MLB 2026 News & Discussion

Ballplayers aren't getting paid for their smarts, or a passing grade in basic economics. I expected no less of a response from union members.

Get ready forn a lengthy lock-out. LOL

On Dodger payroll approaching $400M.....

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"I f---ing love it," Machado said Sunday from Padres camp. "Every team should be doing it. That s--- is f---ing great for the game."

Machado would prefer everyone spend like the Dodgers rather than see them reined in to try to achieve a more balanced financial playing field across MLB.

"I think every team has the ability to do it," Machado said. "I hope all 30 teams learn from that."

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https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...ing-great-game

and then there's Bryce Harper ....

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"I love what the Dodgers do, obviously," Phillies star Bryce Harper told reporters in Florida. "I mean, they pay the money, they spend the money. I mean, they're a great team. They run their team like a business, and they run it the right way.

"... Each team in baseball has an opportunity to do the same thing. Maybe not at the upper echelon of money, but they can draft, they can develop, they can trade. I think a lot of teams can do that in baseball, and they should."

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Originally Posted by GAC

Ballplayers aren't getting paid for their smarts, or a passing grade in basic economics. I expected no less of a response from union members.

Get ready forn a lengthy lock-out. LOL

On Dodger payroll approaching $400M.....




https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...ing-great-game

and then there's Bryce Harper ....

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Of course the players love what the Dodgers are doing. I can’t imagine why. lol


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I think every team should be aiming to pay for a roster that is just under .500 and hoping they magically are way better without spending more money. Then that plan would actually work.

To think that every team has the ability, or opportunity, to carry a $400M payroll like the Dodgers simply shows pure ignorance of reality. If it keeps up, then only one who will be able to afford a beer at a ballgame will be Castellanos!! lol

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Originally Posted by GAC

To think that every team has the ability, or opportunity, to carry a $400M payroll like the Dodgers simply shows pure ignorance of reality. If it keeps up, then only one who will be able to afford a beer at a ballgame will be Castellanos!! lol

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The TV deals alone have such a massive disparity. The Dodgers are making double the amount over every other team except the Yankees. And even that disparity is over $100 million.

Latest numbers I could find on TV deals... Dodgers at $334 million a year, Yankees at $217, Cubs at $132, Mets at $128, Mariners at $118, Phillies at $100. That's just not sustainable for the health of the entire League.

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Originally Posted by GAC

Ballplayers aren't getting paid for their smarts, or a passing grade in basic economics. I expected no less of a response from union members.

Get ready forn a lengthy lock-out. LOL

On Dodger payroll approaching $400M.....




https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...ing-great-game

and then there's Bryce Harper ....

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Sorry Manny Machado and Sorry Bryce Harper but it's not Great for the Game. It may be great from a players perspective but not from a fan of a small market team. Lockout needed for 2027 to fix this problem. When the games get really boring with the Dodgers already winning the game in the third inning by a score of 10 to 0 the advertising dollars will start to become a real problem for them because you want a viewer to watch the whole game and not a boring dominance.

I know so many fans want to dismiss the issue of large markets versus small markets as fiction, but the reality is that all those between innings commercials that the Reds broadcast of UDF, Jeff Wyler, Skyline/Gold Star, and the various garage door and AC/heating companies, will NEVER bring in the same income as the commercials in the bigger markets.

It’s not even about the number of potential viewers that drive the market. It’s not about a million households in Cincy compared to a million households in LA. It’s the prices. Ice cream cones and cheese coneys and air conditioners and cars and garage doors in the “Greater Cincinnati” market are a lot cheaper than ice cream cones and coneys and air conditioners in NYC or LA. Sometimes the mark-up is 2-3 times greater than the smaller markets. Part of those elevated prices in LA and NYC get passed on to the larger market teams as part of their advertising revenue.

Those are the facts of life. It costs more to live in the larger markets than in smaller markets.

Dodgers also deferring money is against the spirit of the rules in my opinion. If small market teams had done that when the regional sports networks were giving them fat local cable contracts then reneged, half the teams in the league would have gone bankrupt.

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Originally Posted by mgbrown66

Dodgers also deferring money is against the spirit of the rules in my opinion. If small market teams had done that when the regional sports networks were giving them fat local cable contracts then reneged, half the teams in the league would have gone bankrupt.

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You do realize the small market Reds deferred money with Griffey correct? Every team has the ability to do it and a lot of them use it, the Dodgers are not breaking the spirit of the rule. The rule is you can defer contracts and the Dodgers are doing that.

Update on an old friend...

Dodgers To Sign Santiago Espinal To Minor League Deal

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Originally Posted by WrongVerb

Update on an old friend...

Dodgers To Sign Santiago Espinal To Minor League Deal

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Well, I guess that makes it official. The Dodgers are gonna "threepeat."

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Originally Posted by WrongVerb

Update on an old friend...

Dodgers To Sign Santiago Espinal To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers revealed that utility man and everyday second baseman Tommy Edman will not be ready for Opening Day after undergoing ankle surgery over the offseason.

Edman needed the procedure after fighting through the pain in 2025, playing with limited mobility, but gutting it out down the stretch.

His injury opens up the battle for the starting second baseman position, which will include Miguel Rojas, Hyeseong Kim, Alex Freeland, and new signee Santiago Espinal.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/do...232508964.html

Mike Tauchman to Mets on minor league deal and invitation to spring training.

Tony Clark To Step Down As MLBPA Executive Director

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Tony Clark is preparing to announce his resignation as the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, per a report from Evan Drellich, Ken Rosenthal and Andy McCullough of The Athletic. Clark has been in his current position since 2013.

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Originally Posted by WrongVerb

Tony Clark To Step Down As MLBPA Executive Director

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Kind of odd to do it as a labor dispute is about to take hold. Of course, that could be the point: He just didn't want to deal with it.

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Originally Posted by CySeymour

Kind of odd to do it as a labor dispute is about to take hold. Of course, that could be the point: He just didn't want to deal with it.

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There's also some corruption charges against him for misuse of union funds. I suspect that's about to become front and center for him.

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Originally Posted by GAC

Ballplayers aren't getting paid for their smarts, or a passing grade in basic economics. I expected no less of a response from union members.

Get ready forn a lengthy lock-out. LOL

On Dodger payroll approaching $400M.....




https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...ing-great-game

and then there's Bryce Harper ....

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About what you's expect from these two meatheads

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Originally Posted by CySeymour

Kind of odd to do it as a labor dispute is about to take hold. Of course, that could be the point: He just didn't want to deal with it.

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Either he doesn't have the bandwidth to fight anymore (which if not this is a good thing) or he's in the Epstein files (which is a bad thing)

Pablo López Diagnosed With UCL Tear

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The Twins received brutal injury news this morning, as right-hander Pablo López has been diagnosed with tearing in his right elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament, general manager Jeremy Zoll announced to reporters (via Dan Hayes of The Athletic). He’s going for a second opinion, but season-ending surgery is on the table for López.

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That certainly doesn’t mean the Twins will go out and make an external addition, but there are still some options if they hope to do so. Right-handers Lucas Giolito and former Twin Zack Littell are among the more notable names who do not yet have a home for the upcoming 2026 season. The Twins are deep in lefty-swinging outfielders and could try to strike up a deal with an Astros club that has long been trying to acquire just that, and there’s a handful of other veteran starters whose names have at least loosely surfaced in trade chatter throughout the winter (e.g. Brady Singer, Patrick Sandoval).

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A FA pitcher makes sense for the Twins. At this point they should NOT be trading assets for a marginally better pitcher than what they can get from Littell et al.

I mean, I'd love to see the Reds pounce on them, but I doubt it happens.

Royals doubled down on Jonathan India and the pressure is on

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Jonathan India appeared to be a big addition for the Kansas City Royals not too long ago.

The trade of Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds to acquire India was supposed to bolster Kansas City's batting order.

Instead, India struggled mightily.

There was a question of whether India would be non-tendered, but the Royals decided to bring him back after a down year. India hit .233 with a .346 slugging percentage in 2025 across 136 games played. He hit just nine homers and didn't steal a single base.

But despite that, the Royals signed India to an $8 million contract for the 2026 MLB season to see if he can get back to a better place

"The second base job is his to lose, but it’s still a prove-it year for India, not just to put his first season with the Royals behind him, but also because he’ll be a free agent at season’s end.

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https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ro...184201300.html

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Originally Posted by WrongVerb

Pablo López Diagnosed With UCL Tear

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Two small market/cheap (however you wish to describe them, they are in the same boat financially) clubs have an opportunity to help each other. We've dealt with the Twins before, so there's history there. They have an abundance (I counted 4) of CF players with good OPS/SLG numbers in the upper tiers of the organization. There's a foundation here where they could help each other.

What better way to compete against the asset-rich clubs than to pool the resources of clubs like the Twins and REDS where they could help balance each others' organization, especially in times of need, rather than having one of the clubs settle for what's left on the open market or letting one of the asset-rich clubs swoop in to make themselves even stronger?

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Originally Posted by TRF

A FA pitcher makes sense for the Twins. At this point they should NOT be trading assets for a marginally better pitcher than what they can get from Littell et al.

I mean, I'd love to see the Reds pounce on them, but I doubt it happens.

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I don't ever want a G.M. with a mindset of "pouncing". That's what the Bengals have been for 35 years, and why nobody wants to deal with them. They think the only good deal is one where your team wins and the other team loses. It's one reason I like Krall. He's not trying to fleece the other guy and this offers more opportunity to improve the REDS, while having more G.M.'s (except those like the White Sox) willing to negotiate with him. A great trade is one where both sides improve their club. This keeps negotiations open for future needs and opportunities.

There's definitely an opportunity here for Krall and I'm sure he sees it. I just don't know what he views as organizational needs at the moment. I give Krall an "A" for this off-season already. An opportunity to move Friedl to LF sooner and leave Marte in RF is a need Krall has already mentioned exists. MIN could use Singer more than Littel.

https://www.denverpost.com/2026/02/1...o220srbkw2tv2o

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Bryant has played only 170 games with Colorado since signing a franchise-record seven-year, $182 million free-agent contract before the 2022 season. He’s hit .244 with 17 homers and 61 RBIs. He has three years left on the deal, and the Rockies still owe him $81 million.

The one-time National League MVP and hero of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series championship has been diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disc disease. The condition involves the wear and tear of the spine in his lower back and has required multiple treatments, including an ablation procedure, to manage the pain. He's tried pilates and hours of physical therapy, but nothing has worked.

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I feel for the guy. That's a lot of pain to deal with.

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Originally Posted by WrongVerb

There's also some corruption charges against him for misuse of union funds. I suspect that's about to become front and center for him.

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Also this

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Jeff Passan
@JeffPassan

MLBPA executive director Tony Clark resigned after an internal investigation revealed he had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who had been hired by the union in 2023, sources tell me and @DVNJr
.

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Originally Posted by Kingspoint

I don't ever want a G.M. with a mindset of "pouncing". That's what the Bengals have been for 35 years, and why nobody wants to deal with them. They think the only good deal is one where your team wins and the other team loses. It's one reason I like Krall. He's not trying to fleece the other guy and this offers more opportunity to improve the REDS, while having more G.M.'s (except those like the White Sox) willing to negotiate with him. A great trade is one where both sides improve their club. This keeps negotiations open for future needs and opportunities.

There's definitely an opportunity here for Krall and I'm sure he sees it. I just don't know what he views as organizational needs at the moment. I give Krall an "A" for this off-season already. An opportunity to move Friedl to LF sooner and leave Marte in RF is a need Krall has already mentioned exists. MIN could use Singer more than Littel.

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It's semantics, but if say the Dodgers/Yankees/Red Sox/Cubs were in a sudden position of need, and the Reds could deal from strength?


Pillage them.

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Originally Posted by NebraskaRed

Also this

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Man, Tony Clark seemed like a good guy when he was a player. Regardless, he's either become, or always been, a real turd.

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Originally Posted by westofyou

Either he doesn't have the bandwidth to fight anymore (which if not this is a good thing) or he's in the Epstein files (which is a bad thing)

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Closer to Epstein files, apparently

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Originally Posted by TRF

It's semantics, but if say the Dodgers/Yankees/Red Sox/Cubs were in a sudden position of need, and the Reds could deal from strength?


Pillage them.

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Always look to improve the organization. There's far too little time spent by most organizations in this area.

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Originally Posted by NebraskaRed

Also this

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Reds players react to union boss' resignation with crucial labor talks looming

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb...d=BingNewsVerp

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Originally Posted by Ron Madden

Royals doubled down on Jonathan India and the pressure is on
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ro...184201300.html

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The Reds aren't the only team that wastes money (imo).

This looks like a wiffleball...

https://x.com/PitchingNinja/status/2...5Es1_&ref_url=

First spring training game of the year is tomorrow at 1 pm eastern time. Yankees and Orioles.

And away we go...

The Brewers and manager Pat Murphy have agreed to a new deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. It’s a three-year contract with a club option for 2029. Murphy was previously going into the final season of a three-year deal he signed ahead of the 2024 campaign. This deal reworks the final year of his previous pact, adds two more guaranteed seasons and the option.

Murphy’s deal comes with $8.95MM in new money, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/...extension.html

Turned on the Cubs/White Sox game just in time to see Austin Hays homer on the first pitch he sees

On the heels of losing Pablo López for the season, Joe Ryan was scratched from his start just 15 minutes before game time (he was starting in the WBC). Back tightness, apparently.

Not good Detroit

https://x.com/MLBONFOX/status/2025317478067261542


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Originally Posted by Sea Ray

Not good Detroit

https://x.com/MLBONFOX/status/2025317478067261542


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Well at least it looks like Detroit did block a Yankee extra point attempt ��

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Originally Posted by NorthBerg

Well at least it looks like Detroit did block a Yankee extra point attempt ��

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Actually the Yankees went for two and didn't convert.

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Originally Posted by NebraskaRed

Turned on the Cubs/White Sox game just in time to see Austin Hays homer on the first pitch he sees

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Did he get hurt?