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Cubs reject Shota Imanaga’s option: he will become a free agent

Unfortunately, the World Series and the 2025 campaign are already behind us. But that doesn’t mean the baseball world is taking a break. In fact, Thursday November 6 is an important date on the off-season calendar, as decisions on contract withdrawals and options must be made by then.

And the latest decision comes as a surprise to many.

According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, pitcher Shota Imanaga will become a free agent as the Chicago Cubs declined their three-year, $57 million club option to retain his services until 2028.

Imanaga then declined his $15 million player option for 2026, with good reason.

The next step in the process is the qualifying offer of $22 million for 2026, which Chicago could very well grant Imanaga by Thursday. If he accepts, it won’t be a bad one-year contract for a pitcher of the 32-year-old’s caliber, and if he declines and ends up elsewhere, the Bears could get an extra draft pick.

He could also sign a contract that isn’t the qualifying offer with the Cubs.

Sure, the Cubs could still negotiate with the Japanese throughout the off-season, but while his performances have been inconsistent this season and the end of the current campaign hasn’t gone as planned, the three-year pact they had in hand made sense.

Just as was the case at the trade deadline, when the Cubs didn’t surround themselves well with Kyle Tucker, whom they had acquired at a high price, there isn’t much of a desire to spend to try and win big in Chicago.

So it’s safe to assume that Tucker will find himself under other skies by the start of the 2026 season.

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Ken Rosenthal: Boston would be an ideal destination for Pete Alonso

With the 2025 season officially behind us, it’s already time to tackle the hot topics that will mark this off-season.

If there’s one name that will be the talk of the town, it’s Pete Alonso. The first baseman announced his intention to leave his contract on the very day of his team’s elimination.

A return to New York isn’t necessarily in the cards, but who knows?

However, as journalist Ken Rosenthal mentioned, clubs shopping for batting power will be lining up for a player of Alonso’s caliber. In this sense, the Boston Red Sox must undeniably be included as a prime candidate.

Alonso and the green monster

I was just having a discussion with a friend last week on the subject. We so see Alonso joining the Red Sox. It seems like a perfect match, and Rosenthal confirmed our thoughts.

Being a powerful right-handed hitter, Polar bear would be the rainmaker at Fenway Park. Just imagine the number of hits that would reach or go over the mythical green monster!

And, as we all know, it’s far from certain that third baseman Alex Bregman will be back in Massachusetts in 2026. If that’s the case, the addition of Pete Alonso would fill a huge gap in terms of experience and mentoring for the young Bostonians.

Finally, is Triston Casas the long-term solution at first base for Boston? After all, he only played 29 games last year and 63 the year before. Injuries seem to fall on him like misery on the poor world.

Alonso, on the other hand, played in all 324 of his team’s games over the same period. That’s a lot of talk! If Alonso were to sign for Boston, Casas would find himself on the trading block immediately.

Age is no problem

Beyond his performance on the pitch, another question often comes up in discussions: his age.

Alonso turns 31 next month. Although, like most people, he’s getting on in years, he doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Perhaps the fact that he’s in his thirties scares the Mets away from giving him a multi-season contract? We’ve never really sensed the team management’s desire to go in this direction with their star player. Surely there’s a reason why the two sides were in the same situation at this time last year.

On the other hand, a team will certainly take the gamble of adding him to its core, because he’s exactly the kind of player who can make the difference in a game.

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American MVP: George Springer overlooked among finalists

The 2025 MLB season is now officially over. The Dodgers got the better of the Blue Jays in the World Series… and now we’ll have to wait several months before we see baseball in North America again.

At least there’s the World Baseball Classic next March. So we won’t have to wait as long to see some highly competitive baseball.

That said, the end of the season also means individual honours. And today, MLB announced the finalists for each of the major honours, in both the American and National leagues.

In the Blue Jays’ case, George Springer, who had quite a season, was a candidate to be among the finalists for the MVP award.

But in the end, it wasn’t to be: instead, it was Jose Ramirez who joined Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh as finalists.

In reality, we agree that no matter what, the real race will be between Judge and Raleigh. But even so, it’s a shame for Springer not to see him among the finalists, despite his strong campaign.

Remember, though, that the votes were submitted before the start of the series. Perhaps if it had been done after the playoffs, Springer would have gotten a little more love.

That said, the Jays will still have the opportunity to win an individual honour: unsurprisingly, John Schneider is one of the finalists for Manager of the Year in the American League.

And while Stephen Vogt and Dan Wilson have done some fine things, it’s hard not to see Schneider as the clear favorite.

As for the other individual honors, there were no real surprises among the finalists. And when you look at the races, you’d expect them to be pretty easy to predict… apart from the American’s MVP.

Who will it be, Aaron Judge or Cal Raleigh? This will undoubtedly be the race to watch.

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MLB en bref : Walt Weiss, gérant des Braves | Gabe Kapler, DG des Marlins

Walt Weiss, gérant des Braves

Il reste à savoir qui dirigera les Padres et les Rockies.

Gabe Kapler, DG des Marlins

On l’a surtout connu comme gérant à Philly ou San Francisco.

Des options de sortie

Plusieurs joueurs en profitent : Ha-Seong Kim, Cody Bellinger, Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, Alex Bregman et Pete Alonso.

Et Wandy Peralta n’en profite pas, lui.

Shohei Ohtani veut une troisième bague

Il pense déjà à ça.

Autre chance au Temple

Le bulletin contemporain pourrait faire entrer des grands joueurs.

Tomber en amour avec Toronto

Les séries ont eu cet effet-là pour bien des gens.

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Rockies: Adam Ottavino (active in 2025) in the running to head baseball operations

Ahh, the Rockies…

Recently, we learned that the two finalists for the position of baseball operations boss were not going to get the job. The search would have to start all over again?

So clearly, the club is in a bind. And with a week to go before the GMs meet in Vegas, and on the heels of the free agent market opening up, it would still be interesting if the Rockies had… a GM, like.

I know, I know: maybe it’s too logical for them.

But here’s a name that’s just come out of left field: Adam Ottavino. In recent weeks, he’s been talking to the club’s owners about the position.

He is a former pitcher with the club, from 2012 to 2018.

Ottavino has played with the Cardinals, Yankees, Mets and Red Sox. He played a few games at the start of the 2025 season with the Yankees, which was a few months ago.

I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering whether a player who pitched in 2025 can be named president of baseball operations… in 2025.

I understand that he has the profile for the job, and I understand that he learned Spanish to better understand certain players. But it seems to me that running a club like this takes a bit of experience, doesn’t it?

Especially since the Rockies are a big job. Just managing the salary situation around Kris Bryant’s contract is going to take a miracle.

PMLB
  • The Blue Jays were listened to in droves.

  • It’s parade day in L.A.

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Michael King: a return to the Yankees is more than possible

Now that the World Series is behind us, the free agent market is already upon us, officially opening on Thursday.

And one of the interesting players who will be showcased is certainly San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King, who has declined his mutual option with the team for the 2026 season, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

King is expected to sign a three-year pact worth around $75 million, and a meeting with the New York Yankees is in the cards, with both parties having signified their mutual interest. King had joined the Padres prior to the 2024 season, arriving in San Diego as the centerpiece of the trade that sent Juan Soto to the Bombardiers.

In addition to the Yankees, the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox would be potential landing spots for King.

The 30-year-old reached the 30-start mark for the first time in his career in 2024, when he maintained a 2.95 earned-run average and retired 201 batters on strikes in 173 and two-thirds innings pitched.

Then, the 2025 campaign got off to a flying start for King, who posted a 2.59 earned-run average in his first ten starts of the season before landing on the injured list due to a thoracic nerve problem and a knee injury.

He then made five starts in the second half of the season and experienced his share of troubles, as evidenced by his 3.44 ERA. King then pitched just one inning in the playoffs, retiring three batters on strikes and allowing just one hit.

It remains to be seen whether the Yankees will be able to prevent their rivals from snaring him and bring him back into their ranks.

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“If you can’t beat them, join them”

The Los Angeles Dodgers have added pieces to the puzzle in recent years in an effort to build the powerful team it has become.

And among those additions are starting pitchers Tyler Glasnow, who arrived in California in 2024, and Blake Snell, who joined the team in 2025. Although he didn’t make the playoffs last year due to injury, Glasnow now has two World Series titles, while Snell has just won his first.

And as the two protagonists celebrated in the Dodgers locker room at Rogers Centre on Saturday night, Glasnow launched a snarky retort about players who lost to the Dodgers in a previous Fall Classic, all the while giving Snell a high five.

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, baby!

You could say that’s kind of what Glasnow and Snell did, since they were both members of the 2020 Tampa Bay Rays team that lost to the Dodgers in the World Series. So the two ended up winning a title together later on the team that beat them at the time.

For many baseball fans, the limitless-spending Los Angeles Dodgers are bad for MLB. Some have even called Glasnow shameless, suggesting that this mentality is a cause of Major League Baseball’s supposed problems.

But let’s take just the two aforementioned players as examples. If the Rays had paid them according to their talent, the Dodgers wouldn’t have been able to get their hands on them. You might say that this was not possible for Tampa Bay. I’ll grant you that.

But what about Freddie Freeman with the Atlanta Braves and Mookie Betts with the Boston Red Sox, two teams that won’t make anyone cry with their financial resources?

Sure, Glasnow wasn’t entirely serious when he made that statement, but it makes perfect sense for players to be attracted to the Dodgers, who have won back-to-back World Series titles and will be among the favorites again next season, and who don’t skimp on a few bucks.

And it’s not as if the Dodgers are unbeatable, with the Toronto Blue Jays one detail away from changing the narrative.

It’s up to the other Manfred Circuit teams to adjust.

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“I’m so glad the best team didn’t win!!!”

Last year, after winning the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers felt the need to lash out at their rivals, the New York Yankees, for no apparent reason.

This year, the California outfit is reveling in the negative comments directed at them after winning their second consecutive Fall Classic title, having heard a ton of criticism since their Game Seven victory over the Toronto Blue Jays last Saturday.

One of these came from the mouth of former MLB catcher and Sportsnet Blue Jays game analyst Caleb Joseph, who declared after the final game that, in his opinion, “the best team didn’t win that series”.

A day after his team’s triumph, Dodgers utility player Kiké Hernandez took aim at Joseph via his social networks.

I’M SO GLAD THE BEST TEAM DIDN’T WIN!!!

In addition, Hernandez accompanied his comments with a series of photos of himself holding the Commissioner’s Trophy, including one with future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw.

The Dodgers couldn’t care less about outside critics, as they have another World Series title to celebrate, one they’ve certainly earned, especially in games six and seven, no matter what Joseph thinks.

Starting with the main man himself, Hernandez, who played his part in the Dodgers’ victory. Although he struggled a bit with his bat during the World Series, he had posted a .306 batting average in the team’s playoffs before that, and his defense was crucial for Los Angeles.

The Dodgers will celebrate their third title in six years at a parade today (Monday), without worrying for a second about the critics.

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Golden Glove: Ty France is the only Blue Jays winner

The Blue Jays had several guys nominated to win a Gold Glove. But in the end, the club didn’t win much.

In fact, only Ty France, who wasn’t in town very long and didn’t play much defensively due to the presence of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, is the club’s only winner.

That’s amazing, considering how good a defensive team the Blue Jays are.

So by necessity, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been beaten, but he’s not the only one. Alejandro Kirk, Andres Gimenez and Ernie Clement (at third base and as a utility player) also went down.

It’s not representative of the club’s good defensive play all season, but every position only has one winner. And anyway, today, the Blue Jays guys must not care.

Note that the Royals and Red Sox have two winners each. Steven Kwan, meanwhile, won a fourth title in as many years in the MLB. He plays left-handed.

In the Nationals, the Cubs have three winners and the Giants two. We note that Ke’Bryan Hayes also won even though he played for two clubs – just like Ty France with the Blue Jays and Twins.

Hayes started the year in Pittsburgh and is now in Cincinnati.

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Here’s how the Blue Jays look ahead to next season

The Blue Jays are out: they lost Game 7 of the World Series in the 11th inning.

Like the Colorado Rockies, Sacramento A’s, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and all teams other than the Dodgers, the Blue Jays cannot add a World Series banner for next season.

The difference? The Blue Jays, via a fine playoff run and a deep-pocketed owner, have the means to be more attractive than the Minnesota Twins or Miami Marlins on the market this winter.

But what are the club’s holes?

First, it should be noted that Chris Bassitt, Bo Bichette, Seranthony Dominguez, Ty France, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Max Scherzer are all on their own as we speak. Shane Bieber, meanwhile, will decide shortly whether to opt out of his contract or stay at $16M for 2026.

Will any of them come back? Who knows. Chris Bassitt is among the guys interested in staying.

If we take for granted that the club will go with 13 position players, we already understand that, barring major changes, many of these positions are already filled.

For example?

  • Alejandro Kirk: catcher
  • Tyler Heineman: catcher
  • George Springer: DH and outfielder
  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr: 1st base and DH
  • Andres Gimenez: second base or shortstop
  • Ernie Clement: third base, second base or shortstop
  • Addison Barger: third base or right fielder
  • Davis Schneider: left fielder or second base
  • Daulton Varsho: center fielder
  • Nathan Lukes: outfielder
  • Myles Straw: outfielder
  • Anthony Santander: outfielder and DH

I don’t see Ty France coming back, and I’m not sure Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a priority. And as for Bo Bichette… let’s just say it’s one of the biggest offseason deals in MLB.

If no one is traded, a depth player could be signed or a youngster could break into the lineup. But without a big major addition, the regular starting lineup against right-handed pitchers could look like this:

  1. George Springer (0)
  2. Nathan Lukes (7)
  3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr (3)
  4. Anthony Santander (9)
  5. Addison Barger (5)
  6. Alejandro Kirk (2)
  7. Daulton Varsho (8)
  8. Ernie Clement (4)
  9. Andres Gimenez (6)
  10. Bench: Straw, Schneider, Heineman and one other player.

Leo Jimenez, Joey Loperfido, Jonatan Clase, RJ Schreck, Josh Kasevich and Yohendrick Pinango are just some of the position players we’ll be keeping an eye on at camp.

The first three are more familiar names. And the fact that Jimenez is excellent defensively at shortstop may help him a little.

So, as you can see, the forwards aren’t going to change drastically. It will have to learn to perform at the right time in the playoffs (and not to go stale at the end of the game), but stability will be important.

And since the guys like each other, that’s all to the good.

Among pitchers, this is where things could change more. After all, the relievers need help and several starters could be called upon to sign elsewhere than Toronto in the near future.

Reminder: Scherzer and Bassitt are free as a bird and Bieber could leave.

If Bieber decides to stay, he’ll have his place in the rotation. But otherwise, there are only three certainties right now: Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios (if he’s healthy at camp, which he should be) and Trey Yesavage.

Without the playoffs, we’d be wondering about Yesavage. But he’ll definitely have a place in the rotation come March.

It’s clear that, in addition to Gausman (last year of contract) and Berrios (opt-out in one year), the Blue Jays are going to need veterans. Will Bieber, Scherzer and/or Bassitt return?

In any case, the more veterans leave, the more veterans need to be added.

Internally, Eric Lauer, Bowden Francis, Adam Macko, Lazardo Estrada, Ricky Tiedemann and Gage Stanifer will also be pushing for a spot in the rotation. Some have a better chance than others…

Jake Bloss, one of the club’s top prospects, underwent elbow surgery last May. Don’t expect him at the Blue Jays’ 2026 camp. And don’t underestimate the plan to see Louis Varland become a starter…

Among relievers, there are theoretically eight spots available. Jeff Hoffman, Yimi Garcia (who was injured in the playoffs), Yariel Rodriguez and Louis Varland will be there if healthy.

Rodriguez has a good contract and, despite his difficult playoffs, the club won’t be throwing in the towel.

Braydon Fisher, Mason Fluharty and Brendon Little weren’t great in the playoffs, but they were often used. But let’s just say that if I were them, I wouldn’t want an ugly practice camp.

Nick Sandlin, Ryan Burr and Robinson Pina (season-ending injuries) will fight for a spot with the starters who won’t have a place in the rotation and the other relievers. Justin Bruihl, Tommy Nance and Dillon Tate are also in the mix.

Clearly, the bullpen is the Blue Jays’ biggest challenge. I see the club aggressively seeking reinforcements via the free agent market or through trades. Did free agent Seranthony Dominguez like Toronto? The question arises.

That portrait is clear: with the revenues generated in the playoffs, it takes investment to get reinforcements on the mound. This confirms what we’ve seen in the playoffs: the club is one or two injured players away from being in big trouble.

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