MLB Player News

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand says it’s a done deal, and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman says Mahle will be guaranteed $10 million. Probably not what Giants fans were hoping for in the rotation after a similar addition in Adrian Houser, but maybe there’s still more to come. Mahle did put up a 2.18 ERA in his 16 starts for the Rangers last season, but his peripherals were unimpressive, and he again dealt with shoulder problems. Having undergone Tommy John in 2023, he’s made a total of 24 starts the last three years, and his velocity last season was down two mph from his one completely healthy and productive season with the Reds in 2021.

McGonigle enters the final weekend of the season as the favorite to take home the AL Rookie of the Year Award over Guardians starter Parker Messick, who has posted a stellar 2.55 ERA over 183 1/3 innings of work. The 22-year-old hitting machine became just the fifth rookie since 2000 to reach base safely at least 262 times, which broke a Tigers record held by Al Kaline since 1953. He’s going to finish as one of the most impactful late-round picks in recent memory, hitting .276/.376/.425 with 96 runs scored, 17 homers, 70 RBI and 12 steals across 699 plate appearances.

Verlander will take the ball Saturday afternoon against the Pirates at Comerica Park for the final start of his legendary 21-year career. 43-year-old future Hall of Famer will retire as a three-time Cy Young Award winner and the 2011 AL MVP. He enters his final outing ninth on the all-time strikeout list, just ahead of former Tigers teammate Max Scherzer, with 3,554 punchouts that he’s accumulated over more than two decades since 2005. He has been sidelined by hip and hamstring issues since early April.

The Diamondbacks have won a staggering six consecutive contests to pull within a single game of the Phillies for the final NL Wild Card playoff berth with two games left on the schedule. Sánchez’s removal from Arizona’s roster will be to create a roster spot for the club to bring up some additional catching depth after Gabriel Moreno suffered a mild hamstring injury during Friday’s game. The 28-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays earlier this month and has played against most right-handed starters as a temporary stopgap.

The Angels are now 62-98 as they try to avoid the first 100-loss season in franchise history. Detmers will finish the year 7-8 with a 3.36 ERA after winning his last four decisions over the final seven weeks. He had a 1.61 ERA and a 61/9 K/BB over 56 innings in his final nine starts.

Miller allowed two runs through five and should have been through the sixth without any damage, but Julio Rodríguez got an oddly late break on a flyball single and Christian Moore ended up homering with two outs on a fly that would have left only eight of 30 ballparks. Miller finishes the year 4-10 with a 4.17 ERA after a very promising start following a six-week absence due to an oblique injury. Alas, the velocity spike that showed up this spring and briefly carried over upon his return in May didn’t stick around at all. He went from looking like a legitimate No. 2 starter in May to more of a middling No. 4 lately.

Even though it hasn’t been a particularly encouraging season overall, Neto is tied for 15th in the majors with his 63 extra-base hits and tied for eighth with 101 runs scored. His .241 average and 212 strikeouts are less impressive. Fortunately for him, having the 12th-highest strikeout total ever only puts him third behind new all-time leader Colson Montgomery and Kyle Schwarber on the 2026 list.

Canzone was robbed of at least a double on his lone out, flying out 404 feet to center in the first. Even so, he had a great night, improving to .264/.335/.486 with 23 homers in 523 plate appearances. He’s hitting lefties even better than righties, so he should be locked in as an everyday player for the Mariners at the beginning of next year.

Culpepper has been on the IL since Sept. 16 with a mild hamstring strain. Ryan Kreidler has been the primary shortstop in his absence.

With Moreno limited, manager Torey Lovulli indicated that Jesús Sánchez will be DFA’d in order to add a catcher prior to Saturday’s game.

The Guardians’ bats showed impressive restraint in a game that the Royals completely gave away. Starter Noah Cameron walked four batters in five innings. Then, their bullpen walked an unbelievable nine batters between the eighth and ninth. Nate Pearson was the primary culprit with four free passes in the final frame. Then, Nolan Hoffman walked two more before Martínez socked a two-run double to finish off a five-run ninth inning. Red-hot heading into the postseason, he has a .301/.345/.573 slash line with six home runs over his last 30 games.