Category: Sports News

Chad Tracy is hardly the only person that has been added to the fold between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees’ back-to-back meetings in the American League Wild Card Series.

The Red Sox have made substantial additions to the rotation, with Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez being named the starting pitchers for the best-of-three series at Yankee Stadium — making for a much deeper unit than the one that fell off a cliff after Garrett Crochet last season and relied on the likes of Brayan Bello and Connelly Early. Roman Anthony, Willson Contreras, Adley Rutschman, and Caleb Durbin will join the lineup in hopes to scrape together more than the six total runs they scored last season. Crochet could end up joining the bullpen in his return from injury, along with newcomers Erik Miller and Jake Bennett, which is a pretty decent group of pitchers being added to one of the very best units in baseball this season.

The Yankees will also be in a better position on the pitching side, with Gerrit Cole serving as the do-or-die option behind Cam Schlittler and Max Fried. Luis Garcia Jr., Heliot Ramos, and George Lombard Jr. should help the lineup against left-handers, though there is something to be said about the so-so status of Aaron Judge.

If we can boil all of that down, though, only one man can completely swing the series…

Chad Tracy.

Tracy’s most difficult decisions might come before the season even starts, as he will be relied upon heavily to figure out who will fill out the roster — Braiden Ward? Jarren Duran? Curtis Mead? Jahmai Jones? Nate Eaton? Isiah Kiner-Falefa? Crochet?

It’s not going to be easy, but all of that pales in comparison to making decisions with who will play, when they will play, and how he manages things when the lights are at their brightest in The Bronx.

“It’s the playoffs, so we’re at the point in the season where teams that are remaining need to win or they’re going home,” Tracy said during his media availability on Monday. “I have a feel for that.

“… It’s all hands on deck. I think everyone is aware that during the playoffs it’s about winning moments and being aggressive — all those things. I think most of our guys who have been around understand that, so we’re going to go out and play our butts off and manage and do everything we can to win each game.”

Alex Cora, the manager of last year’s squad that became the first in history to lose the best-of-three series after taking a lead, made some… interesting decisions in hindsight.

Bello was pulled after 2 1/3 innings in Game 2, which led to Justin Wilson, Zack Kelly, Garrett Whitlock, and Tolle being used out of the bullpen and becoming unavailable for Game 3. Nate Eaton started over Wilyer Abreu in Game 2. Rob Refsnyder got two starts over Masataka Yoshida, which makes sense considering they faced two left-handers, but he finished 0-for-5 while the latter went 4-for-7. Nathaniel Lowe played in all three games, while Nick Sogard only played in two.

It’s easy to go back in time and poke holes though these decisions with the benefit of hindsight, but that’s kind of the whole point in looking ahead at the same two teams playing each other again with one of them being led by someone new.

Tracy needs to avoid making similar mistakes, and he needs to do it without the benefit of years of experience in similar situations. The Red Sox stripped him of that interim tag because they believe he can, and it’s only a matter of time before we find out whether or not they’re right.

When Dodgers rookie Josue De Paula debuted a little over two weeks ago, he was the youngest player in the lineup by four years. And when veteran infielder Miguel Rojas pinch-hit for Alex Freeland in the eighth inning, the 21-year-old De Paula and 29-year-old Kyle Tucker were the only Dodgers under 30 remaining in the batting order.

“You’ve got to have both,” veteran shortstop Mookie Betts, who turns 34 next month, said in a recent conversation with the Times. “You need experience, but you also do need youth. I don’t know what the balance is, to be honest.”

The age of the Dodgers’ stars is the most persistent knock on a group that just finished a 100-win regular season and has the second-best odds to win the World Series (16.7%), according to Baseball Prospectus.

It’s the threat looming beyond every new accomplishment. Yes, the Dodgers are in the midst of a historic run. Only one other organization has strung together so many consecutive postseason berths, and that Braves team of the 1990s and early 2000s won only one World Series.

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

The Dodgers are aiming to become the first National League team to claim three straight championships.

But how long can this last?

The Dodgers’ lineup is the oldest in the majors, according to Baseball Reference, with an average age of 30.9 years old when weighted by at-bats and games played. Their star corner infielders, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy, are the oldest of the everyday starters, at 37 and 36, respectively. Even two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani turned 32 in July.

“That’s a fact, we’re an older team,” manager Dave Roberts said. “With age, there’s experience. I know we’re not going to fall off a cliff, our team.”

Plenty of young players in the Dodgers’ system have been blocked by older stars over the years. But in addition to a sky-high payroll, the Dodgers are known for their player development.

Even after the trade deadline — when the Dodgers sent two MLB Top-100 prospects, outfielder Zyhir Hope (No. 25) and right-hander River Ryan (No. 68), to the Tigers as part of the trade package for left-hander Tarik Skubal — the organization’s farm system ranked No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s rankings.

Serving as a reminder of that strength, when the Dodgers called up De Paula straight from double A, he immediately showed his bat belonged in the big-leagues.

Read more:Shaikin: Dodgers don't have a designated playoff closer. That isn't as bad as it sounds

At the same time, injuries stoked the flames of the age discussion. De Paula got his shot because Ohtani finally went on the injured list, after managing problems with his left knee and right biceps for much of the season.

Freeman pushed through knee tendinitis in September. Teoscar Hernández (left hamstring strain) and Betts (right oblique strain) both had monthlong IL stints earlier in the season but have helped carry the offense lately.

“As I’ve gotten older, I’m definitely taking a lot more care of my body,” Betts said. “I know I had an oblique [injury] earlier, but as far as just showing up every day and whatnot, I feel like we do a good job in taking care of our bodies and staying healthy for the most part.

“But I mean, people are talking like we’re the only ones in the league that’s getting hurt. You look everywhere around the league, somebody’s hurt.”

That’s true. And it also isn’t just the guys in their mid-to-late 30’s sustaining soft-tissue injuries. Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing, 25, served back-to-back IL stints for a flexor strain in his forearm down the stretch.

The Dodgers’ roster has proven deep enough to withstand injuries, as the team posted the second-best regular-season record in the majors this year.

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

“We’re not going to win games the same way that Milwaukee or Tampa Bay or these younger teams are winning games,” said Rojas, 37. “We’re going to win games a different way. We’re going to win games with a lot of talent, with experience, and winning moments.”

Over the years, the Dodgers have brought in players with postseason experience. But roster continuity also has meant that 17 players on this year’s projected postseason roster also contributed to both of the Dodgers’ last two World Series-winning seasons.

So, after playing more games than any other team the past couple years, the Dodgers may be a little hobbled going into their first-round bye. Regardless, they just completed their first 100-win season since 2023.

“The experience, how smart these guys are on the field, I think those things help win moments and win battles on the edges in October,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said when the Dodgers clinched the NL West title earlier this month. “It’s not as easy to navigate through a 162-game season with an older roster. But I do think that experience in those moments will definitely help and we’ll see it shine through at different points in October.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Here we are — the 2026 MLB Postseason.

While the Brewers are awaiting an opponent for the National League Division Series, eight teams will compete in four Wild Card Series this week. Let’s take a quick look at each of the matchups. All times listed in Central Time.

AL Wild Card Series: (3) Houston Astros vs. (6) Chicago White Sox

This series is just a sample of how the National League’s playoff field is much deeper than the American League’s — neither of these teams would have made the postseason if they were on the other side. In fact, the Astros, at 81-81, finished with what would have been the ninth-best record in the NL, behind even the 82-80 Pirates. Alas, one of these squads will make it to the NLCS against the Guardians next weekend. The Astros have a bit of an edge here just because of home-field advantage, but the White Sox, who were arguably the biggest surprise in all of baseball, will certainly give them a run for their money. Chicago led the AL Central for a decent chunk of the season and ultimately finished just one game behind Cleveland for the No. 2 seed in the AL.

Schedule

• Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 29 @ 4:00 p.m. (Peacock & NBC Sports Network)
• Game 2: Wednesday, Sept. 30 @ 4:00 p.m. (Peacock & NBC Sports Network)
• Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 1 @ 4:00 p.m. (Peacock & NBC Sports Network)

Team Rankings

Astros:

• Offense: .242/.315/.417 (.732 OPS ranks seventh); 226 HRs (first); 734 runs (13th); 50 SBs (last)
• Pitching: 4.45 team ERA (24th); 4.81 starter ERA (27th); 4.08 reliever ERA (17th); 1,411 Ks (ninth)

White Sox:

• Offense: .236/.320/.406 (.726 OPS ranks ninth); 211 HRs (fifth); 776 runs (fifth); 93 SBs (tied for 18th)
• Pitching: 4.12 team ERA (15th); 4.60 starter ERA (26th); 3.70 reliever ERA (eighth); 1,337 Ks (tied for 16th)

Projected Pitching Matchups

• Game 1: RHP AJ Blubaugh (HOU) vs. LHP Hagen Smith (CWS)
• Game 2: TBD (HOU) vs. TBD (CWS)
• Game 3: TBD (HOU) vs. TBD (CWS)

Prediction

This is a pair of strong offenses and a pair of mediocre pitching staffs, which means I’d expect we’ll see some high-scoring, back-and-forth games. The Astros have home-field advantage, and they also have the better offense, but the White Sox have a very slight edge on the mound. I’ll take the Astros to win in three games.

AL Wild Card Series: (4) New York Yankees vs. (5) Boston Red Sox

A rematch of last year’s AL Wild Card Series, the Yankees took two of three against Boston in three low-scoring games — Boston won the first game 3-1 before the Yankees took the last two games by finals of 4-3 and 4-0. It’s hard to say what we should expect this time around, as the Red Sox have had one of the better offenses in baseball in the second half and the Yankees have arguably the best pitching staff, though the Red Sox’s staff isn’t much worse.

Schedule

• Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 29 @ 7:00 p.m. (NBC & Peacock)
• Game 2: Wednesday, Sept. 30 @ 7:00 p.m. (NBC & Peacock)
• Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 1 @ 7:00 p.m. (NBC & Peacock)

Team Rankings

Yankees:

• Offense: .235/.311/.409 (.720 OPS ranks tied for 11th); 223 HRs (second); 739 runs (tied for ninth); 153 SBs (sixth)
• Pitching: 3.24 team ERA (first); 3.30 starter ERA (first); 3.15 reliever ERA (second); 1,450 Ks (tied for sixth)

Red Sox:

• Offense: .245/.319/.397 (.716 OPS ranks 19th); 163 HRs (26th); 689 runs (23rd); 107 SBs (14th)
• Pitching: 3.54 team ERA (third); 3.92 starter ERA (eighth); 3.00 reliever ERA (first); 1,398 Ks (11th)

Projected Pitching Matchups

• Game 1: RHP Cam Schlittler (NYY) vs. LHP Payton Tolle (BOS)
• Game 2: LHP Max Fried (NYY) vs. RHP Sonny Gray (BOS)
• Game 3: RHP Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs. LHP Ranger Suarez (BOS)

Prediction

The key to this series is which version of Boston shows up — they looked terrible through late June, had the best month of July of any MLB team, and feel back down to earth over the last month and a half. If that July/early August team shows up, I’d easily pick the Red Sox, but I think they got hot too early. I’ll take the Yankees to win two out of three for the second straight year.

NL Wild Card Series: (3) Atlanta Braves vs. (6) Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies backed their way into the final NL Wild Card spot, as the Arizona Diamondbacks nearly replaced them in the playoff field before Philadelphia finally clinched on the final day of the season. The Phils will look to make people forget about that as they have a chance to knock out their division foes in the Braves after doing exactly that in 2022 and 2023, beating them in the NLDS both years. The Braves, meanwhile, have bounced back nicely in 2026 after a very disappointing 2025, and they locked up the NL East with a 94-win season behind a solid offense and even better pitching staff.

Schedule

• Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 29 @ 1:00 p.m. (NBC & Peacock)
• Game 2: Wednesday, Sept. 30 @ 1:00 p.m. (NBC & Peacock)
• Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 1 @ 1:00 p.m. (NBC & Peacock)

Team Rankings

Braves:

• Offense: .246/.309/.409 (.718 OPS ranks tied for 16th); 204 HRs (tied for seventh); 742 runs (eighth); 83 SBs (tied for 23rd)
• Pitching: 3.63 team ERA (fifth); 3.76 starter ERA (sixth); 3.44 reliever ERA (fourth); 1,350 Ks (15th)

Phillies:

• Offense: .240/.312/.395 (.707 OPS ranks 22nd); 182 HRs (tied for 16th); 713 runs (19th); 105 SBs (15th)
• Pitching: 4.04 team ERA (11th); 3.80 starter ERA (seventh); 4.43 reliever ERA (21st); 1,577 Ks (first)

Projected Pitching Matchups

• Game 1: LHP Chris Sale (ATL) vs. LHP Jesús Luzardo (PHI)
• Game 2: TBD (ATL) vs. TBD (PHI)
• Game 3: TBD (ATL) vs. TBD (PHI)

Prediction

Had the Phillies not had to fight their way to the postseason until the last day of the regular season, I would have been inclined to take them in a short series behind their strong starting pitching, but after they were forced to use their top starters in the final weekend, that advantage may not be there. Having Chris Sale going in game 1 helps the Braves in a major way — I’ll take Atlanta to sweep.

NL Wild Card Series: (4) San Diego Padres vs. (5) Chicago Cubs

Another rematch from last year, this one has changed locations as the Padres caught fire in September to storm atop the NL Wild Card standings, claiming the No. 4 seed as they’ll host the No. 5 seed Cubs, who struggled in the final few weeks of the year. The Cubs, statistically, have the best offense (led by Pete Crow-Armstrong) and defense in baseball, but their bullpen has been dismal, while the Padres have been good in just about every area down the stretch, anchored by their strong bullpen and the second-half resurgence of Fernando Tatis Jr.

Schedule

• Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 29 @ 9:00 p.m. (Peacock & NBC Sports Network)
• Game 2: Wednesday, Sept. 30 @ 9:00 p.m. (Peacock & NBC Sports Network)
• Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 1 @ 9:00 p.m. (Peacock & NBC Sports Network)

Team Rankings

Padres:

• Offense: .244/.319/.398 (.717 OPS ranks 18th); 183 HRs (tied for 14th); 722 runs (15th); 164 SBs (tied for second)
• Pitching: 3.99 team ERA (10th); 4.42 starter ERA (21st); 3.53 reliever ERA (fifth); 1,315 Ks (20th)

Cubs:

• Offense: .251/.339/.428 (.767 OPS ranks first); 220 HRs (third); 850 runs (first); 114 SBs (tied for 10th)
• Pitching: 4.12 team ERA (14th); 4.27 starter ERA (18th); 3.90 reliever ERA (13th); 1,260 Ks (26th)

Projected Pitching Matchups

• Game 1: RHP Michael King (SD) vs. LHP Matthew Boyd (CHC)
• Game 2: TBD (SD) vs. TBD (CHC)
• Game 3: TBD (SD) vs. TBD (CHC)

Prediction

Had you asked me at the start of September, I would have picked the Cubs to win this series, perhaps even with a sweep. But the Cubs have been inconsistent all season, so I have no idea what to expect. With that in mind, I’ll take the safer bet and pick the Padres to win two of three and move on to face the Brewers.

At long last, we’ve reached judgment day. Or, perhaps, the first of many days of judgment, pun intended. Today, the Yankees’ 2026 postseason run begins, as the club hopes that this foray into October baseball lasts longer than last year’s did. We will also learn today whether Aaron Judge will be on the playoff roster, as the slugger was on the field taking live batting practice just yesterday less than two weeks after suffering a calf strain. The stakes, both with regard to Judge’s health, and with the Yankees’ matchup with their archnemesis, are unbearably high.

Let’s take a deep breath, and jump in together. On the site today, Dani will preview Game 1 against the Red Sox, while Andrew runs our sitewide postseason predictions. Later, we’ll see Peter’s At-bat of the Week feature Ryan McMahon, and John’s entry in the Yankee Birthday series profiles Scranton manager Shelley Duncan. Also, as the Yankees embark on their playoff journey, Michael finds an optimistic slant and compares the Yankees’ impending run to the 2026 Knicks’ run to a legendary championship.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox

Time: 8:00 p.m. EST

TV:  NBC/Peacock

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

1. Alright, what do you think: is Aaron Judge in the lineup tonight?

2. Are you worried about the Yankee lineup facing lefty Payton Tolle, with or without Judge?

The 2026 Major League Baseball playoffs get underway with a wild card series quadruple-header on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves get things underway at 2 p.m. ET, with matchups following between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros (5 p.m.), Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees (8 p.m.), then the San Diego Padres host the Chicago Cubs in the nightcap (10 p.m.).

The openers of the four best-of-three wild card series take place Tuesday, with Game 2s on Wednesday and if necessary, winner-take-all Game 3s on Thursday. The winners advance to the best-of-five Division Series, which begin on Saturday, Oct. 3.

The World Series begins on Friday, Oct. 23 at the home ballpark of the pennant winner with the better record. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the reigning World Series champions and enter the fold in the Division Series after earning a bye.

What MLB playoff games are today?

• NL Game 1: Phillies at Braves – buy tickets – 2 p.m. ET
• AL Game 1: White Sox at Astros – buy tickets – 5 p.m. ET
• AL Game 1: Red Sox at Yankees – buy tickets – 8 p.m. ET
• NL Game 1: Cubs at Padres – buy tickets – 10 p.m. ET

Watch MLB playoffs on Peacock

There hasn’t been a lot of celebrating for the Pittsburgh Pirates over the years but they were able to achieve one pretty big goal this season. The Pirates finished the 2026 season with a winning record, 82-80, after defeating the Detroit Tigers 4-2 in the series/season finale at Comerica Park on Sept. 27.

The Pirates haven’t had a winning season since 2018, when they went 82-79, marking seven seasons of poor baseball. There have been a couple of close seasons throughout the years but they were never able to get over the hump.

It was tied for the second-longest streak in baseball, with only the Los Angeles Angels having more at 11 and the Colorado Rockies at eight this season.

In 2025, The Bucs went 71-91 and finished last in the NL Central. The Pirates also had the fifth worst record in all of baseball. 

Pittsburgh finished third in the division, and had a winning record and an 11-win improvement from last season. It is just the fifth winning season in the past 34 years for the Pirates, including their three postseason appearances, 2013-15. 

The Pirates were even in the third Wild Card spot in late July, but seven straight losing series put them six games below .500 and they fell too far behind to make up ground. It is frustrating to see a promising season slip but even though this was not a playoff team this year it still feels like The Pirates are treading into the right direction to snap their massive playoff drought.

Even though fans in the steel city want to see them in the postseason, this season should still be considered a victory. The Pirates went from being an irrelevant laughably bad team to a squad that was respected and competitive this year. 

The playoffs felt like an unrealistic goal for this young team before the season started. With all the inexperience and the defensive being a major question making the postseason felt fair fetched but now with a lot of that young talent coming together and if they can keep Brandon Lowe the playoffs seem like a legit possibility for 2027.

MLB.com | Max Ralph: Last week, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Aaron Judge would miss the Wild Card Series, but the slugger had other plans. Judge himself is aiming to play against the Red Sox and is ramping up baseball activities, as he partook in indoor hitting and throwing on Sunday before participating in a live BP session against Elmer Rodríguez today. While the thought of Judge rushing his return and playing in a diminished state or re-aggravating his calf is scary, having his righty bat against Boston’s collection of lefty pitchers would certainly be a boon — if he’s not as rusty as he looked in September.

FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: The Yankees and Red Sox are meeting in the Wild Card Series for the second year in a row, but this year’s matchup looks a whole lot different than last year’s. While the 2025 editions of both clubs featured high-octane offenses, this year the bitter rivals each feature elite pitching in what looks to be a low-scoring affair. No matter what shape the games take, here’s hoping that the Yankees enjoy the same outcome as last year.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) Cam Schlittler’s eight-inning, 12-strikeout, scoreless start against the Red Sox in Game 3 of last year’s Wild Card Series was one for the ages. It was also fueled by online hate directed towards Schlittler from Red Sox Nation prior to the game. Apparently, some members of the Boston faithful have still continued to chirp online. To his credit, Schlittler seems unfazed, saying, “At the end of the day, when I get prepared for whatever day I start, it’s not what I’m going to be thinking about.”

FanGraphs | Dan Szymborski: Finally, the 2026 ZiPS game-by-game postseason odds have gone live on FanGraphs! In contrast to the regular season-version, playoff ZiPS incorporates matchup-specific info – starters, lineups, players’ health status – to provide win-loss odds for each individual game. For what it’s worth, the model gives the Yankees a 52.6% chance of besting the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, with favorable odds in both Game 1 and 2.

Team who will most be missed from the playoffs

The Mariners. The only active MLB team to have never appeared in a World Series came within a single win of ending that hoodoo last October and appeared poised to go one stage further in 2026. Instead, their 76-86 clunker feels like a wasted chance for a lineup featuring Julio Rodríguez, Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena. BAG

The Pirates could have brought real verve to the postseason with a healthy Konnor Griffin at shortstop and Paul Skenes on the mound. Sadly the team dug too deep a hole in August and, in usual Pirate fashion, didn’t give themselves a chance. AK

That has to be the Orioles, which means Pete Alonso’s F-David Stearns tour won’t see the bright lights of the postseason. The Mets’ president of baseball operations, one with almost all the money in the world at his disposal, who didn’t offer a contract to Alonso – who hit 43 home runs, arguably the second-best season of his career – is finally off the hook. That is, at least until a would-be 2027 season. Too bad. DL

High seed at risk of going out early

The American League’s No 2 seed is an 85-win division champion with a plus-11 run differential who FanGraphs suggests was closer to a .500 ball club. The Guardians have the pitching to thrive in close games, but a lineup without a 20-homer batter leaves them little room for error. BAG

Related: Justin Verlander leaves field in tears with daughter after final start of 21-year career

The Dodgers are finally going to face the consequences that come with age, variance, and having had to play an extra 31 games over the prior two postseasons. They still have no big weaknesses, but their lineup is old (the average age on their roster is 31, making them the oldest team in MLB) and has occasionally looked the part this year. AK

If you needed a team to squeak out a single run under pressure against great playoff pitching, that’s not the Yankeeswith Aaron Judge in the lineup. Without him, against some superb Red Sox hurlers, the swing-and-a-miss Bronx Bombers have even less of a chance of putting runs on the board. They could find themselves bronzing in Cancún sooner rather than later. DL

Dark horse to win

It seems odd to call a team with baseball’s best offense and defense a dark horse, but the Cubs’ leaky relief pitching makes them one. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman give Chicago plenty of ways to win games. If the bullpen can keep the ball in the park, they could go far. BAG

The Rays will always have a dark-horse feel, even in a year when they win the AL East. Pitching could be the difference here: whether injured starter Shane McClanahan returns at some point or not, the deadline acquisition of Freddy Peralta from the Mets ensures rotation depth that will serve this club well. AK

How can a team with 98 wins be a dark horse? When they don’t hit for power, get on base less than the Rockies, and their ability to score is a little better than middle of the road. They play in a condom-covered dump in front of some of the leanest crowds in the league. An inspiring, title-like set up? Nope, and the Rays are dark horses because few fans know they even exist. Pragmatic as they come though; they can pitch and Kevin Cash can manage. The AL can’t handle them, and the Dodgers are vulnerable. DL

Player to watch …

Tarik Skubal arrives in October as the centerpiece of baseball’s most formidable rotation, with a potential record-setting free agency ahead. Every start will be judged against the imposing price the Dodgers paid to acquire him in their bid for a rare third straight title. BAG

Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson is a throwback, a defense, speed and batting average-heavy corner outfielder who’s made a place for himself despite lacking the power that makes most great modern hitters. In a lineup with a lot of thump, Simpson’s slap hitting offers a bit of variety. AK

Sticking to my Rays theme, it’s Junior Caminero. The Dominican gets no recognition, or at least not enough, despite crushing close to 90 home runs in two years, while also hitting for average. He’s making strides every season and he’s only 23. At some point the third baseman is going to be very expensive, so who knows how long he’ll remain on the Gulf. At the moment, he’s the straw that stirs Tampa’s tipple, and now Caminero has the spotlight. DL

Most important factor this postseason/offseason

The labor talks. The collective bargaining agreement expires on 1 December and MLB’s salary-cap proposal remains at odds with the players’ intractable position. A lockout could freeze the hot-stove market while a prolonged dispute could torpedo the 2027 season entirely. Whatever happens on the field, the most important baseball story after the Fall Classic will unfold across a bargaining table. BAG

The lack of great teams in the American League. The Rays may be a great team, but is anyone else in the Junior Circuit? MLB’s three best teams – the Brewers, Dodgers and Braves – are all in the NL, and I’d probably prefer the Cubs over any team in the AL at the moment, too. The AL has a true “anyone’s ballgame” feel. You could imagine this league producing a truly weird pennant winner. AK

The postseason CBA negotiations may not bring us world peace, but hopefully they will create a new rule that bans teams with .500 records or worse from winning a division, or reaching the playoffs via a wildcard spot. The team with the best above-.500 record not to qualify for the playoffs, regardless of league, will replace that team, and the sub-.500 bums will not be allowed to complain AT ALL. And God forbid the Astros win the 2026 World Series, I will pull whatever is left of my hair out. Who’s with me? DL

NLCS

Dodgers over Brewers. BAG

Brewers over Dodgers. AK

Brewers over Dodgers. DL

ALCS

Rays over White Sox. BAG

Rays over White Sox. AK

Rays over Guardians. DL

Your World Series winners will be …

The Rays will put the ball in play, run the basepaths aggressively and make the Dodgers earn their outs. But a rotation of Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow gives the Dodgers four starters capable of shutting down the Rays’ contact-heavy lineup, while the incandescent Shohei Ohtani supplies the power capable of turning any close game with one swing of the bat. Milwaukee and Tampa Bay may grade out better analytically, but the smell test clearly favors the Dodgers to become only the third franchise to win three consecutive World Series crowns. BAG

The Brewers will finally get the right October mixture this year. They have the same deep lineup as usual, with no real stars but also no weaknesses. Jacob Misiorowski gives them a rotation trump card that they haven’t had since CC Sabathia’s brief run in Milwaukee after the 2008 trade deadline. And they have the necessary high-leverage relievers (Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby) to feel good about any game that’s still competitive after six innings. AK

In many ways the Brewers and Rays are mirror images of each other, especially when it comes to their contract-based approaches to baseball. They are also similar in the way that absolutely nobody except their fans wants to see such a matchup. The Brewers have the overwhelming ace in Misiorowski, but the Rays have more pitching depth. They’re also due to win, with the owners detesting this matchup which proves lower payroll teams can win it all. And at precisely the wrong time. DL