Skubal Sweepstakes: Mets Lead, Padres Creep In

The Mets locked in a face-to-face with lefty ace Tarik Skubal, but don’t count out the Padres—sources say San Diego’s got the ammo and the hunger to outbid the usual suspects. Odds boards still favor the Mets, but one mystery team just leapfrogged the Dodgers. With a Dec. 1 lockout looming, agents are screaming foul: teams are sitting on their hands, waiting for new rules before dropping real cash. One exec put it blunt: "Why commit millions when the CBA could flip the script overnight?" Ugly? You bet.

Tigers Snag Pagán for $11M

Detroit’s bullpen just got a jolt: Emilio Pagán inked a one-year, $11M deal. The Tigers needed a late-inning arm, and Pagán’s slider-miss rates (38% in ‘26) made him the top reliever still on the board. With the rotation looking thin, this move buys them time while they chase bigger fish.

Yankees Play Nice with Posada

Jorge Posada dropped a bomb—he didn’t feel welcome in the Bronx anymore. Cashman fired back: "He’s welcome anytime." Translation: the Yankees are cleaning up a PR mess, not reopening old wounds. Posada’s comments hit hard after his Hall of Fame snub, but the Yanks aren’t about to grovel. Watch for a ceremonial first pitch soon—damage control, not reconciliation.

Murphy Makes It Three-Peat

Pat Murphy’s Crew kept winning, and now he’s got the hardware to prove it: third straight Manager of the Year. The Brewers’ rebuild is officially over—Murphy’s bullpen-by-committee approach and rookie call-ups (see: McLean, Nolan) turned a 78-win team into a 92-win contender. The question now: can he do it without trading away the farm next year?

McLean’s Strikeout Feat

Nolan McLean just carved his name into the record books: 251 Ks as a rookie, second only to Doc Gooden’s 276. The asterisk? McLean’s total spans two seasons (rookie eligibility quirk). Still, 251 punchouts in 280 innings? That’s filthy. The Orioles’ rotation just got scarier.