Category: MLB

You may have noticed that there are Major League Baseball games being played in front of packed houses each and every day this week. You may also have noticed that none of them have featured the Cincinnati Reds.

That’s because the Reds, unfortunately, were terrible this year. And terrible teams don’t get to play October baseball.

For this, the first Friday of the offseason, we will turn back to the Red Reporter tradition of listing, because on Fridays around these parts that’s what we do – we list. Here is a likely incomplete list of ways in which the Cincinnati Reds ranked dead last during the 2026 season, a list that tells just about every possible story as to why they aren’t playing in playoff games this week:

Hitting

• Strikeout rate (25.5%)
• BABIP (.278)
• Batting average (.229)
• On-Base Percentage (.305)
• Hits (1231)
• Singles (783)
• wRC+ (91)
• OFF (-66.3)
• Swords (277)
• Hit Into Play (3.536)

Pitching

• xERA* (4.92)
• BB/9 (4.19)
• BB (668)
• K/BB (1.94)
• FIP** (4.82)
• ERA** (4.84)
• WHIP** (1.44)
• Runs** (826)
• ERA-** (113)
• SIERA* (4.52)
• Exit Velocity* (89.5)
• Barrel %* (8.7%)

Fielding

• rSZ (-12)

These are all the ways in which the 2026 Cincinnati Reds were last, according to FanGraphs. Good thing it was only hitting the ball, pitching the ball, and fielding the ball where they struggled.

* last except for the Colorado Rockies, who barely even exist

** last except for the Colorado Rockies, who barely exist, and the Athletics, who have no home and played in a AAA stadium

With the conclusion of Kevin Gausman’s 5-year, $110 million contract that he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays after the Giants left him on read following the 2021 season, we can now see if the gamble to replace him in the aggregate as the team’s co-ace or, simply, the #2 starter to pair with Logan Webb, worked out as well as ownership expected it to after Farhan Zaidi no doubt offered his recommendation.

It’s important to keep in mind that after the Barry Zito, Jeff Samardzija, and Johnny Cueto deals ($346 million for 21.7 fWAR across 2,407 IP) and the Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain extensions ($153 million for 1 fWAR across 781 IP), the team’s ownership group decided that long-term pitching contracts weren’t good investments anymore and effectively banned them.

Sure, the Giants did wind up signing Logan Webb to a 5-year, $90 million extension back in 2023, but that caught a pitcher just as he was entering his prime rather than pay a premium to get (mostly) the downside of a guy’s career. I’ve already written about how Webb might already be at that point, but the Giants only have two years left on that deal. Kevin Gausman’s free agency started with a big red flag: year 1 of the deal would be his age-31 season. Instead, the team opted to go with short-term solutions while they waited for the farm system to produce the next crop of Logan Webbs or Matt Cains. Did the gambit pay off?

I’ve already checked in on the strategy a few times over the years, including a Giants-Blue Jays Series Preview from July, but that was before the deadline. That post included this graphic, which covered nearly the whole topic —

But now, with the season having concluded and Gausman’s Cubs team eliminated from the postseason, we can now look back and see how the entire strategy played out. AND, also, that this graphic was missing a VERY important pitcher, who I’ll get to in a moment.

Gausman wound up making all of his starts in his 5-year deal, allaying the injury concerns. From 2022-26, he threw 911.1 innings in 157 starts, went 57-53 with a 3.68 ERA (3.93 FIP), 9.65 K/9, 2.33 BB/9, and 1.00 HR/9.

The #2 starter trio of Carlos Rodon (2022), Alex Cobb (2022-2023), Robbie Ray (2024-2026), and Blake Snell (2024) threw 918.2 innings in 167 starts, went 57-42 with a 3.69 ERA (3.31 FIP), 9.8 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9. Here’s that graphic, refreshed:

Well, by every measure, Gausman won the move. Even in in the traditional counting stats. The Giants saved themselves $1.9 million and lost 6.1 wins above replacement over the last 5 years. Those 5 theoretical wins wouldn’t have amounted to very much in the grand scheme of things — the Giants would still be 391-419 since the start of the 2022 season — but on a weekly or monthly level, Gausman pitching consistently might’ve had a positive knock-on effect with the rotation and then bullpen.

Or, he could’ve gotten injured.

And, of course, the other way the Giants might have eked out a win with this strategy is in the returns they got for Cobb (who was on the IL at the time and hadn’t pitched an inning for the team in 2024) or Ray (to division rival San Diego). But they held on to Rodon and Snell at those respective deadlines. Of course, Snell then threw a no-hitter in his first start after the deadline, but the Giants never seemed all that interested in keeping him at all costs. And the return for Gausman (I know I misspelled Tyl Southisene’s name, but I’m not editing that image again) seems like it could be solid for Toronto as much as the Giants’ returns could be; though, they obviously win by that comparison based on volume alone or simply because they got Jacob Bresnahan.

Now, you could argue that there was a tweak in the strategy starting in 2024, when the team knew Alex Cobb wouldn’t be healthy enough to start the season, and possibly miss a decent chunk of the year. So, they hedged a bit by trading for Robbie Ray (and alleviating some of the dead money owed to Mitch Haniger) and setting themselves up for the next couple of years. They also stayed engaged with Blake Snell until they landed him (perhaps to his and the team’s detriment). So, at some point, the team recognized that money had to be spent on the rotation. But, wow, nearly $34 million for 3 extra wins above replacement across 5 seasons.

To be fair, although the Giants let their fear of age and injury prevent them from committing five years to Kevin Gausman but instead give out shorter terms to four pitchers with age and injury decline in their profiles, they did aim very high and succeeded in bringing in two Cy Young winners and another who was both not 30 and had garnered Cy Young votes the previous year (Rodon). So, it’s not like they pivoted from Kevin Gausman to Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle.

And you might quibble that Cobb doesn’t belong in this conversation at all. That he doesn’t amount to a co-ace or even a #2 starter. I don’t think that’s true, though. The reporting at the time suggested this was exactly the case. The Giants already knew they had a great one in Logan Webb, and so pairing him with a player of a similar profile helped him get better. So, Cobb belongs in the conversation. And he pitched well in the two seasons he managed to give them (he was an All-Star in 2023).

By the way, Cobb’s All-Star appearance wasn’t the only one of the group’s. Robbie Ray was an All-Star for the Giants last season. Carlos Rodon was an All-Star and got Cy Young votes in his lone Giants season. Blake Snell pitched a no-hitter. No postseason appearances, though, because the Giants weren’t good enough to make it into the lowered standard of the third Wild Card.

Gausman had Cy Young votes in the first two seasons of the five-year deal and was an All-Star in 2023. He didn’t throw a no-hitter, but he did have 3 complete games including 2 shutouts. He also made 8 starts in the postseason (and one relief outing) for Toronto and Chicago, posting a 4.12 ERA in 43.2 IP.

Spending $143.9 million over 5 years to come away with no positive memories but maybe 5-7 years of Jacob Bresnahan dominating at the major league level doesn’t feel like this strategy worked. The Giants seemed to have paid more than it paid out. At the end of the day, that was the concern once it became clear this was the team’s plan, and just because it’s come to pass doesn’t mean it should be shrugged off. But it also shouldn’t be totally condemned, either.

No, not because Cobb, Ray, and Snell spent a lot of time on the IL — injuries are a terrible excuse for sustained poor performance — but because it kinda worked? The Giants basically signed these guys in a pocket of high performance and got out maybe a season too soon rather than be stuck with a long-term contract that’s hard to move… not trying to compare that to Chapman/Adames situation the team now finds itself in, but it is interesting to note.

Wow. I can’t believe I’m not going to talk about the Giants’ decision to move on from Kevin Gausman ever again (unless they bring him back in free agency this offseason). But what do you think? In the final analysis, was ditching Kevin Gausman the right move?

Good afternoon everyone, we’re back for the latest edition of the mailbag, our first since the end of the Yankees season. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

jmack175 asks: What are the chances MLB changes the postseason format and re-seeds after the wild card round? Kinda dumb that the top two teams are playing each other after the wild card round is finished. A Tampa vs. Yankees series would be better as the final battle for the AL in a 7-game series.

I agree that the current format leaves a lot to be desired, with one of the glaring flaws being that in years such as this, when talent is so heavily concentrated in one division at the expense of the other two divisions in a particular league, you end up with the best teams all on one side of the postseason bracket, while the teams that made it in by default on the other side duke it out for a pass to the ALCS.

I’d imagine there are quite a few fans that would like to see change, and well, it seems like the league agrees. MLB’s latest proposal to the MLBPA reportedly includes a 154-game season, a seven-game division series, and allowing the higher seeds in each league to choose their opponents. Under this system, the three seed would get to choose their Wild Card round opponent, and then the number one seed would get to choose its division series opponent between the two Wild Card winners. This format isn’t at all perfect; if it was in place this year, for example, the third-seeded 81-81 Astros would’ve gotten to choose their first round opponent, and the Yankees still would’ve likely been left to play the Red Sox in the opening round. However, such a format also would have probably led the Rays to choose the White Sox as their Division Series opponent, letting the Yankees face the Guardians, and leaving the possibility of the Rays-Yankees ALCS that would’ve felt much more fitting given those were the top two teams in the AL all year.

Though I think this proposal would be a step in the right direction, I’d prefer the league go even further, and just seed the playoffs in order of record. It felt pretty silly to see the literally .500 Astros earn a higher playoff seed than a Yankees team that won 12 more games during the regular season. You could structure this in a way that still preserves some of the sanctity of the divisions themselves, by allowing the three division winners in, plus the three Wild Cards, and seeding those six teams by record. If MLB is to let 12 teams into its postseason tournament, I think this is the best way to seed it. 

Don Hood writes in:What has bothered me the most all season long is the lineup. I wrote into Pinstripe Alley several weeks ago remarking how I thought Lombard should be installed as the leadoff hitter. He gets on base, can steal a base, can cause distraction for the opposing pitcher, is fast at taking the extra base, etc. Last night, in the elimination game, Grisham, a horrible example of a leadoff hitter, went 0-5 with three K’s. Lombard, on the other hand, had two hits and a walk, on base three times. Absolutely time for change.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone that agreed with Aaron Boone’s decision to move Trent Grisham to the leadoff spot in the order. I’m something of a Grisham apologist, and I’ll note that before he got hurt in June, Grisham had a .332 wOBA a robust .360 expected wOBA, but it was clear before Boone penciled his name on top of the card on Wednesday night that that version of Grisham was nowhere to be found.

But the other half of Boone’s decision in Game 3, that of moving Ben Rice into the two slot out of the leadoff spot, made sense. Without Aaron Judge, Rice is the Yankees’ best hitter, and though it’s tempting to just bat your best hitter first to guarantee the most at-bats, you need to balance that desire with actually getting your best hitter in position to do maximum damage. To wit, Rice hit two home runs in Game 2, but with no on base. That game could’ve gone completely differently if men were on when Rice went deep, and the odds of the Yankees getting runners on ahead of Rice were higher with him hitting second behind a competent hitter.

Of course, a compromised Grisham does not look like a competent hitter, so that all leads to another question: who should have batted lead off? As Don notes, George Lombard Jr. could’ve been a reasonable option. Lombard has speed, and though it was just five games, he got on base at an excellent .368 clip in the playoffs.

That said, Lombard’s overall offensive numbers this season were nothing special, and it’s a lot to ask of the rookie to slot into the leadoff slot, especially without the platoon advantage, as he was on Wednesday (though for my money, I think Lombard might be a quality choice to lead off against lefties as soon as next Opening Day). Elsewhere, the choices still aren’t clear. Luis García Jr. is an excellent hitter against righties, but he’s not a guy who gets on base, and is better served lower in the order. The likes of Anthony Volpe and Jose Caballero have speed but just not nearly enough offensive juice to warrant hitting leadoff.

I think there’s a safe choice, and then a wild card choice here. Cody Bellinger is either the Yankees’ second or third-best hitter with Judge out, and has the inverse skillset as García; Bellinger gets on base at a solid rate and has less power than Garcia. I would’ve likely penciled Bellinger in ahead of Rice on Wednesday. I do, however, want to highlight a sneaky option… Austin Wells. Though he made the baserunning blunder that may be the single moment that’s most remembered from this Yankee postseason, he put together some of the strongest at-bats of anyone in the lineup not named Rice in these playoffs. He’s also posted a .377 OBP and 143 wRC+ against righties post All-Star Break.

I’m not saying I would’ve done it, but the Yankees have experimented with Wells leading off before. He’s not the prototypical leadoff man, but since getting healthy this year, he’s been locked in against right-handed pitching. Maybe it’s something the Yankees can toy with again in 2027?

The Dodgers and Brewers meet in a best-of-seven NLCS beginning Sunday night in Milwaukee. The Brewers already won four out of seven regular games against the Dodgers this year, but in the regular season. While last year showed us the regular season and postseason are different — Los Angeles lost all six games to Milwaukee before sweeping them out of the NLCS — there are some potential takeaways from the 2026 regular season matchups.

Dodgers vs. Brewers games, 2026

• May 22: Brewers 5, Dodgers 1
• May 23: Dodgers 11, Brewers 3
• May 24: Dodgers 5, Brewers 1
• August 13: Brewers 5, Dodgers 4
• August 14: Dodgers 3, Brewers 1
• August 15: Brewers 4, Dodgers 1
• August 16: Brewers 6, Dodgers 2

Offense tough to come by

In seven total games, the Dodgers outscored the Brewers 27-25, with both teams averaging under four runs per contest. In five of the seven games, the losing team scored one or two runs.

Only two games saw one of the teams score more than five runs — on May 23 in Milwaukee, the Dodgers had five extra-base hits and broken open a one-run game with seven runs in the eighth and ninth innings combined; and August 16 in Los Angeles, the Brewers scored a pair of runs in the ninth inning to get to six in the their last regular season tussle of the year.

The Dodgers hit just .188/.291/.335 in these seven games, while the Brewers hit just .228/.313/.307.

Of the Dodgers seven home runs, three were hit by Andy Pages and two by Max Muncy. Teoscar Hernández homered once and hit .375/.444/.500 in seven games against Milwaukee. William Contreras hit two of the Brewers’ three home runs against the Dodgers, hitting .304/.360/.565 in his six games.

Milwaukee on the season stole 162 bases, fifth-most in the majors, with a 75-percent success rate, which will be something for the Dodgers to watch. But the Brewers only stole two bases in seven games against the Dodgers, and was caught three times. Notably, Milwaukee in the regular season did not face Tyler Glasnow or Blake Snell, the Dodgers’ two starting pitchers most susceptible to running.

Pitchers you will see in the NLCS

The likely starting pitchers of the first two games of the NLCS were all very effective in Dodgers-Brewers games this season.

Jacob Misiorowski struck out six and allowed one run in a win at Dodger Stadium on August 15, a game you might recall as Charley Steiner’s first full game broadcast on radio this season. Misiorowski has a 1.59 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 17 innings over three games against the Dodgers, including Game 3 of last year’s NLCS.

Tarik Skubal allowed only two runs (one earned) with seven strikeouts in six innings against the Brewers on August 16, but took a tough-luck loss.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto won both of this starts against Milwaukee, with 12 strikeouts and two runs allowed in 13 innings. Logan Henderson won both of his starts against the Dodgers, with 13 strikeouts and one run allowed in 12 innings.

Dustin May, whom you might remember as pitching the third-most regular season innings on last year’s Dodgers, started Game 3 of the NLDS for the Brewers, who acquired him at the trade deadline. On May 3 in St. Louis, May with the Cardinals allowed three runs in six innings in a loss to the Dodgers.

Roki Sasaki, now in the bullpen in October, had a 3.27 ERA in two starts against the Brewers, with more walks (seven) than strikeouts (six).

Baker’s dozen?

The Dodgers will likely add a 13th pitcher now that they are in a best-of-7 series after carrying a dozen pitchers in the best-of-5 NLDS.

Whether Justin Wrobleski makes the cut remains to be seen. In two starts against Milwaukee this regular season, Wrobleski allowed nine runs in 11 innings, including three home runs, and lost both games. Emmet Sheehan is another option should the Dodgers opt for a bulk pitcher in this round.

Four Brewers regulars — Jake Bauers (140 OPS+), Brice Turang (124 OPS+), Garrett Mitchell (112 OPS+), and Christian Yelich (91 OPS+) — all bat left-handed, as does Sal Frelick and David Hamilton. Should the Dodgers opt to carry more than three left-handed relievers, either at the expense of one of the five right-handed relievers who were active in the NLDS or adding a bulk pitcher, Jack Dreyer struck out four of his eight Brewers batters faced in the regular season in two appearances and 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

81-81 FINAL RECORD; AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST DIVISION CHAMPS

IN THE STANDINGS: The Astros finished the regular season in first place in the AL West with an 81-81 record, topping the second-place Rangers by 1.0 game. The Astros clinched their division on the final day of the regular season with a strong finishing kick, as they went 4-2 in their final six games, all on the road, to overtake the Rangers for the division title.

IN THE POSTSEASON: The Astros made their 19th postseason appearance in club history in what was the 65th year of the franchise that began in 1962. This season marked the 14th time in club history for the Astros to enter the postseason as a division winner. The Astros have won three different divisions in their history, the NL West (1980, 1986), NL Central (1997-99, 2001) and AL West (2017-19, 2021-24, 2026).

SINCE 2015: After a one-year hiatus, the Astros were back in the postseason this year for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons (2015-26). The Astros join the Dodgers and Yankees as the only teams in the Majors to qualify for the postseason in at least 10 of the last 12 years (since 2015).

POSTSEASON VETS: Since 2015, the Astros have played more postseason games (107) and earned more postseason wins (62) than any other AL club. The Astros are 62-45 in that span for a .579 winning pct. in the postseason.

THE WILD CARD ROUND: The Astros played in the Wild Card round for the fourth time in their postseason history. The Astros are now 3-4 all-time in the Wild Card round, dispatching the Yankees in the one-game playoff in 2015, sweeping the Twins in the 2020 Wild Card Series and getting swept by the Tigers in 2024 and the White Sox in 2026.

ABOUT THE WILD CARD SERIES: The Astros were swept in the Wild Card Series by the White Sox, losing Game 1 by a score 6-3, and losing Game 2, 7-3. The Astros out-homered the White Sox, 4-2, including one each by SS Jeremy Peña and 2B Jose Altuve. The Astros had several big performances out of their bullpen in the series, including impressive 3.0-inning appearances by RHP Miguel Ullola and RHP Peter Lambert.

AT THE HELM: Astros manager Joe Espada has guided the Astros to the postseason in two of his three seasons as the Astros manager since taking over before the 2024 season. Espada has posted a 256-229 regular season record in his three years as the Astros manager and ranks ninth in club history in managerial wins.

SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: After starting the season 20-31 after 51 games, the Astros went 61-50 (.550) in their last 110 games (starting on May 22). Their record since that date ranked fourth in the AL, trailing only playoff teams, the Red Sox (65-48), Yankees (63-47) and Rays (65-49).

LEAD PROTECTORS: The Astros went 70-0 when leading after 8.0 innings on the season. They were one of just four clubs that did not lose a game when leading after 8.0 innings, along with the Rays (85-0), Diamondbacks (72-0), and Rangers (70-0).

ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros posted a 42-39 record on the road, which was three games better than their home record (39-42), giving the Astros their sixth straight season with a winning road record. Houston started the season 1-9 on their first road trip before rebounding for a 41-30 (.577) road record after April 14.

MEASURING UP: The Astros went 29-26 (.527) against teams that finished with a winning record, with that winning percentage ranking fourth in the Majors, trailing only the Rays (40-28) in the AL. The Astros had winning records against five eventual playoff teams, the Cubs (3-0), Red Sox (5-1), White Sox (5-2), Guardians (4-2) and Phillies (2-1).

SILVER BOOT SECURED: The Astros finished their season series with a 9-4 record against the Rangers, securing them the 2026 Silver Boot. The Astros have now won the Silver Boot in 10 consecutive seasons (every year since 2017), during which the Astros have gone 102-55 vs. the Rangers.

GOIN’ DEEP: The Astros hit 226 regular season homers as a team this year, which were the most in the Majors. The last time the Astros led the Majors in home runs was in 2000, when they hit 249 homers. The 2026 Astros also led the AL in SLG (.417) and OPS (.732).

20-HR CLUB: The Astros had five players reach 20 home runs this season: DH Yordan Alvarez (42), 1B Christian Walker (29), 3B Isaac Paredes (25), SS Jeremy Peña (22) and RF Cam Smith (21). They were one of just three teams in the Majors to do so, along with the Braves (5) and Cubs (5).

TWO-OUT MAGIC: The Astros led the American League in two-out runs with 324 on the season, trailing only the Cubs (333) in the Majors. 3B Isaac Paredes was the driving force behind this, as he led the Majors in two-out RBI with 46.

UP TO THE CHALLENGE: Astros hitters were third in the AL in successful ABS challenges with 93 (in 185 chances). Among individual players, Jose Altuve had 21 successful challenges on the year, the most in the American League.

ABOUT THE ROSTER: The Astros used 28 different position players and 31 true pitchers for a total of 59 players used in the 2026 season. They used 19 different starting pitchers, a franchise record.

THE LINEUP: The Astros used 156 different lineups in their 162 games, repeating a lineup just six times on the season. DH Yordan Alvarez had the most starts at any spot in the lineup among Astros, hitting second 147 times.

ANNUAL HOUSTON BBWAA AWARDS: The Houston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America announced the 2026 Astros award winners as below:

• Astros MVP: Yordan Alvarez

• Astros Pitcher of the Year: Peter Lambert

• Astros Rookie of the Year: AJ Blubaugh

• Darryl Kile Good Guy Award: Bryan Abreu

• Fred Hartman Long and Meritorious Service to Baseball Award: Brent Strom

ASTROS 2026 HIGHLIGHTS:

Feb. 11……………First day of Spring Training

March 26 ………………….Astros Opening Day

April 3 ……………Alvarez records 500th RBI

April 6 ……………..Alvarez named AL POTW

April 21 ……..Altuve plays in 2,000th game

May 4 ………Alvarez named April AL POTM

May 13 …………..Cole walkoff single vs. SEA

May 25 ……..Astros throw no-hitter at TEX

June 3 ……….Arrighetti named May POTM

June 3 ………..Hader makes season debut

June 4 ……..Paredes hits 100th career HR

June 8 …………….Alvarez named AL POTW

June 8 …..Alvarez has six RBI in an inning

July 4 ………………Alvarez walkoff HR vs. TB

July 6 ………………Alvarez named AL POTW

July 11 ………………….2026 MLB draft begins

July 14 ……………..The 2026 All-Star Game

July 17 ……………Peña begins 15g hit streak

July 27 ………………..Peña named AL POTW

July 31…………Astros move into first place

Aug. 2 ……………..Astros win 11 of 12 games

Aug. 3 ……………Alvarez named July POTM

Aug. 3 …………………Astros trade for Varsho

Aug. 14 …………..Walker walkoff HR vs. SEA

Aug. 15 ……………Two added to Astros HOF

Sept. 3 ……….Hader named August ROTM

Sept. 4 ….Hader earns 250th career save

Sept. 9 …………..Altuve records 2,500th hit

Sept. 24 ……..Spence has three-HR game

Sept. 27 …………………Astros clinch division

Sept. 29……………Game 1 of the WC Series

The Nationals deployed a strategy of both buying and selling at the trade deadline this season, shipping off major league talents such as Curtis Mead, Luis Garcia Jr., and Foster Griffin, while also acquiring immediate big league help such as Connelly Early, Will Dion, and Yovanny Cruz. They didn’t quite buy in the sense some expected, holding onto almost all of their prospects except outfielder Christian Franklin, who was swapped for Orioles relief pitching prospect Joe Glassey, but they showed they would be somewhat aggressive in acquiring pieces that could help them win in the upcoming season.

So as the Nationals enter the winter and look to bolster their roster for a potential playoff push in 2027, the question looms of what current Nationals, either big leaguers or prospects, could be used as trade chips to strengthen the roster. Having taken over the organization about a year ago, there are still plenty of players in the system that Paul Toboni did not acquire, ones who he would be more willing to part with than the old regime would’ve been. Let’s examine some of those potential trade chips, and who Nats fans could expect to acquire if they were to be shipped off.

SS/2B CJ Abrams

I’ll begin by getting the big one out of the way, that being CJ Abrams. Abrams had a career year in 2026, setting new personal bests in just about all offensive categories, but he is also 2 years away from free agency, a defensive liability, and a middle infielder in a system with a plethora of middle infield talent on the way up. While in an ideal world Abrams could be a National long-term with a contract extension, it would be malpractice for Paul Toboni not to at least take calls from other teams about Abrams.

Now most fans would expect a CJ Abrams trade to be a signal of the Nationals selling, but does it have to be? Perhaps there is a world where a swap for a high-profile hitter or starting pitcher could be performed, bolstering the Nationals in another area while temporarily weakening them in another, at least until the likes of Seaver King, Eli Willits, and others can fill the gap.

2B Luke Dickerson

Luke Dickerson making it through the trade deadline as a National was somewhat of a surprise to me, as he was top of my list of prospects I expected the Nats to shop. Dickerson is a talented young ballplayer, putting up a strong 112 wRC+ in 118 games in 2026, but in a Nationals system filled to the brim with exciting middle infield talent, he’s an awkward fit. The Nationals have tried Dickerson all over the field, getting him plenty of outfield reps upon his call-up to High-A, but the best thing for both parties may be finding a new home for Dickerson and some more pitching depth for the Nats’ farm system.

1B/3B Yohandy Morales

Morales is another name I expect could be on a new ballclub by the start of 2026. Morales had a great year at Triple-A, with a 127 wRC+ in 104 games, and a solid cup of coffee at the big league level, with a 124 wRC+ in 17 games, but there are holes in his offensive profile that make me question his long-term viability as a big league bat, especially with the little defensive value he provides. The front office clearly had some questions as well, only finally giving YoYo a shot in the bigs in September despite some incredibly hot stretches at Triple-A during the year.

SS Coy James

James showed some exciting tools in 2026 at Low A, but similar to Dickerson, his fit in the Nationals farm system is awkward unless he were to be moved off the middle infield. The Nationals also not promoting James was somewhat interesting, although the logjam of infield talent at High A could also help explain that. James’ combination of power and speed makes him a more interesting trade chip than Dickerson and YoYo, with the chance of returning a quality big league reliever or backend starter if paired with another piece or two.

C Caleb Lomavita

Lomavita is another prospect brought in by the old regime that has simply been passed up in the Nationals farm system by other backstops, with Maxwell Romero Jr. earning the promotion to Triple-A over him midseason. Lomavita hasn’t posted bad numbers, with a 102 wRC+ in 85 games in 2026, but his free-swinging approach as well as subpar defense have led to him being passed up in the organizational depth chart. Lomavita may not bring in much value on his own, but could be used as a flier piece to help get a deal done.

The Red Sox and Yankees met in the postseason in consecutive years in the Wild Card round – both won by New York. 

The clubs had not met in consecutive postseasons since their pair of classics in the 2003 and 2004 ALCS. My how things have changed since those incredible back-to-back October clashes. 

The rivalry climaxed in those years. Despite the intrigue of another round of consecutive meetings in Oct… actually September, Boston and New York are in a far lesser realm of the rivalry, one where mediocrity limits its potential. 

While the Bleacher Creatures have every right to give it to Red Sox Nation for back-to-back flight stamps to Cancun, the Yankees have done nothing with either momentum boost from defeating their rivals over the past two years. In the ALDS in each of the last two seasons, New York went out with a whimper at the hands of the American League East champions – the Blue Jays in 2025 and the Rays in 2026. 

What happened to the era where the Red Sox and Yankees sent star after star into battle for marathons that defined generations? The truth is we’ll never be at the level of 2003 and 2004 between these teams again, but can we raise the standard just a little bit?

Both teams have a handful of big names that sometimes distract from flawed rosters that can otherwise barely qualify for the postseason and that’s about it. The Red Sox have averaged just 88 wins over the last two years. Dating back to the 2024 World Series, New York is just 2-10 in its last 12 playoff games against non-Boston clubs and have been eliminated at Yankee Stadium in four consecutive playoff exits since 2022. 

Weren’t these the teams that spent the majority of the first quarter of the 21st century fighting for division titles? Weren’t these the teams that met in October 2018 each having won 100 games in the regular season? 

The rivalry is calmer. The stakes are lower. The results fall short and it’s a sad state of a fierce rivalry that once defined the sport. These teams have lacked an all-in approach and frankly it’s starting to show in a major way – both against each other and in their own respective championship aspirations.

Heading into an offseason with uncertainty swirling around the sport as a whole, can the Red Sox and Yankees each take legitimate actions for a stern reestablishment as bonafide contenders?

Doubtful. 

Red Sox brass in the end-of-season press conference appeared committed to the young core that’s taken strides in recent regular seasons before bowing out with remarkably disappointing showings in the playoffs. In the Bronx, retaining general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone seems likely, keeping the status quo for a Yankees team that has failed to get over the hump in the Aaron Judge era and still remains without a championship since 2009. 

The Red Sox and Yankees will still pack stadiums and draw ratings whenever they meet, but this stage of the rivalry is a large, unquestionable disappointment. Here’s to that changing sooner rather than later…

As you might have noticed, the two division series in the National League ended Wednesday night. The 103 win Milwaukee Brewers and the 100 win Los Angeles Dodgers — the two teams with the best records in MLB, and the top two seeds in the National League — each finished off their opponents in four games. So much for the “you don’t want a bye because you get rusty” theory.

The Dodgers are trying to make it to the World Series for the third year in a row. The Brewers are trying to make it to the World Series for the second time in their history.

How do you think the NLCS will shake out?

Cast your vote below…

You could never count the 2026 Diamondbacks team out. Even right up until the last weekend of the season when they were all but written off weeks earlier, this team was still giving us reason to be invested and watch meaningful baseball games. But how good was this team really? What went good? What went bad? And most importantly what needs to be addressed so that we are still watching baseball in the playoffs at this time next season? Lets get started.

Team Overview

First, lets look at the season stats. The 2026 Dbacks managed to win 86 games despite scoring about the same amount of runs as they allowed at 739 scored vs 730 allowed. This is good for a Pythagorean wins total of 81.9 wins so it could be argued that this team overperformed by about 4 wins. That 4 win overperformance vs Pythagorean is 5th highest in MLB. Lets start with the offense. If we look at the trends, the 739 runs was about 52 runs fewer than 2025, and 147 runs less than when they lead the league in offense with 886 runs in 2024. On the run prevention side we see the opposite trend with this team going from 26th in runs allowed in 2024 to 17th in 2026.

Simply put, the offense got worse and the run prevention got better and this team had the same result being a mid 80s win team and just missing the 3rd wild card spot. But lets dig a little deeper shall we?

What Went Right

1. Bullpen- Starting with what went best and perhaps the surprise of the season, the bullpen. There are many metrics used to evaluate relief pitchers, but I love win probability added (WPA) and this group went from 30th in 2025 to 5th. Part of WPA is timing and this bullpen was 4th in Clutch which was worth about 4 wins which is roughly the whole gap over Pythagorean. So when looking at reasons as to why this team was better than its Pythagorean, it could very well be this bullpen entirely making it the MVP of this season for me. The most surprising find I made was Juan Morillo, Brandyn Garcia, and Justin Martinez were worth more WPA (4.05) than the big 3 of Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, and Corbin Carroll (WPA 3.17). That speaks to how clutch this bullpen was and how not clutch the big 3 was. Maybe we have a new big 3 in 2027 and they come out of the bullpen? Garcia was elite against lefties with a .182 xwOBA and still good against righties with a .264. And his stuff+ backs up the results with a 130 sweeper and a 117 sinker. Martinez looked great in his return from 2nd Tommy John with a 101.8 avg fastball velocity in September, the highest of his career. He did spray the ball around a little bit more than you would like with an 18% BB, however it was only 13 innings so maybe we can chalk it up to some rust. Stuff+ tends to settle faster than many of the other metrics so his stuff+ of 127.5 for 2026 is both really encouraging and completely absurd. For context, among relievers with 10+ innings pitched, JMart’s 127.5 stuff+ ranks 3rd in all of baseball! Aside from the excitement of seeing JMart back, Juan Morillo and Jonathan Loaisiga were the backbone of the group and the glue that held it together giving this team a combined 131.1 innings of 2.33 high leverage relief innings. Worth about 2.7 fWAR combined. Absolutely huge.

2. The Defense- Next up for what went right, the defense. You noticed coming into this season that the front office started referring to ‘run prevention’ rather than pitching? That wasn’t by mistake. They doubled down on their inability to limit hard contact in years past by building an elite defensive team that likely propped up a below average pitching group that still allowed a lot of contact once again in 2026. The defense was +36 in Outs Above Average (3rd in MLB) which equates to about 29 fielding runs or roughly 3 wins. What propelled this defense vs previous seasons? An unsung hero of the defense this season was Geraldo Perdomo who alone was worth +18 Def. Bullpen and defense were difficult to rank which one was more critical to this team in 2026 especially when you consider the starters allowed the 3rd highest contact in baseball in 2026. One thing is for sure, this team would’ve looked a lot different without this defense.

3. Gabriel Moreno finally broke out! Ever since he was batting 3rd in the world series run in 2023, fans have been dreaming of what Gabriel Moreno could look like if things clicked and he was able to stay healthy, and in 2026 fans finally got to see just that! Aside from winning the batting title and being the first catcher to accomplish the feat since Buster Posey, Gabi lead the team with 5.4fWAR. Most importantly his breakout season is backed up by the numbers with a 141 wRC+ and a .363 xwOBA so this wasn’t a fluke by any means. And he was still the superb defender we have grown accustomed to. This was a player finally putting it all together and reaching his star potential. A huge development to add another player with star potential to the middle of this lineup and anchoring the defense with Perdomo.

4. Unlikely Rotation Heroes- The rotation was saved by the most unlikely of sorts. Eduardo Rodriguez was able to have a breakout season and earn almost the entirety of his contract in 1 year putting up 3.2 WAR with a 16-7 record and a sparkling 2.89 ERA in 189 innings. Another not fun exercise you can do with yourself if you want to get into the spooky season spirit a little early is where would this team have been without ERod? Now the only reason for me he is a little lower in this list is that I believe at least a significant portion of the ERod breakout was due to the defense being so good (4.27 xERA), but still you cant take anything away from what he was able to do. The other rotation savior was Michael Soroka. Perhaps the most important signing of the 2025 offseason, Soroka came in and was worth 2.7 WAR in just 116 innings, but lead the rotation with a 3.19 FIP. Without ERod and Soroka’s breakouts, this rotation would’ve sunk this season early in the season.

5. A strong Second Half Surge- For the second straight season this team seemed to surge in the second half going 37-29 after the break. However, it wasn’t for the reasons you maybe would’ve thought as it wasn’t really due to the reinforcements finally arriving, it was genuinely because this team was just playing better baseball. Specifically, the offense went from 4.33 runs/game (19th) before the allstar break to 4.89 runs/game (4th) after. This was the second biggest improvement in baseball over that span.

This was largely driven by the team’s xwOBA jumping from 26th to 5th due to a couple of factors: chase rate dropped 2.2 points, barells rose .9 points (2nd biggest rise) and hard hit rose 1.6 points (3rd biggest rise). About 85% of this improvement came simply from who was batting vs the same hitters improving. Guys like Lourdes Gurreil Jr, Adrian Del Castillo, Alek Thomas, and LuJames Groover saw significantly less PA while guys like Lars Nootbaar, Tim Tawa, and James McCann saw more. Of positive note here, Corbin Carroll’s fastball whiff rate fell from 27.6% to 21.9% while his xwOBA held so its likely the late “slump” was bad luck and nothing more.

Summary

All in all, despite missing the playoffs there was much to be excited about in 2026 and there is foundation to build upon for 2027. Was this team likely a little bit better than it should’ve been? Probably yes. And for that we should be thankful. The season definitely could’ve been much worse. Next week I will be bad cop and cover the dreaded what went wrong.

The period between the 1964 World Series loss and the return to the Fall Classic in 1976 is a bit of a wasteland in Yankees’ history. Thanks in large part to the disaster that was CBS ownership, the Yankees had some of their worst years during that time. Things started to turn around by the start of the 1970s, as young players like Thurman Munson began to develop.

However, it’s not as if the Yankees had no good players in that down era. It’s not as if the children following the team didn’t have their idols. One of them is Joe Pepitone, whose birthday we celebrate today.

Joseph Anthony “Joe” Pepitone
Born: October 9, 1940 (Brooklyn, NY)
Died: March 13, 2023 (Kansas City, MO)
Yankees Tenure: 1962-69

Joe Pepitone was born on October 9, 1940, in the very city he would go on play in professionally. The oldest of three boys, he grew up in Brooklyn with his parents Willie and Angelina. Although Joe said he loved and admired his father, the elder Pepitone could be abusive, both physically and emotionally. In one particular incident, Joe telling his father “I hate you!” caused Willie to hurl an ash tray in the direction of his son. It didn’t hit Joe, but it smashed against the wall, causing shards to fly in his eyes. There was no permanent damage, but the physical abuse did end after that harrowing incident. His father passed away in 1958, just a day after Joe had told his mom that “I wish he’d die” after another blowup between the two of them.

Pepitone was introduced to baseball by an uncle, and honed his game playing in the sandlots of New York City. A star in high school at Manual Training High School (now John Jay High School), Pepitone also played for Nathan’s Hot Dog semipro team when he began to catch the eyes of scouts. However, he had another nearly life-altering incident before he began his professional career.

In March 1958, just weeks before Pepitone would begin in minor league career, he was shot in an incident at his high school. A classmate had found a gun on the docks, and had pointed it — possibly, hopefully jokingly — at Pepitone, who didn’t know what was happening, tried backing away. The gun accidentally went off, and Pepitone had been shot straight through the stomach. Thankfully, Pepitone somehow escaped mostly uninjured, and signed for the Yankees shortly after that.

After signing with the Yankees, Pepitone rocketed through the minor leauges, and made the majors after impressing following a spring training with the big league team in 1962. Early on, Pepitone’s playing time was sparse with Bill “Moose” Skowron entrenched as the Yankees’ first baseman. As the calendar turned to May, manager Ralph Houk began to use him more, often deploying him in the outfield. However, after struggles and a disciplinary incident, the Yankees sent the youngster back down to the minors. He put up big numbers there and got called back up, although he wouldn’t appear in the 1962 World Series, which would be the Yankees’ last Fall Classic victory until 1977.

The 1963 season would go on to be a breakthrough one for Pepitone. He slugged 27 home runs and was named an All-Star, starting the game at first base. Pepitone would end up making the All-Star team in 1964 and ‘65 as well, along with helping the Yankees to the 1963 and ‘64 AL pennants. They lost both those series, though and Pepitone would never appear in the postseason again.

New York #Yankees star Joe Pepitone hits a grand slam HR vs. the #STLCards in Game 6 of the 1964 World Series! #MLB#Baseballpic.twitter.com/7Y9YzxXTL7

— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) July 1, 2023

Over the next couple years, Pepitone became a star for the Yankees. However, with the stars of the 1950s and early 60s dynasty aging out, the team began to go the wrong way in the standings. With a career 105 OPS+ while on the Yankees, Pepitone was hardly ever the problem on the field. However, he could often be a bit of one off it. He gained the reputation as a bit of a party boy and had a habit of showing up late and having disagreements with managers. Between that and the fact that he was one of the higher earners on a bad Yankees’ team, the decision was eventually made to trade him. In December 1969, he was sent to the Astros for Curt Blefary.

Pepitone had a couple stops after his Yankee career, most notably with the Cubs from 1970-73. After his MLB career ended, he had a brief stint with the Yakult Atoms in Japan. He eventually returned to the Bronx as a coach, and was credited with helping Don Mattingly master first base defensively. However, his off-field issues remained, and he even did prison time after a 1988 drug conviction. He later released a fairly candid autobiography, where he spoke at length about his issues, and how they led to the end of three marriages and kept him from being an even better player.

In later years, Pepitone became something of a pop culture reference point. He was mentioned on occasions on “Seinfield” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” with noted Yankee fan Larry David right in the age range to remember Pepitone’s peak.

He was also the subject of a mention in a flashback scene in “The Sopranos.”

Tree RBI.

In his later years, Pepitone settled in Kansas City, where he was living with one of his children. He often made time to return to Yankees alumni events though, including Old-Timers’ Day in the Bronx. Pepitone passed away in KC at the age of 82 in 2023.

Nobody will mistake Joe Pepitone for a Baseball Hall of Famer, his stats weren’t remotely there. However, for Yankees’ fans of the time, watching a local kid make good, you couldn’t have told them otherwise.

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See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Last time:

Yoshinobu Yamamoto versus Chris Sale should be a duel of the ages. The problem is we saw that duel play out on August 27, when Sale made a first-inning home run stand up in a complete-game shutout. In order to retake control of this series, the Dodgers need to take advantage of their supposed depth to do something that they haven’t done all year: win in Atlanta.

They’ll have two tries to do it.

About that…Yamamoto did it in one, and then some. Now, like Godot, the Dodgers wait before heading to Milwaukee.

That’s Shogun Yamamoto, Bane of Toronto, to you

The last general to be this successful in Atlanta was arguably William Tecumseh Sherman. As for the Dodgers’ chances, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is what happened; that’s what.

Yamamoto tossed any thoughts of a 2022 redux out the window in another dominant performance. Moreover, he got run support on the road. Two amazing statistics popped up from Yamamoto’s Game 3 gem, mostly concerning Yamamoto’s dominance on the road when he actually gets run support.

First, in his MLB career, he is 34-0 in the playoffs and regular season when he gets at least three runs of run support. It should be at least 35-0, if one recalls a certainly cool night in Baltimore last year.

Second, Yamamoto is the first pitcher in MLB history to earn the victory in his last five straight postseason appearances while not allowing more than a single run or walk in any of them. All five of these appearances have been on the road.

• Game 2 ‘25 NLCS @ Milwaukee
• Game 2 ‘25 WS @ Toronto
• Game 6 ‘25 WS @ Toronto
• Game 7 ‘25 WS @ Toronto
• Game 3 ‘26 NLDS @ Atlanta

Third, per Baseball Reference, in 2026, he is 0-9 when the Dodgers fail to score more than two runs in his starts. But the main point is, on the road, he finds another gear. Remember, he didn’t have his best no-hitter/perfect game bids at Dodger Stadium; it was on the road (in the aforementioned Baltimore in 2025 and the South Side of Chicago in 2026).

• Home (2026) .190/.247/.350 against in 16 games, 14 HR allowed, 106 K vs 24 BB
• Away (2026) .171/.225/.255 against in 12 games, 6 HR allowed, 76 K vs 18 BB

At this point, the Dodgers could slot in the rotation for the NLCS to be:

• Game 1 — @ MKE, Tarik Skubal
• Game 2 — @ MKE, Yamamoto
• Game 3 — vs. MKE, Blake Snell
• Game 4 — vs. MKE, Tyler Glasnow
• Game 5, if necessary — @ MKE, Tarik Skubal
• Game 6, if necessary — @ MKE, Yamamoto
• Game 7, if necessary — @ MKE, Blake Snell / Johnny Wholestaff

Still, it’s food for thought for later.

Chopped Atlanta’s season short

Turns out the actual cost I warned about last time was a single leverage game. Yes, the Dodgers ground down Chris Sale and outlasted Tyler Mahle. But had the Dodgers taken care of business, this series would have ended in a sweep.

Maybe it could have gone sideways; maybe it should have. But the fact is that it didn’t, and all my benchmarks for disappointment have been cleared.

Still, the extra, leverage game allowed the Dodgers to score by another method apart from home run. Errors and singles — in this economy?!? From Andy Pages, no less?!? Pages’ postseason splits were brutal before the last two games, and that description is generous. It’s worth noting that Pages’ single was a seeing-eye grounder, barely over 92 mph.

If I have said it once during this postseason, I will say it a thousand times: I don’t care how hard you hit into an out; I don’t care how hard you throw ball four. There is value in adjusting to what the defense gives you and passing the baton to sustain an actual rally.

In the best-case scenario, Game 4 might have provided an opportunity to smooth out some rougher edges before the seemingly destined rematch with the Milwaukee Brewers starting Sunday in Cream City.

One last note before switching gears: after Atlanta bested Philadelphia in the Wild Card Round, I stumbled across some footage of The ATL locals proclaiming that they wanted the Dodgers. It didn’t seem to get much traction when I posted it here.

Braves fans were saying “We want the Dodgers” 😳👀 pic.twitter.com/fOxEm89mJZ

— DodgersMuse (@LADodgersMuse) October 2, 2026

They got the Dodgers alright. Mission accomplished. It doesn’t help that Atlanta matched a level of offensive futility with runners in scoring position not seen since the 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers, who were infamously swept by the Baltimore Orioles.

When you make the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series look like an offensive juggernaut with runners in scoring position (3 for 17 in Game 7 alone), something has gone awry.

Knowing the Senior Circuit

Meanwhile, in the two other series that concluded on October 7, there were matchups of Goofus (New York Yankees, San Diego Padres) versus Gallant (Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers). To the surprise of no one, Gallant eliminated Goofus on the same night in both contests.

The Yankees being bested by the same flaws that doomed them in 2024 is both unsurprising and funny. I have had my finger on the Padres’ pulse for a while now:

It’s this current group of [Padres] players who are as unlikeable and obnoxious as any bunch I can recall. The funny thing is that if they had actually done anything to justify the attitude, I would accept it as the winner’s prerogative.

Since they haven’t won anything, it’s just obnoxious.

Yes, they have been playing well in September, and their bullpen is formidable. I wanted the Dodgers to trade for Mason Miller last year. I even went to Sutter Health Park on his bobblehead day to get both the bobblehead and art for the subsequent Guide entry. Oh well.

The Padres have to get past the Cubs, which is an oddly compelling matchup that could easily fill a five-game or even seven-game series. Alas, it’s only three games as an amuse-bouche.

We don’t need extra playoffs; we need to savor what we have.

Seeing the Padres send the Cubs packing would likely be quite satisfying. In some respects, I am honestly rooting for every game to go to extra innings, and if a wayward meteor or an errant probe looking for whales happened by, who is to complain?

I was rightfully proud of that last reference that seemed to sail by without notice. If you can’t make a Star Trek IV reference, especially when I used to work right by Chinatown in San Francisco, then what are we all doing here? Once again, me:

The just reward of that hypothetical Padres’ victory is that the Brewers are waiting, looming, if not salivating, for the winner. Most likely, the Padres’ dreams are smashed in Cream City, but not until giving the Brewers all that they can handle.

I goofed slightly in thinking this series would go five games, maybe forcing wunderkind Jacob Misiorowski into Game 5 service. Alas, the forecasts of mice and men.

And then, as if to make my point a week after I made, YouTuber Steve Linkowski provided two minutes of distilled video ambrosia summarizing the last half-decade of San Diego failure.

A deeper write-up of the upcoming Dodgers/Brewers revenge matchup will come soon, but, per Sarah Langs, it’s the twelfth time since LCS play began that there has been the same pairing of LCS opponents in consecutive years. From 1976 to 1978, it was Groundhog Day for Kansas City in facing off with the New York Yankees.

Per my follow-up check, in five of the last six matchups, the loser of round 1 won the rematch, à la Rocky II. I noticed it; now you get to notice it. Of course, the one time where there was no revenge was the Dodgers getting flattened by the Phillies in 2008 and 2009, which feels like such ancient history that it bears no further mention.

I think Milwaukee is better this time around, both in personnel and in health. Anyone expecting another waltz to another Fall Classic likely will be sorely disappointed by the actual dogfight awaiting over the next week.

At the beginning of the year, I made a series of forecasts that I published online but did not make that much of a fuss about, apart from predicting 92 regular-season Dodger victories.

I have generally enjoyed these playoffs so far, even when the Dodgers are triggering past summer traumas. I have learned something so far: when it comes to Junior Circuit, I know somewhere between diddly and squat.

But when it comes to the National League, I generally know what I’m talking about.

Anticipating the Future…

• Byes: Toronto, Seattle, Philadelphia, Dodgers
• Wild Card: Texas over Detroit, Boston over New York, Milwaukee over Chicago, Atlanta over New York
• Division Series: Toronto over Texas, Seattle over Boston, Philadelphia over Milwaukee, Los Angeles over Atlanta
• Championship Series: Seattle over Toronto, Los Angeles over Philadelphia
• World Series: Dodgers over Mariners in five — you say “Next year in Seattle” long enough, eventually you have to commit to the bit.

…Compared to what actually happened

As to the matchups, my NL bracket is looking significantly better than my AL bracket.

• Wild Card: Boston over New York in 3 (oops), Houston over Chicago in 2 (oops), San Diego over Chicago in 3 (darn Cubs), Atlanta over Philadelphia in 2 (Philly had some life, huh)
• Division Series: Tampa over Boston in 4 (right result, wrong opponent, wrong length), Houston over Cleveland in 4 (the White Sox building a 2-0 lead just to cough it up is so funny), Milwaukee over San Diego in 5 (bums!), Los Angeles over Atlanta in 4
• Championship Series: Tampa over Houston in 6, Los Angeles over Milwaukee in 6
• World Series: Los Angeles over Tampa in 5. It’s 2020 all over again, except this time, the Dodgers clinch at the Trop.

I don’t claim to be perfect, and I own up to when I make a mistake. However, my takes are never generally hysterical (see The California Post), and if one needs to feel better, or, at the very least, marvel at how some people somehow continue to work in this field for pay, we return to the predictive powers of Ben Verlander.

It’s arguable that when Dave Roberts calls someone his “pick to click,” it actually is a pronouncement of doom. But when Ben Verlander picks a team to win, that act truly is a figurative death sentence. His lack of predictive power is truly astounding. In 2025, in the preseason, he predicted Atlanta would beat Houston, before switching in the playoffs to the Phillies beating Seattle.

Behold what he came up with for this year.

On Wednesday night, the figurative champagne corks were popped as the Yankees were eliminated, putting the final nail in this bit and begging the question of whether he actually watches baseball.

The Pittsburgh Pirates outfield in 2026 had a few consistent pieces, but overall this was a group that saw a lot of turnover and a lot of opportunities for young players to prove their worth.

The mainstays

One of the more impressive stat lines this year has to do with the former All-Star Bryan Reynolds. At age 31 Reynolds completed another season with consistent solid production, and he did all of that while also appearing in 162 games for the first time in his career. Reynolds was the first Pirate to play in all 162 contests since Jason Bay completed that feat in 2005. He was also just one of seven major leaguers to achieve that in 2026. As he tends to do, Reynolds once again quietly put together a solid campaign that included 17 home runs and a .261 batting average.

An Oneil Cruz MISSILE gets the @Pirates on the board 😱 pic.twitter.com/scn0NbGu5Y

— MLB (@MLB) September 11, 2026

It’s unfortunate that Oneil Cruz dealt with the injuries that he did in 2026 because he was on pace to have an absolutely monster season. Cruz initially landed on the 10-day IL for a hand fracture but was then upgraded to the 60-day, thus limiting his action to just 97 games, his lowest amount of appearances since 2023. Despite the time he missed he still finished with one of his finest statistical seasons to date. Across the board his slash line was much improved as he hit .280/.368/.486 with a .854 OPS. Not to mention he hit 20 or more home runs for the third straight season and also had 30 or more stolen bases for the second straight year.

New blood to keep and build with

It was a huge surprise when Esmerlyn Valdez stepped on the major league scene and started tearing the covers off of baseballs. He quickly became a powerful fixture in Pittsburgh’s lineup notching 17 home runs in his rookie season. Be that as it may he did dramatically cool off after his hot July, and looked lost at times in August and September. However, very few have come out firing like that in their rookie year and there’s reason to keep Valdez around and develop him into a better every day hitter for the Pirates. Valdez took home National League Rookie Of The Month honors for July.

Reynolds with a RBI trip-trip-triple‼️ pic.twitter.com/b4whiSc0qu

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 26, 2026

Jake Mangum proved to be a great spark plug at times for the Buccos. He was awarded the team’s Heart and Hustle Award in 2026, and certainly embodies the qualities that it takes to receive that honor. Mangum finished his second major league season with a slash line of .276/.331/.363 and set new career highs for homers, triples, doubles and total bases. He did strike out 29 more times this season compared to last with the nearly 20 more appearances, but overall Mangum was reliable down the stretch, and should certainly be brought back in 2027.

Additional pieces who may or may not be with Pittsburgh in 2027

Several other fringe players made appearances in the outfield for the Pirates in 2026, but outside of Jhostynxon Garcia many of them will likely be relegated back to the minor leagues or shipped off to other organizations.

Garcia remains the outlier because of his age. At just 23-years-old Garcia still has time to develop into the player that he was projected to be when the Boston Red Sox signed him in 2019 out of Venezuela. In 2026 he battled injuries and was up and down the Pirates’ organization, and only ended up appearing in Pittsburgh for 20 games. In that span he was unremarkable. While he was very successful at the minor league ranks this season, he had a lowly .167 batting average at the major league level and had 16 strikeouts in 48 at-bats. He’s shown that he has the pop and explosiveness to succeed at the next level, he just hasn’t been able to put all those pieces together to this point.

The real fringe players were guys like Tyler Calihan, Billy Cook and Ronny Simon. At this point in their careers something catastrophic would have to happen for them to be brought on as full time outfielders for a major league organization . Calihan and Cook are both already 27-years old and are largely career minor leaguers. Cook did appear in 87 games for Pittsburgh this season which is by far the most major league action he’s seen in his career, but he was overall a below average ballplayer.

Callihan was traded for in early March and saw action in 40 major league contests this year and was mostly average. He slashed .211/.283/.389 with a .672 OPS. Not a bad player, but certainly more of a rotational piece than a mainstay.

Simon is another career minor league player and only appeared in 21 games for the Pirates in 2026. He certainly wasn’t bad, and did seem to make the most of his opportunity, but he will not be viewed in the same light as a guy like Valdez who will almost definitely be on the big league roster in 2027.

Ryan O’Hearn, Jared Triolo and Nick Yorke also had their fair share of appearances in the outfield, but were more prominently used in the team’s infield.

WHAT A CATCH!

Jake Mangum goes full extension to keep the no-hitter alive! pic.twitter.com/0t1ODGODMc

— MLB (@MLB) September 11, 2026

The Pirates’s outfield has a good foundation, and could be viewed as great with one above average rotational piece and a fully healthy season from Cruz.