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MLB en bref : Blue Jays contre le Canada | Des chiffres de fou pour le match #7

Blue Jays contre le Canada

Le 3 mars, l’équipe canadienne de la Classique mondiale va affronter les Blue Jays, en Floride.

Message du président

Mark Shapiro remercie les fans des Blue Jays.

Les Red Sox et Pete Alonso

Ils ont besoin d’un joueur comme lui.

Les Angels écoutent

Ils pourraient échanger un voltigeur.

Des chiffres de fou

51 millions de personnes (un sommet depuis 1991) ont écouté le dernier match de la Série mondiale aux États-Unis, au Canada et au Japon. L’impact des Blue Jays et de Shohei Ohtani est réel.

Le cas Shane Bieber

Une prolongation de contrat pour le garder à Toronto à long terme n’est pas dans les plans en ce moment. Du moins, ce n’est pas lié à son option de joueur.

Pardon?

Freddie Freeman peut faire… ça?

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Rumor: Blue Jays want big starter with long contract

The Blue Jays will be able to count on Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios to hold down the fort in the rotation for the 2026 campaign.

This has officially been the case since Shane Bieber surprised the baseball world by accepting the one-year option on his contract.

Basically, he could have accepted $4 million and signed for the long term, but opted to take an additional $12 million (so $16 million in total) to stay in Toronto for just one more year.

He could possibly have made close to $100 million as a free agent, but he chose to stay on the cheap in an environment where he feels comfortable. What a fine example of the culture the Blue Jays are building.

That said, there’s one thing Bieber’s signing hasn’t settled: the contractual situation of long-term starters.

Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt are currently available. Gausman and Bieber will be free in a year’s time. Berrios has an exit option in a year’s time, so he should be considered a potential free agent after the 2026 season.

The only one guaranteed to be around in 2027 is Trey Yesavage.

So, according to Keegan Matheson, the Blue Jays are in the market this winter for a top-notch pitcher who will be around for at least several years.

Will the Blue Jays, once again attractive to free agents, bring a top-notch (left-handed, ideally) pitcher to town via the free agent process? Is a deal possible?

To be seen this winter.

PMLB
  • Blue Jays bosses will talk to the media tomorrow.

  • Jorge Polanco is a free agent.

  • Chris Sale is staying in Atlanta for 2026.

  • Tim Hill stays with the Yankees, but Jonathan Loaisiga doesn’t.

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Tarik Skubal’s name refuses to die in Boston

The Red Sox need reinforcements on the mound. Picking up Garrett Hook and signing him long-term was a great idea… and ideally, he could use some help in the rotation.

Rumor has it that the Red Sox could potentially go after a pitcher via trade more than as a free agent.

Obviously, Joe Ryan’s name will be circulating. The Twins are likely to trade him, and we know the Red Sox had interest in the Minnesota pitcher in the 2025 season.

But what about Tarik Skubal?

We obviously don’t know if the Tigers will trade him. But if they do, it will be because a club with a big, firm system (like the Red Sox) will have given the Tigers the moon for a year’s control of the world’s best pitcher.

On MLB Network, without linking the two issues, Jon Heyman said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Jarren Duran playing in Detroit in 2026… before adding that Skubal’s name will circulate at next week’s GM meeting.

Then, Buster Olney said that the Red Sox, who notably have a good surplus of outfielders (a Tigers need) in their organization, are well positioned to try to get Skubal out of Michigan.

The Mets and Mariners are also worth keeping an eye on.

Skubal, who is represented by Scott Boras, should logically become a free agent in a year’s time. But if a club sees its window open even wider in 2026 with the premier pitcher on its roster, the pitcher could leave Detroit.

After all, we know he won’t get what he wants with the Tigers. It’s clearer than ever.

I don’t know if the Red Sox will go after him – in my eyes, if he moves, the Mets have to be the favorites – this winter. But it’s a club I refuse to take out of the running right now… if there is a running, that is.

To be continued.

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Triston Casas publishes a very strange cryptic message on social networks

The Boston Red Sox’s 2025 season was a roller-coaster ride, as they compiled a record of 89 wins against 73 losses and managed to qualify for the playoffs in a tough American League Eastern Division. Boston’s playoff run was short-lived, however, as they fell to their arch-rivals, the New York Yankees, in the Wild Card round.

In the end, the Bas Rouges’ campaign went well, but not so for Triston Casas. The first baseman posted a dismal .182 batting average in 29 games before his season came to a premature end when he suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee during a game in early May.

Not to mention his comments that he didn’t want to see the organization’s young prospects reach Major League Baseball, probably because he felt his job was in jeopardy.

And now the Boston Red Sox first baseman drew attention once again last night (Tuesday) with a bizarre message he posted on his Instagram page.

If we want a chance to do something decent, it’s things like this that need to be addressed. I’m going to be as transparent as possible… within reason. No illusions, just normalizing the difficult conversation.

So much for transparency. Casas offered no context, saying nothing about what “needs to be addressed” and what “difficult conversation” is.

Perhaps the 25-year-old is talking here about his return to the game in 2026, his desire for the Red Sox to improve their lineup, or something else entirely. It seems that only Casas knows exactly what he was referring to in this enigmatic message.

However, this adds to his not always stellar record as a strange personality who has even irritated teammates in the past with his clowning around.

One wonders more and more if his future lies elsewhere.

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Shane Bieber stays in Toronto

Good news for the Blue Jays.

While pitcher Shane Bieber had an opt-out clause in his contract, he chose not to exercise it and to stay in Toronto for next season.

Surely he could have gone for a multi-year contract at a better annual salary, while avoiding the uncertainty of the potential work stoppage that could take place a year from now.

Bieber has a $16 million salary heading into the 2026 season… but since he would have made $4 million had he used his opt-out, that’s just going to cost the Blue Jays another $12 million.

Bieber seems to be a loyal guy, having signed a contract with the Guardians last year when he was a free agent recovering from Tommy John surgery. And now, he hasn’t decided to opt out of his contract, even though no one would have blamed him for testing the market.

And the free agent market, for pitchers, can be… excellent.

Clearly, he’s enjoyed his time in town. And perhaps he must feel that to continue recovering from his Tommy John, being with the Toronto medical staff is the best thing.

It’s also possible to think that Shane Bieber and the Blue Jays could continue negotiating to sign a bigger contract to keep the pitcher in town for the medium to long term.

It also proves that the guys weren’t kidding when they said the atmosphere in the Toronto dressing room would be incredible in 2025.

It’s safe to assume that Bieber, who was mostly good in 2025 in Toronto after being acquired at the deadline, will be better in 2026, when he’s fully recovered from surgery.

In other words, the Blue Jays have one less starter to sign this winter. Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage will be with the former Guardians in the rotation in 2026. At least one starter is still missing.

Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, Seranthony Dominguez, Bo Bichette, Ty France and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are free agents for the Blue Jays this winter.

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“Rockies must do everything to change division”

Things are bad in Colorado.

The club is going to the wall. No one wants to play there. The boss is paying Kris Bryant in a vacuum. The organization is playing in a horrible market for pitchers. There is no baseball boss a few days before the GM meeting.

But most of all, playing in the Dodgers, Padres, Giants and Diamondbacks division really hurts the Rockies. There’s no end in sight over there.

What’s the solution?

According to Jim Bowden, the Rockies should take advantage of the fact that commissioner Rob Manfred wants to realign the divisions geographically before leaving to leave the Dodger division.

In the eyes of the former GM, this must be THE priority for the new baseball boss, who will be appointed… one day.

Of course, we still don’t know how it’s all going to work out. Expansion, which seems increasingly inevitable under the circumstances, will also affect how the divisions realign.

In reality, I like the Rockies’ chances. After all, if the American and Nationals are eliminated, we could see eight four-team divisions. That would make sense to me.

If that’s the case, the number of teams in California could mean that the Rockies could have a chance of getting out of the Dodgers division, the biggest club in MLB.

That would be a good first step… even if it wouldn’t change everything.

PMLB
  • Salvador Perez: under contract until the end of the 2027 season.

  • Harrison Bader is a free agent.

  • Ozzie Albies stays in Atlanta.

  • Jack Flaherty stays in Detroit.

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MLB en bref : 170 M$ pour Kyle Schwarber? | Trevor Story reste à Boston

170 M$ pour Kyle Schwarber?

C’est ce que Jim Bowden entend.

Trevor Story reste à Boston

Il ne se sort pas de son contrat.

Yu Darvish opéré

Sa blessure au coude devrait l’empêcher de lancer pendant toute la saison 2026. Et s’il y a un arrêt de travail en 2027, ça pourrait être assez long avant de le revoir.

Luis Robert et les White Sox

Sans surprise, son option d’équipe de 20 M$ a été retenue.

Frankie Montas a pris son option de 17 M$, lui. Aucune surprise : il est blessé et ne devrait pas lancer en 2026.

Stephen Vogt supporte son ami

Il était à Baltimore pour voir Craig Albernaz être nommé gérant des Orioles.

« Épouse ma mère »

Un fan a une demande pour Shohei Ohtani… et ça fait rire sa femme.

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Two Blue Jays pitchers to watch in Boston

The Toronto Blue Jays have a couple of pitchers on the free-agent market. Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer can sign wherever they want, and Shane Bieber has yet to decide whether to pick up his contract option or become a free agent.

How likely are these guys to stay in Toronto? That remains to be seen.

But it’s interesting to note that according to Rob Bradford, who covers the Red Sox in Boston, Shane Bieber could be back in the sights of the Boston club this winter.

He was last winter (before signing to stay in Cleveland, he had visited the Red Sox… and no other team) and he should, once again, be in the next few weeks – if he’s available, of course.

It’s also mentioned that Alex Cora has always been a fan of Chris Bassitt’s work. Will the Red Sox call to inquire about the price of signing him?

We’ll see.

The Bo Bichette case

We don’t know exactly what’s in store for Bo Bichette. Does he want to stay in Toronto if money is on the table? Or will he look elsewhere to return to the United States?

Shi Davidi thinks there’s a good chance he’ll stay.

However, tipster Ken Rosenthal thinks it would be surprising if Bichette stayed. Instead, he thinks he’s likely to sign elsewhere for the next few seasons.

No one agrees on his case.

Tarik Skubal traded?

We know that the Tigers and the Tarik Skubal clan can’t agree at all on how much to pay the pitcher to keep him from becoming a free agent in a year’s time.

According to Jim Bowden, if the Tigers aren’t going to make Skubal the highest-paid pitcher in the world, they’d better trade him. And that’s his prediction right now: he’ll be traded.

There’s a gap of hundreds of millions of dollars between the player’s demands and the club’s offers. Maximizing his market value may be the Tigers’ top priority right now.

Keep an eye on the Mets…

PMLB
  • Rhys Hoskins is a free agent.

  • Mariners keep Andres Munoz.

  • Jarren Duran: $7.7M for 2026.

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Manager of the Year: Stephen Vogt deserves American League title

In seven days’ time, on November 11 at 7:00 p.m. (Quebec time), the winner of the American League Manager of the Year award will be announced on MLB Network. Stephen Vogt, John Schneider and Dan Wilson are vying for the honors.

If voters for this coveted title were to rely on the entire 2025 campaign to make their choice, including the playoffs and World Series, the choice would be unanimous – Schneider to the Toronto Blue Jays. But that’s not the case, as the tags are limited to the regular season.

And in this case, Vogt must receive the honor, as the Cleveland Guardians have defied the odds time and time again in 2025.

There isn’t another skipper in all of Major League Baseball who has led his team to the fall dance this season with so little experienced talent. For most of the campaign, the team had to rely on first-year prospects, while developing others who were in their second or third stint on the Manfred circuit.

The young squad completed a historic 15.5-game comeback to reclaim first place in the American League’s Central Division standings, Vogt’s second consecutive section title. This proved to be the largest deficit a team has ever had to overcome to finish first in any division or league in MLB history.

All this with the sixth-lowest total payroll. Conversely, the Seattle Mariners and Blue Jays both ranked in the top-10, with Toronto fifth.

If Vogt were to win the title, he would become the third manager to accomplish this feat, Kevin Cash and Bobby Cox being the only others. Perhaps that’s the only thing that might encourage some voters to give the Jays skipper their vote.

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Alex Bregman not a Red Sox priority

Only two days to go before the MLB free agent market opens. And while the big names probably won’t be signing with their new (or old) clubs this week, some information is starting to leak out.

As in the case of Alex Bregman, who is back on the market a year after waiting until February to sign with the Boston Red Sox. Given his performance in 2025, it’s unlikely to last as long as it did last year.

A return to Massachusetts would make sense for the third cushion player. True, Bregman opted out of his contract, but that’s not because his time with the Low Reds wasn’t fruitful – quite the contrary. The veteran with two World Series rings could continue to help guys like Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu progress.

But that may not be the case. According to Jim Bowden, signing Alex Bregman is not Boston’s number one priority.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the starting rotation and first base end up being Craig Breslow’s two biggest moves.

If the Red Sox aren’t the ones with whom Bregman pursues his career, teams like the Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies could be his next destination.

In 114 games this season, Bregman posted a .273 batting average with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs. All these numbers could have been better, however, had he not had to deal with a quadriceps injury midway through the season.

It remains to be seen what his next pact will look like, both in terms of years and money, having signed a three-year contract worth $120 million last year.

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