#trades

#trades

The MLB Draft Lottery took place on Tuesday evening, and the Atlanta Braves unfortunately slipped a few spots. Heading into the lottery, Atlanta had the sixth-best odds. Instead, the Braves will have the ninth overall pick in the 2026 draft. The Chicago White Sox will pick first, followed by the Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins. With the Winter Meetings underway, it has been rumored that the Braves have interest in utility player Willi Castro, who has also drawn interest from the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates.

The lefty made 32 starts in 2024. He had a 14-start stretch in the middle where he posted a 6.18 ERA, 19.8 K%, and 11.4 BB%. That 8.3 K-BB% was the fourth-worst in baseball among qualified starters during that June 3rd-August 17th period. Before and after that, Gore pitched like an ace. His velocity was up early in the season, spiking to 96.6 miles per hour from the beginning of the year through July 1st. It was a full mile per hour slower from that point on.

It's a logical position for a PBO to take, since you never know when a team might emerge with an outlandish trade offer that is too good to pass up. Reports indicate that Skubal is unlikely to be dealt, both because the Tigers' "asking prices are enormous" (as per ESPN's Buster Olney) and because keeping Skubal atop the rotation obviously gives Detroit a much better chance of winning the World Series in 2026.

MLB's winter meetings begin Monday in Orlando, Florida, signaling the time when baseball's offseason activity is likely to take off. What's the latest on free agent hitters, including coveted sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Kyle Tucker? Will Framber Valdez find a new home now that fellow top free agent pitcher Dylan Cease is off the board? What's the latest on a trade market featuring stars such as Ketel Marte and Steven Kwan? And which teams could surprise the sport by making a big splash in Florida?

1966 - The Braves acquire Clete Boyer from the Yankees in exchange for outfielder Bill Robinson and pitcher Chi-Chi Olivo. 1936 - Judge Landis declares Reds players Lee Handley and Johnny Peacock are free agents after they were covered up on minor league teams by Cincinnati. 1957 - Mayor Robert Wagner forms a four-member committee to find a replacement for the Dodgers and Giants in New York.

1. Pat Riley instilling #HEATCulture™ Say what you want about Riley's shortcomings the last few years, but without him laying the bedrock as the culture bearer, this franchise would be a nothingburger. 2. Erik Spoelstra He's the best coach in the NBA, and any team would kill to have him in their building. Instead, he's ours. 3. Dwyane Wade You thought I wasn't going to put Wade at No. 3? You're crazy.

This evening, teams around baseball will need to decide whether to offer contracts to their arbitration- and pre-arbitration level players. Those who are non-tendered will head directly into free agency without being placed on waivers. Earlier this week, MLBTR's Anthony Franco made a comprehensive list of players who could at least theoretically be at risk of a non-tender today, although the majority of them likely will not actually head into free agency.

Golden State had the first-round draft capital -- the Warriors can trade up to the maximum four first-round picks and also swap in the next seven years -- to make a significant trade during the season. But, unlike the sizable contracts available in the Jimmy Butler trade last February ( Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson), that did not exist this season. Curry, Butler and Draymond Green combine to earn