Cubs Claim Julian Aguiar, Designate Antoine Kelly For Assignment
8:43pm: Left-hander Antoine Kelly has been designated for assignment, according to his official transactions page at MLB.com. That clears a 40-man roster spot for Aguiar, who’s been optioned to the Arizona Complex League. Kelly made his big league debut back in July but was on optional assignment since early August. He’ll reach minor league free agency once the season is over.
12:28pm: The Cubs have claimed right-hander Julian Aguiar off waivers, according to the Reds. There hadn’t been any indication that Aguiar had been designated for assignment, but he’ll now look to continue his career with one of Cincinnati’s division rivals. A corresponding move will need to be made since Chicago has a full 40-man roster.
Selected in the 12th round of the 2021 draft, Aguiar made his big league debut with the Reds in 2024 and posted a 6.25 ERA over seven starts and 31 2/3 innings. An elbow sprain that September led to a Tommy John surgery, and Aguiar missed the entire 2025 season while rehabbing. More injury problems led to some stops and starts to Aguiar’s 2026 campaign, limiting him to 58 minor league innings before he finally made his return to the Show last week. Aguiar was charged with two earned runs in three innings of relief in the Reds’ 6-4 win over the Cubs on September 18, and he was optioned back to Triple-A the day after that cup-of-coffee outing.
Aguiar isn’t eligible for the Cubs’ postseason roster, so this claim may have just been made with an eye towards picking up some pitching depth for 2027. It is possible Aguiar might get into Chicago’s season finale tomorrow, as the Cubs face the Red Sox at (of all places) Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, and the team might prefer to rest its more established pitchers heading into the playoffs.
Aguiar’s 6.23 ERA over 34 2/3 career MLB innings isn’t much of a sample size, but he did post considerably better numbers in the lower levels of Cincinnati’s farm system. The jump up to Triple-A didn’t go as smoothly, as the right-hander has a 5.34 ERA, 20.88% strikeout rate, and 10.9% walk rate in 94 1/3 innings at the top rung of the minor league ladder. That time in Triple-A was split almost equally before and after Aguiar’s Tommy John procedure, with the better numbers coming before his surgery.
It could be that Aguiar needed 2026 to shake off the post-surgery rust, and he can return to his past form if fully healthy next year. Aguiar has started 87 of his 101 career games, so assuming this isn’t just a short-term pick-up, he can provide the Cubs with a depth option for their Triple-A rotation, or he might garner some consideration for a long relief job in the big league bullpen.
Blake Treinen Injures Shoulder, Out For Postseason
Dodgers right-hander Blake Treinen is done for the season after injuring his shoulder while warming up in the bullpen today, according to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. Manager Dave Roberts relayed that Treinen will go for imaging and inevitably go on the injured list, ruling him out for the Dodgers’ postseason run. “I don’t know if it was a complete blowout, but it’s really unfortunate,” Roberts told reporters, including Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.
The shoulder injury closes the book on Treinen’s season and the two-year, $22MM deal he signed with the Dodgers leading into 2025. The righty missed over three months in 2025 with right forearm tightness, then another two months and change in the current season for elbow inflammation. Treinen was clearly diminished when healthy in 2025, as he pitched to a 5.40 ERA in 26 2/3 innings with an elevated 14.7% walk rate and a career-low 33.3% ground ball rate. The latter is up to 44.4% this year, and Treinen’s ERA is down to 3.64 in 36 appearances. He’s cut his walk rate to a more manageable 10.0%, while his 23.8% strikeout rate is his lowest since the 2020 season.
The 38-year-old Treinen would have been in play for low-leverage spots in the postseason, but he’s now out of the equation entirely. Of course, the Dodgers are exceptionally well stocked with pitchers and won’t have any trouble filling the void from Treinen’s absence. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Tyler Glasnow, and Blake Snell are as formidable a rotation as they come. Snell threw four innings of one-run ball in his final postseason tune-up today.
Two of their starters – Roki Sasaki and 2026 All-Star Justin Wrobleski – will pitch in relief in October, adding to a stacked bullpen behind closer Tanner Scott, setup man Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez, and Jack Dreyer, among other solid arms. Edwin Díaz is also on hand, but he’s struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness this year. The Dodgers are not committed to carrying him on the postseason roster.
The specific details of Treinen’s shoulder injury and whether he will require surgery will be made clear once the imaging comes back. If he does go under the knife, it will be his fifth major injury absence in the last five seasons. He missed most of 2022 with right shoulder soreness, appearing in three games in April plus two more in September. That November, Treinen underwent surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff, causing him to miss all of 2023. He was relatively healthy in 2024, only missing two weeks with left hip discomfort and delivering a 1.93 ERA in 46 2/3 innings.
That said, with the forearm injury in 2025, plus this year’s elbow inflammation, and now a new shoulder injury, it’s fair to wonder if Treinen’s career is near the end of the line. Next year will be his age-39 season. He failed to reach the 30-inning mark this year and last, and any club that signs him for 2027 will probably expect him to miss some time. Someone may pick him up on a low cost flier, but it would be a gamble on Treinen’s long-term track record rather than a reflection of his recent performance and health.
In separate news, the Dodgers reinstated catcher Dalton Rushing from the 10-day injured list on Friday. Infielder Alex Freeland was optioned down to make room for Rushing on the active roster, per the team’s announcement. The 25-year-old Rushing is batting .248/.331/.464 with a 119 wRC+ in 251 plate appearances this season. He’d been out since September 6th what was later revealed to be a partially torn UCL in his throwing elbow. He is unable to throw and won’t catch in the postseason, but he should be available off the bench as a pinch hitter against right-handed pitching.
Photo courtesy of William Navarro, Imagn Images
Kirby Yates Retires
Veteran right-hander Kirby Yates announced his retirement this afternoon following the Pirates’ 4-3 walk-off loss to the Tigers in Detroit. In a game that featured Justin Verlander’s final career start for the Tigers, the Pirates opted for a bullpen game, and manager Don Kelly gave Yates the nod as the opener. It was the first “start” of his big league career after 517 appearances as a reliever. Yates recorded five outs, including a strikeout of Dillon Dingler, before being lifted for Yohan Ramírez.
“It was good, but this was it …” Yates told reporters after the game (link via SportsNet Pittsburgh). “I don’t have anything left. Let’s put it that way. I’ve been running on fumes for a while. I think it’s just time. It’s felt like it’s been time for a little while now. I think I’ve given this game everything I have, and in return, it’s given me more than I can ever thank it for or imagine.”
Yates signed with the Rays in 2009 as an undrafted free agent. He reached the Majors in 2014 as a 27-year-old and delivered a decent 3.75 earned run average in 36 innings, working off a low-90s fastball and a low-80s slider to strike out 26.9% of opponents. Yates struggled to a 6.13 ERA over the next two years with the Rays and Yankees but found something of a groove with the Padres in 2017. In 61 appearances for the Friars, the righty struck out a dominant 38.5% of opponents against an 8.4% walk rate and a 3.72 ERA. Around that time, Yates began to move away from his slider in favor of a mid-80s splitter, which would later become his signature pitch.
The 2018-19 seasons saw Yates at his best. He threw 123 2/3 innings in that stretch with a 38.7% strikeout rate, a 6.1% walk rate, and a 45.2% ground ball rate, all while holding opponents to 1.67 earned runs per nine. Yates’ 32.7% K-BB rate ranked third among qualified relievers in that stretch. He also tallied 53 saves, including 41 in an utterly dominant 2019 season that saw Yates deliver a 1.19 ERA, make the first of two career All-Star Games, and even earn some down-ballot Cy Young votes. FanGraphs valued him at 5.2 wins above replacement from 2018-19, the highest among qualified relievers.
Yates’ tenure with the Padres ended on a down note, as bone chips in his throwing elbow limited him to six appearances in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jays for 2021, but he blew out his elbow in Spring Training and underwent his second Tommy John surgery (the first coming while he was in college). He missed all of 2021 and most of 2022 while rehabbing from that procedure.
Yates made it back to a big league mound in August 2022 with the Braves and made nine appearances the rest of the way. He followed that with a decent, but not great 2023 season. Yates struck out over 30% of opponents and topped 60 innings for the third time in his career, but his 14.6% walk rate was a career high in a full season, leading to a 3.28 ERA but a less impressive 4.49 expected number.
He returned to form in 2024 as the Rangers’ closer. In 61 appearances that year, the now 37-year-old Yates held opponents to a 1.17 ERA while recording a 35.9% strikeout rate and 33 saves in 34 chances. The walks were still high but much more manageable, and Yates ultimately earned his second All-Star nomination for his efforts. He struggled with the Dodgers in 2025 but fared decently with the Angels earlier this year. The Pirates picked him up at the trade deadline, and Yates rewarded them with 15 innings of 1.80 ERA ball, including his work today.
Altogether, Yates pitched 495 career innings with a 3.35 ERA, a 32.7% strikeout rate, and 101 saves. He combined for 7.0 fWAR and 8.9 bWAR over parts of 12 big league seasons and picked up $48.5MM in total earnings according to Baseball Reference. We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Yates on a fine career and wish him the best in whatever comes next.
Photos courtesy of Brian Bradshaw Sevald, Imagn Images, and Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Sports
Gunnar Henderson Played Through Wrist Issue This Season
Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson had a down season at the plate compared to his usual standards. In just over 700 plate appearances, he’s batted .226/.311/.404 and checked in just 2% better than average by wRC+. Henderson’s serviceable defense at a premium position brought him up to 3.7 wins above replacement according to FanGraphs, but the offensive output is well below his 154 wRC+ from 2024, when he finished fourth in AL MVP voting, or even last year’s 120 wRC+.
It seems that Henderson may not have been fully healthy, as the 25-year-old told reporters, including Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner and others, that he dealt with a right wrist injury for about half the season. It’s unclear how severe the injury was, though he clarified to Kostka that he won’t require surgery in the offseason. For his part, Henderson does not believe the wrist contributed to his downturn and instead pinned it on trying to do too much at the plate. “Some of it was probably a little bit of doing too much in certain situations, just not allowing myself to take over. And then, me trying to force stuff to happen,” Henderson told MLB.com’s Jake Rill and others.
Henderson did not go on the injured list this season. Since debuting in 2022, he has only once been on the major league IL: a near-minimum stint for a right intercostal strain early in 2025. His 621 games played since the start of 2023 rank fourth in the Majors behind the Braves’ Matt Olson, current teammate Pete Alonso, and the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber.
The last two seasons have seen Henderson deal with nagging injuries rather than serious ailments. Back in January, he admitted to spending about “three-quarters of the year” in 2025 dealing with a shoulder impingement. The Orioles felt it wasn’t serious enough to warrant an IL stint, so Henderson remained active for the whole season even as the club fell out of contention. The club evidently felt the same way about Henderson’s wrist this year.
In any case, the O’s are hoping Henderson can put the wrist and shoulder woes behind him and return to form in 2027. Part of that will come from better luck on batted balls. He hit just .263 on balls in play this year, well below the league average of .290 and his .320 career BABIP through 2025. Henderson’s 89.2 mph average exit velocity and 43.3% hard-hit rate were both career lows, but the former is just under league average as opposed to outrageously low. The hard-hit rate still ranks in the 66th percentile of the league.
Even amidst the downturn, Henderson was still worth +9 Batting Run Value, according to Statcast. Between his youth and solid power (.178 isolated slugging and 24 homers this year), there’s a good chance he rebounds to his typical levels in 2027. Henderson earned $8.5MM in 2026 and will top eight figures for the first time in 2027. He’ll be the top earner in Baltimore’s arbitration class, which also includes Félix Bautista, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, and others, as noted in MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
Padres Place Casey Mize On 15-Day Injured List
The Padres have placed right-hander Casey Mize on the 15-day injured list, according to a team announcement. Mize is dealing with a right ankle sprain. Infielder/outfielder Gavin Sheets was reinstated from the 10-day IL in Mize’s place. The team also recalled right-hander Griffin Canning from the Arizona Complex League and optioned lefty Kyle Hart to that level. Separately, righty Alek Jacob has cleared outright waivers and been assigned outright to the Complex League. Jacob was designated for assignment earlier this week and already taken off the roster, so these moves are 40-man neutral.
Mize started yesterday’s contest against the Diamondbacks. He lasted four innings and got shelled for seven earned runs on as many hits, including three home runs. Mize has struggled since a start on August 22nd, when he sprained his right ankle slipping on the dugout steps and got pulled after 2 2/3 innings. In six starts since then, he has allowed nearly eight earned runs per nine and coughed up eight home runs, or 2.70 HR/9. As noted by Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Mize talked about his ankle during yesterday’s postgame, suggesting that it was still bothering him a month after the fact.
The Padres seem to agree, as they’ll now be without Mize until Game 1 of the NL Championship Series, should they make it that far. San Diego has clinched a playoff spot and enters play today as the top Wild Card seed in the Senior Circuit. They can lock that in with a win over the Diamondbacks tonight, which will also give them home field advantage in the Wild Card Series. Michael King and Nick Pivetta will be their top starters in that three-game set, with Walker Buehler and Robbie Ray competing for the third spot.
Ray hasn’t been sharp in nine starts since coming over from the Giants at the deadline. Buehler has a 4.56 ERA on the season but is sitting on a 3.24 ERA in his last eight starts, six of which have gone at least five innings. He probably has the edge over Ray, so the latter will get bumped to the bullpen. Mize might have provided some length out of the ‘pen in the short series, but instead he’ll be out for just over two weeks. The news brings Mize’s regular season to an end after 131 1/3 innings with a 4.32 ERA, a 20.0% strikeout rate, and a strong 6.9% walk rate. Recent struggles aside, he’s a solid mid-rotation starter and will likely get a multi-year deal in free agency this winter.
Canning consented to being optioned three days ago when Jason Adam came off the 60-day IL. He would have had to stay down for at least 15 days had Mize not gotten injured. He has a decent 22.5% strikeout rate and a strong 46.5% ground ball rate in 29 appearances (11 starts), but he’s struggled badly in the run prevention department, posting a 5.57 ERA and a better, but still underwhelming 4.20 SIERA. Canning has been more effective as a reliever than a starter, but he’s still a long shot for the postseason bullpen since nominal starter Randy Vásquez is also a candidate for a relief role.
Hart gets optioned for a fresh arm in Canning after allowing three earned runs in an inning of relief yesterday. He had a decent 3.77 ERA and a well-above-average 50.3% ground ball rate through the end of August. September hasn’t been as kind to Hart, as he’s given up 11 earned runs in 6 2/3 frames while walking seven batters. Like Canning, Hart is probably on the outside looking in come October, but the ground ball stuff and a decent 22.0% strikeout rate could make him the next man up in the event of an injury.
Sheets returns after missing just under one month for a left foot sprain. He’s been exactly average by wRC+, batting .211/.313/.388 in 412 plate appearances. The lefty-swinging Sheets has a 114 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this year. Ty France is covering first base right now, so Sheets will likely start at DH or possibly left field against righties in the postseason.
Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images
Pirates Not Expected To Make Leadership Changes For 2027
Pirates GM Ben Cherington discussed his own future along with many other topics as part of a season wrap-up interview with reporters (including the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Kevin Gorman and MLB.com’s Aiden Stephansky) on Saturday. In regards to his status, Cherington said he expects to return for his eighth year in charge in the Bucs’ front office, as owner Bob Nutting hasn’t given Cherington any indication otherwise.
“Every conversation I’ve had with Bob is just about that. ‘How do we keep getting better?’ ‘How do we assess this season when we need to learn from it?’ The progress, the things that need to get better and what can we do about that going forward,” Cherington said. “Everything we’ve done, really over time, is building toward October, and every decision we’ve made — and certainly every decision we made over the last 12 months — was all aimed towards that. I don’t think that changes. That can’t change. We got to go into this offseason focused on that and beat the other teams.”
While only Nutting knows exactly how safe Cherington’s job truly is, the GM is under contract through the end of the 2027 campaign, and it would be a little unusual to see Cherington fired after the Pirates’ best season of his tenure. The 81-79 Pirates can clinch a winning record by beating the Tigers today or tomorrow, which would mark the franchise’s first time over the .500 mark since their 82-win season in 2018. Pittsburgh went 76-86 in both 2023 and 2024, which was the previous highwater mark of the seven-year Cherington rebuild era.
While “we made real progress” in 2026, Cherington said the lack of postseason play is a disappointment. Returning to contention is the team’s ultimate goal, and “I do believe that the seeds of that are being laid. You see that in the culture that’s being set, see that in the core of this roster that’s developing and the strength you can see across the roster. Clearly, there’s more really important work to do, and we’ve got to stay laser-focused on that.”
Some lower-level front office changes could come in the form of promotions or hirings, and Cherington said Pittsburgh is aiming to hire a full-time scouting director. The position has been essentially open since Justin Horowitz was hired as the Nationals’ assistant GM last October, with Pirates assistant GM Kevan Graves overseeing the team’s 2026 draft.
Cherington also didn’t anticipate many or any changes to Don Kelly’s coaching staff, and praised Kelly as “clearly the right person to manage this team. He’s someone I love coming to work with every day. Our goals are the same: Do the work necessary to play games in October.” Kelly was promoted from bench coach to manager after Derek Shelton was fired in May 2025, and Kelly was then signed to a contract extension of an unknown length at season’s end. In Kelly’s first stint as a Major League manager, the Bucs are 140-144 heading into today’s action.
The 2025-26 offseason saw the Pirates boost their Opening Day payroll to roughly $104.8MM, the largest in Nutting’s 20 years of ownership. Upgrading the offense was the chief focus of Pittsburgh’s winter work, and apart from the misguided Marcell Ozuna signing, the team’s goal was largely a success. Newcomers Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn hit well, and bounce-back years from Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds helped turn the Pirates’ moribund lineup into a top-10 offense in most categories.
Unfortunately, just as the lineup took a big step forward, the pitching staff (almost to a man) took a step backwards. Cherington said that run prevention is a top goal of the coming offseason, whether that means adding pitching or upgrading the Pirates’ subpar defense.
The GM also confirmed an interest in re-signing Lowe, after the second baseman said last week that there was mutual interest in a new contract between the two sides. The Bucs have yet to make Lowe an offer, but free agency doesn’t open until five days after the World Series. There’s still time for the Pirates to at least float something in Lowe’s direction, even if the second baseman is very likely to test the open market for the first time in his career.
Retaining Lowe would likely mean continuing to spend beyond Nutting’s usual comfort zone, but it is possible the Pirates might have some special flexibility given his impact on the 2026 club. Lowe has “been everything we could’ve hoped for as a player and also in the clubhouse,” Cherington said, adding that “it would be a great outcome if he’s a Pirate next year. We’ll have some things to talk about and plenty of time in October to have more conversations about that. We just need to learn more about what opportunities that are out there for us and he’s put himself in a strong position, too.”
Diamondbacks Designate Jesus Sanchez For Assignment
2:19PM: Arizona has officially announced Sanchez’s DFA, with Del Castillo indeed called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.
8:15AM: The Diamondbacks will designate outfielder Jesus Sanchez for assignment prior to today’s game with the Padres, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo told MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert and other reporters following Friday’s 11-4 Snakes victory. The roster move creates space to allow for the call-up of a catcher, as Gabriel Moreno made an early exit Friday due to what Lovullo described as a “tender” left hamstring.
Moreno’s injury doesn’t appear to be too serious, as Lovullo said the plan is for Moreno to play today as the designated hitter. On Friday, Moreno scored from first base on Geraldo Perdomo’s bases-clearing double in the top of the sixth inning, but was then replaced at catcher by James McCann before the bottom of the seventh got underway.
McCann will presumably start today’s game behind the plate, while the incoming Triple-A catcher will act as McCann’s backup. Gilbert assumes Adrian Del Castillo will be the call-up, and while Del Castillo is already on the 40-man roster, Sanchez may have been superfluous as basically a DH-only player whose role will now be filled by Moreno. Because Sanchez was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays less than two weeks ago, he already wouldn’t have been eligible for a postseason roster if the D’Backs manage to squeak into the playoffs.
A six-game winning streak has kept the Snakes’ hopes alive, as Arizona now sits a game behind the Phillies for the final NL wild card berth. The D’Backs also hold the tiebreaker over Philadelphia, adding to the September drama. Given the circumstances, the Diamondbacks can only hope that Moreno (one of the team’s top bats) is able to at least hit up to his usual standard heading into the final two games of the regular season.
Sanchez has only two hits in his 16 PA in an Arizona uniform, so he has done little to improve the Diamondbacks’ team-wide struggles against right-handed pitching. The lack of production with the Snakes drops Sanchez to a 99 wRC+ for the season as a whole, as he had a 105 wRC+ and a .260/.318/.416 slash line in 299 PA for Toronto.
Most of Sanchez’s success with the Jays came early in the season, and he has hit only .168/.279/.253 over his last 111 trips to the plate with both Toronto and Arizona. He also missed about a month due to a sprained right ankle, and struggled badly from a defensive standpoint in the Blue Jays’ outfield. It was enough for the Jays to DFA Sanchez earlier this month, and the Diamondbacks made a flier of a waiver claim in the hopes that Sanchez could be sparked by a change of scenery.
With just two games remaining in the regular season, Sanchez obviously won’t be claimed again. He’ll very likely be released once he clears waivers, as while Sanchez will be arbitration-eligible for the third and final time this winter, Arizona surely aren’t eager to give him a raise on his $6.8MM salary for 2026. Sanchez will get an early jump on free agency, and may be limited to just minor league offers as he tries to rebound from his rough season.
Josh Jung Suffers Fractured Right Hand
1:21PM: The Rangers officially placed Jung on the 10-day injured list, and also optioned righty Gavin Collyer to the Arizona Complex League. Catcher Logan O’Hoppe and left-hander Robby Ahlstrom were called up from Triple-A to fill the two open roster spots.
8:57AM: Josh Jung was hit in the right hand by a Joe Ryan pitch in the first inning of the Rangers’ 10-2 loss to the Twins on Friday. Jung (in the lineup as the designated hitter) remained in the game to run the bases and eventually scored on Wyatt Langford’s RBI groundout, but Alejandro Osuna pinch-hit for Jung during his next scheduled at-bat in the third inning.
The postgame report from manager Skip Schumaker (to the Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland and other media) confirmed the worst, as Jung sustained a fracture in his right hand. The exact nature and severity of the injury will be determined by further tests, but needless to say, Jung won’t be available for the Rangers’ final two regular-season games. If Texas manages to win the AL West and qualify for the postseason, Jung is unlikely to heal up in time to play any role even in an extended playoff run.
Despite matching 79-81 records, the Rangers and Astros remain in a battle for the AL West crown, with Houston in first place due to the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage. The division champ will become the first playoff team in MLB history with a non-winning record, yet that detail is surely irrelevant for both clubs — particularly a Rangers club trying to return to the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 2023.
Losing Jung is a terrible blow to Texas’ chances at the division title. The third baseman is hitting .299/.365/.462 with 12 home runs over 444 plate appearances, which translates to a team-leading 136 wRC+. It isn’t a reach to suggest that the Rangers might already have the AL West clinched if Jung hadn’t missed over seven weeks due to a left calf strain. Jung has been red-hot since returning from the injured list on September 12, with a 1.032 OPS over his last 48 PA.
Ezequiel Duran is the likeliest candidate to assume third base duty in Jung’s absence, while Justin Foscue could be in line for most second-base duty along with Nicky Lopez. Right-handers Bailey Ober and Dean Kremer are Minnesota’s scheduled starters for the next two games, and Foscue has struggled against righties while crushing lefties this season.
This is the second time that a hit-by-pitch has resulted in a major injury for Jung, as a right wrist fracture in 2024 led to two surgeries (both during and after the season) and limited him to only 46 games played that year. Jung was an All-Star in 2023 and this season’s numbers are the best of his five-year MLB career, but between these wrist/hand problems, the calf strain, and other injuries, health remains a significant subplot of Jung’s career. Even if his hand fracture may not impact Jung’s readiness for the start of Spring Training, his offseason work will be significantly set back by the recovery process.
Joc Pederson was also lost to a fracture in his left hand just a couple of weeks ago, depriving the Texas lineup of another big bat. Pederson told McFarland and other reporters that he is hoping to be ready for the playoffs if the Rangers win the AL West, and the veteran hit in the batting cages yesterday. The weekend plan includes facing a pitching machine today and then a live batting-practice session on Sunday, as Pederson aims to be available for the start of the AL wild card series on Tuesday.
Max Scherzer Undecided About Pitching Beyond 2026
Max Scherzer will start the Blue Jays’ season finale on Sunday, and told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi) that he’ll wait until the offseason before deciding on his longer-term future. Perhaps reflecting Scherzer’s uncertainty, the future Hall-of-Famer noted that his family will be in attendance tomorrow, just in case the game with the Reds ends up being the last start of his 19-season career.
Such a year-to-year approach is pretty normal for the few who play as long as Scherzer, who turned 42 last July. He was more adamant about his desire to return for another season following the 2025 campaign, though that was immediately in the aftermath of Toronto’s tough loss in Game 7 of the World Series.
With the Blue Jays struggling to a losing record in 2026 and Scherzer battling through another injury-marred season, the veteran right-hander may be giving a little more consideration towards hanging up his cleats. The impending lockout is also “a big part of the calculus” for Scherzer, as he told The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli and Mitch Bannon earlier this week. The lockout will heavily interrupt the normal offseason schedule and perhaps even threaten regular-season games in 2027, so Scherzer (who has been heavily involved in MLBPA leadership in the past) may prefer retirement over this uncertainty.
Scherzer posted a 2.29 ERA over 145 1/3 innings for the Mets in 2022, in what was probably the last time we saw something close to peak form from the veteran ace. He wasn’t as effective in posting a 3.77 ERA over 152 2/3 combined frames with the Mets and Rangers in 2023, but Scherzer pitched better after being dealt to Texas, and helped the Rangers win their first championship.
Since that 2023 season, however, a variety of injuries has limited Scherzer to just 206 regular-season innings, plus 14 1/3 more frames during the Blue Jays’ postseason run last fall. While he managed a 3.77 ERA for the Jays in the playoffs, Scherzer had a 5.19 ERA in 85 innings during the 2025 regular season, and a 6.14 ERA in 77 2/3 innings this year (plus whatever tomorrow’s start brings). Scherzer’s 18.1% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate in 2026 are each career worsts, and he has had a lot of trouble keeping the ball in the park during his two years in a Toronto uniform.
The Blue Jays signed Scherzer to a one-year, $15.5MM deal in the 2024-25 offseason, and brought him back for 2026 on another one-year pact, this time for just $3MM in guaranteed money. (Scherzer has unlocked $2MM more in bonuses, and he can add another $1MM if he pitches at least 7 1/3 innings tomorrow.) A similar low-cost, incentive-heavy contract probably awaits him in free agency this winter, and Scherzer will again prioritize offers from contending clubs. A return to Toronto isn’t entirely out of the question — the Jays treasure Scherzer’s clubhouse leadership, and the club probably wants as much pitching depth as possible given how injuries ravaged the staff this year.
Whenever Scherzer decides to retire, he’ll be a first-ballot inductee to Cooperstown five years after the fact. Scherzer is a three-time Cy Young Award winner and an eight-time All-Star over his 19 seasons with the Diamondbacks, Tigers, Nationals, Dodgers, Mets, Rangers, and Blue Jays, and he won World Series rings in Washington and Texas. Scherzer has 224 career wins and his 3550 strikeouts rank ninth on the all-time list, just four K’s behind Justin Verlander for eighth place. Since Verlander is having the final start of his career today, it sets up an interesting dynamic and perhaps a target for Scherzer heading into Sunday’s outing.
Bill Giles Passes Away
Former Phillies part-owner, team president, and general manager Bill Giles passed away on Friday at age 92. Giles has served as the honorary president of the National League since 2001, but is best remembered for his long association with the Phillies.
“Bill was the heart and soul of the organization for over two decades,” Phillies legend Mike Schmidt said in a statement. “He was a close personal friend to so many of us. He will always be a big part of Phillies history. Prayers go to the Giles family in this time of mourning.”
Giles’ father Warren was also president of the NL from from 1951-69, and a former GM and team president of the Reds (Warren Giles’ legacy carries on today since the Warren Giles Trophy is awarded to the winner of the NLCS). The younger Giles followed in his father’s footsteps in the Reds organization before moving onto the expansion Houston Colt .45s — now the Astros — in 1962 as the new franchise’s traveling secretary and publicist.
That latter role was an underlying part of Giles’ career, as he was known for spearheading countless creative promotions to bring fans to the ballpark. The most enduring of Giles’ fan-friendly ideas came after he was hired as the Phillies’ VP of business operations in 1969, as about a decade into his tenure, Giles helped conceive of the Phillie Phanatic. Longtime broadcaster Harry Kalas was also hired away from Houston by Giles in 1971.
Of course, nothing attracts fans like a winning team, and the Phillies finally started to deliver some consistent on-field success in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The era was highlighted by the franchise’s first World Series title in 1980, and MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki notes that Giles played a key role in bringing Pete Rose to that championship roster. Rose signed with the Phillies on a four-year, $3.2MM free agent deal prior to the 1979 campaign, with Giles convincing local outlet WPHL-TV to spend an extra $200K in broadcast rights to help the team afford Rose’s contract. As per Zolecki, Giles also helped lure Rose to Philadelphia by appealing to Rose’s “ego and sense of history,” as Giles observed that signing with an AL team would hurt Rose’s chances of being the NL’s all-time leader in hits and other statistical categories.
Already a major voice in the organization, Giles was part of an ownership group that bought the Phillies in 1981, and he became the team president that year. Giles continued in this role until 1997, and he was also the Phillies’ general manager from 1984-87. After David Montgomery became team president in 1997, Giles was later named the Phillies’ chairman, and chairman emeritus in 2015. Giles also helped the Phillies’ push for a new baseball-only ballpark, resulting in the opening of Citizens Bank Park in 2004.
We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Giles’ family, friends, and loved ones.
