The Brewers have now been World Series champions for only one week (less than a few hours) and still need to bask in the glory for a while. As the offseason progresses, the next big day will be November 17th, when decisions must be made on qualifying offers. eight players who are one.
Meanwhile the rumor of the mill is ever so slowly disturbed. Let’s circle here.
Astros interview Pujols for manager opening
The Houston Astros departed from general manager Dana Brown in August and fired manager Joe Espada after the 2026 season. Recently hired general manager Randy Flores is currently working on a new dugout boss, and a three-time MVP and future Hall of Famer is in the mix. The Astros will meet with Albert Pujols’ manager’s office this week, per Athletic.
Pujols has long made it known that he wants to be an MLB manager. He recently interviewed with the Padres and Angels during the offseason (or last offseason) and also managed the Dominican Republic in World Baseball this past spring. It’s also worth noting that Pujols signed a fourth-year, 10-year, $100,000 personal services contract with the Angels, which was part of the mega-deal he signed with them as a player prior to the 2012 season.
Other known candidates for the Astros manager job are Rangers bench coach Luis Urueta and Yankees bench coach (not to mention former Tigers and Angels manager) Brad Ausmus. Former Astros third baseman Morgan Ensberg, the manager of the Triple-A Rays affiliate of the Durham Bulls, will also meet this week, according to MLB.com.
The Orioles are looking to play for SP and OP
The Orioles are willing to listen to a trade offer on any player other than Pete Alonso as they seek both rotation and outfield help, according to the Baltimore Banner. The Orioles are reportedly not “actively shopping” any players, but they are looking for upgrades in their starting pitcher and outfielder and understand that one way that can happen is through a trade.
They certainly wouldn’t bow down to Gunnar Henderson, given his immense upside, so we can probably take him off the table unless some team makes it worthwhile. There is a glut of infields, though. With Alonso at first base and Henderson at shortstop, Jackson Holliday, Christiana Encarnacion-Stand, Jordan Westburg and Coby Mayo have the two spots. Even using one of the four designated hitters, it’s easy to see where the deal could end up.
Westburg and Encarnacion-Strand are in power through 2029, while Holliday is in control through 2030 and Mayo through 2031.
They want to keep Rasmussen’s rays
The Rays of the American League recently picked up a $20 million club option on All-Star starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen. That would be the franchise salary of one player in one season. It may seem odd to exercise an option and then deal a foreign player, but locking Rasmussen in for one year makes him an attractive trade candidate instead of just walking away in free agency, and that’s how the Rays usually do it. We’ve seen it time and time again: they go ahead and lose guys to free agency, sometimes even a year or two ahead of them. They did this with Randy Arozarena, Isaac Paredes, Tyler Glasnow and even returning franchise legends like David Price, Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist.
The Rays now say they intend to keep Rasmussen for 2027.
“Not this declarative, that whatever, but I can sit here with confidence and say that all the intention now is to think about the Ras anchors of our rotation and how to make this team better in the following year,” said club president Eric Neander on Tuesday, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
If they want to compete again next year, they certainly seem to need Rasmussen along with Nick Martinez and Freddy Peralta in free agency. That leaves Rasmussen on top of the rotation, followed by Shane McClanahan, Griffin Jax, Ryan Pepiot and a bunch of question marks. McClanahan, Jax and Pepiot were interrogated.