Mets pitching prospects Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean dazzled in the minor leagues during the 2025 season and were recognized for their performances at the third annual MiLB Awards Show on Monday night.
Tong, the No. 2 prospect in SNY's midseason rankings, was named the 2025 Pitching Prospect of the Year and earned All-MiLB Prospect First Team honors after his dominant season with Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse.
The 22-year-old went 10-5 with a 1.43 ERA and 179 strikeouts over 113.2 IP combined across both levels. He was promoted to Triple-A in the middle of August and made two starts with Syracuse, tossing 11.2 scoreless innings with 17 strikeouts.
McLean, SNY's No. 4 prospect, won the Breakout Player of the Year after flying up the rankings and impressing each time he took the mound.
In his first season as a full-time pitcher, the former two-way player owned a 2.45 ERA with 127 strikeouts in 113.2 IP and 21 appearances with Binghamton and Syracuse.
Both prospects earned promotions to the majors and gave Mets fans something to look forward to for years to come. The pitching duo, along with fellow top prospect Brandon Sproat, are all expected to play a major role in 2026, which will mark their official rookie seasons.
Congrats to the Canadian Cannon! 🇨🇦#Mets No. 4 prospect Jonah Tong is the 2025 Pitching Prospect of the Year! The 22-year-old led the Minors with a 1.43 ERA with 179 strikeouts across 113 2/3 innings. pic.twitter.com/HVsmN6Ge3I
Call it a breakout! 🔥#Mets No. 3 prospect Nolan McLean is the Breakout Player of the Year!
After starting the season off @mlbpipeline's Top 100, the righty impressed with a 2.45 ERA and 127 strikeouts across 21 Minor League appearances. pic.twitter.com/haSfkNGax3
Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones had himself a fantastic 2025 season in the minor leagues and has been rewarded by being named to the All-MiLB Prospect First Team.
Jones split the year between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and excelled at each level. He finished with 35 home runs, 80 RBI, 102 runs scored and 29 steals in 116 games. His triple slash line was an impressive .274/.362/.571 to give him a .933 OPS.
Following his successful campaign, the 24-year-old will look to make a difference in New York as soon as 2026.
The lefty-swinging outfielder joins Dylan Beavers (Baltimore Orioles) and Edward Florentino (Pittsburgh Pirates) as outfielders selected to the First Team.
Mets' Jonah Tong also made the First Team as the right-handed starting pitcher. On top of that, Tong was also named the MiLB Pitching Prospect of the Year.
The Mets' season ended on Sunday afternoon in disappointing fashion, losing to the Miami Marlins and failing to reach the postseason which capped off a disastrous final three-and-a-half months for New York.
In the wake of the perplexing elimination, president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke to the media about the unacceptable performance by him and the team that resulted in a 83-79 record despite sporting the second-largest payroll in MLB at $341 million.
Stearns also spoke on how to deal with a few players moving forward, as well as some housekeeping on the injury front.
Leadership material
With such a talented roster that was unable to put it all together consistently down the stretch, a common critique thrown out there by fans who are obviously not in the clubhouse or around the team on a daily-basis was that New York lacked leaders and/or leadership to be able to pick the rest of the team up when it was down.
It's a fair assumption given the way the Mets played for more than half the season, at times sleepwalking on the field and making mental/physical mistakes routinely. Plus, with the departures of veterans like J.D. Martinez and Jose Iglesias, who were instrumental in keeping New York focused yet loose last season, a void at the top was seemingly felt.
However, Stearns dismissed the notion that the Mets lacked leadership, pointing to what he personally saw out of the team in his interactions with the players.
"I think we have leaders in our clubhouse. I think we have leadership in our clubhouse,” Stearns said. “I do not think that was a problem."
He later added:
"I can tell you my experience in the clubhouse throughout this year is we had guys who cared about each other, who cared about winning, who worked hard."
It's true, New York had veterans on the roster such as Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, Edwin Diaz and more who are certainly capable of leading a team. But the spiraling nature of the team's free fall certainly would suggest that it was unable to cling on to something or someone when things got tough.
What was also telling, and quite frankly shocking, about this year's Mets team was their failure to win a single game after entering the ninth inning with a deficit. New York went 0-70 in those situations and was the only team in MLB to not record a comeback win in the ninth inning or later.
"It’s very difficult for me to explain how we were 0-70 trailing going into the ninth. That’s an inexplicable stat, and I’m not going to sit here and make up an answer for it," Stearns said.
So Senga?
In his news conference, Stearns made no bones about the pitching, or run-prevention as he put it (which includes defense), being the biggest culprit in the team's slow collapse. And while almost every pitcher fell short of their expectations whether from injury or just poor performance, perhaps the most notable was Kodai Senga who finished the season as a non-contributor to the team as he was sent to the minor leagues.
Senga's overall numbers actually don't look too bad as the right-hander went 7-6 with a 3.02 ERA in 22 starts over 113.1 innings pitched. But the numbers don't tell the full story.
After injuring his hamstring in a start on June 12, Senga, who had been pitching brilliantly following a lost season, missed a month before returning to the mound. Needing the help in what was a beleaguered starting rotation at the time, the Mets chose to bring back Senga earlier than anticipated and allowed him to work up his pitch count at the big-league level.
Perhaps rushing back the fastidious Senga was a detriment because after his first outing in his return to New York, the right-hander struggled mightily. In his final seven starts, Senga had a 6.06 ERA (1.65 WHIP).
His struggles left the Mets with no choice but to send him down to the minors where they hoped he would be able to figure out his mechanics and get his confidence back up to help the team for the final push. Instead, Senga made two starts for Triple-A and pitched to a 4.66 ERA before his fastball velocity dipped during a bullpen session that gave the team cause for concern. Enough so that he didn't make another start for the Mets despite the team and its pitching flailing.
That leaves New York and the right-hander in a precarious situation going forward, one with little faith that Senga can be counted on as he once was.
"Kodai has had two very inconsistent, challenging years in a row," Stearns said. "We know it’s in there. We know there’s potential. We’re gonna do everything we can to help get it out of him. But no, could we put him in ink as making 30 starts next year? I think that would be foolish."
Thumbs up
One player who should be celebrated this year is Francisco Alvarezwho had a rollercoaster season. After a midseason demotion to the minor leagues following a brutal stretch, Alvarez worked hard to come back stronger than ever -- which he did.
With his season seemingly back on track, the young catcher was dealt a massive blow, spraining his UCL in his right thumb. The injury put him on the IL, but soon after he was back on a minor league rehab assignment, determined to return to New York and help his team.
In his first rehab game following the injury, Alvarez was hit on the hand and broke his left pinky. With just eight healthy fingers, Alvarez made his way back to the big leagues and not only caught behind the dish, produced at the plate too.
In his last 30 games, the 23-year-old had seven home runs with a .920 OPS to completely turn his season around. He finished with a triple slash line of .256/.339/.447 in 76 games.
The key and next step for Alvarez will be to stay healthy for a full season to fully tap into his potential. Stearns said he's on his way to doing that as he will require surgery on his ligament which he'll get in the coming days.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns addressed the media on Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours after seeing his team lose to the Miami Marlins on the final day of the regular season, capping off a collapse that kept his club out of the postseason.
While the Mets’ starting rotation is very much in flux, many of the starting position players remain under contract heading into next season, outside of Alonso and role players like Starling Marte, Jesse Winker, and Cedric Mullins.
Still, Stearns said the Mets will need to be “open-minded” when it comes to the core group of position players in order to build a team that “fits together better.”
“I think we’re going to have to be open-minded on our position player grouping so that we can improve our run prevention,” Stearns said. “Does that mean there are robust changes? I don’t know. Does that mean people could be playing different positions? Maybe. Does it mean we ask people to play different roles? Maybe.
“A day after a season ends, I’m certainly not going to commit to what things look like in spring training or Opening Day, but I’ll say it again, our run prevention this year was not good enough, and that’s pitching and defense. They go hand-in-hand, and we need to improve in both.”
He later added: “I come at this like we need to create a better roster that fits together better. I think our players worked their tails off. I think they came to the park with the right attitude every single day, and it didn’t work, so I need to take a long, hard look at our roster.”
“Pete is a great Met. He had a fantastic year,” Stearns said of Alonso, who became the club's all-time home run king this season after re-signing. “I said this last year and it worked out – I’d love to have Pete back and we’ll see where the offseason goes.”
Stearns also said that when it comes to Alonso, or any impending free agent, the player’s entire fit, on and off the field, are taken into account.
“Whenever we’re talking about departing free agents or players who were with us who are then free agents, it’s always the wholistic package of what that players brings to an organization,” Stearns said. “It’s what he means to the team on the field, it’s what that player means to the community, what that player means to the fanbase. That is always part of the decision-making process, and I imagine it will be again this offseason.”
With the Mets falling short and missing the playoffs after such high expectations for the 2025 season, many would like to point the blame at Carlos Mendoza.
President of baseball operations David Stearns is not one of them and expressed his belief in Mendoza's ability to lead New York on Monday, confirming that he will return as manager of the club for the 2026 season.
"Yeah, Carlos is coming back next year," Stearns made clear.
Mendoza helped the Mets to an 89-73 record during the 2024 season, knocking off the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card Series and the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series, before falling to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the NL Championship Series.
Stearns acknowledged the 2025 season was a completely different story. The Mets had the best record in baseball on June 12 at 45-24, but due to poor pitching, lack of clutch hitting, defensive issues, and injuries, the team went 38-55 from June 13 on, the fifth-worst record in the bigs over that span and finished outside of the postseason with an 83-79 record. Mendoza is now 172-152 over two seasons.
Despite the second-half downfall, Stearns is still very much confident in Mendoza as manager and personally took the blame for a number of the 2025 team's issues, including pitching.
"I believe Carlos has all the same traits and assets that I believed in when we hired him two years ago," Stearns said. "I think over the course of his tenure here, he has demonstrated that.
"We had a tough year this year, there's no question. We are all disappointed, we are all frustrated. Mendy, as much or more than anyone else. But I still believe he's a very good manager and I think he's going to demonstrate that."
"We're going to go through an evaluation of our entire coaching staff and we'll do that over the course of the coming days to a week, and then we'll make our decisions there," Stearns said.
He added: "We're going to certainly sit down and look at everything, including our coaching staff. It's normal after any season to do a coaching staff evaluation. When you come off a season like this, it's certainly going to be a little more intense."
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was blunt, forthcoming, and reflective on Monday, speaking at Citi Field a day after New York's season ended in abject failure at the hands of the Marlins in Miami.
"I'm the architect of the team," Stearns said at the beginning of his news conference. "I'm responsible for it."
And while taking responsibility, a lot of focus was spent on the Mets' failure to prevent runs, which was a two-pronged issue caused by the pitching and defense. Stearns also touched on the offense, but much more of his time was spent alluding to what went wrong with the starting rotation -- and how to fix things.
"From a roster construction perspective, on the run-prevention side of the ball, we didn't do a good enough job of fortifying our team when we had injuries midseason," Stearns said. "Clearly, that was a point in our season where on the run-prevention side of things we went from a very good team to a team that wasn't good enough to maintain a sizable lead -- not only in the division, but in the playoff chase.
"Our defense wasn't good enough, and that certainly contributed to our pitching challenges. And then offensively, we had a number of players who had really good years. But we failed to score the runs that we needed to score despite those really good years. You add all that up, and you get to a team that underachieved greatly. We know that. I certainly know that. And we're gonna work really hard to fix that going forward, learn from this, and do a heck of a lot better."
After storming out of the gates to a 45-24 record in mid-June, things turned for the Mets.
Before getting injured, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill had started to regress badly. Kodai Senga also suffered an injury, compounding the rotation issue since Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas were still out while rehabbing injuries suffered in spring training.
Faced with a rotation that was in disarray, the Mets were in a tough spot.
In the weeks after the injuries hit, New York utilized a handful of bullpen games and gave starts to pitchers like Paul Blackburn (they lost all four of his starts in June) and Blade Tidwell.
Sep 2, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean (26) delivers in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. / David Reginek - Imagn Images
While Stearns said the team should've done more over the summer to address the issue, he did not regret not adding to the rotation at the trade deadline.
"I think holistically as I look at our pitching staff, we needed to do more over the course of the season," Stearns said. "That is very clear. What we were faced at at the deadline? I think our fanbase would be perhaps even more upset if we had made some of those moves. But the entirety of our run-prevention unit was not good enough this year."
Above, Stearns seemed to be referencing the reported prices for the starting pitchers who weren't moved, which was relatively outrageous.
Regarding how the Mets will fix the rotation for 2026 and beyond, Stearns wouldn't rule out anything and noted that adding a top starter via free agency or trade is possible. But he stressed the need to develop top of the rotation starters, which the team might have just done with McLean.
Stearns also touched on what he learned during the season, and cited a need to be more proactive and aggressive.
"I think on a number of levels there are areas where we can probably be a little bit more proactive," he said. "And I can be a little bit more proactive. I think some of these lessons we're still investigating and still fully understanding various aspects of our team. But there are clearly times in the season, times over the offseason, where I can be a little bit more proactive."
He later noted:
"We are making the best decisions we possibly can with the information we have at the moment. I made the best judgments I did -- clearly some of them didn't work out. Now we try to learn and move forward."
In addition to the struggles of the starting pitchers who were healthy, the Mets were left in a precarious spot when it came to depth. And the bullpen was impacted because the starters didn't pitch deep enough into games.
Neither issue was lost on Stearns.
"We need more innings out of our starting staff," he said. "There's no question about that. We were on the edge for the first two and a half months this year, where we were getting five-plus innings per start pretty consistently. That worked because it was happening every night. The minute you then get your 2 1/3 inning start, you get into trouble. That got us into trouble this year -- when we stopped getting the consistent five-plus inning starts, and occasionally there was the really short start. And then the next start was 5 1/3 innings. That gets you into trouble."
Stearns added:
"Yeah, we were hit by injuries. But every team is hit by injuries, and we have to be able to have sufficient pitching depth to overcome that. And clearly when we got hit by injuries in the middle of the season, we did not have the depth to overcome that."
The billionaire owner of the New York Mets apologized to fans on Monday, after the team crashed out of the 2025 MLB season without securing a spot in the playoffs, despite boasting a $340 million payroll that’s one of the league’s highest.
“I owe you an apology,” Steven Cohen, who bought the team in 2020, wrote on X on Monday. “You did your part by showing up and supporting the team. We didn’t do our part. We will do a post-mortem and figure out the obvious and less obvious reasons why the team didn’t perform up to your and my expectations.”
“I know how much time and effort you have put into this team,” he added. “The result was unacceptable.”
The club’s season ended Sunday with a 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins, prolonging the 39-year World Series drought for the Mets.
"There are no words to describe what we’re going through," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "It’s pain, frustration, you name it. We came in with a lot of expectations, and here we are going home. Not only did we fall short. We didn’t even get into October. Pissed. Sad. Frustrated. You name it."
An avalanche of big-money signings still have not translated to a World Series berth for the New York Mets, who crashed out of the MLB on Sunday without securing a spot in the playoffs (AP)
The disappointing end to the campaign comes despite a promising season where in mid-June the Mets had the best record in baseball.
“I said at one point in the year, I felt like it was the most talented team I’ve ever played on,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo told MLB.com after the loss in Miami. “And we weren’t able to make the playoffs. That’s obviously coming up short and a failure in my mind.”
However, that momentum fell apart, as the Mets suffered three different seven-game losing streaks and saw stars including Kodai Senga, Griffin Canning, and Tylor Megill pick up injuries.
Mets fans are hoping major signings like the $765 million man Juan Soto can help the team end its four-decade World Series drought (AP)
While the team had the second-best offense in the National League, commentators also pointed to poor defense down the regular season stretch as a hole for the Queens-based team.
Mets fans have been eager to see Cohen’s splashy tenure at the team pay off, one that’s seen blockbuster contracts like 2021’s $341 million deal for Francisco Lindor and last year’s record-breaking $765 million bid for Juan Soto.
Personnel changes are expected at the Mets in the offseason, with first baseman Pete Alonso saying he will opt out of his deal and become a free agent, while closer Edwin Diaz says he’s considering doing the same.
There are reportedly no plans to fire Mendoza, though.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins fired manager Rocco Baldelli on Monday, ending his seven-year tenure that included three AL Central titles after a second straight disappointing season.
Minnesota announced Baldelli’s firing following a season marked by a major selloff leading up to the trade deadline after the team faltered in June and failed to mount any momentum in July. The Twins (70-92) went 19-35 after the deadline passed following the departure of 10 players off their major league roster, with only the Colorado Rockies faring worse over the final two months.
The Twins finished with the fourth-worst record in the major leagues and their worst mark since 2016, when they went 59-103 after firing longtime general manager Terry Ryan at midseason. Current team president Derek Falvey was hired to replace Ryan after that.
“Over the past seven years Rocco has been much more than our manager. He has been a trusted partner and teammate to me in leading this organization,” Falvey said in a statement. “Together we shared a deep care for the Twins, for our players and staff, and for doing everything in our power to put this club in the best position to succeed. Along the way we experienced some meaningful accomplishments, and I will always be proud of those, even as I wish we had ultimately achieved more.
“This is a difficult day because of what Rocco represents to so many people here. He led with honesty, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to our players and staff. He gave himself fully to this role and I have tremendous respect and gratitude for the way he carried himself and the way he showed up every single day.”
For the second straight year, uncertainty around Baldelli’s status hovered around the club. The Twins, who went 87-75 in 2023 to win their third AL Central title under Baldelli and their first series in the playoffs in 21 years, were in firm control of a wild-card spot down the stretch last season before tumbling out of contention with a 12-27 record over the last six weeks to land at 82-80.
Factoring that finish into their extended funk this year, the Twins are 82-119 over their last 201 games for a .408 winning percentage. That includes a 13-game winning streak they produced earlier this season.
Attendance has swooned at Target Field, with the Twins finishing with an 81-home game total of a little more than 1.7 million tickets sold, their lowest number in a non-pandemic season since 2000 when they played at the Metrodome and finished 69-93. Fans have mostly directed their disdain toward ownership, with deep frustration over cost-cutting that came after the 2023 breakthrough. The Pohlad family put the franchise up for sale last year, but decided last month to keep control and bring on two new investment groups for an infusion of cash to help pay down debt.
The dizzying trade-deadline activity left Baldelli and his staff without much to work with down the stretch, though All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton was a bright spot in a breakthrough season for his health and rookie second baseman Luke Keaschall provided consistent production and a professional approach at the plate belying his inexperience.
The departures of shortstop Carlos Correa, outfielder Harrison Bader, first baseman Ty France and multi-position player Willi Castro robbed the lineup of experience and steadiness, but that was nothing like what happened to Baldelli’s bullpen.
The Twins traded their five best relievers, from closer Jhoan Duran on down, and left the final 54 games to a ragtag group that had eight blown saves in 18 opportunities during that span. The conversion rate of 44.4% ranked second-worst in the major leagues over the final two months.
Baldelli was hired before the 2019 season to replace Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, with Falvey citing his adaptivity to the data-based direction of baseball strategy and his communication skill in distilling it to coaches and players and clearly setting expectations and preferences.
Particularly in this modern age of analytics, there’s plenty of mystery about just how much impact a manager in the dugout truly has on a baseball team’s won-loss record, but the overall performance — even with the post-trade deadline roster depletion this year — and lack of life from the club lately suggested some type of staffing change would be warranted.
After the Giants announced the dismissal of now-former manager Bob Melvin on Monday, plenty of eyes turned to Bruce Bochy’s future with the Texas Rangers given the open vacancy on San Francisco’s top dugout step.
After all, Bochy led the Giants to three World Series titles from that step — and it turns out, he isn’t exactly shutting down the idea of a potential reunion after he and the Rangers mutually agreed to part ways on the same day Melvin was fired.
In an exclusive conversation with John Shea of The San Francisco Standard on Monday, Bochy said he “would always have a conversation with [president of baseball operations] Buster [Posey]” about the Giants, though he’s currently “sorting everything out” after three seasons with Texas.
While Bochy’s mutual separation from the Rangers would make it seem like he’s hanging up his hat — for good, this time — his comments to Shea show he’s at least open to the idea of managing in San Francisco again, though there’s always the possibility of a different role either in the Bay or back in Texas. The Rangers said Bochy can return as an advisor, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Monday.
Posey on Monday told reporters, “We’ve got to get back to a place where we’re getting in the playoffs, we’re making runs in the playoffs. That’s what our fan base deserves. That’s what the city deserves.”
While Bochy is a four-time World Series champion, it’s unclear if he would be the answer, and it’s certainly fair to say he represents the same “old-school” mindset the Giants just parted ways with. Aside from their 107-win 2021 MLB season, the Giants haven’t finished above .500 since 2016, and Bochy finished his last three seasons as San Francisco’s manager from 2017 to 2019 with a .440 winning percentage (214-272).
And, ironically enough, the 2025 Giants under Melvin’s leadership finished with the same record as Bochy’s Rangers at 81-81.
But from Day 1, Posey has said the Giants are in the memory-making business — and Bochy holds the key to some of the best memories in Bay Area sports history, a place where he loved to work.
“You know, I’d probably leave a note telling him he get the best job in baseball,” Bochy said in his final postgame Giants presser back in 2019, when asked what note he would leave for San Francisco’s incoming manager.
For the first time since 2020, the Chicago Cubs are back in the playoffs. They will host the San Diego Padres in a Wild Card series beginning Tuesday afternoon at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs (92-70) had lost six of their last seven until getting their house in order with a weekend, three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to close out the regular season. The Padres (90-72) threatened to dethrone the Dodgers for much of the season in the National League West but wound up falling just short. San Diego closed the regular season strong winning seven of their last eight games.
Nick Pivetta (13-5, 2.87 ERA) will take the ball in the series opener for San Diego. The veteran made an impressive 31 starts this season but struggled in his final two starts allowing six runs over 10.1 innings...but the Padres won both of those two starts. The Cubs have not announced their starter for Game 1. Cade Horton would have gotten the nod, but a broken rib has forced him the injured list.
While we wait for the Cubs' announcement as to the starter for Game 1, lets take a deeper dive into this game and see if we can find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Padres at Cubs
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 3:08PM EST
Site: Wrigley Field
City: Chicago, IL
Network/Streaming: ABC
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Padres at the Cubs
The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: San Diego Padres (-105), Chicago Cubs (-115)
Spread: Padres -1.5 (+166)
Total: 7.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for San Diego at Chicago
Pitching matchup for September 30, 2025:
Padres: Nick Pivetta (13-5, 2.87 ERA) The right hander has struck out at least five opposing hitters in 9 of his last 10 starts
Cubs: TBD
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Padres at Cubs
The Cubs are on a 3-game winning streak
The Over is 13-6-1 for the Cubs' last 10 home games and the Padres' last 10 on the road combined
The Padres have covered in 4 of their last 5 games showing a profit of 4.23 units
Manny Machado enjoyed another banner season in San Diego hitting .275 with 37 HRs and 95 RBIs
Machado has hit at least 27 HRs in 6 of 7 seasons in San Diego
Kyle Tucker is just 1-11 (.089) since returning from injury (calf)
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday’s game between the Padres and the Cubs
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Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game between the Padres and the Cubs:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the San Diego Padres on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the San Diego Padres at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
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Blake Snell has posted a 2.41 ERA over his nine second-half starts for the Dodgers while cutting down on walks and wasted pitches, allowing him to get deeper into games. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Blake Snell did not sound bitter. Somehow, he was not wracked with regret.
Rather, when asked at his introductory Dodgers press conference this past offseason about the most infamous moment of his career, he took a brief moment to think. Then, unexpectedly, he expressed gratitude instead.
Five years ago, Snell was pitching the game of his life in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series. With his Tampa Bay Rays facing elimination against the Dodgers, he had answered the bell with five one-hit, nine-strikeout, virtually flawless Fall Classic innings.
What happened next remains controversial to this day. Snell gave up a one-out single in the sixth inning to Austin Barnes. Rays manager Kevin Cash came to the mound with a stunningly quick hook. The Dodgers went on to mount a rally against the Tampa Bay bullpen, snapping a three-decade title drought while the left-handed ace watched on from the bench. And in the aftermath, the second-guessing of the decision was as immediate as it was decisive.
Almost everyone else in the baseball world thought Snell should have stayed in.
Over time, however, the pitcher himself came to view it as a valuable lesson.
“It was a moment in my life that I’m very appreciative of,” Snell said this winter, donning a Dodger blue jersey for the first time after signing with the club for $182 million as a free agent.
“If I wanted to stay out there longer, I should have done a better job before that game to make that decision easier on Kevin. It's ultimately up to me to be a better pitcher there in that moment.”
Five years later, he’s about to get his chance for postseason redemption.
Snell’s debut season in Los Angeles did not go as planned this year. He made two underwhelming starts at the beginning of the campaign while quietly battling shoulder soreness. He spent the next four months sidelined on the injured list, returning in time to make only nine more starts down the stretch.
Although his final numbers were strong (a 2.35 ERA, 72 strikeouts in 61 ⅓ innings, and Dodger wins in seven of the 11 games he did pitch), his injury left his overall impact limited.
To Snell and the team, though, none of that matters now. Their union was always rooted in postseason success. And on Tuesday night, when the Dodgers open a best-of-three wild-card series against the Cincinnati Reds, it is Snell who is expected to take the bump for Game 1 at Dodger Stadium.
“That’s why I came here,” Snell said amid the Dodgers’ division-clinching clubhouse celebration last week. “Get to the postseason, and see how good I can be.”
It’s an opportunity that’s been half-a-decade in the making.
Ever since breaking into the majors in 2016, and winning his first Cy Young Award with an immaculate 21-win, 1.89-ERA season two years later, Snell’s raw talent has never been in question. No starting pitcher in the history of the sport (minimum 1,000 career innings) has averaged more strikeouts per nine innings than his 11.2 mark. Even in the game’s modern era, few have possessed such a wicked arsenal, with Snell’s slider and curveball alone boasting a whopping career whiff rate of roughly 50%.
What Snell hasn’t done, however, is prove himself to be a workhorse. He has never had a 200-inning season. He has never gone six full frames in any of his 10 playoff starts. Through the years, he has been dogged by high walk rates and inefficient outings and a tendency to simply waste too many pitches. When Cash came to the mound in that sixth inning of the 2020 World Series, it only reinforced his five-and-dive reputation.
That’s why, when Snell looks back on that moment now, he views it through a lens of valuable perspective.
“I just learned, the manager’s job is to do whatever he thinks is gonna help the team win, and my job is to make him believe I’m the best option for us to win,” Snell said this past weekend, when asked about that ignominious Game 6 again. “And I didn’t do a good job of that, because he took me out.”
Thus, Snell has been on a different mission over the five years since. He not only wants to get back to the World Series and win his first championship. But he wants to do so as a bona fide October ace, the kind of anchor of a pitching staff that can get deeper into outings.
“[The playoffs are] where you want to see: What kind of player are you? How do you handle pressure situations? When everything is on the line,” Snell said. “That’s why I like it. It really allows you to understand who you are as a pitcher, where you’re at, and where you need to grow … How to find advantages to push yourself deeper in the game.”
The last time Snell pitched in the playoffs, such goals remained a work in progress. As a member of the San Diego Padres in 2022, he amassed just 13 ⅔ innings over three postseason starts, recording a 4.61 ERA while walking nine total batters.
Over the three seasons since then, however, he feels he has made more tangible strides. In 2023, he won another Cy Young by going 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA, averaging close to six innings per start despite a major-league-leading 99 walks. Last year might have been even more transformational, even as he battled injuries with the San Francisco Giants.
During his lone season in the Bay, Snell picked the brain of Giants ace Logan Webb, who has led the National League in innings pitched over each of the past three seasons. Their talks centered on the value of short at-bats, the importance of “dominating the inside part of the plate,” and the significance of executing competitive misses on throws around the edge of the zone.
“That was probably one of my biggest years of growth and development, in the sense of how to go deeper into games,” Snell said.
The results certainly backed that up, with Snell rebounding from an injury-plagued first half to post a 1.23 ERA over his final 14 starts. In an early August trip to Cincinnati (his last time facing the Reds ahead of this week’s playoff series), he threw his first career no-hitter on just 114 pitches.
“That no-hitter was insane,” said current Dodgers outfielder and former Giants teammate Michael Conforto, who like Snell went from San Francisco to Los Angeles as a free agent last offseason. “He just had everything working. He was hitting every corner. He knew exactly where he wanted to put it, and he put it there every time.
“That’s the kind of performance he’s capable of every time he goes out,” Conforto added. “It’s just a very, very tough at-bat. Especially when he’s throwing strikes.”
This year, Snell’s evolution has continued around the Dodgers — where manager Dave Roberts has lauded him as a “next-level thinker” for the way he can read opponents’ swings, figure out their tendencies in the batter’s box, and adapt his plan of attack to what he feels a given matchup requires.
Since returning from his early-season shoulder injury, Snell has increasingly tapped into top form. He has cut down on walks and wasted pitches. He has posted a 2.41 ERA over his nine second-half starts. His last three outings in particular: 19 innings, one run, 28 strikeouts and only five free passes.
The most important development has been his relationship with Roberts, who left Snell in the game after late-inning mound visits in each of his last two starts, and watched him escape high-leverage jams.
Those moments could be invaluable as the Dodgers enter the playoffs, giving Roberts a level of confidence to push his likely Game 1 starter and cover for what has been an unreliable bullpen.
“He understands his role on this ballclub,” Roberts said. “When you put a starter in a position where they know they have to go deeper, you’ve got to just naturally be more effecient.”
It’s a skill Snell has been honing ever since that fateful October night five years ago. Starting Tuesday night, it’s about to be tested again.
SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey will search for a fresh managerial voice to guide the San Francisco Giants, someone with an “obsessive” work ethic and attention to detail.
Manager Bob Melvin was fired after the club missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season.
Posey, San Francisco’s President of Baseball Operations, announced the decision. He had shown his confidence in Melvin by exercising the veteran manager’s contract option for the 2026 season on July 1.
“Just looking to find a different voice that can take us in a different direction,” Posey said.
Melvin said after a 4-0 victory against Colorado to conclude his second season that he had received no assurances about managing in 2026.
“It is what it is,” he said, “we’ll see what the next day brings.”
The Giants finished 81-81 for one more victory than in Melvin’s first year. They haven’t reached the postseason since winning the NL West with a franchise-record 107 victories to edge the rival Dodgers by one game in 2021 under then-skipper Gabe Kapler.
Now, another change.
“It’s definitely not ideal but unfortunately we talked about it a lot what the standards are for the Giants and we have high standards,” Posey said. “And I hold myself to those same standards. I understand fully the position that I’m in now. My job and the team’s success is evaluated accordingly as well. You without a doubt hope that there can be consistency in these leadership positions. We’ve got to get back to a place where we’re getting in the playoffs, we’re making runs in playoffs. That’s what our fan base deserves, that’s what the city deserves.”
As Posey begins finalizing his list of candidates, one familiar name has come up as a possibility: the catcher’s former manager, Bruce Bochy. He has wrapped up his three-year contract with Texas but Posey noted, “I don’t know what his status is yet so I can’t speak on that.”
The 70-year-old Bochy managed the Giants for 13 seasons from 2007-2019, a run that featured every-other-year World Series titles in 2010, ‘12 and ’14.
Posey said there’s no timetable for making a hire — “I want to make sure we get it right” — nor suggested whether he would seek someone with prior managerial experience.
Players offered support for Melvin as the season ended.
“You know how I feel about BoMel, I loved him. He’s been my manager for I guess seven years,” said third baseman Matt Chapman, who also played for Melvin with Oakland. “I feel extremely grateful that I get to play for him and he’s the same guy every day. He’s been steady for us, he’s always honest with the players, he has our back. He’s done the best with what we’ve given him. The players, a lot of us didn’t play to probably our capabilities.”
The 63-year-old Melvin left the San Diego Padres to return home to the Bay Area and manage the Giants last year for the job he always dreamed of doing as a former catcher with the organization. This is his 22nd year as a major league manager.
Melvin has a 1,678-1,588 career regular-season managerial record. A three-time Manager of the Year who has won the award in both leagues, he has eight postseason appearances while guiding Arizona, Seattle, Oakland, San Diego and the Giants.
San Francisco finished 80-82 in Melvin’s first season last year after he replaced Kapler, who was fired with three days remaining in the 2023 season.
Melvin is a native of nearby Palo Alto, California. He attended the University of California-Berkeley and played for his hometown Giants from 1986-88.
This has been his dream job, one he thought about in each visit to Oracle Park as a visiting manager.
“It wasn’t enjoyable. I knew how much this job meant to Bob,” Posey said of their conversation.
The players certainly realized their skipper’s passion for being in a place that means so much to him.
While several Giants — including All-Star Logan Webb — said they don’t expect Posey to be satisfied with this disappointing year, that didn’t necessarily mean they expected a managerial change.
“He’s done a great job,” Webb said after his start. “I know I said some things last time that I think got misconstrued. It had nothing to do with BoMel. He’s amazing at what he does. I think at the end of the day, it comes down to us being able to play better as players, and I think everyone in here will say the exact same thing. BoMel’s a great leader of men. It’s been amazing. I think BoMel is great.”
The Dodgers pursuit of back-to-back World Series titles starts Tuesday at Chavez Ravine when they open their Wild Card series against the Cincinnati Reds.
For the bulk of the regular season, the Dodgers (93-69) appeared disinterested. That said, all seems in order to start the postseason as LA won its final five games of the regular season, outscoring their opponents 27-10. The Reds (83-79) won seven of their final ten games to outrace the Mets to the finish line and claim the final Wild Card berth in the National League.
Hunter Greene (7-4, 2.76 ERA) gets the start in Game 1 for the Reds. The right hander has been quite good over his last two starts allowing just two runs on six hits in 15 innings. LA has yet to officially announce their hurler for the series opener but a good bet is Blake Snell (5-4, 2.35 ERA). The Cy Young winner has been excellent of late giving up just one run in his last three starts (19 innings) with 27 strikeouts.
Lets dive into Game 1 of the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Reds at Dodgers
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 9:08PM EST
Site: Dodger Stadium
City: Los Angeles, CA
Network/Streaming: ESPN
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Odds for the Reds at the Dodgers
The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Cincinnati Reds (+167), Los Angeles Dodgers (-206)
Spread: Dodgers -1.5 (+109)
Total: 7.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Reds at Dodgers
Pitching matchup for September 30, 2025:
Reds: Hunter Greene (7-4, 2.76 ERA) Over his last two starts (15 innings), Greene has struck out 16 hitters while walking just 3
Dodgers: Blake Snell (5-4, 2.35 ERA) Snell made just 11 starts this season but appears to be healthy now throwing 401 pitches over his last 4 starts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Reds at Dodgers
The Dodgers have won 7 of their last 9 home games against the Reds
The Under is 67-34-10 in Reds' games against National League opponents this season
The Dodgers have covered in 4 of their last 5 games showing a profit of 2.36 units
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Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday’s game between the Reds and the Dodgers
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game between the Reds and the Dodgers:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Los Angeles Dodgers on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Cincinnati Reds at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
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The postseason is upon us, and while a Mets-Dodgers Wild Card series would have been a great way to kick it off, especially bookended against the Yankees-Red Sox matchup, this still figures to be a wild October.
That is, it feels like anybody could win it all after a season in which no team won 100 games, and the expected super-team Dodgers have to fight their way through a Wild Card series.
With that in mind, here are nine bold playoff predictions:
Brewers can't get it done
It’s a nice story, the small-market Brewers posting the best record in baseball this season, with 97 wins, but their history of failure in the postseason in recent years puts a lot of pressure on them going into October, and I think it will be more of the same.
They’re the ultimate grind-it-out team, putting the ball in play, out-hustling teams on a daily basis. But talent usually wins in the postseason, and the San Diego Padres, after defeating the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round, will simply out-talent them.
Garrett Crochet sets the tone
Crochet had a Cy Young-worthy season coming over to Boston, and he dominated the Yankees along the way, going 3-0 with a 3.29 ERA in four starts against them. The Yanks scored five runs in one of his starts but only five combined in the other three, including a seven-inning gem in the Bronx in August.
As such, I think he sets the tone for the Wild Card series by winning Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, outpitching Max Fried and dominating through seven innings.
Judge had his moments against the Red Sox this season, with five home runs and a 1.008 OPS in 13 games against them, but he also struck out 22 times in 56 plate appearances as Boston pitchers attacked him inside. And Crochet was especially tough on him, so I think the Yankees’ captain will have to wait a little longer for his breakout October.
And as well as the Yanks finished the season, it’s hard to forget how poorly they played against good teams for most of the season, or that the Red Sox were especially tough on them, winning nine of 13 games -- including five of seven in the Bronx.
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) waits on deck during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
It should be an entertaining series, likely going three games, but I think the Yankees’ bullpen will cost them at least one game, and it’s hard not to like Alex Cora over Aaron Boone in such a short series.
It’s Cal Raleigh’s year
It’s very close, but I’d give the MVP to Judge, who had another historic season, with a combination of high batting average and power that should be rewarded. Yet I think Raleigh will stamp this as his year with a big October, building on those 60 home runs he hit in the regular season.
Raleigh was clutch all season for the Mariners, slugging over .600 with an OPS over 1.000 hitting with runners in scoring position, with two outs and RISP, and high-leverage situations as well, as defined by Baseball Reference. So I’m saying he hits some big home runs that makes this a memorable October for him.
Dodger blues
The Los Angeles Dodgers were supposed to be unbeatable this season, after spending another gazillion dollars in the offseason, yet they won only 91 games, third-best among NL division winners, meaning they have to play a Wild Card series against the Cincinnati Reds.
As an aside, it’s a shame the Mets aren’t part of this. It would have made for great fun if they had done their part to earn the third Wild Card spot and give them a shot at knocking out the Dodgers in a rematch after last year’s NLCS.
I don’t give the Reds much of a chance, despite their strong starting pitching. The Dodgers should advance, setting up a big-stage NLDS against the Phillies. And while LA’s high-powered starting pitching is the healthiest it has been all season, it’s the bullpen -- their Achilles heel all season -- that will cost them a shot at repeating as champs.
The Dodgers’ pen had a 4.27 ERA this season, ranking 21st in the majors, with 26 blown saves. Tanner Scott, the most sought-after free agent reliever last winter, has been a bust, and there have been plenty of other culprits. As a result, LA may use starter Tyler Glasnow out of the 'pen, at least in the Wild Card series, as well as fellow starters Emmett Sheehan and Roki Sasaki, who was injured for most of the season.
Shohei Ohtani shines
It won’t be enough to save the Dodgers from a disappointing October, but Ohtani will stamp himself as the most remarkable player in baseball history, as he takes his two-way talents into the postseason.
To a large extent, Ohtani has already done that, hitting 55 home runs this season while returning to the mound from elbow surgery in the second half, pitching to a 2.87 ERA over 47 innings.
Aug 23, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) rounds the bases on a walk-off grand slam home run for his 40th of the season in the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea - USA TODAY Sports
Now he’s expected to line up as the Dodgers’ No. 3 starter in the postseason, behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell. He seems built for the biggest moments, famously striking out Mike Trout to win the World Baseball Classic for Japan in 2023, and he’s a good bet to make this a memorable October, at least on a personal level.
Jhoan Duran the difference-maker
Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski rather famously has a win-now mentality as a GM, more willing than most these days to give up top prospects in pursuit of a championship. And the case in point this year was his trade deadline deal to get Duran from the Minnesota Twins.
That deal, along with the late-season signing of David Robertson, were just what the Phillies needed for a bullpen that has cost them in postseasons past. The Mets likely could have had Duran if they’d been willing to trade better prospects than they gave up for Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers, and it’s fair to say that decision was a big part of why they fell short of the postseason.
Duran hasn’t been perfect for the Phillies, but he’s been mostly dominant, pitching to a 2.18 ERA with 16 saves in his two months since the trade. And I think he’ll be big reason the Phillies win what should be a heavyweight NLDS against the Dodgers.
Kyle Schwarber steps up
Schwarber had regular a spectacular season, hitting 56 home runs and totaling 132 RBI, and his knack for delivering in the clutch (1.252 OPS with two outs and RISP) fees like it could put the Phillies over the top in the NL and get them to the World Series.
It would be quite a feat, considering they lost ace Zack Wheeler to a season-ending shoulder injury, but the Phillies have the depth in the rotation to overcome it, and they have a team of October-tested veterans that should thrive in this postseason.
So I have them knocking off both the Dodgers and Padres to get to the World Series, with Schwarber leading the way and setting himself up for a huge payday as a free agent this winter.
The Mariners? Yep, the Mariners
Why not? This might be the most wide-open postseason ever in baseball, with no super powers in sight, so in that sense it would be fitting for the Seattle Mariners to finally break through.
They’ve been underachievers for much of their existence, going all the way back to 2001, when they set the modern major league record by winning 116 games during the season, only to lose meekly to the Yankees in the ALCS in five games.
Since then they had only reached the postseason once before this season -- in 2022 -- and promptly got swept by the Houston Astros. But this year feels different. They went on a 17-1 roll in September to lock up the AL West title, sweeping the Astros in Houston last week to win the division.
With Raleigh leading the way, their offense is dangerous, and their strong starting pitching is mostly healthy after dealing with injuries during the season. But if Bryan Woo’s pectoral strain keeps him out of the rotation, that could hurt the Mariners’ chances.
All in all, it feels like anybody’s year. And nobody personifies anybody quite like the Mariners.
The reward for the Cleveland Guardians (88-74) all-time great comeback to overtake the Detroit Tigers (87-75) and claim the American League's Central Division is...a Wild Card series against those same Tigers.
The Guardians closed the regular season winning 14 of their final 17 games while the Tigers lost 13 of their final 16 games.
Detroit will start probable Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal (13-6, 2.21 ERA). Cleveland has yet to announce who will take the ball in Game 1 but an educated guess points towards Gavin Williams (12-5, 3.06 ERA).
Lets dive into the series and specifically Game 1 and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Tigers at Guardians
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 1:08PM EST
Site: Progressive Field
City: Cleveland, OH
Network/Streaming: ESPN
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Odds for the Tigers at the Guardians
The latest odds as of Monday:
Moneyline: Detroit Tigers (-169), Cleveland Guardians (+138)
Spread: Tigers -1.5
Total: 6.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Tigers at Guardians
Pitching matchup for September 30, 2025:
Tigers: Tarik Skubal (13-6, 2.21 ERA) Detroit has lost each of Skubal's last 3 starts allowing 8 runs over 15.1 innings with 19 strikeouts
Guardians: Gavin Williams (12-5, 3.06 ERA) Williams has won both of his last 2 starts allowing 2 earned runs over 11 innings with 21 strikeouts
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Tigers at Guardians
The Guardians have won 4 of their last 5 home games against AL Central teams
4 of the Tigers' last 5 games against the Guardians have stayed under the Total
The Guardians have failed to cover the Run Line in their last 4 home games
Jose Ramirez closed the regular season hitting safely in 10 of 11 games (13-41)
Riley Greene was 6-39 (.154) over his last 10 games
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Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday’s game between the Tigers and the Guardians
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game between the Tigers and the Guardians:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Cleveland Guardians at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 6.0.
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