Anonymous MLB player thoughts are here. Plus: Breaking down the Orioles' deadline strategy

New York Times

3 days ago

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It's a big day today: Our annual anonymous player poll has dropped. This year, we have five different angles to choose from. Plus: Ken has notes on the Orioles' deadline strategy. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup!
Of all the questions we ask the big leaguers, the ones that get the most attention are the ones that allow players to throw a little shade. In our first story, players were asked which managers they would most/least like to play for, and which organizations had good/bad reputations.
The most predictable one — no surprise if you've paid attention to free agency recently — is that the Dodgers have a good reputation. The best, in fact. They got 82 'good' votes and zero 'bad's. The four runners-up: the Yankees, Braves, Cubs and Guardians.
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Interestingly, nine teams didn't receive a single 'good' vote. You can probably guess the three at the bottom of the list: Rockies, White Sox and — with 39 'bad' votes — the A's.
As for managers, Bruce Bochy (Rangers) and Terry Francona (Reds) took the top two spots, with the now-fired Bud Black (Rockies) and Oli Marmol (Cardinals) taking the two least-popular spots.
Best quote: '(The Angels) just don't know what they're doing top to bottom. That's what I've heard.'
More Player Poll: Which players do the players love to watch the most? And who would they least want to face with the World Series on the line? All that in our second story.
We'll be back with more player poll results, but first, here's Ken …
From my latest column with Will Sammon:
The currently 26-39 Orioles will be sellers, that much is fairly obvious. But as they point toward a possible return to contention in 2026, it would behoove them to be buyers, too.
Easier said than done.
The Orioles' biggest need for next season, with right-handers Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton on one-year deals, is starting pitching. Yet with so many pitchers injured, few teams will be willing to trade major-league starters, or even prospects at Double A or Triple A. The risk of getting caught short will be too great.
Which isn't to say a buy-sell strategy for the Orioles is unrealistic. It's just that such an approach probably would be best viewed through a broader lens. Any significant additions by the Orioles might be more likely to occur during the offseason than the deadline.
If, for example, the Orioles' best offer for Eflin included two highly regarded prospects in A ball, those players obviously would not be ready to help Baltimore in 2026. But if general manager Mike Elias acquired enough of those types, he would be in better position to deal from strength during the winter.
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Beyond Eflin, Sugano and Morton, the Orioles' potential free agents include first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn, center fielder Cedric Mullins and catcher Gary Sánchez, plus relievers Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto. A fairly intriguing list.
Relievers Andrew Kittredge and Félix Bautista also could be in demand, but the Orioles control both beyond this season, Kittredge through a $9 million club option, Bautista through two years of arbitration.
Bautista, earning a relatively paltry $1 million this season, is an interesting case. Coming off Tommy John surgery, his strikeout rate from his last healthy campaign in 2023 has dropped from 46.1 percent to 30.1, and his walk rate has increased from 11 percent to 17.2. So, this probably is not the best time to extract maximum value for him. And in 2026, when he is another year removed from surgery, he could be an important part of Baltimore's club.
At the moment, the Orioles' rotation options for '26 include Grayson Rodriguez (if he ever gets healthy), Cade Povich, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers and two pitchers who could return from elbow surgeries in the second half, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells. In other words, Elias will be in the same spot he was last offseason, needing to add at least one top-of-the-rotation type.
Assuming he is still GM, he cannot afford to miss again.
Might Elias try to force the issue at the deadline by trading a prospect such as corner infielder Coby Mayo for a high-caliber starter? Perhaps, but few such pitchers are likely to be available. And contenders are more likely to pay a premium for those arms, placing greater value on what they might offer for the rest of 2025.
More notes here. Now, back to the poll …
Our third story comes in light of recent news that the automated ball-strike challenge system is likely to be implemented in the big leagues next year. Players were asked their opinion on the 'robo-umps,' and I was a little surprised by these results:
Some of the arguments against were logical — catchers, in particular, are worried that it will make framing less valuable. Fair! Others made less sense: One player included the words 'It will make injuries and the competitive nature of the game worse.' I'm not sure I follow.
Interestingly, when it was presented as a challenge system — a limited number per team, with umpires still calling balls and strikes until a player challenges a call — the opinion shifted slightly. It '… seemed a worthwhile middle ground to many players. Some who said they were against ABS in general said they were open to it as part of a challenge system.'
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But the more entertaining section: Players were asked what rule changes they would implement to make the game better. Many brought up a less arduous schedule, which was to be expected.
But some players got creative! One player suggested inning-by-inning match play, and another said the league should be able to demote umpires to the minor leagues.
Best quote: 'More hockey fights! How 'bout that? Let's fight each other!'
More Player Poll: In light of recent stories about Lance McCullers Jr. and Liam Hendriks receiving threats of violence — and with the recent reinstatement of players who had been suspended a year for gambling — we asked players if increased legalization of sports gambling had impacted them. The overwhelming response: yes, and in a bad way.
There's a recurring conversation I've had with friends and family members that always makes me pause, take a deep breath and remind myself: 'They just don't know.' The topic: assuming to know what's going on in the heads of big leaguers.
'(X player) just doesn't care.' 'This team has given up.' 'They just don't want it.'
So I appreciated our fifth article from the poll: 'MLB players talk biggest misconceptions about playing in the majors.'
One line I particularly appreciated: 'Many respondents acknowledged the remarkable privilege of playing professional sports while still taking a moment to vent.'
Because let's face it: A job is a job. You can be grateful that you're not making your money cleaning out the porta-johns at the Gathering of the Juggalos, and still be annoyed that Jan from finance won't stop microwaving fish sandwiches in the break room.
For big leaguers, a lot of it comes down to the grind. Spring training starts in mid-February. The season ends in early October (and your goal is to keep playing after that). Players get to the ballpark as early as noon for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch, and don't get home until close to midnight — even when the team is at home.
Parents: Does this seem sustainable?
Obviously, it's still a great job. If we ran an anonymous reader poll, I'd bet 90-plus percent of you (and 100 percent of me) would sign up for it. But the next time you think a player doesn't care … buddy, if they didn't care, they'd quit.
Best quote: 'I haven't seen my mom on her birthday in 17 years. … Like, I couldn't go to my prom because I had a baseball tourney, you know? It's just little sacrifices you make over the years that you never get back.'
More behind-the-scenes: Clarke Schmidt walks us through what a starting pitcher's five-day routine looks like.
Bad news in Philly: Aaron Nola has a stress reaction in a right rib that will likely keep him out until at least the All-Star break.
Could Giancarlo Stanton be back in the big leagues in time for this weekend's series against the Red Sox? He's not ruling it out. Speaking of not ruling it out … could Shohei Ohtani be back on a big-league mound before the All-Star break?
The Giants are 6-0 — including a four-run ninth-inning comeback last night against the Rockies — since Andrew Baggarly returned from his hiatus. Baggs tells us what he's seeing from the team with fresh eyes.
If it seems like Jeff McNeil is hitting the ball better … you're not wrong. His walk-off hit last night for the Mets was the latest evidence that his new approach is working.
On the pods: Dennis Lin joined Eno and DVR on 'Rates & Barrels' to discuss the upgrades needed in San Diego.
Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Denzel Clarke's incredible catch — but not Monday's! It was the one against the Orioles on June 6.
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