The Baseball Buffet for 11/17/2025

Issue #458

The goal with The Baseball Buffet series is to provide the best daily dose of relevant baseball info in a smart-brevity format (mostly short bullets, getting to the point, with quick analysis/insights.) Think of it like what baseball fans of a certain age would look forward to in their morning newspaper’s sports section each day!

⚾ Welcome! ⚾

Looks like we have our first significant free agent signing of the season… as according to a source, 1B Josh Naylor is re-signing back with the Seattle Mariners. Sounds like he will be there a while too, as the deal is apparently a 5-year contract, pending a physical.

Today’s Trivia Question

Yesterday’s question was about teams who have never won 100+ games in a season. Today’s related question: which two long-standing teams have gone the longest without winning 100+ games in a season?

Trivia answers are at the bottom of each newsletter.

Free Agents

I’m going to do a series that draws attention to current free agents, position by position. MLB provides a single webpage that tracks all of them, position by position, so by all means go there for the latest signings overall.

Starting Pitchers

Like the list for OF/DH, this one for SP is long! There are a lot of starting pitchers on the free agent market, though not all of them will get jobs, even bullpen roles, in 2026. I’m splitting this long list into three sections. First up, here are the major league pitchers who I am very confident will get jobs in starting rotations somewhere:

• Dylan Cease (SDP) - (R) 29 years old, has been very durable in starting 32 or 33 games in each of the past five years and recording 210+ strikeouts each year. But his ERA has varied wildly from a low of 2.20 in 2022 to highs of 4.58 in 2023 and 4.55 in 2025.

• Framber Valdez (HOU) - (L) 31 years old, had a 2.91 ERA in 2024, and a still solid 3.66 mark in 2025 with 187 K in 192 IP

• Ranger Suárez (PHI) - (L) 30 years old, ended up with very similar numbers the past two years, with 145 K and a 3.46 ERA in 27 starts in 2024 and then 151 K and a 3.20 ERA in 26 starts in 2025

• Brandon Woodruff (MIL) - (R) 32 years old, after missing much of 2023, all of 2024, and much of 2025, made a solid showing in 12 starts with a 3.20 ERA and 83 K in 64.2 IP

• Michael King (SDP) - (R) 30 years old, had a 2.95 ERA with 201 K in first season as a starter in 2024, then was limited to 15 starts in 2025 but had a 3.44 ERA with 76 K in 73.1 IP

• Shota Imanaga (CHC) - (L) 32 years old, in 2025 saw his ERA climb from 2.91 to 3.73 and his K/9 rate drop from 9.0 to 7.3

• Zac Gallen (AZ) - (R) 30 years old, had his least effective season so far, with a 4.83 ERA compared with a 3.65 mark in 2024 and his career best 2.54 ERA in 2022

• Lucas Giolito (BOS) - (R) 31 years old, after missing all of 2024, came back well in 2025 with the Red Sox posting a 3.41 ERA over 145 IP and 26 starts

• Chris Bassitt (TOR) - (R) 36 years old, very durable but has been a bit less effective the past two seasons with a 4.16 ERA in 2024 and 3.96 ERA in 2025. But then played a big role in the Blue Jays' postseason pitching out of the bullpen with only 1 ER and 10 K over 8.2 IP in 7 appearances.

• Merrill Kelly (TEX) - (R) 37 years old, traded by the D-Backs to the Rangers at the trade deadline, his ERA climbed from 3.22 with Arizona to 4.23 in ten starts with Texas

• Zack Littell (CIN) - (R) 30 years old, traded by the Rays to the Reds at the trade deadline, his ERA climbed from 3.58 with Tampa to 4.39 in ten starts with Cincinnati

• Justin Verlander (SFG) - (R) 42 years old, struggled to record wins (4-11) but otherwise had a stronger season in 2025 with a 3.85 ERA than his 5.48 ERA in 2024

• Max Scherzer (TOR) - (R) 41 years old, after posting a 3.77 ERA in 2023 and a 3.95 ERA in 2024, struggled to a 5.19 mark in 2025. Had a 3.83 ERA in three postseason starts for Toronto.

• Tyler Mahle (TEX) - (R) 31 years old, after making only 5 MLB starts in 2023 and 3 in 2024, came back strong with a 2.18 ERA in 16 starts in 2025, though he missed significant time due to shoulder woes.

Then here is an even longer list of starting pitcher free agents, some of whom will get contracts (many will be one-year deals) and end up in starting rotations, but others that will get invited to a spring training camp and have to compete for a spot (even for a bullpen role):

• Jose Quintana (MIL) - (L) 36 years old, posted a 3.96 ERA in 131.2 IP over 24 starts

• Griffin Canning (NYM) - (R) 29 years old, was doing fairly well with a 3.77 ERA over 16 starts, but then a ruptured achilles ended his season in late June

• Zach Eflin (BAL) - (R) 31 years old, struggled with a 5.93 ERA over 15 starts before he had surgery and was shut down for the rest of the year.

• Adrian Houser (TBR) - (R) 32 years old, started strong for the White Sox with a 2.10 ERA over 11 starts. But then was traded to the Rays at the deadline and saw his ERA climb to 4.79 over 10 starts with Tampa.

• Nick Martinez (CIN) - (R) 35 years old, has been a combo starter/reliever for the past four years with the Padres and Reds, with his ERA rising from 3.10 in 2024 to 4.45 in 2025

• Tyler Anderson (LAA) - (L) 35 years old, saw his ERA rise from 3.81 over 31 starts in 2024 to 4.56 over 26 starts in 2025

• Martín Pérez (CHW) - (L) 34 years old, had a solid 3.54 ERA over 56 IP in 11 games in 2025

• Tomoyuki Sugano (BAL) - (R) 36 years old, after 12 successful seasons in his native Japan, in his first season in MLB he posted a 4.64 ERA over 157 IP and 30 starts

• Walker Buehler (PHI) - (R) 31 years old, struggled with a 5.45 ERA over 112.1 IP for the Red Sox, was released and picked up by the Phillies and posted a 0.66 ERA in 13.2 IP late in the year.

• Jordan Montgomery (AZ) - (L) 32 years old, missed all of 2024 after having Tommy John surgery

• John Means (BAL) - (L) 32 years old, pitched in the Guardians' minor league system while continuing to rehab from Tommy John surgery in June of 2024

• Miles Mikolas (STL) - (R) 37 years old, saw his K/9 rate drop to a career low 5.8, and put up a third unattractive ERA in a row (4.78, 5.35, 4.84)

• Erick Fedde (MIL) - (R) 32 years old, in 2025 pitched 141 innings but with a 5.49 ERA for the Cardinals, Braves, and Brewers

• Patrick Corbin (TEX) - (L) 36 years old, very durable with 30-32 starts in each of the past five seasons, but was very hittable with the Nationals from 2021-2024, with only some improvement for the Rangers in 2025 (4.40 ERA vs. 5.20+ ERA)

• Nestor Cortes (SDP) - (L) 30 years old, after only two starts for the Brewers, was traded at the deadline to the Padres. Overall had only a 6.29 ERA across 34.1 IP.

• Andrew Heaney (LAD) - (L) 34 years old, had 5.39 ERA over 120.1 IP for the Pirates before being released. Was signed by the Dodgers in early September but only made one relief appearance.

• Michael Lorenzen (KCR) - (R) 33 years old, increased his K/9 rate from 6.7 in 2024 to 8.1 in 2025, but also saw his ERA rise from 3.31 to 4.64

• Aaron Civale (CHC) - (R) 30 years old, was a mixed starter/reliever for the Brewers, White Sox, and Cubs in 2025 with a 4.85 ERA and 88 K in 102 IP

• Chris Paddack (DET) - (R) 29 years old, had a 4.95 ERA over 21 starts for the Twins, then was traded at the deadline to the Tigers and struggled as a mixed starter/reliever with a 6.32 ERA over 47 IP

• Dustin May (BOS) - (R) 28 years old, had a 4.85 ERA in 104 IP for the Dodgers and was traded to the Red Sox at the deadline, and then posted a 5.40 ERA over 28.1 IP

• Michael Soroka (CHC) - (R) 28 years old, struggled with a 4.87 ERA over 16 starts for the Nationals, and was traded to the Cubs at the deadline, but only pitched briefly and mostly in relief, allowing one earned run over 8.1 IP

• Jon Gray (TEX) - (R) 34 years old, after an injury during spring training he pitched only sparingly in 2025, with a 7.71 ERA in 14 relief innings

• Chris Flexen (CHC) - (R) 31 years old, after being mostly a starter, generally did well in a relief role for the Cubs in 2025 with a 3.09 ERA over 43.2 IP

• Marcus Stroman (NYY) - (R) 34 years old, struggled with a 6.23 ERA over 9 starts for the Yankees in 2025

• Cal Quantrill (ATL) - (R) 30 years old, struggled with a 5.50 ERA over 24 starts for the Marlins and was released. Picked up by Atlanta, but posted a 13.50 ERA in two starts.

• Paul Blackburn (NYY) - (R) 31 years old, was a mixed starter/reliever for the Mets and Yankees, but was not very effective with a 6.23 ERA in 39 IP

• JT Brubaker (SFG) - (R) 31 years old, after being a starter for the Pirates from 2020-2022, missing all of 2023, and then being a starter in the minors in 2024 and early 2025, worked as a reliever for the Yankees and Giants with a 3.77 ERA over 28.2 IP

• Alex Cobb (CLE) - (R) 38 years old, after signing a one-year deal with the Tigers he suffered a hip injury before the season began and only managed to pitch in the minors before hip surgery in September ended his season

• Germán Márquez (COL) - (R) 30 years old, was very ineffective with a 6.70 ERA and 1.710 WHIP over 126.1 IP and 26 starts

• Austin Gomber (COL) - (L) 31 years old, was very ineffective in 2025 with a 7.49 ERA and 1.717 WHIP over 57.2 IP and 12 starts

• Ryan Yarbrough (NYY) - (L) 33 years old, has always been a mixed starter/opener/reliever, and in 2025 had a 4.36 ERA over 64 IP with the Yankees.

• José Urquidy (DET) - (R) 30 years old, had Tommy John surgery in 2024, and so was mostly still rehabbing in 2025, doing well in the minors but then only pitching in two relief appearances for the Tigers

• Tony Gonsolin (LAD) - (R) 31 years old, spent 2024 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, then suffered a back injury during spring training before the 2025 season started. Only made seven starts with a 5.00 ERA and 38 K over 36 IP before injury shut him down again.

• Kenta Maeda (DET) - (R) 37 years old, struggled in relief for the Tigers early in 2025 and was released, then pitched in the minors for the Cubs and Yankees.

• Mike Clevinger (CHW) - (R) 34 years old, struggled in four starts in 2024 with a 6.75 ERA and then with a 7.94 ERA in just 8 relief appearances in 2025

• Wade Miley (CIN) - (L) 39 years old, has pitched only briefly for the Brewers in 2024 (6.43 ERA in 7 IP) and the Reds in 2025 (6.75 ERA in 12 IP)

• Anthony DeSclafani (AZ) - (R) 35 years old, after missing all of 2024 rehabbing from surgery, pitched 38.2 IP with a 5.12 ERA for the D-Backs as a mixed starter/reliever

Then lastly, here are pitchers who might be coming over to MLB from Japan and Korea:

• Tatsuya Imai - (R) 27 years old, might be posted from Japan where he has a 66-49 career record, with a a 3.07 ERA and 1,045 K in 1,077.2 IP. In 2025, he was 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA, with 178 K in 163.2 IP.

• Kona Takahashi - (R) 28 years old, might be posted from Japan where he has had a 3.39 ERA over 11 seasons, including a 3.04 ERA over 148 innings in 2025

• Others who have done well in recent years in either Japan or Korea and might be looking to try the MLB again are Drew Anderson (31 years old), Foster Griffin (30), Anthony Kay (30), and Cody Ponce (31).

On this day in baseball history…

Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history. Unless otherwise noted, the descriptions are from baseball-reference.com.

📅 On November 17…

• 1947: The Red Sox acquire Vern Stephens in an eight-player trade. “The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns engineer a blockbuster eight-player deal. The key player is shortstop Vern Stephens, who comes to Boston after hitting .279 with 15 home runs and 83 RBI. The Red Sox also acquire 11-game winner Jack Kramer while giving the Browns $300,000 in cash and six players, including pitchers Jim Wilson and Al Widmar. Stephens will lead the American League in RBI in two of the next three seasons while averaging 33 home runs each year.”

• 1953: The birth of the modern-day Baltimore Orioles. “The St. Louis Browns officially become the Baltimore Baseball Club Inc. The Baltimore franchise board officially changes its name to the Orioles, the traditional name for baseball teams from the city.”

• 1959: Willie McCovey wins the NL Rookie of the Year award. “San Francisco Giants slugger Willie McCovey is selected as the National League Rookie of the Year, after hitting .354 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI in just 52 games. McCovey gets all 24 votes to make him the second Giants player in a row to win the award unanimously. Teammate Orlando Cepeda ran away with the award in 1958.”

• 1971: A young Vida Blue wins the AL MVP Award. “At age 22, Oakland Athletics pitcher Vida Blue becomes the youngest player ever to win the Most Valuable Player Award and only the fourth to capture both the Cy Young Award and the MVP in the same season.”

• 1979: The first set of rules are sketched out for what will become Rotisserie Baseball. “On a flight to Austin, Texas, Daniel Okrent sketches out the first draft of rules for what will become Rotisserie League Baseball. Had the friends he was seeing not ignored these rules, the Rotisserie League would have been called Pit League, after the Austin barbecue joint where Okrent first unveiled them. Two weeks later in New York, he pitches the idea to a more receptive group with whom Okrent lunches monthly at La Rôtisserie Française.”

• 1987: George Bell becomes the first Blue Jays player to win the AL MVP. ”George Bell becomes the first Toronto Blue Jays player ever to win the American League MVP Award, edging Alan Trammell of the Detroit Tigers, 332-311. Bell hit .308 with 47 home runs and a league-leading 134 RBI.”

• 1992: MLB holds the expansion draft for the Rockies and Marlins. “Major League Baseball holds the expansion draft to stock the rosters of the National League's two new teams, the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies. A total of 72 players are chosen. Pitcher David Nied is the first pick of the Rockies, while outfielder Nigel Wilson is selected first by the Marlins. Florida takes prospect Jose Martinez second, while Colorado picks veteran 3B Charlie Hayes next. The best picks for Florida are Trevor Hoffman (4th), eventually packaged for Gary Sheffield; Jeff Conine (11th), who will hit 81 home runs in four years; and Cris Carpenter (18th), later dealt to Texas for Robb Nen. For Colorado, they will find gold with Eric Young (6th), Joe Girardi (10th), Vinny Castilla (16) and Armando Reynoso (18th).”

• 1998: Tom Glavine wins the NL Cy Young Award. “Tom Glavine of the Atlanta Braves edges San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman for the National League Cy Young Award. It is the sixth time in the past eight seasons that a Braves pitcher has won the award.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Tom Seaver (1944)

• Hall of Famer

• 20-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1967-1986, mostly with the Mets and Reds

• Won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 1967 after going 16-13 with a 2.76 ERA and 18 complete games

• 12-time All-Star

• Won the NL Cy Young Award in 1969 with a 25-7 record, 2.21 ERA, and 208 K in leading the "Miracle Mets" to the World Series Championship

• Took home additional Cy Young Awards in 1973 and 1975

• Led the NL in ERA three times: 2.82 in 1970, 1.76 in 1971, and 2.08 in 1973.

• Led the NL in strikeouts five times, and had 200+ K ten times

• Overall had a 311-205 (.603) record, a 2.86 ERA, a 127 ERA+, and 3,640 strikeouts

Mike García (1923)

• 14-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1948-1961, mostly with the Cleveland Indians

• Led the AL with a 2.36 ERA in 1949 and a 2.64 ERA in 1954

• Three-time All-Star, and had 18-22 wins each year from 1951-1954

• Overall had a 142-97 (.594) record, a 3.27 ERA, and a 117 ERA+

Ryan Braun (1983)

• First-round draft pick (5th overall) by the Brewers in 2005

• 14-year major league career, spanning from 2007-2020, as a LF/RF for the Brewers

• Won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 after batting .324 with 34 HR, 97 RBI, and 15 SB

• Had 25+ HR in eight seasons, including leading the NL with 41 HR in 2012

• Had 100+ RBI five times, and 100+ Runs four times

• Six-time All-Star, and won the NL MVP Award in 2011 after hitting .332 with 33 HR, 33 SB, 111 RBI, and 109 Runs

• Overall had 352 HR, 1,154 RBI, 216 SB, a .296/.358/.532 slash line, and a 134 OPS+

• His career accomplishments are tainted due to being suspended for drug policy violations, and his eventual admission to using PEDs during his 2011 MVP season. (Wikipedia)

Nick Markakis (1983)

• First-round draft pick (7th overall) in 2003 by the Orioles

• 15-year major league career, spanning from 2006-2020, as a RF for the Orioles and Braves

• Had a solid sophomore season in 2007 when he hit .300 with 23 HR, 112 RBI, 18 SB, and 43 doubles

• All-Star in 2018 when he hit .297 with 14 HR, 93 RBI, 43 doubles

• Won three Gold Glove Awards

• Overall had 189 HR, 514 doubles, 2,388 hits, 1,119 Runs, a .288/.357/.423 slash line, and a 109 OPS+

Gary Bell (1936)

• 12-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1958-1969, mostly with the Cleveland Indians

• All-Star in three seasons

• Posted a career-best 16-10 record in 1959, and had a career high 194 K in 1966

• Switched to being a reliever for four seasons in the middle of his career, including posting a 2.95 ERA in 119 innings in 1963

• Overall had a 121-117 record, 50 saves, and a 3.68 ERA

Mitch Williams (1964)

• 11-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1986-1997, mostly as a reliever for the Rangers, Phillies, and Cubs

• Had 36 saves and a 2.76 ERA for the Cubs in 1989

• Had 30 saves and a 2.34 ERA for the Phillies in 1991, and then 29 and 43 saves for them the next two seasons

• Unfortunately, at the end of the 1993 season, in game six of the 1993 World Series, Williams allowed a walk-off, three-run HR to Joe Carter in the bottom of the ninth inning which won the championship for the Blue Jays

• Overall had 192 saves, a 3.65 ERA, and a 111 ERA+

Currently active players who were born on November 17 include KCR Seth Lugo, CHW Miguel Vargas, Elias Díaz (free agent), KCR Daniel Lynch IV, JT Brubaker (free agent), and ATL Hunter Stratton.

Baseball Quote of the Day

One of the new features I’m starting up during the offseason is a baseball-related quote of the day. These will include quotes by players or managers that are insightful or funny, and interesting quotes from others about the game itself. I’ll try to mix it up over time.

In honor of Tom Seaver’s birthday (see above), today I’ll share a bunch of quotes from Seaver (these were selected from the set provided at The Baseball Almanac):

"A good professional athlete must have the love of a little boy and the good players feel the kind of love for the game that they did when they were little leaguers.”

"If you don't think baseball is a big deal, don't do it. But if you do, do it right."

"In baseball, my theory is to strive for consistency, not to worry about the numbers. If you dwell on statistics you get shortsighted, if you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end."

"It's (baseball) on the radio and in the newspapers every day, the only game you can follow on that basis. From whatever arm's length you choose, it's always there."

"My job isn't to strike guys out, its to get them out, sometimes by striking them out."

Then here also are two quotes about Tom Seaver:

"Blind people come to the park just to listen to him pitch." - Reggie Jackson in All Time Greatest Sports Quotes (Great Quotations, Inc.)

"My idea of managing is giving the ball to Tom Seaver and sitting down and watching him work." - Sparky Anderson in Late Innings by Roger Angell (1982)

⚾ I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today! ⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

The two franchises with the longest gap since having a 100+ win season are:

• 1909 - Pittsburgh Pirates

• 1917 - Chicago White Sox

Good Reads

Here I am providing one or more links to baseball articles I’ve enjoyed recently, whether by writers at MLB.com or elsewhere.

• 10 candidates to knock Ohtani and Judge from their MVP thrones, by Will Leitch at MLB, 11/16/2025

• 5 questions for Dodgers heading into 2026 season, by Sonja Chen at MLB, 11/16/2025

• All you need to know about Baseball Hall of Fame voting, by MLB writers, 11/16/2025

• 5 Baseball Cards Back from the Abyss, at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 11/16/2025

See recent issues of The Baseball Buffet for more recent good reads!

Did you know? I wrote a 600+ page book with the same title as this newsletter/blog? Now Taking the Field: Baseball’s All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises was published in early 2019, by ACTA Sports. It is available at Amazon and most other major booksellers.

This newsletter was produced with beehiiv, an outstanding platform for creating email newsletters and blogs. If this might be of interest for your own creative work, get a 30-day trial and 30% off your first three months!