This episode of the Pitch Clock segment on The Dan Le Batard Show looks ahead to Major League Baseball's 2027 season. Guest Adnan Virk reviews the 2026 campaign, including the Brewers' World Series title and the young pitchers who impressed him, and weighs free agency and which teams might reload.
The conversation ends with the possible lockout over the collective bargaining agreement, where Virk argues that a salary cap is the central dispute between owners and players.
In this episode Adnan Virk
The transcript of this Pitch Clock episode on Adnan Virk's 2027 MLB outlook was made with the same technology behind HappyScribe's AI tool that takes meeting notes.
Ads in this audio differ from the text. Tap the sentence you're hearing to follow along.
Synced: the text now follows the audio.
When you serve a boar's head sweet-sliced ham, something magical happens. Born from a family recipe, it's expertly smoked and crafted for carving. This is the ham that will bring everyone and everything together: boar's head sweet-sliced ham, Compromise Elsewhere.
You know, some people are saying that this game right here is bigger than any game that happened in the World Series.
Definitely closer. More competitive.
We got 1 to go. This is the moment for Pitch Clock trivia.
Let's go, baby.
Welcome to The Pitch Clock. Here's the pitch: a two-part baseball segment combining a nostalgic baseball trivia game and an interview with an expert. This is The Pitch Clock. The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions.
Hi, everybody.
Baseball's over. Chris and I have.
Oof.
A really intense competition of Pitch Clock trivia going on right now.
I've legitimately been thinking about this all week.
It's kind of insane.
It's all coming down. We've been doing this what, all season?
Yeah, we started the first week of the season.
Mm-hmm.
And we have gone back and forth. Each of us has taken multi-game leads.
Mm-hmm.
But where things stand right now, and this is all before Adnan Virk joins me to take a look ahead.
Yeah.
At next season.
Ooh.
And what's ahead this off-season. Here's what's on the table: I have a one-game lead. Chris has an opportunity to tie. And if he ties, this will come down to me pitching to Chris.
Mm-hmm.
And us determining what can be a winning scenario within all of that.
If I win, it's over.
Yeah.
You're up by 1 right now. If you win, it's over. If I win, we're tied and we settle this on the old ball field.
Hey, Gabe, what's our trivia game going to be, man?
Today's going to be 2005 trivia.
Oh, boy.
I've seen that. It's my wheelhouse favor.
AKA Chris's wheelhouse.
Yeah.
There we go, baby.
Okay.
We're going to play 3 rounds.
Okay.
Round 1 is going to be multiple choice.
Ooh.
Since Chris won last week, he's going to go first.
Okay.
You get a point for each right answer.
Okay.
We're going to play up to 20. All together, all 3 rounds, you got to make it up to 20.
Okay.
Total.
Okay.
So first to 20 wins.
And so.
Correct.
It's 1 point for multiple choice. It's.
And round 2 is going to be a different point system.
And are we back and forth with these multiple choice?
Correct.
Like it's just up to us?
Can you steal?
You could steal for half a point.
Okay.
Ooh.
I like that. Half a point's fun. Okay, all right. So Chris is up first.
Chris?
Mm-hmm.
This Baltimore Oriole joined the 3,000-hit club with a double in the 5th inning against the Seattle Mariners. A: Rafael Palmero.
Oh, good. Thank you.
B: Miguel Tejada. C: Sammy Sousa. Or D: Roberto Alamor.
This is infuriating.
A.
Yeah.
1 point.
Yeah. I was an easy one.
I will say I was going to go Palmero.
Yeah.
Even if it wasn't multiple choice.
That's fine. I like multiple choice here.
I do too.
I like it's a chance to hear some fun names.
It comforts me.
All right, what's the next question?
For you, Jeremy?
Yep.
This pitcher led the National League in wins, complete games, and shutouts, but finished second in the Cy Young voting in 2005.
Gotcha.
A: Andy Pettit. B: Bartolo Colon. C: Chris Carpenter. D: DeAndre Willis.
DeAndre Willis.
Correct.
Right.
Chris, this slugger hit 22 home runs and earned a National League Rookie of the Year honors. Is it A: Garrett Atkins, B: Ryan Howard, C: Jeff Francour, or D: Willie Tavares?
Ooh, this is tough.
Ryan Howard.
Correct.
Damn.
Jeremy.
So it's 2-1.
2-1.
2-1.
Yeah.
This player led the National League in home runs in 2005. A: Andrew Jones. B: Adam Dunne. C: Aramis Ramirez. Or D: Albert Pujols.
Oh, this is really hard.
I'm glad I get to go second here.
This is really hard. Who was the first one again?
Andrew Jones.
Okay.
Don't sleep on him.
I know. Because there's a year where he hit 50-plus.
I think that's it.
I just don't know if it's 2005.
Don't do that.
Gabe just covered his mouth.
I know because you.
No, I think it is Andrew Jones.
No.
Damn it. That makes it I saw him cover his mouth and it makes it so much worse because now I don't know what to think.
He generally covers his mouth when people say the right answer.
I'm going D: Albert Pujols.
Incorrect.
Adam Dunne.
Andrew Jones.
Damn it.
Yes.
Of course it was Andrew Jones.
I was just totally messing with.
I went no Pujols because of the mouth or I went with Pujols because I was like, it can't be Andrew Jones after all that. It can't be.
I genuinely.
It was. Was it the year he hit 50-plus?
Yes.
God damn it.
I genuinely didn't think it was Andrew Jones. That's why I tried to get you there.
No.
All right, no points. No points. 2-1, me.
Chris.
Yeah.
This closer saved 23 games with a 1.72 ERA and won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2005. A: Lance Carter. B: Houston Street. C: Chad Cordero. Or D: Joaquin Soria.
Don't do the eyes. It's Houston Street.
Yes.
Thank you.
I tried to get you with Joaquin Soria, just making my eyes real big.
This pitcher struck out Omar Vizcal to reach 3,000 career strikeouts, becoming the only 12th player to do so.
Mm-hmm.
A?
The only 12th player.
Ah, only the 12th.
A?
Jerk.
Eric Milton. B: Kevin Brown. C: Randy Johnson. Or D: Greg Maddox.
Yeah, I'm going to go C: Randy Johnson.
Incorrect.
Damn it.
Greg Maddox.
Correct.
Yeah.
Randy Johnson was already there.
3.5 to 1.
Man.
He became the first player in MLB history to begin his Major League career with 5 consecutive seasons with at least 200 hits. A: Johnny Damon. B: Ichiro Suzuki. C: Jimmy Rollins. Or D: Jared Jeter.
Before you answer this, you've got to acknowledge you've had the easier questions.
What are you talking about? I would have gotten yours right.
Every last one of your questions have been obvious.
I've gotten all of them right.
They've been obvious.
They've been obvious.
So have yours.
Except for the one that you didn't get right either.
Ichiro.
Yeah.
Correct.
All right, let me at least feel good about going into the next round.
4 and a half to 1.
Ready?
It's to me.
Mark Burley, John Garland, and Freddie Garcia, and this pitcher each pitched a complete game against the Angels in the ALCS.
Oh, boy. I know who the answer is. Can I just tell you the answer?
Well, I screwed up the C, but.
It's Jose Contreras.
It is Jose Contreras.
Thank you.
What, 4 and a half to 2?
Man.
4 and a half to 2.
All right, I'll take that. The man who just had his fingers on his right headphone ear because he has seen the criticism that all of you have over his headphones is Adnan Virk. He is back to move us into the off-season. We celebrated the Brewers World Series victory. We have now moved to the stage where we're looking ahead at 2027. But before we do, Adnan, we've talked about the Brewers, but I want to take a second here and just hear what your overall takeaway on this 2026 season was.
Yeah, a few thoughts. Number 1 to me, Jeremy, is the dethroning of the Dodgers. We kept thinking to ourselves, this is a three-peat, this is a behemoth, and instead, the Dodgers showed some vulnerability. And to further that point, I think it's no longer a certainty. It's no longer a guarantee Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani will be in the MVP conversation. Like Aaron Judge next season is going to be 35 years of age, and when he plays the field, he gets hurt. Like that's 6'7", 282 pounds, and that wear and tear is there. So unless they make him a full-time DH, to me, I don't think it's a guarantee Aaron Judge every year can say, oh, he'll be an MVP finalist. And similarly for Ohtani, we finally started to see that wear and tear.
Like this was a guy who looked banged up this season. We finally saw the vulnerability and the mortality of Shohei Ohtani. Midway through the season, you go, oh my God, he's in the Cy Young conversation. By the end, he was limping to the finish line. And it wasn't one injury, it was a collection of injuries. So that's the part of it to me that I see the human element of this season is saying, all right, you can't take for granted the greatness of Judge and Ohtani. The good news for me, the biggest takeaway in terms of a positive sense, was the rise of young pitching, particularly Mizurowski and Schlittler. Both those guys, unbelievable seasons. And it's hard to predict, Jeremy, because I remember a year ago saying, oh, Skeens will win the Cy Young.
This will be the first of like 5 straight, and you go, but that could be it. You never know, right? With pitching, sometimes it's hard to forecast. I remember when Doc Goodin won the Cy Young in '85, Bob Gibson said, this might be the best he ever is. And everyone's like, what? He won Rookie of the Year in '84, he won Cy Young in '85. They go, but sometimes that's it. Like you do tap out at a certain level, and the rest of the game catches up to you, and other things happen. And for Doc, you know, substance abuse issues, etc. So it's nothing you can never take for granted. Remember thinking Skeens last year, oh, this will be the first of 4 Cy Youngs, and instead, we had a drop-off.
So I take appreciation in great young pitching and say to myself, well, hopefully it doesn't happen again with Mizurowski and Schlittler, but both those guys I thought were unbelievable this season. When you're flirting with sub 2 ERAs, 200-plus strikeouts, Schlittler throws a fastball 89% of the time. 4-seamer, 2-seamer, or a cutter, like just go ahead and go get it.
Yep.
And Mizurowski, one of my favorite stats, 100 miles an hour plus, he threw 1,110 pitches. The next starter who had the most is Bubba Chandler with 115. He's throwing 100-plus, 10 times more than any other starter. And since the stat tracking era began in '08, he's thrown more 100-mile-an-hour fastballs than any other team. Nobody beats him in this.
It's crazy. And the hope is that he continues to hold up this way as an ace for this team that's coming back as World Series champions. There are so many great young players around the game. It was fun to see. You know, we talked about so many of those great young position players headed into this season, to see so many great young pitchers thrive the way that they did. It's always exciting for Major League Baseball when those guys are starting, going relatively deep into games. Both of those guys did throughout the course of the season. Obviously, in the postseason, it was that Brewers bullpen shining. But we're going to move forward and look ahead at 2027.
And I think it's interesting because you mentioned a couple of teams and individual players here that really shaped the narrative around this season. Headed to 2027, let's start with some players because there's always big-time player movement. As we look forward into this off-season, who are a few players that you're looking at most closely to monitor where they end up for that 2027 season?
Well, Terry Scoop was the biggest fish out there, as you and I both know. And I'm just wondering, how large is the contract going to be? I remember with Juan Soto, I kept thinking it would be at least a $500 million contract, maybe $600. It ended up being $765. So in terms of Scooble, early on, it was like, oh, 325, and then it's 400, and now I feel like everyone's saying 500. So if this guy gets half a billion dollars for 10 years, that would just be gargantuan money for one of the best pitchers in baseball. Again, didn't win a Cy Young this year, coming off 2 straight Cy Youngs, but still was excellent this year. Proved he could thrive in a big environment in Los Angeles.
Not his fault the Dodgers didn't go deep. He was still very good in the postseason. So Scooble is the big one. The hitter market isn't as interesting. There's some names like Jazz Chisholm, you go, I wonder if he comes back to the Yankees. The qualifying offer would be $23 million, which seems absurd. I think he's going to hit the market somewhere. And I think Seiya Suzuki is an interesting guy. He's been a good hitter with the Chicago Cubs. Again, it's not a strong market in terms of hitters, but Suzuki, to me, is one of those underrated hitters. He provides power, hits for average. So I'm curious specifically, Scooble, Jazz, Seiya, to throw a few names at you.
Round 2 is Mystery Man. I'm going to give you 3 clues. First clue worth 3 points, second 2, and the third one is going to be worth 1 point. You have to guess the player.
Okay.
Ready?
And we each have a buzzer?
So whoever buzzes gets the answer.
I'm ready.
Clue number 1, this player stole 45 bases in 2005.
Jose Reyes.
No. Clue number 2, he was a switch-hitting second baseman for Baltimore.
Brian Roberts.
Damn it.
Yes.
Oh, no.
Number 2, this player collected 221 hits in the 2005 season.
Ichiro.
No.
Juan Pierre.
No.
Yeah.
Clue number 2, he won the American League batting title with a 331 average.
Derek Jeter.
Nope.
No.
Bill Miller.
Nope. Clue number 3, he played for the Texas Rangers as an infielder.
Michael Young.
Yes.
Damn. All right, it's only 1 point though.
6 and a half to 2. I mean to 3.
To 3. He won the AL MVP award in 2002.
A Rod.
No.
Jay Buehner.
No.
Wanted a fun name.
Clue number 2, he drove in 98 runs during the 2005 season.
David Ortiz.
No.
No buzzer. All right, moving on. Mark Teixeira?
No.
Damn.
Last clue.
Man.
He played shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles.
Tejada.
Yep.
Dude, get quicker with that finger, brother. 7 and a half to 3.
Clue number 1, he was baseball's top power hitting first baseman switch-hitter.
Teixeira.
Yeah.
10 and a half.
Boy, this is bad.
To what?
To 3.
3.
3.
He was the only 22-year-old during the 2005 season for this team. I saw Chris go first.
Miguel Cabrera.
Yep.
Is that what you're going to say?
Of course I was going to say that.
Let's go.
The Dodgers didn't reach where they wanted to be. The Yankees didn't reach where they wanted to be. The Cubs, for that matter, didn't reach where they wanted to be. So who are some of the teams that you're looking at here in terms of the way that they potentially reshape their roster and add to it?
I always look at the New York Mets, Jeremy. Coming off a season where we said the second biggest payroll in baseball and we're a huge dun. How does it feel to be David Sterns, the team in many ways you helped build, you were the epitome of the great front office, and they won the World Series before you built one with the Mets. And you've got $340 million in this largest at your disposal. So he's got a little egg in his face. I think he's going to prove himself now. Everyone knows that. This is basically David Sterns' year to put up or shut up. Otherwise, Steve Cohen will make a move. So how will the Mets navigate huge salaries and what was a big disappointing season? They've got some good young players.
Obviously, Carson Bench is up for Rookie of the Year. Nolan McClain is terrific, but they've got to navigate some turbulent waters. Another team is the Houston Astros. They're interviewing my buddy Albert Pools, and we'll be network colleague for the job, managerial job. And the Astros are in a bad division, and you feel like they're not that far away from competing, or are they? Is this the beginning of a situation where they've had been really good and they start somewhat of a rebuild? I don't think that happens because Jim Cranes is one of those owners who's always very aggressive. And I think he looks at that division and goes, you can be 500 and be in the playoffs. We're not going anywhere. So I'm curious what Houston does to reload a little bit.
Obviously, lost for Amber Valdez a season ago. And the other one I want to throw at you is the Baltimore Orioles. We thought this was going to be a young juggernaut. Instead, they have completely zagged when everybody else zagged. And this season, going in, the Rays were expected to finish 4th or 5th in the division. I think most people thought Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, maybe Orioles, Rays will figure it out. Instead, the Rays win the division. 98 wins, they're not going anywhere. So what happens to Baltimore? They were supposed to have all these great young position players. Gunner Henderson is a former Rookie of the Year. He basically had 100 OPS+. He was a league average player, right?
Jackson Holly was the number 1 prospect in baseball. He has yet to develop further beyond that. Adley Rutchman, gone, now a member of the Boston Red Sox, and they still have starting pitching help. So I'm curious what in the world is going on with Baltimore and Michael Eis because it seems like we thought they were going to be built towards something special, made the playoffs, and instead, they've taken a huge step backwards.
That's a fascinating one because the Orioles were a team that basically had like 9 prospects who not only were all supposed to be great, all looked exactly the same. Like you could just put them in a lineup and nobody would have been able to figure it out who was who. And yet, the majority of those guys have not developed. We can expect Gunner Henderson to bounce back from a season like this one. He's such a great player, but it shows just how difficult it is to repeat things year over year. You know, everybody was putting him right there with Bobby Whitt Jr. Obviously, he's not quite that player that Bobby Whitt Jr. has been early in his career.
That's a fascinating team because that AL East is almost the opposite of what you mentioned in the AL West, where all you need if you're the Astros is to be sort of average to be a playoff team. Where over in the AL East, you need to be spectacular. But look, the thing hanging over all of this, Adnan, you mentioned the $500 million contract for Scooble. You mentioned these different teams and the way that they develop. We talk about the Brewers and their potential repeat. The thing that's hanging over all of it, as much as I don't want to talk about it, and it's the reason we're wrapping with it, is this potential and probable lockout in Major League Baseball as the collective bargaining agreement is negotiated between the MLB Players Association and the owners.
So Adnan, I'd love sort of a brief explainer for our audience. And what do you think is ultimately going to happen here as we head toward 2027 and this stalemate?
Well, I think of a great story our former boss, John Skipper, told. He said when he would negotiate with Rob Manfred or Roger Goodell or Adam Silver, he'd go in and say, okay, here's 10 things I'm looking for. Three are absolute must-haves, and three is wishful thinking. And then the other four is where the negotiation would really take place, and he would work with Adam or Rob or Roger to get the deal done. So in this case, the owners are saying, hey, absolute must, we need a salary cap. That has to happen. We believe in terms of competitive balance, every other major sport has it, and we need it. And the players are saying, hey, we'll do anything you want, but no salary cap.
Right.
So this is the issue. It comes down to this. So I'm trying to stay optimistic and say, is there a way the owners can institute a salary cap without calling it a salary cap? Is there a way? And Steve Phillips, again, my friend and colleague at MLB Network had said this to me, can you make it so punitive if you go above a certain number? Hey, you know, if you go over $300 million, we'll suspend you 6 draft picks. So everyone goes, okay, fine, fine, I won't do it. You don't call it a cap, but essentially it's a cap. And similarly with the four, unless you spend a certain amount of money, you're going to get docked this many picks. You're going to have this sort of financial penalty, whatever it might be.
Maybe that's a pathway because the players hear a cap and they go, save it. I'm not doing it. No way, no how. And the players union is very strong under Bruce Meier, new leadership as he takes over from Tony Clark. So that's where I think is the biggest crux of this dispute, and I just don't see the players agreeing to a cap right out of the gate. Maybe when there's a certain number of games missed, if the owners stand strong and are resolute, the players eventually cave. But that is the major issue at play here is a salary cap. And people say, well, do you have to have them for the sport to survive? No. I mean, attendance has been up 4 straight years. The television ratings have been up, but the owners are very strong on this.
And ultimately, you and I know the owners control the purse strings, they control the sport. And I do think 2020 emboldened them a little bit to say, okay, you can have a 60-game season. As much of a farce as it was, you and I were just so happy to have baseball back July 23rd and the fact there still was a World Series champion. You didn't call the Fugazi, but the Dodgers still won the World Series. So the owners can say, you know what, April baseball, weather kind of sucks in the east and the midwest, not a big deal. May, okay, weather's warming up a little bit. As long as we get baseball around Victoria Day-ish. Hey, June 21st start of summer, there has to be baseball. I think there's a sense that that could be when the season ends at the beginning.
So I'll say this in a positive sense. As murky as this is, and as frustrating as this is, and as tough it'll be for guys like you and me to not be watching baseball on April Fool's Day, the good news is once the deal gets done, it's done. Like generally speaking, these labor deals are 5-year deals. So you think back to 2022, that was 100-day lockup. Mid-March it was done, and we've been good ever since. So let's suppose you and me sign up for June 1st to get a deal done, but for the next 5 years we're good? That would be a massive relief. Two months and then 5 years were awesome. Yeah.
As a guy whose birthday is on June 4th, I will happily take that as a birthday present, an early birthday present at that, from Major League Baseball and from the Players Association. Adnan, this is our last Pitch Clock with analysis for a bit. The Pitch Clock and our games are going to keep going for the next several weeks. We will keep you guys posted on that as an audience, but on behalf of our audience, Adnan, thank you for shepherding us through this postseason. Thank you for being our most consistent guest on the Pitch Clock and for all of the analysis throughout all of it.
Everybody, of course, go buy his book, Cinephile. Watch him on MLB Network. Adnan Virk, you, sir, are a World Series champion in my book.
No, you're the best, Jeremy. Thanks so much for giving me this platform. It's an absolute blast. I appreciate anybody who has such a passion and love for the sport as you do. So that reverence carries through, and you're carrying the torture. The amount of times I've had to hear you on levitrap, you're going, oh, God, Jeremy wants to talk baseball. I'm like, no, keep doing it, buddy. So fight the good fight. I love the fact that Pitch Clock has continued, and I'm glad for all your success with the Marlins and the Heat, whatever else this postseason may be. Fingers crossed, Pitch Clock returns sooner than you think.
That's right. Let's hope for that. Our friendship will not be locked out until June 1st.
Well said. I'll talk to you soon. You can see everything. Go see it a fourth time.
Yeah, oh my God. Absolutely.
Round 3, in honor of Ethan, we're going to play who he played for.
Oh, boy. Okay, great.
In what year?
2005.
Okay.
JT Snow.
Giants.
Yes. Next player. Coco Crisp.
Guardians.
You were first?
100%.
100%.
100%.
Ruben Sierra.
I was just clicking that thing regardless. Did he still play that? I know we played in '03. Yankees.
Yeah.
My God. Yeah, I thought. It's 14 and a half to 5.
Yes. Steve Finley.
Angels?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, let's go. Let's go Finley.
15 and a half to 5.
David De Jesus.
The Royals.
Yes.
15 and a half to 6.
Mike Lowe.
Red Sox.
No.
Marlins?
Yes. Heat Sop Choi.
Yeah, Heat Sop Choi was a Marlin.
No.
Yeah, on opening day 2005, he was 100% a Marlin.
Dodger.
Yeah.
Are you kidding? Was that '04?
You're rattled right now.
I'm really rattled. I thought you were throwing something at me. I'm all over the place. It's the football pads, man. 17 and a half to 6. This is a disaster.
Phil Nevin.
Padres.
Yes.
18 and a half. This sucked. So let's just make this clear. I've got to get 14 before you get 2.
Yeah.
Okay. I'm nervous.
Mike Lamb.
Philly.
I have no clue.
That's what I was going to guess.
Yeah.
Okay, good. Astro.
Yes.
Yes.
What the?
Actually, now that you say that, I can picture it. Okay. 18 and a half to 7.
Mike Piazza.
Mets.
Yes.
Yeah. Yeah. I was really.
One more, baby.
I was really hopeful you were going to overthink it.
Jock Jones.
Twin.
That's game.
Let's go, baby.
See you on the ballfield, buddy. Bring that 74.
You know what?
Bring that 74.
You're not going to touch it.
Oh my God.
You're not going to touch it.
I am going to stroke it.
I.
Whoa.
We'll end there. Enjoy stroking it.
"Our friendship will not be locked out."
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Adnan has info on what to look for as we inch toward 2027, but more importantly: IT'S A SHOWDOWN FOR THE AGES. CHRIS. JEREMY. A SEASON-LONG TITLE ON THE LINE. CAN CHRIS PULL OFF THE SEASON-TYING WIN AND FORCE AN ON-FIELD SHOWDOWN?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices