Take 10 with Tim – June 5, 2026

1.Let’s take a look at the standings

2.FYI – Corbin Burnes hurt his shoulder during his rehab and now is unlikely to pitch this season.

3.Revisiting Sandlin vs. Jump. Both came up together, and Sandlin outpitched Jump in the first game, but Sandlin got it handed to him in game two, and Jump pitched 7 strong innings for the win.
a.Who do you take for Game 3?

4.Justin Verlander is expected back this weekend. He has a favorable matchup against the Mariners.
a.Do you dare?

5.TJ Friedl was taken as the 60th outfielder off the board and is now back in Triple-A after hitting .179 with two home runs. Noelvi Marte gets another shot.
a.What happened to Friedl?
b.Any interest in Marte?

6.What happened to these guys? Do you see them bouncing back over the next four months or was their 2025 an outlier
1)Michael Busch (CHC, 13th 1B) – 34 home runs in 2025, 6 so far this season
2)Jackson Merrill (SD, 14th OF) – He’s hitting .206 with five home runs and 10 SB. His runs scored are always down.
3)Bo Bichette (NYM, 10th SS) – The power is targeting 15 for the year, which was about what he did in 2026. But, he’s hitting .226 with a brutal .280 OBP. He’s still swinging at nearly every first pitch.
i.Plus, is this what $42 million annually gets you? Really? That’s the third highest on-field salary in 2026.
4)Masyn Winn (STL, #27 SS) – He was on a lot of sleeper list – 2 HR, 5 SB, and a .235 BA is not what was expected.
5)Matt Chapman (SF, #11 3B) – 21 HR and 9 SB in 2025. He has 2 home runs and 0 SB with a .236 BA. He did have three hits yesterday.
6)Steven Kwan (Cle, #37 OF) - .209 BA, 1 HR, 2 SB – BRUTAL!
7)Lawrence Butler (ATH, #36 OF) – 3 HR, 4 SB, and a .161 BA. I’m not sure why he’s still in the Major Leagues.
8)Geraldo Perdomo (AZ, #9 SS) – Breakout in 2025 with 20 HR, 27 SB, and a .290 BA. This season, he has 3 home runs and is hitting .223.

7.Believe it or not, we are 42% of the way through the season, and it feels like a good time to get your predictions on CY, MVP, and ROY. Mine are listed.
a.Please provide a pick for CY, MVP and ROY
i.AL: CY – Rich – Cam Schlitter; Tim – Gavin Williams
ii.AL MVP – Yordan or Witt Jr.; Tim – Ben Rice
iii.AL ROY – Should have been Murakami – Maybe Okamoto or you default to Kevin McGonigle; Tim - Okamoto
iv.NL: CY – Cristopher Sanchez; Tim - Sanchez
v.NL MVP – Shohei Ohtani; Tim - Same
vi.NL ROY – Konnor Griffin – might be a stretch and deserves to be below, I just think he flies by everyone; Tim – Carson Benge
b.Please provide a stretch pick for each category.
i.AL: CY – Parker Messick; Tim – Will Warren
ii.AL: MVP – Mike Trout; Tim – Miguel Vargas
iii.AL: ROY – Sam Basallo – I think he has a huge second half; Tim – Payton Tolle
iv.NL: CY – Shohei Ohtani – Braxton Ashcraft will get more votes than Paul Skenes; Tim – Chase Burns
v.NL: MVP – Oneil Cruz; Tim – Jordan Walker
vi.NL: ROY – Carson Benge – has a huge second half; Tim - JJ Wetherholt

8.What hitter are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB?
a.Arroyo or Marte

9.What pitcher are you targeting for this weekend’s FAAB?
a.Alex Lange