With the Yankees and Giants on track to open the 2026 season tonight on Netflix and the rest of the league scheduled to follow suit tomorrow, it is time, for the 16th consecutive year, to look into my crystal ball and make my picks for the division, league, and major award winners for the upcoming season.
East: Blue Jays
Central: Tigers
West: Mariners
Wild Cards: Yankees, Red Sox, Astros
AL Champion: Tigers
Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
MVP: Julio Rodriguez
With the city of Chicago focused on the Bears playoff game against the Packers on Saturday night, the Cubs tried to steal the spotlight, signing third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract. It’s the third-largest overall contract in Cubs history, behind only Jason Heyward’s $184 million deal signed prior to the 2016 season and Dansby Swanson’s $177 million deal signed prior to 2023, but the average annual value, including deferrals, is higher than both of those contracts. The deal also reportedly includes a no trade clause.
This is the second straight offseason that the Cubs have targeted Bregman, who will turn 32 shortly after Opening Day. He signed with the Red Sox last year, but opted out of his contract and re-entered free agency after slashing .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs in just 114 games. Adding Bregman to the lineup pushes second-year player Matt Shaw into a utility role, which should leave him free to attend any future MAGA rallies should, say, Alex Jones choke on a Cheddarwurst.
This move follows the acquisition of starting pitcher Edward Cabrera earlier last week, signaling that the Cubs are preparing to go all-in for 2026 after falling in the NLDS last fall and with a number of key players hitting free agency following this season.
To paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball. With the winter meetings on the horizon, we continue our look at the all-time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. Today, we take a deeper dive into the Boston Red Sox.
One of the American League’s eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Boston in 1901 and took on the Red Sox nickname in 1908. I’ve seen 198 players don the Red Sox uniforms in the 39 games I’ve seen them play, first in 1985 for the home opener at Comiskey Park, through the first two games of the 2005 ALDS at US Cellular Field, and most recently at Rate Field this past April.
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| David Ortiz | 6 |
| Mike Lowell | 4 |
| Jarrod Saltalamacchia | 3 |
| Kevin Youkilis | 3 |
| Jason Varitek | 3 |
| Manny Ramirez | 3 |
| Jackie Bradley Jr. | 3 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| David Ortiz | 22 |
| Mike Lowell | 17 |
| Kevin Youkilis | 15 |
Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| David Ortiz | 16 |
| Dustin Pedroia | 9 |
| Mike Lowell | 8 |
| Kevin Youkilis | 8 |
| Jacoby Ellsbury | 8 |
RBI
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| David Ortiz | 19 |
| Mike Lowell | 13 |
| Kevin Youkilis | 12 |
Doubles
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| David Ortiz | 6 |
| Manny Ramirez | 4 |
| Mookie Betts | 4 |
Triples Continue reading →
After fighting back of an 0-2 hole against the Brewers in the NLDS, the Cubs dropped the decisive Game 5 last night, bringing the 2025 Chicago baseball season to a close. Despite blowing an early season lead in the NL Central, the Cubs held on to take the top Wild Card slot and managed to advance to the second round of the playoffs. The White Sox managed to improve on their record-setting season from 2024 and managed to not be the worst team in MLB, but still managed to lose 100 games for the third straight year. Overall, I managed to attend 39 games, tied for my thirteenth highest total. Along the way, I managed to see 21 of the 30 teams.
2025 Team Records
| Team Name | Won | Loss | Winning Pctg |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Houston Astros | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Chicago Cubs | 8 | 2 | 0.800 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| Miami Marlins | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Boston Red Sox | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| New York Yankees | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Kansas City Royals | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Chicago White Sox | 15 | 18 | 0.455 |
| Continue reading → |
Six months ago, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what in the 2025 MLB season. With the Division Series round in full swing, it is time to revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.
East: Red Sox
While the Red Sox returned to the postseason as a wild card, the Blue Jays managed to take home their first division title since 2015.
Central: Guardians
The Tigers held first place for most of the season, but a late September surge by the Guardians gave them the crown.
West: Mariners
Hey, that’s two right now. After years of falling short, the Mariners finally held off the Astros to take home their first division title since 2001.
Wild Cards: Rays, Twins, Orioles
Not a single correct guess here. The Twins and Orioles bottomed out, while the Rays hung around the race for most of the season, but couldn’t make a run. Instead, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Tigers topped the wild card standings.
AL Champion: Guardians
Well, their hot run couldn’t last forever. Since the Guardians are out, the field looks to be wide open. What a story it would be for the Mariners to make their first World Series appearance.
Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
While Tiger starter Tarik Skubal looks to be the front-runner, Crochet has a chance to get some support here.
MVP: Julio Rodriguez
It’s going to come down to Rodriguez’s teammate Cal Raleigh or Aaron Judge, who had another monster season.
We’ve made it through 162 games and, for the first time since 2020, the Cubs are in the post-season as the top-seeded Wild Card in the National League. In a rematch of the 1984 NLCS, they start a best of three series against the Padres at Wrigley Field today. The winner of that series will advance to the NLDS and face the Brewers starting Saturday.
It’s time to take an updated look at the team records for the now 33 playoff contests I have attended. These contests come from the 2018 Wild Card game, the ALDS in 2000, 2005, 2008, and 2021, the NLDS in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, and 2017, the NLCS in 2003, 2015, 2016, and 2017, the ALCS in 2005, and, of course, the 2005 and 2016 World Series.
Post-Season Team Records
| Team Name | Won | Loss | Winning Pctg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Marlins | 3 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Seattle Mariners | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| New York Mets | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Colorado Rockies | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Chicago White Sox | 6 | 5 | 0.545 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| Atlanta Braves | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Cleveland Indians | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Washington Nationals | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Chicago Cubs | 9 | 13 | 0.409 |
| Houston Astros | 1 | 2 | 0.333 |
| San Francisco Giants | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Boston Red Sox | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
Former Cub Anthony Rizzo announced his retirement this morning after a fourteen-year career. A three-time All Star, Rizzo spent ten seasons with the Cubs, ranking sixth in franchise history with 242 home runs. He was also a four-time Gold Glove winner, winning Platinum Glove honors in 2016 as the league’s best defender. In 2017, Rizzo was bestowed with the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award.
Rizzo, originally drafted by the Red Sox when Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer were in their front office, was the duo’s first big acquisition when they reunited in Chicago, acquiring him from the Padres. Beginning the 2012 season in Triple A, he was recalled at the end of June and quickly became a mainstay of the lineup and a crowd favorite. As the Cubs were rebuilding around him, he signed a long-term contract extension in 2013. He cemented his position in Cubs lore by catching the final out of the 2016 World Series, ending the longest championship drought in American professional sports. However, as the Cubs struggled to repeat the team success of that season, Rizzo also struggled in later years, contributing to an offense that has severely regressed since 2016 and was one of the Cubs who refused to get the COVID vaccine, keeping the team below the 85% threshold for the 2021 season. At the trade deadline, he was traded to the Yankees.
After re-signing with the Yankees after the 2021 season, Rizzo spent three injury-marred seasons in New York, culminating in last fall’s World Series loss to the Dodgers. A free agent following the season, he went unsigned and sat out the 2025 season prior to today’s announcement. He will officially retire as a Cub and join the organization as a team ambassador.
Eschewing their traditional day after the All-Star Game release, Major League Baseball released their tentative 2026 schedule on a random Tuesday at the end of August. For the fourth year in a row, MLB is keeping with a balanced schedule, playing 52 games against division opponents, 64 games against non-division opponents in the same league, and 46 interleague games, with series against every team in the opposite league. With a young and improving White Sox team already looking ahead to next year and the Cubs trying to lock down a Wild Card spot, the 2026 season looks like it could be an interesting one for the city of Chicago. So, for one day, at least, let’s turn our attention to next summer for both teams.
The White Sox open their season on March 26, the earliest North American start in league history, under the dome in Milwaukee against the Brewers, followed by a trip to South Beach to face the Marlins. They open up their home schedule against the Blue Jays on April 2.
Aside from the Brewers and Marlins, the interleague schedule sees the White Sox going on the road to face the Phillies, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Padres, while the Pirates, Reds, Dodgers, Braves, Mets, Rockies, and Nationals make their way to Rate Field. The rivalry with their north side foes continues with a three-game weekend series at home Wrigley Field in mid-May followed by a weekday series at Wrigley Field in mid-August.
The White Sox wrap up the 2026 season in September with series against the Twins, Guardians, and Tigers, should it matter. The season ends at home with a three-game series against the Rockies.
On the north side, the Cubs kick off their season at home against the Nationals and the Angels before heading out on the road in early April. Aside from the Angels, the Cubs will host the Twins, A’s, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Tigers, while travelling to visit the Mariners, Orioles, Guardians, Red Sox, and Royals.
Twelve of their 24 games in September are against their NL Central rivals, with six coming against the Brewers, which could make a difference should the Cubs find themselves in contention once again. They end the year with a three-game road trip to Boston to face the Red Sox.
So far in 2025, Brad Keller, Mike Tauchman, Nicky Lopez, and Reese McGuire pushed the total of players I’ve seen take the field in person for both the Cubs and the White Sox to 47. With the final round of crosstown kicking off tonight at Rate Field, here’s a look at those players, in alphabetical order.
David Aardsma
After posting a decent season with the Cubs in 2006, Aardsma was traded to the White Sox for Neal Cotts. Aardsma lasted one season with the Sox, where he was unable to duplicate his success from the year before.
Jason Bere
Drafted by the White Sox in the 36th round in 1990, Bere debuted with the big-league club in 1993, finishing 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting. After an All Star selection in 1994, injuries marred the remainder of his tenure on the South Side, which ended in 1998. He resurfaced with the Cubs in 2001 and had a decent season, but he went 1-10 in 2002 before being let go.
Emilio Bonifacio
Bonifacio spent back-to-back partial seasons in Chicago, first for the Cubs in 2014 after signing as a free agent, where he played decently enough to be flipped at the trade deadline, along with James Russell, to the Braves for a young catching prospect by the name of Victor Caratini. He returned to Chicago in 2015, signing with the White Sox, where he he did not do well at all, hitting .167 in 47 games before being released in August.
Welington Castillo
Debuting with the Cubs in 2010, Castillo spent time behind the plate for the Cubs until May of 2015, when, having been replaced in the starting lineup by Miguel Montero, he was flipped to the Mariners. He returned to Chicago in 2018 after signing with the White Sox as a free agent. On May 24th of that season, he was suspended 80 games for a violation of the PED policy. The White Sox then cut bait following the 2019 season, shipping him off to the Rangers.
Neal Cotts
Acquired by the White Sox in the Billy Koch trade, he debuted with the team in 2003. He was a key contributor in the bullpen during the 2005 championship season and was the only relief pitcher to appear in all 3 rounds of the playoffs that season. Following the 2006 season, he was traded to the Cubs for David Aardsma, and he spent the next 3 injury filled seasons on the North Side.
Scott Eyre
Joining the White Sox organization in a 1994 trade with the Rangers, he debuted with the big-league team in 1997. He split the next 4 seasons between the rotation and the bullpen, not to mention between Chicago and Charlotte, before being moved to the Blue Jays following the 2000 ALDS loss to the Mariners. He joined the Cubs as a free agent for the 2006 season and enjoyed 2 seasons of relative success, before falling apart in 2008, when he was traded to the Phillies.
Clint Frazier
After missing the second half of 2021 with an injury, Frazier was DFA’d by the Yankees. He signed a deal with the Cubs that offseason, though he notched just 45 plate appearances before being DFA’s once again. He chose to finish the year in the Cubs system before becoming a free agent following the season. After failing to catch on with the Rangers, he signed a minor league deal with the White Sox, eventually hitting .197 in 33 games with the big-league club.
Kosuke Fukudome Continue reading →
We reach the traditional (if not numerical) midpoint of the 2025 baseball season as the Midsummer Classic lands in Atlanta for the third time. As the stars of the baseball world gather at Truist Park for tonight’s showdown, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 23 games, featuring 57% of the teams in the league, that I attended in the first half of the baseball season.
2025 Team Records
| Team Name | Won | Loss | Winning Pctg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 3 | 0 | 1.000 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Houston Astros | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 2 | 1 | 0.667 |
| Miami Marlins | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Boston Red Sox | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Kansas City Royals | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Chicago White Sox | 9 | 12 | 0.429 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| San Diego Padres | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Colorado Rockies | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| San Francisco Giants | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Seattle Mariners | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Texas Rangers | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |