HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 17: Daulton Varsho #18 of the Houston Astros prepares for an at bat during the game against the Kansas City Royals at Daikin Park on September 17, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today, the Houston Astros announced that CF Daulton Varsho underwent left arthroscopic wrist surgery yesterday. This procedure will sideline him for the remainder of the 2026 season. Varsho is a free agent at the end of the season.
Varsho’s time with the Astros was unremarkable. He batted only .172 in 41 games for Houston, spanning 151 AB. He hit 5 HR and drove in 14. He also posted a paltry .224 OBP and a “sub-Maldy” .535 OPS.
At this point, it is unlikely Varsho is a member of the Astros in 2027.
It was recently revealed that Varsho had been dealing with a wrist issue since before the team acquired him at the deadline, and was attempting to play through it. Eventually, it became too much discomfort for him to tolerate.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 25: Hunter Brown #58 of the Houston Astros pitches in the bottom of the first inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on September 25, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
WILD CARD SERIES, GAME 2: The Houston Astros (0-1) will host the Chicago White Sox (1-0) for a do-or-die Game 2 of the 2026 AL Wild Card Series today at Daikin Park. The Astros look to extend their season with their ace RHP Hunter Brown (6-4, 3.19 ERA) on the mound opposite RHP Sean Burke (11-7, 3.34 ERA) and the White Sox.
TODAY’S PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Hunter Brown is a perfect 6-0 with a 2.39 ERA (10ER/37.2IP) in six career starts against the White Sox, including two starts this season. Brown and today’s White Sox starter RHP Sean Burke matched up on July 25, 2026 at CWS, with Brown (0ER/7IP) beating Burke (2ER/6IP) in a 4-1 Astros win. That win sparked a strong finish for Brown, as he went 5-3 with a 2.67 ERA (20ER/67.1IP) in his final 12 starts of the season.
IN THE POSTSEASON: The Astros are making their 19th postseason appearance in club history in what is the 65th year of the franchise that began in 1962. This season marks 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 are back in the postseason for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons (dating back to the 2015 season). 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.
POSTSEASON VETS: Since 2015, the Astros have played more postseason games (106) and have earned more postseason wins (62) than any other AL club. The Astros are 62-44 in that span for a .585 winning pct. in the postseason.
THE WILD CARD: The Astros are playing in the Wild Card round for the fourth time in their history. The Astros entered this series 3-2 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 the 2024 Wild Card Series.
THE PEACOCK BROADCAST: This series will be exclusively televised by Peacock/NBCSN. Tom McCarthy will serve as play-by-play man alongside analysts Geoff Blum and Steve Stone. Adam Ottavino and Britney Eurton will work sideline duties for the telecast.
TODAY’S POSTGAME SHOW: Following every game of this Wild Card Series, Space City Home Network will air a live 30-minute postgame show, which will be hosted by Kevin Eschenfelder and Todd Kalas. The show will be hosted from the SCHN set on the center field concourse.
ABOUT GAME 1: The Astros dropped Game 1 of the Wild Card Series last night, losing to the White Sox, 6-3. Both teams went with bullpen games, with the Astros using eight pitchers, including RHP Miguel Ullola (1ER/3IP), who worked the bulk innings. PH Nelson Velázquez homered for the Astros, marking just the fourth pinch-hit home run in Astros postseason history and the first since IF Chris Burke hit one in Game 1 of the 2005 NLCS at STL.
VS. THE WHITE SOX: The Astros and White Sox are meeting each other for their third all-time postseason series against each other, the others being the 2005 World Series and the 2021 ALDS. The White Sox swept the Astros in 2005, while the Astros dispatched the Sox in 2021 in four games. History aside, the Astros went 5-2 against the White Sox this regular season, including a 3-1 record at Daikin Park.
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.
ABOUT THE ROSTER: The Astros Wild Card Series roster includes 12 pitchers and 14 position players. Prior to this series, 13 players on the roster had no postseason playing experience, including five position players and eight pitchers. In addition to their active roster, the Astros are carrying 16 players with them throughout the postseason on their Taxi Squad.
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).
THE CASE FOR THE MVP: DH Yordan Alvarez is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award. Alvarez led the AL in OPS (1.033), slugging percentage (.601), OBP (.432), batting average (.316), total bases (341), walks (109), IBB (33), WRC (154), OPS+ (192) and extra-base hits (77). He also ranked second in RBI (106), second in hits (179), tied for second in home runs (42), tied for third in runs (105), and tied for fourth in doubles (34).
COMING UP BIG: 2B Jose Altuve ranks second in postseason history in HR (27), second in runs (89), third in hits (118), tied for third in extra-base hits (48), sixth in games (106) and seventh in RBI (56)
THE FIREMAN: LHP Josh Hader converted all 26 of his save chances this season. He is the seventh pitcher in MLB history to post 26-plus saves without a blown save. The last Major Leaguer to do so was RHP Ken Giles in 2018 (26 SV).
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2020 – The Astros dispatch the Twins in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series by a score of 3-1 at Target Field. RHP José Urquidy (1ER/4.1IP) started for Houston, while RHP Cristian Javier (0ER/3IP) earned the win.. Tied 1-1 in the 7th, SS Carlos Correa connected for a solo homer to put the Astros ahead. The win advances the Astros to a meeting with the A’s in the ALDS.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, September 30, 4:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Peacock/NBCSN
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 HD2 FM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
NEW YORK (AP) — Roman Anthony was not in the Boston Red Sox lineup for Game 2 of their AL Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night, a day after leaving the opener because of hand pain.
Batting leadoff as a designated hitter in his playoff debut Tuesday, Anthony struck out in both of his at-bats against Cam Schlittler before getting lifted for a pinch hitter with his team trailing by two runs in the sixth inning of a 9-0 loss.
Boston manager Chad Tracy said Anthony felt discomfort in his right hand after a couple of checked swings. The 22-year-old Anthony missed 101 games from May 5 to Aug. 29 with an injury to the same hand.
“He’s obviously coming off that. You’ll get a zinger every once in a while where you feel something — it’s fine, it goes away,” Tracy said. “Today some stuff happened that was more serious and was uncomfortable."
Jahmai Jones was set to hit leadoff as the DH with the Red Sox one loss from elimination, followed in the batting order by catcher Adley Rutschman, first baseman Willson Contreras, right fielder Wilyer Abreu, center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, third baseman Caleb Durbin, second baseman Nick Sogard, shortstop Trevor Story and left fielder Nate Eaton.
Sonny Gray was set to start on the mound for Boston against one of his former teams.
One of baseball’s premier prospects when he debuted last year, Anthony batted .245 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and a .735 OPS in 55 games this season.
NEW YORK (AP) — Roman Anthony is expected to miss the rest of the postseason for the Boston Red Sox because of new damage to his right hand sustained in an AL Wild Card Series opener against the New York Yankees.
It is not yet clear whether he will need surgery. Anthony was sidelined from early May to late August with an injury to the same hand.
“We did everything we could to be back this year and play, which we did,” Anthony said Wednesday in the tunnel outside the Red Sox clubhouse at Yankee Stadium before Game 2. “Going forward, we haven’t really even talked about it today.”
Batting leadoff as Boston’s designated hitter in his playoff debut Tuesday night, Anthony struck out in both of his at-bats against Cam Schlittler, then was removed for a pinch hitter with the Red Sox trailing by two runs in the sixth inning of a 9-0 loss.
Boston manager Chad Tracy said Anthony felt discomfort in his right hand after a couple of checked swings.
“After I came back, the hand was never really fully 100%,” Anthony said. “For me it was to a point where it was tolerable and I was taking certain swings that were sketchy and I was still able to come back and recover enough to just be in there every single day. But ultimately I just took a few swings here recently where that wasn’t the case.”
The team sent Anthony to Boston in a car after the game. He arrived about 3 a.m. and had new MRIs on Wednesday morning.
“Additional damage to some muscles in his wrist that weren’t there before,” Tracy said.
The 22-year-old Anthony returned to Massachusetts because the medical staff there was familiar with his injury from earlier this season.
“My thoughts are kind of all over the place,” he said. “Feelings and emotions of, you work all this year to put yourself in a position to just be good enough to go in the playoffs and for this to happen, it just doesn’t feel real.”
Anthony wasn’t sure whether the injury is something he’ll have to manage going forward.
“Given the point where we were at this year and all the different things that I tried and the different shots that I took and the routes that I went, I think — never really rested a ton, right? — so I don’t necessarily know the answer to that,” he said. “Once we saw it today, it was more so about like, all right, this is what it is. You can’t go. It’s not in the team’s best interest for you to play tonight. So get back there. Root your guys on and be a good teammate. And then once, like I said, once we get past the series, it’ll be one of those things where we reassess regardless of what happens and kind of go from there.”
Anthony missed 101 games from May 5 to Aug. 29 with the earlier injury to his hand.
“There’s been periods of time since he’s come back where he’ll get a zinger and feel something. And then it dissipates and we’re good to go,” Tracy said. “That’s not been an uncommon occurrence since he’s come back. But yesterday, as you went through those two at-bats, it got worse.”
The club announced Anthony was diagnosed with a right hand strain, and Major League Baseball approved a Red Sox roster substitution. Anthony was replaced on the Wild Card Series roster by infielder Curtis Mead, obtained from Washington in late July for pitcher Connelly Early.
According to MLB rules, Anthony is ineligible to return until the American League Championship Series — if the Red Sox advance that far.
“I’ve been experiencing some things with the swings and the check-swings over the past six weeks. Last night just felt a little bit more intense, a little bit more worse than past swings that have been lingering a little bit longer than the ones I was used to,” Anthony said.
“It was just super alarming and it got to a point where it was tough to grip a bat. I knew then and there that this was a little bit more similar to the one earlier in the year. That’s why we decided to go get imaging.”
Mead was on the bench for Game 2 against the Yankees. Jahmai Jones was set to hit leadoff as the DH with the Red Sox one loss from elimination, followed in the batting order by catcher Adley Rutschman, first baseman Willson Contreras, right fielder Wilyer Abreu, center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, third baseman Caleb Durbin, second baseman Nick Sogard, shortstop Trevor Story and left fielder Nate Eaton.
One of baseball’s premier prospects when he debuted in the majors last year, Anthony batted .245 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and a .735 OPS in 55 games this season.
“Hopefully he’s going to be healthy for next year,” Abreu said. “It’s a big loss for us, but we still have to play the game and try to win the game today.”
Taking the hill: Sean Burke looks to guide the South Siders to a sweep in Houston. | Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images
The White Sox (84-78) got off to a great start to the postseason with a 6-3 victory, and they hold a 1-0 series lead over the Astros (81-81).
Sean Burke, 26, will start on the mound for the South Siders. Burke posted a 3.36 ERA and a 3.62 FIP in 172 1/3 regular season innings. Burke accumulated 3.2 fWAR to lead the White Sox pitching staff in the regular season. The talented right-handed pitcher had two starts against Houston in the regular season, and he performed admirably against them, only allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits in 11 2/3 innings. The Astros posted a slash line of only .125/.239/.150 against Burke, but the Astros managed to win one of those games.
Hunter Brown, 28, is a right-handed starter who will be challenging for the White Sox to solve. Brown posted a 3.19 ERA and a 3.77 FIP in 107 1/3 innings, resulting in an accumulation of 1.9 fWAR this year. Brown made two starts against the South Siders, and those games went exceptionally well for him, as he only allowed two runs on eight hits in 13 innings. The White Sox slashed just .174/.208/.174 against Brown, so it is no surprise that the Astros won both of those games.
Here are this afternoon’s starting lineups:
This game is available on NBC Sports Network and Peacock, and we have further details in our broadcast guide. The first pitch is scheduled to take place at 4:00 p.m. CT. Will the South Siders complete a sweep for their first postseason series victory in 21 years? Let’s enjoy these exciting moments together.
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change.
One win down, one to go.
The AL Wild Card series continues tonight, Sept. 30 as the Yankees go for the series-clinching victory.
Last night, the Bronx Bombers won Game 1, 9-0, largely thanks to designated hitter Ben Rice’s huge night. Rice had four hits and six RBIs in the win, which he capped off with an eighth-inning grand slam.
“I’ll remember getting a ‘W’ versus the Red Sox — there’s nothing better than that,” Rice said after the game. “I’ll remember Cam [Schlittler, who struck out 10 over 6 1/3 scoreless innings] going out there and just being lights out, like he always is. I’ll remember the atmosphere. It was just an awesome night.”
Tonight, Max Fried will be on the mound as the Yankees try for the sweep.
If the Yankees win tonight, they’ll advance into the ALDS and head to Tropicana Field for a best-of-five series against the Tampa Bay Rays, who finished atop the AL East and finished the regular season with the best record in the league (98-64).
Here’s how to tune in to the Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series without cable.
Yankees vs. Red Sox start time
Game 2 of the Yankees-Red Sox AL Wild Card series is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET tonight, Sept. 30.
How to watch Yankees vs. Red Sox AL Wild Card Game 2 for free
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream Yankees vs. Red Sox 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 NBC as part of its 125+ channel options.
TRY DIRECTV FOR FREE
You can also watch the Yankees AL Wild Card series for free with a Peacock Premium free trial (seven days, then $16.99/month).
Red Sox vs. Yankees Game 2 starting pitchers
Sonny Gray (18-5, 2.72 ERA) will start for the Red Sox. Max Fried (5-5, 2.80 ERA) will be on the mound for the Yankees.
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.
Trent Grisham also entered the starting lineup in center field, batting seventh and bumping Spencer Jones to right field after the rookie had manned center almost every game during Grisham’s three-week IL stint for a hamstring strain.
And Ryan McMahon, who entered Game 1 in the fifth inning as a defensive replacement for the right-handed hitting Amed Rosario, is getting the start at third base against Gray.
Rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. is the only right-handed hitter in the entire lineup, with the Yankees stacking the deck with lefties against Gray and a right-handed heavy bench awaiting the lefties in the Red Sox bullpen.
Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (l.) and J.C. Escarra (r.) are seen in the dugout during the sixth inning of Game 1 of the Wild Card game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. Robert Sabo/New York Post
Upon informing him that he would not be in the lineup for Game 1, Aaron Boone said he texted Chisholm to tell him to be ready, because “you might be the most important person in the building tonight.”
Ultimately, that opportunity never came as the Yankees ran away with a 9-0 win, which Chisholm watched all of from the dugout.
Trent Grisham of the New York Yankees looks on prior to game one of the American League Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. Getty Images
But the second baseman will have a chance to make his mark on Wednesday against Gray, trying to send the Yankees into the ALDS against the Rays with an extra day off.
For the first time in 21 years, the Chicago White Sox have won a playoff series, dispatching the Houston Astros with a 7-3 win on Wednesday.
Coincidentally, their last series win had been the 2005 World Series against the Astros, and just like that series, it ended with a sweep in Houston as they used big games from Chase Meidroth and Andrew Benintendi to triumph over the Astros.
The White Sox wasted zero time getting off to a big start, chasing Astros starter Hunter Brown from the game in the first inning with four runs.
Kyle Teel lashed an RBI single to right field to score Sam Antonacci to start the rally, then Andrew Benintendi hit a broken bat single to center field to score Teel. A throwing error allowed Miguel Vargas to score, then Tristan Peters hit an RBI single to right to give Chicago a 4-0 lead after one half inning.
Trying to avoid elimination, the Astros started to slowly chip away at the Chicago lead, with Jeremy Pena, Cam Smith and Jose Altuve all hitting solo home runs to trim the advantage to 4-3 after four innings of play.
The White Sox leaned on their bullpen to keep the game close in the coming innings, and Meidroth landed a huge blow in the fight, hammering a home run to left field that scored three more runs and extended the Chicago lead to 7-3, bringing the team ever closer to their first playoff series win in more than 20 years.
The team’s bullpen shone brightly in the final innings, with Huascar Brazoban, Anthony Kay, Jordan Hicks and Erick Fedde combining for five shutout innings of relief to send the White Sox to the American League Division Series, where they’ll face the Cleveland Guardians.
First, though: Game 2 of the AL wild-card series, with the Yankees getting two shots to eliminate the Red Sox beginning Wednesday, Sept. 30 at Yankee Stadium.
Sonny Gray anticipates getting a loud and not particularly polite greeting from fans in the Bronx as he starts Game 2 trying to keep the Red Sox alive. The right-hander who pitched for the Yankees in 2017 and 2018 said upon the Red Sox acquiring him late last year that it was "easy to hate" the Yankees.
He'll find out just how easy that sentiment can be reciprocated.
Meanwhile, left-hander Max Fried will try to pitch the Yankees into the ALDS and should he and the bullpen succeed, the club is in great shape against the Rays: Right-hander Gerrit Cole will be ready for Game 1, Saturday, followed by an off day that lines up ace Cam Schlittler, with an extra days' rest, to boot.
New York is aiming to eliminate Boston in this round for the second consecutive season.
Follow along:
Where to watch Yankees vs Red Sox: Channel, live stream
First pitch between the Yankees and Red Sox is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
2022: Houston Astros (def. Philadelphia Phillies, 4-2)
2021: Atlanta Braves (def. Houston Astros, 4-2)
2020: Los Angeles Dodgers (def. Tampa Bay Rays, 4-2)
2019: Washington Nationals (def. Houston Astros, 4-3)
2018: Boston Red Sox (def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-1)
2017: Houston Astros (def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-3)
2016: Chicago Cubs (def. Cleveland Indians, 4-3)
Who won Yankees vs. Red Sox season series?
05:55 PM ET, September 30 2026
The Yankees won the 2026 regular-season series against the Red Sox, 7-6. The clubs split their first 10 meetings before the Yankees won three of four games during their final regular-season series at Yankee Stadium in late August to secure the season-series victory.
The Red Sox swept a four-game series at Fenway Park, which ignited their surge after a slow start that cost manager Alex Cora his job.
MLB payrolls
05:35 PM ET, September 30 2026
While eight of MLB's final 12 teams are in the top 10 end-of-season payrolls, based on figures from the MLB Labor Relations Department and obtained by USA TODAY, the remaining four are among baseball’s lowest spenders.
That includes the teams with the best records in each league, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Brewers’ payroll entering the postseason is $143.5 million, good for 19th in MLB. The Rays’ $98.3 million total is No. 25.
Red Sox — Sonny Gray: 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA in 29 starts; 149 strikeouts in 169 innings pitched.
Yankees — Max Fried: 5-5 with a 2.80 ERA in 20 starts; 104 strikeouts in 112⅔ innings pitched.
Roman Anthony injury update
04:41 PM ET, September 30 2026, Jesse Yomtov
NEW YORK — Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is out for the remainder of the playoffs after aggravating a hand injury in two at-bats during Game 1 of the American League wild-card series, manager Chad Tracy said before Game 2 on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
Anthony was limited to 55 games due to the injury this season. He was driven from Yankee Stadium to Boston after Game 1, arriving in the middle of the night, and received more imaging Wednesday morning. Tracy said imaging revealed further damage to the hand, which led to an extended absence this season for the second-year player.
“He’s going through it right now, mentally,” Tracy said of Anthony. “I texted with him. He wants to be out there with the guys.”
Information in this article was imported automatically into a template written and reviewed by a USA TODAY Sports editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.
Los Angeles, - August 12: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with Andy Pages after hitting a solo home run against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning of a baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The 2026 Dodgers regular season is over, and we already looked at the final week of the season and the final month. Now let’s look how the season played out in thirds, in increments of 54 games.
Split
W-L
Run diff.
BA/OBP/SLG
wRC+
ERA
ERA-
1st 54
34-20
+108
.258/.344/.427
113
3.10
74
2nd 54
34-20
+48
.265/.338/.438
113
4.08
97
3rd 54
32-22
+45
.247/.332/.408
105
3.46
83
The offense took a dip in the final third of the season, but was buoyed by a bounce back from the pitching staff. Just two games into the final 54 games, the Dodgers started their longest losing streak of the season, dropping seven games in a row, but recovered to win 32 games over the final third of the campaign, a 96-win pace.
Let’s delve into the offense first, beginning with the catchers.
Player
Starts
PA
2B-HR
R-RBI
BA/OBP/SLG
wRC+
Smith 1st
38
170
3-4
18-20
.242/.318/.342
85
Smith 2nd
7
31
10-2
5-3
.292/.452/.625
193
Smith 3rd
15
75
4-4
12-11
.290/.400/.548
160
Rushing 1st
22
91
2-7
14-17
.263/.352/.550
146
Rushing 2nd
35
147
2-4
22-16
.254/.333/.423
109
Rushing 3rd
2
15
0-1
1-3
.071/.133/.286
11
Feduccia 3rd
25
91
2-1
6-7
.197/.322/.263
73
Rortvedt 3rd
9
28
0-0
0-1
.185/.185/.185
-3
Alfonzo 2nd
6
16
2-0
2-2
.188/.188/.313
30
Alfonzo 3rd
3
12
0-0
1-2
.167/.167/.167
-14
Robinson 2nd
6
26
0-0
1-1
.087/.087/.087
-61
Totals 1st
261
5-11
32-37
.249/.330/.415
107
Totals 2nd
220
14-6
30-22
.233/.313/.399
95
Totals 3rd
221
6-6
20-24
.215/.311/.340
84
*includes starts at other positions
For the second year in a row, the Dodgers found themselves without both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing for extended periods, and once again Ben Rortvedt was involved in the cleanup mission. This time, both Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia were reacquired at the trade deadline and handled catching duties for most of August before Smith returned in September and was back to his normal production level in the final month.
Shohei Ohtani didn’t hit a home run after August 18 and landed on the injured list in September, Andy Pages was productive but missed four weeks after getting hit by a fastball on his left hand. Freddie Freeman played nearly every day but hit like Expos-era Pete Rose with only one home run over the final third of the season, and played through a right knee injury in September.
Conversely, Mookie Betts found his stroke again and paced the offense, with Max Muncy continuing his steady production. Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker had upturns over the final month especially.
Tommy Edman, Kiké Hernández, Miguel Rojas, and Alex Call all struggled in the final third of the season, while Josue De Paula excelled in his two-week runway after making his debut.
Now, the pitching.
Pitcher
G-QS
W-L
IP
BB-K
ERA
WHIP
xERA
Yamamoto 1st
10-8
4-4
64
13-59
3.09
0.984
4.02
Yamamoto 2nd
9-7
7-2
61.7
15-59
2.34
0.809
2.47
Yamamoto 3rd
9-7
3-3
59.3
14-64
2.12
0.809
2.40
Skubal 3rd
10-7
5-2
62
13-70
2.61
1.048
2.84
Snell 1st
1-0
0-1
3
2-5
12.00
2.667
3.91
Snell 3rd
8-4
4-0
39.7
14-50
1.13
0.983
2.00
Glasnow 1st
7-4
3-0
39.7
13-49
2.72
0.832
2.61
Glasnow 3rd
6-3
2-2
34.3
12-49
4.46
1.078
3.11
Wrobleski 1st
9-5
6-2
55.7
14-31
3.07
1.114
4.31
Wrobleski 2nd
9-7
5-0
57
7-56
2.68
0.930
4.35
Wrobleski 3rd
5-0
1-3
27.3
10-31
6.91
1.646
5.13
Ohtani 1st
8-7
4-2
49
13-54
0.73
0.837
2.52
Ohtani 2nd
6-5
4-0
36.7
13-41
3.19
1.091
2.97
Sasaki 1st
9-2
3-3
45.7
18-43
4.93
1.423
5.21
Sasaki 2nd
9-3
1-2
48
18-51
4.50
1.167
3.60
Sasaki 3rd
5-2
1-0
28.7
12-29
3.77
1.395
4.04
Sheehan 1st
10-4
3-1
51.7
14-59
4.70
1.239
4.08
Sheehan 2nd
9-1
1-6
41
15-45
5.27
1.268
3.45
Sheehan 3rd
3-1
1-1
19.7
4-28
2.75
0.814
2.46
Lauer 2nd
9-6
5-0
51.7
13-30
2.96
0.987
4.06
Lauer 3rd
4-1
2-2
20.3
6-16
8.41
1.820
6.19
Totals 1st
53-30
23-13
308.7
87-300
3.29
1.089
Totals 2nd
51-29
23-10
296
81-282
3.38
1.020
Totals 3rd
50-25
19-13
291.3
85-337
3.46
1.122
This is a bit of a mishmash, as it includes relief appearances by Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, and Eric Lauer in the totals. Shohei Ohtani did not pitch at all in the final third of the season, but the Dodgers traded for Tarik Skubal and got Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow back to go with Yoshinobu Yamamoto to set the team up for October. Those four combined for a 2.49 ERA and 30.3-percent strikeout rate in 33 starts over the final 54 games, including 21 quality starts. That’ll play
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 20: Cleveland Guardians pitcher Cade Smith (36) delivers a pitch to the plate during the ninth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Athletics and Cleveland Guardians on September 20, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Some controversy around Don Mattingly’s use of his closer in yesterday’s NL Wildcard game vs. the Braves should provide some opportunity for conversation for the Guardians leading into their American League Division Series beginning this weekend.
Entering the bottom of the seventh inning with a 3-2 lead, Mattingly brought Jhoan Duran in to face numbers 9, 1 and 2 in the Atlanta Braves’ order. He then brought him out again in the eighth to get hitters 3, 4 and 5 in the order. The internet is now full of folks calling Mattingly’s decision to go to his closer earlier a mistake because Duran ended up giving up a 3-run, go-ahead homer to Austin Riley in the 8th after the 5th and 6th hitters reach (via infield hit and a hit-by-pitch). But, I don’t think that’s quite fair to Mattingly… or to Duran… or to any team that might take a similar strategic path.
Duran came in with a narrow one-run lead and got five straight outs from the most dangerous hitters in the Atlanta lineup. He then gave up incredibly weak contact that unluckily resulted in a hit. At this point, someone should have been warming and getting ready as quickly as possible. Said pitcher would have had six pitches and a potential mound visit to start to get ready before the fateful Riley at-bat. However, I suspect Mattingly had a longer leash on Duran than optimal because the Phillies’ bullpen as a whole is not great.
I would argue that Mattingly’ process – despite the bad result – was sound. The most important thing to do in a playoff game in which you have a lead in the 7th or later is make sure that your best reliever throws meaningful pitches against your opponent’s best hitters. He accomplished this and got 5 out of 6 hitters out. At that point, I think it would have made sense to have the next best option ready to come in the game and remove Duran, not only because it was an unfamiliar situation for their closer but because there were two outs and you’re asking for one more out with a runner on first. Additionally, no one other than the six hitters who have faced him gets a rep against Duran to help them later in the series (though Atlanta is very familiar with the Phillies).
I hope Stephen Vogt can have conversations with his bullpen about similar situations. If the Guardians had the exact same situation, going to Cade Smith there makes perfect sense and guarantees he sees the best hitters at the end of the game with a lead. Smith also has experience going multiple innings and being the “fireman” in the past. The off days of the series should also allow the Guardians to be aggressive with Smith and their other best arms as they will have time to recover in-between appearances. Erik Sabrowski, Daniel Espino, Shawn Armstrong, a healthy Colin Holderman and even on a good day Tim Herrin are more than capable of getting a batter to end the 8th… or you let Tanner Bibee or Foster Griffin throw the kitchen sink at a hitter.
I do not mean to dismiss the importance of reliever comfort and role establishment. If the team truly believes that Smith being jarred from the role of pitching the 8th into the 9th would negatively affect his mental status, don’t do it. However, from everything we know of Cade, I doubt this is the case. The one thing to avoid at all costs is losing a lead in the 7th or later without Cade Smith facing your opponent’s greatest threats. Mattingly made sure to avoid it yesterday and I hope the Guardians will as well in the series to come.
Sep 18, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22), right fielder Carson Benge (3) and center fielder A.J. Ewing (9) celebrate after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Mets began the final two weeks of the season with four straight losses, in which they only scored more than one run in one of those four games. Things picked up a little bit after that, but the Mets only won one series in the final two weeks of 2026, playing spoilers to a Rangers team that would just miss the playoffs in a weak AL West. This was mostly a team just playing out the string, but the bright side is NL Rookie of the Year candidate Carson Benge finished the season hot, which may get him a few extra votes.
Player
Last week
This week
Francisco Alvarez, C
Brett Baty, UTIL
Carson Benge, OF
Bo Bichette, 3B
A.J. Ewing, OF
Francisco Lindor, SS
Ronny Mauricio, INF
—
Nick Morabito, OF
Christopher Morel, 1B/DH
Cristian Pache, OF
—
Marcus Semien, 2B
Juan Soto, OF
Luis Torrens, C
Mark Vientos, 1B/3B
Jared Young, 1B/DH
Since I mentioned Carson Benge, we’ll start with him. He was by far the Mets’ best hitter over the final two weeks of the season, putting up a blistering 201 wRC+ in 59 plate appearances and making another “splendiferous” catch in the outfield in the season’s final series in DC. He led the team in hits by a large margin with 21—six more than anybody else. He also led the team in runs scored with ten and RBIs with eight. He racked up six extra base hits, including three home runs. The final of those three home runs was his 20th, making him the first Mets rookie to have a 20-20 season. It’s possible that Benge still doesn’t end up beating out Sal Stewart’s sexy run production totals, but going 21-for-57 in the season’s final two weeks in a sprint to the finish certainly helped bolster his case.
When Jared Young’s very good 2026 season came to an extremely unfortunate end, Ronny Mauricio was called up to take his spot on the roster and had an incredible power surge to make his case to remain in the Mets’ future plans. In the Mets’ only victory against the Nationals in DC on Saturday, Mauricio went deep from both sides of the plate in his first multi-home run game of his career. Overall, Mauricio had four hits in 12 plate appearances, but three of those four hits were home runs. He drove in six runs and also walked twice.
The Mets’ other young player more on the fringes Nick Morabito also logged 12 plate appearances in the season’s final two weeks, but did not produce as many fireworks as Mauricio. He had three hits—two singles and a double—two runs scored and no RBIs. He also struck out six times and didn’t draw any walks, which is not a ratio you want to see. The future for both him and Mauricio on the team is uncertain, but unlike Morabito, Mauricio is out of options.
The future is also uncertain for both Mark Vientos and Brett Baty, who you could argue are borderline non-tender candidates in the offseason. However, the latter showed some spark in the form of a hot streak in the season’s final month that the former did not. Though Baty was not quite as red hot as in the first half of September, he is still one of the few Mets’ hitters to receive a positive grade for racking up ten hits in 38 plate appearances, including a home run—good for a very strong 147 wRC+ to finish out his season. Baty scored five runs, drove in six runs, and walked six times. He even expanded his repertoire to include the shortstop position in the season’s penultimate game, making his first career start there while Francisco Lindor served as the DH. Vientos’ season did not end on quite as high a note; he put up a 23 wRC+ in 25 plate appearances, notching just four hits—two singles and two doubles. He drove in two runs and walked once, while striking out seven times. While Baty made the case that he still belongs on the Mets’ roster next year, one can’t confidently say the same for Vientos based on his performance after returning from the injured list.
Francisco Lindor’s final two weeks were rather mediocre overall, but he did finally reach the milestone he had been chasing on the season’s final day, going deep for his 300th career home run. In doing so, he became the first shortstop in MLB history to hit 300 home runs and steal 200 bases. That home run was one of ten hits for Lindor over his final 63 plate appearances of 2026 and one of four extra-base hits. Lindor scored seven runs—second only to Benge for the team lead—and drove in two runs. He also walked seven times, which is the second-most on the team, but led the team in strikeouts with 14. Overall, he posted a 59 wRC+ in the second half of September.
By contrast, Juan Soto put up a much more solid 123 wRC+ in the final two weeks of the season. His eight RBIs match Benge for the team lead and his 15 hits are the second-most on the team. Soto also led the team in walks with nine and that is before including the five times he was walked intentionally, including three times in a single game during the Rangers series. Soto even stole a base for good measure, bring his total up to nine steals for the season—a far cry from last year’s total, but at least a good indicator that he is feeling healthy and hopefully ready to contribute a fully healthy season next year. Even though he played in only 111 games, the lowest of any full season in his career, he still amassed 3.0 bWAR in 2026.
The only other hitter to get a positive grade in the season’s final meter is A.J. Ewing, who joined his fellow Mets rookies in finishing strong with a 110 wRC+ in 51 plate appearances. Of course, his numbers aren’t as flashy as Benge’s, but 12-for-45 with six walks and two stolen bases is perfectly adequate production from a center fielder of his caliber defensively. Two of those 12 hits were home runs and Ewing scored five runs and drove in six runs.
Bo Bichette certainly didn’t end his season with a bang in a fashion that would make one confident he is opting out of his contract. He posted a rather pedestrian 84 wRC+ in 61 plate appearances in the last two weeks of the season. Of his 13 hits, only three went for extra bases, but he did go deep twice. He scored four suns, drove in five runs, and walked five times across these 13 games. Perhaps most notably, Bichette grounded into four double plays in the final two weeks of the season while nobody else in the team grounded into more than one; while this is small sample size theater like everything we do here with the meters, I can’t help but feel it is a microcosm of how this season has gone where so often Juan Soto gets on base ahead of Bichette—either because he gets a hit or because teams are pitching around him—and Bichette fails to deliver. Bichette has mentioned Andy Green as his favorite manager he’s ever played for in recent remarks, so the Mets installing him in the role permanently may sway Bichette to stay in New York rather than gamble on trying to get another big contract after an underwhelming season.
In the meantime, in his 2026 postmortem presser, David Stearns would not commit to Marcus Semien as the everyday second baseman next year and it’s easy to see why. Semien put up a 48 wRC+ in 46 plate appearances over the final two weeks of the season and ends his season with a 74 wRC+ overall for 2026. The Mets could have potentially lived with that if he was still playing Gold Glove caliber defense, but he also took a step (more like several steps, if we’re being honest) back defensively this year. Semien collected seven hits, three of which went for extra bases, including a home run. He scored five runs, drove in three runs, and walked four times. He also was caught stealing once.
Meanwhile, it was a rough week for the Mets’ catching tandem in more ways than one. Francisco Alvarez had an ugly game in the series opener in DC, grounding into a double play with the bases loaded in the first, making an errant throw in the second inning, and being behind the plate for three wild pitches in the third, two of which allowed a run to score. Overall, his numbers with the bat weren’t awful; he posted an 81 wRC+ in 37 plate appearances to finish out the season. He amassed nine hits, including two doubles and a home run. He scored six runs and drove in six runs, but he walked only once and struck out 11 times. Meanwhile, the numbers are garish for Luis Torrens, who finished the season 2-for-18 with a -28 wRC+. Torrens scored two runs, drove in a run, and walked just once while striking out seven times. I think it’s safe to say that the August power surge for Torrens petered out over these final couple of weeks.
There were no notable moments in the last two weeks of the season from the final two bench players Christopher Morel and Cristian Pache. Morel had eight plate appearances across three games and did not reach base in any of them. Pache does not get a grade because he only appeared in one game, but did not take an at-bat.
That’s a wrap on the position players for 2026 and we’ll get the final meter for the pitchers tomorrow. As always, I appreciate the community taking the time to read and engage with these fun meter posts every season!
Game 1 of the Wild Card round is in the books, and Chicago, we have some serious problems. The Cubs’ vaunted offense did nothing against Padres pitching, narrowly avoiding being no-hit in the first of the three-game series. Admittedly, Michael King dominated, throwing pitches that looked out of the zone only to dart back in to an unhittable corner of the plate. It completely disrupted a Cubs offense that is defined by taking walks, forcing pitchers to the big part of the zone and then doing damage. If Nick Pivetta is able to execute a similar strategy tonight the Cubs’ Postseason will end unceremoniously tonight.
It’s also unclear how many people in Chicago actually were able to watch the game (whether you think that’s a blessing or a curse is debatable). The Wild Card round was hosted on NBC, which decided to put both of the Chicago games on its streaming platform Peacock and a lesser carried channel, NBC Sports Network. If you subscribe to Comcast/Xfinity, YouTube TV or Fubo, you had the game via those services. If you subscribe to Peacock (more on that in a second) you had the game. If you either get cable through Astound (previously RCN) or DirecTV, you were out of luck, as they don’t carry NBCSN. This was also true if you use a live TV streaming option other than YouTube or Fubo. As reported in the Sun-Times:
To watch Games 1 and 2 of Cubs-Padres and White Sox-Astros, fans must watch on Peacock, which costs $12.99 per month, or NBCSN, which is available on Comcast’s Xfinity system and streamers Fubo and YouTube TV. Though Xfinity and YouTube TV are two of the largest pay-TV providers in the country, NBCSN is missing from services such as DirecTV and Astound/RCN.
A couple of notes here: I am one of the people impacted by this as I use Sling and despite having multiple sports add-ons had no way to access NBCSN through that platform. Additionally, not to quibble with the Sun-Times, but when I looked at the cost of adding Peacock for the game yesterday it was $19.99 a month and there was no option for a free trial through NBC. I did some digging and found that I could add a 7-day Peacock trial through Amazon Prime, and if I didn’t cancel in seven days the charge would be an additional $19.99 a month. I have also since heard on social media that if you have some cable packages, Peacock is a $5 add-on, for others it’s $9.
Got it?
The current maze of streaming, cable and pay-TV options is exhausting. Admittedly, I am taking people’s word on the price they are charged for Peacock right now, and didn’t devote even more hours trying to figure out their pricing tiers and deals. And that’s just Peacock. This season MLB had a handful of deals with multiple streamers who all have their own deals with different providers, etc.
Major League Baseball deliberately partitioning off a handful of games here and a handful of games there is designed to extract the maximum amount of money from their most engaged fans at a time most Americans feel stretched economically. Want to watch the Home Run Derby? Better have Netflix. Want to watch teams all over the country (except your local team)? Better sign up for MLB.TV. Want to watch your local team? Better pay them for streaming too, and/or pray your cable or pay-TV option has a deal with them. You can shell out $19.99 a month to subscribe to Marquee Sports Network, right? Want to watch your local team in the playoffs? That’s another $19.99 a month, either to NBC or through an add-on via some other nonsense Subscription as a Service (SAAS) designed to ensure you NEVER pay for just one thing. You’re always shelling out a few dollars here, a few dollars there, and from a company perspective, hopefully forgetting you signed up for that free trial so they can milk you for $19.99 until you figure it out.
Oh, and it doesn’t stop there. Not only are they hoping you forget you are paying them every month, they can and will raise those rates with as little notice as legally possible until you figure out that what you used to spend $64 a year for has somehow ballooned to $122 in less than two years. Streamflation is real, as reported this month by Nerdist:
Last year, we set out to chronicle the number of price hikes we’d see across streaming platforms. It had started to feel like every day, a streaming platform would raise its prices and increase its costs to subscribers. And that turned out to be… basically true. In 2025, we saw a total of SIX streaming price hikes — averaging out to about one cost increase every other month. While in a vacuum, streaming price increases can feel immaterial, taken altogether, the constant cost hikes are INTENSE. So this year, we’re doing it again. Join us as we take a look at every streaming price hike and cost increase in 2026. Will we be over or under the 2025 total? We’re already tied at 6 streaming price hikes in 2026 and 2025… So under is off the table… And over is looking likely.
My apologies for screenshotting the table of contents to summarize this article, there are so many increases, with so much individual nuance, the table of contents is the best way to get a sense of the scope of the changes. You really should read the whole thing to get an idea of actual increases and then take a close look at your bill to tally what you’re actually paying for TV and streaming):
Spoiler alert: they are all just really hoping that you never notice it or do the tally. That $7 becoming $9 becoming $14.99 just doesn’t register in the slew of other cost increases that are more in your face each day. It’s hard to escape the conclusion that one-off events like the MLB Wild Card round being on a niche streaming service that’s losing the platform wars are designed to artificially increase their market share. Here is the list of top streaming services in the United States by subscribers according to FlixPatrol:
There are any number of fans who are just tired of this discourse. I don’t blame them, it’s a complaint about the new media reality that probably isn’t changing anytime soon. Someone is always going to lose. Get over it and either sign up for the free trial, remember to cancel, pay $5 (or $9, or $12.99 or $19.99) and watch the game or choose to miss it.
However, the answer to an increasingly labyrinthine and opaque system for charging baseball fans the maximum they’ll agree to pay for games is not to just sigh and open your wallet. Especially not while corporate fingers are crossed behind CEO backs as they secretly hope you forget you added their service. It’s a textbook example of why people despise big business. Don’t take my word for it, Gallup polls these things:
Fifteen percent of Americans say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in big business, far below the 70% who say they have confidence in small business, as of June 2025. Separately, an August 2025 poll found that 37% of Americans have a positive view of big business, while 95% have a positive view of small business. Perceptions of small business have generally been steady in recent years, while views of big business have worsened.
Perhaps the billionaires who own baseball teams and the people who direct MLB’s front offices to make these decisions don’t care about any of that. Netflix offered more than Peacock, who offered more than Amazon, and some consultant with a spreadsheet figured out a way to maximize all of that at the cost of our growing anger and frustration. Fans have dealt with that angst in housing, food costs and the rising cost of everything else, so we’ll probably tolerate it from baseball too. Even if the powers that be in MLB’s front offices believe fans will always come back and they don’t need to worry about losing their most loyal fans, they should worry about the constraints they are inadvertently putting on growing the next generation of fans. How many kiddos out there won’t even have the chance to fall in love with baseball because they never saw the big moments in the first place?
MLB should be more than a corporation. It should be more than profit and loss statements. The type of loyalty, love and heartbreak that was on display at our watch party last night in Wrigleyville is a priceless asset MLB and team owners hold in trust. The endless carousel of streaming complications making it difficult for fans to watch the most important games of the year is a violation of that trust. MLB is playing a dangerous game leaving their fans disgruntled with these arrangements, especially with a labor battle looming that threatens the viability of the sport in 2027 and beyond.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 29: Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees celebrates after hitting a grand slam home run against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning in game one of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on September 29, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Cristopher Sánchez and the Phillies take on Tyler Mahle in Atlanta.
Sean Burke and the White Sox try to finish off Hunter Brown and the Astros in Houston.
Sonny Gray and the Red Sox try to stay alive against Max Fried and the Yankees in New York
Kevin Gausman leads the Cubs’ rallying efforts against Nick Pivetta and the Padres in San Diego.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 10: Manager Blake Butera #10 of the Washington Nationals takes the ball from pitcher Gus Varland #47, taking him out of the game against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the ninth inning at Oracle Park on June 10, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There were a lot of positive things to come out of the 2026 season for the Nationals. The offense exploded, starters like Cade Cavalli and Andrew Alvarez broke out, and the farm system is in a great place. However, the bullpen was a nightmare for the Nats this season. They aimlessly cycled through arms and repeatedly blew games.
The bullpen made history, but not in a good way. The 2026 Nationals set the all time blown saves record with 42 blown saves this season. They set the record on September 8th, when they blew their 38th save and did not look back from that. It was an ugly year, especially late in games.
The Nationals have blown 38 saves this season, setting the MLB single-season record.pic.twitter.com/KWcNTz84Bn
Honestly, this record was a bit of a perfect storm. It is unusual to have such a good offense paired with a very bad pitching staff, but that is what happened with the 2026 Nationals. That meant the bullpen had a lot of leads to protect, and inevitably they blew a lot of them.
When you look at the raw ERA total, the 2026 bullpen was actually better than 2025. Last season, the Nats posted a 5.59 bullpen ERA, the worst in baseball. This season, that number actually dropped to 4.99. However, due to all the leads the offense gave them, the Nats bullpen blew more games this year.
George Lewis on X actually tracked every blown save for the Nats. Most of them actually did not come in the 9th inning, interestingly. That chart shows a lot of interesting trends. It also gives you a visual of how unreliable the unit is.
On September 8th, the Nats bullpen blew its MLB-record 38th save. As someone who can objectively appreciate an epic collapse, I gave myself a mission: rewatch them all.
Here they are chronologically. More importantly, I ranked all 38 from least to most worst. Link below! pic.twitter.com/XAjftHkGCZ
What this tells me, is the Nats need a sure fire option at the back end of the bullpen. We will see how much money the Nats spend this offseason, but a lot of that budget needs to go to the bullpen. You can argue about the merits of throwing big money at bullpen arms, but the Nats do not have much of a choice. Once you have a true alpha in the bullpen, it helps the rest of the bullpen settle into a more appropriate role.
In my opinion, the Nats need to either sign a big money reliever or make a trade for a big time arm. Spencer Nusbaum wrote about how there was no guarantee the Nats sign a big fish in the bullpen. I think it should be at the top of their wish list though.
The Nationals will almost certainly add bullpen help this winter. It is no guarantee they sign a big fish with ninth-inning experience.
More, including the case for and against that philosophy and how the bullpen is shaping up ahead of 2027: https://t.co/e4WEtqt680
I do not necessarily need the arm to have closing experience, but I want someone who has proven they can produce at a high level. My dream option actually does not have 9th inning experience.
It would be far-fetched, but Adrian Morejon would be such a perfect fit for this team. He checks just about every box. Morejon is a very young free agent, not turning 28 until February. He also has absolutely insane stuff, with a savant page that is about as red as it gets. The market for Morejon will be bonkers, so I would not hold my breath there.
The other big name at the top of the market is David Bednar. He has proven he can handle the spotlight and has thrived as the Yankees closer. Bednar has a filthy three pitch mix, but again, the market will be intense. If Mark Lerner and the front office want to make a statement, that would be a great signing to make.
Honestly, there are plenty of options on the market, and the Nats need to come away with at least one or two of these guys. Some names that intrigue me are Evan Phillips, Raisel Iglesias and Alex Vesia. Those three are more realistic than the first two in my opinion.
Based on what we know about Paul Toboni, it does not seem like throwing major resources at the bullpen is something he wants to do. However, I do not think he has much of a choice right now. He tried to build a bullpen through shrewd waiver claims, internal development and minor trades. That simply did not work. We found a few nice arms, but no future closers.
If the Nats do acquire one or two heavy hitters, I think the bullpen would be in a nice spot. Over the last couple months of the season, some depth started to emerge. I like Erik Tolman, Jack Sinclair, Will Dion, Orlando Ribalta, Yovanny Cruz, Riley Cornelio and Brad Lord. However, I do not like any of those guys pitching in the 9th inning.
Once you find that alpha in the back of the bullpen, things begin to take shape. This offseason, Paul Toboni needs to swing big at the top of the relief market, instead of looking for quantity. With the right closer to spearhead this unit, I think the Nats bullpen could surprise people in 2027.
