Casey Mize rebounds in second start for Padres

Rivera was designated for assignment on Monday so the Red Sox could get down to their 40-man roster limit, but instead of being a free agent, he will head to the Cardinals. It makes some sense since Chaim Bloom used to be the chief baseball officer in Boston and still has connections to personnel there. Rivera is a 23-year-old with a big fastball, but he will now be on his third organization and has yet to establish consistent production. It’s not a bad gamble for the Cardinals to take. Garcia is an 18-year-old right-hander who pitched to a 4.40 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 39/10 K/BB ratio in 43 innings in the Dominican Summer League this year.

Kanzler has spent the past three seasons as the Cubs’ director of player development. The 36-year-old was a 20th-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 2013 MLB Draft and played three seasons in the minors, primarily as a center fielder. Kanzler is the 22nd manager in Mariners’ franchise history and will be the second-youngest manager in the Majors behind 34-year-old Nationals manager Blake Butera, who was 33 at the time he was hired.

Roby missed the second half of 2025 and all of 2026 after having Tommy John surgery, so the Cardinals made a plan for him to make three starts in the Arizona Fall League. In those starts, he allowed no runs on six hits (all singles) in 9 2/3 innings while striking out 13 and walking one. “I was very pleased with the results, and also my own evaluations...That’s what this was about, pitching against hitters with a pitch clock rolling and guys on base. I was really happy I got to pitch with some traffic,” Roby said. He’s unlikely to begin 2027 in the Cardinals’ rotation given how much time he missed, but he could be an option soon after if he begins the season well at Triple-A.

This is the upper range of the deal and would also include the $19.125 million that the MLB team that signs Sato needs to send to the Hansin Tigers. McDaniel acknowledges that Schwarber is a proven player, while Sato is now, but Schwarber also signed that contract at 33 years old, while Sato is 28 years old and also won an NPB Gold Glove in 2025, so there is some defensive potential with his elite raw power. He figures to attract a lot of attention from MLB teams, but he has significant swing-and-miss potential too.

Crow-Armstrong took the senior circuit by storm this past season and is the overwhelming favorite to claim MVP honors after authoring a phenomenal 45-homer, 41-steal campaign. The 24-year-old finished as the most impactful hitter in the fantasy landscape while continuing to establish himself as one of the premier defensive center fielders in the game. He’s also just beginning to enter his physical prime, making this season feel more the start of his ascent rather than a metaphorical peak. Ohtani appeared poised to claim MVP honors for the fifth time in his remarkable career, thanks in large part to his extraordinary early-season work on the mound, before knee and biceps issues kept him from pitching in the second half.

The Alvarez versus Caminero debate was a scorching and divisive one for most of the summer, but Houston’s middle-of-the-order force seemingly did enough to hold off Tampa Bay’s rising superstar. Alvarez led the majors in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, slashing .316/.432/.601 with 105 runs scored, a career-high 42 home runs and 106 RBI across 158 games. Caminero topped the 40 home run mark for the second consecutive season, leading the Rays to a remarkable 98-win season and another AL East division title.

Misiorowski is the overwhelming favorite to take home the hardware after establishing himself as the most dominant starter in baseball, forging a microscopic 1.80 ERA (2.12 xERA), 0.80 WHIP and 252/44 K/BB ratio across 174 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old flamethrower recorded 10 double-digit strikeout performances and allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but two of his 30 starts. Sale continued his remarkable late-career renaissance in Atlanta, delivering another stellar campaign with a 2.16 ERA (2.97 xERA), 0.98 WHIP and 200/31 K/BB ratio across 162 2/3 innings over 27 starts. He would have been the choice in just about any other season, but Misiorowski made the leap from hard-throwing phenom to an outright force of nature.

This one won’t be particularly close. Schlittler seems like a near-lock to take home his first Cy Young Award after posting a pristine 1.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 239/49 K/BB ratio across 193 2/3 innings over 33 starts. The 25-year-old rising star will be at the front of New York’s rotation for years to come. Messick put together one of the more impressive rookie campaigns in recent years, but he’s going to finish a distant third in balloting. Cease was the only real challenger to Schlittler in this race, posting an impressive 2.40 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 239/78 K/BB ratio across 169 innings over 29 starts in his Blue Jays debut.

Stewart is the clear favorite to take home the hardware after hitting .263/.330/.457 with 32 homers, 112 RBI and 15 steals across 162 games. That shouldn’t diminish what the other two finalists accomplished, as both put together remarkable rookie campaigns of their own. Benge made a compelling late-season push to turn the race into a legitimate debate, finishing with a .282/.346/.430 slash line, 20 homers and 22 steals across 156 contests. Wetherholt also enjoyed an impressive debut, batting .242/.339/.365 with 89 runs scored, 17 homers, 51 RBI and 14 steals in 139 games.

McGonigle is the overwhelming favorite to claim the hardware in a year that featured one of the most impressive rookie classes in recent memory. The 22-year-old hitting machine delivered a four-hit performance on Opening Day and never looked back, finishing with a sublime .278/.376/.430 slash line with 97 runs scored, 18 homers, 72 RBI and 12 steals in 707 plate appearances over 156 games. Messick was the best rookie pitcher in baseball this past season, posting a remarkable 2.56 ERA (3.13 xERA), 1.06 WHIP and 193/49 K/BB ratio across 186 1/3 innings over 32 starts. Tolle flashed top-of-the-rotation upside while finishing with an impressive 3.03 ERA (2.69 xERA), 1.10 WHIP and 171/40 K/BB ratio across 148 2/3 innings over 26 starts.