Category: Baseball

Continuing around the Phillies’ roster and looking for ways to change things up, we focus on a place that is starting come under more and more scrutiny: the infield.

How to improve the Phillies: Catcher

Parting ways with several key members of organizations past in Alec Bohm and infield coach Bobby Dickerson, there will be some new people manning new spots. It’s going to be interesting how it unfolds, starting with who will be in charge of making sure they are improving defensively and ending with who will actually be putting their cleats on the Citizens Bank Park dirt.

Who they have

You know the players by now. Bryce Harper is presumably moving back to first base following his midseason outfield jaunt, Bryson Stott likely takes back his spot at second base and Trea Turner is….well, he’s there. He is capable of playing shortstop, but there is much scuttlebutt about his changing positions. The best spot for him is probably in the outfield, but as Dave Dombrowski has already stated, he’s the starting shortstop.

That means they need a third baseman.

And maybe someone to play as the backup to all three non first base spots if they don’t want to pay Edmundo Sosa what he is probably going to want in free agency.

It’s maybe more of a needy spot that the Phillies have holes at than maybe one might think of at first glance. Stott has shown that he can handle third base if needed, so maybe they can grab a second baseman instead.

In the minors, there is the looming shadow of Aidan Miller and how his timeline changes the equations around the infield. Multiple questions need to be answered before they decide his ultimate fate.

• Is he healthy?
• What position does he play?
• Does he ultimately supplant Turner in 2027?

The answers to these questions are likely to determine what the team does to figure out which players are going to be playing the infield next season.

Free agent options

Things are bleak. Free agent options are few and far between where it comes to adding a player that will have a good sized impact on the team. After all, adding impact is the most important thing a team could do in free agency. However, the players that are available don’t exactly scream “impact” when considering them. These three are probably the ones that offer the most potential to provide the things the Phillies need in their lineup and on the dirt.

Jazz Chisholm, Jr. – Imagine Chisholm on the Phillies for a moment. Forget about the fanbase and how they would probably love him, but with the roster as it is. They welcomed Luis Arraez this past trade deadline, even if it looked weird when a player showed actual emotion on the field after getting a big hit. Adding Chisholm to this lineup would be taking that emotion and amping up by 20, but at least he can back it up with actual talent on the field. It was a down year for him, “only” hitting 19 home runs and posting a 98 wRC+, the first time that number has been under 100 since 2021, numbers that still make him an upgrade over some of what the Phillies had last year. He’s still a solid glove at second base, probably his best position right now. He has posted walk rates above 10% each of the past two seasons, so his would be a solid bat to add to the lineup. Does it matter that it would be coming from the left handed side? Maybe. Maybe they want to add someone that balances the lineup a bit, also taking into consideration the platoon splits Chisholm has. But there really is no denying that if they wanted to make a splash in free agency, adding Chisholm to this lineup would do so.

Mauricio Dubon – Dubon is a player that has a lot of qualities that the Phillies could use. He can play shortstop at least capably if the need should arise, he can be pushed to the outfield if need be and won’t embarrass himself at the plate. The biggest issue is that using that term “embarrass” might be a bit strong. His best season just happened with the Braves this past year, where he hit 12 home runs, drove in 73 runs and stole ten bases to boot. The RBI total is probably a bit of an illusion thanks to being in a better than average lineup. But everything else, the stuff that teams actually look at these days? Yeah, it wasn’t good. A gander at his Baseball Savant page reveals a lot of blue in places where a team wouldn’t want to invest in. He doesn’t hit the ball hard, doesn’t walk much and doesn’t have much batted ball luck. A career year led to a 99 wRC+. Is that what the team would want to hand a starting spot to? So long as they weren’t making him start regularly at a spot, instead scooting around to different positions to give players a breather, it makes some sense.

Teruaki Sato – The term “infielder” is probably loosely applied to Sato, who is looked as more of an outfielder. We’ll talk more about him once we get to the outfield portion of this series.

Now, if we’re talking about options the team has that could be in more of a backup role, things can expand a bit more.

Jorge Mateo – A capable defender at the six, Mateo is another that is going to command, at best, a minor league deal. The team could use someone like this though. Not truly on the major league roster per se, but adding a player like Mateo to Lehigh Valley can help create at least some depth with a particular role carved out for him should his services be needed at the big league level. Those services aren’t really of the “hitting” variety, but more of a “he won’t embarrass himself if needed for a week or two” kind.

Kike Hernandez – Looking for someone that can play just about anywhere? Hernandez could be your guy. Again, not much with the bat (he hasn’t posted a wRC+ over 100 since 2021), he can use his versatility to help boost a bench that didn’t have much there beyond what could Edmundo Sosa do for them lately. He’d like also be a lot cheaper than Sosa.

Gleyber Torres – This is where things get at least mildly interesting. Adding Torres is not really adding any kind of a power bat. Long thought of as someone that could be that as he was coming up as a prospect, Torres has settled into more of a “gets on base a lot” type of hitter that does offer at least sneaky power. Planting him at second base and shifting Stott to the hot corner might be of some interest to the Phillies. Torres’ 13.6% walk rate would look a lot better in a lineup that really did have some issues getting on base towards the end of the season. He’s no great shakes defensively, but he’s also not a butcher. Torres is probably going to lose his job to the younger, cheaper Hao Yu-Lee in Detroit, so he’ll be looking for someone else to latch on to. So long as he’s not expected to be an integral part of an offense, there are worse ways to give out a one-year deal.

J.P Crawford – Could you imagine if baseball life for Crawford came full circle?

Trade options

The trade market becomes slightly more open, only because there might be some options teams are not interested in either because they are making a bit too much money and/or they have a prospect coming up at their position that the team would rather see getting the playing time. These are mostly leaps, but some options could include:

Otto Lopez/Xavier Edwards – The Marlins are smart and know when to sell players on the trade market. They took Edward Cabrera’s good stuff and team control, sold high and ended up with a solid core piece in Owen Cassie. Cabrera barely made starts with the Cubs and is probably a reliever. So when rumors started that they were shopping both Lopez and Edwards, maybe there should be a pause that they are trying to sell high. For the Phillies, maybe they should be buying high. In the case of Lopez, he has turned himself into a high contact, low strikeout hit machine that also plays a great defense. He’s entering arbitration for the first time and should command a solid trade package, but he’d be exactly what this lineup needs. Is he a a 115 wRC+, .305/.349/.437 hitter? Probably not. That line was driven by a .335 BABIP, so maybe he stalls out a bit. But he also showed some of those same chops the years before. Maybe the asking price would be a bit too high, but they should absolutely be picking up the phone and inquiring. With Edwards, he’s a definite step below Lopez, but offers much the same package. Maybe not as much power, maybe not the same amount of defense, but still an upgrade over what the team had, especially if they feel confident in moving Stott to third base full time.

Davis Schneider – Eastern High School is in Voorhees, NJ, about 15 minutes from Citizens Bank Park. Schneider grew up going there and has made himself into a major leaguer despite not really being all that great at doing major league things. He got famous during last season’s World Series for being a bench player that was abnormally productive, but 2026 saw him crash down to Earth, posting a wRC+ of 84. He’s 28 years old and can play in a few different spots, plus he’s right handed, all things that this Phillies team could use. Other than, you know, the whole not a great hitter thing.

Max Schuemann – Another versatile player, Schuemann has a solid batting eye and a little pop in his bat. He doesn’t make a lot of contact, which is kind of a problem for a lineup that has enough of that “skill” already, but he probably could be had on the cheap if the team was looking to deepen its bench a bit more.

Ke’Bryan Hayes – How much do you like a project? Hayes might be the worst hitter in the game right now, but he’s also an incredible defender. The team has a stated effort to be better at defense. If we can assume that Hayes has nowhere to go but up with the bat, maybe this would be a buy really low option for the team? Particularly if you consider they are about to undergo an overhaul of their instructional hitting department after letting Kevin Long go. Like I said, how much do you like a project?

Predicted outcome

There are four spots for this infield that need to have players. Two of them will be filled by Harper and Stott, the third presumably by Turner (somehow, somewhere). That means a fourth spot is going to have to have someone come in and set things straight.

That answer is probably Aidan Miller.

The runway has been set by the team for Miller to win a job in spring training. He came back at the end of 2026 to get some at bats, has been playing well in Arizona to try and make up for lost time and has been giving interviews touting his health. Should he show the same health spring training and be productive against major league caliber arms during that time period, it’s likely the team opens with him at an infield spot. That spot might be third base if Turner is playing well at shortstop, it might be at shortstop if Turner is struggling. Yet that feels like the most likely outcome here. Maybe signing someone like Torres on a one-year deal to give Miller a little more time in the minors isn’t the worst idea to have. Teams probably aren’t going to be knocking down the doors to get him onto their roster. But splurging on a big time free agent like Chisholm or emptying the farm to acquire Otto Lopez isn’t the most prudent usage of resources they have available to them.

Let’s see how Miller does and go from there.

A week before his contract was set to expire, the Yankees’ biggest pending free agent made sure he will be staying in The Bronx. 

Pitching coach Matt Blake and the club agreed to a three-year contract extension, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported Saturday, keeping one of the game’s most highly regarded coaches in the Yankees dugout. 

The well-earned extension comes after a season in which Blake’s pitchers led the majors with a 3.24 ERA while withstanding multiple injuries to their highest-paid starters and plenty of question marks in the bullpen. 

Once the Yankees decided that manager Aaron Boone would be coming back for a 10th season (on the final year of his contract) and general manager Brian Cashman a 30th (he has also agreed to a new contract), they got to work on making sure Blake would also be back in the fold. 

“Our pitching group is as good as it gets, in my opinion,” Boone said late in the season. 

The Yankees originally hired Blake ahead of the 2020 season, and while he had not pitched professionally or coached at all in the majors, he quickly showed his bona fides while earning the respect of his pitchers. He has consistently gotten the best out of the Yankees pitching staff, including a pair of AL Cy Youngs (Gerrit Cole in 2023 and Cam Schlittler set to win it next month) and annually turning castoffs from other teams into important bullpen pieces. 

This year, that included Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick emerging as key setup men for a bullpen that finished second in the majors with a 3.13 ERA. The rotation, meanwhile, survived injuries to Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Ryan Weathers to post a major league-best 3.30 ERA. 

“Everybody felt like they kept improving and wanting to get better as the year went on and pick each other up,” Blake said during the ALDS. “It felt like we did have a nice overall strong season from a majority of the group.”

Good morning, LSB.

Kennedi Landry has a trio of Rangers noted as “developmental wins” after strong 2026 campaigns.

The Buzzsaw Brewers took a tight Game 1 of the World Series.

And The Athletic ran the numbers on MLB’s “competitive balance problem.”

That’s all for this morning. Have a great weekend!

Week 3 is in the books in Arizona, and even as temperatures cool across the country, things are heating up. Salt River entered the Friday offday with a 9-7 record at the halfway point of the season, sitting just a half-game back of a first-round bye in the postseason. In their 3-2 week, no star shined brighter than Yankees’ top prospect Dax Kilby, who crushed a home run and four extra-base hits as he continued to level up his power. As a reminder, if you want a quick rundown on who’s in the desert this month, check here.

October 17 (Rafters 5, Solar Sox 0): It was a very quiet shutout victory for Salt River to start the week last Saturday, as only one Yankee got into a game. Core Jackson, who had struggled mightily through two weeks, went 1-for-3 with a walk, stolen base, and a booming home run that traveled 421 feet and was 105.4 mph off the bat. By far the best swing he’s had all fall.

October 19 (Rafters 7, Desert Dogs 1): In another strong win for the Rafters, the other two Yankees’ hitters got into the game. Kyle West made another start at first base and went 1-f0r-3 with a walk, with his single registering at 104.9 mph. Monday was more known for the start of the Kilby show. The top prospect went 2-for-4 with a walk, two stolen bases, a double, and a triple. His triple was hit just 95.4 mph down the right-field line, but the double went off the top of the wall in center field, 420 feet away at 103.5 mph.

October 20 (Rafters 10, Javelinas 11): Six different Yankees played on Tuesday and were very involved in the outcome. Jackson (playing second base this time) went 0-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and two strikeouts. West went 1-for-3 with a strikeout and a stolen base; Chris Veach allowed a run in 1.2 innings with two strikeouts; Anthony Mena pitched around some command woes to only allow one run in 2.2 innings, and Antonio Gomez threw a scoreless eighth. The main attraction was Kilby once again, who blasted an early home run a staggering 107.1 mph and 410 feet before tying the game at 10 in the ninth on a 109.8 mph RBI double. He also contributed to the walk-off loss, unfortunately, as he was thrown out at third on a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

October 21 (Rafters 7, Scorpions 5): After seemingly everyone got into the game on Tuesday, it was calmer on Wednesday. West went 0-for-3 with a walk, Jackson walked thrice in four plate appearances (and stole his ninth bag), and Mack Estrada took the win by getting the last two outs of the fourth.

October 22 (Rafters 8, Scorpions 15): Salt River ended a solid week on a bad note by allowing 15 runs on 18 hits and eight walks, but none of the five pitchers on the roster appeared in the game. Kilby went 1-for-5 with a strikeout and a 104 mph flyout, while Jackson ripped a long triple to center field and stole his 10th base in a solid day for him.

AFL totals thus far

Dax Kilby: 12-38, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 2B, 3B, 3 BB, 4 K, 4 SB
Core Jackson: 5-33, HR, 2 RBI, 2B, 3B, 12 BB, 11 K, 9 SB
Kyle West: 7-32, 5 RBI, 6 BB, 7 K, 3 SB
JT Etheridge: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 9 K
Mack Estrada: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K
Chris Veach: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 10 K
Anthony Mena: 7.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R (3 ER), 4 BB, 6 K
Antonio Gomez: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K

At the beginning of the year, many questions surrounded Francisco Alvarez. People wondered whether he could stay healthy, whether he would maintain the offensive momentum he showed in 2025, and whether he would show the hoped-for defensive improvements. Unfortunately, 2026 did not turn out like anyone hoped, for Alvarez or the Mets, and while his offense was better than his defense, it was not the breakout year some desired.

Alvarez started the season strong with the first successful ABS challenge in Major League Baseball and hit his first home run of the season on Opening Day. Things were looking up until he tore his right meniscus on May 12 during a plate appearance and was expected to be out for six to eight weeks. However, in keeping with his custom of quick healing, he returned less than four weeks later, on June 9.

Given the number of injuries on the team, Alvarez spent more time as designated hitter than expected at the beginning of the season. Offensively, the season was a mixed bag for him. He had a good start to the season, but some of the same issues that have plagued him in the past came up. He struggled with identifying the best pitches to hit this year. He took more pitches in the zone than he should have, whiffed more on pitches outside the zone than the team average, yet his chase rate was right around the team average. Alvarez hit a long slump after the trade deadline, when his strikeout rate jumped from 26.4% before to 39.4% after. His OPS was .777 before the trade deadline and .579 after the deadline. He ended the year hitting .233/.311/.399, and his wRC+ was 99.

Defensively, Alvarez struggled again this year. He split his time behind the dish with Luis Torrens, starting 82 games as catcher and playing a total of 88 games at the position. His DRS was -5 (-6.9/1000 innings), and his FRV was -2 (-2.8/1000 innings) in 720.0 innings, despite being slightly above average at 2.2 framing runs. His cERA was 4.54. He did not benefit from comparisons to Torrens, one of the best defensive catchers in the game. Overall, his fWAR clocked in at 1.4.

At the end of the season, it did not feel like much had been resolved. It’s been pointed out that Alvy is only 24 years old, which is fair. He has spent four full seasons in the majors, which is also fair. Who knows, maybe next year will be the year of realizing stuff when it comes to questions about Francisco Alvarez.

Happy Saturday, everyone!

The World Series continues later this evening at 5 p.m. PDT, with the Brewers hosting the Rays in Game 2 at American Family Field in Milwaukee. Here are some links to kick off your morning.

MLB postseason scores…

• The Brewers escaped with a 3-2 win over the Rays in Game 1 of the World Series Friday night, with Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill stranding the would-be tying and go-ahead runners in scoring position in the ninth after a replay review overturned a potential game-ending double play.
• Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski broke the record for fastest pitch in World Series history with a 103.5 mph four-seam fastball to Yandy Díaz to begin Game 1. Though Misiorowski only went five innings allowing one run and striking out three, it was enough for a winning decision.

In Mariners news…

• Voting for the Fifth Annual Lookout Landing Awards has been extended to October 31! If you have not voted yet, a link directly to the form is provided here. Sign-in to a Google account is required to vote.
• Randy Arozarena appeared alongside other MLB stars in a promo for Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Doomsday” that debuted during Game 1 of the World Series, marking one of, if not the last time he is seen in a Mariners uniform before hitting free agency.

Around the league…

• With the salary cap debate between the players and owners ramping up, Evan Drellich and Eno Sarris of The Athletic examined competitive balance in MLB and looked at potential next steps with the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) set to expire on Dec. 1.
• The St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly moving on from hitting coach Brant Brown, who previously served as the Mariners bench coach and offensive coordinator for 58 games to begin the 2024 season before being fired on May 31 of that year.
• Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman of Yahoo! Sports ranked their top 50 free agents available in the coming offseason.
• Zachary Kranc of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency writes that new insights into the heritage of a Negro Leagues star pitcher are compelling a reconsideration of Jewish baseball history.

Jaylon Thompson writes about what the Royals can learn from the two World Series teams.

So what does this mean for the current Royals?

KC can learn a lot from both the Brewers and the Rays. Essentially, the Royals are trying to replicate what those franchises do so well these days.

The Royals plucked manager Matt Quatraro from the Rays organization in 2022. And they got their hitting coach, Connor Dawson, from the Brewers. Other unique crossovers include starter Michael Wacha — a former Ray — and former Brewers rookie Isaac Collins.

If the Royals want to reach the next level, however, they will need to rely on their own farm system and prospect development.

David Lesky considers the idea that the Royals could trade Vinnie Pasquantino.

For what it’s worth, if they trade Pasquantino, that’s fine. I think it would relieve some roster tension. But I also think a lot about trading him doesn’t quite add up for me. Say what you want about the way he starts a season. The numbers always seem to be there in the end. By OPS+, he’s been 114, 118 and 113 the last three seasons. By wRC+, it’s 109, 116 and 109. The slow starts absolutely have to be figured out. Nobody is arguing that. But that’s a bat that needs to be replaced. Given that they already need at least one corner outfielder anyway, if you move Pasquantino, you now need two for sure. And where is that player? There’s no doubt they could throw money at the problem, but that’s easier said than done. There aren’t a ton of players available for a trade. Finding two middle of the order bats in essentially one position in one offseason is a very tall task.

The Royals outrighted Alex Lange, Mason Black, Connor Seabold, Alec Marsh and Easton McGee to the minors.

Unlike the others, Black does not have the right to elect free agency. This is his first career outright and his service clock is under three years. He also isn’t eligible for seven-year minor league free agency because he has only participated in five minor league seasons.

The Royals can keep him in a non-roster capacity and try to get him back on track. 

How the Brewers and Rays assembled their rosters.

The Cardinals part ways with hitting coach Brant Brown.

The amount for a Qualifying Offer will jump to $23.15 million this year.

The MLBPA withdrew a grievance against the Rays last year.

Shohei Othani is expected to pitch next year and surgery is not on the table.

FanGraphs wants your input in crowdsourcing free agent contract predictions.

Former Twins and Mariners catcher Mitch Garver retires.

MLB in-game ads show much they don’t care about fans.

Scott Boras criticizes MLB owners ahead of talk of a salary cap.

MLB players offer a sneak peak of Avengers: Doomsday.

The Knicks duped employees with a championship ring email that turned out to be a phishing test.

Why Troy Aikman and Joe Buck could be headed for a split.

Did a cartel keep egg prices high?

More people get their news from YouTube than TV.

A new documentary shows how that fake Bigfoot film footage came to be.

Your song of the day is Argent with Hold Your Head Up.

With it being the World Series, we’re bringing you some of the key quotes and storylines from each game following the postgame press conference.

Pat Murphy

In his postgame press conference, Brewers manager Pat Murphy discussed what he was most impressed by, specifically shouting out Milwaukee’s star catcher.

“[William] Contreras was incredible. If anybody doesn’t notice the contributions of Contreras, he was the player of the game. We had a lot of good performances, a lot of good things,” Murphy said. “Contreras was unbelievable. The two caught stealings, the ABS, the hits, calling the game.”

“If people aren’t noticing Contreras, like he was maybe the MVP, like should have been co-MVPs. He was maybe MVP of the Dodgers series. He was maybe MVP of the Padres series. I don’t think they pick one for that, do they? But this guy has been incredible, and he does both sides of the ball. And the side that you can’t measure, I don’t know what his numbers are, but he does so much for the team. He’s incredible. That’s all I could tell you. He’s incredible. We wouldn’t be in the position we’re in without Contreras,” Murphy said.

Murphy added that Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, and the bullpen were the other heroes of the night, and he was also impressed by Jacob Misiorowski’s performance despite striking out just three.

“This is the best team in the American League. They proved that during the regular season and proved that in the postseason so far. One of the ways they do that is to make contact better than anybody in baseball,” Murphy said. “For Miz to go five innings the way he did, give up only a few hard contacts, only walked one guy, [he] was great.”

Murphy also spoke on the overturned call at second base that initially ended the game before Trevor Megill was required to get one more out, explaining that he’s glad reviews like that are part of the game.

“No, we want to get it right, man. We’ll be doing the checked swing there later on. The obstruction play will be replayed. MLB makes rule changes for the better. They just do. Then things happen, and then they make another adjustment and another adjustment. Even if we gave up two runs there and we lose the game and we’re sitting here and we’re all dejected, the rule is put in place for the right reason, to get it right. I don’t know if they got it right. I’m assuming they did. There’s a lot of people that have better vision than I,” Murphy said.

Jacob Misiorowski

Jacob Misiorowski discussed how he felt in the high-energy environment of American Family Field, specifically noting the adrenaline of the moment and his fastball-heavy diet early.

“[The atmosphere was] electric. The fans were — it was crazy. It’s everything I dreamed of. It’s really cool that we got to do it here in Milwaukee. It’s been awesome to feel the city and feel just the atmosphere they’ve been creating. It’s been amazing,” Misiorowski said. “The adrenaline kind of took over, and I tensed up and threw it hard. Then I settled down, and that was the game plan to settle in and do me. Don’t try and overdo it. I think that’s also a part of what I’ve been doing this postseason not trying to overdo stuff and understand I have a whole defense behind me to help me out.”

After pitching just 78 pitches and being pulled after five frames, Miz was asked if he felt like he had more in the tank. Being the gamer that he is, he said that he would “want to throw 130 [pitches].”

“I’ll keep going. It’s the World Series. I’ve got more rest to come,” Misiorowski said. “No, the situation we had looked better going to the pen and turning it over that way. You have to trust the staff and understand that they’re making a decision for later in the game.”

Jackson Chourio & William Contreras

Jackson Chourio and William Contreras, two of the Brewers’ biggest stars, did a joint presser after the game, where they were also asked about the environment and their performance on the field, especially Contreras’ in-game management of his pitchers.

“That was something for me that this year I definitely took it a little bit more personal and upon myself to make a point of that and to go out there and talk maybe a little bit more stern to the pitchers,” Contreras said. “It’s kind of my way of giving them some confidence and giving them a boost, the lift they need whenever they’re out there on the mound. I’m not sure how some of the guys take it, but that was something for me that was a priority of mine coming into this year and something that I made the adjustment on.”

When asked about Murphy’s faith in him, Contreras explained that he expects to play everyday, even if that’s unconventional for a catcher.

“I think Murphy’s always been someone that’s very special to me. I think in a lot of ways we share some similar personality traits. We want to win, and I think any time Murphy’s had to say something to me, he’s been very honest with me, and he’s told me directly to my face. That’s something I appreciate, and I think that’s something we share in common,” Contreras said. “I think when it comes to playing every day, that’s something I’m always going to prepare to do. That’s always a goal of mine. Why I work so hard in the offseason is to — if I feel good, if I feel ready to play, I’m going to expect to be in there.”

Chourio spoke about the build-up to the World Series after the weeklong layoff, also mentioning how it compared to the World Baseball Classic, which Chourio and Contreras won with Venezuela earlier this year.

“Honestly I think in these games today, there’s a little bit less pressure, it felt like, compared to maybe the World Baseball Classic. Some of the pressure was removed maybe in some of the earlier rounds of the playoffs, and I felt a little bit more free just to go out there and play my game,” Chourio said. “I think on my end, for me it’s always been a little bit of a question of more anxious feelings than pressure. I think I’ve always seen it in that light. Yeah, I think with these series and with the days off in between, I think there was some anxiousness for the games to begin and ready for the games to begin and get them — we know that these are the last games of the season here.“

Kevin Cash

While Rays manager Kevin Cash mostly spoke about his team in the postgame press conference, he did get asked about Contreras catching two baserunners after the Rays were previously perfect in stolen base attempts this postseason.

“Look, [Contreras is] a very talented player on both sides of the ball. We knew that coming in. Not surprised by anything that he did, but that’s not going to change our aggressive approach, certainly on the bases,” Cash said.

Cash also talked about the difficulties of facing Misiorowski and the Brewers bullpen.

“Look, he’s so talented. He’s such a special pitcher. I felt like for him to be out of the game at five innings, there’s a small win in that,” Cash said. “The problem is when you knock him out of the game, you’ve got just an elite bullpen that can match up and come in the ballgame like they did and kept us quiet there between Uribe, Ashby, and at the end with Megill.“

Meet the Mets

Would it make sense for the Mets to pursue Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato?

The Brewers are in the World Series, and David Stearns laid the foundation for the franchise in the years he oversaw them.

As one of the teams that would be heavily impacted by the implementation of a salary cap, the Mets will be watching the CBA negotiations very closely.

Pat Murphy surely doesn’t mind how things turned out, but he once came close to being the manager of the Mets.

Around the National League East

Battery Power examined some of the best defensive plays made by the Braves this season.

The Good Phight looked back on the Taijuan Walker experience in 2026 (spoiler alert: it wasn’t good).

Around Major League Baseball

In Game 1 of the World Series in Milwaukee, the Brewers treated their fans to a 3-2 victory over the Rays.

Jacob Misiorowski very quickly made history for the fastest pitch thrown in a World Series at 103.5 MPH.

Get ready to be shocked: despite the presence of two small-market teams in the Fall Classic, Rob Manfred still thinks there needs to be a cap.

If you’re hoping that the league and the Players Association might extend their current agreement to avoid an impending lockout, don’t hold your breath.

The Athletic examined the question of whether the league truly has a competitive balance issue as the commissioner and owners continuously claim.

The Cardinals are parting ways with Brant Brown, their hitting coach of the past two seasons.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Brian Salvatore recapped the surprising contributions of Austin Warren to the 2026 Mets.

This Date in Mets History

The Mets secured their only win in the Subway Series with a 4-2 Game 3 victory on this date in 2000.

Tarik Skubal is the top free agent on the market. On top of that he is a left-handed ace that should be the Opening Day starter for any team in the league not named the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers or Pittsburgh Pirates… and even those teams would strongly consider putting Skubal on the mound in Game 1 of the 2027 season.

The San Diego Padres have been rumored as a possible landing spot for the lefty in at least a few publications, and the argument for the move is that it would echo the commitment new owners Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones made in press conferences and in their end-of-season letter to season ticket holders. The Padres are in need of pitching this offseason and a move to land Skubal would show the Padres fans and MLB the new owners mean what they say.

The question all San Diego fans have to ask themselves is whether or not Skubal is worth the huge payday he is expected to get. Padres fans know all too well how volatile a pitcher can be. Joe Musgrove missed the majority of two seasons with an elbow injury, Nick Pivetta missed most of the 2026 season with an arm injury and Yu Darvish never touched the mound this season as a result of an arm injury. San Diego ace and likely soon-to-be free agent Michael King missed a chunk of the 2025 season because he “slept wrong” and injured a nerve in his shoulder/neck.

Should the Padres want to spread their money around, whatever amount that might be, they may be better served. King is likely to opt-out of his contract and enter free agency. Reliever Adrian Morejon is a free agent and Ty France who many believe is the 2026 team MVP for the Padres is also a free agent. If Skubal wants $400 million-plus, it may be too rich for one player on a team that needs several players in the rotation and in the starting lineup.

San Diego could have a rotation of Pivetta, if the Padres pick up his option, Musgrove and Randy Vasquez. Others who could make a push for the spot like JP Sears are also on the roster, but unlikely to find what is needed to be in the San Diego rotation to start the season. Musgrove is still an unknown in terms of what he can provide and Darvish COULD return, but he could also just as easily retire depending on how he feels once he gets back to throwing competitive pitches off the mound.

This is an important offseason for the new ownership and as flashy as a Skubal signing might be, it may not be the most beneficial move for the team.

Padres News:

• Walker Buhler gets his grade from Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball after his first season in a Padres uniform.

Baseball News:

• Milwaukee takes Game 1 of World Series with 3-2 win over Tampa Bay.

• Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff makes his return and is named to World Series roster.

The World Series last night showed two teams at the top of their game. The rosters are chock full of talent, superstars at the stop, role players excelling at their role in the middle and more help on the way from the minor leagues by way of two player development systems consistently churning out talent. With the Phillies, they still have some of these things. There are stars at the top of the roster, the ones we have come to know and love. They have struggled to find a lot of role players, but there are some.

Think Bryson Stott and Jonathan Bowlan.

The less said about the player development system, the better. They haven’t truly brought a superstar to the majors in quite a while. There are some exciting developments with Andrew Painter once his season turned around following his return. Maybe Justin Crawford can carve out a role somehow and Aidan Miller looks promising.

Yet it’s worth wondering: is the championship window the Phillies opened up in 2022 still open?

The Milwaukee Brewers have been trending up for some time. They’ve made the playoffs eight of the last nine years. They’ve had 90 plus wins for the last four seasons. They lose pieces, but gain others. They’ve third in position player WAR and fourth in pitching WAR. And they’re in the driver’s seat to win this year’s World Championship.

Then you have the Dodgers and their pocketbook out west. Los Angeles isn’t going anywhere. Yes, neither the Dodgers or the Brewers are in the division with the Braves. But I’m sure what happens to divisions in a few years, anyway. Speaking of the division, the Phillies are on the downswing now, but they’re hardly in the rear view.

The Braves have a lot of questions to answer this offseason. What kind of offensive approach do they want? Can they keep their pitchers healthy? Are they selecting athletes that can stay healthy? And then assuming they resolve these, there are two teams ready to test what the Braves came up with. So are the Brewers a major problem for the Braves? I wouldn’t mind if they won it all this year, but I’ll be watching closely next season.

The World Series got underway on Friday evening, and the Milwaukee Brewers took Game 1 3-2. Game 2 is set for tonight at 8:00 ET.

Braves News:

Our player review series continues with catcher Jonah Heim, 

Relive the 10 biggest robberies by the Braves’ defense in 2026.

Joe Posnanski at his Joe Blogs newsletter wrote about 10 people he would immediately put into the National Baseball Hall of Fame today. Vin Scully, who topped the list, won the Ford C. Frick Award in 1982 and was inducted into Cooperstown, but Posnanski explains the Hall of Fame as an institution does not recognize such inductees as actual Hall of Famers, as they are not recognized in the plaque room.

Posnanski also advocated for Janet Marie Smith, currently the Dodgers executive vice president of planning and development, saying “she changed the way we watch baseball.” More Posnanski on Smith:

Janet Marie Smith was an urban planner with no baseball experience, but Lucchino hired her to direct the design of what would become Camden Yards. And she brought a vision to life of a ballpark that was old and new at the same time, a place that was somehow distinctive and yet felt like it had been in Baltimore for a hundred years. Camden Yards is a miracle. And every ballpark constructed since then — all twenty-two of them — has merely been an effort to replicate that miracle.

Speaking of Dodger Stadium, Smith was interviewed as part of an Architectural Digest video profile of the Los Angeles landmark now 65 seasons into its history.

Todd Benzinger, the first baseman and corner outfielder who played for five teams in his nine major league seasons, died on Wednesday at age 63. He played in 1992 for the Dodgers, and the switch-hitter started 13 of the first 38 games that season at first base in a time share with rookie Eric Karros and a gimpy-kneed Kal Daniels. By the last week of May, Karros took over first base for good, and Benzinger’s remaining starts came in right field and left field.

Benzinger in 1992 hit .239/.272/.348 with a 76 wRC+, 16 doubles, and four home runs in 121 games and 313 plate appearances. Mark Langill at Dodger Insider remembered Benzinger’s brief time with the Dodgers.

Dan Szymborski at FanGraphs reviewed manager Dave Roberts postseason, something the site has done after each team has been eliminated this season.

The Brewers’ formula this postseason has followed a similar recipe in many of their wins: hope your starter makes it two turns through the lineup, rely on your middle-inning groundball specialists, and then hand the ball off to Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill for the final three innings. The tale of the tape in Game 1 followed this script almost to a T, Milwaukee jumping out to an early lead, Jacob Misiorowski going two turns, Abner Uribe recording a dominant four outs, and Ashby and Megill locking down the final 2.2 innings to secure the opening game of this edition of the Fall Classic in front of a packed and frenetic Miller Park crowd, 3-2.

World Series Game 1

Milwaukee Brewers 3, Tampa Bay Rays 2

(Milwaukee leads, 1-0)

As untouchable as Misiorowski pitched during the regular season — leading MLB in ERA (1.80), FIP (2.17), strikeouts (252), and pitcher fWAR (6.6) while throwing more pitches over 100 mph (1,115) than every other starter combined to virtually guarantee NL Cy Young honors — he has looked mortal in the playoffs. During the regular season, his four-seamer induced a 40.2-percent whiff rate and held batters to a .174 average, but in the postseason the whiff rate plummets to 16.1-percent while the batting average against skyrockets to .364. The velocity is holding steady, but he’s lost life on the pitch while throwing a much higher percentage down in the zone. Fastballs that hitters had been whiffing beneath are now a fair bit easier to foul off, leading to inlfated pitch counts early and a dearth of strikeouts.

The Miz made a partial adjustment in Game 1, commanding his four-seamer belt high or above with better consistency than his starts against the Padres and Dodgers, and it allowed the Brewers’ ace to complete five innings for the first time this postseason. The strikeouts didn’t return, Misiorowski punching out just three of the 19 batters he faced, but for the most part he was able to stay out of trouble thanks to some brilliant defensive plays by his teammates.]

The traffic started early, Misiorowski giving up consecutive one-out singles in the first to Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson, but he got Junior Caminero to roll over a cutter for the inning-ending double play. One of the many marks of a good team is the ability to immediately punish your opponents for failing to capitalize on a scoring opportunity, and that’s just what happened in the bottom of the first. Jackson Chourio led off with a single, and after a Jake Bauers pop out, Christian Yelich lined an 0-2 Nick Martinez cutter into the gap in right-center. Center fielder Jonny DeLuca covered a ton of ground and went fully horizontal on the diving attempt, but the ball clanged off his glove for an RBI triple.

William Contreras then ambushed the next pitch Martinez threw, another cutter that the All-Star catcher rocketed to the left side of the infield. Taylor Walls couldn’t get his glove up quite in time, and the liner ricocheted off the webbing into left field to easily plate Yelich and spot Misiorowski an early 2-0 lead. For all that has been made of the elite defense from the Rays outfielders and Walls this postseason, you just had this feeling that both those tough liners would have been caught had they been hit by Yankees batters.

Misiorowski settled down to retire the side in order in the second and third, but encountered his toughest test in the fourth. A leadoff walk from Aranda followed by a Caminero double put runners on second and third with one out. Liam Hicks then topped a weak grounder to the right side to get the run in from third and cut the deficit in half. Misiorowski refocused to get DeLuca to fly out and strand Caminero at third.

In the Miz’s final inning of work, he allowed a leadoff single to Victor Mesa Jr., who then advanced to second on a Ben Williamson grounder. The Rays right fielder bailed the Brewers out though, committing a cardinal sin by making the final out at third base on an ill-advised steal attempt that drew a pinpoint throw from Contreras.

Martinez posted the lowest strikeout rate and walk rate of any qualified starter during the regular season, but it was he instead of Misiorowski who won in the strikeout department in Game 1 with five in five innings. Martinez stranded Sal Frelick at second in the second following a single and sac bunt by striking out Chourio on a backdoor sinker. He then faced the minimum across his final three innings of work, aided by a sparkling defensive play from Mesa to atone for his blunder. Speedster David Hamilton laced a grounder down the right field line and was thinking triple immediately out of the box. However, a stumble around second paired with a perfect throw and relay from Mesa and Williamson beat Hamilton to third by half a step.

With both starters out of the game after five, Uribe was the first man out of the Brewers bullpen. Normally more of a groundball specialist than a strikeout artist, Uribe rung up three of the four batters he faced. The most important one was to finish the sixth. After Aranda reached on a one out single, the Brewers executed a textbook strike-‘em-out, throw-‘em-out double play to end the inning, Simpson going down swinging on a back-foot slider and Contreras gunning down Aranda at second for his second caught stealing of the contest.

Kevin Cash selected Steven Matz as his first reliever out of the ‘pen, and the veteran southpaw was wayward with his command, issuing three walks while recording five outs between the sixth and seventh. The final of those free passes came back to haunt him, Cooper Pratt drawing the walk to lead off the seventh and advancing to second on a Hamilton grounder. That brought sidewinding righty Kevin Kelly out of the Rays bullpen to neutralize Chourio with a runner in scoring position with two outs, but the Brewers’ young star inside-outed a first-pitch sinker just inside the bag at first and beyond Aranda’s diving attempt to plate Pratt. The score was 3-1, Milwaukee.

With this extra insurance run, you felt that the Brewers’ lead was unassailable with Ashby and Megill primed for their lanes. Ashby entered the Fall Classic with the most innings (12.1) of any postseason reliever yet had not surrendered a single run, and it was more of the same in the seventh and eighth innings. He retired all five batters he faced, three via the strikeout thanks to his deadly sinker-changeup duo.

That left it up to Megill to secure his fifth save of these playoffs, but this game had one more dose of high drama in store. Aranda and Simpson reached on a pair of one-out singles and Caminero worked a six-pitch walk after falling behind, 1-2, to load the bases with one out. Hicks appeared to ground into the game-ending double play, but replay review revealed that Pratt prematurely took his foot off the bag at second before the ball had contacted the inside of his glove. The call on the field was overturned, Caminero ruled safe at second while pinch-runner Jorge Mateo scored on the play and Simpson advanced to third.

Megill had to do it all over again, this time facing DeLuca with runners on second and third with two outs. However, Brewers fans could exhale and celebrate for a second time as he made quick work of the Rays center fielder, striking him out on a filthy knuckle curve below the zone to secure the Brewers’ first win in a World Series in 16,077 days (Game 5 in 1982) by a score of 3-2.

The Brewers will look to maintain the momentum of this narrow victory into Game 2 tonight. Rays ace Drew Rasmussen is set to face off against Logan Henderson with first pitch scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.

Box Score