Top News:
Gabriel Burns / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Which free agent starting pitchers could fit Braves? — The Braves enter this winter seeking another starting pitcher. — They failed to make a significant rotation addition last winter, though the team outpitched expectations throughout a 94-win regular season.
Discussion:
Battery Power, Forbes and MLB Trade Rumors
Perla Paredes / MLB.com:
Nats, outfielder Young agree to four-year contract extension (source) — Jacob Young has earned the nickname “Spider-Man” for his ability to make seemingly impossible catches in center field. — Now, the Nationals are making sure he'll be climbing walls in Washington for years to come.
Discussion:
Federal Baseball, MLB Trade Rumors, sports.yahoo.com, BaseballNow.com and Sportsnet.ca
Joel Sherman / New York Post:
Mariners swipe longtime Yankees coordinator Tanner Swanson as bench coach — Tanner Swanson, who has been the Yankees' catching coordinator since November 2019, is leaving to become the bench coach of the Mariners, The Post has learned. — Swanson will serve under Jason Kanzler, who was named Seattle's manager earlier this week.
Discussion:
Lookout Landing, Pinstripe Alley, MLB Trade Rumors and BaseballNow.com
The Athletic:
SNY hit with major layoffs, show cancellations; website dismantled: Sources — SNY, the regional sports network that broadcasts New York Mets games, has canceled the programs “Baseball Night in New York” and “Sportsnite,” sources told The Athletic. The network also dismantled its website …
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports and New York Post
Lochlahn March / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Phillies 2027 starting pitching outlook: Free-agent options, prospect forecast, and more — While the Phillies are poised for some bigger roster changes this offseason, the rotation remains the foundation of the club. — The organization doubled down on its top-end starters …
Discussion:
MLB.com, Yahoo Sports, On Pattison and The Good Phight
Charlotte Varnes / The Athletic:
In June, the Mets fired Carlos Mendoza. Now, he's beginning a key role for the Phillies — After being fired as manager of the New York Mets on June 26, Carlos Mendoza still spent the summer surrounded by baseball — just at a different level. — “Lots of travel ball with my boys,” Mendoza said this week.
Discussion:
Forbes and The Good Phight
Mitch Bannon / The Athletic:
Blue Jays distance themselves from Anthony Santander's Islamophobic Instagram story — Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander shared Islamophobic posts on his Instagram story on Wednesday. One of the videos, which were taken down Thursday morning, claimed “America voted for Sharia Last Night! …
Discussion:
sports.yahoo.com and New York Post
RELATED:
Marley Dickinson / blogTO:
Toronto Blue Jays slugger shares Islamophobic social media posts
Toronto Blue Jays slugger shares Islamophobic social media posts
Discussion:
Associated Press, sports.yahoo.com, Forbes, Bluebird Banter, MLB Trade Rumors and New York Post
Alex Speier / The Boston Globe:
What might the 2027 Red Sox roster look like? Evaluating how Boston will attack this unusual offseason. — With MLB teams and agents convening in Las Vegas for the GM meetings next week, how might the Red Sox look to improve upon back-to-back, blink-of-an-eye playoff appearances?
Discussion:
Over the Monster, BaseballNow.com, sports.yahoo.com and Bleacher Report
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Offseason approach, Whitlock, pitching depth among hot Reddit AMA topics — This story was excerpted from Ian Browne's Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. — BOSTON — Earlier this week …
Discussion:
sports.yahoo.com
Jon Heyman / New York Post:
Max Scherzer's lockout plan at 42 — and if season 20 is in cards — Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, 42, might keep pitching, and if his boffo finale in Toronto on short rest is any indication, there's more there. — He tells The Post he plans to pitch in “lockout games” near his Florida home …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors, blogTO, Battery Power and Forbes
Jayson Stark / The Athletic:
The Hall of Fame's Contemporary Era ballot is loaded. Here are 5 things to watch — Here's the bad news about the baseball offseason: Lockout! — But are you ready for the good news? At least we'll have more time than ever to talk about the Hall of Fame. So there's that.
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball
Cody Stavenhagen / The Athletic:
Tigers name Kyle Hudson first-base coach to finalize 2027 coaching staff — The Detroit Tigers finalized their coaching staff for the 2027 season and introduced two new medical team members Friday. — Most notably, the Tigers named Kyle Hudson as the new first-base and base-running coach.
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports
Manny Randhawa / MLB.com:
Here are the 2026 Silver Slugger Award finalists — The Silver Slugger Award is presented to the best hitter at each position in each league annually, and it is voted on by MLB managers and coaches (who are not allowed to vote for players on their own teams).
Discussion:
Purple Row, sports.yahoo.com, MLB Trade Rumors, Lookout Landing, Viva El Birdos, Lone Star Ball and Detroit Sports Nation
