There are, possibly, only six more MLB games left on the calendar for 2026. Ten at most. Baseball has been a part of our daily lives going back to March. But in a few short weeks it will be gone. Winter will come. And with a looming lockout, there’s no telling how long that winter will last. But while we don’t yet know when we’ll see MLB baseball next, we do when we’ll next see some banana ball. The Savannah Bananas released their 2027 schedule, which stretches from early February to late September, including international dates and games played in football stadia. As for New England, we get summer stops in Worcester and Portland. (Boston Globe)
But about that looming lockout. How will CBA negotiations be impacted by the fact that the three teams left standing represent three of the smallest markets in baseball? “Under the soon-expiring CBA that has governed the sport since 2022, spending had a correlation coefficient of 0.31 to team wins and losses — meaning, if carving the pie of what goes into successful team building, about 31 percent of it would go to how much a team spent. That’s a lot — and, in fact, is up from a 0.23 correlation coefficient in the prior two CBAs (2012-16, ′17-21). But the other things that go into team-building — scouting and drafting well, coaching and developing players to be their best, well-integrated analytics, culture, luck, and more — account collectively for a much larger share of the pie that determines team success.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
One of the small market Brewers’ keys to success this year has been the production of late-bloomer Jake Bauers. Could he be a good fit for the Sox this offseason? “Bauers may not be a household name. But a peek under the hood at his profile paints the picture of a late bloomer who doesn’t strike out often, works the count, and has a propensity for tearing the cover off the ball. Given Boston’s emphasis on bat speed and hard-hit percentages, a player like Bauers should hold plenty of appeal.” (Connor Ryan, Boston.com)
Even if the Sox do sign Jake Bauers in the offseason, the most intriguing new player at Spring Training next year will likely be super-prospect Franklin Arias. Everyone already knows about him, so here’s a look at a few other, more under-the-radar names making their way up the Red Sox organizational ladder. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
The Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer experiences will perhaps lead the Sox to exercise additional caution with respect to Arias. But the fact of the matter is that he’s doing to determine a lot about how the 2027 Red Sox roster fits together. “I am 100 percent convinced that he’s ready to be their everyday shortstop,” said one MLB evaluator witha rival team.Initially, however, that could come with its own issues. To install Arias, untested, as the team’s starting shortstop, would mean displacing Trevor Story, who remains a hugely popular and respected figure in the Red Sox clubhouse.“ (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
