Frayed Knot

Between the reacquisitions of Nathan Lavender and Zebulon Vermillion, the bullpen has the potential of covering a significant sector of the color wheel.

AL: Judge - Raleigh - Ramirez I really thought Raleigh was going to take it. The 30 votes were split Judge 17 1sts & 13 2nds, while Raleigh went 13 - 17 NL - in an order that surprised absolutely no one - went: Ohtani - Schwarber - Soto Ohtani was unanimous. Schwarber grabbed 23 of the 30 2nd place votes. Soto took four 2nds, Geraldo Perdomo took the other three Lindor finished 10th and appeared on 18 separate ballots including one 4th place nod. Alonso was right behind him in 11th place and actually snagged a 3rd, a 4th, and two 5th place votes plus five other down ballot mentions.

Wait, this means no number retirement?!? I think all three should feel insulted and boycott the proceedings. Not so sure about Mazz either.

Since we've mostly ignored this here, I thought I'd try to catch up ... just as it's ending. MANAGER OF THE YEAR AL - Stephen Vogt (CLE) 17 1st place votes (of 32) 2nd place: John Schneider (TOR) - 10 1st 3rd: Dan Wilson (SEA) - 2 4th: Alex Cora (BOS) - 1 NL - Pat Murphy (MIL) 27 1st place 2nd: Terry Francona (CIN) - 2 3rd: Rob Thompson (PHI) - 1 Both are repeat winners from 2024 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AL - Nick Kurtz (ATH) - Unanimous 2nd - Jacob Wilson (ATH) - 23 2nd place 3rd: Roman Anthony (BOS) - 3 2nd place NL - Drake Baldwin (ATL) - 21 1st place votes 2nd: Cade Horton (CHC) - 9 1st place 3rd: Caleb Durbin (MIL) CY AWARD AL: Tarik Skubal (DET) - 26 1st place votes (Repeat Winner) 2nd: Garrett Crochet (BOS) - 4 1st place 3rd: Hunter Brown (HOU) NL: Paul Skenes (PIT) - Unanimous 2nd: Christopher Sanchez (PHI) - all 30 2nd place votes 3rd: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) - 16 3rd place And finally, within the hour, we'll find out the two MVPs AL Finalists: Aaron Judge (NYY) - Cal Raleigh (SEA) - Jose Ramirez (CLE) NL Finalists: Shohei Ohtani (LAD) - Kyle Schwarber (PHI) - Juan Soto (NYM)

Turns out he had Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery shortly after the season ended. Apparently there was some pain when he swung and so his stats heading into September [.259/.350/.454] turned into [.243/.335/.411] for the full season after being dragged down by a horrid final month: .187/.274/.270 btw, there are apparently two different types of TOS, vascular and neurogenic. Neurogenic is the one usually associated with pitchers and has a longer recovery period. Vascular is the more serious one medically, but it also has a better success rate and requires a shorter recovery. McNeil had the vascular version and is expected to be a full participant in S.T.

[YOUTUBE]E90_aL870ao[/YOUTUBE] Not quite as raucous as the Timmy Trumpets thing, but perhaps opposing batters would come to the plate in a haunted mood if he switched to this one as his intro music.

From the Athletic: When Edwin Díaz signed his five-year, $102 million contract with the New York Mets in November 2022, it was the largest in history for a reliever. Díaz, though, reached that agreement before becoming a free agent. By opting out of the final two years and $38 million of that deal, he essentially created his first — and potentially last — chance to test the open market. Díaz, who turns 32 in March, is coming off one of his best seasons, one in which he produced a 1.63 ERA with a 38 percent strikeout rate and 8.1 percent walk rate in 66 1/3 innings. The deal he wants, according to a person briefed on his wishes, is essentially the same one the Mets gave him the last time. The Athletic’s Tim Britton wrote, “the Mets need to bring back Díaz, however much it costs.” Mets owner Steve Cohen and his wife, Alex, might agree — they are said to be huge fans of Díaz. President of baseball operations David Stearns, however, is known for his discipline. And the free-agent market is deep in late-inning relievers, from Devin Williams and Robert Suarez to Ryan Helsley and Pete Fairbanks to Luke Weaver and Raisel Iglesias, among others. So, a target of $20/per for his age 32 thru 36 seasons.

Those kinds of bets always theoretically existed since all you need to place a bet is someone on the other end willing to agree to take it. But what's "new" about them is the ability and frequency with which they can be placed in the internet era. Fans can now sit at home with a phone in their hands and bet on Every Single AB in a game as well as on individual pitches within those ABs; literally hundreds of bets per game. Gambling houses like that because, as mentioned above, prop bets are a meaty part of their business. And the sports leagues are embracing them because it gives incentives for fans to watch games even when it involves teams in which they have no particular interest. MLB and the NBA have seen what the gambling incentive has meant to the NFL over the last five or six decades -- football fans will watch any game regardless of who's involved and gambling has always been a huge part of that -- and so they want to get a taste of it for themselves. Except now both sports have been bitten by the (thoroughly predictable) dark side of it all.

That's why they call it gambling. You can prop bet almost anything. Hell, the coin flip to start a football game has been bet on for decades. People can and people do. In fact that's mostly how Clase and the other guy (Ortiz) were operating. They'd agree with their 'partners' which pitch(es) they'd throw Out of the strike zone (because that's controllable*) and the partners would make a bet with that prior/insider knowledge for which the pitchers would (allegedly) got a slice of the winnings. The total amount this gang won ran into the hundred$ of thousand$ which, if the gov't can make their case, is a fraud on the houses where they placed the bets which carries potentially long prison sentences. Not coincidentally, I read an article yesterday about how betting houses are going to curtail single pitch bets moving forward as a result of being burned in this case and who knows how many others. It's blow to them since prop bets, like all bets but, I believe, to a great degree w/props, favor the house. The commercials that now saturate televised sporting events are heavy with enticements to place not simple W/L or O/U bets but in-game prop bets in conjunction with 'parlays' (betting on multiple things all of which need to hit) on those props. They gleefully tell you about increased winnings with these combos but somehow neglect to mention the multiplier effect of parlays severely decreases the odds of getting a win. Parlasy suckers are some of the house's best customers, and by best I mean most common losers particularly since, unlike W/L, O/U type bets, you can bet numerous prop bets throughout the entire game. Ball/Strike?, Pass/Run?, 3-pt shot or Two? * Well, not always controllable. One of the instances cited with Clase on the mound was when he threw a ball in the dirt vs LAD's Andy Pages, Pages swung at it anyway so the gang lost money on that particular 'sure thing'. And not only does the gov't have evidence that that pitch was heavily bet but also texts between Clase and one of his guys after teh game talked about how they took a bath on that one due to the unexpected swing.

"Neither Clase nor Ortiz pitched after July, when both were placed on paid leave after the league launched an investigation into whether they were predetermining pitches. By that point, the operation had allegedly netted its co-conspirators more than $450,000 in winnings since May 2023. Clase and Ortiz appear to have received only a small cut of that profit." Excerpted from an article in The Athletic

The thing is, the fact that sports gambling is now legal and open makes this sort of thing even less likely to conceal. The gambling houses report 'unusual' patterns to whatever commission oversees their operations as a way of protecting themselves and their industry and something like abnormally heavy action on something trivial like a first pitch of a game practically screams 'fix'. So in order for the pitchers (or their cousins or deadbeat brother-in-law or whoever) to make any substantial money on this they either have to bet a lot of cash in one spot (something a smart house would likely reject) or make identical bets in multiple places, both of which would set off red flags and point the finger directly at the player(s) involved. Gamblers tend to make all kinds of excuses as to why what they're doing is OK. Hoopsters aren't fixing the results of games, they're merely making sure the margin of victory remains within a certain range, so no harm. Pete Rose only bet on his team to win and that's a good thing, right!?! It wouldn't surprise me if neither of these pitchers had much (if anything) riding on these events. They were just helping out a friend or two and those friends would never tell their friends until it set off a chain reaction which would make storing a live elephant in the living room easier to conceal.

Maybe that's what happened with Jimmy Hoffa ... he cussed out Bowie Kuhn one day then was never heard from again.

With an outside-the-box choice of former WAS/SDP reliever Craig Stammen being chosen as the Padres skipper, only the Orioles and Rockies remain skipper-less for 2026. The 41 y/o Stammen, though a front office assistant with various titles in San Diego since his 2022 retirement from playing, is a surprise choice both because he has never managed at any level and because his last name isn't Pujols. [td] TEAM [/td][td]MANAGER[/td][td]HIRED[/td][td]CONTRACT [/td][td]STATUS[/td][td] BRAVES [/td][td]Brian Snitker[/td][td]May ‘16 [/td][td]Thru 2025 [/td][td]Walt Weiss hired (11/3/25) to replace Snitker[/td][td] MARLINS [/td][td] Clayton McCullough [/td][td] Nov ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] METS [/td][td] Carlos Mendoza [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] NATIONALS [/td][td]Dave Martinez[/td][td] Oct ‘17 [/td][td]Fired 7/6/25[/td][td]Blake Butera - length not disclosed[/td][td] PHILS [/td][td] Rob Thompson [/td][td] June ‘22 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] BREWERS [/td][td] Pat Murphy [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] CARDINALS [/td][td] Oliver Marmol [/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] CUBS [/td][td] Craig Counsell [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2028 [/td][td] [/td][td] PIRATES [/td][td] Don Kelly [/td][td] May ‘25 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td]Signed extension 9/29/25[/td][td] REDS [/td][td] Terry Francona [/td][td] Oct ‘24 [/td][td] Thru 2027 + ’28 club option [/td][td] [/td][td] DIAMONDBACKS [/td][td] Torey Loveullo [/td][td] Nov ‘16 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] DODGERS [/td][td] Dave Roberts [/td][td] Nov ‘15 [/td][td] Thru 2029 [/td][td] [/td][td] GIANTS [/td][td]Bob Melvin[/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td]Fired 9/29/25[/td][td]Tom Vitello (U of Tennessee) three year deal[/td][td] PADRES [/td][td]Mike Schildt[/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td]thru 2027 - Resigned Oct ‘25[/td][td] Replaced by Craig Stammen[/td][td] ROCKIES [/td][td]Bud Black[/td][td] Nov ‘16 [/td][td]Fired 5/11/25[/td][td]Replaced by Warren Schaeffer as interim [/td][td] BLUE JAYS [/td][td] John Schneider [/td][td] July ‘22 [/td][td] 2025 + ’26 option [/td][td] [/td][td] ORIOLES [/td][td]Brandon Hyde[/td][td] Dec ‘18 [/td][td]Fired 5/17/25[/td][td]Replaced by Tony Mandolin as interim[/td][td] RAYS [/td][td] Kevin Cash [/td][td] Dec ‘14 [/td][td] Thru 2030 [/td][td] [/td][td] RED SOX [/td][td] Alex Cora [/td][td] Nov ’17 - Jan ’20, Nov ’20 - present [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] YANKEES [/td][td] Aaron Boone [/td][td] Dec ‘17 [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] GUARDIANS[/td][td] Stephen Vogt [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] ROYALS [/td][td] Matt Quatraro [/td][td] Oct ‘22 [/td][td] 2025 + '26 option [/td][td] [/td][td] TIGERS [/td][td] A. J. Hinch [/td][td] Oct ‘20 [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] TWINS [/td][td]Rocco Baldelli[/td][td]Oct ‘18[/td][td]Fired 9/29/25[/td][td]Derek Shelton hired - length not disclosed[/td][td][td] WHITE SOX [/td][td] Will Venable [/td][td] Oct ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] ANGELS[/td][td]Ron Washington[/td][td]Nov ‘23[/td][td]Thru 2025[/td][td]Kurt Suzuki hired 10/21/25 - one year deal only[/td][td] ASTROS [/td][td] Joe Espada [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] ATHLETICS [/td][td] Mark Kotsay [/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td] 2028 + ’29 option [/td][td] [/td][td] MARINERS [/td][td] Dan Wilson [/td][td] Aug ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] RANGERS [/td][td]Bruce Bochy [/td][td]Oct ‘22[/td][td]Thru 2025[/td][td]Skip Schumaker hired 10/3/25, 2026 - ‘29[/td]

The biggest downside to me was his early term impetuousness, seemingly concerned more with making a splash -- Scherzer, Verlander, Baez/PC-A, plus his ill-fated flirtation with Carlos Correa -- than with the long term ramifications of his actions. To his credit, once those moves proved not on the right path, he pivoted quickly and in a way that partially restored the farm system even though some residual damage via the salary cap/future picks lived on. Any other complaints are minor in scope. I could do without the smoke, dancers, and just overall noise/distraction level but, unfortunately, assaults on the senses are the way of modern sports these days and Steve probably didn't want to be known as the last kid on his block without some kind of mascot race. But, overall, certainly a lot more good than bad and the eventual hiring of a PoBO helped set a more clearly cohesive mindset going forward.

Keep in mind, also, that Steve Phillips is a renowned 'trade prospects' guy. He'll nearly always go for the now over the future. This isn't merely, he has said so in so many words. One of the internet scribes (Keith Law?) was a lower-level employee for a club and, years later while working as a journo, he published that he was in on a conversation where Phillips was offering a minor leaguer named Wright in a trade proposal for someone. The deal obviously never happened and I forget the bait going the other way, but I do remember that we wouldn't have been a happy bunch had it occurred. Later, when S.P. was in his talking head days (ESPN?), he advocated dealing freshly drafted 1/1 pick Steven Strasburg for a starting to fade Cliff Lee. Lee was already 31 by this point and, while he still had some juice left in him, his prime years were already in the rear view while Strasburg was just at the start of a ten year run* which would see him make 239 starts at a 3.17 ERA/1.08 WHIP pace. And the dumbest part about it all was that the Nats were nowhere near ready to compete in 2010 when Strasburg was making his ML debut right almost exactly one year after being drafted. *The Nats got a great ten year run out of Strasburg. The only snag was that they paid him for about 18 years.

AL 1B - Ty France - Twins/Blue Jays (1st career GG) 2B - Marcus Semien - Rangers (2nd) 3B - Maikel Garcia - Royals (1st) SS - Bobby Witt Jr. - Royals (2nd) C - Dillon Dingler - Tigers (1st) P - Max Fried - Yankees (4th) RF - Wilyer Abreu - Red Sox (2nd) CF - Ceddanne Rafaela - Red Sox (1st) LF - Steven Kwan - Guardians (4th) Utility - Mauricio Dubon (LF, 2B, SS, 3B, CF, 1B, RF) Astros (1st) NL 1B - Matt Olson - Braves (3rd) 2B - Nico Hoerner - Cubs (2nd) 3B - Ke'Bryan Hayes - Pirates/Reds (2nd) SS - Masyn Winn - Cardinals (1st) C - Patrick Bailey - Giants (2nd) P - Logan webb - Giants RF - Fernando Tatis Jr - Padres (2nd) CF - Pete Crow-Armstrong - Cubs (1st) LF - Ian Happ - Cubs (4th) Utility - Javier Sanoja - Marlins (3B, LF, 2B, CF, SS, 1B, P) Marlins (1st) Platinum Gloss to be voted on and announced by the end of the week. Only David Peterson was a 'finalist' (top three) from the Mets.

So a couple of things here. These guys are all 1B-men who played at least a decent chunk of their careers in this century. All were also better overall hitters than Pete. Shown are their OPS and OPS+ (pct above or below lg avg) figures for their age 27 to 30 seasons and then their 31 to 35 years which is where Pete is heading if he lands a five year contract. The others lost an average of 35 OPS+ 'points' between the four year period from age 27 thru age 30 and the five year stretch including their age 31 thru 35 seasons and only Thome and Votto, those two walk-tactic freaks, didn't suffer a league average decline in their early 30s. Albert Pujols: OPS/OPS+ Age 27-30 = 1054 / 177; Age 31 - 35 = 825 / 130 Miguel Cabrera: 1037 / 178; 889 / 141 Ron Howard: 912 / 134; 751 / 105 Mark Teixeira: 928 / 141; 808 / 118 Jim Thome: 982 / 149; 989 / 155 Joey Votto: 942 / 157; 929 / 145 Freddie Freeman: 954 / 147; 919 / 151 Pete Alonso: 838 / 134; ???? So, if we sign him, we're likely to see a decline; the only question is how much can we live with? I said last year (on this thread) that I thought the Mets would dare someone to offer five years and were prepared to walk away if someone did. So I guess my position now is that they should be prepared to cut ties, or at least think seriously about it, if someone offers him four.

The move isn't official yet, but this would be the 33 year old Blake Butera. Assuming this comes off it would make Butera the youngest ML manager since Frank Quilici was a slightly younger version of 33 when he replaced Bill Rigney as manager of the Twins 71 games into the 1972 season and less than two years after his five year career as a Twins utility player ended. He'd manage them through 1975. Meanwhile, the present day Twins are being environment conscious by recycling Derek Shelton into their manager's chair. Shelton had managed the Pirates since 2020 but didn't make it as far as Mother's Day in 2025. But it's good to see him get right back on the horse.

Killebrew was a great power hitter, he and Frank Howard were perennial AL HR leaders for a time. But let's just say he wasn't exactly a fitness nut. The Seattle Pilots (and probably a bunch of other teams that didn't have a player keeping a secret diary) referred to him as 'The Fat Kid'.

And somehow Sandy wound up sitting two rows Behind Harry & Meagan for Game 4 at Dodger Stadium.

Coming off a lengthy tour following three consecutive hit albums [born to Run, Darkness, The River] Bruce is now the definition of a full blown rock star, a label which eluded him despite the critical acclaim of his early efforts. But despite all the money and fame he's also starting to wonder what all this success means to him in the grand scheme of things. And while his post-tour downtime is producing a number of potential new songs, the songs he's choosing to stick with how he wants to use them start to take some odd turns as the artist struggles with his past, his future, and with his current state of mind. Based on the Warren Hanes 2023 book, DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE, on the making of the NEBRASKA album.

[td] TEAM [/td][td]MANAGER[/td][td]HIRED[/td][td]CONTRACT [/td][td]STATUS[/td][td] BRAVES [/td][td]Brian Snitker[/td][td]May ‘16 [/td][td]Thru 2025 [/td][td]Will not return in 2026[/td][td] MARLINS [/td][td] Clayton McCullough [/td][td] Nov ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] METS [/td][td] Carlos Mendoza [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] NATIONALS [/td][td]Dave Martinez[/td][td] Oct ‘17 [/td][td]Fired 7/6/25[/td][td]Replaced by Miguel Cairo as interim[/td][td] PHILS [/td][td] Rob Thompson [/td][td] June ‘22 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] BREWERS [/td][td] Pat Murphy [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] CARDINALS [/td][td] Oliver Marmol [/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] CUBS [/td][td] Craig Counsell [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2028 [/td][td] [/td][td] PIRATES [/td][td] Don Kelly [/td][td] May ‘25 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td]Signed extension 9/29/25[/td][td] REDS [/td][td] Terry Francona [/td][td] Oct ‘24 [/td][td] Thru 2027 + ’28 club option [/td][td] [/td][td] DIAMONDBACKS [/td][td] Torey Loveullo [/td][td] Nov ‘16 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] DODGERS [/td][td] Dave Roberts [/td][td] Nov ‘15 [/td][td] Thru 2029 [/td][td] [/td][td] GIANTS [/td][td]Bob Melvin[/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td]Fired 9/29/25[/td][td]Tom Vitello (U of Tennessee) three year deal[/td][td] PADRES [/td][td]Mike Schildt[/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td]thru 2027 - Resigned Oct ‘25[/td][td][/td][td] ROCKIES [/td][td]Bud Black[/td][td] Nov ‘16 [/td][td]Fired 5/11/25[/td][td]Replaced by Warren Schaeffer as interim [/td][td] BLUE JAYS [/td][td] John Schneider [/td][td] July ‘22 [/td][td] 2025 + ’26 option [/td][td] [/td][td] ORIOLES [/td][td]Brandon Hyde[/td][td] Dec ‘18 [/td][td]Fired 5/17/25[/td][td]Replaced by Tony Mandolin as interim[/td][td] RAYS [/td][td] Kevin Cash [/td][td] Dec ‘14 [/td][td] Thru 2030 [/td][td] [/td][td] RED SOX [/td][td] Alex Cora [/td][td] Nov ’17 - Jan ’20, Nov ’20 - present [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] YANKEES [/td][td] Aaron Boone [/td][td] Dec ‘17 [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] GUARDIANS[/td][td] Stephen Vogt [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] ROYALS [/td][td] Matt Quatraro [/td][td] Oct ‘22 [/td][td] 2025 + '26 option [/td][td] [/td][td] TIGERS [/td][td] A. J. Hinch [/td][td] Oct ‘20 [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] TWINS [/td][td]Rocco Baldelli[/td][td]Oct ‘18[/td][td]Fired 9/29/25[/td][td][td] WHITE SOX [/td][td] Will Venable [/td][td] Oct ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] ANGELS[/td][td]Ron Washington[/td][td]Nov ‘23[/td][td]Thru 2025[/td][td]Kurt Suzuki hired 10/21/25 - one year deal only[/td][td] ASTROS [/td][td] Joe Espada [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] ATHLETICS [/td][td] Mark Kotsay [/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td] 2028 + ’29 option [/td][td] [/td][td] MARINERS [/td][td] Dan Wilson [/td][td] Aug ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] RANGERS [/td][td]Bruce Bochy [/td][td]Oct ‘22[/td][td]Thru 2025[/td][td]Skip Schumaker hired 10/3/25, 2026 - ‘29[/td]

[td] TEAM [/td][td]MANAGER[/td][td]HIRED[/td][td]CONTRACT [/td][td]STATUS[/td][td] BRAVES [/td][td]Brian Snitker[/td][td]May ‘16 [/td][td]Thru 2025 [/td][td]Will not return in 2026[/td][td] MARLINS [/td][td] Clayton McCullough [/td][td] Nov ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] METS [/td][td] Carlos Mendoza [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] NATIONALS [/td][td]Dave Martinez[/td][td] Oct ‘17 [/td][td]Fired 7/6/25[/td][td]Replaced by Miguel Cairo as interim[/td][td] PHILS [/td][td] Rob Thompson [/td][td] June ‘22 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] BREWERS [/td][td] Pat Murphy [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] CARDINALS [/td][td] Oliver Marmol [/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] CUBS [/td][td] Craig Counsell [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] Thru 2028 [/td][td] [/td][td] PIRATES [/td][td] Don Kelly [/td][td] May ‘25 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td]Signed extension 9/29/25[/td][td] REDS [/td][td] Terry Francona [/td][td] Oct ‘24 [/td][td] Thru 2027 + ’28 club option [/td][td] [/td][td] DIAMONDBACKS [/td][td] Torey Loveullo [/td][td] Nov ‘16 [/td][td] Thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] DODGERS [/td][td] Dave Roberts [/td][td] Nov ‘15 [/td][td] Thru 2029 [/td][td] [/td][td] GIANTS [/td][td] Bob Melvin [/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td] Fired 9/29/25 [/td][td] [/td][td] PADRES [/td][td]Mike Schildt[/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td]Resigned Oct ‘25[/td][td] ROCKIES [/td][td]Bud Black[/td][td] Nov ‘16 [/td][td]Fired 5/11/25[/td][td]Replaced by Warren Schaeffer as interim [/td][td] BLUE JAYS [/td][td] John Schneider [/td][td] July ‘22 [/td][td] 2025 + ’26 option [/td][td] [/td][td] ORIOLES [/td][td]Brandon Hyde[/td][td] Dec ‘18 [/td][td]Fired 5/17/25[/td][td]Replaced by Tony Mandolin as interim[/td][td] RAYS [/td][td] Kevin Cash [/td][td] Dec ‘14 [/td][td] Thru 2030 [/td][td] [/td][td] RED SOX [/td][td] Alex Cora [/td][td] Nov ’17 - Jan ’20, Nov ’20 - present [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] YANKEES [/td][td] Aaron Boone [/td][td] Dec ‘17 [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] GUARDIANS[/td][td] Stephen Vogt [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] thru 2026 [/td][td] [/td][td] ROYALS [/td][td] Matt Quatraro [/td][td] Oct ‘22 [/td][td] 2025 + '26 option [/td][td] [/td][td] TIGERS [/td][td] A. J. Hinch [/td][td] Oct ‘20 [/td][td] thru 2027 [/td][td] [/td][td] TWINS [/td][td]Rocco Baldelli[/td][td]Oct ‘18[/td][td]Fired 9/29/25[/td][td][td] WHITE SOX [/td][td] Will Venable [/td][td] Oct ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] ANGELS[/td][td]Ron Washington[/td][td]Nov ‘23[/td][td]Thru 2025[/td][td]Kurt Suzuki hired 10/21/25[/td][td] ASTROS [/td][td] Joe Espada [/td][td] Nov ‘23 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] ATHLETICS [/td][td] Mark Kotsay [/td][td] Oct ‘21 [/td][td] 2028 + ’29 option [/td][td] [/td][td] MARINERS [/td][td] Dan Wilson [/td][td] Aug ‘24 [/td][td] ??? [/td][td] [/td][td] RANGERS [/td][td]Bruce Bochy [/td][td]Oct ‘22[/td][td]Thru 2025[/td][td]Skip Schumaker hired 10/3/25, 2026 - ‘29[/td]

Others aren't long enough.

Montero was a huge Top-five-in-all-MLB kind of prospect coming up through the Yanqui system and was out of the typical NYY catcher factory of big power/who cares if he can play defense [Posada, Gary Sanchez, current 1B/C Ben Rice, others] kind of mold. Was dealt, after one ML season to Seattle in what was, at the time, a huge 'challenge trade' of first year players: Sanchez for the 6'7"/28, RH pitcher Michael Pineda who was coming off an All-Star/5th-RoY season. Brian Cashman was quoted as saying he "swallowed hard" before pulling that deal thinking about the offensive potential he was giving up. The kicker was that neither went on to have the careers expected. Montero played one full season with Seattle plus pieces of three others and never saw the majors again. Pineda wound up with a nine year career but consisting mostly of mediocre seasons, four of those with the Yanx.