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What to watch at Winter Meetings: Draft Lottery, Rule 5 and more

December 5, 2025

It’s time for the Winter Meetings to set Hot Stove season aflame. This weekend, the baseball world focuses its offseason gaze on Orlando as the Winter Meetings arrive in the Sunshine State on Sunday. While the focus of the Winter Meetings is usually on the Major League happenings, there will

The pitcher who was let out of jail, threw a complete game, then went back to jail

December 5, 2025

By 1931, the Marin County court system was sick of dealing with Tony Freitas. Sure, the young pitcher for the Pacific Coast League's Sacramento Senators was becoming a star. He went 19-6 with a 3.24 ERA for the Senators at just 22 years old the year prior. He had already

Here are 30 Rule 5 candidates -- one from each club

@JesseABorek and @SamDykstraMiLB
December 4, 2025

The Rule 5 Draft can be a fascinating, if imperfect, process, and you only need to look at last year’s edition to see why. On one hand, the White Sox selected Shane Smith from the Brewers and watched him blossom into an All-Star before finishing with a 3.81 ERA and

This Minor League team had its fans redecorate the ballpark ... with toilet paper

@BensBiz
December 5, 2025

Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.

MiLB podcast talks Quakes' new look, welcomes legendary 900-win skipper to the show

December 5, 2025

Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other

Pirates acquire Top 100 prospect Garcia from Red Sox in 5-player deal

@AlexJStumpf
December 4, 2025

The Pirates came into this offseason looking to be aggressive and add to their outfield mix. On Thursday, they made their first swing, acquiring a Major League-ready Top 100 prospect. The Pirates acquired outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, the No. 85 prospect in the game per MLB Pipeline, and right-hander Jesus Travieso

Popular MiLB jersey takes center stage in All Elite Wrestling ring

@JesseABorek
December 3, 2025

Getting ready to talk trash to your opponent before a title fight? Rock a Trash Pandas jersey, naturally. Eddie Kingston has never been one to mince his words. But ahead of his AEW Men’s World Championship match against Samoa Joe next Wednesday night on All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite on TBS

These 10 teams have the prospects to swing a big trade at the Winter Meetings

December 2, 2025

The Winter Meetings begin Monday in Orlando, Fla., and prospects are certain to be on the shopping list for some clubs. Which team will get the best holiday-season deal? Who has the prospect capital to make that kind of deal happen?

3 Red Sox pitching prospects who could make jumps in the 2026 rankings

@benweinrib
December 5, 2025

Down on the farm, the 2025 season was full of breakout campaigns for Red Sox pitching prospects. Payton Tolle went from 16th on Boston's preseason rankings to becoming a Top 100 prospect and key part of the club's postseason run, alongside fellow southpaw Connelly Early (preseason No. 10, now No.

Here's every new Minor League alternate identity announced for 2026 so far

@BensBiz
November 23, 2025

Be yourself, unless you feel like being something else. This is now an established Minor League Baseball promotional strategy, as teams across the country regularly assume alternate identities in lieu of their day-to-day primary identities. These alternate identities often have a local connection, with teams celebrating their region's culinary specialties,

From 16 to 25, here is the best prospect at each age

@benweinrib
November 25, 2025

One of the big developments of the past year in baseball is how many young players have risen to the top of prospect rankings. A look at MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list will show you just one player in the top 10 older than 21. Of course, while there's

This Minor League park is one of the best places to see a game -- anywhere

@BensBiz
November 28, 2025

Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.

After Semien trade, how does Jett Williams factor into Mets plans?

@SamDykstraMiLB
December 1, 2025

The Mets and Rangers swapping of outfielder Brandon Nimmo and second baseman Marcus Semien may have been a one-for-one trade (with some cash going to Texas, too), but it set up a series of dominoes on both sides, particularly when it comes to prospects. Last week, we covered how Mets

MiLB podcast reveals logo set, hat for listener-created imaginary Minor League team

November 25, 2025

Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other

These two Triple-A teams will play in the MiLB at Field of Dreams Game in 2026

@JoshJacksonMiLB
November 19, 2025

Save the date. One of the can't-miss events of the 2026 Minor League Baseball season is set. The St. Paul Saints and Iowa Cubs will meet in the MiLB at Field of Dreams Game on Aug. 11 in Dyersville, Iowa. The Triple-A affiliates of the Twins and Cubs are slated

A 19-letter team name? This Yankees affiliate fit it on a jersey 

@BensBiz
November 21, 2025

What has 19 letters, seven syllables and is covered in pinstripes? The Somerset Patriots have the answer to this heretofore unasked question, as this week the Double-A New York Yankees affiliate announced its Semiquincentennials alternate identity. This gargantuan word simply means "250th anniversary," which America will celebrate in 2026. The

Want to own some of John Oliver's Moon Mammoths gear? Here's your chance

November 19, 2025

Now is your chance to own a little bit of Erie Moon Mammoths history. The Minor League alternate identity heard 'round the world -- the Erie Moon Mammoths -- immediately became a household name after HBO's "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver and his team cooked up the idea, temporarily

Which Dodgers prospect could be the next to join the Top 100?

@benweinrib
2:04 PM EST

The Dodgers have become the most well-run machine in baseball -- not only as back-to-back World Series champions but also as the owners of the best farm system in the league. Through timely trades, smart drafting, excellent player development and more, Los Angeles has amassed envious depth and top-end talent.

These are the Yankees' Rule 5 Draft candidates

10:20 AM EST

The Yankees added three prospects to the 40-man roster at the tender deadline last month, shielding Top 100 outfielder Spencer Jones (No. 4) and right-handers Elmer Rodríguez (No. 3) and Chase Hampton (No. 8) from Rule 5 Draft eligibility. But that still leaves a host of players in the system

Draft Inbox: College RHPs? Projection for No. 1 Cholowsky?

December 5, 2025

Our 2026 Draft Top 100 list is freshly minted and we don’t know about you, but we can’t wait for next year’s amateur season to start so we can see how all these talented Draft hopefuls perform. For now, though, we can answer your questions about them, about the list,

These 6 prospects for the '26 Draft are on the rise

December 5, 2025

This story was excerpted from MLB Pipeline's newsletter. Subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

NEW: Top 100 Draft prospects for '26

December 4, 2025

It might only be December, but there’s a serious case of Draft fever ranging. The root cause is the release of MLB Pipeline’s new 2026 Top 100 Draft Prospects list. The fans are definitely aflame, though, by the upcoming MLB Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of who gets

With Competitive Balance rounds set, here's how the 2026 Draft order looks

December 3, 2025

The top of the 2026 Draft won’t be set until the MLB Draft Lottery plays out on Dec. 9. But the overall Draft order is beginning to take shape, now that the Competitive Balance rounds are set. Since 2017, Major League Baseball has used a formula that combines revenue, winning

3 Phillies prospects who could be targeted in the Rule 5 Draft

@WeintraubCole
December 3, 2025

With the calendar turned to December, the Rule 5 Draft -- which takes place Dec. 10 during the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. -- is officially near.

These are the Cubs' Rule 5 Draft candidates

December 1, 2025

The Cubs added three prospects to the 40-man roster at the tender deadline last month, shielding infielders Pedro Ramirez (No. 8) and James Triantos (No. 10) and lefty Riley Martin from Rule 5 Draft eligibility. But that still leaves a host of players in the system – including six of