2281 - 2026 First Base Preview

Segment 1 – Introduction and News and Notes
1.Tim’s finished his draft:
a.13 - Sal Stewart, 14 – Danny Palcencia, 14, Otto Lopez (MI), 16, Andrew Abbott, 17 – Robby Snelling, 18 – Riley O’Brien (St. Louis), 19 – Kodai Senga, 20 – Garrett Whitlock
2.The White Sox win the Murakami sweepstakes, signing the Japanese 26-year-old to a two-year, $34 million contract.
a.Thoughts?
3.The Pirates acquire Brandon Lowe in a complicated three-way trade
a.The Pirates, Rays, and Astros completed an involved three-team deal on Friday afternoon. Pittsburgh receives 2B Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum, and LHP Mason Montgomery from the Rays. Tampa Bay receives OF Jacob Melton and RHP Anderson Brito from the Astros, while Houston acquires RHP Mike Burrows from the Pirates to complete the trade.
4.The Orioles acquired Shane Baz
a.In return, the Rays receive two of their four top picks from July’s draft—OF Slater de Brun (one of my favorite players in the class) and catcher Caden Bodine—along with RHP Michael Forrett, OF Austin Overn, and a Competitive Balance Round A pick. All four players ranked inside my Orioles Top 20.
5.The Padres re-sign Michael King for three years and $75 million with opt-outs after each year. The Padres were expected to reload a bit this season, but instead, re-signed King. Your thoughts?
a.The Padres also signed Sung-Mun Song who posted a .315/.387/.530 slash line last year playing for the KBO with 26 home runs and 25 stolen bases. What can you tell us about him?

Segment 2 – First Base Ranking for 2026 Season
1.How are you approaching this position for your upcoming drafts?
2.We will break down the top 15 to 20 in detail. Then, go through 20 to 30 in less detail. We will end by jumping around the remaining ranked players.
3.Which player not in the Top 10 has a chance to emerge there next season?
4.Which Top 10 player will not be there next season?
5.Give me a couple of sleepers
6.Give me one, maybe two guys you are just going to avoid drafting?

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