Four days after Towns expressed frustration with what he intimated was an insulting offer, the Knicks released a statement Friday morning that attempted to temporarily put the kibosh on both negotiations and distractions.
It was further evidence that the sides weren’t close to an agreement before the regular-season opener Oct. 20.
New York Knicks center Karl Anthony-Towns is seen during speed shooting drills during practice at media day during the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
“As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of,” a Knicks spokesperson said. “As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season.”
Josh Hart and Miles McBride, in addition to Towns, are currently eligible for extensions. They can negotiate until June but agreements are often settled before the season to avoid distractions.
Instead, the Knicks sent out a message that they are done talking – for now – as they navigate owner James Dolan’s mandate to stay under the second apron.
If Towns left the Knicks in free agency, the max he could make is $265 million over four years.
“Simply put: I want to do something to keep the team together and can work with the Knicks and also (a contract that) values me,” Towns said Monday. “And none of those things are close to happening.”
Asked if he expected to be rewarded after breaking the franchise’s 53-year title drought, Towns responded, “No s- -t, Sherlock. I just won a championship. You’d think it was pretty easy. Unless you guys (the reporters) think I have something else to prove.”
Knicks guard Josh Hart practices on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, at the Madison Square Garden Training Center in Greenburgh, N.Y. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Towns, who will make $57 million this season, left Thursday’s preseason loss to the Wizards without speaking to the media.
He holds the leverage of a $61 million player option for next season. If there’s no extension agreement and he shines again this season, Towns can decline the option and seek a lucrative offer in 2027 free agency. If he struggles, Towns can pick up the option and play next season on the highest salary of his career.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns speaks to the media during media day at the Knicks training facility in Tarrytown, New York, Monday, September 28, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Hart holds less leverage with a team option for next season. He said on Media Day that there was no progress on his extension negotiations and didn’t expect an agreement before the season started.
McBride has no options and, with no extension, will definitely become a free agent after the season.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 07: The San Diego Padres look on from the dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers during the ninth inning in game four of the National League Division Series at Petco Park on October 07, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Just over 24 hours from being knocked out of the National League Division Series by the Milwaukee Brewers the San Diego Padres are left to wonder what might have been while at the same time changing gears to start looking toward the future. How soon that future arrives is unknown as MLB prepares for what for what appears to be an unavoidable lockout in the offseason. Work can still be done prior to a lockout and that has surely already started.
Padres fans have several questions about multiple players on their roster. Some hold all the control and have the option to opt out of contracts, while some must wait for the team to decide if they are going to retain their services. Others will have the option to hit the open market and see what other teams would be willing to pay for their services.
One of the players who will be discussed throughout the offseason up to and likely even after a lockout is resolved is first baseman Ty France. The Padres have struggled to find a reliable player at that position who can provide both offense and defense and the likely 2026 team MVP was a revelation for San Diego this season. He signed a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training prior to the season, but has earned a pay raise and a contract that will give him some piece of mind for at least a couple years. People who question whether the Padres should bring France back will say he needs to prove he can perform at the same level in consecutive seasons before they are willing to endorse his return.
The Warriors are back in action and hungrier than ever to return to the NBA playoffs after missing them entirely last season. Coach Steve Kerr is still leading the charge after rumors circulated that he would step down after last season. But Kerr and the Warriors agreed to a new contract, keeping him in charge of the franchise for at least the next two seasons.
Kerr seems more motivated than ever since announcing his return, implementing changes to the offensive system while also figuring out ways for the team to improve their spacing on the floor. Owner Joe Lacob has noticed Kerr’s renewed fire and is happy that he got his coach back, even if they do not see eye-to-eye on everything.
“I think he’s very motivated,”Joe Lacob told The San Francisco Chronicle’s Ron Kroichick. “I looked around and said, ‘Am I really gonna get a better coach than Steve Kerr?’ Look, he’s a great coach with a tremendous track record of success. We don’t agree on every little thing all the time, but for the most part we do agree on things.”
One of the most notable things that the two do not always agree on is Kerr’s outspoken political views. That topic was brought up back in April when ESPN’s Marc Spears said during a radio show appearance that Kerr was being stifled on that.
Kerr dismissed the issue and said the topic did not come up with Lacob or general manager Mike Dunleavy when he negotiated his new contract. Kerr even told the San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami that Lacob lets him say what he wants as long as there is no controversy.
Lacob echoed that same sentiment while doubling down on the trust that he has in his coach.
“Steve knows there are times he has said things which I did not agree with,” Lacob told the Chronicle. “But I do trust him to say the right things, do the right thing. Now sometimes he goes a little far and I have to go back and say, ‘Hey, Steve, maybe that was a little far.’ (laughing)…
“But we don’t have to agree on everything. Steve’s a really smart guy and we’re lucky to have him as our head coach. I really love our relationship, so I would not make anything more of it than it is.”
Kerr might be known for his highly public views, but his success as a coach overshadows all that. A four-time NBA champion during his time as the Warriors coach, he is ready to see how the next couple of seasons go and is hopeful that he can win at least one more title while the franchise still has future Hall of Fame guard Steph Curry.
The Warriors began their preseason with a 104-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 4. They begin the regular season against the Los Angeles Lakers on the road on Oct. 21. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
J.R. Smith was ordered to have “zero communication,” except through an attorney, with the woman he is accused of causing “serious bodily injury” during an incident that led to his arrest in Texas last month, according to an emergency protective order obtained by the California Post.
Smith, a two-time NBA champion guard with the Cavaliers and Lakers, has also been barred from going within 333 yards of the woman’s residence or place of employment, the EPO states.
He was also ordered not to possess any guns or ammunition.
This booking photo provided by the Hunt County Sheriff shows Earl Joseph Smith III, also known as J.R. Smith III, on Monday, September 28, 2026. Hunt County Sheriff
The EPO, signed by a judge on Sept. 29, is to remain in effect until Dec. 29.
The 41-year-old was accused on Sept. 18 of “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” causing injury to a woman who was a member of his family or household or with whom he had a dating relationship, a criminal complaint filed on Oct. 2 states.
The complaint accuses Smith of hitting, grabbing, or pushing her with his hand.
The woman’s identity was not disclosed.
Smith, released on $5,000 bond on Sept. 29, has since been charged with one count of assault causing bodily injury family violence, per court records.
New York Knicks alumnus JR Smith sits on celebrity row during the first quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Thursday, May 29, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post
Smith was arrested while pulled over for a traffic stop in Texas — during which police checked his license plate and discovered Earl Joseph Smith III (his legal name) had an active warrant out of the Southlake Police Department for a charge of family violence assault causing bodily injury, Royse City Police Department said in a statement to The Post.
Smith’s attorney, Justin A. Moore, told The Post last week that “JR is eager to see this matter resolved and has full confidence in the legal process.
“He is presumed innocent and we will address this matter in Court. We ask that everyone respect the privacy of all involved throughout the process.”
Lakers guard J.R. Smith handles the ball against the Denver Nuggets during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs, Friday, September 18, 2020, at The AdventHealth Arena in Orlando, Florida. NBAE via Getty Images
Smith, who played 16 seasons in the NBA, was named the Sixth Man of the Year with the Knicks in 2013, and won his first championship with the Cavaliers alongside LeBron James in the 2015-16 season.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 30: Philadelphia shortstop Trea Turner (7) fields a ground ball during the Philadelphia Phillies versus the Atlanta Braves in game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series on September 30th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It’s no secret that the Phillies have a poor defense. In fact, they have one of the worst defenses in the sport, as they ranked dead last in total defensive runs saved with -51 and their outs above average were only slightly better, coming in at 21st with -15. If you’re more of a traditional fielding stats kind of person, the Phillies 80 errors were still only middle of the pack as the 17th most in the majors.
Of course, whenever you discuss the Phillies defense, Trea Turner’s name is likely one of the first ones to come up. He rebounded defensively in 2025 to turn in a very good year at shortstop, but 2026 proved it to be an aberration. Turner was one of the worst defenders at any position this season by any metric you want to use, as his 21 errors were tied for the most in baseball and his -17 defensive runs saved were also tied for the worst. There will be much discussion over this winter about where Turner should play in 2027 and whether it is finally time to move him off of shortstop and possibly shift him to the outfield.
Elsewhere, Bryce Harper regressed heavily at first base and was a below average outfielder when he returned there mid-season in the wake of the Luis Arraez trade. Impending free agent Alec Bohm was right behind Turner with -10 defensive runs saved. J.T. Realmuto continued to decline behind the plate but at least owned the best ABS challenge success rate (81%) among all catchers who issued at least 15 challenges. Rookie center fielder Justin Crawford showed his potential in the field but also showed why he’s still very much considered a work in progress.
If you’ve been watching anymore of the postseason in the week since the Phillies were eliminated, you’ll see how it’s almost a night and day difference with how most of the remaining teams play defense when compared to the Phillies. Improving the Phillies anemic offense should be priority number one this offseason, but finding a way to improve their porous defense should be a very close second. If the team is going to rely on its pitching going forward as much or even more than it has in the past, it would behoove them to make their pitchers’ lives easier by giving them a better defense to pitch in front of.
So, how would you attempt to fix the Phillies defense this offseason? Can it even be fixed in one offseason?
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Coby Mayo #16 of the Baltimore Orioles tips his cap to the fans after a 4-2 victory in game two of a double header against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 23, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Going into 2026, this was clearly going to be a pivotal year where Coby Mayo had to prove that he was going to be something or else it might sink in that he will never be anything. Yet he was also stuck in a paradox, because it was not obvious when Mayo would even get the opportunity to show what he did or didn’t have. By the time the dust settled on Mayo’s make-or-break season, he did get the chance, and it ended up being part-break and part-make, with the haters and doubters being both validated and repudiated at different times.
As spring training approached, the door to actual playing time still seemed to be closed to Mayo. The team committed big money to Pete Alonso and much less money to keep around Ryan Mountcastle. This seemed to close the door to Mayo getting any regular time at first base, and even if he could theoretically play third base, that was taken up by Jordan Westburg.
Before any team workouts even started, Westburg was revealed to be injured. He had a second injury reveal itself while recovering from the first and ended up never playing a game this season. Mayo’s shot at the third base job was there for the taking. This notion gave fans anxiety in spring training, largely due to concerns about Mayo’s defensive shortcomings at the position.
These concerns were frequently reinforced over the course of the Grapefruit League schedule. Mayo was the presumptive Opening Day third baseman and you probably didn’t feel good about it. He turned out to be the actual Opening Day third baseman, and the most frequent third baseman through the end of June, and… there still wasn’t much to feel good about. Mayo wasn’t hitting and he wasn’t fielding either. It was grim enough for a while there that the Orioles were regularly chucking Weston Wilson into lineups as the third baseman.
By the time July began, Mayo was batting a putrid .190/.260/.376 for the season. He had lost regular at-bats at the position to Blaze Alexander, of all people, who had been worse than worthless through the end of April but found some productivity before Mayo did and supplanted him for a little while. Then, some idiot Royals pitcher hit Alexander in the hand, broke several bones, and knocked him out of action for a time. I hate those guys.
With how Mayo was performing up to that point in the year, it would have been a shameful circumstance for the Orioles to just keep playing him as the third baseman. They did not do so, summoning infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand from Norfolk and giving him the lion’s share of the playing time from then until season’s end.
The 26-year-old, at one time an interesting power-hitting prospect who never quite put things together in Cincinnati, was acquired for cash considerations in April and had hit 17 home runs in 61 games for the Tides. Given that big league opportunity in Baltimore, Encarnacion-Strand made the most of it, rolling to a .277/.325/.513 batting line in the 58 games that he played.
That’s pretty much what everyone from Mike Elias on down has been hoping that Mayo would be able to be, and before the arrival of CES, never had been. He even played a decent third base for the first time in his MLB career, something the Reds never gave him a chance to do because they didn’t play him there. Now, CES could be the Opening Day third baseman. Or a healthy Westburg could. Alonso, one of the reigning MLB iron men, is obviously playing at first. Where does Mayo fit in all of that?
All of this sounds like a “break” year for Mayo. And for quite a while, it was. Yet even at his worst, there were positives going on under the hood. Mayo was hitting left-handed pitching so well that he at least seemed like he could be a platoon bat of some kind. Out of 12 first half home runs, nearly every one was hit against a left-handed pitcher. That’s something you can at least hang your hat on to stick around, and if you can stick around, maybe you can change the narrative.
Changing the narrative is exactly what Mayo did from July onwards. He exploded for a .924 OPS that month and continued that strong performance for the rest of the season, posting OPS numbers of .873 and .878 for August and September. He walked more often and struck out less. By season’s end, he was even getting some licks in against right-handed pitching, the kind of thing that he absolutely had not been doing early on.
If that’s a real breakout, there’s a place for Mayo, even if Alonso keeps playing every day, Westburg is actually healthy, and CES repeats something close to what he did with the Orioles this year. If, if, if. It always comes down to if. Some guys manage to sustain the breakout. Other times, it is only a mirage, and when you think you are getting water out of the desert oasis, it’s just a mouthful of sand.
It is impossible for us to know which way it will go right now. There is a plausible story there of why it improved. Maybe Mayo did make an adjustment that will lead to durable improvement, and things clicking beginning in July was something like the new normal. None of what he did in the last three months was fueled by unsustainable batted ball luck. He was swinging the bat fast, hitting the ball hard, finding the barrel.
That’s important. It’s not just empty hopes and dreams fueling any belief in Mayo. There’s three months of continuously good MLB performance suggesting he can do the thing. If he can do the thing, the Orioles will find room for him. Even with as much as he struggled in the first half of this season, Mayo finished with a 1.1 bWAR and 2.0 fWAR for the full season. Second Half Mayo over a full season is probably a 3-3.5 WAR guy. Sign me up for that.
The scouting world has always thought Mayo would end up in right field, where his strong arm would play and where he might do better at reacting to line drives from the outfield grass than how he sometimes does from the infield dirt. This perspective was recently endorsed by no less than Hall of Famer Jim Palmer.
The Orioles, for unclear reasons, have steadfastly avoided ever trying this. They did not put Mayo in the outfield even one time on his way up the minor league ladder. I am skeptical that they will suddenly decide that now is the time to try it. Maybe they will surprise me.
I have been hoping to get a star breakout from Coby Mayo on the Orioles since the moment they drafted him, when, knowing nothing more than his name, it was apparent that he has a great Baltimore accent name. Unfortunately, the amount of fun that I would have saying, “Coby Mayo, three-run home run, hon!” has zero impact on his success as a professional baseball player. That’s just not how it works.
The Orioles control the rights to Mayo through the 2031 season. He does not even reach arbitration until 2028. He hit 24 home runs this year while only being good for half the season. There could be some 30+ home run seasons for a few years to come if he puts it all together for a year. Again, the if. I want to believe. Elias would be wise to have a backup plan.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 08: José Ramírez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox in game four of the American League Division Series at Rate Field on October 08, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Unlike the Yankees, who couldn’t muster enough grit after falling behind two games to none, the Guardians have scratched and clawed their way back from the brink of elimination to force Game 5. They won both games in Chicago in decisive fashion, scoring nine runs on consecutive nights to send the series back to Cleveland where the winner will take all on Saturday.
ALDS Game 4
Cleveland Guardians 9, Chicago White Sox 4
(Series tied, 2-2)
You want your stars to shine on the brightest stage, and while Aaron Judge couldn’t recover from a calf strain in time to make the ALDS roster, José Ramírez has almost single handedly dragged his team from certain elimination to parity in the series. 2026 was by far the worst full season for the consistently excellent Ramírez. It was the first year he posted below league average production since putting up a 72 wRC+ in 97 games in 2015, his 92 wRC+ more than 40 points below the 135 mark across the last ten seasons, while his 12 home runs were his fewest since he hit 11 in 2016. One of the league standards when it comes to posting, Ramírez missed 37 games after fracturing the hamate bone in his left hand in June, and his production never recovered in the regular season.
The White Sox held him hitless in the first two games in Cleveland, but he has looked a man possessed in these last two games at Rate Field. Wednesday night, he spearheaded the Guardians’ first win of the series, going 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, a walk, two RBIs, two runs scored, and a stolen base. In Game 4, he went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs to make sure his team’s season stayed alive for at least one more game.
Chicago used yet another opener and it almost backfired spectacularly, Hagen Smith walking the bases loaded in the first while recording just two outs. That forced Will Venable to call on Erick Fedde earlier than he would have liked, but the 33-year-old journeyman stranded the bases loaded and gave the White Sox 3.2 innings of two-run ball to stabilize what looked like a rapidly sinking ship.
The Guardians handed the ball to phenom rookie starter Parker Messick. The hard throwing lefty finished the year 12-9 in 32 starts, with a 2.56 ERA (161 ERA+), 3.07 FIP, and 193 strikeouts in 186.1 innings, his 4.9 fWAR trailing only Kevin McGonigle among all rookies and eighth among all qualified pitchers as he will likely finish second behind the Tigers infielder in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Messick cruised through the first two innings before running headfirst into the White Sox’s uber-patient approach in the third. Colson Montgomery singled to lead off and advanced to third on a Chase Meidroth double. Back-to-back walks drawn by Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami loaded the bases and then forced in a run to drive Messick from the game after just 2.1 innings. Reliever Shawn Armstrong immediately surrendered a sac fly to Sam Antonacci to make it a 2-0 game before retiring Brayan Rocchio to stand runners on the corners.
The Guardians responded to Chicago’s small ball with some fireworks in the fifth. Patrick Bailey crushed a pinch-hit, leadoff home run, and Steven Kwan singled with one out to end Fedde’s night. That brought J-Ram to the plate against flame-throwing reliever Jordan Hicks, and Ramírez launched an elevated 100 mph heater over the wall in right-center for the go-ahead two-run homer.
Chicago’s disciplined approach yielded an immediate response in the bottom half. Stephen Vogt opted to use starter Tanner Bibee out of the bullpen, but he lasted just three batters after walking Meidroth and Vargas. Tim Herrin’s first act out of the ‘pen was to yield a single to Murakami to load the bases. Antonacci finished second with 29 hit-by-pitches and he wore the most important one of the season to force in the game tying run. Brenton Doyle then lifted a sac fly to right to restore the White Sox lead, 4-3.
Things truly came off the rails for the Chicago in the sixth as starter Anthony Kay and reliever Grant Taylor combined to cough up six runs. Kay plunked Angel Martínez with one out, who then stole second before scoring the tying run on a Travis Bazzana double to right. Bailey then drove in the go-ahead run with a single off Taylor, and then the floodgates opened. Rocchio and Kwan drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Ramírez hit an RBI infield single as the runners went station to station. Chase DeLauter followed with an RBI single of his own before Jo Adell blew the game open with a two-run single to make it 9-4, Cleveland.
If the White Sox do indeed become the fourth team in playoff history to squander a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five where they won the first two games on the road, then their pitching strategy is going to come under quite a bit of scrutiny. Part of it is just that they don’t have the horses and that’s why they were such an unlikely success in 2026 after three consecutive 100-loss seasons, but that’s just how it goes.
After Cleveland failed to increase their lead in the ninth stranding runners on the corners, the White Sox had one last gasp effort at a rally. Facing Cleveland’s ace closer Cade Smith (who had already pitched the eighth), Vargas led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run to cut the deficit to four. Smith then walked Murakami and allowed an Antonacci single as the White Sox had the tying run in the on-deck circle, but starter Gavin Williams entered to slam the door by retiring the next three batters to seal the Guardians victory, 9-5.
Cleveland lives to fight another day, the series returning to Progressive Field where the winner will advance to the ALCS to take on the Rays. First pitch of Game 5 is scheduled for 8:00 pm ET Saturday night. The Guardians will attempt to become the first team to rally from down 0-2 in a Division Series to win it since the 2017 Yankees did the same trick to them.
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 07: Atlanta pitcher Tyler Mahle (54) pitches during the NLDS game 4 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves on October 7th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With the season over, rosterbation is the only recourse as far as Braves baseball is concerned. Of course, the pending lockout will put a damper on offseason proceedings for a while, but leaving that aside… which pending free agent(s) do you think the Braves will bring back?
Let’s start with Ha-Seong Kim. He was super-bad. He’s probably looking at a small pillow deal, if he even sticks around in MLB. On the one hand, the Braves don’t really need anything to do with him given how bad he was. On the other hand, the lower that price gets, the more it becomes a “why not?” I don’t think it’ll happen, though — easier for him to get a new start elsewhere.
Raisel Iglesias is interesting, at least insofar as the Braves not immediately hitting the “sign” button on a costly reliever can be. The Braves gave Robert Suarez a multiyear deal, possibly to protect against an Iglesias decline (and eventual departure). But, Suarez was the one that ended up getting hurt and missing a bunch of time, and Iglesias was pretty good (and only missed a bit of time): 61/76/82 ERA-/FIP-/xFIP-, which is basically identical to his career composite of 68/76/80. If the Braves were willing to re-add Iglesias last offseason, I don’t see why they wouldn’t this year, since he basically did the thing he does. He’s definitely aging, but he did some interesting things with pitch sequence and location this year, too.
Mauricio Dubon is, I think a tough discussion. He’s definitely a clubhouse fit and I think the other guys would rejoice if he were brought back. But, it’s unclear what kind of deal he would be looking for, to add to the overall uncertainty of what free agent spending even looks like if and when the lockout ends. On top of that, Dubon didn’t hit well (.304 xwOBA, outhit it a fair bit), and his style conflicts with a lot of the rest of the roster. (It’s not necessarily meaningful, but kind of funny, that Dubon had a monster June as the rest of the team fell apart offensively.) I think the Dubon question is partially subsumed by the “what kind of team do the Braves want to be in 2027?” question. In theory, if the Braves add legitimate full-timers at short and left field, then Dubon really can be the ultimate handcuff for a bunch of guys with not-so-great outlooks (including Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies), but I don’t see them adding two legitimate regulars and Dubon, so… I dunno.
There’s a bunch of non-factors, like Joe Jimenez and Kyle Farmer, that would technically be “brought back,” so have at discussing those if you want. Lane Thomas, sure, throw his name in — he’d neither cost much nor be a huge impact either way at this point. Brent Suter is super-fun, but would not be a major move. This is the low stakes rosterbation corner, and you can be here for it if you want.
And then we come to Tyler Mahle, who has already said he’s interested in continuing his great run after being traded to Atlanta over the summer. Lots of guys say stuff like this, especially before the bidding opens. The market for free agent starting pitching has been a head-spinning whirlwind for years. Mahle got $10 million coming off a half-season where he benefited from a low HR/FB. He’s now coming off a full-ish season where he pitched decent in aggregate but amazingly well as a Brave. Does that move his price point outside of where the Braves are comfortable, like pretty much every other free agent starter? I imagine Mahle would take something like $26M/1 to sign, at least under the current paradigm. The Braves could do that, but if some team just adds more years at the same or a similar, not-very-diminished annual price point, they’d probably bow out.
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 7: Craig Breslow chief baseball officer of the Boston Red Sox talks with manager Chad Tracy #17 in the dugout before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on September 7, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On a scale of 1 (Harry Frazee) to 5 (Theo Epstein), how would you rate Craig Breslow’s last 12 months?
3. Breslow did something which is more than the nothing we endured for several years. Maybe that something isn’t the something you wanted, but it’s more exciting than nothing.
— Jacob Roy
4. Caleb Durbin brings elite defense, a little power, and speed on the base paths to third base. However that does mean you need to “replace” the traditional third base bat. If Curtis Mead can bring that to second base you might have done it. Same with Adley Rutschman at catcher. He’s literally doing the Moneyball “replace in the aggregate” meme. Ranger Suarez remains a strange signing but he made early and the other pitching prospects expendable.
— Mike Carlucci
4. I give him an extra point for getting out there and doing something, as Jacob already said. He didn’t do all the things he said he was going to do, but these past 12 months have been an improvement, and I’ll take it.
— Maura McGurk
Can’t believe I’m typing this. But it’s at least a low 4 for me. The guy simply knows how to dumpster dive in a way his predecessor didn’t. And he brings in All-Star level talent. Even when he’s not bringing in All-Stars, he’s trading guys that kind of suck to give away but bringing in guys that really rule to have on the team. The Jake Bennett trade looks incredible so far. In a vacuum, trading away Kyle Harrison sucks. But Caleb Durbin is a good return and a guy who could possibly stick around for years to come.
— Dean Roussel
3.5. The pitching and defensive infrastructure in place now provides a good bedrock going into 2027, and I like that a lot of the core is under team control. The outfield logjam situation continues to be something that could hamper the team moving forward considering that one of those guys—either the one with a hand that’s currently busted or the guy who’s OPS was just 10 points higher than the area code of the city he plays in—was/is slated as the designated hitter. For a team that plays at hitter-friendly environments for the majority of its games, the pop in the lineup was not up to snuff. Still, I don’t hate what I’ve seen.
– Fitzy Mo Peña
2. “It would be fair to look at some of those other teams [still in the playoffs] and say that they hit the ball out of the ballpark a little more than we do,” said Craig Breslow on October 6th, 2025. Sure, Breslow found a way to put a very strong product of pitching and defense out on the field in 2026. I would argue that when you spend 29 of your 41 draft picks on pitching in your first two years running the show, and then pivot last offseason from spending on free agent hitting to spending on free agent pitching, you better have a great pitching staff. Unfortunately, that’s only half the game, and Breslow admitted as much a year ago but never came close to fixing the problem with hitting for power. The in-season, intra-division overpay for Adley Rutschman, with just one year remaining on his contract, was curious and has left the team with a below-average farm system. If the Red Sox didn’t make the playoffs in 2026, I would’ve been in favor of moving on from Breslow. Instead, because of a fantastic 37-game stretch in the mid-summer, the team inexplicably picked up all of his options, and he is now signed through 2030.
– Bob Osgood
3. Breslow rates at a midpoint of extremes. The pitching development and identification is about as good as we’ve ever seen with this franchise. The problem of course is the offense looks about as bad as we’ve ever seen. They not only ranked dead last in September in runs scored, but they were 17 runs below the 29th ranked team. You could argue Breslow deserves a 4 if turns out he just had horrible injury luck. It’s not impossible we’re sitting here next September and (hopefully) October with pieces of the same general lineup raking (Contreras, Anthony, Rutschman and Mead come to mind). However, an argument could also be made for a 2 with how utterly unprepared this team looked for a series in New York they were apparently studying up on for about a month. That and no playoff baseball at Fenway Park for five years and counting is a massive failure!
For now I land in the middle, but there’s pretty strong forces pulling from both sides.
– Matthew Gross
3 — I’m with Matt in the middle. Here’s something kind of nuts: Only 2(!) of the top-10 Red Sox players by fWAR this season were brought into the organization by Breslow’s predecessor Chaim Bloom (Wilyer Abreu and Garrett Whitlock). And the 7 who were brought in by Breslow (Dombrowski brought in the 10th player, Ceddanne Rafaela) were all acquired within the last 2 seasons. That’s the only stat you need to understand just how much damage Bloom did to the overall talent base in the organization, and just how big of a hole Breslow had to dig this team out from. The fact that he brought in so much talent so quickly and ruthlessly, especially on the pitching side, is a credit to Breslow.
But Breslow not only fell totally flat in achieving what was his stated goal at the outset of the 25-26 offseason (adding power to the team), but the failures that are on his resume are of the spectacular variety, e.g., Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman would have finished second and third on this team in wRC+.
— Dan Secatore
On a scale of 1 (Bobby Valentine) to 5 (Terry Francona) how would you rate Chad Tracy’s performance?
3. I don’t know how much a manager really influences wins on a day-to-day basis, and I don’t love how he managed the first playoff series of his career, but he was in charge during a historic turnaround, so he deserves some credit.
— Jacob Roy
2. This is really hard and I dislike 1-5 scales because 3 feels like cop-out but I see him at just a tad under 3 on a 1-4 scale. These were his first two playoff games and the roster was on fumes. Going to Erik Miller after taking out Tolle? Ok, we all saw September, but it wasn’t not the worst call ever given the rest of the bullpen. Miller again in Game 2 and then not having anyone warming up from the moment he brought in Garrett Crochet — who was not 2025 Garrett Crochet — really sank the ship. What was the point? I get that if you used Chapman or Whitlock in that moment Crochet might have to be the setup guy, but that’s playoff weirdness.
— Mike Carlucci
2.5. Maybe the recency bias of the Wild Card is looming too large right now, and unfairly canceling out the historic summer this team pulled off. But he looked like he was in completely over in his head in the playoffs. I didn’t love the way he managed throughout September either, resting guys and taking it easy. (Part of that was the math of the playoff system, and he rested guys because he could.) But I kept thinking, well, he knows what he’s doing; he must be getting them ready behind the scenes, gearing them up for what’s coming. But they never stepped on the gas again, and I think he owns a lot of that.
— Maura McGurk
3.5. I was not an Alex Cora fan, and the proof is in the pudding with multiple last place finishes. The “we just have to play better” retort drove me crazy to no end and it was getting more prevalent as his tenure went on. Tracy buys half a point simply by describing what went wrong in losses. But this isn’t about Cora, and Tracy turned around a team that looked awful and gave them spark. I am a bit sour on Tracy, as I’m sure much of this writing team is, for inexplicably pulling Gray in the game that decided the Red Sox’s fate, especially when it came to allowing Erik Miller to implode for the second time in 24 hours. I said this about another manager last year: when Aaron Boone out-manages you, you’ve done something direly, direly wrong. But, if management decides that having platoon guys on the roster in an everyday capacity is something that needs to happen, there was no better move than making Chad Tracy, Triple-A manager and a guy with experience with a lot of these young guys, the manager for the 2026 season. Jury’s out on 2027 and beyond.
— Dean Roussel
3. That was a really bad Wild Card series in New York for Tracy, but I still think he’s the guy moving forward. He’s got a good amount of experience with the young core dating back to his time in Worcester, and he was clearly doing something right during the summer. Maybe that stinker in the Bronx is the best way for him to adapt. To quote the modern day philosopher Bigtime Tommie, “In school, you are given the lesson first, then the test. But in life, you are given the test, and then you learn your lesson. That’s the old school way.”
– Fitzy Mo Peña
3. This felt closer to a 4 after the regular season, but it was not a good postseason for Tracy. Whether the pitching decisions would have mattered due to the Red Sox ineptitude at the plate is beside the point. Tracy went 77-58 at the helm after Alex Cora was fired, which has to count for something, and he still feels like the right guy for this somewhat younger team. With some postseason experience under his belt, hopefully he is more prepared the next time around.
– Bob Osgood
3. I loved most of Tracy’s regular season and how he works with the guys in the clubhouse in general! At the same time though, I detested everything about those two games in New York and all the BS that led up to it. The energy level around the team going in, the decisions to pull both Gray and Tolle when they were a strength of the team all year, the decision to lean so heavily on the bullpen when injuries, slumps, and general wear and tear made it as weak as it had been all year, and the fact he kept putting Roman Anthony in the lineup every single day down the stretch when we now know he was still fighting through his hand injury. All of that was disgusting! It’s funny, when Tracy first came up from Worcester after Alex Cora was fired, many people expected him to look like a guy who couldn’t handle moving up a level so abruptly. That never really happened in terms of regular season games, but it sure as hell did happen when the abrupt change was getting ready for a postseason game.
– Matthew Gross
Are you confident in the overall direction of the club?
I’ll say yes, but only because I’m giving grace for the amount of injuries sustained this season. With a deeper bullpen and a healthy lineup, maybe things go better. If next year plays out the same way and a hapless offense rolls into a road Wild Card series unable to score runs, I’ll be the first to say it’s time to clean house and go another direction.
— Jacob Roy
Yes. I don’t think the roster is perfect but it’s not a group that will go out and lose 9-0 every night. They’ll be fine in 2027.
— Mike Carlucci
Yes. There was a real run of bad luck injury-wise, and there’s still work to do on the roster, but this year showed me that there is a desire to work on it.
— Maura McGurk
I’ve always been sour grapes on this question, but yes. I think there’s some questions that loom large, as well as a lockout that looms larger, but for the first time in half a decade, I am confident in this team’s ability to field a playable team next year.
— Dean Roussel
Generally speaking, I think I am. This sentiment can absolutely shift if the proper levers are not pulled in the winter, though. Good pitching is in place, yes. Good defense is in place, yes. A fair chunk of guys can get on base, yes. But man, we have GOT to improve the power in this lineup. Hopefully Curtis Mead can offer a shot in the arm, but one Curtis Mead does not solve all of the issues. I’m gonna need more on top of that. What it is…well, I’m not paid to figure that out, now am I?
– Fitzy Mo Peña
Sorry for all of the negativity, but no. With $269M already committed in salary in 2027, it’s hard to see a top-of-the-market free-agent bat (in a pitiful free-agent class) coming in, and Breslow has traded quite a bit of the farm system out already. He’s going to have some tough calls with non-tender candidates (Jarren Duran?) and will need to get creative with improving the lineup. I’m very excited about watching Franklin Arias play in 2027 but am tentative after seeing how things have unfolded with Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer, albeit for various reasons. Between the Tim Healey article from June outlining club dysfunction and then listening to how the veterans spoke in the moments after the postseason ended, things feel pretty chaotic behind the scenes, and I’m not confident that anyone cares about “beating the Yankees” anymore.
– Bob Osgood
No! Compared to this time a year ago, I’m less confident in Garrett Crochet’s ability to stay on the field and be a reliable ace. I’m less confident Roman Anthony is going to win his battle with the injury bug and take his rightful place as the next exceptional Boston outfielder. And I’m less confident in the organization’s ability to specifically identify supporting cast members who are built for October pressure. Add in how much the farm system has been cleared out with so few results, and the future starts to look a whole lot dimmer. If the question is if I’m confident about the Sox’ ability to be mildly competitive going forward, or if the next five years will be better than the last five, then yes, I’m confident of the buoyancy in that boat. But given how poorly the club played outside of the 32-5 stretch this summer when 2026 was supposed to be THE year they took a huge leap, and my confidence evaporates. They need enormous gains internally to ascend to a championship level. Some of that will likely come from better health, but probably not enough.
– Matthew Gross
I am confident that the Red Sox are finally operating with a sense of urgency. But until we can be confident in Roman Anthony, it’s hard to be confident about the Red Sox future overall. Everything this organization has done since 2020 has been done with an eye towards developing at least one homegrown superstar. If Anthony’s wrist prevents him from reaching that level, they’re screwed.
October 9, 2016: Kevin Pillar (11), Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki (2) and other Toronto Blue Jays players celebrate after winning the MLB ALDS Game 3 against Texas Rangers by a score of 7-6 in the tenth inning at Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photograph by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Ten Years Ago Today
Josh Donaldson raced home from second base on a grounder to shortstop, clinching Game 3 of the ALDS for the Blue Jays and completing a sweep of the Rangers.
With the game tied in the 10th, Donaldson led off against Matt Bush—whose name keeps coming up for all the wrong reasons—with a double. The Rangers then intentionally walked Edwin Encarnacion, who was red-hot in the series. Jose Bautista struck out on a full count, capping a tough 0-for-5 night. Next, Russell Martin hit a double-play ball to Elvis Andrus at shortstop. Andrus tossed to Rougned Odor, but Odor’s throw to first was wild. Mitch Moreland managed to block the errant throw, but Donaldson never hesitated, sprinting home and beating the play at the plate.
The Rangers challenged Encarnacion’s slide at second, but even Joe West got the call right.
For the second straight year, the Rangers’ infield miscues helped the Blue Jays win.
It was a thrilling, back-and-forth contest.
Aaron Sanchez got the start for Toronto, surrendering a single to Carlos Gomez, who swiped second and came around to score on a pair of groundouts, giving the Rangers an early lead.
The Blue Jays answered with three runs in the second. Ezequiel Carrera led off with a single, then, after one out, Edwin Encarnacion launched a home run. Russell Martin followed with another homer after the next out.
The Rangers trimmed the deficit in the third when Elvis Andrus belted a solo home run.
Toronto tacked on two more in the bottom half. Carrera again led off with a single, stole second, and scored on Donaldson’s ground-rule double. Donaldson then came home on an Encarnacion single.
In the fourth, Carlos Beltran walked and Rougned Odor followed with a two-run shot, narrowing the lead to 5-4.
The Rangers surged ahead in the sixth. With two outs, Sanchez walked Odor and allowed a single to Jonathan Lucroy, ending his night. Joe Biagini entered but gave up a two-run double to Moreland, putting Toronto behind 6-5.
Sanchez finished with 5.2 innings pitched, allowing 3 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 2 home runs—charged with 6 earned runs, two of which scored after he exited.
Toronto tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Troy Tulowitzki singled with one out, advanced to third on Melvin Upton’s double, and after an intentional walk to Kevin Pillar, reliever Keone Kela uncorked a wild pitch.
The bullpen stepped up: Jason Grilli tossed a scoreless inning, and Roberto Osuna delivered two more shutout frames.
Matt Bush provided two scoreless innings for Texas, but faltered in the tenth.
There was a certain satisfaction in seeing Odor’s error seal the series for Toronto.
Several Blue Jays stood out in the series:
Ezequiel Carrera hit .333/.429/.583 and drove in four runs.
Josh Donaldson hit .538/.471/.846, hit four doubles, and scored four runs. He shined defensively and, of course, provided the game-winning dash.
Edwin Encarnacion posted a .417/.500/.917 line, with two home runs, four runs, and four RBIs.
Troy Tulowitzki hit .462/.462/.846, adding a triple, a home run, and five RBIs.
Marco Estrada worked 8.1 innings of four-hit ball in his start, continuing his playoff brilliance.
Roberto Osuna tossed 3.2 scoreless innings, surrendering just one hit and striking out four.
Facing the Rangers in the ALDS for the second consecutive year, the Blue Jays created memories to last a lifetime.
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 06: Enrique Hernandez #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two-run home run during the fourth inning of Game Three of the Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on October 6, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For a third consecutive year, the Dodgers have advanced to the National League Championship Series. For a second consecutive year, they will be facing the team with the most wins in the regular season, that being the Milwaukee Brewers (again).
The Dodgers lived and died by the long ball throughout the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, with the exception for three runs out of the 14 scored in the four games. None of those blasts was more impactful than Kiké Hernández’s two-run home run against Chris Sale in Game 3, as he helped make the difference in a 3-1 victory, helping the Dodgers gain an advantage over Atlanta in Game 4 to close it out.
Hernández continues to shine when it matters the most, becoming the Dodgers’ secret assassin in October. His presence in the lineup, based on what he’s done in his two games this postseason, is convincing enough for fans to believe in the team’s ability to secure a three peat, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“He converts himself into this kind of monster when it comes to the playoffs and when it matters the most,” Miguel Rojas said. “He wants the situation. He wants the moment. He wants to be the guy.”
Two years ago, Shohei Ohtani suffered a left shoulder subluxation which left him utterly useless at the plate over the final three games of the 2024 World Series. In the end, his lack of production wasn’t a drawback that year.
This year, however, represents a different case. Ohtani has not looked like his usual self at the plate, going just 2-13 with two singles and two walks over the four games against the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers have managed to advance without him hitting like a superstar, but Jack Harris of the California Post wonders just how far the Dodgers can go with him hitting the way he has been since the start of September.
Mirjam Swanson of the Los Angeles Times writes about the remarkable turnaround the Dodgers bullpen has experienced, especially with offseason signee Edwin Díaz, in her latest column.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 31: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket against Reed Sheppard #15 of the Houston Rockets in the first half at Toyota Center on January 31, 2026 in Houston, 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. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mavericks begin their 2026-2027 campaign on Oct. 9th against the Houston Rockets in an early morning game in Macau, China. As with almost every single year, the Mavericks enter their first preseason game with massive questions surrounding the roster, with a near complete overturn of their 2025 roster.
What is the starting lineup?
Mavs starters:
Max Christie Naji Marshall Zaccharie Risacher Cooper Flagg Morez Johnson Jr.
The most pressing question I have is who will encompass Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving in the starting lineup. The Mavericks have plenty of players who could start in the NBA, but the fit between these players to paramount.
Due to this, I would expect Naji Marshall to be the sixth-man even though he may be one of the five best players on the roster.
Will P.J. Washington start? Washington has been a main-stay in the starting lineup since his arrival in Dallas, but the arrival of Morez Johnson Jr and Santi Aldama could mean his starting spot is up for grabs. Starting Johnson Jr. would be a commitment to the future, while Aldama is the best fit next to Flagg.
The Mavericks also went after Zaccharie Risacher this summer, a player with real talent and potential. Risacher is also up for a contract extension after the season, with a possible extension being over $20 million a year.
Could the Mavericks commit to Johnson Jr. at center? Could an all lottery lineup be in the cards?
We probably won’t know entirely based on preseason, but it will be interesting to see what levers Dusty May pulls in his first NBA games.
How do the rookies make an impact?
Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio De Larrea are both expected to be immediate contributors for the Mavericks this season, but these presaeason games will be their first real taste of the NBA.
Both players showed plenty of promise in Summer League, with Johnson Jr.’s defense and athleticism, and De Larrea’s passing.
For Johnson Jr., he needs to showcase his ability to stretch the floor as a three-point shooter, along with seeing if he can surviive at the 5 defensively.
De Larrea needs to show if can handle NBA ball pressure and physicality as a ball handler, along with his catch-and-shoot ability.
Kyrie Irving’s return
If there is a primary source of optimism for the season, it is the return of Kyrie Irving.
Irving missed all of last season with a knee injury, and at age 34, there are real questions about whether he can still perform at an all-star level.
What I’m watching with Irving is his overall quickness and explosiveness. Now Irving has never been an elite leaper, nor the most explosive driver, but his quickness has always been underrated. If Irving is slower than his previous self, it will dramatically effect how he can be used within the Mavericks offense, as his role could become based around his shooting ability.
Irving has always thrived as a second option next to a star, but how will he handle playing with a young star like Flagg?
All of these questions won’t be answered in preseason, but if Irving is no longer the player he once was, it won’t be hard to tell.
Dusty May’s offense
The Jason Kidd offense was often meandering in its approach, rarely having any sort of real focus or style. But that should be different under May.
May has always been adept at adapting his offense around is personnel, so it will incredibly interesting to see how he tailor the offense around this Mavericks team.
Will he lean into bully ball and offensive rebounding? Or will the Mavericks be a fast-paced, run-and-gun style offense.
Will the Mavericks shoot 45 threes a game? Or will they be stuck in 2005.
Preseason basketball doesn’t mean much, but there are still questions that can start to be answered in these exhibition games.
LAS VEGAS — Sergei Bobrovsky did the job a team asks of its starting goalie on a night the scoreboard got away. He stopped 40 of 43 shots, held a three-goal lead that had already evaporated, and got the Toronto Maple Leafs to overtime and a shootout. Trevor Connelly finished it anyway. The rookie beat Bobrovsky with a backhand in the fifth round, and the Vegas Golden Knights completed a comeback from 3-0 for a 4-3 shootout win Thursday at T-Mobile Arena.
Toronto leaves with a point and a 2-2-1 record. Vegas is 4-1-0. The Leafs were outshot 43-24, including 21-8 in the second period, and at five-on-five controlled only 42.7 percent of the shot attempts and 29.8 percent of the expected goals, 1.33 to 3.14, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. High-danger chances were 12-5 Vegas.
"It turned on Stone's goal late in the first," the Leafs head coach said. "We're in an offensive-zone faceoff. We're up 3-0. It's a tight game, playing pretty well to that point. And then we make a couple mistakes, and they score. And then we take a penalty, and all of a sudden the momentum shifts a little bit."
The lead had come in a rush. Jack Roslovic opened the scoring 34 seconds in, on his 600th career game and for his 300th career point, beating Adin Hill from the goal line with Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko assisting. Easton Cowan made it 2-0 at 3:20 on a breakaway set up by Chris Tanev. Nick Paul scored at 8:37, from Darren Raddysh and Gavin McKenna, and Toronto had three before the period was half over. Hill faced nine shots in the first and stopped six.
Mark Stone's slap shot at 17:36, from Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev, started the climb back. Brett Howden cut it to 3-2 at 1:12 of the second, deflecting a Mitch Marner pass. Eichel tied it at 3:58 on a penalty shot after Morgan Rielly was called for tripping on a breakaway. Vegas did not score again until the shootout. It spent most of the middle 20 minutes looking as if it would.
"We just stopped playing direct, turned some pucks over coming out of our end in the neutral and sort of fed their transition game," Tanev said. "They're in Game 7 of the Cup Final last year for a reason. They're very well structured. It's amazing how players' cycles can take over a game, and he had the puck a lot, especially in the second period. Great start. Third was better for us. But sort of the last five, seven minutes of the first and the second period, we need to be better and help out Bob."
The penalty count made the territorial problem worse. Toronto took four minors, Gavin McKenna for hooking late in the first, Oliver Ekman-Larsson twice in the second, Bo Groulx for holding in the third, plus Rielly's penalty shot. Vegas had one, Mark Stone for slashing McKenna late in the second. The Leafs killed all four power plays. They did not look comfortable doing it.
"They have a good power play. We had a tough time," Hiller said. "We were desperate. We did a good job with it, but a tough time clearing it down the ice and getting fresh guys out there. So that was a tough second period, no matter how you slice it. But I give the guys credit. After two, in fact, we survived, in large part due to Bob. I thought we came back out in the third and actually played pretty well."
Tanev saw the same sequence from the kill.
"Good for the most part. We had that one really long shift. Bob made an amazing save and bailed us out," he said. "For the most part good. We still have some areas where we want to work on, but against a really good power play, so we'll take that."
He also tied the special-teams load to the momentum Stone's goal had already started.
Vegas goal!
Scored by Mark Stone with 02:24 left in the 1st. Assisted by Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev.
"When we take five penalties and they maybe have one, their skilled guys start to feel the puck. They get energized and sort of get them into the game as well."
The third period was quieter. Toronto was outshot 11-4, then 4-3 in overtime, and neither team scored. Faceoffs were a rare edge all night, 37-for-62, with Matthews at 71.4 percent. Hits went 27-13 to Vegas. Hill finished with 21 saves. Bobrovsky's .930 was the reason 3-3 still existed at the end of 65 minutes.
"He got us a point, for the most part. He gave us a chance to win, and ultimately, in the end, he probably got us a point, right? That's what great goalies do," Hiller said. "The nights when you're off a little bit, like we were in the second particularly, he was able to hold it for us. You need those saves, and you don't get them. They could have got three or four, and the game's over."
Cowan, who was on the ice for long stretches against Eichel's line, landed in the same place. "He kept us in the game for sure, especially that second period. So he was great all night." Tanev wanted the win that those saves had made available. "Huge saves, and he gave us a chance to win in overtime and the shootout. Obviously, we want to get a win for him badly."
The top six never settled into that kind of stability. The groups drawn up before the game were Marchenko with Matthews and Roslovic, and Cowan with John Tavares and William Nylander. Shift data told a different story. McKenna, Paul and Colton Sissons were the only forward trio used as a unit for a long stretch, about 8:12. Matthews spent 7:43 with Nylander and Roslovic and 6:42 with Marchenko and Roslovic. Cowan split time between Marchenko and Tavares (4:25) and Nylander and Tavares (3:50). The Matthews-Nylander-Roslovic look was out-attempted 13-7. The original first line was even at 7-7 and produced Roslovic's goal.
Hiller did not pretend the shuffling was a finished plan, as he’s still trying to find out what his top-six should look like.
"I would say, yeah, consistency across three players," he said, asked what he is still looking for in the top six. "Some players have been pretty consistent night after night, but as three at the same time, we're still looking for that."
Moving Nylander up was a spark attempt, that wasn’t exclusive to this game, but it clearly didn’t work.
"Just wasn't going very well at that point. So just something different. Try to change the vibe a little bit at different times,” Hiller said.
"I felt okay. First, not that good, and second, obviously there's a lot of penalties and stuff, so hard to get into it. That's how you get it. Sometimes you've got to learn to adjust and play. I thought the third was a bit better, but I would like to capitalize on some chances."
McKenna's night was the assist, a hooking minor, and a shootout miss on Toronto’s fourth attempt. Hiller said the attempt had been scheduled, not a low-pressure afterthought.
"He's good at shootouts, so didn't get it tonight, but he'll score plenty in his career."
McKenna has yet to be called on for 3-on-3 duty in Toronto’s two overtime games this season, but Hiller said it’s coming.
"He was up a couple different times, and situations kind of change themselves. He'll get out there sooner or later. If you ask him, I've probably called him three different times. But for whatever reasons, he hasn't been able to get out there."
Oliver Ekman-Larsson did not finish the night after a hit from Vegas’ Jeremy Lauzon, late in the third period.
"I think he's okay. I don't have an update on him. I've just heard a little bit, so I can't give you much on that."
He was clearer on the hit that took the defenceman out.
"I think there could have been a call." No explanation followed on the ice.
The Maple Leafs picked up a point in the standings but Bobrovsky is still searching for his first win for Toronto.
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DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 27, 2026: Kevin McGonigle #7 of the Detroit Tigers celebrates with teammates as he exits the game during the eighth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park on September 27, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The preparation continues for this impending misery of an offseason. MLB and the players union have already been lobbing proposals at each other for months, and this will no doubt continue as either side tries to position itself and lobby the fanbase in advance of the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations this winter. MLB came back with a new round of ideas on Thursday, and the reception was tepid.
Kevin McGonigle’s march to the AL Rookie of the Year award continued as Baseball America named the Tigers’ infielder their 2026 Rookie of the Year. Their prospect tools review of the 2026 draft also had some Tigers mentioned.
Both league championship series are taking shape, and so we’ll also link you to some playoff previews as the Dodgers and Brewers prepare for an epic showdown, while the Rays await the winner of the White Sox-Guardians series. The Guardians looked cooked early in Game 4 until Jose Ramirez finally provided some of his old spark, and his teammates took it to the White Sox’s bullpen to force a decisive Game 5.
Let’s get into it.
Detroit Tigers News
Kevin McGonigle is Baseball America’s overall Rookie of the Year for 2026. The article points to the fact that McGonigle is so good at everything, rather than having one obvious strength, as the reason he’s already thriving at the major league level.
They also link of list of players 21 and under this season who accumulated at least 1 WAR per Baseball Reference. That is a record number of players that age putting up that kind of value.
7.1: Kevin McGonigle, SS, Tigers
3.1: AJ Ewing, CF, Mets
2.1: Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Giants
2.1: Konnor Griffin, SS, Pirates
1.7: Cooper Pratt, SS, Brewers
1.6: Samuel Basallo, C, Orioles
1.2:Max Clark, CF, Tigers
1.2: Luis Lara, CF, Brewers
1.1: George Lombard Jr., SS, Yankees
Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic reports that the Tigers have fired Head Athletic Trainer Ryan Eubanks, as well as Assistant Athletic Trainer Chris MacDonald. The incredible number of soft tissue, non-contact injuries suffered by the Tigers this season no doubt played a role. The Tigers have already parted ways with long-time assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves, as well as first base coach Anthony Sanders. After the way this season went there are probably more changes coming. I’ll not again that the Tigers still don’t have a director of pitching in the minor leagues almost a year after Gabe Ribas left to join the Colorado Rockies coaching staff.
Rogelio Castillo, writing for Tigers Roundtable, considers the case of Colt Keith, who continues to be a modestly above average run producer, but still doesn’t have a defensive home.
Baseball America did its annual look at best tools from each team’s new draft class. As you’d expect, first rounder Cameron Flukey gets the highest marks for his fastball, which is among the best in the whole draft class, as well as his pair of breaking balls. They also mention second rounder Tyson LeBlanc’s breakout with the bat this season, calling his the best hit tool in the Tigers’ draft class, while fourth rounder Dominic Pellegrin gets high marks for his speed and defensive ability. In terms of secondary pitches, Flukey’s breaking stuff draws high marks, but Florida Gulf Coast RHP Evan Dempsey (2s) also has multiple high-quality breaking balls and advanced spin capacity overall. Another option here is the screwball-like changeup that Louisiana Tech RHP Declan Dahl (5) parachutes over the plate.
Jason Beck for MLB.com wrote about Framber Valdez’s first season as a Tiger, pointing to comments from AJ Hinch as to how the Tigers are trying to help him avoid the early game ambushes that marred numerous starts this year.
Max Clark played like a Top 25 hitter in baseball ⚡️
The big leaguewide news on Thursday was a new set of proposals from MLB to the players’ union regarding the new CBA. Those proposals include cutting the season to 154 games, planning a regular day off per week for teams as a result, while using that off day to showcase one game featuring two top teams on a national broadcast. The minor leagues and the NPB already both have Monday off for the whole league outside of special exceptions. MLB also floated the idea that top seeds in the postseason should get to pick their opponent, as well as expanding the divisional round to best-of-seven formats. Simply put, they want more lucrative postseason baseball to broadcast, and cutting back regular season games allows them to trim some player payroll as well.
Aaron Judge wants the Yankees front office to keep Aaron Boone and go “all in” to win next season. I don’t know, maybe having their best player on the field in the postseason would do the trick.
RotoGraphs looks at five hitters who broke out in 2026 to see if they can be trusted next year.
Finally, Manny Machado was robbed of a potential game-tying home run in Game 4 of their NLDS series against the Brewers. It was extremely reminiscent of another time Machado was robbed in right center field at Petco Park. That’s tough work from your home stadium, but those low walls do create opportunities for exciting robberies. And hey, at least there’s no roofs involved…
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 26: Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies follows the flight of an eighth inning double against the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field on August 26, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. Players are wearing special jerseys with their nicknames on them during Players' Weekend. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, Purple Row!
We moved another step closer to the beginning of the League Championship Series as the schedule was announced on Thursday. The Milwaukee Brewers will host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. MDT in the NLCS.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians have charged back and tied up their series with the Chicago White Sox to force a Game 5 on Saturday night. The Tampa Bay Rays, meanwhile, are patiently waiting after sweeping the Yankees. They wait Saturday’s winner and the ALCS will begin Oct. 12 in Tampa Bay at 6 p.m. MDT.
On the local front, with football season in full swing in Denver and the Broncos grabbing most of the headlines (positive and negative), Empower Field at Mile High is completely centered on orange and blue right now. However, a Rockie will be adding a splash of purple to the stadium as Carlos González has just been inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, which is nestled inside Mile High.
In 10 years with the Rockies, CarGo posted a 24 rWAR, connected for 227 homers and 277 doubles, while hitting .290/.349/.516 with an .865 OPS. The outfielder was named to three National League All-Star rosters, earned three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers and won the NL batting title in 2010 when he hit .336.
Read about his selection and more news from around MLB below.
CarGo, a fan favorite known as the Rockie with the sweetest swing, is one of six athletes to join the elite group, which will be inducted officially on April 15, 2027, at a banquet at the Hilton Denver City Center.
Other Rockies in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame include Dante Bichette, Vinny Castilla, Andrés Galaraga, Todd Helton, and Larry Walker, along with Colorado’s first manager Don Baylor, first general manager Bob Gebhard, and former team president Keli McGregor.
Not breaking news, as this was covered in the Rockies press conference from Tuesday, but the Kris Bryant situation is always worth remembering. At least Colorado president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta talked about it, which seemed vital after Bryant didn’t play and was never around in 2026.
You have to narrow it to the years the Rockies went to the playoffs: 1995, 2005, 2007, 2017, and 2018. So it has to be either from the Rocktober era or lone back-to-back postseason berths era.
It turns out it’s the first option: it’s Matt Holliday with five playoff bombs. What’s even more wild is that Holliday only had one season — 2007 — with the Rockies in the postseason.
Joel Reuter picked Rockies veteran pitcher Kyle Freeland. Freeland, 33, just pitched his 10 season in Colorado. With his contract ended, Reuter predicts that the Rockies bring him back and hope that he can have a bounce-back season.
On Thursday, the latest proposal from MLB went to the MLB Players Association and included some changes that would begin in 2029. One is a season with eight fewer games and a weekly off-day for each team. Another is a change to the postseason for the Division Series that would increase each league’s contests from five-game series to seven games. In addition, the top seeds from the Wild Card round and Division Series round would get to pick their opponents, allowing for the bracket to be altered each round.
Outside of the White Sox, the Rockies can also always look to the Tampa Bay Rays for a model of how to scout, draft, develop and build a low-cost roster in a small market. The Rays do it year in and year out, but no other team seems able to replicate their success. This article look at five players that were castoffs from other teams before finding their way in Tampa Bay.
There are many reasons the Rays are good. Bryan Baker, the 31-year-old All-Star closer is a big one. He recorded saves in all three games against the Yankees. He joined elite company in that feat, joining former Rockies closer Manny Corpas (2007), as well as Mark Wohlers (1996) and Dennis Eckersley (1988 and ‘96), as the only pitcher to get three saves in his team’s first three postseason games. Baker is the only one to do it without giving up a hit.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is on the hot seat. Maybe.
After another early exit from the postseason, the second in a row in the ALDS, New York has to be reassessing its personnel. The Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2009.
