Boone: Fried/Warren could piggyback next start

After bouncing around quite a bit earlier in his career, Bauers is opting for some long-term security here, signing for $14.5 million per year instead of taking the $23.15 million qualifying offer from the Brewers. The Red Sox almost certainly have to move Jarren Duran now. Bauers probably will DH frequently, but he can also supplement Roman Anthony in left and Willson Contreras at first. Triston Casas also surely has to be very much available or perhaps a non-tender candidate. Boston is probably now out of the mix for Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki. The Brewers can turn to Andrew Vaughn as their primary first baseman next season with Bauers gone, but they’ll probably look for a lefty complement.

Rosario was a notable name on the minor league free agent list, especially since he just turned 24 in July. He got off to a rough start last season, but that might be explained by the Twins, with a crowded Triple-A outfield, burying him in Double-A after he’d already shown plenty there in 2025. He did eventually move up and then hit .298/.350/.563 with 11 homers in 42 games in his debut for St. Paul. Overall, he has 47 homers and an .845 OPS the last two years. He should eventually see major league time as a platoon corner outfielder against left-handers.

Domínguez had the three hardest-hit balls of the game at 107, 105 and 105 mph, and his homer traveled 416 feet. 37 plate appearances into his winter league debut, he’s hitting .333 with nine walks and no strikeouts. That might not put him back into the Yankees’ plans right away, but it can’t be bad for his trade value.

He’s 6-for-12 since joining the Tiburones earlier this week. After being waived by the Guardians, the out-of-options Arias spent the last two months of last season riding the pine for Mets and Cubs clubs that didn’t really have any use for him, getting just five at-bats for the Mets and 10 in six weeks with the Cubs. He’s still on the Cubs’ roster now, but he’ll only really make any sense for the 2027 club if Matt Shaw gets moved and maybe still not then. Through 371 big-league games, he has just a 76 OPS+.

Before spending the final two months of the year back in Triple-A, Piñango did solid work for the Blue Jays as a rookie last season, hitting .260/.306/.396 in 180 plate appearances. He’s currently off to a .304/.370/.478 start in seven games in Venezuela. With the Jays likely to acquire an outfielder, Piñango will probably be a long shot for a roster spot entering next season. His bat remains intriguing, though.

Koo hit .371/.458/.581 to win the batting title and finish third in the KBO in OPS in 2026. That was the second0best OPS of his career. His high mark was 1.044 at age 31 in 2024, so he’s definitely something of a late bloomer; he only made his first WBC team this year and was a backup then, going 0-for-2 in the tournament. It’ll be interesting to see if any MLB teams are interested, giving that he doesn’t seem like a long-term regular as he enters his age-34 season. He’s primarily been a left fielder of late, but he does have some experience at first base, too.

The 33-year-old left-hander had another terrific season for the Cubs in 2026, going 11-10 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 174/37 K/BB ratio over 174 1/3 innings in his 32 starts. He also served up a career-high 35 home runs, an issue that could be minimized by moving from Wrigley Field to the spacious confines of Fifth Third Park in Detroit.

With Ethan Salas ready to take over behind the dish in San Diego, it’s not surprising that the Padres are getting calls on their other depth pieces behind the plate. What remains unclear is whether or not the Padres have any interest in dealing from that point of strength, or if perhaps they plan on keeping three catchers and rotating Salas and Campusano through the designated hitter spot in the lineup when they aren’t catching, which they did in the NLDS against the Brewers.

Like Pete-Crow Armstrong in the National League, Alvarez was a unanimous choice, getting all 30 first-place votes in the American League. Rays’ third baseman Junior Caminero finished as the runner-up with Royals’ shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. finishing third in the balloting. Alvarez, 29, avoided the injured list during the 2026 season and delivered unbelievable production in the middle of the Astros’ lineup, slashing .316/.432/.601 — marks that paced the American League in every category. He also slugged 42 homers, drove in 106 runs and scored 105 times while stealing one base in one attempt. It’s the first MVP award for Alvarez who finished third in the voting back in 2022.

It’s the first time that the dynamic 24-year-old has received the honor. Crow-Armstrong was a unanimous selection, garnering all 30 first-place votes. Dodgers’ two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani finished second in the voting while Brewers’ second baseman Brice Turang finishing third. He was certainly deserving of the award, as his 45 home runs tied with Kyle Schwarber for the tops in all of baseball. He also swiped 41 bases, making him the only player in baseball this season — and one of just seven in MLB history — to have a 40/40 season. Crow-Armstrong slashed a scintillating .280/.372/.570 with 119 runs scored and 107 RBI while playing Gold Glove defense in center field.