The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) Kuty spoke to Brian Schulz, an orthopedic surgeon and the team physician for the Angels, about Anthony Volpe’s partially torn labrum. Schulz offered some idea as to how
the team may have not realized how injured their starting shortstop was for much of the season, reasoning that it can be fairly common for players to suffer labrum tears without recalling a major acute shoulder injury. The doctor was optimistic on Volpe’s future, saying that he felt that “there’s a high probability” of Volpe returning to the player he was before the partially torn labrum. Even that may sound like to cold comfort to Yankees fans, but in the interest of being optimistic, we can note that when healthy, Volpe posted a pair of 3+ rWAR seasons thanks to his defense in 2023 and 2024, and was off to a career-best start in 2025 before injuring his shoulder.
MLB.com | Mark Feinsand: Some more offseason prep, as there continues to be buzz around the idea of a Tarik Skubal trade. As outlandish as it may sound for a team on a positive trajectory like the Tigers to move their best player, the best pitcher in baseball, this kind of deal is becoming more and more common. The Red Sox moved Mookie Betts one year prior to free agency, the Padres did the same with Juan Soto, and most recently the Astros dealt Kyle Tucker ahead of his walk year. The prospect cost to get Skubal may just trump all of those trades, with one AL executive saying, “It would have to be two or three Top 100 type guys.” That type of price may make it tough for the Yankees to get into the bidding against teams with stronger farm systems, but Skubal is too good not to at least make a run at if Detroit makes him available.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: ($) An offseason arbitration preview, with Phillips running down which Yankees are arbitration eligible and who as it risk of being non-tendered. Jazz Chisholm Jr. stands to receive one of the largest raises, with MLB Trade Rumors projecting him to earn about $10 million in his final year before free agency. The primary non-tender candidates are in the bullpen; Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Effross, and Ian Hamilton all could hit the chopping block after ineffective 2025 seasons. Jake Cousins also might not be tendered a contract, with the right-hander recovering from Tommy John surgery.
MLB.com | Paul Casella: The Dodgers’ dominance has Dave Roberts quickly ascending the postseason wins leaderboard for managers, and he’s closing in on the top spot, held by former Yankees skipper Joe Torre. After LA swept away the Brewers in the NLCS, Roberts has 65 playoff wins, behind only Torres (84), Tony La Russa (71), and Bobby Cox (67). Torre couldn’t help but admire Roberts’ résumé, telling reporters “Dave has done a really great job out there.” He adds, “When you’ve won before, you know what it takes to win. You can’t stop to admire, ‘Look what I did,’ because you’ll lose it quick.”
