Articles by Drew Vonscio

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Red Sox Insider Tabs Kyle Schwarber as Masataka Yoshida Replacement

The Boston Red Sox are looking at every option to improve their roster for next season after being eliminated from the playoffs in the American League Wild Card Series. Losing in the wild card round is a tough pill to swallow as it is for the Red Sox. Losing in the wild card round to the New York Yankees is even more frustrating. Boston knows it needs to improve the roster in multiple ways. Pitching depth behind Garrett Crochet is a vital part of the offseason, but the Red Sox also need to improve their offense. That’s one reason why Jen McCaffrey believes Boston could use Kyle Schwarber as an upgrade at the designated hitter spot. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 08: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fourth inning in game three of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 08, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) “Schwarber has spent a majority of the last couple years DHing, but for good reason,” McCaffrey wrote for The Athletic. “He led the National League with 56 homers in 2025 and hasn’t hit fewer than 38 in each of the last four years. If the Red Sox were to pursue him, they’d have to figure out what to do about Masataka Yoshida, who has served mostly as DH and is owed $37 million over the remaining two years of his contract.” Schwarber is very familiar with playing in Boston and thrived in his short time with the Red Sox a few years ago. Since he left the Red Sox and signed with the Phillies, his bat has become one of the best in baseball. It’s hard to find any player in the game right now with more raw power than he has when he comes to the plate. If the Red Sox were to bring him in, he would have to bump Masataka Yoshida out of the starting lineup. Like Schwarber, Yoshida is primarily a designated hitter which means the latter would be on the trade block if Schwarber returned to Boston. The Red Sox have also been connected to Pete Alonso, and the offseason hasn’t even officially started. However, McCaffrey makes the case as to why Schwarber is the better option. “At 32 and because of his lack of positional flexibility, Schwarber is expected to sign a smaller deal than Alonso, around four or five years and $130-150 million,” McCaffrey wrote. “The Red Sox could absorb Yoshida’s salary (if they can find a trade partner) and still sign Schwarber for about the same it would cost to sign Alonso.” Given how many holes Boston has to fill this winter, it would make sense to pursue the option that is going to save some money, even if it isn’t much. Getting a player who can hit 50 home runs while also saving money is a win-win for Craig Breslow. The only possible downside to signing Schwarber would be that he is another left-handed bat in a lineup that is already littered with lefties. However, that should absolutely not stop the Red Sox from pursuing Schwarber. Sign him, and sort out the rest later. More MLB: Yankees Could Cut Ties With Jazz Chisholm in ‘Infield Restructure’: Report

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Cubs Urged to Re-Sign $400 Million All-Star Slugger

The Chicago Cubs are hoping to retain Kyle Tucker this offseason, but they know it won’t be easy with the large number of teams expected to pursue him. Tucker’s contract in free agency is expected to be around $400 million, a number that only he will command this winter. The Cubs have a lot of areas they need to address this winter in hopes of contending for the National League Central title next season against the Milwaukee Brewers. How much the Cubs are willing to spend in free agency this winter is unknown, but the organization is all-in on trying to build a winning roster. Kerry Miller believes the organization should pursue Tucker and build the roster around him. MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 11: Kyle Tucker #30 of the Chicago Cubs swings the bat in the third inning during game five of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on October 11, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) “The Cubs have a bunch of free-agent pitchers they could look to re-sign, Brad Keller foremost among them after the sensational job the 30-year-old former starting pitcher did in the late innings this year,” Miller wrote for Bleacher Report. “But Tucker is the obvious choice for this spot, in part because of what lies in store for them next winter when all of Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Nico Hoerner will be hitting free agency, and Dansby Swanson won’t be getting any younger.” Of the free agents the Cubs could potentially lose, Tucker is the frontrunner as far as being the priority. None of the other players mentioned are even in the same stratosphere as him. The question for the cubs lies with how the spend their money to build as strong of a team as possible. Essentially, the Cubs have two options: pay Tucker $40.1 million per year over 10 years and risk having a player of lesser quality at a different position, or use the money they would pay Tucker and spread it out to build a well-balanced roster. One important concept to note is both teams in the World Series have flaws in their rosters. The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the worst bullpens in playoff history while the Toronto Blue Jays do not have much depth. Both teams would have loved to have fixed that issue by now, but it was their stars, such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Shohei Ohtani, who got them to this point and helped them overcome the weaknesses. More MLB: Yankees Shockingly Urged to Consider Ben Rice Trade

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Blue Jays Pushed to Keep $75 Million Starting Pitcher This Winter

The Toronto Blue Jays made one of the best trade deadline acquisitions this summer, and the presence of Shane Bieber has helped the Blue Jays get to the World Series. It’s undeniable what kind of impact Bieber has had on the roster as he has been dominant in almost every outing for Toronto. However, he is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. That complicates things for the Blue Jays who could either be riding off into the sunset happy as can be or mad at the world for losing Game 6 and Game 7. Bieber will have a lot of possible suitors this winter, such as the San Francisco Giants, and Kerry Miller believes the organization should keep him around. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 28: Shane Bieber #57 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws a pitch in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the 2025 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) “Shortstop Bo Bichette is the bigger name and may well be the one they prioritize this winter,” Miller wrote for Bleacher Report. “However, if we learned anything from Toronto’s first two postseason series, it’s that this offense still packs one heck of a punch even without him. Meanwhile, if that rotation loses all of Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer and Bieber this winter, whether they have the arms to run it back again as AL East champions becomes questionable, at best. And unlike the Red Sox and Yankees with their big free agents, Toronto might not be able to afford Bichette if his eight-year, $186 million market value is legit. (Though, if Bieber’s six-year, $146 million market value is also legit, that’s also probably too much. That projection feels way too high, though, at least in number of years.)” Toronto simply can not afford to lose the three of the pitchers mentioned above. Losing two of them would be difficult enough to retool the rotation, but losing all of them would be a significant blow to their success next season. Of the three names mentioned, Bieber certainly has the most upside and potential going into next season and beyond. Bieber’s contract is expected to be a $75 million deal over three years which would set up an average annual value at $25 million per year. That’s the going rate for starting pitching in today’s game whether the Blue Jays like it or not. Given how impactful he has been to the roster this season, Toronto would be wise to pay him what he is owed. More MLB: Yankees Could Cut Ties With Jazz Chisholm in ‘Infield Restructure’: Report