Happy birthday to Hall-of-Famer Jim Kaat, who turns 88 years old today. Kaat had a 3.45 ERA and 283 wins over 25 seasons in the majors, with 15 of those seasons spent with the Twins/Senators franchise. Kaat won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves during his career, which ties into this defense-themed edition of the Opener…
1. Bellinger, PCA win Platinum Gloves
Cody Bellinger and Pete Crow-Armstrong were announced as Gold Glove winners last Sunday, and the two outfielders earned additional recognition Friday when Rawlings named the duo as the AL and NL winners of the Platinum Glove. This is the award given to the best defensive player (at any position) in each league, and both of this year’s recipients are first-time winners. The Platinum Glove adds to a laundry list of plaudits coming PCA’s way, as beyond his Gold Glove and Fielding Bible Award for best defensive player of 2026, the Cubs center fielder is widely expected to capture NL MVP honors on November 12.
2. Blue Jays, Cubs, awarded team Gold Gloves
Rawlings also announced that the Blue Jays and Cubs won the team Gold Glove awards, given to the best overall defensive clubs in each league. Crow-Armstrong was just one piece of an incredible run-prevention unit for the Cubs, who led the majors with 72 Outs Above Average and +115 Defensive Runs Saved. To give you an idea of Chicago’s dominance, the second-place teams in these categories were the Diamondbacks’ 44 OAA and the Rays’ +87 DRS. Toronto posted 15 OAA and +51 DRS, finishing 11th and sixth in the majors in each category. Since Rawlings started issuing the team Gold Glove in 2020, the Cubs and Blue Jays have each won three times.
3. Recapping the Nationals’ busy day
Jacob Young’s four-year, $23MM contract extension is the biggest headline, but it was just one piece of a transaction-heavy Friday in the District. The Nats also bolstered their relief mix by acquiring southpaw Reiver Sanmartin from the Giants for minor league right-hander Robert Cranz, and Kyle Nicolas was designated for assignment to create room for Sanmartin on Washington’s 40-man roster. Sanmartin, Nate Furman, and Braxton Roxby have all gone from San Francisco to D.C. within the last nine days, as the Nationals have been taking advantage of a Giants team facing a major roster crunch. The Nats’ moves required some roster maintenance of their own, and after Jose Tena was DFA’ed earlier this week, Tena was claimed off waivers by the Guardians yesterday.
