My initial Top 300 for 2026. www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/base...

Might be in for a long afternoon.

We're kicking off a new little offseason series, breaking down each position with some early 2026 rankings. Here's my look at the catcher spot. www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/base...

Here's the landing page to all of our preseason fantasy basketball content at @nbaonnbc.bsky.social: www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/bask...

Fine with that Duran call, but I'd like to propose for the 100th time that instead of stationing the fifth and sixth umps down the line during the postseason, the league instead install them as check-swing judges.

The assumption that teams next year will still have ball/strike challenges left to use in the ninth inning seems like a bad one to me.

The Tigers were 9-22 (.290) when Jack Flaherty started this season and 78-53 (.595) when he didn't.

Terry Francona enthusiastically approaching the mound, telling Nick Martinez, "You'll get 'em next time, next year, for some other team."

Please ask Shildt about starting Gavin Sheets when he was never likely to face the right-handed opener and then pinch-hitting for him in the fourth before he can face Imanaga for the second time. Seems like a total lack of foresight.

Nick Sogard for Face of MLB.

It's kind of funny saying José Caballero just missed it, as if he's ever hit a homer to center in his life.

?? Only four teams allowed fewer runs per game than the Pirates this season. Dennis Santana broke through the moment he put on their uniform in 2024. Isaac Mattson went from afterthought to quality reliever. Burrows, Ashcraft put together really nice debuts.

Pay no attention to the .412 xwOBA. Sal Stewart, a righty, is sitting for the Reds against Blake Snell tonight. Not a surprise. He started only two of the Reds' four games against lefties after he was called up. Probably just a fluke that he went 5-for-9 with two homers in those two games.

Pretty wild talking about the disappointing last two months as if he didn't trade the team's right fielder, closer and eighth-inning guy at the deadline.

Salvador Perez doesn't have the lowest run scored total ever for a 30-HR guy, but he played a whole lot more than the guys who beat him out. As best as I can tell, he's just the second player ever with 10 more extra-base hits (65) than runs scored (54), joining Nick Castellanos (54 to 42 in 2015).

Nine players walked 90 times this season. Eight of them struck out at least 137 times. Geraldo Perdomo (94 BB) struck out 83 times.

My favorite stat of the day.

Angels teammates Jo Adell (37 HR, .778 OPS) and Taylor Ward (36 HR, .792 OPS) are the 21st and 22nd players ever with 35 homers and sub-800 OPSs. stathead.com/tiny/FuNre

Sure seems like Torey Lovullo either doesn't like Jordan Lawlar or just doesn't think he can play.

Unfortunately tuned into MLB Network since I can't watch the Rays and Mark DeRosa says he wouldn't want Cal Raleigh "hitting .290 and clogging up the basepaths." Back to mute.

Having a midlife crisis after mistakenly clicking on Kiko Calero's B-Ref page while trying to get to Yusei Kikuchi's and seeing that he is 50 years old.

Going to pay off big for Skenes when the Pirates sign Lane Thomas and Jesse Winker this winter.

Also, pitcher/catchers ought to be much more likely to challenge a borderline ball when Judge is at the plate than they are with Volpe. That might wind up being good for the Yankees, if teams make bad challenges while Judge is up, but it's not going to good for Judge himself.

They'll call it a good at-bat because it lasted 10 pitches, but Bregman did absolutely nothing with maybe the four worst splitters Gausman has thrown tonight.

Should be based on the ump. You get two with Jordan Baker, four with Lance Barksdale, unlimited with CB Bucknor.

Pedro Martinez lost his next-to-last start to finish 219-100. Pretty incredible how similar Pedro and Kershaw ended up bring: Pedro: 219 wins, 154 ERA+ in 2,827 IP Kershaw: 222 wins, 154 ERA+ in 2,845 IP

A curse on everyone involved in the never-ending google cloud commercial with the four repeating sound effects that occupies entire inning-breaks on MLB .tv.

Keith Hernandez told a story last night about how Jim Leyland, because he didn't want anyone getting hurt, took out a wild young pitcher after he plunked Hernandez in the 1st. So, I had to go look. Last day of the 1986 season, Hipolito Pena hit Hernandez in the 1st, didn't come back out for the 2nd.

This was fun.

Miguel Cairo doing his best to honor Dave Martinez today by having Clayton Beeter, a novice reliever who has missed time with shoulder issues two years running, pitch on a third straight day for a 61-87 team.

Who let Rotoworld be on Sunday Night Football?

Didn't amount to anything. Don't see how this was the play up five runs in the bottom of the ninth in the series finale. Definitely opens the door for other teams to nitpick any potential Yankee transgressions.

Career wins when allowing three runs: Bubba Chandler: 1 Paul Skenes: 1

Manaea has a 59/9 K/BB in 44 innings, and while he was hit hard today, his EV numbers are pretty typical overall. He should be just fine.

jump in fokls www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dkL...

The Angels used only two relievers last night, they have tomorrow off and they don't even need to cover the ninth tonight in Texas. This is just a mockery of the game.

Still think the MLBPA needs to get involved with this... teams make players look bad when they call everything tightness. If it's too early to be specific, just say "injury."

Curious where they came up with that average from, because it's obviously not right. That's like 2004.

Doesn't John Smoltz have enough money that he can stop doing this thing he clearly hates doing?

That's not Dylan Beavers. Of course, they do need to add more than one player. Adams is hitting .185/.283/.282 in Triple-A. 65 strikeouts and 55 total bases in 235 plate appearances.

Raisel Iglesias and Dennis Santana staying put baffles me. Unless the Pirates announce a modest extension for Santana tomorrow.

Like Castro for the Cubs. Gives them a chance to stick with Shaw and see if he can keep it going, but now they have much better insurance if that fails to pay off.

RF Tatis 1B Arraez 3B Machado DH O'Hearn LF Laureano CF Merrill SS Bogaerts 2B Cronenworth C Fermin That feels like the first nine-deep Padres lineup in a long time. Hope Luis Campusano gets thrown into one of these deals. He should hit, even if he can't catch.

Pity the person responsible for maintaining the Mets' top 30 prospects list. Gavin Cecchini is going to be back on there tomorrow.

July 31, 2026: Yankees acquire RHP Carmen Mlodzinski from the Pirates for OF Spencer Jones.

I like how every time the Phillies pick up an outfielder and people wonder who he'll play over, it's never suggested that he replace the guy with 1.5 WAR in 561 games over the last four years.

Maybe fix arbitration so that a player worth this much in trade isn't earning less than guys like Austin Gomber, Andrew Vaughn and Gregory Soto.

Hayes' contract is so cheap ($7-$8 million per year through 2029) that the downside simply comes from running him out there if he becomes truly unplayable. He's probably a downgrade from Marte right now, but Marte can play elsewhere. Still think it's 1B that should have been the focus in Cincy.