason, starting with how long will the lockout be.
- The Athletic announces their top 40 free agents this winter. My gift to you.
- And Tim Britton predicts the contracts that most of those free agents will get. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- Brett Maguire has ten free agents who raised their stock with a strong 2026.
- The CBS Sports baseball staff make their picks as to where some top free agents will sign.
- Keegan Matheson tells free agent outfielder Seiya Suzuki that he’d be a perfect fit in Toronto.
- Ian Browne has five free agents who could help the Red Sox.
- Dayn Perry has the top 25 players most likely to be traded this winter.
- Jake Mintz only has seven players with a good chance to be dealt.
- Matthew Robinson argues that the Orioles Gunnar Henderson and the Reds Elly De La Cruz are the two most interesting trade targets this winter.
- Mark Bowman has three reasons the Braves should not trade Ronald Acuña Jr.
- Tim Stebbins examines what the future might hold for Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, one year before free agency.
- Matthew Leach outlines the Twins’ needs for next season.
- Thomas Harrigan has questions for the Mets starting rotation for 2027.
- David Adler projects what we should expect out of NPB star Teruaki Sato as he makes the move to MLB.
- Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru wonders what the Dodgers can expect out of outfielder Kyle Tucker in 2027.
- Jay Jaffe looks at the Contemporary Era Ballot for the Hall of Fame and calls it “absolutely stacked” with strong candidates. Three former Cubs managers, Dusty Baker, Lou Piniella and Joe Maddon are among the eight candidates.
- Brewers manager Pat Murphy called Yankees GM Brian Cashman and apologized for an open mic moment in the World Series celebration where Murphy ripped the Yankees.
- The best moments of the 2026 MLB playoffs.
- Theo DeRosa looks at how three players went from trade chips to MVP candidates. Yes, PCA is here.
- Jesse Borek has a profile of Juan Soto’s little brother Elian Soto, who is a prospect for the Nationals playing in the Arizona Fall League.
- The Mets will wear a jersey patch to honor the recently-departed Jerry Koosman in 2027.
- And finally, MLB reversed their decision after hearing from fans and players and have decided not to cancel Intentional Talk on the MLB Network. (The Athletic free reg. req.) Good news for Ryan Dempster. Its last day was supposed to be Wednesday. Now it will continue. I’m not a huge Intentional Talk fan, but it’s actually a pretty inoffensive show, which makes it better than a lot of what’s on the MLB Network and sports media in general these days.
