Kirk's resurgence was a big reason the 2025 Blue Jays finished where they did. In 506 plate appearances, Kirk slashed .282/.348/.421 with 15 home runs, with a 9.5 BB% and 11.7 K%. While his 116 wRC+ wasn't as good as the 129 wRC+ he posted in 2022, Kirk hit a career-best 15 home runs and finished with a career-high 4.7 fWAR.
Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor of Mississauga, Ont., has won the 2025 Tip O'Neill Award, presented annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame to the top Canadian player in Major League Baseball. Naylor led all Canadians in batting average (.295), runs batted in (92) and stolen bases (30) while splitting the season between Arizona and Seattle. He also ranked second among Canadian big leaguers in hits (160), runs (81), home runs (20), doubles (29) and walks (48).
After signing a five-year. $92.5 million contract to return to the Seattle Mariners, the first baseman was also named the 2025 James Tip O'Neill Award winner. The honour is presented annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame to the Canadian baseball player who has contributed both individually and to the team through high standards. This is Naylor's second time winning the award (2023).
The exact nature of the Bucs' talks with Naylor weren't specified, yet Passan indicated that the Pirates were prepared to offer Naylor more than $78MM. This would've been, by a wide margin, the priciest free agent deal in Pirates history. Francisco Liriano's three-year, $39MM deal from December 2014 remains the biggest guarantee the perennially low-spending Buccos have ever given to a free agent.
Deadline for qualifying offer decisions: Today's the deadline for players who were extended the qualifying offer to make their decisions on whether to accept the QO or head into free agency encumbered by draft pick compensation. The majority of the 13 players who received a QO will reject it without much thought, but there are a handful of edge cases who could at least consider accepting the one-year, $22.05MM deal rather than testing the open market.
The days of George Steinbrenner seem like a distant memory in the Bronx. The New York Yankees last won the World Series in 2009, while he still stood at the helm. But most, if not, all Yankee fans still openly echo his philosophy, believing there is no such thing as a good season; you either win or you lose. If you did not win, then you lost. And if you lost, how can it be a good season?
