TBNL: 2026 Hall of Fame ballot is revealed; free agents start to sign

The 2026 Hall of Fame ballot was officially revealed on Monday by the BBWAA. 15 holdovers from last year’s ballot return, with a dozen new players joining them for the first time.

The returnees (in order of the percent of ballots they appeared on last year):

The rookies (in alphabetical order):

There are — perhaps outside of Beltrán — no candidates this year who would appear to be locks to receive the requisite 75% needed for induction into the Hall of Fame. He and Jones may gain enough support, while I’m not sure I see Hunter, González, Gordon, Kendrick, Murphy, Pence, or Porcello receiving the 5% needed to remain on the ballot for 2027.

At first pass, there are 12 players whom I’d consider voting for (if I had a vote). I may dig deeper into the candidacy of each player on the ballot in the coming weeks; perhaps that’ll help me narrow my list down some.

The first big free agent domino has fallen and it’s …. Josh Naylor. The first baseman has agreed to a five-year, $92.5 million deal to return to the Seattle Mariners. The deal includes a full no-trade clause.

While few may have picked Naylor to be the first free agent off the board, there is little surprise that he and the Mariners agreed on a new contract. It was obvious how much Naylor enjoyed his time in Seattle after being acquired just before the July trade deadline. He quickly embraced his new teammates and won over the Mariners fan base. Both he and the team were heavily interested in a reunion, and it didn’t take long to reach a new deal.

Having been traded twice in the last calendar year — first being sent from Cleveland to Arizona last December, then dealt again in July — it’s also not a surprise to see Naylor push for a no-trade clause included in his new contract.

Naylor played in 147 games with the D-backs and Mariners this past season, slashing .295/.353/.462 (128 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 20 home runs, 92 RBI, and a career-high 30 stolen bases.

It’s unclear if Naylor received, or even entertained, any interest from teams outside of the Mariners. Experts thought that he might ultimately be an option for teams that fail to sign Pete Alonso or Cody Bellinger in free agency, but the quick decision to re-sign with Seattle eliminates any potential bidding war.

Veteran left-hander Ryan Yarbrough and the New York Yankees have an agreement on a new one-year deal to bring the versatile swingman, who will turn 34 in late December, back for another season. He’ll earn $2.5 million.

Despite posting solid results in 2024 that included a career-low 3.19 ERA (127 ERA+) over 98.2 IP, Yarbrough sat on the free agent market a year ago. He would eventually sign a minor league contract with the Blue Jays, but would exercise an opt-out in his contract before the end of spring training to return to the free agent market. The Yankees, seeking starting depth, signed him to a $2 million deal for 2025.

Yarbrough’s 2025 was less productive, but still useful, posting a 4.36 ERA (94 ERA+) over 64.0 IP (8 starts, 11 relief appearances). His results on the road (3.27 ERA) were much better than at home (5.52). Much of the damage he allowed came from the longball, as he gave up a career-high 1.8 HR/9.

Bringing Yarbrough back is purely a depth move by the Yankees, though he does give the team another left-handed option for the bullpen alongside Tim Hill and Brent Headrick. The free agent pool of lefty relievers is not especially deep this year.

The San Diego Padres made a low-risk signing last offseason, agreeing to a one-year deal (with a team option) worth $1.5 million with left-hander Kyle Hart as he returned to MLB after pitching in Korea.

The gamble didn’t pay off as Hart struggled in the majors (a 5.86 ERA over 43.0 IP across 20 appearances, including six starts) and at Triple-A (a 4.10 ERA over 63.2 IP). Unsurprisingly, San Diego declined their $5 million option to bring him back for 2026.

Yet, with the Padres in dire need of pitching depth, the two sides reached a new agreement to reunite for 2026 after all. Hart will reportedly earn $1 million on the new deal, while San Diego holds a $2.5 million option for 2027 (with a $200,000 buyout).

The Mariners and Dodgers completed a minor trade on Sunday, with Seattle acquiring left-hander Robinson Ortiz and Los Angeles adding right-hander Tyler Gough. Ortiz was just added to L.A.’s 40-man roster in the last week after posting a 2.73 ERA over 59.1 IP with 72 strikeouts across three levels this past season.

Dodgers superutilityman Kiké Hernández will miss March’s World Baseball Classic while recovering from elbow surgery.

When the first four franchises — New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco — in the Women’s Pro Baseball League were announced a few weeks ago, it left many questions about where these teams would be playing. Now, it appears the WPBL will hold its inaugural season at a neutral site, with games being played exclusively at Robin Roberts Field in Springfield, IL. The league will hold its draft later this week (Thursday).

First baseman Joey Meneses signed a minor league contract with the Athletics, which feels like an odd fit with Nick Kurtz and Brent Rooker already on the roster. Meneses hit .265/.322/.447 with 11 HR in 419 PA at Triple-A last season with the Mets.

Sean Doolittle spent the last two years as a pitching coordinator with the Nationals and will be one of the few coaches retained by the new front office, according to comments made by president of baseball operations Paul Toboni following Monday’s press conference to introduce new manager Blake Butera. Doolittle’s exact title and responsibilities are yet to be defined, but he will work closely with pitching coach Simon Mathews.