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Mega Thread MLB season 2025

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The St Louis Cardinals have sent shortstop Masyn Winn to surgery on his knee, which will be performed on Thursday (US time), according to the club. Winn had played through a meniscus tear in his knee in the second half of the season before being placed on the IL. The relatively minor procedure is not expected to prevent him from completing Spring Training in February 2026.

Winn ends the season with a slash line of .253/.310/.363 across 537 plate appearances, which is down on his production from 2024 (.267/.314/.415), and which was influenced by a line of .198/.265/.281 across his last 132 plate appearances of the season. The Cardinals had Winn play through the injury until they were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

While Winn's production at the plate was not helped by the injury, he still managed to be well above average in the field, ranking second by Outs Above Average behind Bobby Witt Jr among shortstops, although Defensive Runs Saved only had him at +3. Winn was charged with three errors in over 1,100 innings at shortstop during the season.



www.stltoday.com

Michael McGreevy nears one of Cardinals' better recent rookie seasons: First Pitch

Michael McGreevy and the Cardinals embark on their final road trip, which begins Monday at 8:45 p.m. (St. Louis time) in San Francisco vs. the Giants.
www.stltoday.com www.stltoday.com
 
The Atlanta Braves have signed free agent RHP Charlie Morton to a major league deal after he was designated for assignment by Detroit and cleared waivers. The Braves optioned RHP Jhancarlos Lara and designated RHP Carson Ragsdale to create roster space for Morton on the active and 40-man rosters respectively. Morton, 41, may not actually pitch for the Braves in the last week of the season and there is a suggestion that the Braves simply signed Morton to allow him to retire as a Brave at the end of the season, although Morton has not said publicly that he intends to retire.

Morton signed a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles last winter, worth $15 million, but that contract did not work out for Baltimore particularly well, as he put up an ERA of 10.89 in his first five starts as an Oriole. He managed to dial it back and posted a 3.88 ERA across his next 11 starts, leading to the Tigers trading for him at the deadline in exchange for minor league LHP Micah Ashman. Morton started reasonably well for Detroit (3.63 ERA in his first four starts), but never went longer than four innings in each of his last four starts as a Tiger, and returning an ERA of 12.75 in that time frame. In his last game as a Tiger, he was relieved before completing the second inning and left the field to a chorus of boos from Tigers fans.

The Braves have been out of contention for some time and it is presumably a move motivated by sentimentality to bring Morton back to Atlanta. They drafted him in 2002 and allowed him to develop in the minors for quite some time before giving him a major league debut in 2008. Morton then went on to pitch with the Pirates, Astros and Rays before coming back to Atlanta in 2021 and staying until the end of last season.

The Braves picked up Ragsdale off waivers from the Orioles a few days ago and he was sent to Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, for whom he made one appearance. With the trade deadline now passed, he heads back to waivers in the hope that another team will give him a shot.





 
The Atlanta Braves also announced that they claimed RHP Joel Payamps off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers had designated Payamps for assignment a few days ago. The Braves created roster space by designating RHP Connor Seabold for assignment.

Payamps had been a solid part of the Brewers bullpen across 2023 and 2024, but had struggled to replicate his success in 2025. Across 2023-2024, he pitched 129 2/3 innings for the Brewers, with a 2.78 ERA. His strikeout rate, walk rate and ground ball rate were all better than league average, and he managed 48 holds and nine saves in that time period.

However, Payamps pitched to a 8.35 ERA in his first 18 1/3 innings, although he was somewhat unlucky, with a .373 BABIP and 52.2% strand rate. But his strikeout rate fell from an average of 26.1% in 2023-2024 down to 19%, and his ground ball rate cratered from 42.6% to 29% in 2025.

The Brewers designated Payamps for assignment in May and he went through waivers unclaimed. In order to maintain his salary of $2.995 million, he accepted his outright assignment to Nashville and pitched 26 2/3 innings in Triple-A before being called up in early September when the Brewers had to put RHP Shelby Miller on the IL. Payamps pitched 5 1/3 innings in his second time around with the Brewers for a 3.38 ERA, 25% strikeout rate, 46.2% ground ball rate and a 12.5% walk rate. The Brewers weren't convinced that Payamps was back on track and was designated for assignment to create roster space for Bruce Zimmermann.

Given that there remains only a week in the regular season, even though the Braves take on the rest of Payamps salary by claiming him off waivers, the actual commitment is very low. Payamps is under team control through arbitration in 2026 and 2027, so the week allows the Braves the opportunity to review his work and see if he is worth tendering a contract after the season is over.

 
After the MLB season finishes, clubs will have an opportunity to sign international prospects without them being exposed to the vagaries of the MLB draft. In January 2025, Australian RHP Robinson Smith from the Sandringham Royals Baseball Club signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international prospect (his first season in professional baseball has not gone particularly well, as he has thrown 23 1/3 innings for the Pirates DSL affiliate in the Dominican Republic for an 8.87 ERA, thanks to 23 earned runs on 24 hits, including four homeruns, although he has notched up 28 strikeouts compared to 12 walks).

MLB Pipeline has just released its list of the top 50 international prospects.

www.mlb.com

Here are the Top 50 international prospects for the 2026 signing period

Take a look at some of the most pivotal players involved in the 2025 pennant race and one thing is for sure: securing talent on the international market is a surefire way to set your organization up for success. From well-established All-Stars and perennial MVP candidates such as Vladimir Guerrero
www.mlb.com www.mlb.com
 

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The fall of former Cy Young finalist RHP Alek Manoah is complete after the Toronto Blue Jays designated Manoah for assignment overnight. The move was required to clear a 40-man roster spot for OF Anthony Santander to reactivate him off the 60-day IL. The Blue Jays put 1B Ty France on the 10-day IL with oblique inflammation to create a spot on the active roster for Santander.

The Blue Jays drafted Manoah with the 11th overall pick in the 2019 draft and gave him his MLB debut in 2021. Manoah started 20 games for the Blue Jays with a 3.22 ERA to finish eighth in the AL Rookie of the Year vote that season, and he took it a step further in 2022, when he pitched just under 200 innings in 31 starts for a 2.24 ERA. In 2022, Manoah had the third lowest ERA among qualified AL pitchers, behind only Justin Verlander and Dylan Cease. That earned him third place in the AL Cy Young, as well as an All-Star selection and some MVP votes at the end of the season.

It started to fall apart for Manoah in 2023, when he allowed almost six earned runs per nine innings across 19 big league starts, and his strikeout rate fell almost four percentage points between 2022 and 2023, while his walk rate almost doubled. The Blue Jays sent him to the minors twice to try to get him back on track and also to ensure that his poor pitching did not derail a playoff push.

Manoah made a return to the starting rotation at the start of last season, but battled shoulder soreness and began the season on the IL. He was activated in May, and seemed to be on track to recapture his 2021-2022 form, with a 3.70 ERA in five starts and with significantly improved command. However, Manoah tore his UCL in his pitching elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery mid-season. The Blue Jays put him on the 60-day IL and he did not pitch again last year. Manoah had been undertaking a rehab assignment after being activated off the 60-day IL earlier in September, and he managed a 2.97 ERA across seven Triple-A starts, notwithstanding underlying numbers that suggested he was still short of his best, thanks to a 20.4% strikeout rate, a 12.2% walk rate and 1.62 homeruns per nine innings. Further, his velocity was down, with an average of about 91 mph, compared to a peak of 94 mph in 2021-2022.

Manoah is under arbitration control through the end of 2027, with a salary of $2.2 million this year (which will be about the same in 2026, if he is tendered a contract). Manoah is now on waivers, and is likely to be claimed given that the regular season finishes this weekend and the salary commitment is not large. Any team that claims Manoah would have the capacity to option him to the minors, so he would likely start 2026 in Triple-A.

If he clears waivers, then Manoah would likely accept an outright assignment to Buffalo and remain with the Blue Jays for the rest of the year, but he would qualify for minor league free agency after the World Series is complete.

Santander's return is welcome for the Blue Jays. He has not played since the end of May with a left shoulder injury and will provide a welcome boost to Toronto as they plan for the playoffs.

 
The New York Mets will not have RHP Tylor Megill for the 2026 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery yesterday. Megill had been on the IL since June thanks to right elbow inflammation. He had commenced a rehab assignment in August, but was shut down in early September when the soreness returned. Megill had been considering alternatives to the surgery, but evidently was convinced that he needed to undergo the procedure and miss essentially a year of baseball.

In five years with the Mets, Megill has managed 409 2/3 innings for a 4.46 earned runs per nine innings, a 24.3% strikeout rate, a 9.3% walk rate and a 42% ground ball rate.

Megill earned $1.975 million this year, and is under team control through arbitration until the end of 2027. He is in line for a salary bump for 2026, but the amount of the raise will be capped by the fact he made only 14 starts for the Mets before being shut down with the injury. The Mets will need to take into consideration that, per MLB rules, he will need to be carried on their 40-man roster between the end of the World Series and the start of Spring Training, despite being unable to undertake any baseball activities. Once 2026 Spring Training begins, he could then be moved to the 60-day IL, but the Mets would need to do the same thing again at the end of next season.

 
The Guardians face the Tigers in a crunch three-game series this week (starting today) to decide which team wins the AL Central and which team secures a Wild Card spot in the American League. The Guardians will be without outfielder Lane Thomas for the rest of the season after he underwent surgery overnight to correct plantar fasciitis in his foot. Thomas was already on the 15-day IL and could now be moved to the 60-day IL in case the Guardians need roster space. Thomas becomes a free agent after the season ends.

The Guardians acquired Thomas from the Washington Nationals in 2024, and he was not able to replicate the solid production he managed with Washington between 2021-2023 with the Guardians. After joining the Guardians, Thomas hit .209/.267/.390 for a 84 wRC+, and saw his strikeout rate balloon from 21.1% to 34.8% following the trade. He did have a good postseason in 2024, hitting .222/.349/.417 for a 124 wRC+ in ten postseason games, including a grand slam off LHP Tarik Skubal.

The Guardians offered him a contract for 2025, his final season of arbitration control, which saw him take home $7.825 million, but he did not contribute much to the Guardians this season. He was placed on the IL in April with a right wrist bone bruise, then went back on the IL a week after being reinstated with his right foot plantar fasciitis. In between IL stints, Thomas played in just 39 games and hit .160/.246/.272.

 
The Washington Nationals announced that they have placed LHP Mackenzie Gore on the 15-day IL due to a right ankle impingement. The Nationals also put RHP Mason Thompson on the 15-day IL, retroactive to 20 September, due to right biceps tendinitis. The Nationals called up RHP Julian Fernandez and RHP Orlando Ribalta in corresponding moves.

Gore started for the Nationals in their game against the Braves yesterday. He faced 13 batters but only retired six of them, while allowing four earned runs on four hits and four walks, with three strikeouts. He threw 71 pitches.

Gore stands to be one of the more interesting trade targets in the offseason, although there is no guarantee that the Nationals would actually make him available in a trade. The Padres attempted to acquire Gore at the deadline, but the Nationals asked for five prospects in return, including switch-hitting shortstop Leodalis De Vries (eventually traded to the Athletics).

Removing Gore from their pitching staff would be a significant move for the Nationals, but he only has two years of club control left after this season, as he will hit free agency at the end of the 2027 season. Gore is repped by the Scott Boras Corporation, and clients of Scott Boras tend to explore their options in free agency rather than re-sign with their club.

The Nationals are not currently close to contention, as they're almost 30 games under .500, and they recently fired their president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez. The Nationals have been interviewing candidates to replace Rizzo, but the timeline for naming a new president is yet to be finalised.

Gore started the 2025 season very well, pitching 110 1/3 innings before the All-Star break for a 3.02 ERA, a 30.5% strikeout rate and a 7.7% walk rate. However, in the second half, he pitched only 49 1/3 innings with an inflated 6.75 ERA, a 20.7% strikeout rate and a 12.8% walk rate. He also spent time on the IL with shoulder inflammation. Gore is earning just $2.89 million this year. While that amount will climb in arbitration, it is still likely to be considerably less than a starting pitcher would command in free agency.
 
The MLB Competition Committee has approved the introduction of the Automated Balls and Strikes challenge system for 2026 and beyond. This does not mean that the strike zone will be fully automated at this stage, but the challenge system replicates the system that has been used in the minor leagues, during Spring Training and during the 2025 All-Star Game.

Under the incoming system, any pitcher, catcher or hitter will be able to tap his helmet or cap to signify his desire to challenge a home plate umpire call of ball or strike. Teams are allowed two challenges per game and will lose a challenge if it is unsuccessful. Once a team has had two unsuccessful challenges, they are no longer able to challenge the umpire's call. Challenges must be made immediately after the ball/strike call has been made; the dugout cannot have the team's replay coordinator review the pitch and call for challenge. The result will be shown on the socreobard immediately after the challenge is granted.

The ABS system was first implemented in the low minors back in 2021, and has been in place at Triple-A since 2022.

nypost.com

Exclusive | MLB officially beginning Robot Umpires era — ABS approved for 2026

MLB’s Joint Competition Committee approved the Automated Ball Strike (ABS) system for the 2026 season.
nypost.com nypost.com

 
So the other day it was tweeted that Chicago Cubs 3rd baseman Matt Shaw took the game off to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral. Some funny posts about it has been made. My favourite post on a Cubs forum I post on, happened just now as Cade Horton has come out of the game against the Mets after 3 innings.

“I hope Cade only came out because his favorite podcaster died.”

😂
 
The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Detroit Tigers in game 1 of their three-game series in Cleveland and, as a result, now lead the AL Central (technically, the two teams are tied in wins and losses, but the Guardians hold the tiebreaker).

 
Dixie Flatline said:
The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Detroit Tigers in game 1 of their three-game series in Cleveland and, as a result, now lead the AL Central (technically, the two teams are tied in wins and losses, but the Guardians hold the tiebreaker).

Click to expand...

Disgusting. Detroit has imploded
 

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The Chicago Cubs hope to regain OF Kyle Tucker before the end of the regular season in a boost for their post-season push, according to manager Craig Counsell. Tucker is on the 10-day IL and would need to be officially reinstated when he is ready to return, necessitating a corresponding active roster move.

 
The Chicago White Sox claimed OF Derek Hill off waivers from the Miami Marlins, after the Marlins designated Hill for assignment earlier this week. Hill replaces OF Mike Tauchman on the active roster, as the White Sox put Tauchman on the 10-day IL with a right knee meniscus tear. Hill takes the last spot on the 40-man roster.

The White Sox also recalled RHP Jonathan Cannon and put RHP Wikelman Gonzalez on the 15-day IL due to a right elbow impingement.

Tauchman is scheduled to undergo surgery after the season is over, and expects to miss about a month. The White Sox will need to decide whether they will tender him an arbitration contract for 2026 after he played 93 games for the White Sox this year and had 385 plate appearances, hitting .263/.356/.400 for a 115 wRC+, including a 22.3% strikeout rate and a 11.7% walk rate. Combining his production at the plate and his solid outfield defence, Tauchman was worth 1.4 fWAR. Tauchman will gain an increase on his salary of $1.95 million through arbitration and will need to assess whether he's worth that given they seem likely to exercise their option over CF Luis Robert Jr and have OF/DH Andrew Benintendi under contract for one more season, together with younger players like Will Robertson, Dominic Fletcher, Corey Julks and Brooks Baldwin in the mix.

Hill has not been a good hitter in the big leagues, but has some speed and good defence. In 617 plate appearances, Hill has hit .228/.276/.348, for a 73 wRC+, and has stolen 23 bases in 28 attempts. In 1,369 2/3 innings on defence, Hill has -2 DRS and +9 OOA. Hill goes through arbitration for the first time at the end of this season, assuming the White Sox think he is worth a contract tender.
 
The New York Mets announced that they have reinstated OF Tyrone Taylor from the 10-day IL. In a corresponding move, the Mets designated OF Jose Siri for assignment. Siri was acquired by the Mets before the season in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and it's safe to say that the move has not worked out for either the Mets or Siri, as he has spent a good chunk of the season injured and under-performing when not injured. Siri is out of minor league options and is earning $2.4 million before he goes through arbitration at the end of the season. Given that Siri has been designated for assignment, it seems unlikely that the Mets would have made him a contract tender, so have pulled the trigger on letting him go early.

Siri has always been a boom-bust player on offence. In 2023, with the Rays, Siri hit .222/.267/.494, which translated to a 106 wRC+, thanks in part to 25 homeruns. He also stole 12 bases and provided strong defence in centre field, such that the Rays were prepared to tolerate his 35.7% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate. In 2024, he increased his walk rate to 6.9% but his strikeout rate also increased to 37.9%. He hit 18 homeruns and batted .187/.255/.366 across the 2024 season, with his wRC+ declining to just 78. After putting up 2.6 fWAR in 2023, he managed 1.8 fWAR in 2024.

His 2025 season started badly when he fractured a tibia by fouling a ball off his leg in April. He was expected to miss up to 10 weeks on the IL as a result of the injury, but he ended up missing five months, not being reinstated to the active roster until early September. In 36 plate appearances through the season, Siri managed .063/.167/.125 with a 47.2% strikeout rate.

The Mets acquired Cedric Mullins from the Orioles at the trade deadline to improve things in the outfield, but he also has not hit well, just .188/.287/.291 since joining the team.

With Soto a fixture in right field, there were only so many spots available for the Mets to fit in Brandon Nimmo, Taylor, Mullins and Siri, and it seems like Siri became the odd man out. Given his poor results at the plate, and his salary, it is highly unlikely that another team will claim him off waivers at this stage of the season, unless a club is prepared to take a flyer on him in the hope he shows something in the next few days to suggest that a contract tender is worth making.

 

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The Chicago Cubs have released RHP Nate Pearson, according to his transactions log. He was designated for assignment on the weekend after making 11 appearances in the majors this year, the last one coming on 8 August. He had been optioned to Triple-A Iowa by the Cubs on 12 August, where he has remained since. Pearson has been poor in the majors this year, pitching to a 9.20 ERA in 14 2/3 innings with Chicago, with just seven strikeouts against 10 walks and 22 hits. Pearson is a career 5.17 ERA pitcher across 156 2/3 innings of major league work. All told, Pearson made 93 appearances for the Blue Jays between 2020 and 2024, with 30 coming for the Cubs from 2024 to now.
 
According to ESPN, the Washington Nationals are currently finalising a deal with Red Sox assistant GM Paul Toboni to run their baseball operations department. It is unclear whether Toboni will be named as president of baseball operations or when the hiring will be finalised.

 
Have never seen a teams bullpen transition from the leagues best to one of the leagues worst in a matter of 12 months.

This dodgers bullpen is making me tear my hair out.
 
Gelof is going to survive.

Little Women Dancing GIF by TV One
 

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Mega Thread MLB season 2025

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