MLB off-season & Hot Stove 2026-2027

The Game Room
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I figured we could use a companion thread to the Play-Off thread. I wanted to reply to off-season stuff for the Red Sox.

The biggest issue for Boston is Sonny Grey is likely to walk away. They don’t have enough starters with him. On the bright side for them, he’s probably their only worry.

Yanks free agent losses are actually positives. Grisham will be gone and Chisholm will probably be gone. Won’t be gone, but costly, David Bednar will command a large salary increase.

Decisions for Yanks: Should be time to let Goldschmidt leave with Rice & Luis Garcia under contract.
Catcher & 3rd Base will be tricky.
I think Lombard at SS and Volpe at 2B is solid.
I really like Judge, Jones and Bellinger as the starting outfield.
DH: I don’t love Stanton having one more year at $25 million, but so be it.

Yanks biggest strength: starters: Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, Ryan Weathers, Will Warren & Luis Gil is still around.

MLB Playoffs 2026 (incl. World Series)
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Yanks need a better right-handed back-up catcher than Sanchez. Rice needs to reach competence at first base. I wouldn’t be upset of Chisholm jr. leaves, but I’m not convinced that Volpe is the answer at second base. And if Stanton isn’t ready to go when the season starts, release him.

All in all, the roster looks good next year. If there is a next year.

3

In Chicago, both Cub corner outfielders Ian Happ had Seiya Suzuki are free agents. I can see Chicago letting one walk and replacing him with supersub Matt Shaw. Suzuki had better numbers, but Happ has a better glove (4 Gold Gloves), is a switch hitter, and is the longest-tenured Cub. It wouldn’t surprise me if he accepted a qualifying offer to remain a Cubbie for life.

Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman, David Peterson, and Aaron Civale are all unrestricted free agents on the pitching staff. I’d like to see Peterson and Gausman resigned. Civale was decent out of the bullpen, and I’d like to see him stay.