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Knicks Bulletin: ‘I talked to our guys about this’

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 15: Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors controls the ball against Mohamed Diawara #51 of the New York Knicks during the first quarter of a preseason game at Madison Square Garden on October 15, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Last weekend without official NBA content popping up our timelines, folks.

Last couple of sleeps before the next time you hit the sack there’s another (or multiple!) new banners hanging from the MSG rafters.

Here’s the latest on this beautiful sunny Sunday.

Mike Brown

On delegating responsibilities to his assistant coaches and veteran players:

“My coaches can do their job, they can teach, take the lead in the areas that they need to, going by the practice plan and then on top of that, our veteran players, especially with the new guys, they can coach those guys because they kind of got a feel and they kind of know what we’re expecting on both ends of the floor.”

On his emotions ahead of the Knicks’ championship ring ceremony and banner raising:

“Obviously I’m going to be filled with a lot of different emotions. That’s a special moment. I’m going to be a little selfish, but for me individually, not only that, for my family, for the people in the organization, the team, the players, the other coaches, but just as importantly, the city of New York and the fans of the Knicks all around the world … so to see that happening while knowing the history of it, and knowing how hard it is to let alone get there on top of winning it, it’s going to be an awesome feeling with a ton of emotion inside. We’re all human, the trick is now to really appreciate and enjoy that moment and still try to lock in and get ready for the game and know you got to move forward once it’s over.”

On the challenges of defending an NBA championship:

“There are a lot of challenges in trying to do that. That’s why it hasn’t happened in the NBA in the last eight, nine years. In all of sports, you don’t hear a ton about back-to-back champions in the modern sports world no matter what sport it is you’re playing. The added quote, unquote pressure that some people may allow to seep in as the year goes on, there could be more jealousies, that the team is not connected, and people forget about sacrificing for the betterment of the team. Everybody has naturally been telling you how great you are the whole summer, and so you think you’re great, and you don’t have to go through and/or embrace the process like you did when you got there the first time because you think you know and it’s just going to happen in moments when you think it needs to happen. There’s a lot that can impact it.

“And for me, the biggest thing is trying to make sure our group understands that this is a new season, it’s a new team, and there are new challenges in front of us. Therefore, it’s not about the end result, we have to really make sure we focus our energy and effort on the process, by embracing all the details of the process. And if we do, that’s going to give us our best opportunity to do it again.”

On how the Knicks will handle being the hunted team:

“That’s another one, everybody likes to play the Knicks anyway, especially in MSG, and now it’s just an added carrot to the whole deal. We have a mature group, and that’s one of the main things that gives me — I don’t know if hope is the right word — but gives me hope that we’re going to take this or embrace this process like no other. I truly believe that the maturity of the group is going to help when it comes to all of it, not just being The Hunted, but handling being patted on the back all year, and media scrutiny that we’re going to be under and pressures of the other things that we’re going to be under. I think that’s what’s going to help a ton.”

On Jalen Brunson’s superpower:

“His focus and determination.”

On OG Anunoby’s superpower:

“His potential with his size, his athleticism, and his skillset.”

On Karl-Anthony Towns’ superpower:

“His skillset and his size.”

On Mikal Bridges’ superpower:

“His versatility.”

On Josh Hart’s superpower:

“His ability to connect the group, with sacrifice and determination.”

On his expectations for the Knicks’ bench:

“I’m excited about it. I’m looking forward to giving guys an opportunity that they might not have gotten before.”

On replacing Mitchell Robinson’s contributions following his departure to Boston:

“I talked to our guys about this. When I was in Golden State, we had a really good team the year we won back-to-back (2017 and 2018) and KD [Kevin Durant] left after that [after the 2019 season] and everybody thought that, rightfully so, we were going to go into the tank, because you can’t replace KD with one player. In 2022, we won it again, we basically had the same core minus KD. We replaced him basically with a young Jordan Poole, Otto Porter and Andrew Wiggins. And collectively, those three guys plus the rest of the group just brought a little bit more to the table, and we were able to get it done in 2022. So it’s no different with Mitch. Mitch is a great player. We’re not bringing Andre [Drummond] in here to quote, unquote be Mitch. Andre’s going to be Andre, but that means everybody else has to give a little bit more defensively, and has to give a little bit more when it comes to offensive and defensive rebounding,”

On the Knicks fans and how New York celebrates its championship teams:

“It’s like no other. This is my fifth championship that I’ve been a part of in some really good cities.

“Love you guys, love your energy. Keep bringing it, because we’re looking forward to having another fun year.”

Mikal Bridges

On the improved Eastern Conference and increased competition:

“You see what goes on. A lot of teams got better, and it’s good. Excited for all of the other teams; you love when the competition’s high. Who doesn’t love that?”

Andre Drummond

On developing his jump shot throughout his NBA career:

“I did it when no one was watching. … So here we are, 15 years later, s–t, better late than never, right?”

On the skills that have allowed him to remain in the NBA entering his 15th season:

“Be a master of what I do. I mean, I’m able to rebound the ball at a high clip still. Obviously with the addition of the three-point shot, being able to be a good pick-and-roll defender, and just a great locker room guy altogether is really what keeps me around.”

On his passing ability and how his game has evolved:

“I love to pass, I love to see the floor, and I play well in the pocket. … The game is changing, [my] guards like to score, and I throw the pocket pass in.”

Jalen Brunson

On Andre Drummond establishing his own identity rather than replacing Mitchell Robinson:

“not coming in to be Mitch, he’s coming in to be himself.”

On Mike Brown taking time to build a personal relationship with him:

“He came down to Jersey in the summer, and we sat, had dinner, talked for two-and-a-half, three hours, whatever, and did not talk about basketball or what we were gonna do. So that just tells you who he is. That’s a genuine dude, and he just wanted to get to know all of us before we got into our jobs and to see what we had to do as a team. But it’s just genuinely who he is.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On Mike Brown addressing the team’s personal struggles and contract uncertainty:

“Mike talked about mindfulness. He talked about the situation to all of us openly, and we all talked as a team, as a family — the coaches and players — and it’s still so amazing to see how connected this team is, to see how much of a family unit we really are.

“It was really cool to have a coach talk to us about being you, about the struggles in life, and us being together and understanding where everyone is in life and the situations they deal with as a family, as brothers, that will allow us to even be more connected and allows us to even be a better team. That was an amazing job by him as our leader to approach the elephant in the room and to allow us, the players and the coaches and the ones who are on that core into Game 4, Game 5, who really found a way to get this title back to New York, allowing us to be human.”

Josh Hart

On Andre Drummond’s skill set:

“Way better passing than I thought he was.”

On Mike Brown’s leadership style and personality:

“Honestly, I didn’t know he was a military baby until you said it. Obviously, he’s someone who commands attention and respect and those kinds of things.”

“Now, he’s super chill. He’s a great person, lets us know, holds us accountable when we’re out there not doing what we’re supposed to do.

“He’s more of a ‘Who let the dogs out’ kind of guy.”

Mark Bartelstein (Deuce McBride’s Agent)

On McBride’s desire for a contract extension and the possibility of future negotiations:

“No doubt, he would love to get that. But at the end of the day, you work for the Knicks and it takes two sides to get a deal done. And if the Knicks aren’t ready to do extensions right now, then we just gotta buckle up and go have a great season. He’ll be a free agent this summer, but we’ll see. We’ve got a great relationship with [president] Leon [Rose] and the front office. We’ll see: there may be opportunities during the season, maybe in the near future. Who knows where we’ll be able to have those conversations.”

On McBride’s contributions to the Knicks and his willingness to play through injury:

“We’ve spoken to the Knicks throughout the summer. Miles, like any player in his position, would love to get an extension. I think he’s earned it. He’s been a huge part of where that organization has gone over the last three or four years. He’s been their sixth man. A lot of people don’t realize how hurt he played last year in the playoffs. He had abdominal surgery that caused him to miss a couple of months. He came back and he wasn’t really right yet, but he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to be there for his teammates.”

Joel Embiid

On whether he will watch the Knicks’ championship ceremony before the 76ers’ season opener:

“I don’t really feel like watching that whole ceremony. I guess I’ll be in the locker room.”

Jaylen Brown

On facing the Knicks on opening night during their championship celebration:

“It’s an honor. Opening night, it’s primetime, the former champions, I think it’s serendipitous.”

Kendrick Perkins

On the Philadelphia 76ers being the biggest threat to the Knicks in the Eastern Conference:

“The East has caught up with the West. You have the 76ers, obviously, you have the Toronto Raptors, you have Giannis [Antetokounmpo] with Miami, I think they’re still a few pieces away. But to me, if I had to pick one, it would be the 76ers. Nick Nurse won a championship [as coach of the Raptors in 2019]. Nick Nurse had to figure how pieces worked when he was in Toronto. And when you have guys that have high IQs — Jaylen Brown is a Finals MVP, LeBron James is [not just] arguably the greatest player but one of the smartest players to play the game of basketball. That’s not going to be a hard adjustment. … Offensively I see them getting out and running. I could see them being probably the best transition team offensively in the league. But I also could see them figuring things out on the fly while they’re still winning games during the regular season. And I also see LeBron James bringing out the best in Joel Embiid.”

On how Mike Brown should handle Karl-Anthony Towns’ contract situation:

“KAT is an emotional guy. And if I’m Mike Brown, the biggest thing is from a personal side, I would just want Towns to know that he’s loved on a day-to-day basis. That don’t mean that there’s not going to be times where you have to call him out in film, but if I’m Mike Brown, I’d go the extra mile to extend my love, whether that’s on the road, him meeting him for breakfast before shootaround, maybe dinners, just to let him know his value. And to let him know that he’s a huge and the most important part of this team. … It would be through actions and less through words.”

On the challenges of defending an NBA championship:

“The first thing is health, obviously. The second thing is getting through the regular season knowing that everywhere in every game that you play, you’re going to get everyone’s best shot. But last but not least is having everyone continue to lose themselves in the team and play agenda-free basketball. Because what ends up happening is when you win a championship, because of the praise that you get in the offseason, everyone starts to believe that they were the reason and guys come back and want a bigger role, instead of staying and playing and being a star of that role that helped them win the championship.”

On Jalen Brunson’s development into an elite player and leader:

“Offensively, I believe that Jalen Brunson over the last three years before Giannis was injured, has been consistently the best player in the Eastern Conference. But last year we saw him take that leap of accountability. We saw him doing the little things of fighting to get over screens. We saw him doing things of getting back in transition and getting extra possessions by taking charges. We saw him take over a Game 4 in Madison Square Garden in the second half to direct traffic and get buckets. We just saw leadership, right? We saw a guy in probably the hardest market to play in, have composure, have leadership and be able to perform on the biggest moments. But I think the most important thing is that he accepted the challenge of actually playing defense and playing enough defense where he wasn’t a liability. But also playing defense where the Spurs couldn’t hunt him out on the big stage. … He’s one of if not my favorite players in the NBA, but history tells us that we haven’t had a back-to-back champion in the last 8-9 years.”

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The Mets got everything they could from Brooks Raley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Mariners News: Carlos Mendoza, Junior Caminero, and J.T. Realmuto

CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 17: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after hitting an RBI Double during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game four of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on October 17, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

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

In Mariners news…

  • Carlos Mendoza, who earlier this week joined the Phillies coaching staff, reportedly withdrew his name from consideration as the next Mariners manager to accept his new job. One would certainly hope, and perhaps expect, that a manager job would be more desirable than an assistant coach job, and this news does not inspire a ton of confidence in how the search is going.
  • Adam Jude at the Seattle Times laid out five of the core questions that the organization has to find answers for before the lockout starts.
  • A handful of players formerly on minor league contracts elected free agency earlier this week, including infielder Miles Mastrobuoni.

Around the league…

  • The Rays big bats led the way in their Game 4 win over the Guardians last night to even the series at two games apiece. Game 5 is in Cleveland today at 2:08 pmPST on TBS.
  • Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto may spend less time behind the plate next season, as it seems his thirteenth season behind the plate really took a big toll on him. Realmuto himself seemed to cite the responsibilities of ABS challenges as being especially draining.
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‘My time, my era’: Dubois sends out warning to rivals with Wardley demolition

WBO heavyweight champion targets big paydays against Hrgovic, Kabayel and Itauma after second round win

Thirty minutes after Daniel Dubois had dismantled Fabio Wardley in less than two rounds on Saturday night, his promoter Frank Warren shook his head in slight awe as he described the intensity before the annihilation: “I went in the dressing room beforehand like I normally do and I couldn’t have a conversation with Daniel because he was so zoned in and focused. It showed when he got in the ring. He went out there on a seek-and-destroy mission.”

Dubois resembled a much bigger and heavier version of a young Mike Tyson as, wearing black trunks and a black cape, he walked to the ring with intense purpose. There was not a flicker of emotion as he marched quickly towards Wardley for their WBO world title rematch.

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Kartal denied biggest win of career after Chwalinska fightback in Wuhan Open final

  • French Open finalist wins 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 for her first title

  • Kartal will become new British No 1 after record run

Sonay Kartal missed out on winning the biggest title of her career as her brilliant run at the Wuhan Open ended in a final defeat by Maja Chwalinska.

Kartal has enjoyed her best tournament only a fortnight after returning from six months out with a back injury, but her efforts appeared to catch up with her as she faded in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 loss.

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Columbus Blue Jackets (6 pts) vs. Minnesota Wild (11 pts) Game Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets are back on the road to face the Minnesota Wild tonight at 6:00 PM.   

Minnesota Wild - 5-2-1 - 11 Points - Won 1 - 3rd in the Central 

Columbus Blue Jackets - 3-3-0 - 6 Points - Won 1 - 7th in the Metro

Player Notes Per CBJ PR

  • Adam Fantilli has notched 2-1-3 in six career matchups against the Wild and posted 1-1-2 in his last trip to St. Paul.
  • Matthew Knies has 2-1-3 in five career games against Minnesota, with points in his last two outings (1-1-2) as well as goals in two of his three games at Grand Casino Arena.
  • Valeri Nichushkin has collected 6-8-14 in 34 career contests vs. Minnesota, including a two-assist effort in his last game in St. Paul, and has 2-4-6 in his last 5 on the road against the club.
  • Zach Werenski has tallied 7-4-11 in 15 career matchups with the Wild, who scored twice in the club’s last game and collected 3-2-5 during the 2025-26 season series. Also has points in six of his past nine overall (6-3-9).

Blue Jackets Stats 

  • Power Play - 13.3% - 27th in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 66.7% - 29th in the NHL
  • Goals For - 16 - 29th in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 21 - 8th in the NHL   

Wild Stats 

  • Power Play - 33.3% - 2nd in the NHL
  • Penalty Kill - 88.5% - 5th in the NHL
  • Goals For - 26 - 16th in the NHL
  • Goals Against - 20 - 4th in the NHL

Series History vs. TheWild   

  • The Blue Jackets are 33-29-1-7 overall, and 14-17-0-5 on the road in Minnesota.
  • Columbus has earned points in four of its past five trips to Minnesota (2-1-2) and in 12 of the past 18 games played at Grand Casino Arena since the 2010-11 season (10-6-2).
  • The previous meeting between the clubs in St. Paul on Oct. 11, 2025, saw the most combined goals, as well as the most scored by Columbus, on the road in the all-time series after a 7-4 Blue Jackets win.
  • Columbus has scored on the power play in each of its last three appearances at Grand Casino Arena (3-for-9, 33.3 pct.).
  • The teams have combined for seven-plus goals in four of the last six overall.

Who To Watch For TheWild   

  • Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild with 9 goals and 14 points. 
  • Quinn Hughes leads the Wild with 10 assists. 
  • Goalie Jesper Wallstedt is 5-1-1 with a SV% of .921. 
  • Calvin Pickard is 0-1-0 with a SV% of .800. His last start was October 13th. 

Injured Reserve & Other Injuries

  • Dante Fabbro - Broken Hand - IR - 6 Games Missed
  • Isac Lundestrom - Achilles Surgery - LTIR - 6 Games Missed
  • Ivan Provorov - Lower Body - IR - 6 Games Missed

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 22

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be simulcast on The Blue Jackets Hockey Network and 97.1 The Fan, with Steve Mears behind the mic doing the play-by-play.

TV: CBJHN (Spectrum HD Ch. 320/1320; IP Ch. 349; Prime Video, Fubo)   

Next Up For Columbus: The CBJ take on the Minnesota Wild tonight at 6:00 PM.

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Fired Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza spurned Mariners’ managerial opening for lesser Phillies role

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza walks back to the dugout after making a pitching change against the Washington Nationals.
New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza walks back to the dugout after making a pitching change against the Washington Nationals in the seventh inning at Citi Field in Queens, New York, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.

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

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

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

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

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

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza walks back to the dugout after making a pitching change against the Washington Nationals in the seventh inning at Citi Field in Queens, New York, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST

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

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

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

The Post’s front page after the Mets fired Mendoza.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Padres making moves; Prospects making impressions

San Diego, California - October 05: San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller looks on during a workout ahead of Game 3 of the National League Division Series at Petco Park on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)

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

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

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

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

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

Padres News:

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

Baseball News:

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I’m rooting for the Brewers to win the World Series

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 15: Jackson Chourio #11 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates after winning Game Four of the National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, October 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs were shown lots of love in the new GM survey

SAN ANTONIO, TX - OCTOBER 14: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs smiles before the game against the Phoenix Suns on October 14, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Every year there’s an abundance of lists that come out about the NBA’s players, coaches and teams, and none matter more than the general manager survey released before the season. The latest one was published on Thursday, and according to most top executives, Victor Wembanyama is primed to have one of the greatest seasons of all time in 2026-27. He got the most votes to win Defensive player of the Year as well the majority for the MVP crown, and the San Antonio Spurs are the favorite to win the title. 

Holy moly, such a season hasn’t been logged since the great Hakeem Olajuwon in 1993-94. Keep in mind that the NBA’s DPOY award started in the 1982-83 season, yet even if it existed earlier, the only bigs who could have arguably won it, earned the MVP and led a team to the chip were Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Yet don’t forget that Michael Jordan claimed both awards in 1987-88, but his team lost in the Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron James would have been the first to accomplish this feat since Olajuwon, but he got robbed of the DPOY in 2012-13.

Olajuwon, who played three years at school and didn’t simultaneously win both awards until he was 31, was already on a tear when he turned 23. That was in his second season and at that age had already ascended into one of the most devastating players in NBA history. He was skinnier then, but an athletic marvel who could down turnaround jumpers with ease and soar through the lane. He wanted the big moment, and in Mirin Fader’s biography about him, there is a great line where he defended himself against complaining teammates for taking a shot with multiple defenders on him because he was the one paid to take that shot.

Wembanyama is only entering his fourth season and will turn 23 on Jan. 4. He has gotten closer to his grown man body every year and like the young Olajuwon, needs to be defended with all five players plus is a factor in fourth quarters, as he averaged 6.3 points in those periods during the playoffs. 

At this point, the only heavyweight on his level is Nikola Jokić, yet most GMs picked him over Wemby as the best center. That won’t be for long if he keeps improving at rapid speed and one example of how he has is the speed and timing of his pick-and-roll defense from his rookie year in 2023-24 until now. He impacts the game in more ways, so when his playmaking catches up to the Joker, he’ll jump to his own tier. He may never turn into the wow-passer Jokić is, but Wembanyama has the talent to average a triple-double, too. 

In 2026-27, the race for the MVP should come down to Wemby, Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jokić, assuming they stay healthy, because they have a chance to win enough and put up incredible numbers. Wemby being the best in the league at guarding two players at once and creating a big intimidation factor with his shot blocking, will give him an edge over the field, while double-dipping for the other award. 

Notably, only three of the last 10 GM polls have correctly predicted who would win the MVP award. Three of the last 10 polls also predicted the correct champion, but two of those were very easy to call since they were the Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors. Still, lots of those teams that were picked to win and didn’t were not as deep as the current Spurs. Don’t be surprised if Dylan Harper, who most GMs picked to have a breakout season, produces like an All-Star off the bench because he was already a major player to end last postseason.

Next season, the Spurs will have a target on their backs, but it won’t matter much because they have good coaching and a surplus of motivated talent spearheaded by Wemby. Most GMs don’t always get it right, but they believe he’s going to take over the league like only the most special have, so maybe opposing teams should take the survey as a bad omen. 

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Mets Morning News: ALCS in a dead heat as Brewers lie in wait

BINGHAMTON, NY - AUGUST 08: Jefferson Rojas #1 of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies reacts to a play during the game between the Hartford Yard Goats and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Mirabito Stadium on Saturday, August 8, 2026 in Binghamton, New York. (Photo by Nate Stickney/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)

Meet the Mets

Mets top prospect Jefferson Rojas launched a pair of homers last night in the Winter League; the 21-year-old Dominican is 4-for-7 overall in his first two games with Cibao.

Around the National League East

Former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was a candidate for the Mariners’ managerial job before withdrawing his name to become the Phillies’ third base and infield coach, per reporting from ESPN’s Jorge Castillo.

The Phillies plan to reduce J.T. Realmuto’s catching workload in 2027, Dave Dombrowski told reporters.

MLB Trade Rumors published their offseason outlook for the Atlanta Braves.

After missing a large chunk of his first full professional season due to injury, Marlins prospect Max Williams is making up for lost time.

Jessica Camerato of MLB.com took a look at three Nationals prospects who could make their debuts in 2027.

Around Major League Baseball

The Rays evened up the ALCS at two games apiece by beating the Guardians 7-3 in Game 4 at Progressive Field.  Jonathan Aranda drove in a pair and Yandy Díaz sealed the game with a two-run homer in the ninth.

Twelve of the past 16 teams to clinch the pennant first lost in World Series. But will the extra rest help the Brewers?

Katie Woo and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic examine what’s next for the Dodgers.

As a reporter who covered the end of the Yankees’ dynasty in 2001, Tyler Kepner of The Athletic asserts that the Dodgers won’t stop winning, but things may be different from here on out, like they were for the Yankees.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Brian Salvatore reviewed Kodai Senga’s 2026 season, which ended with a transition to the bullpen.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 2006, the Mets defeated the Cardinals in Game 6 of the NLCS to force a decisive Game 7.

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What changes will the Braves in-house evaluations bring?

ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 4: Tim Hyers #80 of the Atlanta Braves gives a high five in the eighth inning during the game against the Miami Marlins at Truist Park on August 4, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

One of the benefits of watching your team continue in the playoffs is that you don’t have to think about the holes in your team until you exit. And once you do, you begin the arduous task of considering how it all went wrong. Dealing with the holes in the team can be pretty straightforward. Figuring out why the Braves failed in the playoffs however, is nearly an annual stomach-churning tradition. Some of those failure reconstructions can live on for 35 years and longer. Or at least, you’re not allowed to move on. Oh, hi Lonnie. Anyway, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, especially with the impending lockout.

Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos has a lot to chew on over the offseason. Which is handy I guess, because it will be a long one this year. He has a string of injured starting pitchers. He has a twice-suspended left fielder who is allegedly not returning phone calls. He has question marks over (at least) half the infield and a right fielder who has trouble staying on the field.

And then there’s Tim Hyers, the architect of several shabby opposing starter approaches and an opposite field hitting obsession. He’s only under a two-year contract that has expired. Anthopoulos praised the work of the offense this season, pointing out how they were top 10 in a lot of categories. Internally though, he can’t be pleased with it. And also, I’m not going to the bank with anything Alex says just after the season ends. The Braves have turned themselves (and their hitters’ swings) inside out trying to deal with the flabby, draggy, distance-killing baseballs over the last few years. And the results have not been good enough to back a resilient pitching staff.

So what changes will the Braves in-house evaluations bring? I can’t imagine how Hyers stays. His instruction appears to be not clear, not followed, or not helpful. I wouldn’t consider Jurickson Profar out of the left field conversation just yet when you consider what the Braves tolerated with Marcell Ozuna. Also, prospect Eric Hartman is looming in Double-A. So I’m not sure they’ll go big in left this offseason. Shortstop might be a different story. They also need to address the injury situation, whether that’s replacing on-field talent or off-field medical personnel.

Lots of problems, only one post to solve them.

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Is spending money even a “shortcut” for the Cardinals?

MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 26: St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Quinn Mathews (60) meets St. Louis Cardinals catcher Leo Bernal (13) at the end of the first during a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field on September 26, 2026 in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks as always!

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Who is one player from these LCS rosters you’d want on the Phillies?

Oct 17, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians infielder Jose Ramirez (11) celebrates a defensive play made by infielder Brayan Rocchio (not pictured) against the Tampa Bay Rays during the fifth inning in game four of the ALCS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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

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

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