CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 02: Edwin Arroyo #2 of the Cincinnati Reds bats against the San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park on September 02, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Edwin Arroyo just turned 23 years old almost exactly two months ago. Just over two months ago, Edwin Arroyo turned just 23 years old.
This reiteration, deep breath, and patience is brought to you by a 2026 regular season with the Cincinnati Reds that saw the aforementioned Arroyo hit just .223/.266/.264 (.529 OPS) across 160 frustration PA, most of which came at the same time the team around him caved in on itself after a promising – albeit lucky – start to their regular season.
It does seem, at this juncture, that Arroyo has been around forever already. Acquired in 2022 in the deal that sent Luis Castillo to Seattle, he’s been in the Reds organization long enough for Castillo to have arrived as the Mariners new ace, for Castillo to have signed the long-term contract with Seattle that Cincinnati wouldn’t give him, and for Castillo to pitch his way down to the bottom of Seattle’s rotation and get dumped onto the Chicago White Sox in a weight-cut.
Arroyo, though, is still barely 23. His struggles at the big league level at age 22 came after he blasted out of the gate with AAA Louisville to the tune of .323/.383/.562 (.945 OPS) through 250 PA and the end of the month of May. At age 22, for instance, fellow Reds middle infielder Matt McLain was busy hitting .232/.363/.453 in 452 PA down at AA Chattanooga – his ‘breakout’ at the big league level didn’t come until age 23, either.
The big league struggles were glaring, and there’s no real way to sugarcoat that. The switch-hitter posted just a .513 OPS against RHP and .573 OPS against LHP. Somehow, he managed to hit just .171/.203/.224 (.426 OPS) in the extremely hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ball Park. He struggled during his first stint in the big leagues with regular playing time, and he struggled again in his second stint when playing time was more sparse. Even his defense on the dirt was iffy at times, his decision-making and positioning often flat wrong in big spots despite his instincts and technique long having been graded as plus.
It puts him in an odd light as we head into 2027, assuming there’s a 2027 season at all for us to peruse. For one, the expecations placed upon him when he was first called up were immense at the time. He was a top prospect who’d finally seemed to regain 100% health and rocket back up Top 100 lists with peak performance atop the minors slotting perfectly into a regular role (without a patented position change on the fly, as the Reds are wont to do) as the team was struggling. The Reds needed a 2B, a leadoff man, better overall defense and athleticism, and he – in theory – was going to provide a lot of that, and it just didn’t work out for him at age 22.
With those struggles also came the seeping sensation that the Castillo trade was not, at all, going to pan out. Noelvi Marte’s collapse as a big league hitter has been brutal to watch over the last two years, but at least we always had in our back pocket that Arroyo – very much the co-headliner of the deal that sent away Cincinnati’s ace – was going to arrive eventually and at least give the trade the chance to come good. There’s no ace in the hole for Arroyo at this point, though, since if he flops the way Marte has that’s it – that’s the deal gone wrong with no more pie left in the sky on which to dream.
If you peel back all the periphery and give yourself a little more tunnel vision, though, there’s a deep breath in there for us all. Arroyo is a switch-hitting middle infielder with a rep for potentially plus glovework who just mashed AAA pitching to the tune of .301/.367/.524 (.891 OPS) with 15 homers in just 354 PA in his age-22 season. If instead of being the guy for whom they gave up Castillo he was simply a 2nd round pick out of high school in Puerto Rico who’d overcome a major shoulder surgery and put up that kind of AAA production at 22, we’d be falling over ourselves heading into this winter for his prospects going forward.
We’d be clamoring for him to take the place of McLain, of Ke’Bryan Hayes, of basically anyone on the Reds other than Elly De La Cruz or Sal Stewart.
It’s easy to forget just how hard it is for young players to adjust to the big leagues. It’s easy to forget that Elly, for instance, came blasting out of the gate in his month in 2023 only to slump down to .213/.284/.377 (.661 OPS) across his final 77 games (332 PA) of the year. Right now, there seems to be a prevailing sentiment by many that we’ve already seen all we need to see from Arroyo so far, and I can’t help but implore for just the slightest bit more patience for a guy who 100% deserves it.
Where he fits on the 2027 Reds remains a little bit out of his control. Manager Terry Francona remains convinced that there’s a whole lot more from McLain we’ve simply not seen in over three years, and the Reds seem committed to paying him through his second arbitration trip to be the club’s regular 2B once again. Over at 3B, there’s a void left by Eugenio Suarez almost certainly reaching free agency again, but the club has time and again opted against cutting bait with Hayes, and all signs point to Hayes again getting the chance to show he’s something other than the worst hitter on the planet again to start 2027.
Maybe that’s the deep breath and patience we all need. There’s no pressure on Arroyo entering 2027 to immediately assume the role of a regular at the big league level, and it would appear he’ll be destined to begin 2027 at the AAA level again – ideally with an eye at the plate for different pitches after the ones he saw at the big league level were night and day from what he saw while with Louisville. That is unless the Reds let Suarez walk, don’t backfill on the infield with any additional slugger, and commit to an infield rotation at 2B/3B that gets Arroyo regular-enough time at both spots while spelling Hayes and McLain here and there. I’m not sure that latter scenario is ideal for him (or makes the overall roster good enough to matter), so I certainly hope there’s a bit more patience involved that allows him to still be in ‘a’ lineup everyday and improving at the plate.
He technically service-time’d his way out of being a ‘prospect’ anymore, but he’s still very much just that – and a good one, too, perhaps eclipsed only by Alfredo Duno on the Cincinnati farm. He just had a whole lot asked of him at a stage of his career when he wasn’t yet ready to meet the ask. Fortunately, there’s a lot more time for the Reds to do the asking.
This season, NHL teams will have select nights when they will be wearing special jerseys called the Hometown Remix. The Toronto Maple Leafs will be having nine of such themed games this season still to come, four of which in November.
The Jersey Nerds revealed on social media what they believe each special uniform will look like, leaking the possible jersey designs for the Hometown Remix themes. With that, the Maple Leafs' special look was also on display.
According to Jersey Nerds, Toronto will be wearing a beige or off-white jersey as the base color, as well as dark blue accents on the sleeves around the elbow area and at the waist. The logo would also be altered to the Maple Leaf that matches the new design at center ice at Scotiabank Arena.
The Leafs go vintage white, the Capitals return to their Pre-Reebok roots, the Kings bring back the purple, and the Penguins go back to the double blue! pic.twitter.com/WbzYqoqkzA
The Maple Leafs' first Hometown Remix night and debut of their new jersey takes place on Nov. 7, a Saturday night affair against the Montreal Canadiens. One week later they'll wear them again versus the Edmonton Oilers, and then against the Los Angeles Kings on the 19th and Philadelphia Flyers on the 30th to round out November.
They'll wear those jerseys twice in December, against the Anaheim Ducks on the 13th and Tampa Bay Lightning on the 19th. They'll host the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 18 for another Hometown Remix night, and finish it off with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 8 and the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 16.
All games in which Toronto will wear the Hometown Remix uniform will happen at home, of course.
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies named Peter Fatse their hitting coach on Tuesday and hired Joe Cronin as assistant hitting coach. Edwar Gonzalez will remain on the Phillies’ staff as an assistant hitting coach.
Fatse most recently worked as a hitting consultant for the Tampa Bay Rays, a role he began in June. Before that, he served as the hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox for parts of five seasons from 2022 to 2026.
“I am very excited to add Pete to our staff,” Phillies manager Don Mattingly said. “He has a track record of being a great communicator who prioritizes collaboration, and we truly feel that with his skillset and approach, he is a great fit for the organization.”
The Knicks will at times be without an integral member of the coaching staff.
Assistant coach Chris Jent will be away from the team for an undisclosed period of time for personal reasons, The Post has learned. He is expected to miss games in the near future but the situation is fluid.
Jent — the associate head coach who is in charge of the offense — was not on the bench for the second and third games of the season, missing losses to the Celtics in Boston and Magic at Madison Square Garden. He will not be with the team during Tuesday night’s game against the Pistons at MSG either, according to league sources.
OG Anunoby (l.) sits with Knicks assistant Chris Jent before Game 4 of the NBA Finals on June 10, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Assistant T.J. Saint filled his role on the front of the bench during those two games and was seen with a clipboard leading huddles during timeouts. Saint was the Knicks’ Summer League coach this year and will continue to be on the front of the bench for games that Jent misses, according to league sources.
He is one of the most respected assistants across the league and was instrumental in the change to the Knicks’ offensive scheme after falling behind to a 2-1 series deficit to the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs last year. He helped implement a system that featured Karl-Anthony Towns as a “hub” at the elbows, which created better shots for Jalen Brunson, brought out the best in OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges and helped fuel the team’s championship run.
This is Jent’s second season as an assistant with the Knicks after head coach Mike Brown brought him in as part of his staff last year. Jent interviewed for the Blazers’ head coach opening this past offseason, though Brown thought he should have been an even bigger head coaching candidate.
“He’s been around for a long time,” Brown said after the Knicks won the championship. “Somebody needs to give him an interview because he’ll help your team win at the highest level.”
Jent had a brief 18-game stint as the Magic’s interim head coach to end the 2004-05 season. Otherwise, he’s been an NBA assistant coach for 18 seasons for eight different teams – the 76ers, Magic, Cavaliers, Kings, Hawks, Lakers, Hornets and Knicks.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown (r.) looks on with assistants Chris Jent (c.) and Rick Brunson (l.) during the Ring Ceremony prior to the game against the 76ers at MSG on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. Getty Images
A former Ohio State star as a player, Jent had a brief NBA playing career — including playing three games with the Knicks during the 1996-97 season. He was also part of the Rockets’ championship team in 1993-94. He spent most of his playing career overseas.
He previously worked on Brown’s staff with the Cavs, where he garnered praise from LeBron James as his personal shooting coach. Jent and LeBron later reunited with the Lakers.
Jent has a wealth of knowledge that is highly valued throughout the Knicks organization.
They’ll at times have to find a way to replace that.
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History is on the line in St. Petersburg.
The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from a franchise-first World Series title and have the chance to win it all in tonight’s Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Last night, a record 8-run inning contributed to a 10-1 final score as the Brewers moved to 3-0 on the series.
Stats are on the Brewers’ side, too; in all best-of-seven postseason series, teams with a 3-0 lead have gone on to win the series 42 of 43 times. One of those 42 times was just one series ago when the Brewers swept the Dodgers to win the NLCS.
After their sweep of the Dodgers, the Brewers can become the first team in MLB history to sweep a seven-game LCS and the World Series in the same year (before the LCS switched to seven games, the 1976 Reds were the only team to achieve this).
The team could also break a four-way tie for the most consecutive postseason wins (with the 2019 Nationals, 2014 Royals, 2005 White Sox and 2004 Red Sox). They’re currently at eight, going for a ninth.
Here’s how to tune in to Game 4 of the World Series for free without cable.
When is Game 4 of the World Series?
Game 4 of the 2026 World Series is tonight, Oct. 27. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
How to watch the World Series Game 4 for free
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the Brewers vs. Rays World Series for free.
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Brewers vs. Rays starting pitchers
Griffin Jax (8-10, 3.53 ERA) will start for the Rays tonight. Milwaukee has not announced a starter yet, as longtime Brewer Brandon Woodruff was preparing to start tonight’s game before pitching the ninth inning last night. Options for tonight include Dustin May, Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan.
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 23, 2026: Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler (14) high five as they run down the court against the LA Clippers on October 223 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Late in the fourth quarter of Luka Dončić’s 52-point detonation against the Utah Jazz on Sunday to propel the Los Angeles Lakers to a 3-0 start, Salt Lake City’s Delta Center broke out in “M-V-P” chants for the Slovenian.
While Dončić’s dominant performance rightfully warranted such a coronation, this isn’t the first or second time during the 2026 calendar year that he’s received MVP chants inside an opposing team’s arena. When he dropped 60 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists in a road win over the Miami Heat on March 19, Kaseya Center also broke out the MVP hymn.
“Lakers fans travel, I guess. Getting MVP chants in someone else’s arena is crazy,” Walker Kessler told reporters following Sunday’s victory over Utah. “But, I mean obviously deserving. It speaks for itself, but it’s good to hear.”
Heck, 2.5 years ago — before he even became a member of the Lakers — he notched 35 points, 18 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and one block as Dallas dispatched the Brooklyn Nets inside Barclays Center, which prompted MVP chants down the stretch. This is a recurring phenomenon throughout Dončić’s esteemed career.
Collin Sexton, a fellow member of Dončić’s 2018 draft class, has watched his new teammate take over games for many years as an opponent. But now, they’ve joined forces on the Lakers. Sexton prefers seeing these spectacles while wearing the same colors as Dončić.
“Honestly, being on his side, once he gets hot, he gets hot,” Sexton said Sunday. “I feel like he’s always under control. He’s always at his own pace. I’ve been on the other side where he can’t miss so it’s definitely good to be on this side for sure.”
On Tuesday, the Winnipeg Jets find themselves in a must-win situation as they take on the Florida Panthers, looking to put an end to their five-game losing streak.
It marks Winnipeg’s longest skid since January, when the club dropped 11 consecutive games. Before that, the Jets’ last stretch of at least five straight losses came in March 2024, when they lost six in a row. Extended slumps have been uncommon for Winnipeg, and the team will be eager to put this one behind them as quickly as possible.
Tuesday’s matchup could present an opportunity to do just that as the Jets have enjoyed considerable success against Florida in recent years, winning six of their last eight meetings dating back to December 2022. That includes their most recent encounter on January 31, when Winnipeg secured a 2-1 victory with Eric Comrie between the pipes.
This time around, another backup goaltender is expected to get the call, with Clay Stevenson to make his fourth start of the season. The 27-year-old faces another challenging assignment but has shown he can handle the pressure. The Drayton Valley, Alberta native should have a reasonable opportunity to keep the Panthers in check, considering Florida owns the 11th-worst in the NHL with a 2.83 goals per game average.
Stevenson has also impressed in recent appearances, holding his own against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes with a 34-save performance after turning aside 29 shots against the Pittsburgh Penguins in his first start and win of the season. Through three starts, he owns a respectable 3.08 goals-against average and will look to give Winnipeg the goaltending it needs to get back on track.
The Jets offense will hope to bail out their goaltender as they have rarely this season. After managing just one goal at the Heritage Classic versus the Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg now ranks fourth-worst in the NHL in scoring, averaging only 2.45 goals per game.
The club will be hoping to take advantage of a Florida team expected to start Akira Schmid, who has surrendered at least three goals in four of his six starts this season and allowed five goals on 30 shots in his lone career start against Winnipeg when playing for the New Jersey Devils in 2023.
Winnipeg Jets' expected line combinations for Sunday, October 25 vs. Montreal:
Connor-Scheifele-Perfetti
Iafallo-Björck-Vilardi
Rosén-Lowry-Mercer
Koepke-Barron-Niederreiter
Samberg-Pionk
Ferraro-Salomonsson
Fleury-DeMelo
Stevenson
Healthy Scratches: Bauer, Lambert
Injured: Morrissey, Namestnikov, Bjugstad
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CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 26: Bilal Coulibaly #0 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on October 26, 2026 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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 (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly has been involved in contract extension negotiations, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line. That said, nothing was finalized. Here is the snippet:
The Stein Line has learned that the Wizards and Bilal Coulibaly did engage in some 11th-hour discussions last Monday. No deal was ultimately reached, meaning Coulibaly is also headed for restricted free agency next summer, but the late-stage talks leave an impression that Washington still sees the formerNo. 7 overall pick as part of its future.
Coulibaly is averaging 8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game so far in the 2026-27 NBA season. He has played for Washington since the 2023-24 season.
I’m not surprised that the Wizards would make a good-faith attempt to keep Coulibaly beyond this season for his second NBA contract before he enters restricted free agency. However, though Coulibaly may be in Washington’s plans, his position overlaps AJ Dybantsa’s so it’s likely that he will be coming off the bench sooner rather than later. Furthermore, Coulibaly hasn’t been a strong presence for Washington on offense during any of his three previous seasons.
Do you think Coulibaly should return to the Wizards next season? If so, how do you envision his role? If you believe he shouldn’t return, does it make sense to trade him before the deadline? Let us know in the comments below.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Josue De Paula #95 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on before the game against the Atlanta Braves in game two of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 04, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 season will end this week, possibly tonight, if World Series Game 3 was any indication.
The Dodgers got thoroughly skunked, which is fitting considering the fact that the Brewers are from the Midwest, and when one lives in locales that frequently get snowed in, or one is in a committed relationship with someone who grew up, one learns about card games like cribbage.
Cribbage is easy enough to learn, but one of the first terms you learn about is “skunked,” a blowout loss where you lose by more than 31 points. What we just saw over four games was the Dodgers getting roundly skunked by the Milwaukee Brewers. Still, given how badly the Tampa Bay Rays are floundering this Fall Classic, one might expect the front office to be asking itself, “What if?” Oh well.
Still, at least one current Dodger is at these proceedings: Teoscar Hernandez.
Is that Teoscar Hernandez or just some other guy that looks like him? I kinda need to know now pic.twitter.com/v770Hvcqck
Given my five-year history writing columns here, one might expect another jeremiad on these Dodgers. Those folks expecting another long-winded rant will be sorely disappointed.
Unlike 2022, when the Dodgers romped to 111 victories only to save their worst ball for the most important games of the year. Further, they were supposed to be motivated by the death of Vin Scully. They won one game and then shuffled off the stage.
If you paid any attention in August, you saw this underperforming version of the Dodgers in action, with just about every wart on display, including previous warts thought to be in remission (i.e., some of Dave Roberts’ managerial decisions). When you have a series where you lead every single game, just to lose every single time, there’s not a lot to say, apart from tipping your cap to the victors and muttering words that are unprintable in this venue.
Would a healthy Shohei Ohtani have helped? We’ll never know; it couldn’t have hurt.
The 2025 Dodgers answered a question that only the most deranged madmen would have asked last year: “Could a team hit like the 1966 Baltimore Orioles and still win a championship in today’s game?” The answer was “Yes, by the skin of their collective teeth when the opposition is on a heater, unlike the 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers.”
Last year, as a unit for the entire playoffs in 17 games, they collectively hit .233/.320/.402. There were seven players having an average OPS of .750 or higher:
Ohtani – 1.096
Ben Rortvedt – 1.071 (in four games before Will Smith came back)
Alex Call – .897 (in seven games)
Teoscar Hernandez – .788
Will Smith – .777 (in 15 games)
Max Muncy – .764
Miguel Rojas – .760 (in 8 games)
This year’s team, as a unit for the entire playoffs in eight games, collectively hit .195/.267/.323. There were three players having an average OPS of .750 or higher:
Kyle Tucker – .938
Rojas – .929 (in five games)
Muncy – .792
In one of life’s little ironies, Kyle Tucker started hitting in October; most of his teammates did not. Rojas has already announced his retirement. Even if the pitching staff repeated its stellar performance in 2026, rather than taking a step back as we all saw, this run was probably doomed.
A better team exposed the Dodgers. Where the Dodgers looked crisp and hungry in 2024 and got away with their fair share of miscues in 2025 (see Game 3 and Game 7 of the 2025 World Series), they looked slow and weary in 2026 when it mattered most during this playoff run.
It happens. Extra playoffs mean extra wear and tear, and the margin for error shrinks exponentially.
With the accelerated pace of the offseason that is about to start, let us take a moment to acknowledge something I hope happens once baseball resumes in 2027.
The 2027 Dodgers will hopefully look quite different
I make the following statement upfront: I do not think there is much appetite or wisdom behind trying to run it back in 2027. In that madness, Philadelphia lies; ask a Phillie fan how that strategy is going lately.
Unlike rogue AI agents that learned how to lie to their human masters, which is a terrifying recent development we do not have time to adequately cover here, this baseball machine is run by and carried out by people. Andrew Friedman seemed to tip his hand toward a more conservative approach to integrating the wave of prospects into the existing core, warning about a fear of winning only 86 games and missing the playoffs.
I think caution would be a mistake, and I think there’s an opportunity both Friedman and I recognize.
Yes, there is a risk that the prospects and new additions in free agency (whoever they are) will result in missing the playoffs for the first time in fifteen years. Variance happens. If anything, we’ve seen the opposite end of the spectrum here in the conservatism that Friedman seems to be alluding to in Philadelphia and over the past decade in San Francisco: you hold on too long, eventually you get thrown off the ride anyway with diminishing returns.
I am not going to argue something borderline moronic like trading Shohei Ohtani or casting off Max Muncy or Freddie Freeman. That’s silly. I am saying some of the core is reaching their autumnal years and maybe some more aggressive finessing of the roster is in order.
I think all the ink asking whether the Dodgers dynasty is over misses the point. For 715 days, from October 30, 2024 to October 15, 2026, the Dodgers were baseball’s champions. Nothing can take that away. However, in the next seven days, maybe as soon as tonight, a new champion will be crowned.
The goal now is to retool and reload now that the team is a challenger again. I don’t see this organization sitting on its laurels. Yes, they faltered. Now, maybe things can tighten up as the team remembers how bitter defeat tastes.
Unlike recent years, there is a delightful glut of promising talent in the minor leagues that will need protection from the Rule 5 draft. This year, along with phenom Josue De Paula, the team will likely need 40-man roster spots for Christian Zazueta, Jackson Ferris, Noah Miller, Jake Gelof, and Adam Serwinoski, or some combination thereof.
Things get really interesting next year, as James Tibbs III, Zack Ehrhard, Mike Sirota, and Eduardo Quintero are also knocking at the door and, coincidentally, will need Rule 5 protection at the end of 2027. Roster slots will be at a premium.
Will everyone I just listed pan out?
The law of averages says no, but my mind keeps going back to that one scene in Moneyball where not-Paul dePodesta tells Billy Beane about the opportunity present now that Johnny Damon is off the roster. If I have a criticism of the 2026 trade deadline, it’s that the Dodgers seemed conservative in trying to upgrade the roster on the fringes.
One does not have to go back very far in history to find an example of when the Dodgers were banking on a prospect to stick who didn’t, unless everyone forgot the Gavin Lux Starting Shortstop Experience?
On that note, could the Dodgers have traded players like Alex Call or Ryan Ward at the deadline? Sure. But clearly, they calculated that what was offered wasn’t good enough. Ward is in Japan now. It’s not as if another MLB roster claimed him to the team’s detriment. As for Call…read on.
The Coming Roster Crunch
At season’s end, the injured list goes away. The Dodgers currently have six players on the soon-to-expire 60-day injured list:
Ben Casparius
Jake Cousins
Will Klein
Brusdar Graterol
Eric Lauer
Gavin Stone
Some of these names will resolve themselves as you will read below. Ben Casparius and Will Klein are coming back next season; Seth Halvorsen likely so. And that calculus hasn’t even touched who gets added to the 40-man roster from the minors.
You have to make room somehow, and yes, the Dodgers are currently carrying four catchers on the 40-man roster. Put another way: you can’t DFA Eliezer Alfonzo more than once to avoid the coming roster crunch. Maybe the goal should be to wring as much baseball as possible out of the aging core while supplementing with some new blood.
The Dodgers 2026 Free Agent Forecast
It’s worth noting that since Tarik Skubal was acquired midseason in a trade, he’s ineligible for a Qualifying Offer that would give the Dodgers a marginal draft pick, due to the team’s record and being well over the draft penalty threshold.
The 2027 Qualifying Offer is a one-year/$23.15 million contract. Below are the Dodgers’ current crop of potentially departing free agents, with annotations of my best guess of what’s about to happen.
Spoiler Alert: No one is getting a qualifying offer in Los Angeles this go-around.
As a lawyer in my day job, I give myself room to hedge.
If I say “gone,” I will be shocked into silence if I am wrong. If I say someone is “likely gone,” I would say it’s a 51/49 prospect that someone is gone, more often than not, but maybe wiggle room can be had. I would be surprised, but not shocked. If I say someone is “probably gone,” I would say that it is a 25/75 prospect that someone is gone, less likely than not. I would hope that something could be worked out, but I am mentally preparing myself to see them in a different uniform.
These forecasts are based entirely on observation and experience over the past five campaigns; I have no insider information. I’m trying something new, because I have the bandwidth.
Gone
Tarik Skubal: Sure, the Dodgers would like him back. How could you not? He did what the Dodgers acquired him for. Per Andy McCullough of The Athletic:
Across the past three seasons, [Skubal] led all pitchers in FanGraphs’ version of wins above replacement (18.0), while ranking second in ERA (2.42), fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.8) and fifth in innings (182 per season). In 2026, he returned from midseason elbow surgery to post a 2.72 ERA with 186 strikeouts in 158.2 innings.
He beat Atlanta, but he got beat by the Brewers and Jacob Misiorowski; there was a lot of that going around.
Blake Snell really wants him back, as he apparently is figuratively cosplaying the main characters from Step Brothers with Skubal. However, unless Skubal is willing to do a short-term, Kyle Tucker-esque deal, he’s likely to eclipse Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s contract in total or, at the very least, annual value. My best guess is in New York (doesn’t matter which team), but maybe the Dodgers’ brain trust can pull another rabbit out of its figurative hat as to the soon-to-be 30-year-old left-hander.
Miguel Rojas: Has already retired and is already eating meat with Payton Tolle of the Boston Red Sox.
Kris Bubic and Eric Lauer: Bubic was a bullpen gamble that didn’t pay off. Moreover, Bubic has been a starter for his career; is he just a bullpen guy now? Maybe. Seems doubtful, but as far as I know, he’s not on the Bobby Miller Express of forced bullpen service. Lauer was a depth piece to absorb innings. The Eric Lauer Experience is likely a one-off, barring a non-roster invite or him turning his nose up at offers from West Sacramento.
Blake Treinen: Treinen injured his shoulder warming up in the penultimate game of the regular season in San Francisco. He’s entering his age-39 season. There were five relievers over the age of 38 in MLB in 2026: Luis Garcia (39), Caleb Theilbar (39), Carlos Carrasco (39), Kirby Yates (39), and Chris Martin (40).
None of these pitchers appeared in more than 60 games in 2026; Theilbar was closest at 58. Yates has already announced his retirement, and if I were pressed, I would be flabbergasted if Treinen came back to MLB at all, much less with the Dodgers. We’ll always have 2024.
Brusdar Graterol: If Graterol is willing to come back on a minor league, prove-it deal, that’s my carve-out. But if Graterol is expecting a major league roster spot, the mark against him is that he hasn’t been able to stay healthy or get healthy. He has pitched in seven regular-season games since the start of the 2024 season, and all of them were in the 2024 campaign. As much as I personally enjoy watching Graterol, those are attendance records that would make Danny Duffy go, “Man, he’s never here.”
Likely Gone / Probably Gone
Kiké Hernández: Kiké is entering his age-35 season, and while he states that he can still play ball, there are two facts that likely spell an end to his time in Los Angeles, unless he is willing to take a lesser role (think minor league invite):
The Dodgers are facing a roster crunch discussed above, and Kiké’s main claim to fame the past few years has been his effectiveness in the postseason. This past October, he went 1 for 14, granted that one hit was his 17th postseason homer off of Chris Sale.
Otherwise, it was his worst postseason since going hitless in 2016.
I can see the Dodgers moving on if they buy in on Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim. The problem with those two players is that, even with extended runways in 2026, neither player could lock down playing time.
A reunion with Kiké makes more sense than the Dodgers trying to acquire a player like Luis Arraez. The goal with this thought exercise isn’t to chase names; it’s to get younger.
Honestly, the worst-case scenario is the Dodgers trading for Kiké at another trade deadline if they can’t work something out now.
Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips: Alex Vesia is arguably one of the most underrated bullpen arms in baseball. Even when the eye test falters, his peripheral statistics have stayed consistent over the past three campaigns. Vesia has a 2.66 ERA over 367 games and 328 total innings with the Dodgers. He posted 6.3 bWAR in his tenure with the Dodgers. In the postseason, he has a 1.59 ERA over 31 appearances.
His two-year, $5.8 million contract just expired. He’s probably worth at least $5 to 7 million per year, even as he enters his age-30 season. Is he worth Tanner Scott/Edwin Diaz money? No, but no one is, apart from prime-Mariano Rivera if he were pitching today.
Vesia will likely test the free-agent market, and it seems more likely than not that someone will finally wise up and pay (or overpay) for his services. For comparison, 32-year-old Luke Weaver is currently on a two-year, $22 million contract. Vesia is probably worth at least that, if not more, due to his age and effectiveness.
When healthy, and since becoming a bullpen mainstay in 2022, Phillips has a 2.31 ERA over 225 games and 210 2/3 innings with the Dodgers. He posted 4.6 bWAR since joining the Dodgers. In the postseason, he has a 0.00 ERA over 17 appearances.
Phillips had a bit of an issue with the home run ball in his 2026 campaign, nearly giving up as many as he did in 2025 in less than half the work. Otherwise, entering his age-33 season, he is coming off his one-year/$6.5 million contract. He could have left last offseason; maybe he does this offseason, but if he and the Dodgers were willing to work something out last year, even on a truncated basis, nothing indicates it couldn’t happen again.
If the stars align, Skubal is priority one, but otherwise, you try to bring back both Vesia and Phillips back into the fold. If pressed, I would say Vesia is the top reasonable re-sign target, then Phillips.
The 2026 Arbitration Class
The Dodgers have six players eligible for arbitration.
Brock Stewart
Jake Cousins (probably non-tendered)
Alex Call (likely non-tendered)
Emmet Sheehan
Gavin Stone
Andy Pages
Same definitions as above, but with a slightly different format.
Andy Pages: He deserves his own essay as to why he should get a contract extension.
Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone: Sheehan is coming back and is probably on the cusp of getting an extension at some point, especially if Skubal does not return. Stone hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2024; I can’t see the Dodgers cutting ties with cost-controlled pitching that still has options remaining.
Brock Stewart: While Brock Stewart actually logged some innings in 2026, he was fine. If you factor in Treinen’s likely retirement and the fact that MLB Trade Rumors projects Stewart to make $1.8 million in 2027, under regular circumstances, I cannot fathom the Dodgers failing to offer him a contract.
Jake Cousins: Unless you have a hyperfixation on the 2024 World Series, you would be forgiven for drawing a blank as to who this reliever is. Technically, he was the losing pitcher in Game 1, as everyone remembers Nestor Cortes being nuked off the field after throwing two pitches: one to Ohtani and the other — let’s check the tape:
I’m a tad biased, as it’s no Miggy Ro blast, but it’ll do in a pinch. Cousins signed just before opening day, and spent most of the year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He was reinjured in Oklahoma City while rehabbing, after generally being ineffective in a handful of appearances. If there is a universe where Graterol comes back outside of a non-roster invite, it’s probably dependent on the Dodgers cutting ties with Cousins.
Most likely, the Dodgers can get comparable production with a non-roster invite to Cousins if he wants it, and protecting Adam
Alex Call: At the 2025 Trade Deadline, rumors swirled that the Dodgers were on the cusp of acquiring both Emmanuel Clase and Steven Kwan. Naturally, that move didn’t happen. In part because Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave due to an ongoing pitch-rigging and sports-betting investigation. Clase was ultimately indicted for wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting events by bribery. His trial is scheduled to start on November 2, 2026.
If I had a nickel for each time in recent years the Dodgers dodged acquiring a closer that would end up under federal investigation, I would have two nickels (Felipe Vasquez, Pittsburgh, 2019).
The acquisition of Call as an alternative to Kwan was one of necessity in 2025. In two seasons with the Dodgers, Call has played in 126 games with a slash line of .237/.344/.331, 3 HRs, 25 RBIs, posting a combined .5 bWAR. Under regular circumstances, Call is a serviceable fourth outfielder.
With numerous outfield options waiting in the wings, Call’s greatest value is the 40-man roster spot he currently holds, which could likely be better used to protect a Rule 5 candidate like Adam Serwinoski, as described above.
While working on this feature, two other names came to mind.
Teoscar Hernandez: This essay’s genesis was formed around a single thought while watching the 2026 Dodgers: “How many singles is Teoscar going to play into triples? Because it’s literally happened in two postseasons in a row.”
It’s not that Teoscar hasn’t produced over the past few years, because he has. Teoscar is set to earn $14.5 million in the final year of his contract, with a club option for 2028 that is unlikely to be exercised. Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors summarizes the question nicely:
Since Opening Day 2025, Hernandez has hit .256/.308/.441 with 41 homers over 1037 PA, translating to a 105 wRC+. The 2026 campaign saw Hernandez increase his batting average and walk rate from 2025 (though his 8.6BB% was still below league average), but his power diminished.
Digging further into Hernandez’s 2026 production, he was hitting pretty well before a hamstring strain sidelined him from the end of May to the end of June. Upon returning from the injured list, Hernandez went into a protracted slump for the next two months before re-adopting his old batting stance, which seemed to get him back on track. Hernandez posted a 1.015 OPS over his final 104 PA of the regular season before cooling off in the playoffs.
While the Dodgers would surely prefer more than a 110 wRC+ from a player making Hernandez’s salary, that’s still a decent level of production for a player entering his age-34 season. So, why exactly is Hernandez a trade candidate, and perhaps the L.A. regular most likely to be playing elsewhere in 2027?
My biggest fear for the offseason, apart from an idiotic lockout I have seen coming since 2022, is that the Dodgers are just going to keep trotting guys out, because they are their guys. It used to be a more ruthless calculation; just ask Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Austin Barnes, and Chris Taylor, to name a few.
A platoon of Teoscar and Josue De Paula in left field makes no logical sense, especially if you are also somehow taking away at-bats from Ohtani at the DH spot.
Once again, Mr. Polishuk:
…[T]he Dodgers don’t have a ready-made third base replacement for Muncy in the way that [Josue] De Paula or several other top outfield prospects are knocking on the door for big league playing time. This wealth of prospect depth makes it fairly unlikely that Hernandez’s 2028 option will be exercised, so Los Angeles could look to address other needs by trading Hernandez this winter. It’s worth noting that there was some buzz around a Hernandez trade last offseason, though at the time, GM Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts downplayed the seriousness of that speculation.
Now a veteran of 11 MLB seasons, Hernandez’s game is pretty well established. He brings a lot of strikeouts and doesn’t walk much, and he’s a subpar defender in both corner outfield slots despite a good throwing arm. On the plus side, Hernandez is still making plenty of hard contact with solid barrel rates, and it could be that his decreased power this season was an offshoot from his stance change and maybe the lingering impact of his hamstring strain. Playing for a team without a set DH could benefit Hernandez, as he could get some more partial rest days as the designated hitter.
[Emphasis added.]
The article also cites several potential trade partners, including the Mariners, Reds, Royals, and Orioles, just to name a few.
Honestly, it might be time for all parties involved to make a clean break. While there was some scuttlebutt that Teoscar would be traded at the deadline, Dave Roberts and the front office publicly downplayed it.
Would I be surprised if the Dodgers stand pat regarding Teoscar? No, and maybe that observation is the problem.
Landon Knack: Yes, he’s under team control for 2027. However, he is out of options and would need to be designated for assignment to move him to the minors.
Knack has played three seasons in Los Angeles, posting a 7-7 record and a 4.10 ERA over 123 innings in 29 games. Some of his peripheral stats are either terrible, namely his FIP (5.27), or are trending downward (more hits allowed per inning, more home runs allowed per inning, fewer strikeouts per inning).
Knack might need a change of scenery or a trade for a non-40-man prospect before the lockout starts. Even if players like Kyle Hurt and Bobby Miller have been disappointments in recent years, even while being serviceable in different roles, they have an option year remaining. Knack doesn’t,
What happened in 2021 is instructive
The last time baseball was in this situation was 2021, heading into the still-dumb 2022 lockout, that effectively kicked the labor can down the road, and cost Clayton Kershaw his opportunity to throw a perfect game in Minneapolis. It did not affect his failed perfect game attempt in Anaheim a few weeks later that year.
To conclude this exhaustive trip into the roster, I thought it might be instructive to see what the Dodgers did last time in this situation with a slightly less impressive crop of prospects on the horizon.
The Dodgers added outfielder James Outman, shortstop Jacob Amaya, infielders Eddys Leobard and Jorbit Vivas, and pitcher Michael Grove to the 40-man roster ahead of Friday afternoon’s deadline to set rosters in preparation for the Rule 5 Draft.
With all due respect to those listed, this list is infinitely less impressive than the current candidates under consideration. James Outman did have a far too brief moment of success while wearing Dodger blue. And, more importantly, Jacob Amaya led directly to the reunion with Miguel Rojas. No MiggyRo? No title in 2025. Okay, one last time while technically the defending champion…vitamins for everybody!
Sometimes fringe moves matter in ways that only blossom with time. On that note, let the youth movement begin!
The New York Rangers got bad news early in the season: Igor Shesterkin was injured and ruled out for the rest of the year, leaving a gaping hole in their crease. In the days that followed, the team’s associate director of player personnel, Garth Joy, and goalie scout Scott Clemmenson attended games at the Bell Centre. The Montreal Canadiens have three NHL-caliber goaltenders, but unfortunately, Samuel Montembeault, seen as the most likely to be moved, got injured in practice days before Shesterkin and hasn’t played since then. He skated on Tuesday morning, but he wasn't in full gear.
The Rangers urgently needed help in front of the net and bet on 38-year-old veteran James Reimer, signing him to a PTO with their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack. He made a good impression, winning his only game with them 2-0 against the Providence Bruins on Friday, October 23. As a result, the Rangers signed him to a one-year deal, and on Monday night he made his debut with the Broadway team. Things didn’t go as well as he had hoped, though; he was in net for only 20 minutes and surrendered three goals on eight shots. The Rangers lost to the Los Angeles Kings 6-3. Where does that leave New York?
They have no interest in trading for a goaltender on a long-term contract, since Shesterkin will be back next season and under contract for another six years. Jonas Korpisalo is also injured and considered week-to-week, but he’s not a starter. Meanwhile, Renaud Lavoie said Montembeault was expected back in two weeks, and Jacob Fowler has been on fire for the Habs.
The American has almost made it impossible for Kent Hughes to send him back to the Laval Rocket. Fowler has proven his worth, and the team oozes confidence when he plays. At this stage, sending him away would be puzzling, to say the least. Hughes hasn't wanted to keep three goaltenders, but he hasn’t found fair value for Montembeault on the trade market. Now, though, both the Canadiens and the Rangers find themselves in a pickle. Neither is in a position of strength, which could make both teams more likely to compromise. Unless, of course, the Rangers are confident that Reimer will bounce back. They will likely give him the chance, but he won’t have much of a leash. The Canadiens should keep tabs on that situation, at the very least.
Bath flanker Pepper injured ankle at Gloucester on Friday
Bristol’s Van Rensburg advised to rest after two concussions
England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, said he will be monitoring this weekend’s domestic Prem games with some trepidation. Already he has lost at least two potentially key squad members for the entire autumn period in the form of Guy Pepper and Benhard van Rensburg, with doubts still hanging over his first-choice fly-half, Fin Smith, and fresh injury uncertainty emerging on virtually a daily basis.
Pepper’s involvement always looked improbable from the moment he sustained a nasty-looking ankle injury against Gloucester last Friday. The young Bath flanker will be sidelined for several weeks, as will the Bristol centre Van Rensburg who has been advised to rest and recuperate after two heavy concussions within the past three months.
BOSTON - OCTOBER 24: Starting pitcher Josh Beckett #19 of the Boston Red Sox winds up against the Colorado Rockies during Game One of the 2007 Major League Baseball World Series at Fenway Park on October 24, 2007 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The World Series is here between a pair of clubs in search of the respective franchises’ first championships in the Tampa Bays Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers.
While the Red Sox work through the winter to build a team capable of a deeper playoff run in 2027 (provided there’s a season), Boston still holds the most rings since 2000 in a generational run of October success.
Each team had standout moments that defined the championship run. Among those players who helped bring a title to Boston, which players stand among the best? Or even better, who would you pick to run it back with selections from the four teams?
Let’s give it a try with a starting lineup and a four-man starting rotation composed from four Red Sox championship teams. To ease the arguments, let’s start with the best lineup based on production in the World Series. And obviously there’s crossover between 2004 and 2007.
RHP Pedro Martinez (2004) (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)
LHP David Price (2018) (2-0, 1.98 ERA, 10 K in 13.2 IP)
Locking in a few spots here helped given the fact that the Red Sox had four different players win World Series MVP at four different positions. This list all came down to production in the Fall Classic, and honestly, there weren’t many debates at each spot in that realm (but comment and claw back if you feel differently!). Each player in the lineup delivered a standout moment within their sustained production — with the exception of Lugo with a key leaping grab in Colorado.
The rotation is also pretty easy to assemble as well given that each arm’s starts defined the momentum of the series. In sweeps like 2004 and 2007, you could make an argument to sub in Derek Lowe and flip-flop him and Pedro given their starts were nearly identical. Nonetheless, all of them rose to the occasion to strengthen their legacies in October.
NOW… we’ll do it based on pure talent, which honestly may not have a ton of change.
1. Mookie Betts, RF (2018) (2018 AL MVP, .346 AVG to win batting title and several other awards)
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B (2007) (2007 AL Rookie of the Year)
3. David Ortiz, DH (2004) (41 homers, .983 OPS during regular season)
RHP Pedro Martinez (2004) (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)
LHP David Price (2018) (2-0, 1.98 ERA, 10 K in 13.2 IP)
The star power within the pitching staff keeps this group the same. Curt Schilling and Nathan Eovaldi likely had the best cases to join this portion of the list, but each of the four arms in the rotation spent at least one season has the established ace of the Red Sox rotation.
Do you have changes? Who’s in? Who’s out?
Make your lineups and rotations heard in the comments. Four championships has plenty to present for debate!
LAS VEGAS -- Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart left Tuesday's morning skate with an apparent injury after making a butterfly save during a 2-on-1 drill.
Hart immediately skated off the ice slowly with a noticeable limp, raising concerns about his availability moving forward.
The Golden Knights did not immediately provide details about the nature or severity of the injury.
“No update. He left morning skate. He’s being evaluated. He’s in good hands,” the head coach said. “We’ve got a plan here moving forward either way. We’ll be ready for tonight.”
The coach also confirmed that Adin Hill will start Tuesday night's home game against the Ottawa Senators at T-Mobile Arena.
Hart, 28, has started eight games this season, compiling a 4-3-1 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and .889 save percentage. He has stopped 176 of 198 shots, including a 26-save performance in a 2-1 overtime victory over Los Angeles.
He most recently made 18 saves in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss at Columbus.
Hill, 30, enters Tuesday's game with a 4-1-0 record, a 2.95 goals-against average and .882 save percentage in five starts this season. The veteran netminder was instrumental in leading Vegas to its first Stanley Cup championship in 2023, going 11-4 with a 2.17 GAA, two shutouts and a playoff-best .932 save percentage during that postseason.
Hill is coming off a difficult outing Thursday in St. Louis, where he surrendered six goals on 31 shots in a 6-2 loss. His championship pedigree gives Vegas an experienced option in net as the Golden Knights await further evaluation of Hart's injury.
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart (79) tracks the rebound of his save against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at Nationwide Arena.
