SAN FRANCISCO ― The Golden State Warriors will only go as far as their franchise leader Stephen Curry will take them.
That is partially why it was important for him to ink a deal to return to the Warriors for the next year or two. Now that the dust has settled and the ink is dry, an area of focus for Curry will be his availability.
Curry missed 39 games for the Warriors last year with knee issues. Entering his 18th season, he's not getting any younger. He spent the offseason nursing his knee through many rounds of golf during the summer, now he's ready for basketball.
"Knee is feeling great, ready to go. No issues at all. There is a management element of it for sure where you just have to be mindful of everything that you're doing in practice, games, preparation," Curry said. "We haven't talked about the game schedule yet or anything like that where I'm kind of getting too far ahead of myself, but for training camp and the preseason schedule and getting myself into shape and ready to go, there's no limitations at all."
Curry is more confident going into the year, he said, after becoming stronger and understanding that he doesn't have 18-year-old knees anymore, let alone 28-year-old ligaments.
"So I'm excited to get out there and hoop. I feel like I've built a really good foundation over the summer to be in a much better position up until, what, November last year, it wasn't really any kind of signs or symptoms, but I feel a lot stronger and more understanding of what I'm dealing with," he said. "That gives me a lot of confidence going into the year."
“That’s how bad it is? To (not) make the playoffs?”
* Walks off *
“DAMN!”
Steph Curry’s reaction after he was asked about people not expecting the Warriors to make the playoffs 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/PBJ5jitSXE
Here we are, awaiting the start of another postseason run. The Yankees’ season could be over in the next two to three days, or it could take us on a journey through October with the chance to finally deliver that elusive 28th title. Their run will begin as it did last year in the Wild Card Series against Boston, this time leading off with Cam Schlittler instead of bringing him out in Game 3 with Max Fried and Gerrit Cole waiting in the wings for Games 2 and 3 (if necessary). They’ll have to make it at least past this opening series without Aaron Judge, who after straining his calf has been shut down from baseball activities for the past few weeks, but the Yankee offense carries a decent amount of firepower heading into this matchup compared to where they were at during the summer.
Due to the potential of elimination, it’s hard to look much further ahead than the immediate when it comes to the mailbag going forward. There’s the possibility that by the time we reconvene to answer this week’s questions the Yankees have been sentenced to an early offseason, but there’s also the possibility that their run continues and some key stars were the reason why. To that point, the questions with the most relevance are going to depend on what happens in the coming days: will the Yankee rotation live up to their regular season pedigree, did the Red Sox expose any weaknesses that could come to haunt them against the Rays, what was the biggest takeaway from this season the Yankees can use to plan for 2027? All are viable questions depending on the results, but there’s nothing to do but wait and see which path these Yankees take us on.
Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of October 1st will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean (26) throws a pitch in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. The Mets led 3-1 after three innings. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Two Mets are on the ballot for the 2026 ‘All-MLB’ team, Juan Soto and Nolan McLean. Voting opens today and runs through Friday, October 9. The team will be announced at the MLB Awards on November 11 in Las Vegas. For those unaware of how the All-MLB team gets selected, this is the description from the press release:
Fans and panelists will vote for their choices at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, three outfielders (without regard for left/center/right) and designated hitter, along with five starting pitchers and two relief pitchers on both the first and second teams. All choices will be based on the 2026 regular season, without regard for American League or National League affiliation.
McLean, a Rookie of the Year contender, put up 3.0 bWAR in his first full season alongside a 3.16 ERA, 128 ERA+, 194 strikeouts in 179 and two-thirds innings, while making 31 starts. Soto, who missed 51 games due to injury, also put up 3.0 bWAR while hitting .275/.393/.515 with 27 home runs and a 154 OPS+.
Other outfield selections include Pete Crow-Armstrong, Mike Trout, James Wood, and Byron Buxton. Other starting pitcher nominees include Sandy Alcantara, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, and Tarik Skubal.
The full list of nominees can be found here, and you can vote here.
With just one day left before the Yankees take on the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, the rivals' third-ever meeting in the round and seventh-ever in the playoffs, New York's roster remains full of injury-induced holes.
Manager Aaron Boone gave an update on several players at a news conference Monday, speaking about Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and more.
Judge to take live batting practice
Although Judge has made it clear that his personal goal is to be back on the field for the playoffs, Boone was still hesitant to commit to any decisions Monday. He did, however, say that the Yankee captain has been taking part in various parts of practice over the last few days.
"He did some hitting underneath and threw yesterday, underneath," Boone said. "...I believe he'll be part of the live [batting practice] today, so he's making progress. We'll continue to see where he's at."
The Yankees placed Judge on the 10-day IL on Sept. 17 due to a calf strain, ending his regular season. The two-time reigning MVP received a PPP injection for the injury last Monday, forcing him to limit activity altogether for a few days, but has since returned to the weight and training rooms.
When asked whether or not Boone saw Judge returning to right field as opposed to playing solely as a pinch hitter or designated hitter, Boone gave a similarly inconclusive response.
"I don't know," he said. "We'll continue to evaluate, and I'll listen to trainers and medical and see where we're at."
Speaking with reporters after Boone's comments, Judge noted he hasn't tried running the bases yet. In fact, he only mentioned running on the zero gravity machine. Still, he's trying to work his way onto the Game 1 roster.
"I've been doing a lot of convincing, I feel like, so I'm going to keep doing that," he said. "We're all going to be smart, but I think they all know I want to be out there, especially in the first game."
Stanton's status still unclear
Boone's answer for Stanton was the same: No final decision has been made.
"I've talked to him a bit," Boone said. "I don't know if there's one definitive [thing] like, 'Oh! There he is, he's on.' It's more just letting the day unfold, seeing where we're at, and then making a final call one way or another."
Stanton has missed nearly the whole season due to three calf injuries sustained at various points throughout the spring and summer. Last Thursday, Boone seemed hopeful about the five-time All Star's potential return to the lineup, noting that Stanton had returned to the cage and was "trending in the right direction."
Weathers, Grisham making progress
Both Trent Grisham and Ryan Weathers missed roughly the last month of the regular season, and while Boone danced around a concrete answer regarding their postseason participation as well, he mentioned they'd both likely take part in training today.
"Grish very much in play," Boone said. "[Today's] a very important day. He'll be a part of the live as well."
He added that Weathers might warm his throwing arm up today.
Grisham was placed on the 10-day IL on Sept. 6 after tweaking his hamstring, which was declared a Grade 2 strain, less than three months after injuring the same hamstring in mid-June. His first stint on the IL lasted nearly three weeks. Weathers last pitched Aug. 22, missing the last month of the season due to a left forearm flexor strain.
So sitting in the Citi Field press conference room just two weeks later, the Mets’ president of baseball operations was asked if he had any regrets over the way things went down.
Alonso, of course, left the Mets this offseason for a big money five-year deal with the Orioles after not receiving an offer from the only organization he’d ever known.
In turn, Stearns attempted to replace his production by bringing in veteran Jorge Polanco, who ended up appearing in just 37 games after battling wrist and ankle injuries.
So after seeing Mets fans give their fan favorite ovation after ovation in his heroic Citi Field return, Stearns said it’s a fair question looking back on things.
“The truth is in this job I don’t get mulligans,” he emphasized. “I also recognize Pete had a tremendous year, and the totality of our production at first base wasn’t good enough, so my job now is to ensure that we’ve got better success across our roster, but for the entirety of the season better production at first base, as well.”
Alonso showed no ill-effects transitioning during his first year in the American League, as he became the first player in baseball history to lead both leagues in RBI in separate seasons (113).
He also launched a league-high 43 homers and posted career-best marks in OBP (.363) and OPS (.884), among several other offensive statistics, while missing just one game (Sunday’s rainout in the Bronx).
The Mets, on the other hand, struggled to receive much of anything from the position before Jared Young stepped up with his breakout second-half of the season.
Even with Young's production, it wasn't nearly good enough.
“I give Pete an enormous amount of credit, he went out and had a great year,” Stearns said. “Our entire season our first base production wasn’t neatly good enough, now it’s my job to put a group together that plays better.”
The biggest story of the Detroit Pistons’ summer now lingers into the start of training camp.
Jalen Duren remains unsigned.
Coming off the best season of his career, one that included his first All-Star appearance and an All-NBA Third Team selection, Duren and the Pistons have spent the summer negotiating a new contract without reaching an agreement.
That remained the case Monday at Pistons Media Day, which Duren did not attend.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Duren has declined a fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million offer from Detroit as the two sides remain at a stalemate.
Still, Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon made one thing clear Monday: Detroit still wants Duren back.
“We will be excited to have him in regardless of what decision he does make,” Langdon said. “He was a huge reason for our success the last two seasons, had a tremendous season individually last year as well, and we believe he will do the same thing this year.
“We’ll integrate him, and he’s going to have a fantastic season regardless of his decision. But we’re looking forward to getting him.”
Duren, 22, averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 65% from the field last season, establishing himself as one of the league’s top young centers and a major piece of Detroit’s rise.
But his long-term future with the franchise has remained unsettled throughout the offseason.
Langdon declined to discuss specifics of the negotiations Monday, but acknowledged that he has not personally spoken with Duren throughout the summer.
“I have not spoken to the young man all summer, so I don’t know how that is,” Langdon said. “For me, I’m not going to hold anything against him. Again, I would be very happy to have him back. I’ll be excited. He’s been a huge part of our success. I think he’ll continue to be a huge part of that going forward.”
Despite the lack of an agreement — and the lack of communication between Langdon and Duren — Detroit’s stance publicly has remained consistent.
The Pistons still view Duren as one of the pillars of a young core, alongside Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson.
“When he is back, it’s bringing him in, letting him know that he has a huge part, and putting him in situations where he can be the best version of himself and help us out to the best degree that he can,” Langdon said. “So, we’ll be excited to have him back and incorporate him into the team.”
While the situation is unfamiliar territory for a Pistons organization that has spent the last two seasons building continuity around its young core, Langdon has dealt with contract stalemates before during his time as an NBA executive.
His message Monday was that the organization would not allow the negotiations to change how it views or treats Duren once he returns.
“We’ll do everything we can to support him and get the best version of him, which is what we’ve done the past two years,” Langdon said. “That will not change. Those are things that we can control. His decision, it’s not one that we can control.”
Duren’s next major deadline comes Thursday, Oct. 1.
If he does not agree to a long-term contract, Duren has the option to accept Detroit’s one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer. Doing so would allow him to return to the Pistons this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Sacramento and Milwaukee have been among the teams reportedly interested in Duren, although Langdon declined Monday to discuss whether Detroit has explored potential sign-and-trade scenarios.
Whatever frustration may exist within the negotiations, however, it does not appear to have changed Duren’s relationship with his teammates or coaching staff.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Cunningham both said Monday that they remained in contact with Duren throughout the summer without attempting to influence his contract decision.
“He knows how I feel about him, and I continue to let him know how I feel about him,” Bickerstaff said. “And that’s really all that matters. I love JD.
“I know how JD feels about me, how he feels about being a member of the Pistons. It’s positive. He’s a huge part of what we do, and where we are right now, the steps that we’ve taken to get there. We look forward to having him back.”
The Pistons open training camp Tuesday without Duren, who remains unsigned and therefore is not currently part of the team’s training camp roster.
How long that remains the case is still unknown.
But after an entire summer of negotiations, Detroit enters training camp with the same major question hanging over the organization — and only days remaining before Duren must make his next decision.
Sep 27, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman Royce Lewis (23) runs the bases on his solo home run against the Texas Rangers in the eighth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Twins ended the season on a high note, winning their last two series, including playing spoiler in the AL West race, taking two games from the Rangers. This wraps up the season with a 77-85 record, good for 3rd in the AL Central, a distant seven games back from the last wild card spot, and the 11th worst team in the majors. But now we look forward to a lengthy offseason that could get messy quick with CBA negotiations between players and owners.
The Past Week on Twinkie Town:
Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
The Twins have announced that they are switching up the staff, parting ways with pitching coaches Pete Maki and Luis Ramirez along with athletic trainer Jason Kirkman.
In the World of Baseball:
We have our playoff bracket! Ultimately, Tampa Bay and Cleveland earned byes to the Division Series in the AL. We have a marquee matchup between the Yankees and Red Sox on the Tampa side of the bracket and the White Sox and Astros will face off on the Cleveland side of the bracket.
In the National League, the Brewers and Dodgers earned byes, with Milwaukee facing the winner between the Padres and Cubs, and Los Angeles facing the winner between the Phillies and Atlanta.
Yordan Alvarez won the AL Batting Title, but Pete Alonso’s furious September (11 homers, 22 RBI), stopped Alvarez from winning the Triple Crown, finishing second to Alonso in both categories. Still, he’s the likely AL MVP, so can’t complain too much.
Gabriel Moreno finished with the best average in the NL, one point above Luis Arraez, while PCA led the league in home runs and Alec Burleson gave a silver lining to the Cardinals season, finishing first in RBI.
Jacob Misiorowski capped off his dominant regular season, leading the majors in ERA, strikeouts, and opponent batting average. He’ll now hope to lead the Brewers to their World Series title.
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, right, celebrates with teammates after the team clinched their fifth consecutive National League West title on Sept. 17 in Cincinnati. (Tanner Pearson / AP Photo)
It seems like a simple equation: $338 million produces 100.
That’s the Dodgers season-ending payroll and victory total. But to assume a franchise can merely buy a playoff berth is a stretch.
The New York Mets sit at home — or more likely at lavish vacation destinations, given their perch at the top of baseball’s payrolls at $345.8 million. They finished last in the National League East with a 74-88 record.
The Cleveland Guardians also sit at home, but are quite pleased about it. They earned a first-round bye and berth in the American League Division Series this weekend despite a payroll of only $74.2 million — baseball’s lowest and barely one-fifth that of the Mets.
Twelve of the 30 MLB teams qualified for the postseason, with four best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday. Eight of the dozen have payrolls in the top 10, with the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays joining the Mets as supreme underachievers given their No. 5-ranked payroll of $275.4 million.
Yet three playoff teams — the Tampa Bay Rays ($98.3 million) and Chicago White Sox ($98 million), in addition to the Guardians — rank among the six lowest payrolls, according to MLB Labor Relations Department’s (LRD) present-day salary calculations obtained by USA Today.
The combined LRD payrolls of those three overachievers don’t come close to the Mets or Dodgers, highlighting the enormous disparity between the haves and have-nots that team owners point to while demanding a salary cap during ongoing collective bargaining negotiations.
Oddly, only one playoff qualifier is among the 14 mid-range payrolls of roughly $100 million to $200 million — the Milwaukee Brewers, who achieved baseball’s best record at 103-59 while paying its roster $143.5 million. The Angels are also among that group, ranking No. 15 at $179.8, not enough to keep them from losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history.
The LRD payroll tracks a team’s real-time salary commitments for the current season, accounting for the 26-man MLB roster’s base salaries plus a prorated portion of signing bonuses. LRD differs from luxury tax payrolls, which are based on the average annual value of every player contract on the 40-man roster.
Luxury tax payrolls determine whether a team exceeds the league’s luxury tax threshold and owes financial penalties. MLB is using luxury tax payrolls in the CBA negotiations over a hard salary cap and floor, proposing a $245.3 million ceiling and $171.2 million floor for 2027.
Luxury tax penalties from clubs that exceed the thresholds funnel back to low-revenue clubs through revenue sharing. A record $402,637,907 was paid in luxury tax penalties last season, with the Dodgers paying the most at a record $169.4 million. This year the Dodgers’ luxury tax is projected at $180 million — higher than the LRD payroll of 16 teams.
The Dodgers also have the highest luxury tax payroll at $430 million, dwarfing the Mets’ $363 million number. Reasons? The Dodgers pay more in penalties because they have exceeded the luxury tax six years in a row, they have more players with massive average annual values and they took on additional penalties by acquiring starter Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline.
As we await the Cubs playing starting tomorrow in a Wild Card series against the Padres, let’s take a look back at the team’s long Modern Era postseason history. That history dates to 1906, when the team lost the World Series to the White Sox after winning a record 116 games during the regular season — a mark that still stands (though tied by the Mariners in 2001).
You know, of course, of the 108-year drought between World Series wins in 1908 and 2016, and the rest of the team’s post-1908 postseason history is, shall we say, not really very good.
Entering this year, the Cubs had participated in 22 postseasons with an overall record of 51-79-1. That’s a .392 winning percentage, equivalent to a 64-98 regular season. Yikes. Although, that is an improvement over last year at this time, when the winning percentage was .385. Baby steps.
The tie happened in the pre-lights era 1907 World Series, when Game 1 went 12 innings at West Side Grounds in a 3-3 tie and then was called for darkness. The Cubs won the next four games and the World Series, becoming the first team to win the championship series without losing a game.
Here are the Cubs’ records for each of the 22 postseasons in which they have participated before this year. Prior to 1984, all games are World Series games.
Obviously none of those records is very good, and it includes nine straight losses from 2003 through 2008 before the Wild Card Game win against the Pirates in 2015.
Now, if you’ll indulge me a bit, I present to you my personal records of attending Cubs postseason games. The Cubs have played 78 postseason games in my lifetime (the games from 1984 to now). Two of those games, the wild-card series vs. the Marlins in 2020, were during the pandemic season and not open to fans.
Of the 76 Cubs postseason games open to fans since 1984, I have attended 56 — all 37 played at Wrigley Field plus 19 road games, as follows: two in San Diego (1984), three in San Francisco (1989), three in Miami (2003), two in Arizona (2007), one in Pittsburgh (2015), two in St. Louis (2015), two in San Francisco (2016), three in Los Angeles (2016) and one in Milwaukee (2025).
Personal W/L record in all postseason games attended:
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 25: Justin Verlander #35 of the Detroit Tigers poses for a photo with his wife Kate Upton and his daughter Genevieve Upton Verlander while holding Bellamy Verlander during Career Celebration Ceremony prior to playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park on September 25, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was an emotional weekend to be a Tigers fan. First, the team ended their season in September instead of making a repeat trip to the postseason, which was certainly a bummer after the year got off to a strong start. But 2026 was not meant to be the Year of the Tiger. This weekend also saw the return of Justin Verlander to the mound at Comerica Park, just in time to make his final MLB start ever. Verlander, who had announced earlier in the year he would retire at the end of the season, missed most of the year due to injuries. It was poetic to see him back in action just in time to take his final bow.
Friday saw a tear-jerker of a retirement ceremony before the game, including a charming first pitch from Verlander’s daughter Genevieve. Then Saturday he took the mound one last time, had a strong final outing, before AJ Hinch brought Genevieve in once more to go get the ball from her father. It was one of those baseball moments that proves how wrong Tom Hanks was in A League of Their Own when he insisted, “There’s no crying in baseball!”
There is, Tom, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house on Saturday.
There was a lot going on this weekend, so we’ve collected some of the social highlights in case you missed anything.
The Clippers announced Monday, Sept. 28 at the team’s media day that Ingram was dealing with a partially torn left Achilles tendon, which was revealed during a May surgery to repair an issue with his heel. Clippers interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden disclosed the injury to reporters assembled on site.
The recovery for a partially torn Achilles is not as intensive as one for a full tear and should be around six months.
That timeline puts Ingram being available potentially around late October or November, should he not suffer any setbacks. Ingram will be reevaluated then and the team will make a determination at that time.
Ingram, 29, played 77 regular-season games last year for the Raptors, averaging 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists. But Ingram’s heel injury prevented him from being fully available during Toronto’s first round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ingram played only 11:22 during Game 5 and then missed Games 6 and 7, when Cleveland clinched the series.
Although the trade for Ingram had been agreed to June 30, the investigation into Leonard and the Clippers about salary cap circumvention had not been finalized. The trade remained on hold for more than a month and was eventually executed Sept. 14.
The Clippers open their season Oct. 21 at home against the Sacramento Kings.
Marcus Semien had a poor first season with the Mets as he continued to regress offensively, struggled defensively at second base, and missed time due to a hip injury.
While his offensive issues continued to worsen as he finished with a career-low .620 OPS, even more alarming was Semien's falloff at second base.
Following a 2025 campaign where Semien won the AL Gold Glove for the Rangers after ranking in the 92nd percentile in OAA, he was in the fourth percentile in 2026 -- near the very bottom of the league.
Semien has two years remaining on his contract, counting for $24 million toward the luxury tax payroll each of the next two seasons. That could obviously complicate things if he continues to struggle near the level he did this past season, and president of baseball operations David Stearns is making no promises about Semien's playing time going forward.
Asked on Monday during his end-of-season news conference at Citi Field whether he was ready to declare Semien the Mets' starting second baseman in 2027, Stearns was non-committal.
Stearns also talked upBrett Baty as a second base option. Baty, whom Stearns mentioned as a first base option as well, closed the season on a hot streak at the plate, but still finished with an uninspiring .681 OPS.
"I think we're gonna have options there next year," Stearns noted. "Marcus didn't have the type of year offensively that he wanted, that we would expect. Again, I think Brett showed us for the last four-to-six weeks of the season what his ceiling looks like. And as I said, we need him to get to that ceiling more consistently.
"And then we have a host of really good minor league infielders who are knocking on the doorstep. And so sitting here right now, I'm not gonna commit to what second base looks like next year. But I do think we've got some really good players -- both at the major league level and prospects that are coming -- that can make that a productive position for us."
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect /
The minor leaguers Stearns is likely referring to are Jefferson Rojas, Mitch Voit, and Émilien Pitre.
After being acquired by New York, Rojas excelled, posting a .929 OPS in 29 games for Double-A Binghamton and homering in his first three games for Triple-A Syracuse following a late-season promotion.
Rojas might profile best at third base, but can also handle second.
Voit, 21, had a breakout season in 2026, slashing .347/.430/.517 for Binghamton after being promoted following a 76-game stint in the pitcher's haven of A-level Brooklyn. In 105 games across the two levels, Voit stole 45 bases and scored 80 runs.
Then there's the 23-year-old Pitre, a contact-first hitter the Mets acquired from the Rays in the Freddy Peralta trade.
Pitre hit .375 for Binghamton in 10 games after the trade, and hit .260 with a .357 OBP in 20 games following a promotion to Syracuse.
It remains possible that Semien rebounds following his down year. In the event he doesn't, the Mets could have a handful of in-house options ready to take over. And after listening to Stearns, it seems the ascension of someone like Rojas could come even sooner than initially expected.
It's been a rough summer for the Clippers and their fans, and unfortunately, the start of training camp didn't mean a reprieve from bad news.
Brandon Ingram has undergone surgery to repair a partially torn Achilles in his foot and will miss the start of the season, Clippers interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden announced at the team's media day, via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. Redden added that surgery on Ingram's heel in May also addressed this issue, which is a partial tear, and the recovery time is about six months shorter than a more complete Achilles tear.
Still, Ingram is out for the start of the season and will be reevaluated around that time.
Ingram has battled injuries throughout his career but is coming off a mostly healthy season in which he was an All-Star with the Raptors, averaging 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Ingram, along with Darius Garland at the point, are seen as floor raisers for this team.
Because it's the Clippers, there was other injury news as well. Bradley Beal has recovered from his hip surgery but is now dealing with knee inflammation and won't be ready for the first part of training camp. Big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser is progressing from a foot injury but will not be ready for the start of the season. That is on top of the previously announced surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff for Jordan Miller, which will sideline him until around the All-Star break.
On a positive note, Darius Garland said he was fully healthy and had recovered from injuries that had limited him for a couple of seasons (including to 45 games played last season).
The results are in, 39 of our reporters and editors voted on a wide-array of questions related to the upcoming NHL season, including whowill win the Stanley Cupand other major individual awards.
Some other fun questions like which coach will be fired first, who will experience buyer's remorse and which city will be awarded the next franchise — and more!
With the season fast approaching and the Minnesota Wild playing its first game on Thursday, it is time to see where the Wild slotted in predictions.
Minnesota ranked first in the Presidents Trophy ranking along with the defending Stanley Cup Champions Carolina Hurricanes.
Out of the 39 writers, the Wild and Hurricanes totaled 16 votes (8 each) for a tie of first place. They were followed by Colorado, Florida, Edmonton, Dallas and Tampa Bay.
The Wild finished third in the Central Divison behind Dallas and Colorado last season and finished seventh in the NHL with a 46-24-12 (104Pts) record. The Avalanche won the Presidents Trophy last year with a 55-16-11 (121Pts) record.
I'm guessing a full season of Quinn Hughes and the breakouts of Matt Boldy, Brock Faber and Jesper Wallstedt played a big reason in everyones prediction.
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San Diego, California - September 25: Craig Stammen #14 of the San Diego Padres high fives his players before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
From 2016 to 2024, San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller hired four managers.
Andy Green was the rebuild manager, never intended to be the guy. Then Preller hired his friend from the Texas Rangers, Jayce Tingler. They had their first successful season in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. From the start of 2021, it was clear that Tingler was in over his head and he reportedly lost the clubhouse before the end of the year.
Then there was Bob Melvin and a playoff season in 2022 but there were lots of rumblings about disagreements between Melvin and Preller. After the debacle of the 2023 season, Melvin quit to take a job with the San Francisco Giants.
Mike Shildt had been a special advisor to Preller during Melvin’s tenure as manager. He was a logical choice to succeed Melvin due to his knowledge of the organization and an already established relationship with players and team members. He also had a winning record as a manager but a clouded situation regarding his exit from the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
After two seasons of 90 or more wins each year, Shildt walked away from managing, citing the strain on his mental and physical health. After his departure, word came out about clashes with Preller and his coaching staff regarding his management style and his verbally abusive behavior.
A surprising choice to lead the way
After a lengthy process with multiple interviewees coming through San Diego, former Padre Craig Stammen was announced as the manager for 2026 season.
It’s not a stretch to say there were many surprised, and sometimes outraged, reactions. A good portion of fans and media thought future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols had the job in the bag. At the press conference introducing the new on-field leader, Preller revealed he had to talk Stammen into taking the job. He had originally been part of the interviewing process, not an interviewee.
Needless to say, hiring a first-time manager who had never coached before caused a flurry of anxiety-ridden outbursts from all over the city. The Padres had been to the postseason for two years running. They had two seasons of 90 or more wins along with those two playoff runs. They needed someone who had the experience to take them over the finish line, not start over from scratch.
Preller was betting on an unproven former player that he respected so much he hired him to join the organization as soon as he retired from baseball. Giving him a special assistant role and placing Stammen in the front office, Preller said he always believed that managing was in Stammen’s future, but the Ohio resident and family man didn’t seem to be on board.
It appeared that Preller valued Stammen’s character traits and personality above any coaching experience. He was known as a leader in the clubhouse and the bullpen when he pitched for the team. Preller was gambling that those same leadership qualities would carry him through his rookie season if he had enough support around him.
Stammen is as steady as they come. We saw it when he pitched for the Padres. As a middle reliever, he famously started the “Stammen Game” for the 2020 playoffs and his teammates valued him for that and his quiet leadership.
What went wrong with the other guys
Andy Green being named as the manager for the New York Mets after serving as their interim manager this season highlights the prove-it nature of managing jobs in MLB.
When he was hired in San Diego, Green was the development guy, brought in to guide as Preller built. He would not be given the opportunity to manage a better team and was let go after the 2019 season.
Tingler was definitely Preller’s choice, but the match wasn’t good. The players didn’t respond to his style, and he seemed overwhelmed at many points during the season.
The two experienced and proven managers that Preller hired after that were both very set in their ways. Old-school baseball guys resistant to analytics and to the front office team’s involvement in the clubhouse. Neither Melvin nor Shildt could adapt to what was asked of them.
Preller is unique
A.J. Preller thinks and works outside the box. Like him or not, he is unique in baseball for the way he does his job. There has been a lot of criticism of his approach and his non-traditional way of building a baseball team.
Whether or not you agree with his choices, the Padres are more successful under his guidance and late owner Peter Seidler’s vision than at any other time in Padres history. Much of the credit goes to Seidler for the influx of money into the team. For better or worse, the Padres have a core of players tied to the team for many years, and that is due to Seidler and Preller.
If you stick with Preller, then you stick with his approach.
What makes Stammen different
Stammen is done with his first regular season as the Padres manager. He has led the team to 90 or more wins for their third season in a row. They are going to the postseason for the fifth time in seven years.
His rookie season was not without its ups and downs, but he remained constant. His only showing of temper was with umpires.
Mistakes were made, absolutely. Strategy and bullpen management are never mastered and are always second-guessed. No manager does it right if you ask the fans.
An article written by Kevin Acee and published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on Sept. 22 outlined the meeting that occurred between Preller, Stammen, Josh Stein (Preller’s vice president), and Ruben Niebla.
In that conversation, the group developed the “pitching chaos” plan that got the team through the two weeks leading up to the trade deadline. The season was slipping away, and thinking outside the box was a must. They cobbled together a map that would take the pitching staff through the two weeks until trades could be made to acquire more pitching. It probably saved the season.
Stammen is not a traditional baseball guy; he is not a seasoned veteran of dugout strategy or coaching.
He brings his experience as a player, his personality and character, his already established reputation, and the respect he has from those around him.
Probably most importantly, Stammen brings flexibility in thinking. A willingness to go outside the box, try new things, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes, on the biggest stage possible. His ego is not a hindrance to admitting when he needs to improve. He encourages others to contribute to the whole while guiding the ship with a steady hand.
What the future holds
We don’t know how far this team will go this season. We don’t even know if Stammen intends to stay for another year.
The new ownership has expressed a desire to win it all. If they put their money where their mouth is, the future could be bright for this organization.
The people leading going forward will be Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones. They will decide who the leadership team will be for next season and beyond.
If Preller remains in charge, it seems likely he will want Stammen to remain. It is hard to argue with what this team has accomplished this season.
