#prospects

#prospects

There's a lot of young talent on the big league roster, and the Cubs have used prospects well in trade, but the natural thinning that has accompanied the trades and promotions tended toward a reduction in overall talent down on the farm. Combine that with relatively poor outcomes in International Free Agency going back a decade, plus not a whole lot of surprise breakouts

Mesa, 17, signed for $900,000 and was ranked 30th on the MLB Pipeline Top 50 International Prospects list. He has received some high praise from scouts who say he could wind up being the best hitter in the 2026 international free agent class. The left-handed hitter is someone who makes a lot of hard contact and could develop above average power.

There was another prospect who ranked on Baseball America's top 100 IFA prospect list that signed with the Blue Jays: Aneudy Severino. The outfielder signed for $700,000 and ranked as the 71st-best prospect. His scouting report notes that he's just 5'9" but is strong and hits the ball hard. A right-handed batter, he's more of a line-drive hitter than a power hitter.

OH MY, DENNIS HILDEBY!! 😱 He makes a MONSTER in the dying seconds to secure the win for the @MapleLeafs!

It's worth noting, too, that the Mets are deep in both top prospects and young big leaguers that could be marketed to other clubs. Their farm system is generally regarded as one of the ten best in the game. Following this year's draft and trade deadline, Baseball America ranked the Mets' system ninth in the game. MLB.com ranked it seventh.

Kirschner and Rosenthal also reported that the Yankees are keeping talks open with the Brewers on Freddy Peralta, who might not be an alternative to Cabrera. This might just be a negotiating tactic from Brian Cashman, as it's hard to see them ponying up the massive prospect haul it would take to acquire two starters via trade, but it's pretty clear the Yanks are trying to add at least one starter.

The Atlanta Braves announced Friday that right-hander Ian Hamilton was added on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. The 30-year-old spent the 2025 season with the New York Yankees, where he appeared in 36 games and managed a 4.28 ERA through 40 frames. In the same season, he logged 19 games in the minors and put together an unimpressive ERA of 6.00. However, the deal does give the Braves some added depth and will hopefully be a good move in the long run.

"Without naming anyone, we've made offers," Forst said. "We're having conversations here. I'm hopeful we'll make progress."

Twins relievers posted a middling 4.29 ERA through July 29, but that number was skewed by some position players working mop-up duty and some brutal results from relievers who'd already been designated for assignment (e.g. Jorge Alcala). Minnesota's top relievers had all been good to excellent. Jhoan Duran (2.01 ERA), Louis Varland (2.02), Griffin Jax (3.91 ERA but a 37 K%), Brock Stewart (2.38 ERA) and Danny Coulombe (0.90 ERA) formed a terrific nucleus. All were traded.

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.

The Rockies are starting from scratch, and new baseball ops leaders Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes have a long list of issues to address. It'll be a yearslong process, but in the short term, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes that it's "likely" the team will bring in some short-term help at first base or second base.

The order for the 2026 MLB Draft gets set on Tuesday December 9th, and the Braves are in position to potentially land a very juicy pick via the lottery thanks to their disappointing and injury-filled 2025 season. The lottery will be at 5:30 PM on MLB Network with the Braves having the ninth worst record, but the sixth best odds due to three teams being ineligible for a top pick due to having had top picks in the last few seasons consecutively.