Category: Baseball

The path to the World Series was right there for the Yankees.

In a weak American League and with one of the best starting rotations in baseball, the Yanks had a chance to make it back to the Fall Classic and vie for their first championship since 2009. But another team bested them in the postseason.

For the second straight season, an AL East rival defeated the Yankees in the ALDS. This time, the Rays swept the Yankees, leaving GM Brian Cashman,Aaron Boone and the rest of the organization searching for answers. What will it take to get this core group of players led by Aaron Judge over the hump? What pieces are needed to fill in the holes to mitigate mistakes and come out on top against teams that, on paper, the Yankees are better than? 

There are no easy fixes in baseball, especially with a looming lockout and a new CBA, and -- at the time of this writing -- since Cashman and the powers that be have yet to speak to the media following the ALDS loss, it's unclear what the Yankees plan to do this offseason to rebuild a roster that was formidable on paper and expensive -- third-highest in baseball. A team that had the second-best record in the league, but just couldn't defeat a team whose salary ranked 26th in baseball.  

Wins in the regular season are great, but it doesn't mean much if the results in the postseason aren't there. As Judge said after the ouster by the Rays: "We're the Yankees. I feel like [the front office] should go all-in and do what they need to do. If we've got holes, if it's finding certain players or personnel, whatever we need, you got to go out there and get it. That's why I signed back here to play with the Yankees is to fight for a championship every single year and go all-in."

Well, if we had the keys to the Yankees machine, here's a step-by-step process of what we'd do to fix the roster for 2027...

Rebuild bullpen by bringing back core

Every offseason, the bullpen needs rebuilding, and this one is no different.

David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, Ryan Yarbrough and Tim Hill are the notable names heading to free agency, and will be tough to replace. That's why our first order of business is to bring back the core.

Bednar was essential to the success the 2026 Yankees had. Cashman doesn't usually give out big contracts to closers, but a qualifying offer for one season would help if he accepts. If Bednar doesn't, then Cashman needs to buck the trend and lock down the right-hander to a multi-year deal to ensure the Yanks have the closer they can trust and know can handle the big city.

If a deal cannot be made, the New York needs to pursue other options like Raisel Iglesias.

Of the other free agent relievers, Blackburn would be my choice to bring back. Whatever the Yankees did to revive his career as a reliever, they can hopefully duplicate. A reunion is something that both sides should want, and a one or two-year deal (with an option) could bring back their setup man. 

Yarbrough and Hill, while good, don't necessarily have roles in the bullpen anymore. Yarbrough was used only in long-relief situations when games were already out of hand, and Hill's effectiveness as a left-hander dipped this past season. After pitching to a 3.09 ERA in 2025, Hill's ERA ballooned to 4.60 in 2026. Brent Headrick is now the left-handed specialist, and the Yankees can use any one of their former starters (Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, Will Warren) in the Yarbrough role. 

Those former starters can also fill the spots used by journeymen Michael Fulmer and John Schreiber, who are also free agents. Schreiber was actually pretty solid for the Yankees when they acquired him later in the season (1.64 ERA, 1.09 WHIP in 11 games), so bringing him back for cheap isn't a bad option, either. 

Get a right-handed hitting catcher

The biggest need for the Bombers in 2026 was a catcher who can hit from the right side. They started the season with lefties Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra, but that hamstrung Boone's options off the bench and made the bottom of the lineup a black hole.

It wasn't much better once Ali Sanchez was called up to be that right-handed bat, as he slashed .244/.275/.302 with an OPS of .577 in 51 games. 

There are a few intriguing upgrades in the free agent market, with Ryan Jeffers the top catching free agent available. While he would fit what the Yankees need, he could cost them too much, which they wouldn't want to do in a platoon or bench capacity. I believe the Yankees trust Wells not only in his defense and how he handles the pitching staff, but also that the offense he was once touted for is still in there.

Over his final 10 regular season games, Wells increased his batting average from .177 to .186 while smashing four home runs. That carried over into the postseason, where he had an OPS of .761. 

Perhaps Tyler Stephenson, a former first-round pick, could fit the bill of a bench catcher. While his numbers don't match what Jeffers brings, the 30-year-old would be an upgrade over Sanchez and not cost what Jeffers would get on the market -- or a draft pick if the Twins extend the qualifying offer to him.

The end of the line for Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton has one more year on his contract before the Yankees have a chance to exercise a club option on the slugger.

Stanton is owed $25 million for 2027, but the Marlins are on the hook for $10 million, which means if the Yanks move on from Stanton, they'd only be taking on $15 million of dead money. The Yankees have done this before. Most recently, with DJ LeMahieu, DFA'ing the All-Star infielder and taking on his $22 million when they released him back in 2025. 

Aaron Hicks had about $27 million left on his deal when the Yanks cut him in 2023. 

It's time for the Yankees and Stanton to part ways.

The Yankees would likely be comfortable with Stanton on the roster if he could stay healthy and there wasn't a logjam in the DH spot.

Ben Rice, the Yankees' young All-Star, was relegated to the everyday DH spot after they acquired Luis Garcia Jr. at the trade deadline. And while Rice could play first base, his defense isn't up to par with Garcia's. And against a right-handed pitcher, you'd want both Rice and Garcia -- who has one more year of arbitration -- in the lineup. 

Judge will also need some games at DH, further complicating the roster construction. 

With a trade partner highly unlikely, the easiest solution is to cut Stanton and open up the spot for another bench hitter who can play the field. It's a tough decision involving a clubhouse leader, but it needs to be done.

Let the kids play

George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones were forced into big league roles in 2026 thanks to ineffective play and injuries. And the Yankees are probably better off for it.

Lombard feels like the everyday shortstop moving forward after Anthony Volpe was demoted and returned as a second baseman, and Jones more than held his own at the plate and defensively, filling in when Judge and Trent Grisham were injured.

Now that Grisham is almost certainly not returning, an outfield of Cody Bellinger, Jones, and Judge -- with Heliot Ramos as the fourth outfielder -- feels like the natural progression for the Yankees outfield. 

And while not necessarily a kid, Volpe should get every chance to win the everyday second base job in the event Jazz Chisholm Jr. signs elsewhere. Volpe and Jose Caballero can be the versatile infielders the team needs. And they both can give Ryan McMahon a spell at third base. Heck, perhaps the Yankees can work with Garcia to be a second base option -- which he has 480 starts in his MLB career -- to give more lineup flexibility.

And then we have Carlos Lagrange. The flamethrower should be ready to make an impact in the rotation or bullpen.

Leaning on the kids to start the season would give the Yankees more athleticism, versatility, and keep costs down.

Use surplus of pitching to explore trades

The Yankees have plenty of arms and while it helped them navigate numerous injuries in 2026, they are better served dealing one or two young arms to bolster the roster.

When healthy, the rotation will be Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Warren/Weathers.

Warren and Weathers are young, controllable arms who could be dealt to help rebuild the bullpen or even make a bigger splash. Could the Rockies' Hunter Goodman be pulled away from the team to give the Yankees the right-handed catcher they crave? Perhaps CJ Abrams could be the Chisholm replacement at second base. 

Even if it's to replenish the farm system, being smart and creative from a position of strength should be one of the priorities this season.

The Tampa Bay Rays punched their ticket to the 2026 World Series to take on the Milwaukee Brewers with a win over the Cleveland Guardians in Tampa Bay on Monday night. At best, there are seven games left in the MLB season so Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball thought it was a good time to look back at the season for the San Diego Padres — more specifically, he takes a look at the individual players and gives them a grade for their performance.

Zdunich started with reliever Jason Adam who suffered a quadriceps injury that cut his 2025 season short and he spent significant time on the injured list this season as well. It is unfortunate timing for the right-hander as he is set to be a free agent at the conclusion of the World Series. The injuries and the concerns that will surely be discussed about further injuries will dampen his earnings on the open market, but he has shown that he can be dominant when healthy.

The question facing the Padres and their fans is, “Should Adam be re-signed?” That question may not be able to be answered until the San Diego executives determine if they are going to try to re-sign Adrian Morejon or if Yuki Matsui is going to exercise his player option and opt-out of his current contract. Left-handed relievers are commonly more highly sought after than right-handers. If Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller wants to commit to re-signing Morejon that could impact an offer to Adam. If Matsui opts-out and Preller does not try to re-sign him that could unlock additional money to offer Adam.

The thing Preller and his staff have to figure out is will Adam stay healthy and if he does, will he return to the 2024 pitcher who served as part of a dominant backend trio for San Diego with Tanner Scott and Robert Suarez. Preller could stick to his oft-used tactics of signing Adam to a “prove-it deal.” Adam would have the opportunity to show he can stay healthy and perform and he could also have options from the player and team side that would give him some security and flexibility.

At the end of it all, Adam is a good major league pitcher. More than that, he seems to be a good human who is genuinely loved and appreciated by his teammates. That being said, it all comes down to numbers. Adam played 2026 on a one-year, $6.675 million deal. It would be hard to go much beyond that given his recent injuries but if he would consider a similar one year deal or a multi-year deal that has a similar cost per year he could be back in the Padres bullpen in 2027.

Do you, the Friar Faithful, think Adam should be re-signed?

Padres News:

• Padres outfield prospect Alex McCoy is making noise and making a name for himself in Arizona Fall League.

Baseball News:

• Aaron Boone will return as New York Yankees manager for final year of his deal in 2027.

• The New York Mets traded for and traded away Freddy Peralta and will now watch him in the World Series.

• The Los Angeles Dodgers will have to learn from 2026 season and decide how best to help Shohei Ohtani stay healthy in 2027.

• Teruaki Sato of the Hanshin Tigers in the Nippon Professional Baseball will be posted for MLB teams.

• The Athletics announced the hiring of Taylor Smith as their president of baseball operations.

• The Detroit Tigers will have a decision to make about Kenley Jansen this offseason.

I didn’t know it when I was sitting in the bleachers at Fenway during that Saturday night in August, but the Red Sox’s wild 3-2 walk-off victory against the Giants on August 22 might’ve been the fork in the road for the 2026 season.

Maybe it’s arbitrary to say that one game out of 162 was the moment where this iteration of the club crossed the Rubicon, where the magic of the preceding summer weeks continued but the base line for what was to come was laid out without us even knowing it at the time. But with the benefit of hindsight, I think that’s what game 129 was for us.

The TL;DR recap of the game: Patrick Sandoval wasn’t good enough on the bump as Boston’s starter, but he was somehow able to limit the damage to just two runs. After sleepwalking for most of the game, the Red Sox bats eventually woke up and clawed back to tie the game in the ninth. With the bases then loaded, Wilyer Abreu hit a hard grounder to first. The throw home took the Giants’ catcher off the plate, Eli White slid in head first, and the Sox stormed the field in jubilation. The review from the umps then proceeded to go on for what felt like an hour, but the call—and in turn Boston’s victory—was confirmed.

What a night to be at the ballpark, man. I remember my head hurting from screaming so much following the walk-off, but I didn’t care. What a win in a summer filled with excellent wins. It’s been said before many-a-times at this point, but it’s worth repeating: I’m glad the Sox gave us our summer back after a horrid spring, even if they couldn’t give us much of a fall. That’s a win I’ll remember for a while.

I’ll especially remember it thanks to the bizarre ending as well. That review process, where we weren’t sure how the decision was going to pan out (or if it ever was going to be made, my goodness it took forever) was unlike something I had seen in person at Fenway. The walk-off celebration, followed by the prolonged review, followed by another walk-off celebration once the call was confirmed; that’s just a funny (well, at least for us Sox fans that night) and unique order of events. Just when you think you’ve seen everything at a baseball game…

And yet, that Saturday night in August ended up being one of the last times we were truly galvanized by the 2026 Boston Red Sox, no?

That win against San Francisco was the second victory en route to a sweep, and the Sox then immediately took the first two games in Miami, but the following weekend was where we dropped three games out of four in New York towards the end of August. After the walk-off to get the team up to 11 games over .500, the Sox finished the regular season on a 17-16 run (and we just established that three of those wins game before the Yankees series, so things really ended on a whimper).

It was the latest chapter of the magical run that was Summer 2K26 at Fenway, but it was one of the first examples of what would eventually be one of the major factors as to why there was no Fall 2K26 at Fenway: the offensive struggles. As our fearless leader Dan mentioned in his game summary for the win, Boston get just one guy into scoring position prior to the 8th inning. The lack of output at the dish wasn’t the only reason we got bounced from the playoffs a few weeks ago, but I think it was obviously the biggest reason. The woes with the bats did not come out of nowhere; that was a concerning trend for basically all of September. Pitching was able to keep the boys in a lot of games—much like it did during this game—but that alone would not be enough in the end.

I guess you could make the argument that this win sort of encapsulated the Red Sox’s entire post-Colorado-road-trip story. If you had to pick one game to be the microcosm of this club’s second half, I’d say this was the one. It featured the magic that got them back into the hunt and the Achilles heel that knocked them right back out of it.

The walk-off on August 22 was sensational, but summer effectively ended once Eli White slid across the plate. We just didn’t know it at the time.

Good morning.

Shawn McFarland checks out the options for the Texas Rangers when it comes to addressing their pitching staff in free agency where, notably, they’ll have to nearly completely remake their bullpen again for a third consecutive winter.

MLB Trade Rumors’ Anthony Franco writes about the roster bind the Rangers find themselves in with expensive veterans and an owner itching to go cheap.

Kennedi Landry writes that, among Rangers farmhands, famed prospect Sebastian Walcott and pitcher Jacob Johnson have been standouts at the Arizona Fall League.

And, after vanquishing Nathaniel Lowe and Austin Hedges’ Cleveland Guardians, the Jon Daniels and Nick Martinez Tampa Bay Rays will attempt to earn their first World Series championship against the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2026 Fall Classic.

Have a nice day!

Pretty much the title.

The current matchup is a matchup of the two teams with the best records in their respective leagues. This hasn’t been a recent rarity: 2024, 2020 I guess, and 2013 have all featured the same. (Also 1999, 1995, and 1992, all featuring the Braves.)

It’s also a matchup that guarantees a first-time title-holder.

For two teams that were relatively power-less (bottom six in ISO for both) in the regular season, both have gotten to the final round via outhomering the opposition (duh), but I guess it could be interesting to see what happens when they face off. (The Rays-Guardians series was kind of a preview of this already.)

By the way, the last time these two teams met was in the second series of the year. The Rays won the first game, 3-2, in Milwaukee, and then the Brewers smacked them around in the next two games, outscoring them 14-4.

One of the real hallmarks of the 2026 Orioles is how many things happened where, if you were told in March that they were going to happen, you would know that meant the season went poorly. Not all of these things were bad. “Brandon Young is the team’s starting pitcher ERA leader” would have seemed apocalyptic, for example. That was good! Most that would have sounded bad in March did in fact turn out to be bad for a successful Orioles team, including this one: Leody Taveras led Orioles outfielders in innings played this season.

The Orioles signed Taveras very early on last offseason, inking him to a one-year contract worth about $2 million for the 2026 campaign. That was less than fourth outfielder money for a guy who is kind of a classic fourth outfielder, in that he’s hit badly but not so badly as to be unplayable, he’s decent enough as a defender that he should be able to play any of the outfield positions, and he’s modestly fast, such that you could even maybe deploy him as a pinch runner sometimes.

There was nothing exciting at all about that signing. That was especially true since Taveras was coming off of a 2025 season where he had been horrible, getting dumped by the Rangers – where Taveras was once a top 50 prospect who debuted for his age 21 season – after just a month and then getting dropped by the Mariners, who claimed him off waivers, after about six weeks. He ended up batting .205/.226/.304 for 58 games of the 2025 season; that’s why the Orioles could sign him for the price they did. Taveras was hitting badly enough to be unplayable in 2025. It wasn’t a bad cheap bet to guess he’d be better than that this year. Overall, he was better than that.

The path to more regular playing time for Taveras opened up a couple of weeks into the season, when Tyler O’Neill fell ill and ultimately landed on the concussion injured list due to passing out during an off day at home and hitting his head on the way down. The Orioles shifted Colton Cowser out of center field to a corner spot and had Taveras as their every day guy while O’Neill was out.

Taveras seized the opportunity. By the end of April, he was batting .288/.397/.455. Of the younger players who we might have expected to play over Taveras, Cowser had a .489 OPS and Dylan Beavers was better but still not good at a .645 OPS. The Orioles responded to who was actually playing well and this meant more playing time for Taveras. He played most games in center field through early June. The main problem is he stopped hitting; he had a .630 OPS from the end of April until he relinquished the every day center field job back to Cowser.

The chaos kept on continuing for Orioles outfielders. Beavers suffered an oblique strain. Cowser batted like a guy who needs to never take an at-bat against a lefty starting pitcher. Taylor Ward was traded at the deadline. O’Neill got hurt again toward the end of the season.

What all of this meant was that Taveras stayed in the lineup even after he started hitting more like the guy who was ditched by two teams in 2025; he posted a .591 OPS from May 1 to the end of the season. That is unplayable, except if you’re on the 2026 Orioles and the other outfielders either keep getting hurt, or keep proving to be terrible defenders, or can’t hit a changeup, or whatever other problems were going on.

Taveras is the only reason the Orioles didn’t start turning to Christian Franklin- or Rece Hinds-level players earlier than they did. Never mind that Taveras himself probably would have been shuffled out of any semi-functional team’s outfield mix. That’s just not what the Orioles were in 2026.

Even so, Taveras ended the season at exactly 0.0 bWAR, so he was the definition of a replacement-level player. There is a whole lot of blue on the Statcast page. Blue is bad. There were, unfortunately, multiple below-replacement Orioles outfielders as the season went along, including Beavers. I think if you had gone back a year ago and told Mike Elias that his fourth outfielder signing was going to start 115 games, he would have probably signed a better guy than Taveras.

Or at least, I hope he would have. I don’t know. Elias is a weird guy who galaxy brains himself into stupid decisions sometimes. This wouldn’t be the first time and if that’s what it was, it won’t be the last either. He might have still thought he nailed it with signing Taveras, believing he had the secret to get Taveras to hit like it was 2023 (.733 OPS in a 2.9 bWAR season) again. This did not turn out to be the case. His defense was worse than past years as well, at least as measured by Statcast’s Outs Above Average. Taveras was a 34th percentile range defender.

It’s not exactly Taveras’s fault that every other part of Mike Elias’s outfield plan went haywire. You can’t expect a guy to be something that he’s not. Though in baseball, sometimes for a month or two, a guy can be something that he’s not, which Taveras managed to pull off in April.

There is no contractual obligation to the Orioles for Taveras next year. The deal was for one season and at the end of the World Series, that season is done. Something is going to have to be done about the outfield situation that was a complete disaster for the 2026 O’s. Hopefully, part of that is signing a better bench outfielder than Taveras, so that even if he is needed as much as Taveras was, that won’t be as much of a downgrade for the Orioles.

The Arizona Fall League is underway, and Chicago has eight prospects in the Grand Canyon State, headlined by Caleb Bonemer, 3B/SS/OF (No. 2/MLB No. 27). Rounding out the crew are Mathias LaCombe, RHP (No. 17); Colby Shelton, INF (No. 23); Nick Altermatt, RHP; Jonathan Clark, RHP; Grant Magill, C; Tommy Vail, LHP and Garrett Wright, RHP.

The team added Vail after Pierce George, RHP (No. 18), suffered an olecranon fracture in his pitching elbow. While it sounds like an awful injury, he is expected to participate in 2027 Spring Training. Anthony DePino, INF (No. 21), was also originally on the Dogs roster, but instead underwent shoulder surgery. He should also be ready for spring.

The White Sox prospects are suiting up for the Glendale Desert Dogs, sharing the dugout with hopefuls from the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Chicago ties Los Angeles for sending the most Top 30 prospects (five) to the AFL.

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Salt River Rafters 6, Glendale Desert Dogs 5 (10/13/26 — 10 innings)
The Dogs brought some early pop, but the Rafters had the last bark. Bonemer smacked his first AFL homer in the bottom of the first, sending a two-out, two-run shot 388 feet to left-center to give Glendale an early lead. It was his only hit of the contest, but he made it count.

Shelton joined the first-homer club in the fifth, leading off the frame with a solo shot to knot the game at 3-3. Magill also saw action behind the plate but went 0-for-4. The teams were tied at 5-5 after nine, but Salt River pushed its ghost runner across in the 10th to hand the Dogs the loss.

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Surprise Saguaros 17, Glendale Desert Dogs 9 (10/15/26)
Fortunately, no South Siders saw action in this beatdown.

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Glendale Desert Dogs 3, Scottsdale Scorpions 1 (10/16/26)
The Dogs finally picked up their second win, and Bonemer made sure they started with a bang. His first-inning solo shot traveled 431 feet to left at 111.9 mph off the bat, giving Glendale a 1-0 lead it never surrendered.

Bonemer finished 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout while patrolling center field. Shelton had a quieter day at the plate, going 0-for-3 with a free pass and a K.

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Surprise Saguaros 10, Glendale Desert Dogs 0 (10/17/26 — 7 innings)
The Dogs managed just two hits as Surprise rolled to a shutout win. Bonemer supplied one of those knocks, a two-out double in the bottom of the first, and finished 1-for-3. Magill handled catching duties but went 0-for-2 with a pair of punchouts.

On the mound, LaCombe tossed a scoreless fifth before things got messy for his fellow Sox prospects. Wright inherited a bases-loaded jam in the sixth, allowing just one runner to score on a sac fly before ending the threat with a strikeout. The seventh was a different story, as a pair of errors by the shortstop helped saddle the righty with three unearned runs. Altermatt entered with runners on the corners, and the inning kept unraveling with a wild pitch, a single and a walk. Another unearned run crossed before he finally ended the frame, and the game, with a ground out.

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Salt River Rafters 7, Desert Dogs 1 (10/19/26)
The Dogs’ bats were quiet again, mustering only four hits in another offensive struggle. Shelton supplied half of them, including a two-out RBI base hit in the fourth that plated Glendale’s only run. The 23-year-old finished 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a walk, while Bonemer went 0-for-4 with a K.

Clark made quick work of the Rafters in the bottom of the eighth, needing just eight pitches to complete a scoreless, hitless frame.

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Hitters
Caleb Bonemer: .282/.349/.590, .939 OPS, 4 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 9 RBI, 8 K, 39 ABs
Grant Magill: .250/.278/.313, .590 OPS, 2B, 1 BB, 4 RBI, 6 K, 16 ABs
Colby Shelton: .207/.314/.310, .624 OPS, HR, 4 BB, 4 RBI, 6 K, 29 ABs

Pitchers
Nick Altermatt: 2.45 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 3 2/3 IP, 3 BB, 5 Ks
Jonathan Clark: 1.80 ERA, 0.40 WHIP, 5 IP, 1 BB, 5 K
Matthias LaCombe: 7,20 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 5 IP, 5 BB, 3 K
Tommy Vail: did not pitch
Garrett Wright: 0.00 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 5 2/3 IP, 3 BB, 9 K

Last week in the wake of the Phillies officially promoting Don Mattingly to manager, there was a very interesting/crazy report about some of the other candidates they considered. We already knew about their multiple attempts to attract Alex Cora, but now we also know that they reportedly approached former Phillies outfielder Raúl Ibañez and newest member of the Phillies Wall of Fame Chase Utley about their open managerial position.

Ibañez has been named as a candidate in multiple manager searches across baseball the last few years, and it feels like it’s only a matter of time until he finally steps back onto the field and out of the Dodgers front office where he is currently employed. To this point Ibañez has declined all overtures, but the aforementioned report from the Athletic’s Jayson Stark mentioned that he at least considered the Phillies coaching job for a few days before deciding to decline.

Utley on the other hand sounds as though it was something straight out of the mouth of a WIP caller. The report says that he quickly declined the opportunity and even includes quotes from Utley where he expresses that now is not the time for him to consider managing. Perhaps this was just a courtesy from the Phillies organization to get their former star’s name involved in the managerial carousel for future hiring cycles. Or maybe it was a way to placate the types of fans that call in to radio stations to suggest this type of thing.

Speaking of, let’s all let that part of us run wild for a second. Who’s your all Phillies alumni coaching staff? Here’s mine for example:

• Manager- Chase Utley
• Pitching coach- Cole Hamels
• Hitting coach- John Kruk
• Bench coach- Dave Hollins
• First base coach- Jimmy Rollins
• Third base coach- Shane Victorino
• Infield coach- Larry Bowa
• Bullpen coach- Brad Lidge

34 years ago:

Devon White made the most incredible catch I’ve ever witnessed.

The Jays pulled off a 3-2 victory, grabbing a 2-1 series lead. Without that catch, the outcome could have been very different—two runs would have scored, giving the Braves a runner in scoring position with no outs. This pivotal play happened in the fourth inning, with the game still scoreless. In the bottom half, Joe Carter launched a home run to put us ahead.

Juan Guzman surrendered the tying run in the sixth. Deion Sanders doubled, Terry Pendleton singled, and David Justice drove in Sanders with another single. Fortunately, Guzman managed to limit the damage. In the eighth, the Braves took the lead when Otis Nixon reached on a Kelly Gruber error, stole second, and scored on a Lonnie Smith single.

Gruber redeemed himself with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning, tying the game. In the ninth, Roberto Alomar singled and stole second. The Braves intentionally walked Carter, and Dave Winfield executed one of his rare sacrifice bunts (just 19 in 22 seasons). After another intentional walk loaded the bases, Candy Maldonado delivered a walk-off single.

That was easily the greatest catch I’ve ever seen. Devon quickly threw the ball back in to hold the runners. He was so smooth in the outfield—he rarely needed to make spectacular plays because he reached balls others couldn’t—but this one was truly special. Kevin Pillar has made some impressive catches as well, but I still think this tops them all.

It could have been a triple play if not for a missed call, but that’s baseball. I’d rather focus on the catch itself.

We went on to win the series in six games. I remember the final play vividly: Mike Timlin was pitching, with the tying run (John Smoltz, pinch-running) on third and Otis Nixon at the plate. Nixon laid down a well-placed drag bunt, but Timlin reacted quickly and made a perfect throw to Carter at first. As soon as the out was called, Joe started leaping in celebration—I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone jump higher (though he may have outdone himself a year later). I’ll admit, I was jumping up and down too.

I love re-watching this. Devon was such a smooth outfielder.

33 Years Ago Today:

The Jays triumphed in Game 5 of the 1993 World Series, edging out the Phillies 15-14 in an unforgettable slugfest.

Devon White was the hero once again, smashing a two-run triple in the eighth inning. That game set a World Series record for most runs scored.

I’m not going to recap it all, but here’s a snapshot:

• Todd Stottlemyre wasn’t good, giving up 6 runs in 2 innings.

• Al Leiter pitched next and wasn’t much better, giving up 6 runs in 2.2 innings.

• Tony Castillo got the W, giving up just 2 runs in 2.1 innings.Timlin got 2 outs, and Duane Ward got the last 4 outs to get the save.

• Rickey Henderson went 2 for 5 with a double, walk and steal, scoring 2 and driving in 2.

• White went 3 for 5, with a double, triple, walk and steal, scoring 2 and driving in 4.

• Carter was 3 for 6, with a double, scoring twice.

• Tony Fernandez was 3 for 6 and drove in 5.

• My favourite non-Jays reliever, Mitch Williams, got the blown save and loss. It was his third blown save of the playoffs that year. He would have one more, which you likely remember.

• On the Phillies side, Lenny Dykstra scored and drove in 4 (Lenny has had an interesting life since, but that’s a story for another time), and Milt Thompson drove in 5.

14 Years Ago Today:

John Farrell left for the Red Sox, much to our frustration. Fortunately, Gibby returned to manage, and the Sox later fired Farrell from his so-called ‘dream job.’ In the end, things worked out for us. That day’s comment thread was one of the few occasions when the language rules were relaxed here.

As compensation, we got Mike Aviles, but quickly traded him and Yan Gomes for Esmil Rogers. Looking back, no compensation might have been better.

Meet the Mets

Anthony DiComo discussed what the Mets have learned from Freddy Peralta’s disappointing tenure in New York and his resurgence with the Rays.

Kevin Long will meet with the Mets today about a coaching staff position, according to Mike Puma’s source. Long most recently served as the Phillies’ hitting coach and was the Mets’ hitting coach in 2015 when the team made it to the World Series.

Danny Abriano broke down the options for the Mets at second base.

Jay Horwitz provided a positive update on Ethan Wilson, the Senior Director in the Mets’ media relations department, who underwent surgery a few weeks ago.

Around the National League East

Mark Bowman offered a progress report on Atlanta’s farm system.

Charlotte Varnes and Matt Gelb teamed up to provide some offseason takeaways for the Phillies, touching on the outfield, bullpen, catching, and Philadelphia’s analytics group.

Around Major League Baseball

If I had told you back on Opening Day that Freddy Peralta would take the ball with a chance to send his team to the World Series, you would understandably be very excited. Alas, while Peralta did pick up the win in such a scenario, it was for the Rays, leading them to a 7-3 win over the Guardians in Game 6 of the ALCS.

Not only did Peralta pick up the win—his second of the series—he was named ALCS MVP.

The victory came on the 18th anniversary of Tampa Bay’s first World Series berth in 2008.

Yandy Díaz made good on his prediction that the series would end in six and delivered the knockout blow to lead his team to the World Series.

Junior Caminero savored his first career postseason home run.

The Hanshin Tigers will post Teruaki Sato soon, which will pave the way for him to be signed before the expected lockout on December 1. The Mets are among the teams expected to target the Japanese slugger.

Aaron Boone will return as the Yankees’ manager in 2027, but will do so without an extension as he prepares for the final year of his current c0ntract.

Sonja Chen outlined what the Dodgers could learn from Shohei Ohtani’s injury-plagued 2026 campaign.

Adam McCalvy shared some stories from Brewers fans that even the late, great Bob Uecker would get a kick out of.

The Athletics have hired Taylor Smith as President of Baseball Operations.

The Orioles have hired Jared Banner as their General Manager.

The Cubs have named Steve Miller their Director of International Scouting.

Yankees’ backstop Austin Wells said his season was sidetracked by multiple foul balls to the head.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Lukas Vlahos reviewed Huascar Brazobán’s 2026 season.

Steve Sypa reviewed Week Two of the Arizona Fall League.

This Date in Mets History

Happy 72nd birthday, Keith Hernandez. Have a nice day, Pretty Boy!

The 2026 World Series is set, and it looks to be quite intriguing and fun. The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Rays will face off to determine who will be the 2026 World Series champion. With similar approaches to the success, it will be fun to see the strategy involved in the matchups.

Braves News

Opinions may differ, but it certainly is an interesting conversation regarding Walt Weiss and wither he met or exceeded expectations in 2026.

A fun recap of the some of the best moments of the 2026 season is reliving the 10 longest home runs by the Braves this season.

Ha-Seong Kim, among the bigger disappointments on the Braves this season, leads off the player review series.

Mark Bowman looks at three of the biggest risers in the Braves farm system this season.

MLB News

Aaron Boone will return as the Yankees manager.

As the baseball world prepares itself for a low-cost World Series, Dodgers fans might still be looking backwards at what might’ve been.

Sonja Chen on MLB.com focuses on how the team managed Shohei Ohtani’s injuries, and what perhaps they might’ve done differently.

“I haven’t been able to really come to grip in terms of what I’ve learned overall this season,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton following the Dodgers’ elimination. “It’s something that I’m going to kind of go back to the drawing board in terms of treatment, training program, and see what I can come up with for next season.”

Chen breaks down the entire timeline of Ohtani and his injuries this season, from a knee tweak to being completely shut down from pitching, to starting again, and then a full IL stint. Chen notes that perhaps the Dodgers should’ve done more at the beginning to help their two-way player, and that said two-way player probably should’ve done more to help himself.

“The communication back and forth has been awesome,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said after Ohtani came off the IL. “The fully sharing exactly how he’s feeling, maybe not as awesome.”

Definitely lessons learned as the Dodgers look forward to 2027, where Ohtani has said that he definitely is going to pitch again.

“Yes, definitely,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton when asked after Los Angeles’ season-ending 6-4 loss to the Brewers if he plans to pitch in 2027. “And looking forward to having a better season next year.”

Brian Murphy of MLB.com covered that and other quotes from Ohtani on his plans going forward, including that as of earlier this week, Ohtani did not know if that was going to include offseason surgery.

That is, of course, if there is a next season.

If there is, Tyler Kepner of The Athletic shares his experience with a dynasty after the World Series wins stop, as he covered the New York Yankees during and after their three-peat. No doubt it will be somewhat different for the Dodgers, who seem to be the scapegoat for the impending lockout.

Hello and happy Tuesday, everybody. Hope you’re hanging in there with no Sox ball to talk about.

We do have World Series ball to talk about, though. Our divisional foes, the Tampa Bay Rays (while donning those lovely Devil Rays unis; I hope they go back to that look full time) clinched the American League pennant last night. With Milwaukee’s pennant sweep completed a few days ago, we’re in line for a Brewers-Rays Fall Classic: a pairing that you’d only see 15 years into your MLB The Show franchise mode simulation.

My open-ended question to you, dear reader, is this: What lessons from Milwaukee and Tampa Bay can the Red Sox take away with them heading into the winter? This could mean anything you’d like it to be, but I’m curious to read your thoughts. I think the Red Sox should consider having a starter who can throw 105 miles per hour or installing an aquarium of their own in the outfield at Fenway, but I’m open to other ideas as well.

Be good to each other and go Sox.

Today’s Reflections

Good morning, everyone.

Monday night withstanding, as Cleveland threw a hodge-podge of relievers at the Devil Rays, just think if the Cleveland pitching and Cubs defense got together. Messy defense at key times, Cleveland. Good try, though. I’ll cheer for you if I can again next year.

I’ll just sit back and watch a relaxing World Series*.

*(Subject to sudden changes. This page is not responsible for erratic WS thoughts)

I appreciate your reading.

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*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

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Free Agency for Executives and Players:

• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Cubs Hire Steve Miller as New VP of International Scouting. “Some people call him the space cowboy; some call him the gangster of love.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs can’t ignore one major Michael Soroka red flag if they consider an offseason reunion. “Not this again.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Japanese Slugger Teruaki Sato is Officially Being Posted. “In a market thin in impact bats – ironically, Seiya Suzuki is probably right there at the top in this very same class – Teruaki Sato will find plenty of bidders out there.”
• Doug Schwamb (Chicago Cubs On SI): 4 Trade Targets the Chicago Cubs Have to Keep an Eye On This Offseason. “There are plenty of names to trade for this off-season. Here are some players the Chicago Cubs can consider.”

Pitching Stories:

• Randy Holt (North Side Baseball): Did Ryan Rolison Do Enough for a Higher-Leverage Look in 2027? “As injuries mounted in the Cubs’ 2026 bullpen, Ryan Rolison took on an increased role. Did he do enough to not only make it permanent, but become even more important in 2027?”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): When can Cubs fans realistically expect Cade Horton to return in 2027? “Is Cade Horton going to pitch next year?”
• Paul Niemiec (North Side Sports): Edward Cabrera’s Rocky Debut Season Leaves Cubs With More Questions Than Answers. “

Hitting and Minor League Stories:

• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Michael Busch Had a Disappointing Season — Here’s What I Think Happened. “Busch will probably be around for a while. And that makes me want to talk about his performance in 2026, because for the most part … it was very disappointing.”
• Sam Caulder (North Side Baseball): Why Josiah Hartshorn is Now Cubs’ Top Prospect, and What He Still Needs to Work On. “Josiah Hartshorn’s first full season in professional baseball deserves another look. After a dominant 2026 season, he’s gone from a mid-round draft pick to the organization’s top prospect, with an exciting future ahead.”

Other Stories:

• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune {$}): Column: Milwaukee Brewers making World Series is unfortunate for Chicago Cubs — but great for baseball fans. “The Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series is an unfortunate turn of events for almost everyone except real baseball fans.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Former Cubs manager David Ross faces another offseason of being overlooked. “Ross may need to re-think the options he’s open to if he wants to return to the dugout.”

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Food For Thought:

Robert Petway (born c. 1903, date of death unknown) was an American blues singer and guitarist. He recorded only 16 songs, but it has been said that he was an influence on many notable blues and rock musicians, including John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Jimi Hendrix. There is only one known picture of Petway, a publicity photo from 1941. Like many bluesmen from the Mississippi Delta, Petway traveled as a musician, playing at parties, roadhouses, and other venues. Petway and Tommy McClennan often travelled and performed together. After McClennan had been in Chicago for a few years, Petway travelled north to join him and cut records, as did Georgia’s Frank Edwards, who had met them in Mississippi.

Petway recorded the song “Catfish Blues” in 1941. Among many other musicians who played variations of the song, Muddy Waters used the arrangement and lyrics of “Catfish Blues” for his song “Rollin’ Stone” (the song from which the Rolling Stones took their name). The composition credit given to Petway is based entirely on the recording date of his version of the song, but it cannot establish that his version was the original and the source of later versions.  There is no record, official or unofficial, of Petway’s death. The last record of his public life is a quote from Honeyboy Edwards: “nobody I know heard what become of him.” In his autobiography, Edwards stated that he had heard that Petway may have moved to Chicago, where Edwards himself lived, but that he never met him there.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

The World Series is set.

Last night after the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians, 7-3, they punched their ticket to meet the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series. It should be a good contest of teams that are built on exceptional execution, small ball, and big analytics staffs.

This was a post making the rounds on social media yesterday.

If nothing else, it’s a sign of improvement that the Colorado Rockies, while still understaffed, are no longer worst in MLB — that honor goes to the Athletics and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

President of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said in his remarks earlier this month that they intended to keep growing their staff in the offseason, so that will be a story to watch going forward.

The data suggests that spending on analytics pays. Now to see what the Rockies do next.

In the meantime, here is the news from 20th and Blake as well as the rest of the league.

Rockies news & links

A full-circle journey: Jack O’Dowd’s life around the Colorado Rockies | Arizona Fall League

Jake Smith looks at catcher Jack O’Dowd (HM PuRP) and his baseball life given that he spent his formative years around the Rockies. His two favorite players? Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton.

Could the Cardinals Upgrade in Center Field? | Viva El Birdos

Should the St. Louis Cardinals make a change in center field, and if so, who would be some good candidates? Rockies center fielder Jake McCarthy makes Jake Woods’ list. “Perhaps on days the offense struggles to get going, as it did at times in ‘26, a spark plug like McCarthy to wake the guys up a little might be something worth investing a couple of resources in,” Woods writes.

New York Yankees haunted by trade following latest news | Heavy

“It’s fair to say the trade has not been a good one for the Yankees,” write Ben Stinar, contrasting the first baseman’s season with that of relief pitcher Angel Chivilli

Rockies no longer counting on former Cubs star Kris Bryant | CubsHQ

As Troy Crumpton puts it, “For Cubs fans who remember Bryant as a cornerstone of Chicago’s historic 2016 championship team, his injury-plagued tenure with the Rockies has been an unfortunate turn for the former MVP.”

Home Alon! | Mile High Territory

I’ve come to think of “Mile High Territory” as the best weekly baseball analysis Rockies fans will see during the offseason. This one is worth listening to for Ryan Spilborghs comments on why the Rockies may have decided to end their relationship with pitching coach Alon Leichman — and the possibility of revisiting pitch calling with a new (and interesting) twist.

Look for my Rockpile on TJ Rumfield’s Gold Glove chances later this morning.

Around MLB

NPB MVP, Triple Crown winner Sato to enter MLB posting system | MLB.com

This is big news. Teruaki Sato is a “superstar infielder.” The 28-year-old won the Central League Triple Crown in 2006. (A .306 batting average, 39 homers, and 106 RBIs will do that.) Tomoyuki Sugano, if you could put in a good word for your former team, we’d appreciate it!

Athletics hire Taylor Smith as next President of Baseball Operations | Athletics Nation

The Athletics have hired their new PBO, Taylor Smith. What do we know so far? Smith is young but also has a background with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox. Watch our sister site for new developments.

Orioles hire Jared Banner, Cubs assistant, as GM | Camden Chat

It’s hiring season, and the Baltimores went with Jared Banner, who brings with him experience with the Chicago Cubs in addition to the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox. “However, in hiring Banner, the O’s have brought in someone from outside the organization who is supposed to have a lot of influence in player development, an area where Elias has obliquely acknowledged that he’s been lacking in recent seasons,” writes Mark Brown.

Aaron Boone will return as Yankees manager for 2027 | Pinstripe Alley

As you may have guessed, Yankees fans are not excited about the decision.

The season that was: Kevin Gausman | Bluebird Banter

If the Rockies sign any free-agent pitchers, Colorado native Kevin Gausman is probably at the top of their list. Our Blue Jays sister site reviews his 2026 season.

This week on the internet

Since we’re off to Milwaukee for the first game of the World Series, this seemed timely.

Reader, I watched in fascination wondering how all the pieces would fit.

But they did — clearly, this is not The Sausages’ first rodeo.

Outro

I almost went with the Loverboy song, but let’s kick off this on with some Mötley Crüe:

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