Mining the News (10/29/26)

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

American League

Orioles

• According to “chatter”, Coby Mayo could move to the outfield.

There’s been chatter about Mayo playing the outfield before and his late-season power could convince the team to try him there in spring training. But if there’s a shortened spring because of an expected lockout, that could dampen the team’s enthusiasm for a switch.

• Cade Povich had elbow surgery and should be ready by Spring Training … whenever that is.

Orioles left-hander Cade Povich underwent surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow on Wednesday, Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun reports. He is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

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Povich, who divided the season between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk, went on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation on May 8 and did not return until June 27. While that was Povich’s lone IL stint of 2026, he dealt with “significant pain down the stretch,” according to Weyrich. That helps explain Povich’s September woes in Baltimore and Norfolk, where he combined for three starts in the final month and yielded 14 earned runs on 16 hits (four HRs) and eight walks in 14 2/3 innings.

• Even though Luis De León was a reliever in the majors, the team plans on him being a starter next season.

Though De León has been developed as a starter, he was converted into a reliever in late August, when Baltimore decided it may need him for its stretch run. The southpaw was promoted to the Majors when rosters expanded to 28 players on Sept. 1. De León pitched well for the O’s in eight appearances, recording a 1.93 ERA in 9 1/3 innings.

But the Orioles still view De León as a future starter.

“He did outstanding at the big league level in his first taste,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “It’s impressive how he handles himself, his demeanor, and obviously, the stuff stands out. It’s elite stuff. We’re going to give him every avenue to be a starter.”

Rangers

• Sebastian Walcott reworked his swing to get more lift.

When he sat down to study potential models for a swing change, he was drawn to a player he’s often compared to at similar times in their careers: Fernando Tatis Jr. Like Walcott, Tatis reached Double-A as a teenager and had a groundball rate in the mid-40s early in his career. By his age-22 season in 2021 (four years after he reached the Texas League for the first time), the Padres star crushed 42 homers in the big leagues.

“I usually look back at their home run swings and when they’re most successful and take notes on that,” said Walcott, who also has one inch on the 6-foot-3 Tatis. “I spent days figuring out how he did his and kind of redefined it to myself.”

The result has been a more uppercut swing that’s already paying dividends in the Minors and Fall League. During his 41-game run across the ACL, Double-A and Triple-A after his return to play in July, Walcott trimmed his groundball rate to 33.9 percent while raising his line-drive rate from 22.9 percent in 2025 to 33.9 in ‘26. His slugging percentage similarly jumped from .386 to .590, and his isolated slugging percentage rose from .131 to .265.

Twins

• Pablo López should be ready by Spring Training.

Currently, López is two months into a three-month buildup to return to the mound.

“A lot of baseballs are going to be thrown this offseason,” López said at the end of the regular season. “Usually when the season ends, you go to your offseason home, and you give yourself two, three weeks of no throw. … I’m going to keep working out, just keep throwing. I think it’s going to make me feel good. It’s going to be fun to continue to see the progress, because every time I throw it’s a new milestone.”

López’s next accomplishment is to throw off a pitcher’s mound. He began his three-month build-up to the mound with a round of catch in San Diego on Aug. 21. As long as his rehab program stays on track, general manager Jeremy Zoll earmarked the third week of November for when López’s mound work should begin.

The club and pitcher believe López should be ready for the 2027 season.

• Even though he had elbow surgery, Jeff Hoffman should be ready for the season’s start.

In other injury news, Minnesota said reliever Jeff Hoffman will be shut down for eight weeks after undergoing successful arthroscopic surgery Tuesday.

Dr. Jeffrey Dugas performed the surgery — a bone chip removal and debridement.

…
The team said it expects Hoffman to be ready for the start of next season.

White Sox

• The team hasn’t decided on Grant Taylor‘s and Hagen Smith’s roles next season.

“I think they’re both going to be starting pitchers at some point in their careers,” Getz said of Grant Taylor and Hagen Smith, “But we haven’t made a decision yet” as far as next year.

— James Fegan (@JRFegan) October 14, 2026

National League

Braves

• Jurickson Profar will play in the Venezuelan Winter League, and the team hasn’t decided on his role going forward.

The Atlanta Braves outfielder went 2-for-4 in his debut with Tiburones de La Guaira of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
…
Atlanta will be paying Profar $15 million in 2027, regardless of whether Profar plays, sits on the bench or is released. He signed a guaranteed three-year, $42 million contract in 2025, although his salary was voided last season because of the suspension.

“We’re going to have to sit and talk internally just across the board about the whole thing,” said Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos. “It wasn’t productive (at the time of his suspension). There was no point at that moment in time because it wasn’t changing, right? He was gone for the year, and we had spring training to take care of. This is now the time to have those discussions.”

Giants

• Casey Schmitt could move between second base and the outfield next year.

Schmitt is coming off a career year and could shift between second base and the corner outfield depending on the Giants’ roster needs.

Schmitt only started seven games at second base last season, so second base would be a new position for him in many fantasy leagues.

• A beat writer, perhaps incorrectly, thinks Jonah Cox will be on the short side of a platoon next season.

Gilbert and Cox could serve as platoon partners in center field if Bader’s services aren’t retained, with Lee likely settling back into his post in right field.

I don’t buy this BS. While the team started with Cox only facing lefties, the platoon ended. He faced nine straight righties as the season came to a close. For the season, he posted a .797 OPS against lefties and a .756 OPS against righties. With his positive defensive value, I suspect Cox will be an everyday starter hitting near the top of the lineup.

Marlins

• Cam Cannarella could start the season in the outfield.

The 23-year-old Cannarella, who was the Marlins’ Competitive Balance Round A pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, can play all three outfield positions. With Jakob Marsee due to miss some time in 2027 due to left elbow surgery, Cannarella could make a case to be on the Opening Day roster and stick around.

I was not familiar with Cannarella, but I’m interested in him after digging in. Across Single-, Double-, and Triple-A, the 23-year-old hit .324/.422/.512 with 15 HR and 21 SB in 438 PA. He doesn’t have an elite skill, but no weakness. Here is how similar AAA hitters performed in the majors.

It’s not all hits, but the chance for a Henry Bolte clone, I’ll take it.

Padres

• Joe Musgrove’s role next season has not been set.

Given how the rotation is in flux, Joe Musgrove’s availability carries even greater importance heading into 2027, but Preller didn’t even commit to Musgrove working in a starting role. “We’re not starting the offseason like he’s definitely our Opening Day starter next year, our No. 3 starter, our eighth-inning guy,” Preller said. “That will be one of the questions for the offseason, what’s the best spot for Joe Musgrove?”

The uncertainty stems from the injury problems that have cost Musgrove essentially two full seasons. He underwent a Tommy John surgery and flexor tendon repair in October 2024, and some setbacks during the recovery process kept Musgrove off the mound in both the 2025 and 2026 regular seasons. Musgrove did make it back to be part of San Diego’s postseason roster this fall, and he tossed three innings of shutout ball in two appearances out of the Padres bullpen.

Moving Musgrove to the pen would create an even larger need for rotation help, yet a relief role wouldn’t necessarily be permanent. Musgrove would likely be on some kind of innings cap anyway as he continues to rebuild his arm strength, so having him gradually build up as a reliever with an eye towards using him as a starter later in 2027 could be one of the many options under consideration for Preller and the organization.