The Rundown Lite: Kiermaier Seeks Coaching Gig, Stock Rejoins Mets, Maeda Back to NPB

I had planned to clean up the leaves from my yard today, but rain the last two days put a bit of a damper on those efforts. The good news is that big wind gusts are doing a fair bit of the work for me. I’ll report back on whether the hose attachment I got for my leaf vac works as well as I’d hoped.

When it comes to vacuuming things up and keeping the yard looking good, there’s perhaps no better combo than Kevin and Dan Kiermaier. The Fort Wayne, IN natives both took very different paths to MLB, with one becoming an all-time great defensive center fielder and the other creating all-time great center fields as the Cubs’ head groundskeeper. Now the younger Kiermaier is looking to stay in the game in a different capacity.

He signalled his desire to MLB teams via X a little over a week ago, saying he wants to “revolutionize outfield defense on many levels.” That ended up spurring some conversation about the legitimacy of WAR after someone was dumbfounded to find that KK’s career mark is higher than Joe Carter‘s. We’ll set any of those arguments aside for now to focus more on the topic at hand.

After hearing some of Kiermaier’s thoughts on the way players work on their craft, I can see where he might be able to have an impact.

“I feel like there are so many drills still done to this day that are just eyewash and not making guys better,” Kiermaier explained to Foul Territory. “If guys go and do a drill 40-60% over and over, it’s like you’re conditioning your body to know that speed. And then when the game happens, and you gotta charge a ball, then chop your feet and keep the momentum going forward to throw someone out at home, this is the first time that player has had the play happen where they need 100% effort.”

“I feel like there are so many drills still done to this day that are just eyewash and not making guys better.”

Hear @KKiermaier39‘s pitch to MLB teams on why they should invite him to work with their outfielders. ? pic.twitter.com/CTmC70o8N6

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 25, 2025

He also talked a lot about confidence and mindset, which I think have a lot more to do with defense than we normally bother to think about. A lot of folks might think about how Pete Crow-Armstrong might be able to get even better in center, but I look at Seiya Suzuki moving back to right field on a full-time basis or Owen Caissie continuing to improve on defense. Having a coach who is truly passionate about what he’s teaching could be a big plus.

It doesn’t hurt that the Brothers Kiermaier grew up as Cubs fans before going on to star for the Bishop Luers Knights on the football and baseball fields. Luers is one of two Bishop schools in Fort Wayne (Dwenger) playing in this weekend’s IHSAA football state championships, and they have a chance to capture their 13th title. Just in case anyone was wondering, four of the five schools with the most championships in state history are Catholic institutions.

I’m still a little bitter about that because Luers used to kick our asses up and down the field in the days before IHSAA adopted a success factor that would see schools bumped up when they kept winning. My son now goes to one of the biggest schools in the state, so no need to worry about getting beat by recruiting; the Brownsburg Bulldogs have won 18 in a row and are going for their second straight title on Friday night. To put a cap on this anecdotal rabbit trail with another interesting twist of coincidence, one of my son’s teammates on his travel team is related to the Kiermaiers.

Having Dan and Kevin work together could give the Cubs a unique advantage, as the former player could instruct the groundskeeper on how to cut the grass to create optimal results. It’s like how a team might let the infield get a little shaggier with a groundball pitcher on the bump. I’m mostly joking there, but I really do like the idea of having a coach who is invested in what he’s doing across a number of different levels.

That isn’t to say coaches won’t be effective if they’re more agnostic, just that it’d be really cool to bring in a guy who cheered for the Cubs growing up and whose brother works for them now. And unlike so many other former players who want you to believe they can teach simply because they played at a high level, KK comes across as someone who understands the extra work it takes to be great. Maybe the brothers’ little reunion back in 2022 was just a preview.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Dan told MLB.com when the Rays visited Wrigley. “But it’s going to be really cool to kind of have our career paths cross in this moment. We’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. It’ll just be a really cool, unique moment for us.”

Other News and Notes

• The Mets have signed former Cubs pitcher Robert Stock to a minor league deal. The stout righty has pitched for the Mets previously, but has bounced between Triple-A, Korea, the Mexican League, and indy ball for the last three seasons. A consummate grinder, Stock is going to keep pitching until no one is willing to give him an offer. He’s a fantastic example to young players like my son and others who are working hard to accomplish their own goals.
• This should not be confused with Josh Winckowski, the stock-standard pitcher who was recently non-tendered by the Red Sox.
• Kenta Maeda has returned to Japan after a decade in MLB, signing with NPB’s Rakuten Eagles. The 37-year-old righty had already decided that 2025 would be his last in the States, and he spent the bulk of the season in the Cubs organization with Triple-A Iowa after getting a few relief appearances with the Tigers in the early going.
• The Athletic reports that the Brewers are trying to trim payroll and could move a number of different pitchers to clear a little room. Freddy Peralta would yield the biggest return, but his salary is only $8 million. Trevor Megill or Nick Mears could also be on the move, though neither creates much flexibility. Another possibility is to rework Brandon Woodruff‘s QO salary into a multiyear deal.
• That same article discusses how the Reds’ positional flexibility leaves then open to making any number of different moves to get better for ’26.
• In addition to Nolan Arenado, who the Cardinals are aggressively looking to unload, we could see Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar moved. The Athletic reports that Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan will remain in St. Louis unless the team is blown away by an offer.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m going to be taking a quasi-hiatus for a few days to celebrate the holiday with my family, so you won’t see much from me unless something breaks. That isn’t typically an issue at Thanksgiving, when most of baseball is doing the same. I’m going to spend a good chunk of my evening watching at least two of the four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 dropping tonight, so that should be fun.

All of us here at CI are very thankful for those of you who show up here to read our work, whether it’s every article every day or just something that got served up to you by Facebook’s algorithm. You truly are the reason we do this. Well, you and an all-consuming compulsion.

Yesterday’s request was for what you’re consuming media-wise, but now I’d like to know what you’re eating for Thanksgiving. Anything unique to your family or any funky traditions you’d like to share?