The competitive balance tax (CBT) threshold continued its growth for the 2025 MLB season with a new high of $241 million, but the Dodgers far surpassed it with a payroll of $417.3 million. The Dodgers were hit with additional surcharges as a result of going over the luxury tax threshold for at least three straight seasons and their total over the CBT threshold.
Blackburn landed with the Yankees after getting released by the Mets in August. He made eight appearances with the club, recording a 5.28 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning. Blackburn had been a starter for the majority of his career, but worked strictly as a reliever with the Yankees. The now 32-year-old had a miserable debut with the team, allowing seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings to begin his time in the Bronx.
Bruihl joined the Blue Jays as a minor league free agent in March. He put together 42 solid innings at Triple-A, earning a promotion to the big-league club. The 28-year-old lefty made 15 appearances with Toronto, recording a 5.27 ERA over 13 2/3 innings. Bruihl punched out 27.7% of the hitters he faced, though it came with a 10.8% walk rate.
Romero is projected to earn $4.4MM in 2026, which is his final season of arbitration control before free agency. With the Cardinals in rebuild mode, Romero is a logical trade candidate, and moving him now rather than at the trade deadline allows St. Louis to both land a larger return and avoid the risk of an in-season injury to the 29-year-old southpaw.
The draws of Lombard is that he is the son of a coach and former big leaguer, who has a mature, advanced game. He has in the past shown a good feel for hitting, but also has potentially plus power and plus or better speed. Defensively he is a prospect who looks like he will stick at shortstop and be a quality defender there.
The former MLB GM has elite closer Edwin Diaz staying in New York, but not with the Mets but joining the Yankees on a five-year, $88 million deal that could potentially be worth $100 million when all is said and done. If that indeed comes to fruition, that would be detrimental news to the Blue Jays in their search for significant bullpen help in the free agent market this offseason.
The New England Patriots were one of the most fortunate teams over the last 25 years, as they didn't have to undergo head coaching searches every few years, having the greatest of all time under the helm of Bill Belichick. As we know, he helped lead the franchise to six Super Bowl titles in two decades alongside quarterback Tom Brady, making most other teams in the league jealous of the consistency they had in the front office and the success they achieved because of it.
One way they may attempt to do that? Go and get a guy who is being compared to Yesavage. The player drawing those comparisons is none other than free agent Japanese pitching sensation Tatsuya Imai, who will be playing in MLB for the first time in his career in 2026. The 27-year-old right hander has recently been compared to Yesavage by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel for what he brings to the table.
If there's a correlation between spending the most money and winning a championship, I still think it's a weak correlation. Sample size of data, not very big. But they earned every bit of it. I mean, they struggled with injuries throughout the season. But they got healthy at the right time. The rotation got healthy, and when that rotation is healthy, they're tough to beat.
De La Cruz showed promise early in his career with Miami, hitting .269/.318/.430 with 18 homers, 27 doubles and a pair of triples in his first 574 plate appearances from 2021-22. He popped 19 homers in 2023, but poor glovework and an OBP barely north of .300 made him a roughly replacement-level player. De La Cruz had a better start in '24, connecting on 18 long balls through his first 454 turns at the plate.
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don't use Spotify or Apple for podcasts. This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams and Anthony of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss...
Berra debuted in 1946 but played only seven games that season. He wore No. 38 and No. 35 during his debut season and 35 in 1947, while Bill Dickey, who won eight World Series titles as a Yankees catcher, wore No. 8. Dickey retired as a player following the 1946 season and Aaron Robinson, a 1947 All-Star, inherited No. 8 before Berra. The Yankees retired No. 8 in 1972 to honor both Dickey and Berra.
Sears blew away all expectations for him this year. He made just five appearances for Augusta, including two starts, pitching to a 1.93 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with a 31 strikeout to four walk ratio in 18.2 innings before being promoted to Rome. His time with Rome was even shorter, as he made just three starts there, pitching to a 2.00 ERA and 0.67 WHIP with 17 strikeouts to two walks in 17 innings.
He continued to struggle making contact which resulted in a .213 walk rate, and struck out a ton with a strikeout rate sitting at a mammoth 35%. His walk rate was still outstanding, though it was a career low 14.9%. The result - a batting average of .213 but an OBP of a respectable .343. The power also saw a minor uptick as he hit a career high 7 homers, and an ISO of .129.
Brooklyn detectives are questioning a man after a building superintendent was found beaten to death following a dispute over stolen packages Wednesday. Officers from the 66th Precinct rushed to 1199 Ocean Ave. in Midwood just after 8 a.m. on Nov. 12, where they discovered the victim, a 41-year-old man, with head trauma. EMS rushed him to Kings County Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police have withheld his identity, pending proper family notification.
"We have put ourselves in a position based on the improvement we made in 2025," Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said, per The Athletic. "We think we can put together a really exciting team for 2026 and also continue our quest to build a foundation of talent at all levels that will allow us to stay good for a long period of time."
Both men are among a wave of young, progressive, charismatic candidates calling for change, amid a backlash to not only Donald Trump's second-term agenda, but also a historically unpopular Democratic Party that many feel are doing too little, too late. That list of progressives also includes Arizona representative-elect Adelita Grijalva; Robert Peters, who is running in Illinois' 2nd district; and Graham Platner, a democrat running for senate in Maine in a bid to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Dan Fiorito, the club's minor league outfield/infield coordinator, will be promoted to the big league staff. It was reported last month that the Yankees would be moving on from a few coaches, including first base and infield coach Travis Chapman. Per Joyce, Fiorito has been hired to replace Chapman at first and is expected to take over the infield coaching duties as well.
