FanGraphs Weekly Mailbag: November 7, 2026

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images The first full week of the offseason has already come and gone, with qualifying offers extended, options exercised or declined, and several waiver claims and minor transactions made. The front office carousel also got underway, with the A’s hiring Taylor Smith as their president of baseball operations and Cam Castro as their general manager, the Orioles hiring Jared Banner as their general manager under president of baseball operations Mike Elias, the Astros hiring Randy Flores to be their GM, and the Cardinals promoting Rob Cerfolio to be their GM under president of baseball ops Chaim Bloom. In other news, the Nationals and center fielder Jacob Young agreed to a four-year, $23 million extension, the first multi-year deal of the offseason. Young, 27, was set to hit free agency after the 2029 season, so this keeps him around for one more year at a $5.75 million AAV, with an $8 million club option for 2031. It’s a deal that makes sense for both sides; Young gets more guaranteed money up front during his arbitration years, while the Nationals get a high-floor center fielder at a set cost and at a time when the financial structures of the sport are subject to change during the upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations. I expect there will be a flurry of other extensions over the next three-plus weeks, as teams and players look for some long-term security before the current CBA expires and the lockout begins. It’s also likely that at least a few of our top 50 free agents will sign before then, as they look for certainty heading into what could be a long layoff. That’s what happened five years ago, when the Rangers signed both Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to large, long-term deals, the Tigers signed Javier Báez for six years and $140 million, and the Mets added Max Scherzer for three years and $130 million, a lucrative $43.3 million AAV. We’ll talk a little bit more about contract terms later in this mailbag when we discuss mutual options. We’ll also answer your questions on where special neutral-site games should be played in states without major league teams, book recommendations to learn about analytics, and how ZiPS determines its postseason odds. But first, I’d like to remind you that this mailbag is exclusive to FanGraphs Members. If you aren’t yet a Member and would like to keep reading, you can sign up for a Membership here. It’s the best way to both experience the site and support our staff, and it comes with a bunch of other great benefits. Also, if you’d like to ask a question for an upcoming mailbag, send me an email at mailbag@fangraphs.com.This Mailbag Is Exclusively for MembersTo read this mailbag, you must have a FanGraphs Membership. Our player pages, leaderboards, and other data tools, as well as RosterResource, The Board and our glossary, are still available for your unlimited use.✓Ad-free browsing✓Unlimited FanGraphs & RotoGraphs articles✓Historical & platoon projections✓Leaderboard & player-page stat heatmaps✓One-click data exports✓Customizable player-page dashboards✓Dark & Classic site modes✓Weekly Members-only mailbag✓FanGraphs Walk-Off, your year in review✓Optional homepage photo removal✓Gift articles to non-Members✓Full postseason coverage