Category: MLB

It’s win or go home for the Rays.

If the Brewers take Game 4, it will not only be the first title in their history, but also the first World Series sweep since 2012, when the Giants swept the Tigers.

I’d like to see the Rays win tonight if for no other reasons than this: More baseball is always good, and we don’t know when MLB players will next take the field after this World Series due to the looming owners’ lockout.

7 p.m. CT: Brewers at Rays (Brewers lead series 3-1)

TV: Fox-TV, Fox One (streaming). Announcers: Joe Davis, John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci.

TBD vs. Griffin Jax, RHP

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com preview

The 2026 World Series shifted to Tampa Bay for Game 3 on Monday night, but the change in scenery failed to slow the Milwaukee Brewers. The National League champions won 10-1 to move within one victory of their first World Series title. After scoring two runs in the third inning, the Brew Crew erupted for eight runs with two outs in the fifth. Left-hander Robert Gasser was unfazed by the hostile road environment, allowing one hit over six scoreless innings.

The Rays are fighting history, as no team has ever overcome an 0-3 deficit in the World Series. Tampa Bay must win Game 4 tonight to keep its season alive and force a Game 5 on Wednesday. However, the Brewers are looking to finish the series in four games and join the 1976 Cincinnati Reds as the only teams to sweep both the NLCS and the World Series.

Rays at Brewers (5:00 PST)

Through three games, the Brewers have simply been the better team. Milwaukee’s offense has delivered more clutch hits, while its starters and relievers have outperformed their Rays counterparts. Both teams feature strong bullpens, but Tampa Bay’s relief corps faltered at the worst possible time. If the Rays hope to begin a comeback, they must generate more offense and eliminate defensive and base running errors.

The Rays will turn to right-hander Griffin Jax for the biggest start of his career. Jax has struggled this postseason, allowing four earned runs in six innings over two appearances. Earlier this year, the Brewers scored five runs against him in an outing in which he recorded just three outs. Facing elimination, Rays manager Kevin Cash will keep Jax on a short leash and pull him early if he runs into trouble.

Here’s how the Rays stack up for this must-win Game 4:

The Brewers will counter with right-hander Dustin May. He has made four appearances this postseason, but only one was a start, in which he lasted three innings. Given that, May likely will serve as the opener, pitching two or three innings before handing the ball to left-hander Shane Drohan or another Brewers pitcher.

And here is the Brew Crew’s starting lineup:

Will the Brewers complete the sweep, or will the Rays stave off elimination? Who do you got? Should be exciting either way!

Baseball's first World Series was played in 1903 with the Boston Americans defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates that October.

The New York Yankees have won more championships – 27 – than any other team in history. Entering 2026, 25 of Major League Baseball's current 30 franchises have won a championships with the Milwaukee Brewers-Tampa Bay Rays series set to crown a first-time winner.

Here's a look back at all of MLB's World Series champions

Can the Brewers clinch it tonight?

Can the Rays extend the series, and the MLB season, yet another day?

Can we talk about it? Yes we can!

In all the talk around Mariners managerial candidates, it felt like a lot of the candidates who were being proposed were the obvious ones – Jason Kanzler was the first real dark horse candidate that popped up, and has apparently made it quite far in the process. But if the Mariners are really looking for new voices and ideas, it seems to me that it would be productive to look into some under-the-radar names, people who are more up and coming rather than established names. That inspired me to do some digging around the league and try to identify at least one candidate from each organization who I think would be an interesting fit in Seattle.

Admittedly, some teams are more scoop-able than others. For this reason I’ve left off most of the AL West, teams undergoing their own coaching changes (again, most of the AL West, plus the Red Sox), some organizations that have recently undergone sweeping coaching changes (the Rockies, the Nationals), and some teams that I just couldn’t come up with a good name for or don’t think have really strong coaching and player development (it’s the Reds. Sorry, Cincinnati).

I am a big proponent of joining professional organizations and ongoing professional development (both attending and presenting). Therefore, in identifying candidates, I first and foremost looked for people who are interested in the art of coaching; I cross-referenced names with members of the ABCA (American Baseball Coaches Association) and tried to track down articles and quotes to get a sense of their coaching philosophy or managerial style (and in some cases, guest appearances on the ABCA podcast). I also gave some preference to those with geographical ties to the West Coast or the Seattle area in particular, because unfortunately that is a very real thing to have to consider, as we saw with why Rocco Baldelli reportedly dropped out of the race. Finally, I considered how long a candidate has been with a particular organization or how deeply tied they seem to be to their current organization – for example, I really like Ron Wotus with the Giants, but his connections to that organization run so deep it’s hard to imagine him anywhere else.

With the Mariners reportedly seemingly narrowing it down to Joe Espada and Jason Kanzler for a managerial role, this article is less useful than it was when I started doing all this research, but maybe some of these people would be under consideration for a non-managerial role. Actually, since there are a lot of candidates here who are more nontraditional as far as big-league managing experience, this article might be more useful. At least that’s what I’m telling myself after hours of scrolling LinkedIn profiles, social media accounts, and podcast appearances.

In order to avoid publishing The Odyssey-but-make-it-coaching, I’ll be splitting these up by divisions; we’re starting with the AL Central. Let’s see how many I can get done before the Mariners announce a hire.

AL Central:

Patrick Leyland (White Sox)

Current role: Manager, Double-A Birmingham Barons

Age: 35

Bonus points: coaching bloodlines (son of Jim Leland); former Mariner farmhand (2015)

Leyland has been coaching in pro ball since 2018, and has managed at the minor-league level since 2022, all in the White Sox organization; he’s yet to make it to the big-league level. Like dad Jim, Pat has found more success as a coach than as a player, which he says informs how he relates to players.

Relevant quote: “Not that it disqualifies any other coach, because there’s more than one way to do things, but I know I can relate to our players,” he said. “I understand what they’re going through. I tell them that I wasn’t a very good player, and I know how hard this can be. I can be a shoulder to lean on, especially when things aren’t going well. I had to fight and claw and find a way to grind things out.”

Double bonus points: normally a cool customer, was ejected once all season in a home game on the last day of the MiLB season for sticking up for his hitter who got pitched inside and absolutely made a meal of it.

Kevin Howard (Royals)

Current Role: Assistant Director of Player Development

Age: 45

Bonus points: Has a connection to current Mariners farm director Justin Toole; former Mariner farmhand (2008); College World Series champion (Miami, 2001) under Jim Morris, who Howard cites as a mentor.

Following a 12-year playing career (drafted in the 5th round out of Miami in 2002) Howard spent a year coaching high school/small college before being hired by the Guardians as a hitting coordinator. In 2021 he moved to the Mets as Director of Player Development, then was moved to hitting coach; in 2023 went to the Royals in his current role. During his time with the Mets, Howard spoke to his alma mater about desiring an on-field role because he really values building relationships.

Relevant quote: “I was willing to work hard. I wanted to get to the Major Leagues so bad. I was willing to do whatever I could, but some of the stuff that I try to instill in our players is having a growth mindset and I did not have a growth mindset. I had a fixed mindset and I didn’t want to listen. I didn’t want people to tell me anything because I took it personally. If I could go back, that’s definitely something I would change and I think that would have made a major impact on how much I could have improved.”

Billy Boyer (Tigers)

Current role: Third base coach (MLB)

Age: 42

Bonus points: Born in Auburn, WA; attended Enumclaw HS; PNW coaching experience (student manager at UW, coached at Seattle U, coached at Pierce College during the program’s first NWAC Championship in 2012)

Boyer, whose name is probably most recognizable on this list, has a reputation as a strong infield defensive coach – his big-league coaching journey started with the Twins as an infield and baserunning coach before he moved to the Tigers, transitioning from a quality control coach to third base coach this past July after the team and Joey Cora parted ways after the Tigers finished near the bottom of the league in stolen bases despite an organization-wide emphasis on that. The Tigers also reportedly wanted Boyer to work with upcoming superstar Kevin McGonigle, but a report from the Detroit News at the end of September called Boyer’s status “unclear” amidst a bunch of other coaching changes.

Relevant quote: I thought this thread on rhythm, tempo, and timing was a nice encapsulation of Boyer’s approach and an interesting supplement to Perry Hill’s “6 Fs”.

Mark Hallberg (Twins)

Current role: Bench coach (MLB)

Age: 40

Bonus points: Spent first 16 years of his life living in Saudi Arabia with his international-school teacher parents; triple sport athlete in college

Non-bonus points: said he fell in love with baseball because of Kirby Puckett and the Twins

The Twins were a HEADACHE to go through, y’all. Apparently the only thing the Pohlads love more than saving money is hiring franchise legends, nepo babies, and lifelong fans. Hallberg was with the Giants for six years before moving to the Twins, close to his Wisconsin-based family. It’s too bad, because I really like data-minded Hallberg, who was part of implementing an aggressive ABS challenge system with the Twins this spring.

Relevant quote: “When you can switch count leverages in big moments and change base/out states (run expectancy charts), those are all factors, and how many run-scoring opportunities you get,” Hallberg said. “When you’re down in the game and you make their closer (enter) and keep fighting throughout the night, some of those overturns (Wednesday) gave us the opportunity to come back. It stung to lose the game, but our guys fought and our competitive spirit was intact. We made them work. We got their closer up. That impacted the next day, and I hope our team continues to do that throughout the season.”

(Also quoted in that article is someone else I considered while tussling with the Twins’ org chart, Mike Rabelo, who doesn’t have a lifelong love of the Twins sparking his interest in baseball, but is also tragically very east-coast-based)

Alyssa Nakken (Guardians)

Current role: Assistant Director, Player Development

Age: 36

Bonus points: West Coast ties

It’s time that the Mariners reverse-scoop from the Guardians’ staff. Coming back to the West Coast would be an easy landing for Nakken, whose previous big-league experience was with her hometown Giants; she’d also walk into a clubhouse led partially by Josh Naylor, who is an outspoken advocate of women having a place in baseball. This is assuming, of course, Nakken would prefer a role back on the field, as she moved from the Giants to the Guardians to take a more front-office role after the birth of her first child. Look, just let me have this one beautiful dream, okay.

Joe DeMayo welcomes a doubleheader of great guests to the latest episode of The Mets Pod, as offseason action quickly approaches for the Mets and all of MLB. 

First up, Ron Darling chats with Joe about the future of the SNY booth, as well as the future of the Mets starting rotation, the free agency of Tarik Skubal, learning from other playoff teams, and the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Mets championship. 

Later, Will Sammon of The Athletic checks in for a conversation that covers Skubal, Teruaki Sato, the possibility of moving Juan Soto to first base, and the potential prospects who could eventually be the solution at second base for the organization. 

The show wraps with a Mailbag that delivers questions about Francisco Alvarez, David Stearns, Kodai Senga, and more.

Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

After two tightly contested games to open the 2026 World Series, Game 3 got out of hand as Milwaukee scored seven runs with two outs in the fifth inning on the way to a 10-1 victory. With a win tonight, the Brewers would clinch the first World Series title in franchise history.

On the mound for the Brewers will be right-hander Dustin May, who threw one scoreless inning in Game 2. His last bulk appearance came in relief of Shane Drohan during Game 4 of the NLCS. In that outing, May gave up a three-run homer to Shohei Ohtani, but bounced back and ate three innings in the Brewers’ pennant-clinching win. Through four appearances this postseason (three in relief), May has allowed eight hits and five earned runs in eight innings.

Tampa Bay will counter with righty Griffin Jax. Acquired from Minnesota at last year’s trade deadline, the former shutdown reliever moved into the rotation in late April and put up solid numbers. In 34 appearances (23 starts), Jax posted a 3.53 ERA with 9.29 strikeouts per nine innings.

Today’s lineup has just one change from yesterday’s: Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick swap spots. Mitchell, who hit sixth in each of the first three games of the series, drops to eighth. He’s just 2-for-11 in the World Series, though both hits drove in runs. Frelick, who’s 4-for-his-last-12 with a home run, a double, and two RBIs, moves up to sixth.

Meanwhile, Rays manager Kevin Cash is shaking up his lineup after Tampa Bay scored just one run last night. Jonathan Aranda is back for Tampa Bay, playing first base and hitting second, but Ryan Vilade gets his second straight start as Victor Mesa Jr. starts tonight’s game on the bench. Junior Caminero moves up to the third spot, and Chandler Simpson, who’d hit third in each of the first three games, drops down to sixth.

You can catch the game on FOX and the radio broadcast, as always, on WTMJ 620. Tonight’s first pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.

Tonight could be the last game of the World Series. Which means the off-season could start tomorrow morning. If the Brewers win tonight, free agents could file at 9:00 am Eastern tomorrow. Come on Rays, win one.

There are several Jays who could declare:

• George Springer: If he decides he’s going to play next year, or if he is undecided and wants to see what he would be offered. He made $24.17 million last year. He won’t make that next year, but a one-year, $10 million deal isn’t out of line. The question is, would that be enough to keep him away from his family for another year?
• Jose Berrios is not going to opt out of his contract, since he has $48 million left on the table. He won’t be ready to pitch again at the start of next season after Tommy John back in May. Maybe he’ll be back mid-season next year?
• Jameson Taillon is 35 in mid-November. He didn’t have a great 2026, with a 5.65 ERA in 18 starts. I can’t see any team offering him more than a one-year contract.
• Max Scherzer: If he decides he’d like to give it another season, I’d be ok with the Jays passing on him.
• Shane Bieber: With 17 starts over the last two seasons, I don’t know how much anyone would offer. He wasn’t bad when he could pitch, a 4.03 ERA in hits 96 innings in the two seasons.
• Yimi Garcia: He pitched 60 innings over the last two seasons. He’s 37 now. Would you offer him $7 million for a season?
• Myles Straw: He has team options for $8 and $8.5 million over the next two years. I expect the option to be declined, with the thought of getting him cheaper. Would you ask him back for $4 million?
• Paul Sewald: He’ll be 37 next year and I don’t think I’d bring him back.
• Patrick Corbin: Made $1 million this year, and threw 80 innings with a 5.51 ERA. I can’t see bringing him back.
• Luis Urias: 30 next year. He seemed ok as a platoon player, until going on the IL. I could see a minor league deal, but then someone will likely offer better.
• Michael Lorenzen: Turns 35 in January. He wasn’t good. If he really wants to continue to play, he’d have to take a minor league deal and prove himself. I doubt the Jays will want him back.
• Eloy Jiménez: He turns 30 in a month. He’d be looking for another minor league deal if he wants to keep playing. Or maybe play overseas?

Which ones do you think will be back?

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The last time Dustin May started a World Series game against the Tampa Bay Rays, he went home with a ring.

Now the Milwaukee Brewers are handing him the ball on a night that could end with another one. May will start Game 4 on Tuesday at Tropicana Field. The Brewers are one win from the first title in franchise history. They lead the series 3-0 after a 10-1 rout Monday that turned in the fifth inning, when Milwaukee scored eight runs. All eight came with two outs.

Brandon Woodruff was supposed to open this game until manager Pat Murphy used him in the ninth inning Monday. That left May. Behind him, Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill are rested. Lefties Shane Drohan and Kyle Harrison haven't thrown a pitch all series.

May went 7-9 with a 4.70 ERA in 31 starts this season for the St. Louis Cardinals and Brewers. After Milwaukee traded for him at the deadline, it got worse: a 5.65 ERA in 10 starts. May has a 5.63 ERA in eight postseason innings over four appearances.

When he was fired in July of 2025, I was curious to see what was next for Mike Rizzo. At the time, he was 64 years old, but he did not seem to have any desire to step away. After a year on the sidelines, Rizzo is in the mix for the Astros GM job. Yesterday, Bob Nightengale reported that Rizzo would get an interview.

We will see if he gets the job, but I would sure be curious to see how he would do in Houston. The Nats and Astros also have quite a few connections. Obviously, Houston was the team that Mike Rizzo’s Nats beat in the 2019 World Series. The two clubs also share a Spring Training site at West Palm Beach.

If Rizzo gets hired, we will be seeing a lot of him during Spring Training. It would be very interesting to contrast how the two teams do things at the same Spring Training site. Rizzo’s successor in DC, Paul Toboni, has changed a lot since he took over. The “I don’t care how hard you throw ball four” signs have been replaced by Traject Machines and other tech.

Despite Rizzo being an old school guy, I do not think it would be impossible for him to have success in Houston. He would have to adapt some, but a veteran Astros team that is not afraid to spend money would suit Rizzo better than a young, smaller budget club.

Rizzo may not be an innovator at this stage of his career, he still has an eye for a good trade and does a solid job with pro scouting. I still believe that he will have to lean into analytics more than he did, but maybe he has learned some lessons since being let go in DC. That is definitely something that will be brought up in his interview which is taking place today.

Based on his past achievements, Rizzo would be a strong candidate. He turned the Nats into one of the best teams in baseball last decade. However, the 2020’s have been a different story for Rizzo. Bad drafting and an inability to adapt led to him losing his edge. 

How much of this was his fault and how much was he hamstrung by the Lerner’s? If he gets the Astros job, we will be able to find out. He built a World Series championship team and won the NL East four times, but there is not a ton of recent success here.

It is also no lock that Rizzo gets the job either. He is one of several candidates in the Astros search. However, the interest he is getting for this job seems to be more serious than when he was floated as a candidate for the A’s gig.

If Rizzo gets the job, I will be rooting for him. Things did not end well in DC, but I appreciate the good times as well. For Astros fans sake, I hope you are getting 2010’s Rizzo and not the 2020’s version.

Edwin Arroyo just turned 23 years old almost exactly two months ago. Just over two months ago, Edwin Arroyo turned just 23 years old.

This reiteration, deep breath, and patience is brought to you by a 2026 regular season with the Cincinnati Reds that saw the aforementioned Arroyo hit just .223/.266/.264 (.529 OPS) across 160 frustration PA, most of which came at the same time the team around him caved in on itself after a promising – albeit lucky – start to their regular season.

It does seem, at this juncture, that Arroyo has been around forever already. Acquired in 2022 in the deal that sent Luis Castillo to Seattle, he’s been in the Reds organization long enough for Castillo to have arrived as the Mariners new ace, for Castillo to have signed the long-term contract with Seattle that Cincinnati wouldn’t give him, and for Castillo to pitch his way down to the bottom of Seattle’s rotation and get dumped onto the Chicago White Sox in a weight-cut.

Arroyo, though, is still barely 23. His struggles at the big league level at age 22 came after he blasted out of the gate with AAA Louisville to the tune of .323/.383/.562 (.945 OPS) through 250 PA and the end of the month of May. At age 22, for instance, fellow Reds middle infielder Matt McLain was busy hitting .232/.363/.453 in 452 PA down at AA Chattanooga – his ‘breakout’ at the big league level didn’t come until age 23, either.

The big league struggles were glaring, and there’s no real way to sugarcoat that. The switch-hitter posted just a .513 OPS against RHP and .573 OPS against LHP. Somehow, he managed to hit just .171/.203/.224 (.426 OPS) in the extremely hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ball Park. He struggled during his first stint in the big leagues with regular playing time, and he struggled again in his second stint when playing time was more sparse. Even his defense on the dirt was iffy at times, his decision-making and positioning often flat wrong in big spots despite his instincts and technique long having been graded as plus.

It puts him in an odd light as we head into 2027, assuming there’s a 2027 season at all for us to peruse. For one, the expecations placed upon him when he was first called up were immense at the time. He was a top prospect who’d finally seemed to regain 100% health and rocket back up Top 100 lists with peak performance atop the minors slotting perfectly into a regular role (without a patented position change on the fly, as the Reds are wont to do) as the team was struggling. The Reds needed a 2B, a leadoff man, better overall defense and athleticism, and he – in theory – was going to provide a lot of that, and it just didn’t work out for him at age 22.

With those struggles also came the seeping sensation that the Castillo trade was not, at all, going to pan out. Noelvi Marte’s collapse as a big league hitter has been brutal to watch over the last two years, but at least we always had in our back pocket that Arroyo – very much the co-headliner of the deal that sent away Cincinnati’s ace – was going to arrive eventually and at least give the trade the chance to come good. There’s no ace in the hole for Arroyo at this point, though, since if he flops the way Marte has that’s it – that’s the deal gone wrong with no more pie left in the sky on which to dream.

If you peel back all the periphery and give yourself a little more tunnel vision, though, there’s a deep breath in there for us all. Arroyo is a switch-hitting middle infielder with a rep for potentially plus glovework who just mashed AAA pitching to the tune of .301/.367/.524 (.891 OPS) with 15 homers in just 354 PA in his age-22 season. If instead of being the guy for whom they gave up Castillo he was simply a 2nd round pick out of high school in Puerto Rico who’d overcome a major shoulder surgery and put up that kind of AAA production at 22, we’d be falling over ourselves heading into this winter for his prospects going forward.

We’d be clamoring for him to take the place of McLain, of Ke’Bryan Hayes, of basically anyone on the Reds other than Elly De La Cruz or Sal Stewart.

It’s easy to forget just how hard it is for young players to adjust to the big leagues. It’s easy to forget that Elly, for instance, came blasting out of the gate in his month in 2023 only to slump down to .213/.284/.377 (.661 OPS) across his final 77 games (332 PA) of the year. Right now, there seems to be a prevailing sentiment by many that we’ve already seen all we need to see from Arroyo so far, and I can’t help but implore for just the slightest bit more patience for a guy who 100% deserves it.

Where he fits on the 2027 Reds remains a little bit out of his control. Manager Terry Francona remains convinced that there’s a whole lot more from McLain we’ve simply not seen in over three years, and the Reds seem committed to paying him through his second arbitration trip to be the club’s regular 2B once again. Over at 3B, there’s a void left by Eugenio Suarez almost certainly reaching free agency again, but the club has time and again opted against cutting bait with Hayes, and all signs point to Hayes again getting the chance to show he’s something other than the worst hitter on the planet again to start 2027.

Maybe that’s the deep breath and patience we all need. There’s no pressure on Arroyo entering 2027 to immediately assume the role of a regular at the big league level, and it would appear he’ll be destined to begin 2027 at the AAA level again – ideally with an eye at the plate for different pitches after the ones he saw at the big league level were night and day from what he saw while with Louisville. That is unless the Reds let Suarez walk, don’t backfill on the infield with any additional slugger, and commit to an infield rotation at 2B/3B that gets Arroyo regular-enough time at both spots while spelling Hayes and McLain here and there. I’m not sure that latter scenario is ideal for him (or makes the overall roster good enough to matter), so I certainly hope there’s a bit more patience involved that allows him to still be in ‘a’ lineup everyday and improving at the plate.

He technically service-time’d his way out of being a ‘prospect’ anymore, but he’s still very much just that – and a good one, too, perhaps eclipsed only by Alfredo Duno on the Cincinnati farm. He just had a whole lot asked of him at a stage of his career when he wasn’t yet ready to meet the ask. Fortunately, there’s a lot more time for the Reds to do the asking.

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History is on the line in St. Petersburg.

The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from a franchise-first World Series title and have the chance to win it all in tonight’s Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Last night, a record 8-run inning contributed to a 10-1 final score as the Brewers moved to 3-0 on the series.

Stats are on the Brewers’ side, too; in all best-of-seven postseason series, teams with a 3-0 lead have gone on to win the series 42 of 43 times. One of those 42 times was just one series ago when the Brewers swept the Dodgers to win the NLCS.

After their sweep of the Dodgers, the Brewers can become the first team in MLB history to sweep a seven-game LCS and the World Series in the same year (before the LCS switched to seven games, the 1976 Reds were the only team to achieve this).

The team could also break a four-way tie for the most consecutive postseason wins (with the 2019 Nationals, 2014 Royals, 2005 White Sox and 2004 Red Sox). They’re currently at eight, going for a ninth.

Here’s how to tune in to Game 4 of the World Series for free without cable.

When is Game 4 of the World Series?

Game 4 of the 2026 World Series is tonight, Oct. 27. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

How to watch the World Series Game 4 for free

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the Brewers vs. Rays World Series for free.

DIRECTV is our favorite service for trying live TV for free. Right now, you can take advantage of a five-day free trial before saving $30 on your first month. We recommend the Choice plan, which includes FOX as part of its 125+ channel options.

Brewers vs. Rays starting pitchers

Griffin Jax (8-10, 3.53 ERA) will start for the Rays tonight. Milwaukee has not announced a starter yet, as longtime Brewer Brandon Woodruff was preparing to start tonight’s game before pitching the ninth inning last night. Options for tonight include Dustin May, Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan.

World Series schedule

• Game 1: Brewers 3, Rays 2
• Game 2: Brewers 5, Rays 4
• Game 3: Brewers 10, Rays 1
• Game 4: Oct. 27, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Game 5: Oct. 28, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)*
• Game 6: Oct. 30, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)*
• Game 7: Oct. 31, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)*

*if necessary

Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post

This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.

The 2026 season will end this week, possibly tonight, if World Series Game 3 was any indication.

The Dodgers got thoroughly skunked, which is fitting considering the fact that the Brewers are from the Midwest, and when one lives in locales that frequently get snowed in, or one is in a committed relationship with someone who grew up, one learns about card games like cribbage.

Cribbage is easy enough to learn, but one of the first terms you learn about is “skunked,” a blowout loss where you lose by more than 31 points. What we just saw over four games was the Dodgers getting roundly skunked by the Milwaukee Brewers. Still, given how badly the Tampa Bay Rays are floundering this Fall Classic, one might expect the front office to be asking itself, “What if?” Oh well.

Still, at least one current Dodger is at these proceedings: Teoscar Hernandez.

Given my five-year history writing columns here, one might expect another jeremiad on these Dodgers. Those folks expecting another long-winded rant will be sorely disappointed.

Unlike 2022, when the Dodgers romped to 111 victories only to save their worst ball for the most important games of the year. Further, they were supposed to be motivated by the death of Vin Scully. They won one game and then shuffled off the stage.

If you paid any attention in August, you saw this underperforming version of the Dodgers in action, with just about every wart on display, including previous warts thought to be in remission (i.e., some of Dave Roberts’ managerial decisions). When you have a series where you lead every single game, just to lose every single time, there’s not a lot to say, apart from tipping your cap to the victors and muttering words that are unprintable in this venue.

Would a healthy Shohei Ohtani have helped? We’ll never know; it couldn’t have hurt.

The 2025 Dodgers answered a question that only the most deranged madmen would have asked last year: “Could a team hit like the 1966 Baltimore Orioles and still win a championship in today’s game?” The answer was “Yes, by the skin of their collective teeth when the opposition is on a heater, unlike the 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers.”

Last year, as a unit for the entire playoffs in 17 games, they collectively hit .233/.320/.402. There were seven players having an average OPS of .750 or higher:

• Ohtani – 1.096
• Ben Rortvedt – 1.071 (in four games before Will Smith came back)
• Alex Call – .897 (in seven games)
• Teoscar Hernandez – .788
• Will Smith – .777 (in 15 games)
• Max Muncy – .764
• Miguel Rojas – .760 (in 8 games)

This year’s team, as a unit for the entire playoffs in eight games, collectively hit .195/.267/.323. There were three players having an average OPS of .750 or higher:

• Kyle Tucker – .938
• Rojas – .929 (in five games)
• Muncy – .792

In one of life’s little ironies, Kyle Tucker started hitting in October; most of his teammates did not. Rojas has already announced his retirement. Even if the pitching staff repeated its stellar performance in 2026, rather than taking a step back as we all saw, this run was probably doomed.

A better team exposed the Dodgers. Where the Dodgers looked crisp and hungry in 2024 and got away with their fair share of miscues in 2025 (see Game 3 and Game 7 of the 2025 World Series), they looked slow and weary in 2026 when it mattered most during this playoff run.

It happens. Extra playoffs mean extra wear and tear, and the margin for error shrinks exponentially.

With the accelerated pace of the offseason that is about to start, let us take a moment to acknowledge something I hope happens once baseball resumes in 2027.

The 2027 Dodgers will hopefully look quite different

I make the following statement upfront: I do not think there is much appetite or wisdom behind trying to run it back in 2027. In that madness, Philadelphia lies; ask a Phillie fan how that strategy is going lately.

Unlike rogue AI agents that learned how to lie to their human masters, which is a terrifying recent development we do not have time to adequately cover here, this baseball machine is run by and carried out by people. Andrew Friedman seemed to tip his hand toward a more conservative approach to integrating the wave of prospects into the existing core, warning about a fear of winning only 86 games and missing the playoffs.

I think caution would be a mistake, and I think there’s an opportunity both Friedman and I recognize.

Yes, there is a risk that the prospects and new additions in free agency (whoever they are) will result in missing the playoffs for the first time in fifteen years. Variance happens. If anything, we’ve seen the opposite end of the spectrum here in the conservatism that Friedman seems to be alluding to in Philadelphia and over the past decade in San Francisco: you hold on too long, eventually you get thrown off the ride anyway with diminishing returns.

I am not going to argue something borderline moronic like trading Shohei Ohtani or casting off Max Muncy or Freddie Freeman. That’s silly. I am saying some of the core is reaching their autumnal years and maybe some more aggressive finessing of the roster is in order.

I think all the ink asking whether the Dodgers dynasty is over misses the point. For 715 days, from October 30, 2024 to October 15, 2026, the Dodgers were baseball’s champions. Nothing can take that away. However, in the next seven days, maybe as soon as tonight, a new champion will be crowned.

The goal now is to retool and reload now that the team is a challenger again. I don’t see this organization sitting on its laurels. Yes, they faltered. Now, maybe things can tighten up as the team remembers how bitter defeat tastes.

Unlike recent years, there is a delightful glut of promising talent in the minor leagues that will need protection from the Rule 5 draft. This year, along with phenom Josue De Paula, the team will likely need 40-man roster spots for Christian Zazueta, Jackson Ferris, Noah Miller, Jake Gelof, and Adam Serwinoski, or some combination thereof.

Things get really interesting next year, as James Tibbs III, Zack Ehrhard, Mike Sirota, and Eduardo Quintero are also knocking at the door and, coincidentally, will need Rule 5 protection at the end of 2027. Roster slots will be at a premium.

Will everyone I just listed pan out?

The law of averages says no, but my mind keeps going back to that one scene in Moneyball where not-Paul dePodesta tells Billy Beane about the opportunity present now that Johnny Damon is off the roster. If I have a criticism of the 2026 trade deadline, it’s that the Dodgers seemed conservative in trying to upgrade the roster on the fringes.

One does not have to go back very far in history to find an example of when the Dodgers were banking on a prospect to stick who didn’t, unless everyone forgot the Gavin Lux Starting Shortstop Experience?

On that note, could the Dodgers have traded players like Alex Call or Ryan Ward at the deadline? Sure. But clearly, they calculated that what was offered wasn’t good enough. Ward is in Japan now. It’s not as if another MLB roster claimed him to the team’s detriment. As for Call…read on.

The Coming Roster Crunch

At season’s end, the injured list goes away. The Dodgers currently have six players on the soon-to-expire 60-day injured list:

• Ben Casparius
• Jake Cousins
• Will Klein
• Brusdar Graterol
• Eric Lauer
• Gavin Stone

Some of these names will resolve themselves as you will read below. Ben Casparius and Will Klein are coming back next season; Seth Halvorsen likely so. And that calculus hasn’t even touched who gets added to the 40-man roster from the minors.

You have to make room somehow, and yes, the Dodgers are currently carrying four catchers on the 40-man roster. Put another way: you can’t DFA Eliezer Alfonzo more than once to avoid the coming roster crunch. Maybe the goal should be to wring as much baseball as possible out of the aging core while supplementing with some new blood.

The Dodgers 2026 Free Agent Forecast

It’s worth noting that since Tarik Skubal was acquired midseason in a trade, he’s ineligible for a Qualifying Offer that would give the Dodgers a marginal draft pick, due to the team’s record and being well over the draft penalty threshold.

The 2027 Qualifying Offer is a one-year/$23.15 million contract. Below are the Dodgers’ current crop of potentially departing free agents, with annotations of my best guess of what’s about to happen.

Spoiler Alert: No one is getting a qualifying offer in Los Angeles this go-around.

• Tarik Skubal (gone)
• Miguel Rojas (retired)
• Kiké Hernández (likely gone)
• Kris Bubic (gone)
• Eric Lauer (gone)
• Alex Vesia (likely gone)
• Evan Phillips (probably gone)
• Blake Treinen (gone, likely retired)
• Brusdar Graterol (gone)

As a lawyer in my day job, I give myself room to hedge.

If I say “gone,” I will be shocked into silence if I am wrong. If I say someone is “likely gone,” I would say it’s a 51/49 prospect that someone is gone, more often than not, but maybe wiggle room can be had. I would be surprised, but not shocked. If I say someone is “probably gone,” I would say that it is a 25/75 prospect that someone is gone, less likely than not. I would hope that something could be worked out, but I am mentally preparing myself to see them in a different uniform.

These forecasts are based entirely on observation and experience over the past five campaigns; I have no insider information. I’m trying something new, because I have the bandwidth.

Gone

Tarik Skubal: Sure, the Dodgers would like him back. How could you not? He did what the Dodgers acquired him for. Per Andy McCullough of The Athletic:

Across the past three seasons, [Skubal] led all pitchers in FanGraphs’ version of wins above replacement (18.0), while ranking second in ERA (2.42), fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.8) and fifth in innings (182 per season). In 2026, he returned from midseason elbow surgery to post a 2.72 ERA with 186 strikeouts in 158.2 innings. 

He beat Atlanta, but he got beat by the Brewers and Jacob Misiorowski; there was a lot of that going around.

Blake Snell really wants him back, as he apparently is figuratively cosplaying the main characters from Step Brothers with Skubal. However, unless Skubal is willing to do a short-term, Kyle Tucker-esque deal, he’s likely to eclipse Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s contract in total or, at the very least, annual value. My best guess is in New York (doesn’t matter which team), but maybe the Dodgers’ brain trust can pull another rabbit out of its figurative hat as to the soon-to-be 30-year-old left-hander.

Miguel Rojas: Has already retired and is already eating meat with Payton Tolle of the Boston Red Sox.

Kris Bubic and Eric Lauer: Bubic was a bullpen gamble that didn’t pay off. Moreover, Bubic has been a starter for his career; is he just a bullpen guy now? Maybe. Seems doubtful, but as far as I know, he’s not on the Bobby Miller Express of forced bullpen service. Lauer was a depth piece to absorb innings. The Eric Lauer Experience is likely a one-off, barring a non-roster invite or him turning his nose up at offers from West Sacramento.

Blake Treinen: Treinen injured his shoulder warming up in the penultimate game of the regular season in San Francisco. He’s entering his age-39 season. There were five relievers over the age of 38 in MLB in 2026: Luis Garcia (39), Caleb Theilbar (39), Carlos Carrasco (39), Kirby Yates (39), and Chris Martin (40).

I’m sure the doctors told Treinen that they can fix you, but at some point, time just marches on.

None of these pitchers appeared in more than 60 games in 2026; Theilbar was closest at 58. Yates has already announced his retirement, and if I were pressed, I would be flabbergasted if Treinen came back to MLB at all, much less with the Dodgers. We’ll always have 2024.

Brusdar Graterol: If Graterol is willing to come back on a minor league, prove-it deal, that’s my carve-out. But if Graterol is expecting a major league roster spot, the mark against him is that he hasn’t been able to stay healthy or get healthy. He has pitched in seven regular-season games since the start of the 2024 season, and all of them were in the 2024 campaign. As much as I personally enjoy watching Graterol, those are attendance records that would make Danny Duffy go, “Man, he’s never here.”

Likely Gone / Probably Gone

Kiké Hernández: Kiké is entering his age-35 season, and while he states that he can still play ball, there are two facts that likely spell an end to his time in Los Angeles, unless he is willing to take a lesser role (think minor league invite):

The Dodgers are facing a roster crunch discussed above, and Kiké’s main claim to fame the past few years has been his effectiveness in the postseason. This past October, he went 1 for 14, granted that one hit was his 17th postseason homer off of Chris Sale.

Otherwise, it was his worst postseason since going hitless in 2016.

I can see the Dodgers moving on if they buy in on Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim. The problem with those two players is that, even with extended runways in 2026, neither player could lock down playing time.

A reunion with Kiké makes more sense than the Dodgers trying to acquire a player like Luis Arraez. The goal with this thought exercise isn’t to chase names; it’s to get younger.

Honestly, the worst-case scenario is the Dodgers trading for Kiké at another trade deadline if they can’t work something out now.

Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips: Alex Vesia is arguably one of the most underrated bullpen arms in baseball. Even when the eye test falters, his peripheral statistics have stayed consistent over the past three campaigns. Vesia has a 2.66 ERA over 367 games and 328 total innings with the Dodgers. He posted 6.3 bWAR in his tenure with the Dodgers. In the postseason, he has a 1.59 ERA over 31 appearances.

His two-year, $5.8 million contract just expired. He’s probably worth at least $5 to 7 million per year, even as he enters his age-30 season. Is he worth Tanner Scott/Edwin Diaz money? No, but no one is, apart from prime-Mariano Rivera if he were pitching today.

Vesia will likely test the free-agent market, and it seems more likely than not that someone will finally wise up and pay (or overpay) for his services. For comparison, 32-year-old Luke Weaver is currently on a two-year, $22 million contract. Vesia is probably worth at least that, if not more, due to his age and effectiveness.

When healthy, and since becoming a bullpen mainstay in 2022, Phillips has a 2.31 ERA over 225 games and 210 2/3 innings with the Dodgers. He posted 4.6 bWAR since joining the Dodgers. In the postseason, he has a 0.00 ERA over 17 appearances.

Phillips had a bit of an issue with the home run ball in his 2026 campaign, nearly giving up as many as he did in 2025 in less than half the work. Otherwise, entering his age-33 season, he is coming off his one-year/$6.5 million contract. He could have left last offseason; maybe he does this offseason, but if he and the Dodgers were willing to work something out last year, even on a truncated basis, nothing indicates it couldn’t happen again.

If the stars align, Skubal is priority one, but otherwise, you try to bring back both Vesia and Phillips back into the fold. If pressed, I would say Vesia is the top reasonable re-sign target, then Phillips.

The 2026 Arbitration Class

The Dodgers have six players eligible for arbitration.

• Brock Stewart
• Jake Cousins (probably non-tendered)
• Alex Call (likely non-tendered)
• Emmet Sheehan
• Gavin Stone
• Andy Pages

Same definitions as above, but with a slightly different format.

Andy Pages: He deserves his own essay as to why he should get a contract extension.

Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone: Sheehan is coming back and is probably on the cusp of getting an extension at some point, especially if Skubal does not return. Stone hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2024; I can’t see the Dodgers cutting ties with cost-controlled pitching that still has options remaining.

Brock Stewart: While Brock Stewart actually logged some innings in 2026, he was fine. If you factor in Treinen’s likely retirement and the fact that MLB Trade Rumors projects Stewart to make $1.8 million in 2027, under regular circumstances, I cannot fathom the Dodgers failing to offer him a contract.

Jake Cousins: Unless you have a hyperfixation on the 2024 World Series, you would be forgiven for drawing a blank as to who this reliever is. Technically, he was the losing pitcher in Game 1, as everyone remembers Nestor Cortes being nuked off the field after throwing two pitches: one to Ohtani and the other — let’s check the tape:

I’m a tad biased, as it’s no Miggy Ro blast, but it’ll do in a pinch. Cousins signed just before opening day, and spent most of the year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He was reinjured in Oklahoma City while rehabbing, after generally being ineffective in a handful of appearances. If there is a universe where Graterol comes back outside of a non-roster invite, it’s probably dependent on the Dodgers cutting ties with Cousins.

Most likely, the Dodgers can get comparable production with a non-roster invite to Cousins if he wants it, and protecting Adam

Alex Call: At the 2025 Trade Deadline, rumors swirled that the Dodgers were on the cusp of acquiring both Emmanuel Clase and Steven Kwan. Naturally, that move didn’t happen. In part because Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave due to an ongoing pitch-rigging and sports-betting investigation. Clase was ultimately indicted for wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting events by bribery. His trial is scheduled to start on November 2, 2026.

If I had a nickel for each time in recent years the Dodgers dodged acquiring a closer that would end up under federal investigation, I would have two nickels (Felipe Vasquez, Pittsburgh, 2019).

The acquisition of Call as an alternative to Kwan was one of necessity in 2025. In two seasons with the Dodgers, Call has played in 126 games with a slash line of .237/.344/.331, 3 HRs, 25 RBIs, posting a combined .5 bWAR. Under regular circumstances, Call is a serviceable fourth outfielder.

With numerous outfield options waiting in the wings, Call’s greatest value is the 40-man roster spot he currently holds, which could likely be better used to protect a Rule 5 candidate like Adam Serwinoski, as described above.

Call was left off the postseason roster, and his only contribution in October was rightfully calling out the salacious advertising running during MLB playoff games. Still, media criticism aside, it is hard to see Call returning to Los Angeles under these circumstances.

Special Consideration

• Teoscar Hernandez
• Landon Knack

While working on this feature, two other names came to mind.

Teoscar Hernandez: This essay’s genesis was formed around a single thought while watching the 2026 Dodgers: “How many singles is Teoscar going to play into triples? Because it’s literally happened in two postseasons in a row.”

It’s not that Teoscar hasn’t produced over the past few years, because he has. Teoscar is set to earn $14.5 million in the final year of his contract, with a club option for 2028 that is unlikely to be exercised. Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors summarizes the question nicely:

Since Opening Day 2025, Hernandez has hit .256/.308/.441 with 41 homers over 1037 PA, translating to a 105 wRC+. The 2026 campaign saw Hernandez increase his batting average and walk rate from 2025 (though his 8.6BB% was still below league average), but his power diminished.

Digging further into Hernandez’s 2026 production, he was hitting pretty well before a hamstring strain sidelined him from the end of May to the end of June.  Upon returning from the injured list, Hernandez went into a protracted slump for the next two months before re-adopting his old batting stance, which seemed to get him back on track.  Hernandez posted a 1.015 OPS over his final 104 PA of the regular season before cooling off in the playoffs.

While the Dodgers would surely prefer more than a 110 wRC+ from a player making Hernandez’s salary, that’s still a decent level of production for a player entering his age-34 season.  So, why exactly is Hernandez a trade candidate, and perhaps the L.A. regular most likely to be playing elsewhere in 2027?

My biggest fear for the offseason, apart from an idiotic lockout I have seen coming since 2022, is that the Dodgers are just going to keep trotting guys out, because they are their guys. It used to be a more ruthless calculation; just ask Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Austin Barnes, and Chris Taylor, to name a few.

A platoon of Teoscar and Josue De Paula in left field makes no logical sense, especially if you are also somehow taking away at-bats from Ohtani at the DH spot.

Once again, Mr. Polishuk:

…[T]he Dodgers don’t have a ready-made third base replacement for Muncy in the way that [Josue] De Paula or several other top outfield prospects are knocking on the door for big league playing time.  This wealth of prospect depth makes it fairly unlikely that Hernandez’s 2028 option will be exercised, so Los Angeles could look to address other needs by trading Hernandez this winter.  It’s worth noting that there was some buzz around a Hernandez trade last offseason, though at the time, GM Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts downplayed the seriousness of that speculation.

Now a veteran of 11 MLB seasons, Hernandez’s game is pretty well established.  He brings a lot of strikeouts and doesn’t walk much, and he’s a subpar defender in both corner outfield slots despite a good throwing arm.  On the plus side, Hernandez is still making plenty of hard contact with solid barrel rates, and it could be that his decreased power this season was an offshoot from his stance change and maybe the lingering impact of his hamstring strain.  Playing for a team without a set DH could benefit Hernandez, as he could get some more partial rest days as the designated hitter.

[Emphasis added.]

The article also cites several potential trade partners, including the Mariners, Reds, Royals, and Orioles, just to name a few.

Honestly, it might be time for all parties involved to make a clean break. While there was some scuttlebutt that Teoscar would be traded at the deadline, Dave Roberts and the front office publicly downplayed it.

Would I be surprised if the Dodgers stand pat regarding Teoscar? No, and maybe that observation is the problem.

Landon Knack: Yes, he’s under team control for 2027. However, he is out of options and would need to be designated for assignment to move him to the minors.

Knack has played three seasons in Los Angeles, posting a 7-7 record and a 4.10 ERA over 123 innings in 29 games. Some of his peripheral stats are either terrible, namely his FIP (5.27), or are trending downward (more hits allowed per inning, more home runs allowed per inning, fewer strikeouts per inning).

Knack might need a change of scenery or a trade for a non-40-man prospect before the lockout starts. Even if players like Kyle Hurt and Bobby Miller have been disappointments in recent years, even while being serviceable in different roles, they have an option year remaining. Knack doesn’t,

What happened in 2021 is instructive

The last time baseball was in this situation was 2021, heading into the still-dumb 2022 lockout, that effectively kicked the labor can down the road, and cost Clayton Kershaw his opportunity to throw a perfect game in Minneapolis. It did not affect his failed perfect game attempt in Anaheim a few weeks later that year.

To conclude this exhaustive trip into the roster, I thought it might be instructive to see what the Dodgers did last time in this situation with a slightly less impressive crop of prospects on the horizon.

Per Eric Stephen:

The Dodgers added outfielder James Outman, shortstop Jacob Amaya, infielders Eddys Leobard and Jorbit Vivas, and pitcher Michael Grove to the 40-man roster ahead of Friday afternoon’s deadline to set rosters in preparation for the Rule 5 Draft.

To make room for them on the now full 40-man roster, outfielders Zack Reks and Billy McKinney were designated for assignment.

With all due respect to those listed, this list is infinitely less impressive than the current candidates under consideration. James Outman did have a far too brief moment of success while wearing Dodger blue. And, more importantly, Jacob Amaya led directly to the reunion with Miguel Rojas. No MiggyRo? No title in 2025. Okay, one last time while technically the defending champion…vitamins for everybody!

Sometimes fringe moves matter in ways that only blossom with time. On that note, let the youth movement begin!

The World Series is here between a pair of clubs in search of the respective franchises’ first championships in the Tampa Bays Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers. 

While the Red Sox work through the winter to build a team capable of a deeper playoff run in 2027 (provided there’s a season), Boston still holds the most rings since 2000 in a generational run of October success. 

Each team had standout moments that defined the championship run. Among those players who helped bring a title to Boston, which players stand among the best? Or even better, who would you pick to run it back with selections from the four teams? 

Let’s give it a try with a starting lineup and a four-man starting rotation composed from four Red Sox championship teams. To ease the arguments, let’s start with the best lineup based on production in the World Series. And obviously there’s crossover between 2004 and 2007. 

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF (2007) – (.438, 4 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI)

2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B (2007) – (Leadoff HR in Game 1, .850 OPS)

3. David Ortiz, DH (2013) (**WS MVP – .688, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 8 BB, 1.948 OPS)

4. Manny Ramirez, LF (2004) (**WS MVP – . 412, HR, 4 RBI, 1.088 OPS)

5. Mike Lowell, 3B (2007) (**WS MVP – .400, HR, 4 RBI, 6 R, 1.300 OPS)

6. Steve Pearce, 1B (2018) (**WS MVP – .333, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 1.667 OPS)

7. Jason Varitek, C (2004) (3B, 2 RBI, break curse)

8. Trot Nixon (2004) (.357, 3 RBI – Game-sealing double in Game 4)

9. Julio Lugo, SS (2007) (.385, 2 R)

LHP Jon Lester (2013) (2-0. 0.59 ERA, 15 K in 15.1 IP)

RHP Josh Beckett (2007) (7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K)

RHP Pedro Martinez (2004) (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)

LHP David Price (2018) (2-0, 1.98 ERA, 10 K in 13.2 IP)

Locking in a few spots here helped given the fact that the Red Sox had four different players win World Series MVP at four different positions. This list all came down to production in the Fall Classic, and honestly, there weren’t many debates at each spot in that realm (but comment and claw back if you feel differently!). Each player in the lineup delivered a standout moment within their sustained production — with the exception of Lugo with a key leaping grab in Colorado.

The rotation is also pretty easy to assemble as well given that each arm’s starts defined the momentum of the series. In sweeps like 2004 and 2007, you could make an argument to sub in Derek Lowe and flip-flop him and Pedro given their starts were nearly identical. Nonetheless, all of them rose to the occasion to strengthen their legacies in October.

NOW… we’ll do it based on pure talent, which honestly may not have a ton of change. 

1. Mookie Betts, RF (2018) (2018 AL MVP, .346 AVG to win batting title and several other awards)

2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B (2007) (2007 AL Rookie of the Year)

3. David Ortiz, DH (2004) (41 homers, .983 OPS during regular season)

4. Manny Ramirez, LF (2004) (43 homers in regular season, WS MVP)

5. Xander Bogaerts, SS (2018) (103 RBIs, .883 OPS during regular season)

6. Mike Lowell, 3B (2007) (124 RBIs in regular season, WS MVP)

7. Kevin Youkilis, 1B (2007) (.843 OPS during regular season)

8. Jason Varitek, C (2004) (.292, .876 OPS during regular season)

9. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF (2007) (.353 in regular season introduction)

LHP Jon Lester (2013) (2-0. 0.59 ERA, 15 K in 15.1 IP)

RHP Josh Beckett (2007) (7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K)

RHP Pedro Martinez (2004) (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)

LHP David Price (2018) (2-0, 1.98 ERA, 10 K in 13.2 IP)

The star power within the pitching staff keeps this group the same. Curt Schilling and Nathan Eovaldi likely had the best cases to join this portion of the list, but each of the four arms in the rotation spent at least one season has the established ace of the Red Sox rotation.

Do you have changes? Who’s in? Who’s out?

Make your lineups and rotations heard in the comments. Four championships has plenty to present for debate!