Category: Baseball

New York Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns held his end-of-season press conference today. The Mets missed the playoffs for the second straight year and finished last in the NL East despite a sky-high payroll and high expectations.

Stearns had to walk a tightrope with his answers, acknowledging his mistakes in building the 2026 squad while also sharing a message of optimism with a team that finished 34-31 after the All-Star break.

It didn’t take long for Pete Alonso or the now-cursed phrase ‘run prevention’ forever associated with Stearns to be brought up. Still, the executive pointed to the team’s improved cohesiveness after Andy Green took over managerial duties following Carlos Mendoza’s firing, as well as the exciting young talent that flourished as the season went on.

“The disappointment of this season is very true and real. I feel that, we as an organization, feel that, our fan base feels that. There’s no denying any of that, Stearns said. “There is also the real foundation here for the level of success and competitiveness that we expect to have, and that is also real.”

The Mets’ brutally slow start to the season, including a 12-game losing streak and injuries to Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, was essentially a worst-case scenario for the club and stood out to Stearns when asked what he could do to make sure missing the playoffs in such mediocre fashion wouldn’t happen again.

“We and I made a number of decisions that created the potential for almost an uncapped downside scenario,” he said. “We had a lot of change. I think that change in New York is probably different than change in other markets. We lived that. I think in addition to that change, we had different elements of our roster that didn’t have enough flexibility, so when we had underperformance, it made it very difficult for us to make in-season, on-the-fly adjustments.”

With another season of missing the playoffs, and Mets fans quick to call for Stearns’s scalp at games and online, he was asked if he feels pressure to turn it around.

“I’m always under pressure,” he said. “My job is to put a winning team on the field every year. That hasn’t changed from the day I sat up here for my introductory press conference to when I’m sitting up here right now.”

Alonso’s departure in free agency to the Orioles and his subsequent career year at the plate, combined with the Mets struggling to find a solid solution at first base, raised questions about what he learned from the situation.

“The truth is, in this job, I don’t get mulligans. I also recognize that Pete had a tremendous year, and the totality of our production at first base wasn’t good enough,” Stearns said. “It’s my job to ensure that we’ve got better success across our roster, but for the entirety of the season, better success at first base as well.”

The idea that it’s hard for players to perform in New York came up repeatedly. It was something Stearns acknowledged to be a truth, and that evaluating which free agents would be up for performing on the big stage is something he’ll be considering more in the future.

“This is a unique place to play. It’s different here,” he said. “I’ve lived it as a fan, and as an executive, when you win here, it’s the greatest thing in the world. There is nothing like coming to this ballpark in a playoff atmosphere and experiencing that. It’s equally extreme when things aren’t going well, and certain players struggle with that, and I’m cognizant of that.”

Stearns said his vision of run prevention didn’t work out too well, especially in the first half of the season.

“I think I’ll retire the phrase run prevention. I don’t know if that one wore particularly well,” he said. “I think our pitching and defense was much better in the second half than we were in the first half.”

Other key points discussed:

• Stearns answered in the affirmative when asked if the club needs more viable starting pitching, saying, “I do think it’s necessary to add to our starting rotation. We can do that in a variety of different ways….Over the long term, what we need to do is develop pitchers at the top of our rotation, and I think we’ve proven we can do that….We also need to have more options, and we need the flexibility to go out and get those options when they’re needed.”
• When asked how the club can prevent key injuries and make sure players coming off injury are ready to go, Stearns said reevaluating everything, including spring training ramp-ups, is on the table. “All of that is being looked at, and I imagine there will be some changes in how we do some of that,” he said.
• When asked about which way Bo Bichette was leaning regarding his player option, he said, “I have not had those discussions with Bo. He’s got the right now to take some space and discuss things with his family and his agent. I’m sure he’ll get back to us.”
• Stearns was once again noncommittal regarding hiring a general manager, but praised the recent addition of Derek Falvey to the front office. Similarly, he said he would discuss coaching staff additions with Green in the coming days.
• Stearns said that the club will evaluate Kodai Senga’s role on the team during next year’s spring training. “We need a level of production in whatever role he’s going to be in to contribute to a winning team.”
• When asked about the plans for the back end of the bullpen, Stearns praised Devin Williams’ work to get healthy and get some innings in before the end of the season. “He’s healthy, he feels great, and we expect him to be a big part of the back end going forward. We also feel good about the younger guys that stepped up in the last few months in a big way.”
• Stearns said that Tylor Megill and Reed Garrett are progressing in their recovery from elbow surgery and that both have been around the team recently, with the expectation of being available to compete in spring training.
• Stearns confirmed that Ronny Mauricio is still considered to be in the mix as an infield option moving forward. “We saw the flash of potential over the last couple of days. That was exciting for us to see, and I think it was great for him to experience heading into the offseason….I think he comes into spring training next year competing for a spot.”
• When asked what the team could do to take the next step and be contenders, he said, “There’s the continued maturation and growth of (our young) group, there is more consistent play and more available play from a group of veterans that we think is really good, and then there’s whatever external acquisitions we bring in this offseason, along with the upper level of our (farm) system that we believe will contribute in a meaningful way this offseason.”

Although they missed the playoffs, the season was a successful one for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. They finished 78-68 overall — 41-31 in the second half — and were in contention for the postseason until the final weekend.

This was the final season that Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will be known as the RailRiders; the team is rebranding next season.

“As a team, we were able to do a lot of good things and play some really good baseball for the most part,” pitcher Brendan Beck said. “It’s a bummer we came up a little short in the playoff push, but only one team can make it. We were playing meaningful baseball until the very end, so it was a good year.”

Beck, the Yankees’ No. 27 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, provided perhaps the biggest highlight of the season on June 5 at Syracuse when he combined with Carson Coleman on a no-hitter — the seventh in franchise history (third nine-inning). The right-hander was named International League Pitcher of the Year after finishing tied for second in wins with 10 and leading the league in ERA (2.93), strikeouts (151), innings (135.1), WHIP (1.06), and opponents’ batting average (.210). His strikeout total ranks fourth in franchise single-season history and his ERA ranks fifth.

On May 7, Beck made his major-league debut at Yankee Stadium against the Texas Rangers. Other RailRiders who got the call and made their major league debuts included Elmer Rodriguez (April 29), George Lombard Jr. (Aug. 4), Bradley Hanner (Aug. 14) and Alexander Cornielle (Sept. 25).

Rodriguez joined Beck on the International League All-Star team. The right-hander, who is the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect, went 8-4 with the RailRiders with a 2.45 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 106.1 innings.

Not only did the RailRiders have players who went up, but they also had a number of players come down, such as Jasson Dominguez, Anthony Volpe, and J.C. Escarra. Several Yankees players also did rehab assignments — pitchers Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, catcher Austin Wells, and outfielder Cody Bellinger.

“There’s been more movement on this team, more back and forth turnover with position players and pitchers than any team I’ve been on,” manager Shelley Duncan said. “Had a lot of guys come down from the big leagues with a tough mindset and they really gave themselves to the team. A lot of guys here with deep, strong individual aspirations and they poured themselves into the team. I’ve seen us go through stretches where things were bleak and they don’t give up hope or shut it down. They fight through it. I’ve seen players grow, I’ve seen some guys have some unbelievable years. I’ve seen some guys make some big career jumps. There’s a lot this season.”

Besides Beck, several other RailRiders ranked among the International League leaders. Yanquiel Fernandez tied for third in home runs with 27, ranked third in RBIs with 87, and tied for ninth in hits with 126. Oswaldo Cabrera tied for fifth in hits with 134 and was 10th in batting at .288 (134 for 466).

Duke Ellis finished second in the league in stolen bases with 60, one behind Worcester’s Braiden Ward. Ellis set the franchise single-season record for steals, breaking the mark of 44 set by the Red Barons’ Tommy Barrett in 1989. He also became the franchise’s career leader in steals with 102, surpassing the record of 82 held by the Red Barons’ Nick Punto. Ellis also ended the season with a 15-game hitting streak and a 20-game on-base streak.

Another highlight was a season-high eight-game winning streak from July 26 to Aug. 4, including a six-game series sweep in Iowa against the Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate. It was the first time since 1990 that a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team visited Iowa.

That winning streak gave the RailRiders a 23-9 record in the second half, good for first place in the standings by one game over the Durham Bulls and two over the Indianapolis Indians. However, they lost their next four games to Rochester at PNC Field by a combined 40-11 and that was the turning point for the RailRiders. Interestingly, that also was the turning point for the Red Wings and as they went 27-14 the rest of the way to win the second-half title, then capture the league championship over the first-half champion Memphis Redbirds. Rochester lost to the Pacific Coast League champion Oklahoma City Comets in 10 innings, 5-3, in the Triple-A National Championship Game in Las Vegas.

“It’s really a shame we were not in the playoffs,” relief pitcher Eric Reyzelman said. “I feel if this team got a chance to play in there, we would have been the last team coming out of Vegas. It’s tough the way it ended, but we played hard until the last second.”

While winning a championship would have been a storybook ending to the RailRiders era, it was still an exciting, memorable season.

If Bo Bichetteopts in for the 2027 season, the Mets will likely be set when it comes to most of their starting lineup, perhaps leaving first base and designated hitter as the two easiest ways for them to reshape the offense this offseason.

With that as a backdrop, president of baseball operationsDavid Stearns spoke on Monday about the team's struggle to fill first base in 2026 after Pete Alonso signed a five-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles last offseason. On the decision to let Alonso walk, Stearns said he doesn't get "mulligans."

As far as how the Mets will address first base this offseason?

"I do think it's potentially a combination of internal pieces and external," Stearns explained. "I don't think, sitting up here right now, I'm gonna close the door on anything. I think Jared Younghad a really good second half of the season. When we gave him consistent playing time, he responded and performed. 

"I think what we saw fromBrett Baty, particularly over the last four-to-six weeks where he was one of the best offensive players in all of baseball -- we need to see him do that more consistently. Brett knows that. But I don't want to undercount that as well. We have other internal options, and I also think we're going to be looking externally as well."

On Baty specifically, Stearns was forthright regarding the possibility that his strong finish was fool's gold.

In parts of five big league seasons with the Mets, Baty has showed promise at the plate, including when he posted a .748 OPS in 2025. But he has not been consistent enough.

"The truth is, we won't know," Stearns said about whether Baty can carry over his end-of-season success to 2027. "I do think having been around Brett for multiple years now, I think where he is from a mindset perspective, his level of belief in himself, and how he works through an at-bat, is different right now. But as with any player, until you see it for an extended period, very difficult for me to sit here right now and have complete certainty on that."

Regarding other internal options at first base, Jorge Polanco is theoretically one of them.

But Polanco missed the majority of this season due to a lingering ankle injury that required season-ending surgery. When he was on the field, he struggled badly, putting up a 22 OPS+ in 37 games.

And Stearns doesn't have illusions about what to expect from Polanco in 2027, which is the second and final year of the contract he inked last offseason.

"With Jorge, the early stages of the rehab are going really well," Stearns said. "I know, having gotten to know the person over the last year, he's going to work exceptionally hard to put himself in position to contribute. I also don't know the exact extent of what that's going to look like. I'm not gonna sit here and say he's gonna play 120 games at first base.

"I think we need to wait and see where he is in spring training. I know that when he's healthy, this is a really good offensive player from both sides of the plate who can hit in the middle of the lineup and do a bunch of different things. I would love to have that version of player on the team, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we get in spring training."

When it comes to external options, the free agent market isn't particularly enticing.

Ty France is coming off a huge season for the Padres (career-best .865 OPS), but is entering his age-32 season and is one year removed from signing a minor league deal.

An intriguing option could be Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato, who is expected to be posted for big league clubs this offseason.

Sato, 27, has been primarily a third baseman and outfielder in Japan, but could slide across the diamond to first base in the majors.

Sato smacked 37 homers in 136 games this season for the Hanshin Tigers while posting a career-best OPS of 1.017.

Aaron Judge is putting his calf where his mouth is.

After reiterating his intention to make himself available for the AL wild-card series, less than two weeks after suffering a moderate calf strain, Judge is scheduled to take live batting practice Monday at Yankee Stadium as he tries to convince Yankees brass to include him on the roster on the eve of their showdown with the Red Sox.

“I’ve been doing a lot of convincing, so I’m going to keep doing that,” Judge said with a grin at his locker before the live session. “But I think the most important thing is making sure I’m healthy and ready to go for this long stretch. We got another month of baseball to play, so I want to be ready for the long run we’re going to go on for this next month. We’re all going to be smart, but I think they all know I want to be out there, especially in the first game.”

The three-time MVP said he has still not run the bases, which is always a key hurdle for players to clear coming back from soft-tissue leg injuries, but indicated he has been running on an anti-gravity treadmill and left open the possibility that he could try running on the field later Monday.

While Judge’s live batting practice session should give the Yankees some important information as to how he looks and feels, they will have to weigh whether it is worth the risk of playing him this soon and leaving himself open to reinjury or suffering something worse. The soleus muscle, which is the part of the calf where Judge’s strain is located, is connected to the Achilles tendon.

“Guys take risks every single day,” Judge said. “I know a lot of guys in here are banged up and dealing with stuff. I understand the risk, I’ve got it all.”

Aaron Boone indicated that Judge resumed hitting indoors on Sunday, though the captain later said he has been hitting “for a while.”

“It feels great, which is definitely a big step forward, because you produce a lot of weight on that back leg, so feeling good there,” Judge said.

Once again, Judge added that he hopes to come back as a right fielder because it would help the Yankees the most, given that they already have a logjam at DH/first base with Ben Rice, Luis García Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt. But it is questionable whether he would be able to play the field for nine innings without issue, and if he can’t, would the Yankees really be able to carry both him and Giancarlo Stanton – who is trying to come back from three different calf strains that have sidelined him since late April and figures to be available as strictly a pinch hitter – on the same roster?

Judge, who already missed three-plus months of the regular season with a right rib stress fracture, pledged to do everything he could to be ready for Tuesday. Left unsaid: even all of that still might not be enough.

“I think the biggest thing is understanding how short – the time to be a Yankee and play this game of baseball is a very short window,” Judge said. “Ten years have gone by since I debuted out here, so time flies. I just think about that more than thinking about age. I feel like I’ll still be a good baseball player at 45.

“It’s more just your window to play this game is short, so you don’t want to miss an opportunity.”

Another long and grueling regular season has come to an end. For the Dodgers, the last six months mostly met their perennial lofty expectations of not just clinching the postseason, but winning the NL West and securing that all-important first-round bye.

As has been the case with the Dodgers over the last two years, they managed to circumvent around numerous injuries and setbacks to every single department on their team. With October baseball in close proximity to their windshield, the team is mostly healthy enough to embark on their quest to become baseball’s first three-peat champions in 26 years.

The road to glory isn’t paved evenly, but the Dodgers aren’t a team insistent on making their treks remiss of discomfort. With all the team has experienced this season, here are a few reasons why the Dodgers will be able to win the 2026 World Series.

Abundance of pitching depth

Two things about the potential postseason rotation ring a familiar chime when observing the last two playoff runs. The Dodgers are set to have a dominant four-man quartet, just like last year. The Dodgers also swung a blockbuster deal with the Detroit Tigers to shore up the rotation like they did two years ago (just replace the name Jack Flaherty with Tarik Skubal). All four pitchers in the rotation— Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow— have experience pitching in October.

The Dodgers have a very good problem when it comes to situating their bullpen. After a strong second half of the season before hitting the shelf, Roki Sasaki, like last season, has come back with dominant stuff out of the Dodger bullpen. Justin Wrobleski will be joining Sasaki as starters from the regular season expected to pitch in relief. Tanner Scott will embark on his first postseason trip as a Dodger after a brutal season last year, and although Edwin Díaz has struggled overall and dealt with injuries, he has come out firing since being recently activated off the injured list.

As was the case last season, the Dodgers will rely on their starters to handle as much volume of work as possible, limiting the reliance of swing guys that can handle multiple innings. Should any best-of-7 game series come down to the wire, the Dodgers will be prepared to throw in all their chips, whether from the rotation or bullpen, to get the job done.

Monsters: The Hernández Brothers, Season 3

Yes, it has been two years since Netflix released their second season of the show Monsters, centered on the crimes of Lyle and Erik Menendez. The Dodgers are preparing for their third season of manning two clutch and criminal forces in the postseason, both of whom share the same surname.

While Teoscar Hernández battled a hamstring injury that cost him a month’s worth of time, he has been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball in the month of September, and his bat becomes even more volatile come October. Hernández hit five home runs during last year’s postseason run, and over the last two postseasons, he is slashing a respectable .254/.327/.454 with eight home runs and 25 RBI over a 33-game stretch. His bat will be crucial in the middle of the lineup, along with a resurgent Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy protecting him.

The Dodgers’ X-factor isn’t someone that has been getting everyday playing time in the regular season, but he brings out the flare for the dramatic when the lights shine brightest. Kiké Hernández’s first big postseason moment came with his hat trick in Game 5 of the 2017 NLCS, and in every World Series run with the Dodgers, he’s had multiple moments stamped into the highlight reel.

Kiké Hernández is one of the best postseason hitters of all time, as in 103 career postseason games with the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, he is slashing .272/.339/.486 with 16 home runs and 42 RBI. Hernández has continued to demonstrate his defensive versatility, and should any Dodger hitter in the everyday lineup fall into a slump, Hernández has the potential to be called on and perform the way he has in the postseason for the last nine years.

It’s Sho-time!

A detriment to this year’s Dodgers team compared to last year is that Shohei Ohtani won’t be performing his two-way duties. Ohtani hasn’t pitched since early July, and knee and biceps issues hampered his offensive production for most of the second half.

On the offensive side of the ball last year, Ohtani was a force to be reckoned with in 2025, as he tied Corey Seager for the most home runs hit by a Dodgers in a postseason run with eight, including a multi-home run game in Game 3 of the World Series where he reached base nine times. Although a left shoulder subluxation limited his production in the 2024 World Series, he managed to hit three home runs between both the NLDS and NLCS.

Ohtani’s bat is essential to how the Dodgers perform. The team was able to minimize his absence with a torrid month of September, but his presence at the top of the lineup sends shivers down the spines of their opposition. The first-round bye will also allow Ohtani to continue to heal up from his lingering right biceps issues, and whether he hits leadoff or second behind Mookie Betts, the reigning NLCS MVP will be looking to add more hardware to his résumé.

What's different about these Phillies? Bryce Harper, Trea Turner weigh in originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ATLANTA — Yes, these Phillies.

The same core that has reached the postseason five consecutive years, yet hasn’t won a playoff series since 2023, has another opportunity to finish what it started.

But Bryce Harper sees some differences in this version of the Phillies, even if many of the names are familiar.

“I think they’re different, but they have a little bit of the same DNA,” Harper said Monday at Truist Park. “We have a lot of the same and similar DNA that we’ve had the last couple years, with a sprinkle of a couple other guys.”

Those additions, along with the growth of several returning players, could help determine whether Philadelphia’s latest postseason appearance ends differently from its previous two.

The most obvious change is in the bullpen.

Over the last two postseasons, Phillies relievers have combined for a 6.82 ERA, a 1.65 WHIP and six home runs allowed in 30 1/3 innings. Their ERA jumps to 11.42 when pitching with a lead.

Those numbers help explain why Philadelphia hasn’t advanced beyond the NLDS in either of its last two appearances.

This year’s relief group looks considerably different. José Alvarado is the only remaining member of the Phillies’ 2023 bullpen, and after posting a 5.86 ERA this season, he isn’t expected to handle the most important late-inning assignments.

Instead, Philadelphia has Jhoan Duran at the back end, with Jonathan Bowlan, Alex McFarlane and Chase Shugart among the newer faces who could be asked to get the ball to their closer.

The Phillies haven’t seen how this group will respond together in October. That uncertainty leaves them with questions, but at least they’ll be trying to solve a familiar problem with a different group of pitchers.

The offense, meanwhile, has undergone fewer changes. Philadelphia still relies heavily on Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, with Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott providing much of the production behind them.

And that group has something to prove.

Of the 12 teams that played multiple postseason series across 2024 and 2025, the Phillies had the lowest batting average, the lowest average with runners in scoring position and the highest chase rate.

Too often, Philadelphia has struggled to put the ball in play when it has an opportunity to score. It was one of the reasons the club acquired Luis Arraez in August, but a left ankle sprain suffered during the final week of the regular season will keep him off the Wild Card roster.

That puts more responsibility on the returning hitters to sustain rallies against an Atlanta pitching staff that begins the series with Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle.

Bohm and Stott enter the postseason swinging the bat well, something Turner believes reflects the growth he’s witnessed within the clubhouse this year.

“I think it was just kind of cool to see guys struggle at times and then pull themselves out of it at times,” Turner said. “It didn’t go as well as it could have gone for a lot of us.”

He pointed specifically to Bohm, whose difficult start gave way to a productive final several months.

“He’s been such a good player for a long time, and then this second half or the last two-thirds of the season, he’s been really, really good for us,” Turner said.

But the Phillies have also introduced a different kind of hitter into the lower part of their lineup.

Justin Crawford, who made his major league debut earlier this season, has given Philadelphia another player capable of reaching base, putting pressure on the defense and delivering in important situations.

From June 14 through the end of the regular season, Crawford hit .294, the 15th-highest average in baseball among players who appeared in at least 80 games during that span. He ranked third among rookies who met that qualification.

His production with runners in scoring position was even more striking.

Crawford hit .491 in those situations over that stretch, the highest average among 109 players who met the same games-played requirement. His 1.131 OPS with runners in scoring position ranked fifth.

He won’t necessarily start every postseason game. Crawford shares center-field duties with Derek Hill, whose speed, defense and production against left-handed pitching give interim manager Don Mattingly another way to construct his lineup.

Hill has made quite an impression on Harper.

“He’s just a professional, I would say. He’s got a professional mindset,” Harper said. “Obviously having his pops, coming from a big-league family, I think that helps a lot.”

Harper went a step further when discussing Hill’s arrival, which came in a June trade with the Chicago White Sox.

“I think it’s one of the better moves Dave has made for our organization bringing him in,” Harper said, referring to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

His praise extended well beyond Hill’s production. Harper singled out the way the outfielder prepares, backs up bases, looks for opportunities to advance and helps Philadelphia’s younger players.

“He’s a gamer. He plays the game the right way, and you need guys like that on your team,” Harper said.

Hill is also part of a trio that has developed a close bond away from the field.

Along with Bryan De La Cruz and Edmundo Sosa, he belongs to “Team Blessed,” a group built around their shared faith and a competitive batting-cage routine during games. All three have contributed in important moments throughout the season, frequently coming off the bench without the benefit of regular at-bats.

Harper mentioned Hill and De La Cruz specifically when asked what makes this club different from previous Phillies postseason teams. Both have given Philadelphia additional options against left-handed pitching, something it lacked earlier in the year.

And Harper believes players in those supporting roles can end up being the ones everyone remembers.

“It’s funny to look back on a lot of postseasons in baseball history,” Harper said. “Not many of the superstar players play to their ability.”

Harper himself is a notable exception.

Among the 109 hitters in postseason history with at least 200 plate appearances, his .986 OPS ranks third, trailing only Carlos Beltrán and Albert Pujols. His .596 slugging percentage is fourth. 

But his point wasn’t about the stars who have delivered in October. It was about the players whose contributions nobody saw coming.

Consider Travis Ishikawa, a part-time first baseman who found himself playing left field for the 2014 San Francisco Giants. In Game 5 of the NLCS, Ishikawa hit a three-run, walk-off homer against the Cardinals to send San Francisco to the World Series.

That’s the type of player Harper had in mind when discussing Philadelphia’s reserves.

“You never know who the October hero is going to be,” Harper said. “Then you get to the end and you’re like, man, that guy had a great postseason and you might never hear from him again.”

Hill, De La Cruz, Sosa and Crawford will have opportunities to write their own postseason stories. For some, it will be their first chance to experience an October environment that Harper knows well.

His advice is to avoid treating it as a different game.

“All the work that you put in during the season and all the work that you put in to get you to this point, all that doesn’t matter,” Harper said. “It’s the same game that we’ve been playing. It just might get a little bit quicker or might speed up on you a little bit if you let it.”

That doesn’t mean the veteran slugger wants his younger teammates to ignore the occasion.

“If you can really try to just enjoy the moment, I don’t know, you could go 0-for-4 tomorrow or you could go 0-for-5 tomorrow or you can go 3-for-4 with two homers and win a game,” Harper said. “If you just really take in the moment, take in the opportunity, there’s no greater feeling.”

The Phillies have considerable postseason experience, but this season has tested them in ways their more recent teams haven’t necessarily encountered.

They began 9-19, underwent a managerial change and spent much of the year rearranging their pitching staff because of injuries and inconsistent performances.

There are similarities to 2022, when Philadelphia also changed managers after a difficult start before making an improbable run to the World Series. That team didn’t secure its postseason berth until Oct. 3 and entered the playoffs having gone 11-14 in September.

Turner wasn’t part of that club. He joined the Phillies the following offseason, and much of what stood out to him about this year’s team had less to do with the final results than the way his teammates responded to their own struggles.

He recalled a recent conversation about Schwarber, who was still working through issues with his swing during the final days of the regular season.

“He’s hit 380 homers in his career, and one of the best hitters in the game, and he’s just not satisfied,” Turner said.

For Turner, that restlessness says something about the veteran players who have been together through several disappointing postseason exits.

“Just seeing guys kind of manage their situations and want to compete and want to get back out there and just loving the game, I think that was pretty cool from a team standpoint,” he said.

It’s a perspective that comes from watching the same players through different stages of their careers. As Harper acknowledged, they’re getting older. Stott has grown into a more established hitter, Bohm’s future in Philadelphia is uncertain, and the club has brought in new players to complement a core that has been trying to win a championship for years.

The Phillies have invested heavily in their starting rotation, traded for a closer last year they believe can handle the biggest innings and introduced players who could give their offense a different look. But much of their postseason success will still depend on familiar names producing in situations where they’ve struggled before.

Harper, now preparing for his ninth postseason in 15 major league seasons, understands how rare those opportunities can become.

He brought up Hall-of-Fame quarterback Dan Marino, who reached the Super Bowl early in his career but never returned, as an example of how little a player’s previous success guarantees about what comes next.

The Phillies have reached October five straight years. That doesn’t mean they’ll keep getting chances.

“I’m very lucky,” Harper said. “Obviously I haven’t got to the point where I want to be or our team hasn’t either, but just to be in these moments, just to be given the opportunity to be here, I’m so grateful for that. It motivates me to get to these points.”

Philadelphia arrives in Atlanta with many of the same stars, some new faces and the experience of a regular season that nearly slipped away from it.

Harper knows what he wants this group to accomplish. But after all the postseason games he’s played, he’s learned there’s no telling which teammate might deliver the moment that gets them there.

“It’s a cool opportunity for a lot of guys that have never played here,” he said. “You could end up being a hero after having just an absolute terrible year.”

Push for the playoffs coverage on NBC Sports Philadelphia is presented by Toyota, proud partner of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Here we are, awaiting the start of another postseason run. The Yankees’ season could be over in the next two to three days, or it could take us on a journey through October with the chance to finally deliver that elusive 28th title. Their run will begin as it did last year in the Wild Card Series against Boston, this time leading off with Cam Schlittler instead of bringing him out in Game 3 with Max Fried and Gerrit Cole waiting in the wings for Games 2 and 3 (if necessary). They’ll have to make it at least past this opening series without Aaron Judge, who after straining his calf has been shut down from baseball activities for the past few weeks, but the Yankee offense carries a decent amount of firepower heading into this matchup compared to where they were at during the summer.

Due to the potential of elimination, it’s hard to look much further ahead than the immediate when it comes to the mailbag going forward. There’s the possibility that by the time we reconvene to answer this week’s questions the Yankees have been sentenced to an early offseason, but there’s also the possibility that their run continues and some key stars were the reason why. To that point, the questions with the most relevance are going to depend on what happens in the coming days: will the Yankee rotation live up to their regular season pedigree, did the Red Sox expose any weaknesses that could come to haunt them against the Rays, what was the biggest takeaway from this season the Yankees can use to plan for 2027? All are viable questions depending on the results, but there’s nothing to do but wait and see which path these Yankees take us on.

Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of October 1st will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

Two Mets are on the ballot for the 2026 ‘All-MLB’ team, Juan Soto and Nolan McLean. Voting opens today and runs through Friday, October 9. The team will be announced at the MLB Awards on November 11 in Las Vegas. For those unaware of how the All-MLB team gets selected, this is the description from the press release:

Fans and panelists will vote for their choices at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, three outfielders (without regard for left/center/right) and designated hitter, along with five starting pitchers and two relief pitchers on both the first and second teams. All choices will be based on the 2026 regular season, without regard for American League or National League affiliation.

McLean, a Rookie of the Year contender, put up 3.0 bWAR in his first full season alongside a 3.16 ERA, 128 ERA+, 194 strikeouts in 179 and two-thirds innings, while making 31 starts. Soto, who missed 51 games due to injury, also put up 3.0 bWAR while hitting .275/.393/.515 with 27 home runs and a 154 OPS+.

Other outfield selections include Pete Crow-Armstrong, Mike Trout, James Wood, and Byron Buxton. Other starting pitcher nominees include Sandy Alcantara, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, and Tarik Skubal.

The full list of nominees can be found here, and you can vote here.

With just one day left before the Yankees take on the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, the rivals' third-ever meeting in the round and seventh-ever in the playoffs, New York's roster remains full of injury-induced holes. 

Manager Aaron Boone gave an update on several players at a news conference Monday, speaking about Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and more.

Judge to take live batting practice

Although Judge has made it clear that his personal goal is to be back on the field for the playoffs, Boone was still hesitant to commit to any decisions Monday. He did, however, say that the Yankee captain has been taking part in various parts of practice over the last few days.

"He did some hitting underneath and threw yesterday, underneath," Boone said. "...I believe he'll be part of the live [batting practice] today, so he's making progress. We'll continue to see where he's at."

The Yankees placed Judge on the 10-day IL on Sept. 17 due to a calf strain, ending his regular season. The two-time reigning MVP received a PPP injection for the injury last Monday, forcing him to limit activity altogether for a few days, but has since returned to the weight and training rooms.

When asked whether or not Boone saw Judge returning to right field as opposed to playing solely as a pinch hitter or designated hitter, Boone gave a similarly inconclusive response.

"I don't know," he said. "We'll continue to evaluate, and I'll listen to trainers and medical and see where we're at."

Speaking with reporters after Boone's comments, Judge noted he hasn't tried running the bases yet. In fact, he only mentioned running on the zero gravity machine. Still, he's trying to work his way onto the Game 1 roster.

"I've been doing a lot of convincing, I feel like, so I'm going to keep doing that," he said. "We're all going to be smart, but I think they all know I want to be out there, especially in the first game."

Stanton's status still unclear

Boone's answer for Stanton was the same: No final decision has been made.

"I've talked to him a bit," Boone said. "I don't know if there's one definitive [thing] like, 'Oh! There he is, he's on.' It's more just letting the day unfold, seeing where we're at, and then making a final call one way or another."

Stanton has missed nearly the whole season due to three calf injuries sustained at various points throughout the spring and summer. Last Thursday, Boone seemed hopeful about the five-time All Star's potential return to the lineup, noting that Stanton had returned to the cage and was "trending in the right direction."

Weathers, Grisham making progress

Both Trent Grisham and Ryan Weathers missed roughly the last month of the regular season, and while Boone danced around a concrete answer regarding their postseason participation as well, he mentioned they'd both likely take part in training today.

"Grish very much in play," Boone said. "[Today's] a very important day. He'll be a part of the live as well." 

He added that Weathers might warm his throwing arm up today.

Grisham was placed on the 10-day IL on Sept. 6 after tweaking his hamstring, which was declared a Grade 2 strain, less than three months after injuring the same hamstring in mid-June. His first stint on the IL lasted nearly three weeks. Weathers last pitched Aug. 22, missing the last month of the season due to a left forearm flexor strain. 

David Stearns didn't speak when Pete Alonso was in to town with the Orioles. 

So sitting in the Citi Field press conference room just two weeks later, the Mets’ president of baseball operations was asked if he had any regrets over the way things went down. 

Alonso, of course, left the Mets this offseason for a big money five-year deal with the Orioles after not receiving an offer from the only organization he’d ever known.

In turn, Stearns attempted to replace his production by bringing in veteran Jorge Polanco, who ended up appearing in just 37 games after battling wrist and ankle injuries. 

So after seeing Mets fans give their fan favorite ovation after ovation in his heroic Citi Field return, Stearns said it’s a fair question looking back on things. 

“The truth is in this job I don’t get mulligans,” he emphasized. “I also recognize Pete had a tremendous year, and the totality of our production at first base wasn’t good enough, so my job now is to ensure that we’ve got better success across our roster, but for the entirety of the season better production at first base, as well.”

Alonso showed no ill-effects transitioning during his first year in the American League, as he became the first player in baseball history to lead both leagues in RBI in separate seasons (113).

He also launched a league-high 43 homers and posted career-best marks in OBP (.363) and OPS (.884), among several other offensive statistics, while missing just one game (Sunday’s rainout in the Bronx). 

The Mets, on the other hand, struggled to receive much of anything from the position before Jared Young stepped up with his breakout second-half of the season. 

Even with Young's production, it wasn't nearly good enough. 

“I give Pete an enormous amount of credit, he went out and had a great year,” Stearns said. “Our entire season our first base production wasn’t neatly good enough, now it’s my job to put a group together that plays better.”

The Twins ended the season on a high note, winning their last two series, including playing spoiler in the AL West race, taking two games from the Rangers. This wraps up the season with a 77-85 record, good for 3rd in the AL Central, a distant seven games back from the last wild card spot, and the 11th worst team in the majors. But now we look forward to a lengthy offseason that could get messy quick with CBA negotiations between players and owners.

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• How big of a Twins fan are you? Matt Monitto is back with our annual “Name Every Twin Who Played This Season” quiz.
• Zach Koenig reminisces about the one good day in the 2006 Twins season.
• Aiden O’Brien hands out awards to this year’s top minor leaguers in the Twins system.

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Aaron Gleeman provides his take on the decision the Twins will need to make about Royce Lewis this offseason.
• Despite the season not ending the way they wanted, Dan Hayes at The Athletic explains why the Twins are excited about the future of the outfield.
• Ryan Jeffers is a free agent this offseason and Matthew Leach at MLB.com checks in with the catcher in what could have been his last day in a Twins uniform.
• Lou Hennessey at Zone Coverage looks at why the Twins should re-sign midseason acquisition A.J. Minter.
• The Twins have announced that they are switching up the staff, parting ways with pitching coaches Pete Maki and Luis Ramirez along with athletic trainer Jason Kirkman.

In the World of Baseball:

• We have our playoff bracket! Ultimately, Tampa Bay and Cleveland earned byes to the Division Series in the AL. We have a marquee matchup between the Yankees and Red Sox on the Tampa side of the bracket and the White Sox and Astros will face off on the Cleveland side of the bracket.
• In the National League, the Brewers and Dodgers earned byes, with Milwaukee facing the winner between the Padres and Cubs, and Los Angeles facing the winner between the Phillies and Atlanta.
• Black Monday got an early start with the Mariners parting ways with manager Dan Wilson on Sunday.
• Yordan Alvarez won the AL Batting Title, but Pete Alonso’s furious September (11 homers, 22 RBI), stopped Alvarez from winning the Triple Crown, finishing second to Alonso in both categories. Still, he’s the likely AL MVP, so can’t complain too much.
• Gabriel Moreno finished with the best average in the NL, one point above Luis Arraez, while PCA led the league in home runs and Alec Burleson gave a silver lining to the Cardinals season, finishing first in RBI.
• Jacob Misiorowski capped off his dominant regular season, leading the majors in ERA, strikeouts, and opponent batting average. He’ll now hope to lead the Brewers to their World Series title.

It seems like a simple equation: $338 million produces 100.

That’s the Dodgers season-ending payroll and victory total. But to assume a franchise can merely buy a playoff berth is a stretch.

The New York Mets sit at home — or more likely at lavish vacation destinations, given their perch at the top of baseball’s payrolls at $345.8 million. They finished last in the National League East with a 74-88 record.

The Cleveland Guardians also sit at home, but are quite pleased about it. They earned a first-round bye and berth in the American League Division Series this weekend despite a payroll of only $74.2 million — baseball’s lowest and barely one-fifth that of the Mets.

Twelve of the 30 MLB teams qualified for the postseason, with four best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday. Eight of the dozen have payrolls in the top 10, with the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays joining the Mets as supreme underachievers given their No. 5-ranked payroll of $275.4 million.

Yet three playoff teams — the Tampa Bay Rays ($98.3 million) and Chicago White Sox ($98 million), in addition to the Guardians — rank among the six lowest payrolls, according to MLB Labor Relations Department’s (LRD) present-day salary calculations obtained by USA Today.

Read more:Plaschke: The Dodgers cannot three-peat without 'That Guy'... but who is he?

The combined LRD payrolls of those three overachievers don’t come close to the Mets or Dodgers, highlighting the enormous disparity between the haves and have-nots that team owners point to while demanding a salary cap during ongoing collective bargaining negotiations.

Oddly, only one playoff qualifier is among the 14 mid-range payrolls of roughly $100 million to $200 million — the Milwaukee Brewers, who achieved baseball’s best record at 103-59 while paying its roster $143.5 million. The Angels are also among that group, ranking No. 15 at $179.8, not enough to keep them from losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history.

The LRD payroll tracks a team’s real-time salary commitments for the current season, accounting for the 26-man MLB roster’s base salaries plus a prorated portion of signing bonuses. LRD differs from luxury tax payrolls, which are based on the average annual value of every player contract on the 40-man roster.

Luxury tax payrolls determine whether a team exceeds the league’s luxury tax threshold and owes financial penalties. MLB is using luxury tax payrolls in the CBA negotiations over a hard salary cap and floor, proposing a $245.3 million ceiling and $171.2 million floor for 2027.

Luxury tax penalties from clubs that exceed the thresholds funnel back to low-revenue clubs through revenue sharing. A record $402,637,907 was paid in luxury tax penalties last season, with the Dodgers paying the most at a record $169.4 million. This year the Dodgers’ luxury tax is projected at $180 million — higher than the LRD payroll of 16 teams.

The Dodgers also have the highest luxury tax payroll at $430 million, dwarfing the Mets’ $363 million number. Reasons? The Dodgers pay more in penalties because they have exceeded the luxury tax six years in a row, they have more players with massive average annual values and they took on additional penalties by acquiring starter Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline.

Read more:Shaikin: How the playoffs might impact the lockout, and ... unfair to the Yankees? What?

MLB 2026 payrolls (playoff teams in bold)

1. New York Mets: $346.8 million

2. Dodgers: $338.0 million

3. New York Yankees: $304.6 million

4. Philadelphia Phillies: $291.7 million

5. Toronto Blue Jays: $275.4 million

6. Atlanta Braves: $263.9 million

7. Houston Astros: $249.5 million

8. Chicago Cubs: $248.8 million

9. San Diego Padres: $223.9 million

10. Boston Red Sox: $210.2 million

11. Detroit Tigers: $202.1 million

12. San Francisco Giants: $197.6 million

13. Arizona Diamondbacks: $192.8 million

14. Texas Rangers: $192.5 million

15. Angels: $179.8 million

16. Seattle Mariners: $170.5 million

17. Baltimore Orioles: $169.2 million

18. Kansas City Royals: $149.8 million

19. Milwaukee Brewers: $143.5 million

20. Cincinnati Reds: $128.3 million

21. Colorado Rockies: $117.0 million

22. Minnesota Twins: $109.5 million

23. Pittsburgh Pirates: $107.6 million

24. Athletics: $98.7 million

25. Tampa Bay Rays: $98.3 million

26. Chicago White Sox: $98.0 million

27. St. Louis Cardinals: $94.7 million

28. Washington Nationals: $90.3 million

29. Miami Marlins: $83.0 million

30. Cleveland Guardians: $74.2 million

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

As we await the Cubs playing starting tomorrow in a Wild Card series against the Padres, let’s take a look back at the team’s long Modern Era postseason history. That history dates to 1906, when the team lost the World Series to the White Sox after winning a record 116 games during the regular season — a mark that still stands (though tied by the Mariners in 2001).

You know, of course, of the 108-year drought between World Series wins in 1908 and 2016, and the rest of the team’s post-1908 postseason history is, shall we say, not really very good.

Entering this year, the Cubs had participated in 22 postseasons with an overall record of 51-79-1. That’s a .392 winning percentage, equivalent to a 64-98 regular season. Yikes. Although, that is an improvement over last year at this time, when the winning percentage was .385. Baby steps.

The tie happened in the pre-lights era 1907 World Series, when Game 1 went 12 innings at West Side Grounds in a 3-3 tie and then was called for darkness. The Cubs won the next four games and the World Series, becoming the first team to win the championship series without losing a game.

Here are the Cubs’ records for each of the 22 postseasons in which they have participated before this year. Prior to 1984, all games are World Series games.

1906: 2-4
1907: 4-0-1
1908: 4-1
1910: 1-4
1918: 2-4
1929: 1-4
1932: 0-4
1935: 2-4
1938: 0-4
1945: 3-4
1984: 2-3
1989: 1-4
1998: 0-3
2003: 6-6 (3-2 NLDS, 3-4 NLCS)
2007: 0-3
2008: 0-3
2015: 4-5 (1-0 NLWC, 3-1 NLDS, 0-4 NLCS)
2016: 11-6 (3-1 NLDS, 4-2 NLCS, 4-3 WS)
2017: 4-6 (3-2 NLDS, 1-4 NLCS)
2018: 0-1 (NLWC)
2020: 0-2 (NLWC)
2025: 4-4 (2-1 NLWC, 2-3 NLDS)

Overall by round:

Wild card game/series: 3-4
NLDS: 14-18
NLCS: 11-21
WS: 23-36-1

Obviously none of those records is very good, and it includes nine straight losses from 2003 through 2008 before the Wild Card Game win against the Pirates in 2015.

Now, if you’ll indulge me a bit, I present to you my personal records of attending Cubs postseason games. The Cubs have played 78 postseason games in my lifetime (the games from 1984 to now). Two of those games, the wild-card series vs. the Marlins in 2020, were during the pandemic season and not open to fans.

Of the 76 Cubs postseason games open to fans since 1984, I have attended 56 — all 37 played at Wrigley Field plus 19 road games, as follows: two in San Diego (1984), three in San Francisco (1989), three in Miami (2003), two in Arizona (2007), one in Pittsburgh (2015), two in St. Louis (2015), two in San Francisco (2016), three in Los Angeles (2016) and one in Milwaukee (2025).

Personal W/L record in all postseason games attended:

1984: 2-2 (2-0 home, 0-2 road)
1989: 1-4 (1-1 home, 0-3 road)
2003: 4-6 (2-5 home, 2-1 road)
2007: 0-3 (0-1 home, 0-2 road)
2008: 0-2 (all home)
2015: 4-3 (2-2 home, 2-1 road)
2016: 8-5 (5-3 home, 3-2 road)
2017: 2-3 (all home)
2018: 0-1 (home)
2025: 4-2 (4-1 home, 0-1 road)

Total personal record: 25-31 (18-19 home, 7-12 road). Of the 56 games, nearly half (26) came between 2015 and 2018.

Beginning Tuesday, the Cubs will try to improve on that postseason record, and I hope to notch a few personal postseason wins as well. Go Cubs!

It was an emotional weekend to be a Tigers fan. First, the team ended their season in September instead of making a repeat trip to the postseason, which was certainly a bummer after the year got off to a strong start. But 2026 was not meant to be the Year of the Tiger. This weekend also saw the return of Justin Verlander to the mound at Comerica Park, just in time to make his final MLB start ever. Verlander, who had announced earlier in the year he would retire at the end of the season, missed most of the year due to injuries. It was poetic to see him back in action just in time to take his final bow.

Friday saw a tear-jerker of a retirement ceremony before the game, including a charming first pitch from Verlander’s daughter Genevieve. Then Saturday he took the mound one last time, had a strong final outing, before AJ Hinch brought Genevieve in once more to go get the ball from her father. It was one of those baseball moments that proves how wrong Tom Hanks was in A League of Their Own when he insisted, “There’s no crying in baseball!”

There is, Tom, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house on Saturday.

There was a lot going on this weekend, so we’ve collected some of the social highlights in case you missed anything.

Speaking of caps, Verlander was presented with a wooden replica of his on-field cap as part of his retirement gift from the Tigers.

The artist shared how he created the replica, and it’s honestly incredible to watch.

Verlander spoke to the press after his final outing.

Before Verlanders final start, the team made custom tees with iconic images from JV’s Instagram profile and had the rest of his teammates wear them.

JV’s long-time catcher Alex Avila took to the internet to remember their time together.

And of course, Verlander’s brother Ben shared his feelings.

Some faces we know and love got together to wish Verlander the best.

And if you missed it, here is the entire retirement ceremony from before last Friday’s game.

Marcus Semien had a poor first season with the Mets as he continued to regress offensively, struggled defensively at second base, and missed time due to a hip injury.

While his offensive issues continued to worsen as he finished with a career-low .620 OPS, even more alarming was Semien's falloff at second base.

Following a 2025 campaign where Semien won the AL Gold Glove for the Rangers after ranking in the 92nd percentile in OAA, he was in the fourth percentile in 2026 -- near the very bottom of the league.

Semien has two years remaining on his contract, counting for $24 million toward the luxury tax payroll each of the next two seasons. That could obviously complicate things if he continues to struggle near the level he did this past season, and president of baseball operations David Stearns is making no promises about Semien's playing time going forward.

Asked on Monday during his end-of-season news conference at Citi Field whether he was ready to declare Semien the Mets' starting second baseman in 2027, Stearns was non-committal. 

Stearns also talked upBrett Baty as a second base option. Baty, whom Stearns mentioned as a first base option as well, closed the season on a hot streak at the plate, but still finished with an uninspiring .681 OPS.  

"I think we're gonna have options there next year," Stearns noted. "Marcus didn't have the type of year offensively that he wanted, that we would expect. Again, I think Brett showed us for the last four-to-six weeks of the season what his ceiling looks like. And as I said, we need him to get to that ceiling more consistently. 

"And then we have a host of really good minor league infielders who are knocking on the doorstep. And so sitting here right now, I'm not gonna commit to what second base looks like next year. But I do think we've got some really good players -- both at the major league level and prospects that are coming -- that can make that a productive position for us." 

The minor leaguers Stearns is likely referring to are Jefferson Rojas, Mitch Voit, and Émilien Pitre.

Rojas, 21, was acquired in the deadline deal that sent Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor to the Chicago Cubs, and was ranked No. 1 on SNY's midseason Mets top prospects list.

After being acquired by New York, Rojas excelled, posting a .929 OPS in 29 games for Double-A Binghamton and homering in his first three games for Triple-A Syracuse following a late-season promotion.

Rojas might profile best at third base, but can also handle second.

Voit, 21, had a breakout season in 2026, slashing .347/.430/.517 for Binghamton after being promoted following a 76-game stint in the pitcher's haven of A-level Brooklyn. In 105 games across the two levels, Voit stole 45 bases and scored 80 runs.

Then there's the 23-year-old Pitre, a contact-first hitter the Mets acquired from the Rays in the Freddy Peralta trade.

Pitre hit .375 for Binghamton in 10 games after the trade, and hit .260 with a .357 OBP in 20 games following a promotion to Syracuse.

It remains possible that Semien rebounds following his down year. In the event he doesn't, the Mets could have a handful of in-house options ready to take over. And after listening to Stearns, it seems the ascension of someone like Rojas could come even sooner than initially expected.