Category: MLB

On the 4th of July, Brandon Woodruff threw what he and many thought would certainly be his last pitch of 2026 and potentially the last pitch of his entire career. Soon, it was revealed that doctors believed surgery would be required to again fix the shoulder capsule in his throwing arm. Two major shoulder surgeries in just over three years would have been devastating.

Then, a sudden turn of events. Woodruff initially held off on surgery and went in for his four-week follow-up in August to determine if surgery was ultimately necessary. But the doctors found that Woodruff’s shoulder was healing much faster and better than expected. They decided not only did Woodruff not need surgery, but that it was safe for him to begin a throwing program.

The window was going to be tight. Woodruff needed a five-week throwing progression just to get his arm ramped back up before he could even get on a mound and that would take him to the end the regular season. Then he would need to be cleared to throw off a mound, get some bullpen sessions in and then face live hitters.

The margin for error was zero. Any sort of delay or setback and the hopes of making it back to the field in time for this postseason were going to be dashed. Woodruff has had numerous setbacks and delays in his previous returns from shoulder injuries, so the odds seemed slim.

Woodruff told reporters prior to the NLDS that the earliest he could possibly return to the field would be the World Series, should the Brewers get there.

Now, here the Brewers are, their spot clinched in the World Series and Woodruff remaining on time and on schedule in his comeback.

In the NLCS clinching celebration, Woodruff told Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that “it’s gonna be hard to keep me off that roster.” He threw a high-intensity 31-pitch bullpen in Los Angeles and according to Woodruff the stuff looked good.

All along this process, it seemed clear that it would take an absolute perfect storm of circumstances to get Woodruff back in a game in 2026.

I think that perfect storm has come to fruition. Woodruff has made it through without any setbacks in his recovery, the Brewers have made their way to the World Series, and there are essentially available spots on the pitching staff. To this point in the postseason, Pat Murphy has not called upon Kyle Harrison nor Chad Patrick. Shane Drohan was in that group as well before he started Game 4 of the NLCS and lasted little longer than an inning.

Not long ago, it was hard to imagine Harrison and Patrick not playing important roles on this pitching staff in the postseason. Now, it’s hard to imagine the Brewers finding a spot for them to get in a game.

Murphy has consistently talked about how much Woodruff means to the organization, how much he’s done for the team, not only this year but over his whole career. For the Brewers to reach the World Series, to have Woodruff available for it would be poetic and perfect. Woodruff helped build the Brewers to get to this point, it’s only fair he would get a shot to pitch in the Crew’s first World Series in 44 years.

However, life isn’t always fair, especially in sports. The storybook ending doesn’t always happen. The Brewers have finally gotten to a World Series berth. The next one isn’t promised. They have one shot at this, and will the Brewers, a team that generally doesn’t take the biggest risks, risk putting a pitcher who hasn’t pitched in a game since July 4th, on the roster for the most important seven-game stretch in the organization’s history?

Provided facing hitters in live BP during the week leading up to the World Series goes well, I think they will. I think Woodruff will be put on this roster and he will pitch in the World Series for this organization. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Game 1 or Game 2 so he’s in front of the home crowd. Woodruff wants it, the organization wants it for him, and the stars appear to be aligning.

Woodruff has shown he can still get outs, even with diminished stuff. He doesn’t need to be fully stretched out, just getting an inning or two. The Brewers have two pitchers that have been unused all postseason, that makes it easier for them to switch Woodruff onto the roster in place of someone. For most players, there’d be the concern of if the stuff would be good enough for that important of a game to bring him off the IL for. For Woodruff though, he’s as trusted a big game pitcher the Brewers have.

Is there risk? Absolutely. Is it a risk the Brewers are willing to take? I think so. We won’t find out for sure until the roster drops on Friday morning.

What a story this season has been for the Brewers. Not only are they looking for the storybook ending with a World Series title, but to get Woodruff back on the mound and be a part of it, that would be poetic justice.

1912
The White Sox capped the most amazing City Series ever, having rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win the final four and take the crown. And on this day, in front of a Comiskey Park crowd of 14,985, the South Siders walloped the Cubs, 16-0. The rout would stand as the biggest win and most runs in City Series history, and at the time the South Siders’ 17 hits were the most in Series history.

Due to two ties (both called on account of darkness) that started the Series, this was officially Game 9. And the October 18 date made this the longest into October the City Series would ever stretch or ever go.

The two hurlers who had finished up the previous day’s White Sox win at Wrigley Field, Ed Walsh and Jimmy Lavender, took the pill to start the Game 9 decider, and only one survived past the second inning. Already up 3-0, the White Sox crushed Cubs pitching for eight runs in the third inning, turning the game into an 11-0 laffer.

Shano Collins had an incredible game, going 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBIs, a walk and two steals. He got on base a fifth time after being hit by a pitch, which may or may not have had to do with stealing home on the front end of a double-steal in a 10-0 game.

Walsh, after 393 innings pitched in the 1912 regular season, saw action in six of the nine City Series games, amassing a 2-1 record with a save and 41 more innings. Walsh completed this win, but the wear and tear of the season had an effect: He would throw just 14 more complete games in the rest of his career, and never again reached even 100 innings in a single year.

1950
Filling the largest imaginable managerial shoes, former White Sox skipper Jimmy Dykes replaced Connie Mack in the dugout for the Philadelphia Athletics. Mack managed the A’s for 50 years, all the way back to their inception in 1901. (Dykes, who broke into the big leagues with Philly and won World Series under Mack before being sold to the White Sox in 1933, was not even Connie’s first choice. He preferred son Earle taking over, but was overruled by the rest of the A’s governing board, including one of Mack’s other sons.)

Dykes took over a floundering Athletics club but managed a winning season (79-75) in 1952, wrapped inside of two terrible ones. He was fired after the 1953 season but managed for four other teams in the years to come.

1955
The White Sox sent infielder Bobby Adams to Baltimore for outfielder Cal Abrams.

Abrams saw action in four games for the White Sox in 1956, singling in his first at-bat with the team. But he was released in May, caught on in the Phillies system, but never saw the majors again. Adams was a spot player in Baltimore and then with the Cubs, winding his career up in 1959.

1967
The White Sox sold third baseman Dick Kenworthy to the New York Mets. Kenworthy had played for five years on the South Side, sparingly — in no season did he play in more than 50 games or come to the plate more than 103 times.

However, at the end of Spring Training 1968, the two teams reversed the deal, as Kenworthy was returned to Chicago and played the most he ever had in a season — to disastrous results, as he ended his White Sox tenure (and MLB career) with a -0.8 WAR and a .221/.252/.238 slash.

1969
A little-known studio musical group had released an oddly-named song. On this date, it broke into the Billboard Top 100, and would eventually move all the way to No. 1.

The group was called Steam, and the song, “Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye).” Thanks to the efforts of White Sox organist Nancy Faust, it would become the song Sox fans used to “serenade” pitchers being removed from games.

Faust had played the song many times at Comiskey Park before it caught on as a phenomenon, but it was during a battle for first place with the Kansas City Royals at the end of July 1977 that fans started singing along to Nancy’s playing — and never stopped. The song has crossed over to every sport, The Simpsons, Congress … in short, it made Faust a cultural icon.

The song became so enormously popular at Comiskey Park in 1977 that the Steam single was reissued, with the additional notation “(White Sox Theme Song)” — and Faust was awarded a commemorative gold record for reviving interest in the track.

In April 2021, ESPN had a special short documentary on the history of the song, and how through the efforts of Faust it became the fan base’s anthem before spreading to other teams, leagues and sports.

Although Faust only heard the Steam single and decided to move it into her rotation at the park years later, ironically the song was released just prior to her getting the White Sox organist job, taking over for Bob Creed in 1970.

The last two years, the Dodgers’ pitching staff carried them to World Series titles –– with the bullpen doing the heavy lifting in 2024, and the rotation pitching at a superhuman level in 2025.

This season, the group couldn’t replicate that success, enduring adversity during an injury-plagued regular season and then failure against a relentless Brewers offense in the team’s National League Championship Series elimination.

Still, the Dodgers boasted a talented staff, finishing with the fourth-lowest team ERA in the majors this year.

In Part 2 of the California Post’s end-of-season report card for the Dodgers’ 2026 season, here’s a look at how each key arm performed, and where they stand entering 2027:

Yoshinobu Yamamoto: A-

It’s worth remembering: Yamamoto entered 2026 coming off a career-high 30 regular-season starts in 2025, another 37 innings in his heroic postseason run, and an appearance this spring in the World Baseball Classic. You’d have been forgiven for thinking his right arm was about to fall off.

Instead, the reigning World Series MVP was even more productive in 2026, throwing more innings (185), collecting more wins (14-9 record) and lowering his WHIP (0.87) while posting a nearly-identical 2.53 ERA (fifth-lowest in the majors). The only disappointment: He didn’t replicate last year’s historic October, suffering the Dodgers’ shortest playoff start during a pivotal NLCS Game 2 loss. Still, he’s on the (very) short list for best pitchers in the game right now.

Tarik Skubal: B+

Another member of that short list, Skubal just about lived up to the billing following his blockbuster trade deadline deal, going 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in his 10 regular-season starts for the Dodgers. He also had the best postseason of anyone in their rotation, giving up three runs over 11 innings in two starts. 

Still, he took the defeat in his NLCS outing. And in the end, the team’s aggressive acquisition of the two-time Cy Young Award winner didn’t work out as intended, failing to help the team complete a World Series three-peat. The question now: Will the Dodgers be as aggressive in trying to re-sign him as a free agent?

Blake Snell: D

This was not the season Blake Snell was envisioning. He was limited to just nine starts by shoulder and elbow injuries. And though he did post a minuscule 1.90 ERA in the regular season, he suffered two disastrous playoff starts, failing to complete four innings against the Braves in one and giving up back-to-back seventh-inning home runs against the Brewers in the other. He showed he still has some of the best stuff in the sport when right. But after another abbreviated regular season, the Dodgers needed more from him in October.

Tyler Glasnow: D

Glasnow’s season was similar to Snell’s. He made just 13 regular-season starts because of back problems, going 5-2 with a 3.53 ERA. His performance also regressed in the playoffs, when he blew a four-run lead with the team facing elimination in Game 4 of the NLCS. The last couple years, the Dodgers have gotten away with limited workloads from both pitchers. But next year, they will be expecting more from each of them, in the regular season and the playoffs.

Justin Wrobleski: B+

Wrobleski was having an A+ season through mid-July, going from bullpen swingman to breakout rotation star with an 11-2 record and 2.62 ERA through his first 17 outings. However, the All-Star selection finished on a sour note, getting shifted to the bullpen after a serious bout with home run struggles down the stretch. He showed he can be a quality big-league starter. Now he needs to prove he can do it over the course of a full year.

Roki Sasaki: B

What started as a rollercoaster campaign for the second-year Japanese phenom finished with signs of tangible progress. In his first 15 starts, Sasaki had a 5.40 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. In his next seven starts after that, he had a 2.63 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, finding success with a reworked arsenal and improved command. A blister sidetracked that late-season surge, and prompted a shift back to the bullpen for the playoffs. But entering 2027, the Dodgers will be hoping he can take another step. Finally, they have real reason to believe he can.

Emmet Sheehan: C-

This was largely a lost season for Sheehan, whose first full campaign back from Tommy John surgery did not go according to plan. He was 5-8 with a 4.57 ERA in 23 outings. He battled inconsistent velocity and mechanics. He was sent back to triple-A for much of the final two months. He did seem to find something late in the year, giving up only one run over 17 innings in three September outings. But he has a big offseason ahead if he wants to re-cement himself as a long-term fixture in the Dodgers’ rotation.

Edwin Díaz: C-

For most of the year, nothing went right for the $69 million offseason signing. He battled elbow and neck injuries. He posted a career-worst 8.68 ERA in the regular season. He was nearly left off the team’s postseason roster. Despite all that, he did finish the year as the Dodgers’ expected, rediscovering his typically dominant form just in time to return to the closer’s role in October. But that was the only silver lining to take from an otherwise dismal debut Dodgers season.

Tanner Scott: B

The Edwin Díaz of 2025, Scott was significantly better in the second year of his $72 million deal. He had 25 saves and a 2.69 ERA, one of only 11 pitchers to do so this year. His 82 strikeouts were most of the Dodgers’ bullpen. However, he also gave up a pair of postseason home runs, including a go-ahead shot in their NLCS Game 4 elimination. In other words, while he was better in 2026, he still hasn’t lived up to his big contract.

Edgardo Henriquez: B+

Henriquez was a bit of a revelation in his first full MLB season, posting a 2.85 ERA in 61 outings while wowing with his 100.7 mph average fastball (second-hardest in the majors behind only Mason Miller). His postseason was forgettable. But, moving forward, he should be a key arm in the Dodgers’ bullpen long-term.

Alex Vesia: B+

The pending free agent had another solid season, posting a sub-3.02 ERA (2.64) for the fifth time in six years with the Dodgers. Before the playoffs, he expressed his hope of being back in Los Angeles next year. But, he should have plenty of other suitors on the open market this winter.

Evan Phillips: B

It took time for Phillips to knock the rust off following his return from Tommy John. But by the end of the year, his fastball was back in the upper-90s (even hitting 100 at one point). After re-signing with the Dodgers last year, he hits free agency again this offseason.

Brock Stewart: C

When healthy, Stewart was effective. But he continued his career-long battle with injuries, making only 28 appearances. He enters his final season of team control in 2027. 

Blake Treinen: C

Treinen never quite looked right this year, while spending extended time on the injured list for a second-straight season. A season-ending shoulder injury also put the 38-year-old’s future in question. At the very least, it’s possible the soon-to-be free agent might have thrown his last pitch for the Dodgers after a decorated seven-year tenure.

Will Klein: C

Last year’s World Series hero was good in the first half, but ultimately finished the year with a 3.67 ERA and elbow troubles. He should get another chance to prove himself as a high-leverage big-league reliever in 2027.

Jack Dreyer: B

It was a decent season overall for Dreyer (3.20 ERA). But a September slump cost him a spot on the Dodgers’ postseason roster. He’ll be trying to increase his role in 2027.

Eric Lauer: B

Lauer served his purpose this year, giving the Dodgers reliable starts amid a midseason injury crisis to the rest of their rotation. As a free agent, however, he will likely have to look elsewhere for starting opportunities in 2027.

Kyle Hurt: C

Once a highly-touted prospect who had dealt with injuries in recent years, Hurt made 44 appearances this year but had an up-and-down campaign that finished with a 4.14 ERA. He’ll be one of many fringe arms trying to earn a big-league job in spring training next year.

The Tampa Bay Rays have evened up the series thanks to a fantastic performance from Nick Martinez and the offensive big three coming alive.

Now the Guardians and Rays will basically play a best of three series to determines who will take the American League pennant and move on to face the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series.

Standing in the Rays way this afternoon is southpaw Parker Messick, who the Rays faced and beat in the second game of the ALCS, mostly thanks to a well timed error by future Hall of Famer Jose Ramirez. Overall, Messick allowed three runs — zero earned — on six hits, while walking two and striking out three.

Meanwhile the ace of the Rays staff, Drew Rasmussen, returns to the mound after a solid performance in the first game of this series. Rasmussen battled the Cleveland lineup for the duration of his outing as the Guardians hitters grinded through each at bat and managed to collect eight hits. Still, the Guardians only managed two runs, both on solo homeruns, while striking out seven times and didn’t draw a walk. Rasmussen pitched into the 7th inning but was done for the day after Patrick Bailey tagged him for a homerun.

The Rays will need a lengthy performane from Rasmussen this afternoon after the bullpen’s hefty usage during game four, but there isn’t anyone else they’d rather have on the mound today.

With the Yankees’ season over for 2026, we here at Pinstripe Alley have been looking back at the campaign. With how it ended, a lot of our coverage has come through a lens of frustration, but we’ve looked back at some of the good and bad all the same. However, now it’s time to look back on some pure stupidity.

We’ve ranked things like the best and worst moments of the year. We’ve talked about some of the best individual performances of the season. However, I am a connoisseur of stupid baseball: games that go 15 innings, ones that feature game changing plays that are ridiculous errors instead of home runs, stuff like that. Every year, I like to take part in our end-of-season reviews by ranking the dumbest games of the year, and we’ve reached that point for 2026.

Now, it should be noted, this is not a worst games of the season list (or worst moments; check out Andrés for that). We’re not just ranking the most consequential losses, or biggest blown leads, or whatever. This is purely the games that were the dumbest in how they played out.

Honorable Mention

It didn’t feel right putting it in the rankings since there was no baseball actually played, but we’ll give a mention to the rainout on the final day of the regular season. With a nor’easter wreaking havoc and the game not meaning anything in the standings for either the Yankees or Orioles, it was obvious this game was never actually going to be played. However, the game was put into a delay and just stayed there for hours until it was finally called off. The Yankees never even actually released a lineup. Ridiculous.

5. September 25th – Orioles 10, Yankees 2

The aforementioned nor’easter messed with the entirety of the final series of the season, which had an impact on some other events. The Yankees were planning on holding the ceremony for CC Sabathia’s number retirement ahead of the game against the Orioles on Saturday, September 26th. However, the expected rain led to the teams instead forgoing Saturday’s game in favor of a doubleheader on Friday. The new plan was to hold Sabathia’s ceremony ahead of the opening game of the twin bill (in accordance with his wishes). However with it now being an afternoon game on a weekday, the crowd was not remotely as full as it could’ve or should’ve been for a moment like that.

Plus, when the game started, the Yankees got absolutely blown to smithereens. The Yankees gave Brendan Beck a spot start as they prepared for the postseason, and he got smoked for seven runs in five innings. We honestly weren’t far away from seeing if CC himself could eat some innings out of the bullpen.

4. August 3rd – Cardinals 13, Yankees 7

After a rare bad outing from Cam Schlittler, the Yankees found themselves down 6-0 going into the bottom of the fifth. Back-to-back homers from Austin Wells and Trent Grisham cut into the lead, but they still trailed in the seventh. There, a trio of homers brought the Yankees all the way back, with a two-run moonshot from Luis García Jr. give the Bombers a very unexpected lead.

However, the good vibes from that comeback only lasted so long. Ryan Yarbrough allowed a triple to lead off the eighth, at which point Angel Chivili came in. Chivili’s final numbers for the season only look so-so, but that’s almost entirely because of this game. He had a 0.57 ERA in 15.2 innings coming in and wouldn’t appear again after this performance (at least partially due to injury). In this game, Chivili allowed seven runs on six hits, including three home runs. In one inning of work, he put up a -0.512 Win Probability Added. Losing games after big comebacks happen, but rarely do they happen in such an immediate and drastic way.

3. ALDS Game 1 – October 3rd – Rays 1, Yankees 0

As I said, this isn’t purely a ranking of the most meaningful losses, but as it happens, one of those was also especially dumb. After crushing the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, the Yankees then went to the Trop to take on the Rays. They then proceeded to get no-hit into the eighth inning by Rays’ ace Drew Rasmussen. Plus, when they finally did get it hit on an Austin Wells double, this happened, and it ended up being the only one they got:

2. July 29th – White Sox 6, Yankees 5 (12 innings)

In general, I’m not one to truly hate on a Yankee player. Sure, there are some bad ones that pop up every now and then, but usually any anger I have is to the front office/management for putting them in bad situations, rather than hating a player who is generally trying their best. However, one particular play made me something of a hater when it comes to backup catcher Ali Sánchez.

In one game in Chicago against the White Sox, the Yankees had already blown a late lead, sending it to extra innings. In the 11th, they got the lead back thanks to an Anthony Volpe sacrifice fly. In what turned out to be his final game as a Yankee, Camilo Doval entered for the 11th and got two quick outs, albeit one was a grounder that did allow the auto-runner to move to third. However, the Yankees were just one out away, and all they had to do was focus on Andrew Benintendi at the plate.

Someone apparently forgot to remind Sánchez that. Following a pitch during the next at-bat, he attempted to check back Munetaka Murakami at third. However, his throw got past Ryan McMahon, allowing Murakami to come home and tie the game.

Errors happen to even the best players and best defenders, yes. However, what was so galling about that one was that — to use a tennis term — it was unforced. Again, they were an out away from the win, you just needed to focus on the batter. Sure, throw to third if you catch the runner completely sleeping and a mile off the bag, but that wasn’t the case. The risk was too much considering the consequences if it went wrong, and it went very wrong. Naturally, the White Sox proceeded to win the game the following inning.

1. September 16th – Twins 5, Yankees 4 (13 innings)

The Yankees’ struggles in extra innings since the introduction of the automatic runner are often remarked on. Since that rule was introduced in 2020, the Yankees have gone 49-54 in extra inning games. While that’s not that far under .500, they actually went 25-18 in extras from 2020-22, so they have just a .400 winning percentage since then. They’ve also been the second-worst road team in extras in this time at 19-36. Arguably no game epitomizes those struggles than this one.

Having been shutout for eight innings at Target Field, the Yankees somewhat miraculously tied the game with two outs in the ninth on a two-RBI double from Anthony Volpe. Mind you, a lot of us, including Volpe himself, thought the ball was going over the fence for a two-run homer. However, it didn’t and the Yankees couldn’t score Volpe, sending it to extras.

In the top of 10th, Ali Sánchez, of all people, came up with a single to score the auto-runner and give the Yankees the lead. Despite having closer David Bednar on the hill, the Yankees couldn’t close the deal as Luke Keaschall hit a game-tying single on just the third pitch of the inning, and Bednar eventually needed a double play to escape the inning.

However in the 11th, José Caballero hit a sacrifice fly to restore that lead. Surely, they could hold on this time? No, Bednar again allowed a lead-off single, with a run then scoring on a Royce Lewis sacrifice fly.

To start the 12th, the Yankees put the first two runners on, adding to the auto-runner to load the bases. However, a Heliot Ramos double play and a Sánchez groundout caused the Yankees to put up a goose egg. Eventually all of that came back to haunt the Yankees. In the 13th, Victor Caratini singled off John Schreiber to win the game for the Twins.

This was also the game where Aaron Judge exited early with a calf injury, from which he never returned.

It wasn’t the most meaningful loss of the season — although with the Yankees still trying to chase down Tampa Bay in the division, it wasn’t nothing — however, it absolutely was the most ridiculous.

That’s my list, but what else should be on there?

There are, possibly, only six more MLB games left on the calendar for 2026. Ten at most. Baseball has been a part of our daily lives going back to March. But in a few short weeks it will be gone. Winter will come. And with a looming lockout, there’s no telling how long that winter will last. But while we don’t yet know when we’ll see MLB baseball next, we do when we’ll next see some banana ball. The Savannah Bananas released their 2027 schedule, which stretches from early February to late September, including international dates and games played in football stadia. As for New England, we get summer stops in Worcester and Portland. (Boston Globe)

But about that looming lockout. How will CBA negotiations be impacted by the fact that the three teams left standing represent three of the smallest markets in baseball? “Under the soon-expiring CBA that has governed the sport since 2022, spending had a correlation coefficient of 0.31 to team wins and losses — meaning, if carving the pie of what goes into successful team building, about 31 percent of it would go to how much a team spent. That’s a lot — and, in fact, is up from a 0.23 correlation coefficient in the prior two CBAs (2012-16, ′17-21). But the other things that go into team-building — scouting and drafting well, coaching and developing players to be their best, well-integrated analytics, culture, luck, and more — account collectively for a much larger share of the pie that determines team success.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

One of the small market Brewers’ keys to success this year has been the production of late-bloomer Jake Bauers. Could he be a good fit for the Sox this offseason? “Bauers may not be a household name. But a peek under the hood at his profile paints the picture of a late bloomer who doesn’t strike out often, works the count, and has a propensity for tearing the cover off the ball. Given Boston’s emphasis on bat speed and hard-hit percentages, a player like Bauers should hold plenty of appeal.” (Connor Ryan, Boston.com)

Even if the Sox do sign Jake Bauers in the offseason, the most intriguing new player at Spring Training next year will likely be super-prospect Franklin Arias. Everyone already knows about him, so here’s a look at a few other, more under-the-radar names making their way up the Red Sox organizational ladder. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

The Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer experiences will perhaps lead the Sox to exercise additional caution with respect to Arias. But the fact of the matter is that he’s doing to determine a lot about how the 2027 Red Sox roster fits together. “I am 100 percent convinced that he’s ready to be their everyday shortstop,” said one MLB evaluator witha rival team.Initially, however, that could come with its own issues. To install Arias, untested, as the team’s starting shortstop, would mean displacing Trevor Story, who remains a hugely popular and respected figure in the Red Sox clubhouse.“ (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

With this photo, I resume my photo sleuthing series that I generally run in baseball offseasons.

Before I get to this one, I’ll again put out a call: If you have any old Cubs or Wrigley Field (or even other baseball) photos you’d like me to sleuth, please send them along!

The sleuthing project for this photo isn’t about the date or location, because I already know that from the filename of the photo when I found it. It was “houstoncoltsfirstgamecubs.jpg.”

So this photo shows the very first pitch thrown by Houston’s MLB franchise. The pitcher is Bobby Shantz, who had been a pretty good lefty for the Philadelphia A’s a decade earlier — AL MVP in 1952 — and also put together some good years for the Yankees later in the 1950s, pitching for them in the World Series in 1957 and 1960. By 1961 he was about to turn 36 and so was left unprotected in the expansion draft.

Picked up by Houston, he was made their Opening Day starter on this day, April 11, 1962. This photo depicts him throwing that first pitch, to Lou Brock, that day’s leadoff hitter for the Cubs. Shantz wound up striking out Brock.

The sleuthing I’d like you to do is this. On the scoreboard, it shows Brock’s average as .353. That might be a bit small in the photo at the top of the post, so here’s a screenshot enlarging it:

Now, that couldn’t be possible if you’re the first batter of the season in your first at-bat, right?

I thought maybe this might be his BA from spring training. Unfortunately, back in that day, newspapers didn’t really keep track of spring numbers like they do now. In fact, MLB doesn’t have any spring stats on its website from before 2006. In trying to find out Brock’s 1962 spring BA, I did find one note that said he had hit safely in 18 straight spring games. Based on that, a .353 spring BA for Brock is certainly plausible.

Thus I’ll leave it to the sleuths among you: Can you find definitive proof of Brock’s 1962 spring batting average? Let us know.

The Cubs went 18-9 in spring training in 1962. Billy Williams had been the 1961 NL Rookie of the Year, and many observers were very high on Brock, who was about to turn 23 and who had played just four games for the Cubs in ‘61, and another rookie, Ken Hubbs. Many writers thought the Cubs could finish sixth or seventh in the new 10-team NL in 1962, which would have been an improvement over their 90-loss, seventh out of eight finish in ‘61.

Welp. Didn’t happen. The upstart expansion Colts pounded 13 hits, including three home runs, off five Cubs pitchers and won that Opening Day game 11-2. Ernie Banks’ first homer of the year (he’d hit 37 that year) was about the only Cubs highlight of the game. In fact, Houston swept that opening series and wound up finishing ahead of the Cubs, going 64-96 to the Cubs’ 59-103. It was the first-ever 100-loss season for the Cubs, which they wound up matching in 1966.

Shantz threw a complete game that day, but it was one of only three games he would pitch for Houston. On May 7 he was traded to the Cardinals for John Anderson and Carl Warwick. Warwick would later play for the Cubs in 1966, and Shantz pitched in 20 games for the Cubs in 1964 after coming over in the infamous deal that would send Brock to the Cardinals.

Just another little slice of Cubs and MLB history. And let us know if you find definitive proof of Lou Brock’s spring BA in 1962.

The 1950s were an incredible era for the Yankees. They won six championships in the decade, and a few more in the years immediately before and after it. You can probably name the legends from that time: Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford. However, every team needs supporting pieces, and one of that era’s would be celebrating a birthday today.

Andrew Arthur “Andy” Carey
Born: October 18, 1931 (Oakland, CA)
Died: December 15, 2011 (Newport Beach, CA)
Yankees Tenure: 1952-60

At birth, Carey was known as Andrew Arthur Hexem. However, his parents split when he was young and Carey didn’t have much contact with his biological father after that. His mother eventually remarried to Kenneth Carey — who had been her divorce attorney — and the future Yankee took on his stepfather’s last name.

Carey and his stepfather bonded over sports, and it became clear in his youth that the son was quite good at one. A star pitcher and third baseman in high school, Carey rebuffed several MLB teams and instead attended St. Mary’s College in the Bay Area. However, the school dropped their baseball program due to monetary issues after his freshman season, leading to Carey listening to major league offers. He eventually agreed to terms with the Yankees for $60,000 — a record for the franchise in the aftermath of the “Bonus Baby” rule being repealed.

With the Yankees, Carey had the reputation as a bit of a cocky young player. He made the team out of spring training 1952 after impressing in the Grapefruit League, but ended up spending the year going up and down from the minors. He stuck around starting in 1953 and would be a fixture for the team for years to come.

While he would spend most of his career at third base, the Yankees initially hoped to make him as flexible as possible in the field, as they looked to find a potential successor to Phil Rizzuto at shortstop. However, Carey viewed himself as a third baseman and pushed back against manager Casey Stengel. That would be a recurring them throughout Carey’s career, as he often was the subject of Stengel’s anger. Stengel heard from Carey’s minor league career that he could be motivated through anger. Carey was also winning to talk back himself, and the two would butt heads throughout the third baseman’s career.

On the field, Carey had his good years and bad. He broke out in 1954, hitting .302/.373/.423 in 122 games. He was credited with 3.6 fWAR that season, but only had two others where he was over even 1.5. However, he was still a fixture for the team in a highly successful era.

Despite being part of the team in 1953, Carey did not appear in that year’s victorious World Series. However, Carey did appear in four Fall Classics over his career, helping the Yankees win two of them: 1956 and ‘58. While he didn’t hit particularly well in either of those victorious series, he appeared in all and started six of seven games in 1956. He was also credited with making some key defensive plays to help preserve Don Larsen’s perfect game, and he later drove in a run during New York’s narrow 3-1 victory over Milwaukee in the 1957 opener.

He only recorded one hit in 1958, but it was an eighth inning single in Game 7, and he was on base for Bill Skowron’s three-run homer that basically put the series to bed.

For his career as a Yankee, Carey hit .266/.332/.397, which graded out to an exactly average 100 OPS+. However, with a new crop of youngsters coming through, Carey ended up being surpassed at third base by Clete Boyer. He only appeared in 41 games in 1959. After a handful of games the following season, the Yankees traded him to the Kansas City Athletics for Bob Cerv in May 1960.

Carey was traded a couple more times over his final years. He played for all of the A’s, White Sox, and Dodgers over the 1960-62 seasons. He also had been traded to the Phillies by the White Sox, but refused to report to Philadelphia. Eventually, Chicago worked out a deal with the Dodgers, where Carey would spend the final season of his career. He retired from baseball following the 1962 season.

Following his playing career, Carey settled back in the LA area and sold insurance (when he wasn’t scuba diving). He was married a couple times throughout his life, including one to actress Lucy Marlow. One of his children with Marlow — James — tragically died at the age of 23. Some sources cite his death as coming in a car crash, but SABR postulates that his name, location, and death date matches up with that of a man who was killed in a shootout with police following a robbery. Carey himself passed away in 2011 at the age of 80 due to Lewy body dementia.

Andy Carey doesn’t quite get the level of acclaim that a lot of other Yankees of that era do, but all of them played some role in one of the most impressive dynasties to ever grace the field.

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

Happy Sunday everybody. Here take these links. No really, take them. Take them quickly. You have to go! Right now! Run! RUN!

In Mariners news…

• Carlos Mendoza, who earlier this week joined the Phillies coaching staff, reportedly withdrew his name from consideration as the next Mariners manager to accept his new job. One would certainly hope, and perhaps expect, that a manager job would be more desirable than an assistant coach job, and this news does not inspire a ton of confidence in how the search is going.

• Adam Jude at the Seattle Times laid out five of the core questions that the organization has to find answers for before the lockout starts.
• A handful of players formerly on minor league contracts elected free agency earlier this week, including infielder Miles Mastrobuoni.

Around the league…

• The Rays big bats led the way in their Game 4 win over the Guardians last night to even the series at two games apiece. Game 5 is in Cleveland today at 2:08 pmPST on TBS.
• Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto may spend less time behind the plate next season, as it seems his thirteenth season behind the plate really took a big toll on him. Realmuto himself seemed to cite the responsibilities of ABS challenges as being especially draining.

There were a lot of problems with the 2026 Mets, a depressing and lengthy list that we don’t need to rehash here. The bullpen, however, was not one of them. Prior to the trade deadline, the Mets’ relief corp posted a 3.82 ERA with a 3.79 xERA and 15.1 K-BB%. That latter mark ranked 4th in baseball, and those numbers get even better if you remove Devin Williams’ contributions.

Brooks Raley was a big part of that success. Over 41.1 innings, the 38-year-old posted a 2.45 ERA with a 2.37 xERA. For most of the year, he was a highly effective 7th inning or setup man in Carlos Mendoza’s and then Andy Green’s arsenal.

That performance certainly earned Raley some advocates among Met fans, but was more a classic instance of a decent reliever having a hot couple months rather than someone ascending to elite status. Raley’s stuff metrics remained just okay. His slider is a plus pitch, but everything else was effectively slop. He survived more on weak contact than a particular propensity for whiffs, and his 15.0% K-BB% ranked an unremarkable 75th among relievers. The writing was pretty clearly on the wall for some sort of regression.

Enjoyably but unsurprisingly, said regression hit after Raley was shipped down to Philadelphia. He posted a 7.94 ERA over 11.1 innings with the Phillies, was a significant contributor to what would’ve been one of the most epic late-season collapses of all time, and was ultimately left off the postseason roster for the Wild Card round. Funnily, there wasn’t really a huge change to Raley before and after the trade; this was effectively the same pitcher just getting wildly different results. That’s baseball, Susan.

Now, the Mets surely would’ve preferred to be in a position where Raley’s strong first four months actually helped them reach the postseason, but they were able to parlay that performance into a couple interesting prospects. John Spikerman is a speed and OBP-oriented 4th outfield prospect, one who saw an uptick in exit velocities before the trade and actually hit for more after joining the Mets. To be clear, this took his power from “none” to “a bit below average.” That’s enough to make him an actual prospect who could play a bench role at some point in the next season or two.

Luke Gabrysh, meanwhile, continues to show some truly disgusting stuff; he had the best slider in MiLB per Stuff+, and had one of the ten best arsenals overall. Public facing stuff metrics are imperfect (and vastly inferior to what teams are using at this point), but these sort of numbers mean a lot more than his minor league ERA and indicate that the Mets got a potential steal here. Expect him to feature somewhat prominently in this offseason’s list process.

So yes, the Mets did not get exactly what they wanted out of Raley’s hot four months. But they made the best of a bad situation, leveraging an unsustainable performance to pick the pocket of a division rival at the deadline. Hopefully Gabrysh and Spikerman can twist that knife further for the Phillies in 2027 and beyond.

Carlos Mendoza’s disappointing finish in Queens did not keep him out of the running for another managerial gig.

The ex-Mets skipper, who was fired midseason following the club’s disappointing 34-47 start, was a candidate for the Mariners’ managerial vacancy, according to ESPN.

Despite Seattle’s interest, Mendoza ultimately withdrew from consideration to join Philadelphia as third base and infield coach.

After parting ways with Dan Wilson at season’s end, the Mariners, along with the Astros, are one of two teams in search of a new manager.

Mendoza, 46, spent more than a decade in various roles with the Yankees, including infield and bench coach, before taking over as Mets manager ahead of the 2024 campaign.

He oversaw a memorable 2024 squad that rebounded from a tough start to make a surprise run to the National League Championship Series, where they fell to the Dodgers in six games.

The Mets surged out of the gate in 2025, only to suffer a second-half collapse that saw their playoff hopes vanish on the final day of the regular season.

A plethora of injuries and a 12-game losing streak in April sank New York’s season, leading to Mendoza’s dismissal in late June and the hiring of Andy Green.

The Mendoza-led Mets went 206-199 during his two-and-a-half seasons at the helm.

Mendoza now joins the Mets’ National League East rival’s revamped coaching staff in the wake of another early postseason exit.

Philadelphia surprisingly retained Don Mattingly as manager but parted ways with hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson — paving the way for Mendoza’s hiring.

The Phillies finished 2026 with a fielding run value of -20, seventh-worst among all MLB teams, according to Baseball Savant.

Among Mendoza’s challenges will be working with $300 million shortstop Trea Turner, who posted an abysmal defensive season, leading to a “mandatory” warning from team president Dave Dombrowski to improve or be moved off the position.

“If he plays [shortstop] like he did in 2026, he can’t,” Dombrowski said of Turner. “And he totally understands that.

“We’ve already given him some information ourselves that we think could be helpful. Of course, Carlos Mendoza will be responsible for working with him.”

MLB free agency cannot begin until the season concludes after the World Series, but the San Diego Padres are not waiting for the end of this season before they start building for the future. It was reported on Saturday that San Diego had agreed to a minor league deal with Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Nogami.

Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball said the numbers on Nogami are limited, but he is an intriguing prospect with a multi-pitch arsenal. When the Friar Faithful get to see Nogami in action is unknown, but Zdunich thinks there could be a chance he gets an invite to Spring Training to see what he can do against top-level MLB talent.

Young controllable pitching is something the Padres have lacked in recent years due to a multitude of mid-season trades. Nogami provides that if he can be developed in the San Diego system under pitching coach Ruben Niebla.

This may not be a big-name, flashy signing but it is a start.

Another player who could see an opportunity to show what he can do is Alex McCoy, who has shown the ability to crush the baseball at the minor league level. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball says the problem is he is still very much a swing-and-miss candidate. McCoy has been getting some headlines in the Arizona Fall League and could be someone to watch in the minor league system as the Padres push him to show more at each of the next levels.

Padres News:

• Ethan Salas made his long-anticipated MLB debut with the Padres at the end of the 2026 season, but that does not mean he walks into 2027 as the starter behind the plate.

Baseball News:

• The Tampa Bay Rays took Game 4 of the ALCS from the Cleveland Guardians and tied the seres, 2-2.

• Here is the information you need for where and when to watch Game 5 of the ALCS.

I’ll admit that there was a strong urge to tune out of the postseason once the Rays swept the Yankees in the ALDS. With the Dodgers and Brewers on a collision course in the NLCS, LA having swept the Brewers in the same round last year, and two of the stingiest teams in the Rays and Guardians set to square off in the ALCS Frugality Bowl, there was a feeling of inevitability that the Dodgers would match the Yankees as the only teams to three-peat in the last half-century. However, there was a different buzz emanating from this year’s Brewers squad, and four games later I know who I’ll be rooting for to win the World Series. Here are the reasons I want the Crew to be the ones lifting their very first Commissioner’s Trophy in less than two weeks’ time.

They swept the Dodgers! David* vanquished Goliath, the upstart rebels unseated the Ancien Régime. Selfishly as a Yankees fan, it is reassuring to know that the Yankees will remain the only team in over 50 years to win three World Series in a row. But I think it’s a win for the sport that the perennially contending Brewers finally defeated the new Evil Empire in baseball. And they didn’t just find a thermal exhaust port to blow up the Death Star, they blew it out of the sky with overwhelming firepower.

*The Dodgers were understandable NLCS favorites, but I suppose a team with 103 wins can only be so accurately described as ”David.”

They have two of the most exciting young players in the sport! On his day, Jacob Misiorowski is the most dominant starting pitcher I’ve seen since the 92 supernatural innings from Jacob deGrom in 2021. Between the regular season and postseason, he has thrown over 1,200 pitches 100 mph or faster and threw the fastest pitch by a starter ever at 106 mph, redefining what we know about the limits of pitcher velocity. Jackson Chourio keeps finding new ways to amaze this postseason. Leadoff and walk-off home runs, spectacular defensive plays — we are truly watching a superstar born before our eyes.

They’re not some Punch and Judy slap-hitting squad, they hit bombs! Or at the very least, they’ve picked an opportune time to really start hitting bombs after finishing second-to-last in the majors with 154 home runs. Milwaukee leads all postseason teams with 10 homers, many of them coming in pivotal spots to change the lead or supply valuable late insurance runs. They are proof positive of the winning formula in the modern postseason: shutdown pitching from top to bottom and timely home runs.

This team has grit! They overturned a deficit in two out of their three wins against the Padres in the NLDS and then came from behind to win all four games in their sweep of the Dodgers. Each night it seems like someone different coming through with the game-winning hit.

They deserve to be there! This isn’t a Guardians team sneaking into the playoffs by winning a laughable AL Central with a mid-80s win total. And it’s not like I’m going to root for the Rays because, well… it’s the Rays. This is a Brewers organization that has led MLB in wins the last two seasons and has won their division five out of the last six seasons. They routinely put themselves into advantageous positions in the postseason through their consistent pole-to-pole regular season performance, something the Yankees have not done enough the last 14 years.

How cool would it be to watch history made before our eyes! The Brewers are one of five teams to never win the World Series, having only made it there in 1982 and falling to St. Louis. There are baseball fans throughout Wisconsin who have been starved of a World Series contending team since the Braves bolted for Atlanta over 60 years ago (the Braves’ 1957 title was Milwaukee’s last baseball champion). It’s beyond time that a proud, often overlooked fan base gets their day in the sun.

I like how they’ve assembled their roster! They are a shrewd combination of homegrown talent, blockbuster trades and deadline moves to shore up holes, and under-the-radar acquisitions who they polish into impact players. They are a model organization when it comes to identifying and drafting talent, player development, and recognizing players that other teams are not getting the most out of.

Two of their best players this postseason have tremendous redemption stories. Jake Bauers and Trevor Megill were effectively out of jobs after several replacement level or worse seasons. Bauers refined his approach** to become the Brewers’ definitive offensive threat with 26 homers and a 142 OPS+. He was one of the most productive hitters in baseball and is absolutely raking this postseason. Megill has not allowed a run this October as the team’s closer.

**To get ahead of the point, yes, Bauers was a Yankee in 2023, but the Brewers themselves did outright Bauers off their big-league roster after 2024, making him a free agent. They gave up on him, too! But they did ultimately get him back on a minor-league deal, he became an above-average bat for the first time last year. The rest is history.

Owner Mark Attanasio could easily follow the examples set by Pittsburgh’s Bob Nutting and Miami’s Bruce Sherman and pocket the revenue sharing dollars that are meant to be reinvested into payroll. But he genuinely seems like an owner who has shown a committent to winning over the bottom line. Although past stars like Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta were traded a year before free agency, he has at least occasionally accepted the risk of gettin burned by large expenditures, Christian Yelich and Brandon Woodruff his team’s two highest-paid players yet providing little value. He understands that is the cost of business.

The Brewers occupy the smallest TV market of any MLB club yet spend more on payroll than ten other teams. While every owner, Attanasio included, is capable of allocating more into their rosters, that the Brewers’ percentage of revenue invested into payroll is commensurate with teams like the Dodgers and Yankees while the Rays and Guardians lag far behind is commendable.

I don’t want to get too deep into the weeds that the three teams left standing play in three of the smallest TV markets and sit in the bottom-third in payroll and the implications this has on the upcoming CBA negotiations. What I will say is that the owners’ battle plan has coalesced around the stance that a salary cap is necessary to preserve the competitive balance of the sport.

In sweeping the Dodgers, the Brewers struck a blow to this line of reasoning. Even if only a temporary disruption of the Dodgers’ hegemony over the sport, the run by the Brewers, Rays, and Guardians could not have come at a better time for supporters of the union. When combining team culture, payroll investment, and style of play, I feel the Brewers are the most deserving of the three to win the World Series.

No, I didn’t forget. Of course I am also rooting for the Brewers because Gary Sánchez plays for them. He occupies a cherished part in my Yankees fandom and I would love to see El Gary get a ring.

Even though the NLCS is over and the ALCS is starting to wind down, it’s easy to look at both rosters and wonder what might be. Each roster is littered with players that would be great on any team, but that’s not what we’re here for.

Which player, from any team that was in the NLCS or ALCS, would fit best onto the Phillies?

For me, the answer(s) are easy: Jose Ramirez and Junior Caminero. Handling third base for the next five-ten years from the right side (in Ramirez’s case, either side) would be of tremendous benefit for a team that truly needs someone to take it over.

After committing to the rebuild that was staring them in the face for a few seasons, the St. Louis Cardinals kicked off the transition with a solid 2026 campaign. By most accounts, the Cardinals outperformed preseason expectations, but many fans still believe that a successful season ends with at least one game in October.

That is a tough line to walk as a fan and a writer about the team. I want the Cardinals to go 162-0 and win the World Series every year, but in down stretches, I also understand the need for selling off veteran assets for young prospects. However, I am anti-tanking in pretty much every scenario, especially in baseball where the best draft picks are hopefully debuting within 2 seasons of being selected. Even in a rebuild, a front office should be able to put up a .500 team that allows for interesting conversations as the season progresses.

The Cardinals had a .500 or better team for much of the season, even if it was due to a combination of factors that had the team playing at an unsustainable rate. Expected stats aside, it was reality when the Cardinals were nine games over .500 multiple times and looked to be putting together a postseason contender with a roster of mixed experienced players all in their 20s. While I never expected the Cardinals to buy aggressively at the deadline, there was an opportunity to improve serious areas of concern that would in no way, shape, or form change whatever timeline Chaim Bloom decides to set.

Cardinals’ overperformance in 2026 may set unrealistic expectations for 2027 season

By the end of the year, it was obvious the Cardinals would not have what it takes for an extended playoff run if they made it to October, but neither did the Cubs who were supposed to be title contenders. The White Sox came off of three straight 100 loss seasons to win a mediocre division and did so with a team not too dissimilar from the Cardinals. The Southsiders showed what I hoped Bloom would realize, and that is the fact that even small upgrades can pay big dividends without being the “shortcuts” he keeps referencing.

The last line may be unfair to Bloom, but he has mentioned his unwillingness to “take shortcuts” from their long-term plan which hopefully will end in a 12th World Series title. Cutting corners in this scenario would probably mean spending hundreds of millions in free agency for veterans in their primes at positions the Cardinals already have young talent. After a 2026 season of runways at third base, center field, and the bullpen, Bloom can easily afford to commit resources to those spots without taxing the future.

Thomas Saggese and Blaze Jordan seem to be players with solid MLB futures, but neither profile as the 30-homer third baseman who plays solid defense the Cardinals need. Jesus Baez has been outstanding and is at least a year away, so that clearly looks like a hole at third base without a close answer. To me, Saggese could become the 2027 version of Jose Fermin and still see plenty of playing time while Blaze could have an early role at third, first, or DH.

If the Cardinals opted to invest in a one-year veteran stopgap in 2027 to hold the fort down for Baez, what is Chaim Bloom really risking? Bloom has kind of said that the team is not going to be playoff-ready next year, but why not? With two-thirds of the lineup locked in, spending money on a couple spots instead of a handful should be much easier and, honestly, expected for me. On any team with clear needs, an offseason goal should be to satisfy those needs as effectively as possible. The Cardinals have taken the cost-effective way rather than use a performance-based strategy, and that makes little sense to me.

The same can be said for center field, where Nathan Church is surely fine there but the Cardinals could find an upgrade at a reasonable cost. In the bullpen, Bloom (I hate to say this) took the lazy way out and continued to give Oliver Marmol the same few guys to work with while the rest of the bullpen was overworked. In any other team truly looking to compete, so many guys would have been out of the job and maybe would not even be able to sign on elsewhere. Despite that, we got to see multiple relievers stay on the 40-man roster for no other reason than cost savings.

The Cardinals spent plenty of the season five games or more over .500 and sitting in an exciting spot during the 2026 season. They outperformed expectations but despite the clear faults in the roster, Bloom was comfortable speaking of how the future was more important than supplementing the career seasons he was seeing put in front of him at Busch. Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker were the best run producers in the league while JJ Wetherholt and Masyn Winn put up historic numbers up the middle. Even with that happening, Fermin, Ramon Urias, and Pedro Pages were getting regular at-bats with the bullpen featuring just a couple supplements from outside the organization.

The reasoning was always the same, the Cardinals needed to figure out what they already had on the roster. While that argument was acceptable for me for third and center, the bullpen is a spot that is going to differ every season no matter the contention window. Replacing someone like Chris Roycroft with Ryan Fernandez and Matt Pushard is an unserious move for the postseason at a spot on the roster that has the least impact on a club long-term.

Why were we too quick to accept the fact that Bloom can make no wrong and his strategy is the best way? I know much of this article has sounded negative, but I am 100% behind Bloom and still understand most of the long-term vision. Where I do not know if I will ever see eye-to-eye is why there was a refusal to cash in on Burly and Walker while supplementing Andre Pallante and Kyle Leahy in the rotation with one-year rentals. The Dustin May move was a match made in heaven and the success of that move makes me more upset that type of investment could not have been made among two or three more bullpen arms.

Bloom paid May a total of $10 million for half of a season of work and netted a fantastic return by all accounts. If Bloom had decided to also throw $10-15 million into the bullpen, he could have found some decent talent with no risk. Worst case, you cut ties with a few million dollars on a team that did not have real postseason aspirations. Middle case, you get a solid half season run and flip the reliever for more prospects or cost-controlled players. Best case, these arms cut away a dozen of the 38 blown saves from the Cardinals bullpen and Busch Stadium is packing the place instead of offering free tickets in hopes people show up.

Even with all of those disappointing shortcomings for me, the Cardinals appear to have a core that won 77 games this past season. Bloom is truthfully a fan of the team and wants to see success, but now I want that 77 win total to be his new baseline for success. Of course, wins do not tell the entire story of a season, but with a 162-game sample size, the record more often than not matches the performance.

I am going into the 2027 season expecting a run at .500. Is that exciting? No, but it shows a push in the right direction. The Cardinals could have easily clinched a winning record with just a tiny bit more effort towards clear roster needs, but the supposed shortcuts would have been so detrimental to the future that St. Louis would never see another championship.

To wrap this up, I am not upset with the way the 2026 season went. I never expected this team to win less than 70 games, but there was definitely some meat left on the 77-win bone. We will never know if an additional $30 million would have made a difference for the Cardinals 2026 season, but with all the talks of payroll buying championships, it seems that spending more money would increase the chances at postseason success.

— This probably seemed much more negative or accusatory than was meant to be, but I do think I am in the right to feel frustrated at some of the non-activity by the front office. I am not saying I wanted to ship away Liam Doyle and Rainiel Rodriguez for a win-now move at the deadline, but saying goodbye to some Double-A depth for major league talent is a defendable move in nearly all circumstances —

Thanks as always!