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How An Abbotsford Canucks Assignment Could Benefit Braeden Cootes’ Development

Braeden Cootes’ assignment does not erase the progress he showed during the preseason.

The transaction changed Cootes’ developmental path.

The Vancouver Canucks assigned the 19-year-old centre to Abbotsford on Friday after he recorded one goal and two assists in three preseason games. Cootes remained among the final roster candidates, but his development now shifts to the AHL.

The assignment was not the result of an ineffective preseason from Cootes. His pace, competitiveness and two-way awareness translated against older players, while his chemistry with Arshdeep Bains produced offence.

Cootes was quieter during Thursday’s 2–1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers while centring Paul Cotter and Brendan Gallagher. The performance followed two productive games, while that line offered a preview of the role potentially awaiting him in Vancouver.

He likely would have started on the fourth line.

Limited NHL Minutes Can Work

Playing limited minutes is not necessarily harmful, nor is sitting for an occasional game. The question is whether those minutes have a developmental purpose.

Former Canucks captain Bo Horvat shows how a bottom-six role can help a young centre. During the 2014–15 season, Horvat averaged 12:15 minutes played per game and recorded 25 points in 68 games as a rookie. He gradually earned more responsibility before becoming Vancouver’s captain and a top-line centre.

His example shows that a smaller NHL role can contribute to development when responsibilities expand with a player’s performance.

If Cootes received 10 to 12 purposeful minutes, consistent linemates and defensive assignments, a similar beginning could have worked. NHL coaches and experienced teammates could have helped him adjust.

However, Horvat’s path is not a template for every prospect.

Some players learn through limited NHL minutes. Others need regular shifts, the puck and freedom to make mistakes. A young player can become stuck in a small role without receiving opportunities to develop his offensive skills.

That possibility helps explain Vancouver’s assignment of Cootes to Abbotsford.

Abbotsford’s Potential Role

In Abbotsford, Cootes is expected to compete for top-six minutes, centre assignments, special-teams work and opportunities in important situations against professional opponents.

Cootes joins Abbotsford after a productive final junior season. He recorded 63 points in 45 WHL games and added 23 points in 20 playoff games while helping the Prince Albert Raiders reach the WHL Final.

The new rule allowing eligible 19-year-old first-round picks to play in the AHL gave Vancouver a third option. Rather than returning to junior or occupying a limited NHL role, Cootes can continue developing against professional competition.

Canucks forward Linus Karlsson demonstrates the potential value of extended AHL development. Former Canucks general manager Jim Benning once said he preferred prospects to spend two or three years in the AHL until they were “overripe.”

Karlsson followed that route. After three seasons in Abbotsford, he led the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs with 14 goals and 26 points. He then recorded 15 goals and 35 points in 79 games with Vancouver last season.

Cootes may not require the same timeline. Karlsson nevertheless showed how succeeding in a significant AHL role can prepare a player to earn a permanent NHL position.

Johnson’s No-Yo-Yo Philosophy

Filip Chytil’s shoulder issue created uncertainty at centre. Vancouver still assigned Cootes to Abbotsford.

The assignment indicates Vancouver did not use Cootes as a response to its uncertain centre depth.

Oskar Sundqvist, a centre with 545 NHL games and an $850,000 cap hit, was among Friday’s waiver options. Additional players could become available as teams finalize rosters, giving Vancouver other ways to address centre depth without changing Cootes’ development plan.

The decision follows Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson’s stated philosophy.

“I do not believe in the yo-yo, up-and-down American League/NHL of a young player,” Johnson said before training camp. "I feel I’ve said it earlier — when they get in, they step in. If they’re in the American League, I often see it as there’s one call-up. They kick the door down, there’s one call-up, and they never go back.”

The comment describes a preference for young players to earn an NHL promotion and remain there. Assigning Cootes to Abbotsford is consistent with that approach.

What Comes Next

The preseason provided evidence that Cootes could compete for a Canucks position. His projected role remained central to the decision.

Abbotsford can provide greater responsibility, but those opportunities must still be earned. Repeated short-term recalls would appear to conflict with Johnson’s stated preference. A longer-term promotion would more closely align with the development model he described.

Making Vancouver’s opening-night roster would have been an accomplishment. Becoming a long-term impact player remains the goal.

The assignment gives Vancouver a way to prioritize Cootes’ long-term development while keeping him close to the NHL. Its value will ultimately depend on the responsibilities he receives and whether the organization provides the stability outlined in Johnson’s philosophy.

Oct 3, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Braeden Cootes (80) shoots during warm up prior to a game against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Oct 3, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Braeden Cootes (80) shoots during warm up prior to a game against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

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Giants skipper Tony Vitello ejected in final game of the season

The first season as a MLB manager for Tony Vitello was filled with "strikes and gutters" he said. In other words, there were good times and bad, ups and downs.

The San Francisco Giants concluded their disappointing season finishing with a 5-1 extra-innings loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, wrapping the season with a 65-97 record. But Vitello went out with frustration.

The Giants skipper was once again ejected from the ballgame in the top of the third inning after arguing a Mookie Betts check swing. It was called a ball, Vitello thought it should've been a strike and he let umpire Ryan Blakney know about it.

He sprang from the dugout immediately as the call went in favor of the Dodgers. As fast as Vitello could get to the field, Blakney was just as quick to kick him out.

In the final game of the year, No. 162, Vitello was handed his seventh ejection of the season, a league-high.

KRUK AND KUIP: Baseball's legendary Bay Area duo makes final call for Giants

Vitello isn't satisfied with the result of the regular season, he said.

"I think improvement is needed. There's a lot of information," Vitello said. "Information is power. You got to take it and you got to make it useful."

Year 1 is in the books. It's all a part of the growth process for San Francisco.

The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giants skipper Tony Vitello ejected in final game of the season

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NetsDaily Off-Season Report – No. 24

The offseason ends Sunday. Monday is Media Day, the beginning of pre-season. Hurrah!

A week later, after six practice sessions at HSS Training Center, the 20 players — 15 on standard deals, three on two-ways and as of now two on Exhibit 10s — will fly to Charlotte for their first pre-season game vs. the Hornets on October 8, a week. Three more preseason games, starting with a home game vs. the 76ers at Barclays Center two days later on October 8, will follow, giving fans their first look at the Nets newest era.

The regular season starts October 21 in Brooklyn, also vs. Charlotte, in the friendly confines of Barclays Center. Then, it’s really on through Sunday, April 11, vs. the Raptors. Hopefully, it will mean something.

So, the wait is over, the truth will soon be told. Here comes both the excitement of a new season with its new hope … and more than a little anxiety, too.

The offseason was a disappointment for some fans who had hoped the Nets would make a big move or two, using all that cap space, all those draft picks to move beyond the hurt of the tank. What made it worse was the first event of the off-season, the NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago. The Nets’ whole rationale for losing all but 46 games the last two years: getting top lottery picks, didn’t work out the way they planned. After finishing with the sixth worst record and winding up with the eighth pick in 2025, they dropped again last June, picking at No. 6 in what was then seen as a four-star draft. The Nets had hoped that by finishing with 20 wins, third worst in the league, they’d finish higher. Didn’t the basketball gods understand they were owed?!?

Instead of making incremental moves, Sean Marks & co. stuck to their mantra that the team would not expend all those precious assets for anything less that a player who would “absolutely and automatically change the trajectory of the franchise”, aka a superstar. Call it the Marks Doctrine if you want. Just before the Draft, as he does virtually every year Marks made what was the biggest move of the off-season: acquiring Julius Randle, a power forward — emphasis on the power — and another first round pick at No. 28 in return for Nic Claxton who by every analysis had run out his time in Brooklyn plus a second rounder.

Randle may have made three All-Star teams and been honored with two All-NBA draws; may have averaged 21.7 points and 8.9 boards over 551 games the last eight seasons, may have played 79 games last season. But no one thinks he is the man who will “change the trajectory of the team.” But getting a player with that resume’ in a salary dump — putting aside his baggage — is pretty, pretty good as one Brooklyn native might say. Even if he could wind up a rental — he has a player option in July and will soon turn 32 — the deal has to be seen at worst as intriguing, at best a lot more than that. (If you think we believe that trade is under appreciated, you’re right. Despite everything, he wants to be here! Even Michael Porter Jr. later admitted he initially hated the idea of moving from a title contender to a rebuild.)

The night of the Draft held one mystery. Would the Nets get a player they wanted at No. 6? They absolutely loved Caleb Wilson but none of the top four teams were entertaining offers. After that, there was Mikel Brown Jr., who they loved almost as much. The Clippers had the fifth pick and it looked liked they would take Keaton Wagler, but ya never know until Adam Silver walks to the podium. And walk he did to announce LAC would take the Illinois sharpshooter. There was cheering in the War Room and it was not perfunctory. They wanted ‘Kel and he wanted Brooklyn.

At No. 28, the other piece in the Randle/Claxton trade, they took Joshua Jefferson. While everyone was celebrating Brown Jr., the scouts also liked Jefferson a lot. Marks publicly said Brooklyn had followed him from early in the season. The scouts saw and still see the 22-year-old as a steal, a player who if he had been two years younger might have been a lottery pick. It is not an exaggeration — at all — to say the Nets wanted that exchange of picks — No. 28 for No. 33 — out of the Randle/Claxton trade specifically so they could take the 6’9” in the first round. Marks hinted at it on Draft Night and another insider confirmed it to ND.

After the Draft, the off-season was a series of small to medium signings — some like Day’Ron Sharpe and Josh Minott solid young adds, others like Keon Ellis and Moe Wagner promising rotation players and veterans as well. There are intriguing players among the two-ways as well. Grant Nelson, the athletic 7-footer, Chaney Johnson, who looks a bit like Bruce Brown-lite from a couple of years back and Tyler Bilodeau, the 6’9” 3-point specialist taken at No 43 in the draft, will spend time in Brooklyn.

Grading the off-season at this point in the process though seems silly. The games are about to begin and rankings, ratings and grades will all be forgotten, be irrelevant. We’ve seen grades from D- to A+ with most marks closer to the latter than the former.

We’ll hear more about how BBOps and players feel about things Monday but Tsai, Marks and Fernandez appear satisfied with their progress, even if slow and steady.

In his interview with David Rubenstein for “Inside the Owner’s Box,” Tsai even congratulated Nets fans on their patience, enlisting them in his long march.

“The Brooklyn Nets have a sophisticated fan base,” he said. “They have very strong opinions. You think the fan base is always about ‘win now, get the best players pay the highest price.’ Right now, they’re saying, unanimously, that we should be going through a multi-year rebuilding process. we need to be patient, We need to build through the Draft. It’s a very knowledgeable fan base.” Emphasis added.

(Memo to Tsai who said he derived his sense of the fan base through Twitter: The Nets fan base, “knowledgeable” or not, is not unanimous about anything!)

Bottom line of the off-season: the tank is over, but the rebuild is far from it. Despite their bad luck in the lottery the last two years, they’re very happy with Demin and Brown Jr. who sure looked like the point guard of the future in limited minutes. Demin didn’t just bulk up physically after going down with an episode of plantar fasciitis in March. He looked more confident in Summer League, more willing to drive the lane, giving Fernandez more options. Moreover, the two worked well together in Sacramento and Las Vegas. Also, the team’s marketing apparatus seized on them as the face of the franchise, present and future.

There were other positives in off-season as well as some negatives — Ben Saraf looked marginally better in Summer League play, particularly on defense but he, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf didn’t give anyone goose bumps on offense. Nolan Traore has bulked up, maybe even added an inch in height, but he didn’t play in either Sumer League after getting his knee scoped. He’s expected to be in training camp. Bilodeau showed sparks in Sacramento and Las Vegas as well as did Jefferson, but their minutes were limited.

Still, as Tsai preached, the “build” will be “multi-year.” Fourteen of their 18 players are under 25. They have the youngest team in the league — again — and with eight guys on rookie contracts they’ll top the NBA — again — in that category. Plus, they added a couple of 20-point scores to tide things over. Scout, draft, develop, repeat till Mr. Absolute Automatic arrives on a white horse. However, one cavalier is already suited up.

Over and over, you hear, that finally, after two years, Fernandez will be unleashed. They’re extremely happy with him and his staff, rewarding all 10 of them with contract extensions and raises (one of the more under appreciated moves of the summer in that it showed great confidence in the future.) They’ve also added an assistant to the head coach to the basketball operations staff. Reports from inside 168 39th Street in Sunset Park indicate he is raring to go, believing he has a team that can surprise all those nasty pundits and reward all those forsaken fans.

And who can forget flexibility!?! (What’s the over/under for the number of times Marks uses the word Monday?) To recap, Brooklyn still has $4.9 million in cap space, the $9.4 million room exception, the full $8.5 million in cash considerations plus 32 draft picks. You know the math … or should by now! 13 firsts, 10 of which can be traded, and 19 seconds, all of which can be traded. And at the moment, no Nets player has a contract that extends beyond 2027-28. That could change with MPJ getting an extension but don’t hold your breath. The smart heads who track these sorts of things keep noting that Brooklyn can move in a number of different ways. The fans are less analytical. They are less interested in counting draft picks than wins.

There’s been a big turnover. A number of players left the team since last year this time, some of them seen as key pieces at one point or another. Cam Thomas and Dariq Whitehead were first rounders in 2021 and 2023. Both are currently out of the league. Jalen Wilson was a fan favorite and he wound up on a two-way with the Hawks. There was divided feeling on Ziaire Williams now making the vets minimum — less than half what he earned in Brooklyn — with his hometown Lakers. There was no market for any of them which should tell you something, actually a number of things. Tyrese Martin is playing in Spain, E.J. Liddell in Greece, Tyson Etienne in France, Tre Scott in Germany. Ochai Agbaji is just across the river, but on an Exhibit 10 fighting for a deal to keep him out of the international market. Based on all that, you’d have to say this year’s roster is better, a lot better.

There will be as Brian Lewis notes Sunday, a number of interesting battles that will play out in training camp. At the two forward spots, Randle and MPJ hold sway but behind them, who will get minutes among Noah Clowney, Wolf, Jefferson and the versatile Josh Minott? Of course, “forward” is not a hard designation. Clowney, given best case scenario, may be able to get minutes at the both power forward, small forward and even small ball center. And he should be motivated. He’ll be a restricted free agent in July. Wolf and Jefferson should be able to play point forward and small ball center in a pinch.

Lewis also wonders how much youth must be served at the “guard” spot. With the two 20-year-olds, Demin and Brown Jr., seeming set at Nos. 1 and 2, does Fernandez rely on Terance Mann and Ellis or “force feed” Saraf and Powell even if they’re struggling?

Those questions may be a bit conventional side. The Nets have prioritized positional size, versatility and athleticism as well as character (which includes coachability) the last couple of years. Is Demin a point guard, shooting guard, small forward or point forward? How about a lineup featuring Brown Jr., Demin and Traore? Could Minott spend time at the 2? Wagner at the 4? What is Wolf’s natural position? Same with Jefferson, assuming he doesn’t spent a lot of time on Long Island? How many minutes, particularly late in games will we Randle pounding the ball down in the blocks as a traditional 5? Who gets minutes based on their defense? Who doesn’t?

And everyone has a lot to prove. We mentioned how Clowney and Porter Jr. will be free agents next July. Randle has a player option then, too. Mentioned that as well. Sharpe and Minott have team options. Wagner and Ellis have “mutual” options. It will be a busy off-season next year as well.

Yeah, they’re a work in progress. That, along with their youth and versatility, should make them intriguing to watch. “Intriguing” will hopefully wind up being the word people will use in describing their identity. It’s a lot better than the conventional wisdom.

Final Note

There’s more, of course, but again it won’t matter starting Monday when Sean Marks and Jordi Fernandez walk in the door at HSS Training Center, greet the mics, video and still cameras, reporters’ notepads and writers (including us) hungry for news. Hopefully, Marks won’t open things with bad news like he did last year when he announced the Egor Demin had undergone a procedure for plantar fasciitis over the summer. Surprise! There’s no need for that!

For those who can sneak a look without getting an email from HR, YES Network will have live coverage between 11: a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in front of the practice court which is in front of the Great Window which will likely be covered with rain drops. The Nets official site will not carry things live, but the team’s internal video team will no doubt be posting highly produced clips for days!

So thanks for reading. Over the years, we published about 500 of these. Whenever we write the first one of the off-season, we dread the routine but as things wear on, it gets more interesting, more fun. We hope you feel the same way.

Go Nets!

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Game 162 in Florida: Ivy for Cubs, Fenway Green for Red Sox

John Healy saw Ted Williams play left field at Fenway Park in the 1950s. He watched his beloved ‘Sawx’ end the Curse of the Bambino in 2004. But on Sunday, Sept. 27, he watched something he never could have imagined he would see.

Sunday morning, Healy got up early and drove the two hours from Ft. Myers to St. Petersburg and watched the Red Sox play Game 162 from an aisle seat five or six rows behind the dugout at Tropicana Field. He paid $32.

"It can't be any more fun than this," Healy said.

The game was supposed to be played Saturday night at Fenway. A nor'easter weather pattern heading for New England changed that, and Major League Baseball moved the game to St. Petersburg. It was the first time the Red Sox played a home game anywhere but Fenway since the 2019 London Series. The Cubs have been through this before, back in 2008, when Hurricane Ike pushed two games of their series in Houston to Milwaukee’s Miller Park.

 The Red Sox were still the home team. They just dressed in the visitors' clubhouse and used the visitors’ dugout that they are used to as the Rays division rival.

"I'm sure Tampa maybe doesn't want us in their locker room," Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said with a laugh.

Tracy said the Red Sox knew early last week this could happen. They'd made their peace with it. It still felt off."It's still strange," he said. "You're at the Trop. You're the home team."

The Rays' clubhouse staff had some fun with it.

They turned the Rays’ digital clubhouse sign into a welcome sign for the Cubs that featured the team logo and Wrigley Field ivy. The note on it read, "Hope you enjoy your short stay at Tropicana Field." The video scoreboard, new this season, was Fenway green and showed the score in the old-school fashion of the iconic Boston ballpark. The scoreboard played the traditional “Coming to America,” “Tessie,” and “Sweet Caroline” in the middle of the eighth for Red Sox fans.

Still, nothing was normal about this Game 162.The Cubs and Red Sox team planes landed in Florida early Saturday morning. For the Cubs, who face a cross-country flight to San Diego for the wild card round, it was “not great,” said right fielder Michael Conforto, “but what can you do?”

He had packed for this road trip his fall clothes for Boston and a potential wild card game in Philadelphia or San Diego. The Cubs didn’t pack for the beach, so the unexpected off-day on Saturday was spent resting at the hotel.

While the players rested, Rays head clubhouse manager Tyler Wall was supposed to be in Philadelphia with his team over the weekend. When word started spreading that the game might land at the Trop, he asked his staff if anyone had plans. Then he flew home before the Rays played Friday to get the place ready.

They cleared out every locker. Everything the Rays players left behind went into boxes or racks.

"The biggest part of it was honestly flipping our clubhouse, emptying it out, just to make it a blank slate," Wall said.The Cubs brought their home clubhouse guys and a bat boy. Their truck backed in around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. The Rays' crew was still unpacking it close to 5.

"The Cubs would have done this for us. The Red Sox would have done this for us," Wall said. "So we're happy to help."

Before the 3:05 p.m. first pitch, the Rays clubbies and Cubs clubbies posed for a “team picture” together out on the field to mark the occasion.

It was a fun atmosphere, as Red Sox and Cubs fans brought their signs and chants. Healy, who works at the Red Sox spring training facility, bought his ticket the day the move became official. He'd seen something about it online first and didn't believe it.

"I'm going, 'wait a minute, they're not going to Florida. Come on,'" he said. "Then they made it official, and I immediately said, 'where can I buy tickets?'"

Healy and a lot of fans found those tickets quickly.

The announced crowd was 20,411. That was better than 58 of the Rays’ 81 home games this season. They averaged 17,469 fans per game this season and two of their biggest crowds came against the Cubs and the Red Sox.

“The players after the game were talking about how many 'W' flags they saw,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It was a pretty good crowd.”

With the traditional W from Wrigley flying in the stands at Tropicana Field, Bregman felt the energy.

“It was sweet,” Alex Bregman said of the Cubs fans that showed up. “Cool.”

That crowd saw Bregman, a week after suffering facial fractures, hit two monster home runs to lead the Cubs to a 6-2 win.

Fans celebrate at the end of the game between Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field.

That meant Chicago finished 88-73 and Boston 87-75. It had no impact on the playoffs and was just a weird stop on their way to the wild-card series. Boston hoped it was a sign of things to come.

The Red Sox had celebrated clinching a playoff berth on this same field at the Trop last Sunday. If they win the Wild Card Series in New York, and they could be back next weekend.

"If everything goes according to how you want it to, it can end up being three weekends in a row," Tracy said. "So it's strange, but the weather's nice here."

The Cubs left Sunday night to fly off to San Diego to face the Padres and the Red Sox hopped on a plane and headed to the Bronx.

The Rays' clubhouse crew had one more long night ahead putting the clubhouse back together as their team left it. Tampa Bay has pitchers scheduled to throw on Monday and the American League Division Series to prepare for on Saturday. By then, Tropicana Field and the Rays clubhouse will be back to normal.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Game 162 in Florida: Ivy for Cubs, Fenway Green for Red Sox

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Angels had worst season in franchise history, but future is bright in Anaheim

Despite being eliminated from postseason contention weeks ago, the Los Angeles Angels did have something to play for down the final stretch of the regular season.

The Angels, one of the worst franchises in the big leagues over the last 15 years, somehow were the only team in MLB history to never lose 100 games in a season. They fought admirably to avoid that fate, but their 7-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners in their final game of 2026 ultimately sealed it.

But looking ahead to the offseason, there's a real sense that brighter days are ahead in Anaheim.

After the trade deadline, the pitching rotation found itself posting a collective 2.51 ERA in the month of August, the lowest among starting pitchers in franchise history since April 1982. Reid Detmers was spectacular and looked like the starter he's believed he could be since making his debut in 2021. Rookie Walbert Ureña emerged as another reliable arm, and finished the year with a 2.57 ERA and 1.227 WHIP. The trend of strong pitching continued into September, and the Angels are hoping that can carry over into 2027.

There's also the rising star of Arjun Nimmala, their No. 2-ranked prospect who they acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in the José Soriano trade. The 20-year-old shortstop has thrived in Double-A Rocket City, mashing eight home runs and carrying a .966 OPS in 27 games with the Trash Pandas.

But more than anything that transpired on the diamond over the last two months, the biggest reason for hope is the agreed upon sale of the Angels to Stan Kroenke at a reported $4 billion valuation. Kroenke is no stranger to success, having won championships in multiple sports as a team owner. The deal isn't official yet, but is expected to go through in early 2027 pending a vote of approval by MLB owners.

"It's super exciting," Mike Trout told MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "The conversations that we had (with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Trout has not spoken directly with Kroenke yet), I'm obviously going to keep it in-house but it was very positive. And it gets me excited."

So, yes, the Angels just had their worst season in franchise history. Think of it as the final gasping breath of the Arte Moreno era.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angels had worst season in franchise history, but future is bright in Anaheim

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Shaikin: Dodgers don't have a designated playoff closer. That isn't as bad as it sounds

Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott delivers against the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 18.
Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott delivers against the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 18. It remains to be seen how the Dodgers will utilize Scott in the postseason. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Stop me if you’ve heard this a million times, but the Dodgers are trying to become the first team to win three consecutive World Series championships since the New York Yankees, from 1998 to 2000.

Those Yankees had a Hall of Fame closer. In 1998, Mariano Rivera got the final four outs of the clincher. In 1999, he got the final four outs. In 2000, he got the final three outs.

These Dodgers? Their closer? Your guess is as good as theirs.

“I do not know,” said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations.

This might be a good time to know, no? The regular season is over. The postseason is upon us.

Read more:Dodgers defeat Giants in 10 innings to close out regular season with 100 wins

“I feel very confident that we’re going to be going into October with arguably the deepest and best pitching staff that we’ve had,” he said. “Exactly what their roles will be and how things will be ordered, I don’t know right now.”

Perhaps the Dodgers are overthinking this. They have done that before.

Tanner Scott converted 25 of 29 save opportunities this season, including saves Friday and Saturday.

But the strongest hitters on the Dodgers’ possible division series opponents are left-handed — Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II on the Atlanta Braves; Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber on the Philadelphia Phillies — and the Dodgers may not hesitate to use the left-handed Scott against those guys in the seventh or eighth inning.

In theory, these Dodgers have three candidates as closer: Scott, their marquee closer signing for 2025 and actual closer for most of 2026; Edwin Díaz, their marquee closer signing for 2026; and Roki Sasaki, their accidental closer last October.

Yet Friedman said he could envision scenarios where Evan Phillips could close, or even Brock Stewart, or perhaps Alex Vesia against a run of left-handed hitters. The Dodgers hope to activate Edgardo Henriquez for the playoffs. The starters could close, too, especially a well-rested Tyler Glasnow early in the first round.

Read more:Plaschke: The Dodgers cannot three-peat without 'That Guy'... but who is he?

“We’ve got a number of guys that we really trust,” Friedman said. “Depending on who we’re playing, how deep our starter goes, there are a lot of factors that would go into it. But, more than who will be that pitcher on the mound, is the fact that we have so many candidates we feel really good about.”

That the Dodgers have improvised an October relief corps, transformed a rookie starter into a postseason closer and run bullpen games in elimination games might lead you to conclude Friedman does not really believe in the concept of a designated closer. In a world where “high leverage” is the trendy jargon, maybe a closer is more of an anachronism than a necessity.

That the Dodgers invested $72 million in Scott and $69 million in Díaz in consecutive winters would lead you to conclude Friedman does indeed believe in the concept of a designated closer. In fact, he does.

“I think it’s extremely helpful,” he said.

The Dodgers do not hold splashy news conferences to introduce closer candidates. When the Dodgers introduced Díaz last December, Friedman proudly introduced the three-time All-Star as the closer.

“For us, we have a high bar,” Friedman said then. “To name someone the closer, you have to be one of the best. You have to be elite and dominant at what you do.”

Díaz’s season went awry, limited to 18⅔ innings after elbow surgery and then a neck injury. But in five September appearances since his activation from the injured list, he gave up no runs and one hit in five innings, striking out nine of the 17 batters he faced. (In the same span, Scott has given up no runs and two hits in five innings, striking out nine of the 19 batters he faced.)

Dodgers reliever Edwin Díaz high-fives teammates in the dugout after pitching against the San Diego Padres.
Dodgers reliever Edwin Díaz high-fives teammates in the dugout after pitching against the San Diego Padres on Sept. 22. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“What we’ve seen out of Díaz recently has been really encouraging,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “What that ultimately means, we don’t know yet.

“Of course, if you have a reliever who is really hot in October, that can be extremely valuable. It doesn’t mean you use him exclusively in the ninth. But, by and large, that’s how you would use him.”

Roberts saluted Díaz for working hard to get back to an uncertain assignment.

“I’m really proud of Edwin, given the deal he signed, to work it out, to go to the minors, to come back and pitch in whatever role we ask of him, that shows a lot of character,” Roberts said.

“He could have mailed this year in. That’s something that has not gone unnoticed. And we’ll see how October plays out.”

Read more:Shaikin: Dodgers' three-peat hopes rest on their four aces — and bottom-of-order production

The Dodgers could be forgiven for believing it will all work out in the end. Their final pitcher in each of the World Series clinchers under Friedman, all starters: Julio Urías in 2020, Walker Buehler in 2024, Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2025.

The pitchers to record a postseason save in those championship seasons: Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly, Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen and Urias in 2020; Alex Vesia, Treinen and Buehler in 2024; Glasnow, Sasaki and Treinen in 2025.

The organizational flexibility can lead to some uncomfortable discussions within the clubhouse, as Roberts and coaches keep the relievers updated on the latest plan for how they might be used.

“It is tricky,” Roberts said. “These are constant conversations. They are ever-evolving. They are ongoing.”

If all goes right for the Dodgers, those conversations will be ongoing for another month.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Kruk and Kuip: Baseball's legendary Bay Area duo makes final call for Giants

SAN FRANCISCO ― Major League Baseball said goodbye to one of its most insightful, entertaining and inseparable broadcasting duos to ever call America's favorite past time: San Francisco Giants legendary voices Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper.

For 37 years together, they've become San Francisco's adored duo, affectionately referred to as Kruk and Kuip, and known for their insight and delivery of witty jokes and remarks all displaying their bond. Together they made their final Giants broadcasting call on Sunday, Sept. 27 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, officially sending Krukow into retirement.

All throughout the weekend, Krukow was deservingly showered with love and respect by just about everyone, including fans, Giants personnel, media members and, of course, his right-hand man, Kuiper.

"He's the best," Kuiper told USA TODAY Sports in an interview. "He's the best analyst I think that's ever done this game, and one of the reasons why is because he's such a good teacher. I mean, he's taught a lot of our fans many many things that they didn't know just by watching him on TV, and he just loves to teach.

"If he would have turned into a teacher for his profession, there would be a million kids out there that were Mike was his favorite teacher. So I mean that's just one little thing about him that's pretty amazing," Kuiper added. "A bunch of other things like sense of humor, and yeah what makes him laugh makes me laugh and we've always felt that if we can entertain each other we're probably doing a pretty good job of entertaining people at home."

Krukow rolled into Oracle Park, a humble, down-to-earth soul, yet with still a presence and charisma that's larger than life. All weekend there has been elation throughout the Bay Area. Flocks of fans waited their chance for an autograph from the Giants legend before Friday's game against the Dodgers. Kuiper stood and waited, they needed to get up to the booth for their pregame meeting, but he knew what the moment meant to both.

Krukow announced his retirement following the end of the season and described the support he's received as "intensely beautiful" in an interview with USA TODAY Sports.

"I had no idea how big this emotion would be, but it's been intense, and it's been one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen," Krukow said. "People have come to say goodbye, and and we have a lot in common. And they'll start crying, and I'll start crying, and that's kind of how we roll these days. But it's just beautiful. It's just been ever since we announced our retirement, my wife (Jennifer) and we've seen a lot of beautiful things. I've heard a lot of beautiful things."

Giants announcers Mike Krukow (left) and Duane Kuiper entertain the crowd in a pregame ceremony before an April 25, 2026 game at Oracle Park.

The two became teammates on the Giants, and it began the start of a friendship that would go on to last a lifetime. Krukow and Kuiper will made their final call together on Sunday afternoon in San Francisco. While Krukow might make his final call on the broadcast, it won't be his final call to Kuiper. Their friendship will continue as it has which means vacations, dinners, hang outs and phone calls.

"Well, it means that our relationship is not going to end. It's just now it's going to be mostly probably by FaceTime and phone calls," Kuiper told USA TODAY Sports. "We talk on the phone every day. And one winter, about the third time that I talked to him in January on this day, my wife kind of looked at me and she was like, "Do you guys sleep together? And I said, "Well, what goes on on the road stays on the road." No, so they knew that we were going to talk, and we were going to talk a lot."

Kuiper is just as quick-witted as Krukow, it's what made them the perfect pairing. But nothing tops the various catchy sayings captured over the years otherwise known as Kruk-isms.

Giants fans Emily Booth and Brad Kranendonk were among many fans waiting in line for a chance at a Krukow autograph. They shared how their favorite Krukism was the Giants' old SpeeDee oil change service commercial. Booth recited Krukow's memorable line whenever the Giants needed a change at a position, "Time for a change, think SpeeDee oil change and tune up."

It was an emotional weekend for Krukow and Kuiper. They were showered with praise by those who have crossed the paths with them over the years.

Krukow was a former MLB starting pitcher who played 13 seasons for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies andGiants before he became one of the most beloved baseball announcers ever. Kuiper, another former player turned baseball voice, played 11 MLB seasons with the Cleveland Indians and Giants.

Three-time NL All-Star Chris Speier, who played 18 MLB seasons for the Giants, Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins and Cubs, recalled Krukow's personality and baseball prowess.

"He's got such a quick wit and a really nice dry sense of humor, and so we kind of meshed really well together because I would feed him little things, and then he would expound on them," Speier told USA TODAY Sports. "It was fun, you know, a lot of fun."

Speier recalled a time when Krukow pitched against Speier, as a member of the Phillies.

"A big right-hander with a really really good curveball. And my bat did not like curveballs," Speier said.

Giants former manager Bruce Bochy, now special advisor to baseball operations, reminisced on good of a pitcher Krukow was in his playing days.

"He's a really good pitcher and I had to face him," Bochy told USA TODAY Sports. "Believe me, he's a lot more fun to hang around than to face. He had a good fastball; he could locate it. Had a really good curveball, slider and a change."

However, nothing compares to the love for the game that was shared.

"Then you know you have to talk about his passion for the game. He just loves baseball. He would come early, come in my office, talk baseball," Bochy said. "He comes and talks to the players, and the last thing is how much he cares about the Giants and cares about the players and the fans. It's all genuine and like I've never seen"

Both Krukow and Kuiper are forever Giants. Bochy shared his favorite moment of Krukow happened to be when Bochy was introduced as manager in 2007.

"The way he welcomed me to the Giant family, and he had this giant handshake that he teaches everybody when they come up here, and it's pretty cool," Bochy said. "I'll never forget that. Being on the field, I didn't get a chance to listen to him a lot. But now I do, and I really appreciate how good he is. He's still incredible. He hasn't lost a step, and you get why this is a family type atmosphere because he brings the fans in; they're like part of the family as well."

The Dodgers and Giants are one of baseball's most historic rivalries, but when it comes to celebrating the careers of Krukow and Kuiper, all competitive spirits are out the door. Plus, former baseball pitcher Orel Hershiser goes back years with Krukow as they often played golf together. He spent 18 seasons in MLB and had a three-year stint as Texas Rangers coach.

But when Hershiser eventually found his way into the broadcast booth as a TV analyst for the Dodgers in 2014, he tuned in to his guys.

"(Krukow) He welcomed me in like family, and he's always been a sweetheart of a guy," Hershiser told USA TODAY Sports. "My favorite moments with them are just listening to their broadcasts because being a Dodger or being around the league and then going into broadcasting, when you want to learn from the best, it's great to just listen to how they bring the game alive, bring the stories alive, but also have such a great casual conversation going on at the same time.

"We're peers. I'm a little bit younger, but you know I would just say how much they are so comfortable in their own skin, and so that comes across. And when people are authentic and have integrity, and then have wisdom, you can just hear that come through the broadcast booth. And they're not afraid to laugh, they're not afraid to cry, they're not afraid to tell you a sad story, they're not afraid to tell you the truth. And so that's why they were so good and Kuip will still continue to be good."

The end of an era doesn't even begin to describe what the final call for Krukow and Kuiper together means, Dodgers play-by-play announcer Stephen Nelson said. He recalled the many iconic moments from their careers.

"I just think you can't really pick out one moment. I can name several. There was a Dodgers-Giants game. You know, Kruk does the Tarzan yawn sound effect, and they had it was a Dodger couple both yawning, and so they both did the sound at the same time," Nelson told USA TODAY Sports. "It's not just an end of an era for the Giants. I think it's (an end of an era) for baseball and sports broadcasting because those two are one. You can't have one without the other. Can't imagine one without the other.

Their impact on the way baseball is viewed in the Bay Area can't be denied.

"What they have done for this organization, this city, Bay Area, this can't be measured, man," Nelson said. "They raised a lot of people. They taught people without lecturing people. They entertained us, and I think they taught us what true, authentic chemistry is.

You can you can try to have chemistry. You can work to develop chemistry to have that level of genuine chemistry and charisma is wildly unique. ... I know there's no love lost between the Dodgers and Giants on the field, but there's nothing but love when it comes to the broadcast booth, and that rings true for me when I think about those guys."

Many media members and baseball fans believe that the duo should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown together as broadcasters. The association typically only admits one broadcaster per year, but many are in favor of an exception.

"You're gonna put up a plaque of one of those guys? Like I said you can't have one without the other," Nelson said. "Kruk AND Kuip. It's not Kruk OR Kuip. So yeah, I would love to see it happen."

Give people flowers while they're still around to smell them," he added. "Dick Allen didn't get that chance. Dave Parker, God rest his soul. Thankfully, he knew at least he was going to be in Cooperstown before he passed. So, if when you have control over, we're not guaranteed tomorrow. ... I would love for there to be a little bit more of a proactive approach to that, so we could celebrate folks while they're here to party with."

When it's all said and done, both Krukow and Kuiper will have thousands of memories to reminisce on. Unanimously, they both said their favorite moments had to have been when it was their full broadcast team: Krukow, Kuiper, John Miller and Dave Fleming calling the postseason, notoriously the World Series years: 2010, 2012 and 2014.

"KNBR days, and it was the thing that we're most proud of to be able to cover those things, and that's we-that was the most fun we've ever had," Krukow said.

Winning a championship is hard. Let alone three in the span in five years. Are they comparable? Krukow doesn't compare. Kuiper appreciates the first one.

"The first one's always super special because they never been through it before," Kuiper said.

"It's like kids. They're all good books. They're all great feeling at the end," Krukow said. We we would have been very happy with one, and we got three. And guess what? We want more. It's just they're the greatest things ever. You think about the power of that that event, how it brought our community together, and and the celebration in Center City around City Hall, going down Market Street, where everybody was on the same team."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kruk and Kuip: Baseball's legendary Bay Area duo makes final call for Giants

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Red Sox News & Links: Willson Contreras WILL make the playoff roster vs. Yankees

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 20: Willson Contreras #40 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates in the clubhouse after clinching a playoff berth after a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 20, 2026 at at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Well, 162 games are in the books. The Red Sox have one day off before starting the playoffs on Tuesday and there are still a few questions marks about the roster. But one of those big question marks was answered today, with Willson Contreras making a surprise return to the lineup, albeit at DH instead of first base. Contreras only had two at-bats in the game and there was some concern that he may have reaggravated his hand injury, but everything appears to be a go for the playoffs:

Unfortunately, the pitching staff took a hit this weekend. Fireballing reliever Tyron Guerrero suffered a lat strain and will be out for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs, should the Sox make it that far. It was just a few weeks ago that a bullpen consisting of Guerrero, Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, and Erik Miller was giving people flashbacks to the 2015-16 Royals. But with Guerrero out and Miller struggling to throw strikes, the pen is now officially a concern. “Like we’ve done so much this year with all the different guys that have landed in difficult spots with injuries, you have to move on and have to be ready for Tuesday,” said Chad Tracy. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

Tanner Houck is one option to get a spot in the bullpen in Guerrero’s absence. But he didn’t exactly look ready to go against the Cubs today. He spoke after the game and sounded like a man gettin ready for next year as opposed to Tuesday:

It’s probably time to close the books on the “will Franklin Arias play in the postseason?” speculation. But, after one of the best minor league seasons in recent Red Sox history,* he’s keeping himself ready to go down in Fort Myers. “Obviously [the majors is] something that — with the work that I’m putting in — feels close,” he said through an interpreter. But I try not to focus on that. I try to just go there, do my thing, perform whenever I can. That’s why we’re down there in Fort Myers, because we want to stay ready. If the call comes, it doesn’t take you by surprise. You’re ready and you’re prepared.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

Will we see an Arias-Caleb Durbin left side of the infield on Opening Day next year? TBD on Arias, but Durbin will almost certainly be in there, and he appreciates the fans sticking with him trough his dreadful start. “Just from social media, fans have reached out and definitely have given me that support and that love of, they’re proud I was able to stick through it,” he said. “I definitely feel that. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

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Mets lobby for 'superstar' Carson Benge to win NL Rookie of the Year

Juan Soto gave a two-word answer when asked what makes him confident the Mets in 2027 will be contenders after this year’s squad finished a disappointing 74-88.

“Carson Benge,” Soto said after New York’s 6-4 defeat in Washington on the season’s final day.

“That’s the confidence we have,” Soto added. “We have a really good, talented group, really young core that can help us; you just gotta take them to the right path, show them where to go and how to go about this stuff and play the game.”

Benge made sure to end his rookie season with three hits in five at-bats and an RBI. His final numbers over the first 156 games of his big league career: 20 home runs, 22 doubles, 65 RBI, and a .282/.346/.430 slash line for a .776 OPS to go along with 22 stolen bases to be the first Mets rookie in the 20-20 club.

What stood out to manager Andy Green was “how consistent” the 23-year-old was after coming out of his first slump of the season, as since his average fell to .136 after 20 games, Benge hit .300 with an OPS over .820 the rest of the way to end the year with a team-leading 168 hits.

He’s been as good as any outfielder in baseball, almost,” Green said. “He continues to get hits. If he had more games, he’d climb to .300 right now the way it’s going. He’s been really good.”

The skipper added that if he had a vote for National League Rookie of the Year, he knows who he’d be voting for.

“You want to see guys honored who do it really well and play the game the right way, and he’s done that,” Green said. 

Soto echoed his manager’s statement.

“A hundred percent,” he said about Benge taking the award. “What he’s been showing, not only his offensive side; it's more the defensive side, too. He’s been showing it day in and day out running the bases, stealing bags and all that kinda stuff. 

“He’s a superstar. He’s been doing a really good job.”

Benge faces stiff competition for the NL honors as a couple of slugging first basemen have made excellent cases. Cincinnati's Sal Stewart smacked 57 extra-base hits (32 homers) and 111 RBI while batting .263 with a .787 OPS. And Colorado's TJ Rumfield tallied 49 extra-base hits (16 homers) with a .300 average and .843 OPS. 

Perhaps Benge's stellar defense at a premium position can put him over the edge, as he finishes with 10 outfield assists to his name.

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Braves at Marlins series recap: It’s onto October for Atlanta

MIAMI, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 27: Mauricio Dubon #14 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on September 27, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The regular season is over and it ended in quiet fashion for the Atlanta Braves. All of their big fireworks and celebrations took place last Sunday when they picked up a sweep in Houston in order to clinch the NL East title. It’s been a week since then and the Braves have essentially been in a bit of a holding pattern as they prepare for what will hopefully be a long and deep run into the Postseason.

Before they could get there, they had to play out the string and finish off the season with a road trip to Miami. The Marlins were playing to at least avoid having a losing season and while that may not seem like a lot, it means a lot to the players and the fans down there so there was certainly a bit more energy coming from the Marlins’ dugout rather than what we saw from the Braves. I’m not complaining, though — I think we’d all much rather see the Braves empty the tank over a long Postseason run rather than doing it in a season-ending series in Miami with not much on the line. Let’s take a look at the final series of the regular season, shall we?

Friday, September 25

Marlins 3, Braves 0

Shout-out to Eury Pérez. If you’re going to end your season, you may as well go out with a banger. Pérez did just that, as he ended up throwing a complete game, one-hit shutout on 105 pitches, eight strikeouts and just one walk. As far as Pérez goes, that’s a nice bit of redemption for him after the Braves really roughed him up in their last encounter and it was a bit of lovely moment for Marlins fans since it was the 10-year anniversary of former Marlins star José Fernández passing away.

As you can suspect from the results that I just described, there wasn’t a lot to write home about from Atlanta’s perspective. Sean Murphy got the lone hit and there didn’t seem like there was much urgency going on — which is understandable considering that Atlanta was already locked into the three-seed and the Wild Card Series before this series even began.

Anyways, Ray Kerr pitched three shutout innings and Grant Holmes tossed four innings while only giving up three hits and a run. He did walk three batters as well, so he did have to deal with some real traffic while he was out there. Still, it’s a pretty solid performance and one that hopefully Holmes can build on as the BRaves enter the Postseason.

Saturday, September 26

Braves 8, Marlins 3

This one was all Braves from nearly the words “Play Ball.” After Matt Olson got things going with a sacrifice fly in the first inning (that Michael Harris II did a great job of scoring on from a very shallow fly ball), the Braves added three more in the second inning thanks to a two-run dinger from Dominic Smith and an error allowing Ha-Seong Kim to score on an infield grounder from Ronald Acuña Jr. that Javier Sanoja booted into the air.

From the second inning onwards, the Braves maintained a pretty comfortable lead. An RBI double from Money Mike and an RBI single from Matt Olson made it 6-0 Braves in the fourth inning. While the Marlins did add on a pair of runs to make it on the board in their half of the fourth and then later on cut it down to a three-run lead with a Heriberto Hernández triple off of Robert Suarez in the seventh inning, the Braves got two of those runs back in the ninth after Drake Baldwin went deep to bring us to the final score of 8-3.

If this was a rehearsal for a bullpen game then the Braves looked pretty solid in that regard. Brent Suter went three innings while only giving up a hit, Victor Mederos went two innings where the only baserunner he had to deal with came via a walk and both Dylan Lee and Raisel Iglesias pitched scoreless innings as well. Dylan Dodd got knocked around for a couple of runs and Robert Suarez got ambushed once again but none of that was overly concerning to see. The bullpen is going to have to come up huge in October if the Braves are going to go far and so far, the outlook is encouraging.

Sunday, September 27

Marlins 5, Braves 3

I’d imagine that more eyes across Braves Country were focused on what was happening in Philadelphia and San Diego rather than what was happening in Miami. In the end, the Phillies finally punched their ticket to October after finally picking up the win that they’d needed for what felt like this entire week and the Diamondbacks ended up not even keeping up their end of the bargain, anyways. The Braves will be taking on the Phillies, which I’m sure everybody is s u p e r e x c i t e d to see happen once again.

Anyways, the last dress rehearsal for the Braves saw them go down in defeat in order to finish their season with 94 wins. If this was JR Ritchie’s audition for a Wild Card roster spot, I’d say that the good news is that he did end up eating nearly six innings. The bad news is that he got knocked around for seven hits, two walks and four runs scored while only striking out two batters, so the results weren’t exactly encouragin. We’ll see what happens as far as his roster status goes but if they’re going by results then it’s really anybody’s guess as to whether or not he’ll make it onto the roster.

AJ Smith-Shawver followed that up by giving up a long homer to Griffin Conine in the seventh inning, which was his only blemish across 1.1 innings. Elieser Hernández ended up pitching the final ining this season for the Braves, which is good for him considering the up-and-down nature of call-ups that he’s head to deal with over the course of this season.

Meanwhile, a patchwork lineup didn’t exactly make a ton of noise and if you were expecting anything different, I don’t know what to tell you. Mauricio Dubón did hit one out in the third inning and then he added on an RBI single later on, so he had a solid day. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. picked up his first (and only) RBI of the season on a productive out and Sean Murphy had two hits. That’s about it for Atlanta’s offense and the Braves went quietly into the Postseason.

So there you have it! If you care about results, then the Braves aren’t exactly rolling into the Postseason as they dropped consecutive series against the Reds and Marlins to finish off the final week of the season. With that being said, I’d imagine that everybody has had their eyes on the Postseason (and the Wild Card Series in particular) ever since they had the champagne shower in Houston seven days ago, so this wasn’t exactly a week that called for much urgency from the Braves.

The good news is that they didn’t have to expend anywhere near the energy or resources that their Wild Card Series opponents in Philadelphia had to pour out in order to just make the Postseason, so the Braves will have the advantage of being able to set themselves up for potential success rather than essentially having to come into the Postseason battle-scarred. Philadelphia’s situation honestly reminds me of how the Braves had to play all 162 games in order to make the Wild Card Series in 2024 and we all know how that ended for Atlanta once they had to travel to San Diego after a tough and trying week. The Phillies will have to ifgure out a way to navigate similar circumstances and it’s Atlanta’s job to make sure that an exhausted-looking Phillies squad looks as such once the Wild Card Series starts on Tuesday.

Overall, it’s been a pretty interesting season overall! We all hoped that the Braves would be in this position and a lot of the projection models predicted that the Braves would be where they’re at right now. As Ivan has mentioned a bunch of times now, they surely took a roundabout route to get to those 94 wins and a NL East divisional title but they made it there and now they will try their best in the crapshoot that is the MLB Postseason. The Braves will get one day of rest before playing in front of what will hopefully be an energetic and loud crowd at Truist Park for the first Postseason game in this ballpark since 2023. Truist Park has been a place of comfort for the Braves so far this season and now they’ll have the benefit of playing this Wild Card Series all at home with a shot to go even further. We’ll see what happens!

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The key Austin Reaves attribute that will make or break Lakers’ 2026-27 season

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows austin reaves, lakes, Image 2 shows austin reaves, lakers

There’s an under-talked about variable for the Lakers. 

It’s hard to measure. It won’t appear in box scores. It’s invisible yet omnipresent. 

It’s leadership — and not from who you may think. 

While the Lakers are unequivocally Luka Doncic’s team, someone else’s voice needs to boom in the locker room in order for them to be successful. 

Austin Reaves’ most important contribution next season won’t be his dagger 3s or his crafty pick-and-roll playmaking, though those are deeply necessary too. 

In order for the Lakers to be successful, Reaves needs to become a leader. 

Austin Reaves drives down court as Patty Mills and James Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets give chase during a game at Barclays Center on Jan. 25, 2022. Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post

The thing about Reaves is he’s deeply likable. After the Lakers signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2021, he immediately won over reporters at media day by joking about his nickname “Hillbilly Kobe.”

As soon as he entered the Lakers locker room, he won over LeBron James. 

Reaves would make bleating noises whenever James spoke to the media to imitate a goat (because James is considered one of the greatest players of all-time). James would shoot him a look and laugh. 

A similar thing happened after the Mavericks stunned the basketball world by trading Doncic to the Lakers in February 2025. Reaves and Doncic started lovingly teasing each other, interrupting one another during their on-camera interviews and trash-talking each other.

Their brotherly bond was so strong — on and off the court — that Doncic let Lakers’ brass know that they needed to retain Reaves when he opted out of his $14.9 million player option this summer. 

The Lakers went on to sign Reaves to a four-year, $180 million deal, the richest contract ever for a player who went undrafted. 

Reaves is a human chemistry creator. His teammates respect him for his palpable competitiveness, but they also love him for the levity he brings. 

It’s striking. 

So much so that Warriors coach Steve Kerr brought up Reaves, unprovoked, when asked last season what characteristics he values most in a player. 

“I coached him in the World Cup,” Kerr said of Reaves in April. “I watch the Lakers. You can tell that everybody loves playing with him. He’s a competitor. He loves the game. Hard to find those qualities all the time, frankly, especially for somebody who has a lot of skill. Steph [Curry] you can find that.”

Austin Reaves goes up for a shot as Brooklyn Nets’ Day’ron Sharpe defends him during a game on Feb. 3, 2026. Corey Sipkin / NY Post

Reaves took major leaps on the court last season. In October, he had back-to-back 51-point and 41-point performances. In a game against Denver in March, he purposely missed a free throw, caught his own rebound and then made a buzzer-beating floater, helping spark what would end up being a 15-2 run that month. 

Reaves averaged a career-high 23.3 points on 49% shooting (36% from deep), 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game last season.

This season, his biggest focus needs to be growing his leadership the same way he has grown his game. 

See, Doncic is the type of guy who leads by example. He pours his heart out on the court. But he’s not exactly a talker. 

Reaves needs to assume that role. 

He has had plenty of time to study for it. Reaves played alongside James for five seasons. He saw how he managed a team. 

Now it’s up to him to become a vocal leader. Apparently, he has already begun assuming that role. 

Austin Reaves dribbles against Alex Caruso of the Oklahoma City Thunder on May 11, 2026. Getty Images

“Since the guys have been back, Austin has been the leader in the gym every single day,” Lakers general manager and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said Thursday.

It’s a good sign. 

Because the Lakers’ success is going to hinge on so much more than Doncic’s offensive production or Walker Kessler’s ability to get stops. 

The Lakers have so many new players. They lost James. They’re going through a major transition. 

And Reaves is going to need to lead them through it. 

Not only does he need to play like a borderline All-Star for the Lakers to be competitive, but he needs to morph into their glue guy. 

He has the likability aspect down cold. 

Now he needs to use it to motivate guys during a marathon season. 

He’s needs to make his superpower translate into wins. 

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Wizards announce 2026 training camp roster

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 28: Kyshawn George #18 of the Washington Wizards celebrates with Alexandre Sarr #20 and Bilal Coulibaly #0 during the game against the New York Knicks at Capital One Arena on December 28, 2024 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Washington Wizards announced their 2026-27 training camp roster on Sunday.

Guard: Trae Young, Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington, Tre Mann
Wing: AJ Dybantsa, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Will Riley
Forward: Anthony Davis, Justin Champagnie, Khris Middleton, Anthony Gill
Center: Alex Sarr, Deandre Ayton, Tristan Vukcevic

Two-way: Jamir Watkins, Felix Okpara
Exhibit 10: Chris Livingston, Trevor Keels, Reece Beekman, Steve Settle III

Media Day is scheduled for Monday. Brian Keefe and 10 Wizards players will speak with the media.

The team’s five-day training camp begins Tuesday and ends Saturday. Washington opens preseason play at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 8 against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

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NL Wild Card schedule released, Phillies begin Tuesday

Sep 27, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies gather for a team photo after clinching a wild card spot in the postseason with a win against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Phillies are in the playoffs after finally deciding to get their act together, at least for a day. That means they head to Atlanta for a three game NL Wild Card series against their rivals from the south.

The series will begin on Tuesday night and continue for the next two days after that. Here is the official release for the Wild Card round.

That means the Phillies’ schedule goes like this:

  • Tuesday, 9/29 at 2:00 pm in Atlanta
  • Wednesday, 9/30 at 2:00 pm in Atlanta
  • Thursday, 9/31 at 2:00 pm in Atlanta (if necessary)

What those pitching matchups look like is still TBD, especially with the Phillies having to plan their path forward after needing to pitch Zack Wheeler to clinch that final wild card spot.

By now, you know about the Phillies’ struggles with the Braves this year, going 4-9 against them, getting outscored 66-43 and generally looking like the inferior team. However, this is the playoffs and anything can happen, especially when the playoffs begin. They at least stand a chance with the starting rotation they have, so now that they have a seat at the table, let’s see how it goes.

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White Sox wrap 84-win season with 4-2 home win over Rockies

Five solid innings from Anthony Kay gave the Sox their 84th win of the season. | Getty Images

That’s a wrap, folks! 84 wins, 78 losses. By the end of 2025, it was at least theoretically possible to squint and see the bones of an 80-ish win team in 2026. but having actually gotten there, I almost don’t know what to say. This game was superfluous, but for some reason, 84 is a more pleasing number to me than 83. I don’t really know why. Maybe I like even numbers. Maybe it’s just because it’s bigger. But I’m glad they managed to end this season with a win, and make it feel like they still have momentum heading into this week’s Wild Card series despite the disappointing division loss.

The Rockies managed to strike first in Game 162, manufacturing a run via a couple base hits and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Connor Norby against Sox starter Anthony Kay with one out in the third inning. But that was almost all the Rockies managed, and it wasn’t a lead that lasted long. Kay remained solid for five innings, with nothing more than the one run allowed. When the Sox put up four runs in their half of the fourth courtesy of two-run ding-dongs from Randal Grichuk and Brenton Doyle, Colorado ceased to put up anything resembling a fight.

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Sean Newcomb threw two-thirds of an inning of relief to get him to the 90-inning threshold on the season, a gesture of goodwill that will get him an extra $100,000 on top of his base salary. A memo of reprimand from owner Jerry Reinsdorf probably reached Will Venable in the dugout before game’s end. Trevor Richards did what he does best and saved the bullpen, eating 3 1/3 innings to close things out with just a solo home run allowed to Cole Carrigg. The regular season was thus brought to conclusion with little fanfare in the big picture but to a thunderous, well-deserved round of applause from a 30,000-strong crowd at Rate Field.

Now that we’ve talked about the game for the obligated amount of time, let’s look at some interesting numbers, now that the season is officially in the books.

Of course, there’s one glaring reason than an 84-win outlay is the most fun we’ve had in a long time — it’s only the second time since 2012 they’ve even broken .500, not counting 2020. Yeesh.

On the more heartwarming side, Chase Meidroth was always mentioned last in virtually any discussion of the Garrett Crochet trade. Within the context of Sox history, near and far, he’s contributed more than pretty much anybody else involved.

Historically, second base has been mostly a wasteland for the South Siders. The last Sox second baseman to start opening day at the position is Gordon Beckham. Only four players have even put up 4.5 WAR — borderline All-Star caliber — from the keystone. Eddie Collins did it eight times as the Teapot Dome scandal stole headlines, and Nellie Fox got there five times. Don Buford’s defense got him there twice, and once by Cass Michaels, whom I had never heard of before today despite having played nearly 800 games for the Pale Hose.

As of today, Chase Meidroth is the fifth player. By WAR, the Crochet trade would be a wash if he alone was the return. Let’s take a moment to appreciate what he just did, because it’s more than what most of us have ever seen out of a White Sox second baseman in our lifetimes.

We’re definitely appreciating it lots already, but we need to appreciate more the degree to which Randal Grichuk mashed for us this summer. Isolated Power (ISO) is the stat you get by subtracting a player’s batting average from their slugging. In essence, it takes singles and walks of the equation and tells you how much raw power a hitter is producing — more extra-base hits equals a big ISO.

After today’s two-run tater, Grichuk finishes the year with an ISO of .299. Of the 535 seasons in which a Sox outfielder has taken at least 200 trips to the plate, only twice has has that mark ever been surpassed: Albert Belle in 1998 and Jermaine Dye in 2006, with Oscar Gamble’s 1977 and Carlos Quentin’s 2008 trailing just behind. That quartet probably makes up at least half of the most memorable single-season hitting performances in team history. It’s almost certainly enough to have priced him out of the front office’s plans this winter, so a tip of the cap to ya, Randal.

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Hey, there’s more! Despite missing most of the year and taking a few weeks to find his footing when healthy, Kyle Teel still played at a 3-WAR pace, sitting at 0.8 rWAR in under 150 plate appearances. His defense seemed to take a big step forward, and while his offense regressed on the whole, a large part of this late-season surge has been how naturally he finally seems to have slotted into the 2-spot ahead of Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami. Teel at the 2 changes the complexion of the lineup completely, and if the Sox make any kind of playoff run I’m willing to bet a big part of it will be Teel rising to the All-Star level he may be poised to hit in 2027.

Meanwhile, Sean Newcomb and Grant Taylor were buying in bulk this year in a way we’ve rarely seen from White Sox relief arms. This year marked the first time this century that the team has had two pure relievers (openers included) reach the 80-inning threshold, with Taylor reaching 84 along with Newcomb’s 90. The last time it happened was 1999, courtesy of Keith Foulke and Sean Lowe.

Sean Burke’s 4.3 WAR was quite nice, and more than enough to pace the Sox rotation, but nothing we haven’t seen even lately.

What we really haven’t seen lately — or at all, really, with one notable exception — is such a season come from a player the Sox drafted and developed truly by themselves. As a third-round pick, it’s not like Burke was ever some kind of nobody. But Sox history is such that this registered as, unironically, one of the dozen-odd best seasons ever produced by a pitcher the Sox themselves drafted outside of the first round.

I hope they buried the records of James Shields’ Chicago tenure in the same place they keep Mike Sirotka’s shoulder imaging.

At the beginning of the season, I dismissed Sam Antonacci as a possible threat to Chase Meidroth’s status as incumbent second baseman, noting that his OBP was driven by massive HPB totals that seemed like a gimmick that probably wouldn’t translate to the majors.

Lol.

Not only did Sam’s 28 plunks lead the American League, they were an all-time rookie record, clearing 2019 Victor Robles by three despite taking nearly 75 fewer trips to the plate. A gimmick, indeed.

Of course, I feel like I’d be remiss to not give some love to Murakami, who came a few feet away today from tying José Abreu’s team rookie home run mark despite playing in 20 fewer games. Jerry should probably find a Brinks truck to back up before an overenthusiastic fan steals one.

Though I’d rather get to host a Game 1, I’m also not terribly sorry to have a whole week of anticipatory angst awaiting me. A flight to Houston awaits these guys after the division-sealing win for the Astros this afternoon, with first pitch of the Wild Card Series scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday. Starters will be announced whenever they are. Sit back, relax, and strap it down for our first taste of postseason baseball in a half-decade.

MVP
Anthony Kay: W, 5 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

Runners-Up
Randal Grichuk: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
Trevor Richards: 3 1/3 IP, H, ER, 3 SO

Cold Cat
Colson Montgomery: 0-for-4, 2 SO, settling at a record-breaking 227 on the season

Runners-Up
Tommy Pham: 0-for-4
Drew Romo: 1-for- 3