Detroit Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch isn’t pretending to be a baseball executive, and that’s very much the point.
Speaking Sunday on WXYT-FM with Dan Dickerson and Dan Petry, Ilitch offered rare, candid insight into how the organization arrived at its aggressive pitching additions, including the signing of Framber Valdez and the reunion with Justin Verlander. At the center of it all was president of baseball operations Scott Harris, whose vision continues to shape the Tigers’ rise.
Scott Harris Brought the Plan — and the Opportunity
According to Ilitch, the idea of pursuing Valdez didn’t appear out of nowhere. Harris planted the seed early and continued building the case as the offseason evolved.
“He had actually come early in the offseason and thought that could be something that would be possible as the offseason went on,” Ilitch explained. “As it became more possible, he came. He’s always looking to make smart business — baseball decisions.”
Ilitch emphasized that Harris has earned trust through preparation and clarity. When Harris believes a move will benefit the team, ownership hasn’t stood in the way.
“And he knows,” Ilitch said. “Every time he has something that he thinks would benefit the team, I’ve been able to support that. He brought this opportunity.”
The Moment Valdez and Verlander Collided
One of the most revealing parts of Ilitch’s comments came when he described how discussions around Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander unexpectedly overlapped.
“It was kind of fun,” Ilitch said. “We were talking about Framber (Valdez) and JV (Justin Verlander) at the same time.”
At one point, Ilitch admits he nearly jumped the gun.
“He’s halfway through his presentation on Framber, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is really good,’ but I said, ‘Scott, maybe we should sign both of them.’”
Harris wasn’t done.
“He says, ‘Hold on, I’ve got more to share.’ I guess I’m a good setup man, or I’ve got to curtail my excitement. I should’ve waited for him to make his full presentation.”
By the end of it, ownership and baseball ops were perfectly aligned.
“We were really on the same page,” Ilitch said.
A Clear Chain of Command in Detroit
Ilitch made it clear that while he’s supportive, he’s not dictating roster construction.
“These baseball operations decisions are his,” Ilitch repeated. “He’s very bright and very smart. I just want to support him wherever I can.”
That clarity matters. Under Harris, Detroit has committed real resources to pitching, leadership, and culture, moves that helped push the Tigers to back-to-back postseason appearances and now position them as a legitimate contender entering 2026.
For the first time in years, ownership, baseball ops, and the clubhouse appear fully aligned — and Ilitch seems more than comfortable letting Scott Harris steer the ship.
The Detroit Tigers didn’t just add a pitcher on February 10. They brought back a piece of their identity.
By signing Justin Verlander to a one-year, $13 million contract, Detroit completed a full-circle reunion with one of the most iconic players in franchise history. It’s a move rooted in nostalgia, but driven by practicality.
And according to manager A.J. Hinch, it’s about much more than memories.
How the Contract Is Structured
Verlander’s deal is intentionally flexible.
One year, $13 million
$2 million base salary for 2026
$11 million deferred, beginning in 2030
That structure limits short-term payroll impact while allowing the Tigers to add a veteran arm they believe can still help them win meaningful games.
Verlander, who will turn 43 during the season, previously pitched for Detroit from 2005–2017, anchoring some of the most successful teams in club history.
The Numbers Still Matter
While Verlander is no longer the overpowering ace of his prime, his 2025 season showed he can still provide real value.
In 29 starts last year, he logged:
152 innings
3.85 ERA
52 walks (7.9% walk rate)
137 strikeouts (20.7% strikeout rate)
Hinch: Focused on Winning, Not Nostalgia
Hinch made it clear that the Tigers weren’t chasing a feel-good story — they were targeting a competitive edge.
“That’s a big addition in a lot of ways, namely the pitching side,” Hinch said via the Detroit Free Press. “My focus with him was entirely on what he can do to help us win on the mound. Obviously, he and I have history. He has a deeper history here with Detroit. From a pure influence standpoint, my conversations with him were: Here’s this organization as it is today, here’s how you can help us win. You’re joining a team who has learned how to win, and we need a little bump to take us a step forward.”
That last line says everything.
Detroit believes it’s close. Verlander isn’t here to carry the rotation, he’s here to elevate it.
Why This Move Makes Sense Now
The Tigers are no longer in teardown mode. They’ve built a foundation, learned how to compete, and now they’re looking for finishing pieces.
Verlander brings:
Veteran stability
Playoff experience
Rotation depth
Credibility inside the clubhouse
He doesn’t need to be dominant. He needs to be dependable and, at times, influential.
The Bottom Line
Justin Verlander’s return isn’t about reliving the past.
It’s about pushing the present forward.
With a team that believes it knows how to win, Detroit sees Verlander as the final nudge, the “little bump”, that can help turn progress into something more concrete in 2026.
Tarik Skubal didn’t pretend this was just another roster move.
He didn’t downplay it. He didn’t act unfazed. And he definitely didn’t try to sound cool.
Instead, the Detroit Tigers’ ace said exactly what was on his mind, and it sounded a lot like a kid meeting his hero.
“Giddy as a Kid”
When Skubal found out Justin Verlander was returning to Detroit, the reaction was immediate and emotional.
He admitted he felt “giddy as a kid” just thinking about the idea of sharing a clubhouse and a rotation with the pitcher he grew up idolizing.
“If you would have told me 10 years ago that I’m going to be locker mates with Justin Verlander and we’re going to be in the same rotation, I would have called you crazy,” Skubal said via MLive. “It’s pretty special.”
That’s not something you often hear from the reigning face of a franchise. Skubal is already a Cy Young winner. He’s already the Tigers’ ace. And yet, this moment clearly hits different.
A Childhood Idol Becomes a Teammate
Skubal didn’t shy away from calling Verlander what he is to him — a hero.
“I’m getting the goosebumps again. It’s like a hero,” Skubal said. “You look up to a guy who was playing when you were in high school, watching him win an MVP, watching him chase a Triple Crown. You put him on a pedestal way higher than everybody else. Then you get to share a clubhouse. It’s really cool.”
That line alone explains why this reunion matters beyond ticket sales or headlines. This isn’t just about nostalgia for fans. It’s personal for the players who grew up watching Verlander define an era of Tigers baseball.
Locker Neighbors in Lakeland
Skubal also joked about the surreal nature of the moment down in Lakeland, Florida, where TigerTown has undergone massive renovations since Verlander’s last spring there.
“I was joking. I go, ‘JV, you need a tour of this place?’ I’m just messing around,” Skubal said. “He was actually serious about it.”
Even that small exchange captures the generational overlap happening in Detroit right now — the past and present literally walking through the same facilities together.
Presence Matters
Skubal knows Verlander’s impact won’t just come every fifth day.
“We’re going to spend more time with these guys than our families,” Skubal said. “All the baseball stuff just kind of happens naturally. He’s gonna have an impact on a lot of guys here just with his presence, for sure.”
That might be the most telling quote of all. Verlander doesn’t need to say much. He doesn’t need to force leadership. Just being there changes the room.
The Bottom Line
Tarik Skubal is already one of the best pitchers in baseball.
And yet, he sounds like a fan again.
The goosebumps. The disbelief. The joy.
That’s what Justin Verlander’s return has sparked inside the Tigers’ clubhouse — starting with the guy currently leading the rotation. If this is how Detroit’s ace feels, imagine how the rest of the team is processing it.
Justin Verlander, wearing a Detroit Tigers uniform again, still feels surreal. After years of speculation, hope, and “what if?” conversations, Tigers fans are finally back in a place they once knew well, waiting to see when Verlander will take the mound to start a season in Detroit.
The big question now isn’t if he’ll pitch meaningful games for the Tigers in 2026. It’s when that first start will come.
The Road-Heavy Start to the 2026 Season
The Tigers’ 2026 schedule opens with six straight games on the road, immediately complicating the Verlander conversation. Detroit begins the season in San Diego on March 26, a game that Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal has already been named as the starter.
That part is locked in.
Skubal has earned Opening Day status after establishing himself as the unquestioned ace of the staff. While Verlander spent years owning that honor, this is a different Tigers era, and a different role for the future Hall of Famer.
With Skubal starting Opening Day, Detroit suddenly has flexibility. And flexibility is something this front office values.
Why Detroit Can Afford to Be Patient
One of the quiet advantages of the Tigers’ current roster construction is rotation depth. Detroit no longer needs Verlander to carry the staff or set the tone every fifth day. Instead, they can manage his workload carefully, especially early in the season.
That opens the door to a strategic decision: Do you roll Verlander out during the opening road trip? Or do you wait and make his first start an event?
From a baseball standpoint, easing him in makes sense. From a business standpoint, it might make even more sense.
The Home Opener Factor
Detroit’s home opener is scheduled for Friday, April 3, against the St. Louis Cardinals.
That date jumps off the page.
Opening Day in Detroit is already an unofficial holiday. Now imagine adding Justin Verlander—back where it all started—as the announced starting pitcher. Comerica Park would be electric. The buzz would stretch far beyond the city limits, turning a single regular-season game into a national moment.
For fans who waited years to see this reunion happen, that would feel like the proper payoff.
Verlander, Detroit, and Doing It the Right Way
Justin Verlander isn’t just another pitcher returning from a long career elsewhere. He’s one of the most iconic athletes in franchise history. His legacy is intertwined with the Tigers’ modern identity, from MVP seasons to playoff runs that defined an era.
This reunion was always about more than innings pitched.
Starting Verlander in the Detroit home opener would be a symbolic gesture—one that acknowledges the past while embracing the present. It sends a message to the fanbase that this return matters.
Prediction: Verlander Starts the Home Opener
All signs point toward Detroit leaning into the moment.
Prediction: Justin Verlander will make his first start of the 2026 season on April 3, at Comerica Park, against the St. Louis Cardinals.
It’s the right baseball decision. It’s the right business decision. And most importantly, it’s the right move for the fans who have been waiting for this day.
The Detroit Tigers have made real progress, but they’re still one move away.
As the organization looks ahead to the 2026 season, the path forward feels obvious: add a true frontline starting pitcher and let everything else fall into place.
Detroit’s rotation has depth, upside, and stability. What it doesn’t have, yet, is a second, unquestioned difference-maker to pair with Tarik Skubalwhen the stakes are highest.
Where the Tigers’ Rotation Stands
Skubal has established himself as the ace, giving Detroit a legitimate No. 1 starter every time he takes the ball. Behind him, the Tigers currently project a rotation that includes:
Jack Flaherty, a veteran with swing-and-miss stuff
Casey Mize, still working back toward consistency
Reese Olson, steady and reliable
Drew Anderson and Troy Melton, providing depth and flexibility
It’s a solid group, one capable of keeping Detroit competitive. But in October, solid isn’t enough.
Why a Frontline Arm Changes Everything
The difference between making the playoffs and making noise in the playoffs often comes down to who starts Games 1 and 2.
Adding a proven frontline starter would:
Reduce the workload on young arms
Create favorable playoff matchups
Stabilize the rotation during long stretches of the season
Instantly raise Detroit’s ceiling
The Tigers don’t need volume. They need impact.
Buster Olney Identifies Veteran Fits for Detroit
MLB insider Buster Olneyrecently pointed to several veteran starters who could make sense for the Tigers as they push toward contention in 2026.
Among the pitchers Olney mentioned as potential fits:
Justin Verlander
Max Scherzer
Lucas Giolito
Framber Valdez
Chris Bassitt
Each brings a different skill set, but all share one thing in common: they’ve proven they can lead a rotation in meaningful games.
Whether it’s Verlander or Scherzer’s postseason pedigree, Giolito’s durability, Valdez’s dominance, or Bassitt’s consistency, any one of those arms would immediately slot next to Skubal and give Detroit a playoff-ready top of the rotation.
Why the Timing Makes Sense
Detroit isn’t rebuilding anymore, it’s transitioning.
The roster is young but stabilizing. The rotation has internal answers, but not dominance. Adding a veteran ace now would allow the Tigers to protect their development while still pushing forward.
It’s the kind of move teams make when they believe their window is opening, not someday, but now.
Bottom Line
The Tigers don’t need to overhaul their pitching staff.
They need one bold addition.
If Detroit wants 2026 to be about more than just progress, pairing Tarik Skubal with a proven frontline starter, like the veterans highlighted by Buster Olney, may be the move that turns potential into postseason reality.
It’s hard to imagine Major League Baseball without Justin Verlander, but as the 42-year-old wraps up his 20th big-league season, there’s growing speculation that his final MLB stop could be back where it all began, with the Detroit Tigers. In fact, The Athletic recently listed Verlander as a fit for the Tigers.
A Strong Finish in San Francisco
After joining the San Francisco Giants on a one-year, $15 million deal, Verlander proved he still has plenty left in the tank. Across 29 starts in 2025, he logged 152 innings with a 3.85 ERA, striking out 137 batters. But it was his September stretch that truly stood out, Verlander posted a 2.08 ERA over five starts, allowing two earned runs or fewer in four of those outings.
That late-season resurgence reminded fans and front offices alike that Verlander’s competitiveness and command remain elite, even as he inches closer to age 43.
A Farewell Tour in the Making?
Verlander has already stated publicly that he plans to pitch at least one more season, which would make 2026 his age-43 campaign. Given his history with the Tigers, the team that drafted him second overall in 2004 and where he won both an MVP and a Cy Young Award, a reunion feels both fitting and sentimental.
Detroit’s pitching staff, headlined by Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, has taken major steps forward, but a short-term veteran addition like Verlander could serve as both a stabilizing presence and a symbolic full-circle moment for the franchise.
The Perfect Ending
In many ways, bringing Verlander back would be about more than just performance. It would be about legacy. He gave Detroit more than a decade of dominance, from no-hitters to playoff classics, and remains one of the most revered athletes in team history.
If 2026 is indeed Verlander’s final ride, a one-year swan song with the Tigers could be the perfect way to close out a Hall of Fame career that began on the mound at Comerica Park.
The Bottom Line
Justin Verlander has nothing left to prove, but one last season in Detroit would mean everything to the city that watched him become an icon.
The question now is whether Scott Harris and the Tigers front office are ready to make it happen.
SAN FRANCISCO — Slow starters all season, the Rockies got out of the gate fast on Saturday afternoon at sun-splashed Oracle Park.
First inning: bang, solo home run by catcher Hunter Goodman, his 31st of the season. Second inning: bang, leadoff homer by Brenton Doyle, his 15th. The Rockies led 2-0 against Giants right-hander Justin Verlander.
But, as usual, the Rockies found a way to lose, or couldn’t figure out how to win. Take your pick.
The Giants had only four hits, but it was enough to win, 4-3, and send the Rockies to their 118th loss of the season.
The Rockies, per usual, rallied late. Jordan Beck led off the ninth with a home run off reliever Ryan Walker, cutting the lead to 4-3. Doyle followed with a double and Kyle Karros drew a walk. Warming Bernable struck out for the second out of the inning, but right-handed reliever Spencer Bivens plunked Ryan Ritter, loading the bases.
In the penultimate game of their painful season, the Rockies were on the cusp of one of their most satisfying wins of the season. But Ezequiel Tovar’s foul ball down the third baseline was caught against the netting by Matt Chapman.
It was a bitter end to a well-played game.
Kyle Freeland’s final start of the season for Colorado was solid. Toss out the second inning, and the Rockies’ veteran left-hander was exceptional.
Freeland issued a leadoff walk to Chapman, which is always an ill-advised way to start an inning. When Wilmer Flores sliced a single to right field, Freeland was asking for trouble. He got it when Casey Schmitt mashed a 1-0 fastball over the center-field wall for a three-run homer and a 3-2 lead.
Over six innings, Freeland allowed three runs on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. He finished his season with a 5-16 record and a 4.98 ERA.
An RBI double by Rafael Devers off Rockies closer Victor Vodnik in the eighth inning turned out to be the game-winner. Doyle dove for the ball in center field but came up empty.
The Major League Baseball trade deadline is less than two weeks away and the Astros have gone rather quickly from possible seller to almost certain buyer on the trade market. Just one game back in the division and facing the team ahead of them in the standings out of the gate, this is a team that believes they can win another division title and go deep in the postseason once again despite all the early season travails.
GM Dana Brown has said they expect to be buyers at the deadline, which is July 30. But what exactly do they need? This is still a team in pretty good shape overall, but they definitely have weaknesses at several positions they will no doubt hope to address (we’ll get to whether they actually have the prospects to make it happen another time).
POSITIONS OF ABSOLUTE NEED
Starting Pitching
Considering this is a team that only had eight total starting pitchers in 2023, it is absolutely remarkable the lengths they have gone to in an effort to make up for injuries that have decimated their staff. Their IL would make a formidable starting lineup if healthy. Instead, they’ve relied on rookies and pitchers who never started before and still managed to be really good. Adding depth to the rotation, even with the promise of Justin Verlander and Luis Garcia eventually returning, is a must at this point. “You can never have enough pitching” has absolutely been born out this season for the Astros. Their first and primary priority, no doubt, will be another arm for the rotation.
Now, will they spend big or just look for an innings eater who might also be able to slide into a bullpen role? That’s a good question and one we cannot answer. But whatever the case, they need help here in the worst way.
HIGH ON THE LIST
Relief Pitching First Base
The Astros have continued to sign warm bodies to roll into the bullpen throughout the season. It’s been necessary with all the injuries and huge workload for their pitching staff. So, it should come as no surprise they are going to be looking for additional arms for the bullpen…you can never have enough yada yada. The good news is it shouldn’t cost much. They don’t need a closer or even a setup guy. They just need a solid middle-innings reliever to complement guys like Seth Martinez and Tayler Scott — and to mitigate the struggles of Rafael Montero.
As for first base, Jon Singleton has played extremely well since Jose Abreu was released. He isn’t ideal at that position, but he does provide power and has a very good eye at the plate. At minimum, finding another bat who can backup at first and be credible defensively, would be helpful. But don’t be surprised if they take a big swing at someone like Pete Alonso either.
WE SHOULD BUT WE WON’T
Third Base
No one wants to linger on the fact it is highly unlikely Alex Bregman is an Astro next year. But, more critically, his impending free agency is set to leave a massive hole in the Astros infield, not just because he is so good but because they have literally no one in the minor leagues to replace him. It is one of the most glaring weaknesses in their farm system.
Not making some kind of move to, at minimum, find a solid backup at the hot corner before the offseason will put a tremendous amount of pressure on the team to spend the money to replace Bregman…or spend the money to re-sign him. Either way, not making a move to do something about third is probably not in the cards even if maybe it should be.
The Astros lost their second of three games to the lowly Washington Nationals on Sunday 6-0 dropping them to 7-16 on this still young season. There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. This is a bad baseball team doing bad baseball things right now. Sure, they could turn it around. The Major League Baseball season can be excruciatingly long.
But, also, they might not. Five of their best players are playing well including Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Jeremy Peña and Yainer Diaz. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to show for it and when those guys inevitably have a slide — as every good player does during a long season — what the hell do they do then?
We can point to some reasons they have not been very good. There are many. Here are four.
Injuries
This is not an excuse. Period. All teams suffer injuries. But when essentially your entire projected starting lineup is on the IL, that’s a problem few teams (if any) can overcome. They got Justin Verlander back and will get Framber Valdez back in short order, but they now lost Cristian Javier. Where would this team be if Ronel Blanco hadn’t suddenly become an ace starter? We shudder to think.
Josh Hader and his fellow back-of-the-bullpen teammates have blown six saves this season already.
Photo by Jack Gorman
The Final Three
Remember in Spring Training when everyone was all, “Dude, no one is going to score runs on us in the seventh, eighth and ninth. If we get a lead, teams are toast.” Um, OK so that was then. Now, the reality is Bryan Abreu has been the best of the bunch and he has an ERA of 4.91 and a WHIP of 1.818. Yikes. Ryan Pressly, the closer-turned-setup-guy, has an 8.31 ERA with a WHIP of over 2. And the $95 million dollar closer Josh Hader has a baffling 8.38 ERA with a WHIP of 1.655.
They have blown six saves this season including a brutal two-run lead in the ninth in D.C. by Pressly. The Astros have been super fond of talking about looking at the back of players’ baseball cards to understand how good they will likely be once more of the season has passed, but progression to the mean is hardly guaranteed, and it will take a hell of a turnaround to make these three as feared as everyone hoped and expected.
Lack of Timely Hitting
The Astros are 22nd in baseball (.266 BA) with runners in scoring position. They are 28th in runners left on base per game (4.27). That speaks to two things. First, they get a good amount of people on base. They are a remarkable third in both team batting average and OPS (seventh in slugging). We say remarkable because they fact that they rank that highly in hitting categories yet drop to the bottom of the league when it comes to driving runners in is just crazy.
Second, their clutch hitting is absolutely brutal, the polar opposite of Astros teams in the past despite having many of the same players. There is definitely some luck that plays into this and some problems in the lineup (more on that shortly), but the lack of clutch hitting does not auger well for a team that is struggling to get guys out in the last three innings of the game.
Alex Bregman tends to start slow, but this is ridiculous.
Photo by Jack Gorman
Giant Gaping Lineup Holes
When we had Martin Maldonado, we didn’t realize how good we had it. Maldy’s .606 OPS in 2023 may as well have been 1.100 when you consider the just putrid .223 OPS we are getting from Jose Abreu. Right now, Abreu is simply not a major league baseball player, but he’s out there every day because our only option behind his is…Jon Singleton. His numbers are positively Maldonado-y slashing .229/.308/.306 with a .594 OPS. You could almost live with that if you thought he would remain that consistent.
But, that is before you calculate the lack of hitting from Alex Bregman (.213/.302/.280) and Jake Meyers (.220/.273/.415). Meyers may not play every day — thankfully, that job belongs to Chas McCormick, who is finally starting to see his numbers turn around; and Mauricio Dubon, who is one of the best clutch hitters on the team — but when he does, he is little to no help. Bregman is the most galling. In his free agent year, he looks like he showed up ready to take a discount to remain in Houston. He pops up more often than new taco trucks.
When you have that many holes in your lineup, it’s tough to string together any kind of crooked-number innings and this team is definitely not doing that.
It is possible that 2024 becomes the year of the serious pitcher injury. Let’s hope the list of players that already includes Spencer Strider (Braves), Shane Bieber (Guardians) and Jonathan Loaisiga (Yankees) does not suddenly add Astros starter Framber Valdez.
On Monday ahead of Valdez’ scheduled start in Arlington against the Rangers, the Astros announced he would be replaced by minor leaguer Blair Henley, who will make his major league debut against the Rangers.
Both manager Joe Espada and GM Dana Brown said Valdez felt the soreness in his pitching arm while playing catch over the weekend. The pain had not subsided by Monday morning, so he was scratched and sent back to Houston for additional testing. They told reporters Monday afternoon that they did not place him on the IL because they believe he could return sooner rather than later.
This comes on the heels of an early-season raft of serious injuries to some of the league’s best pitchers. After his rehab start at Sugar Land on Sunday, Justin Verlander, who started the season on the IL with shoulder soreness that caused him to start Spring Training late, spent five minutes discussing the problem calling it a “pandemic.”
It’s gotten bad enough that Major League Baseball is looking at the data and planning a task force to address concerns ranging from the pitch clock — something the Major League Baseball Players’ Association believes is a serious issue — to the race to increase pitch velocity and spin rate that could be exacerbating existing problems. Other pitchers have brought up the slickness of the baseball that causes them to grip down harder when making pitches.
Whatever the cause, baseball is certainly feeling it early in the season. The Astros are still waiting on the return of Jose Urquidy, who is trying to return from a right forearm injury suffered in Spring Training and Luis Garcia is on pace to be back with the team sometime in the middle of 2024 after having surgery to repair his throwing elbow hurt early in the 2023 season.
The Astros do have a lot of starting pitchers, or at least starters with starting experience, on the roster including Brandon Bielak and the surprising Ronel Blanco. Verlander should return within about 10 days as well.
But Valdez remains one of the team’s best pitchers. Any lost time would be a huge blow to the Astros postseason hopes.
With just days left before Opening Day, the Astros have begun the final steps of trimming their roster down to 26. With a team that has this much veteran talent, there aren’t a whole lot of roster spots up for grabs and the list of players trying to land a spot got smaller after manager Joe Espada informed a few of them Sunday that they would be headed for Triple A Sugar Land instead of Houston after Spring Training broke that afternoon.
One of the players he informed was Joey Loperfido, a young outfielder/infielder who had been terrific in the spring and offered another left-handed bat option of the bench. But the Astros are in a bit of a bind with a couple players out of minor league options and they certainly would prefer a young prospect like Loperfido get more at bats in the minors than sit on the bench. We are certain to see Loperfido, however, at some point this season. Here is the breakdown of who will make the ball club.
INFIELD LOCKS (7)
Jose Abreu (1B) Jose Altuve (2B) Jeremy Peña (SS) Alex Bregman (3B) Yainer Diaz (C) Mauricio Dubon (UTIL) Victor Caratini (C)
Bregman had two home runs in the Grapefruit League closer on Sunday and looks primed for a big year. Diaz is an immediate upgrade at catcher as is Caratini at backup. Dubon led the entire club in OPS during the spring and warrants plenty of playing time. Peña’s re-tooled swing didn’t lead to home runs this spring, but he did have better elevation and plenty of pop.
McCormick didn’t get nearly enough ABs last year and he continues his pretty consistent plus-800 OPS this spring. Tucker looks in midseason form already and Meyers has been outstanding at the plate, a welcome sign for the guy the team committed to as their everyday center fielder. Alvarez is, well, Alvarez meaning he’s spectacular as ever.
BENCH (2)
Jon Singleton (1B/DH) Grae Kessinger (UTIL)
Kessinger, who suffered a hamstring injury about a week ago, has been working out with the team and looks poised to be ready for the start of the season. He gives the team the best option for an all-around infield backup who can play all four spots around the diamond. Singleton will likely be a controversial choice, but he is out of minor league options meaning the team would have to put him on waivers if he doesn’t make the team. He provides a much-desired left handed bat with some power, but he is limited on the spots he can play in the field. Corey Julks has done everything he can do to make the team as he did last season (surprisingly), but that lefty bat of Singleton may be too much for the Astros to pass up at least to begin the season.
J.P. France is healthy and ready for the start of the season.
Photo by Jack Gorman
STARTING ROTATION (5)
Framber Valdez
Cristian Javier
Hunter Brown
JP France
Brandon Bielak
With Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy to begin the season on the IL, it will fall to Bielak and perhaps Ronel Blanco to pick up the slack. Bielak would probably make the team because, like Singleton, he is out of options. But he also provides the experience both in the rotation and out of the pen the team could use. France looks healthy and ready to go. The top three have all had good outings.
BULLPEN (8)
Josh Hader Ryan Pressly Bryan Abreu Rafael Montero Ronel Blanco Seth Martinez Bennett Sousa Parker Mushinski
Three lefties? In the Astros bullpen? It could happen thanks to injuries. The final three outs are set with Abreu, Pressly and Hader. Montero and Blanco should act as bridge relief and Bielak will likely join them when Verlander (and/or Urquidy) returns from injury. Martinez has been very good this spring and has plenty of time with the big league club. Sousa has been a guy most have thought would make the bullpen as a left hander the team is pretty high on. But Mushinski would be a temp. He has looked solid this spring, but he is more likely to be a bridge to a healthy Verlander than a bridge to the final three outs of the game.
Jordan Montgomery shut down the Houston Astros and Leody Taveras homered as the Texas Rangers did just enough against Justin Verlander to get a 2-0 win in the opener of the AL Championship Series on Sunday night.
Montgomery pitched five-hit ball over 6 1/3 innings and Taveras provided a two-run lead with his solo homer in the fifth. Evan Carter, a 21-year-old rookie, doubled and scored in the second and made two nifty defensive plays in left field.
“We just found a way to get a couple of runs across the board,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “That was the difference in the game, obviously. But our guy was really good, Monty, terrific job he did. And he got in a couple of jams there and found a way to get out of it.”
In the ALCS for the first time since back-to-back appearances in 2010-11, the Rangers improved to 6-0 this postseason after sweeping the Rays in the Wild Card Series and the Orioles in the Division Series. The winning streak followed losses in their previous six playoff games against Toronto in the ALDS in 2015 and 2016.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Monday in Houston.
The defending champion Astros, in the ALCS for a seventh straight year, had a tough time getting anything going against Montgomery. The top four batters in Houston’s lineup were 2 for 12 with five strikeouts against the left-hander. Slugger Yordan Alvarez struck out against him three times.
Houston’s offensive woes came after it hit 16 homers and outscored the Rangers 39-10 in a three-game sweep in September. Things were much different in the first postseason meeting between these in-state rivals as they managed just five singles.
“Sometime you’ve got to say: ‘Hey, the guy threw a great game tonight against us, excellent game,’” manager Dusty Baker said. “And they say good pitching beats good hitting, but when you don’t hit, everybody wants to know what’s wrong. There’s not a whole bunch to say. He threw a real good game against us.”
Montgomery has been great in the last month, allowing just two earned runs over 27 innings in his last four starts of regular season, and posting a 2.08 ERA in three postseason starts.
Verlander allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings to mark the first time this postseason where both starters pitched into the seventh. It was the 36th postseason start for Verlander and the MLB-record 14th time he’s started a playoff series opener.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner threw 47 fastballs, getting 27 swings without a single swing and miss.
Josh Sborz walked Jose Altuve starting the eighth and was replaced by Aroldis Chapman. The Rangers turned a double play when Carter made a great grab on the track on a ball hit by Alex Bregman and Altuve was called out for not retouching second base when he retreated to first after Carter’s catch.
Altuve initially called safe, but the Rangers challenged the play, and it was overturned in a video review. Alvarez following with an inning-ending groundout.
Carter was asked about his ability to stay calm in his first playoff run.
“Oh, my gosh. This is so much fun,” he said. “That’s just all I think about. Where else would I want to be. This is awesome. I’m just trying to keep my feet grounded and just keep rolling with this team . It’s been a lot of fun.”
Jose Leclerc struck out one in a perfect ninth for the save and the Rangers’ second shutout of the playoff.
Texas’ bullpen has a 1.86 ERA in the playoffs after ranking 24th at 4.77 during the regular season.
Carter got things going for Texas with a hustle double on a grounder with one out in the second before scoring on a single by Jonah Heim. John Jung singled with two outs, Taveras walked to load the bases and Verlander limited the damage by retiring Marcus Semien on a fly ball.
Verlander had retired eight in a row when Taveras drove a hanging slider 398 feet into the seats in right field with one out in the fifth.
The Astros had chances to score in the third and fourth innings. Martín Maldonado walked with one out in the third before a two-out single by Bregman. But they were both stranded when Alvarez struck out.
Three straight singles by Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubón and Jeremy Peña loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth. Montgomery wriggled out of the jam again when he struck out Maldonado to end the inning.
Heim walked to open the seventh and a two-out single by Taveras chased Verlander. Hector Neris took over and retired the next two batters.
Carter robbed Bregman of a hit with one out in the first. He sprinted before leaping to make the catch and crashing into the scoreboard wall in left field and knocking out one of squares.
UP NEXT
Houston LHP Framber Valdez (0-1, 10.38 ERA) opposes RHP Nathan Eovaldi (2-0, 1.32) in Game 2. Eovaldi grew up in suburban Houston and attended Alvin High School, which is also the alma mater of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.
“It’s awesome,” Eovaldi said. “I’m going to have a lot of friends and family here for the game. Anytime we’re in this stage in this moment right here, being this close to the World Series, it’s a big deal. Doesn’t matter where we’re playing at, it’s a big honor for us to be here.”
NEW YORK — Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga and the New York Mets have agreed to a $75 million, five-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
The person spoke to The Associated Press early Sunday on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical.
It is the latest big move for free-spending owner Steve Cohen and the busy Mets during a dizzying week. Senga figures to slot into the middle of a revamped rotation headed by three-time Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.
Hours earlier, the Mets completed a $162 million, eight-year contract Saturday to bring back free agent center fielder Brandon Nimmo. New York also finalized deals with free agent pitchers Verlander, José Quintana and David Robertson in the past few days, after re-signing All-Star closer Edwin Díaz to a $102 million, five-year deal last month.
Within the last week, the Mets have committed $359.7 million to five free agents, including Senga. Throw in Díaz, who re-signed before other teams were permitted to negotiate with him, and it’s $461.7 million to six free agents this offseason — five pitchers.
Those moves push New York’s projected 2023 payroll to around $340 million right now — well beyond the highest luxury-tax threshold of $293 million. And that’s without any other major additions this winter.
Under Cohen, who bought the club in November 2020, the Mets became baseball’s biggest spender this year for the first time since 1989. Their payroll was $273.9 million as of Aug. 31, with final figures that include bonuses yet to be compiled.
Senga, a hard-throwing right-hander, did not have to go through the posting system with the Japanese big leagues because he has 11 seasons of service time. Several teams in the United States were said to be pursuing him, including the Boston Red Sox.
“I like him,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said Tuesday in San Diego at baseball’s winter meetings. “It’s tough to project those guys. But a good pitcher is a good pitcher.”
Senga, who turns 30 in January, was 11-6 with a 1.94 ERA in 22 starts for the Pacific League’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks last season. He tossed three scoreless innings in two outings for Japan against the U.S. in the Olympics last year, allowing one hit and striking out six with two walks.
“You’re always thinking about the load of pitching every fifth day compared to (once a week in Japan), but they said that about some really good Japanese pitchers that came over here and did well,” Showalter said. “So he’s a good one. We’ve talked with him. And he’s impressive. You can see why they think so highly of him. I enjoyed our little talk with him.”
New York has been overhauling its pitching staff following a playoff loss to San Diego in the wild-card round.
Verlander got an $86.7 million, two-year contract that includes a conditional $35 million player option for 2025. Quintana, another experienced starter ticketed for the rotation, signed a $26 million, two-year deal. Robertson, a veteran reliever, received $10 million for one year.
Senga, Verlander and Quintana replace the three 2022 Mets starters who became free agents this offseason: Jacob deGrom left for Texas, Taijuan Walker has a deal in place with Philadelphia pending a physical, and Chris Bassitt remains available on the open market.
The rotation also includes veteran Carlos Carrasco. New York picked up his $14 million option for next season after the 35-year-old right-hander went 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA.
David Peterson and Tylor Megill, both 27, provide depth.
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AP Baseball Writer Jay Cohen contributed to this report.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports
Marly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com.
HOUSTON — The Astros quickly ran out of superlatives in describing Justin Verlander‘s performance in their 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Wednesday night.
Echoes of “first-ballot Hall of Famer” and “ace” were heard throughout the Astros clubhouse after Verlander struck out 11 batters over six innings and allowed only one earned run.
But what truly differentiated his performance was the fact that the 39-year-old Verlander was not initially sharp, coming off one of the worst postseason outings of his illustrious career, having allowed six runs on 10 hits in the first game of the division series against the Seattle Mariners.
The Astros managed a comeback victory against Seattle with a three-run, walk-off home run by slugger Yordan Alvarez, with Verlander notably showing rust and lack of command. Even so, it was no surprise to catcher Martin Maldonado that his ace quickly returned to form when he was needed most.
“This is exactly what I expected from him,” Maldonado told ESPN. “That is why he is a Hall of Famer.”
“He’s not only physically strong, which you can see, but he’s mentally strong,” manager Dusty Baker added in praise of Verlander. “This guy, he has mental toughness. When he’s down and out and it looks like you got him in trouble, I mean, this guy, he can dial it up.”
While the Astros fell behind in the second inning Wednesday night after Harrison Bader tagged him with a solo shot, Verlander bounced back, retiring the last 11 Yankees he faced in a row, with nine punch-outs.
Verlander’s 11 total strikeouts gave him the eighth double-digit strikeout game of his postseason career, setting an MLB record. Verlander also became the new postseason strikeout king, setting a major league record with 219 career strikeouts in the playoffs, surpassing Clayton Kershaw‘s 213.
“I think you saw what a real Hall of Fame pitcher’s made of tonight,” fellow starter Lance McCullers Jr. said. “He had a tough start in the DS. You don’t have to beat around the bush; it wasn’t a great start. I know he wanted to do better. … You saw him work all week. He felt like he had some adjustments to make, and he made the adjustments. … In a series where there’s only one off-day, him being able to give us six amazing innings, speaks volumes for who he is as a pitcher and a competitor.”
The Yankees finished the game with 17 strikeouts, tied for the second most in a nine-inning game in postseason history. With the Astros striking out only twice, their differential of 15 strikeouts became the largest in a single game in postseason history.
“He gave us exactly the kind of performance we needed, and I feel that I say that all the time about Verlander,” said Jose Altuve, who is stuck in the longest postseason slump of his career at 0-for-19. “This was a huge win for us, alongside our bullpen, which has been exceptional all season. He set the tone and allowed us to win the first game, which is very important in a tough series like this one, and against a great team like the Yankees.”
Verlander improved to 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA in nine career postseason starts against the Yankees. This was Verlander’s 15th career postseason win, tying Hall of Famer John Smoltz for second all-time (Andy Pettitte leads with 19).
The Astros improved to 10-5 all-time in postseason play against New York, including a 7-1 record at Minute Maid Park.
For the second night in a row, the only playoff game on the schedule features the New York Yankees facing the Cleveland Guardians.
This time, it’s Game 5 at Yankee Stadium to decide their American League Division Series after New York staved off elimination Sunday, tying the series 2-all with a 4-2 victory in Cleveland behind $324 million ace Gerrit Cole.
Aaron Civale (5-6, 4.92 ERA) starts for the Guardians, his first career postseason appearance. Jameson Taillon (14-5, 3.91) goes for the Yankees after taking the Game 2 loss in a playoff debut that marked his first major league relief outing.
Taillon allowed two runs and three hits without getting an out. Civale hasn’t pitched since Oct. 5, but he’s won his last three starts with a 3.18 ERA. The right-hander was on the injured list three times this season.
The winner heads to Houston for Game 1 of the best-of-seven AL Championship Series on Wednesday night against Justin Verlander and the rested Astros.
Houston reached its sixth straight ALCS by completing a three-game Division Series sweep of Seattle when rookie Jeremy Peña homered in the 18th inning Saturday for a marathon 1-0 win over the Mariners.
AL West champion Houston (106-56) went 4-3 against the Guardians this season and 5-2 versus the Yankees.
With a history of postseason heartbreak, Cleveland teams are 1-7 in winner-take-all games — losing their last seven.
The young Guardians are trying to end Major League Baseball’s longest current World Series championship drought in their first year after a franchise name change. Cleveland hasn’t won it all since 1948.
Here’s what else to know about the MLB playoffs Monday:
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE (All times ET)
ALDS Game 5: Cleveland at New York Yankees, 7:07 p.m., TBS
A LONG TIME COMING
The San Diego Padres haven’t reached the World Series since 1998. The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t made it since 2009.
One of them is going to the final round this year.
The all-wild card matchup of Philadelphia and San Diego in the NL Championship Series features two teams that have known mostly losing in recent years. The Phillies are in the postseason for the first time since 2011, and the Padres are making the franchise’s third-ever NLCS appearance.
“This is what the city’s been waiting for for a long time,” San Diego slugger Manny Machado said.
Game 1 is Tuesday at Petco Park. Zack Wheeler is expected to start for Philadelphia, and Yu Darvish takes the mound for San Diego.
The Phillies went 4-3 against the Padres this season, last meeting on June 26.
“I don’t think any of us are shocked about where we are,” Phillies slugger Bryce Harper said. “We’re really excited about the opportunity ahead for us, and we’ve taken every opportunity and tried to go with that. And we’re just all excited as a club and a group that we can go out to the West Coast and play.”
The best-of-seven matchup features a fun twist, too — Phillies ace Aaron Nola facing his older brother, Padres catcher Austin Nola.
HARRISON’S HOMERS
Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are the biggest sluggers in the New York Yankees’ power-packed lineup. But who knew the Cleveland Guardians would have such a hard time keeping Harrison Bader in the ballpark?
Bader hit his third homer of the AL Division Series for his hometown Yankees on Sunday night, an early two-run shot that gave them a 3-0 lead on the way to a 4-2 victory in Game 4.
Bader’s first three postseason homers have been his first three long balls with the Yankees. They acquired him from St. Louis in a surprising deal for starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery at the Aug. 2 trade deadline, but the Gold Glove center fielder didn’t make his New York debut until Sept. 20 because of a foot injury.
“To be able to do it in a Yankees uniform is definitely sweet, no doubt about it,” Bader said.
The 28-year-old Bader grew up a Yankees fan just north of New York City and went to Horace Mann School, located 5 miles from Yankee Stadium.
“Every day I wake up, it feels good to be a Yankee,” he said.
Bader’s three homers in the series are his three longest this season.
RELIEF REPORT
Both managers are expected to empty their bullpens in the Division Series finale between the Guardians and Yankees, though Cleveland’s top relievers are probably fresher.
Working his third straight day, New York left-hander Wandy Peralta earned a save in Game 4 on Sunday night, retiring three batters on just seven pitches.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said it’s possible Peralta could pitch in his fifth consecutive game Monday, and Game 2 starter Nestor Cortes is also available in relief.
New York’s depleted bullpen blew Game 3 on Saturday, when the Guardians became the first team in 168 postseason games to overcome a multi-run deficit in the ninth inning and beat the Yankees.
Cleveland manager Terry Francona is confident Civale will pitch well, and after that he’s got Trevor Stephan, James Karinchak and All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase — his top three relievers — all rested and ready.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports
The regular season is officially in the books (OK, maybe there is still a game or two trickling slowly to its finish as you read this) and the 2022 MLB playoffs are set to start Friday — and this year’s postseason could be epic.
In addition to a new format that features 12 teams and a three-game wild-card round that is guaranteed to bring drama to October from the very start, there are so many storylines to follow throughout that it has a chance to be an all-time great month of baseball.
Below, we highlight the 12 themes that will dominate the entire sport as the new 12-team format begins.
I think baseball finally nailed it. Yes, there are those who will always favor the old setups of two pennants or four division winners, but the 12-team arrangement is an improvement over 10 teams (which had been the norm for the past decade). The do-or-die wild-card game, which had been around since 2012, never felt right and, frankly, never really turned into the must-see drama that the sports world stopped everything to watch anyway.
As we saw with the temporary 16-team bracket in 2020, these quick, three-game series are fun. They’re still plenty pressure-packed, but they feel more like baseball than a winner-take-all matchup.
Crucially, this format still rewards the best teams with a first-round bye and the opportunity to rest a pitching staff and line up a rotation. My only nit with where baseball landed this year is that a seven-game division series would be better than five — maybe next year, when the start of the season won’t be delayed by a lockout.
2. There’s a 111-win superteam and nobody is sure what to make of its World Series chances
The Los Angeles Dodgers won 111 games — the most ever for a National League team in a 162-game season and a total topped only by the 2001 Seattle Mariners and 1998 New York Yankees. If they win it all, they go down alongside that Yankees team as one of the greatest of all time; if they don’t win it all, they’re relegated to the back pages of history alongside those Mariners.
Since 2017, the Dodgers have had four 104-win seasons, a remarkably long period of domination … but just one World Series title. Their sole championship came in the shortened 2020 season, with playoff games played in front of empty stadiums or at neutral sites. It counts — or as a friend of mine who is a longtime die-hard Dodgers fan told me, it counts as one-third of a title. And don’t forget that teams were allowed to play with 28-man rosters that postseason, which allowed the Dodgers to use starters as relievers and relievers as starters and do things they might not have been able to do with a 26-man roster.
Alden Gonzalez had a good breakdown of the pressure the Dodgers face this October. In a sense, they’re playing for two championships: 2022 and a validation of 2020. While manager Dave Roberts told ESPN he “absolutely” considers the Dodgers a dynasty — and four 104-win seasons certainly back that claim up — two titles would definitely secure their place in history as one of the greatest teams of all time.
3. We’ve got a real chance of a repeat
After winning the World Series in 2021, the Atlanta Braves lost Freddie Freeman to the Dodgers — and got younger and better, winning 101 games and their fifth straight division title. No team has repeated as World Series champs since the Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000; the Braves have the power, the pitching and the momentum — after stealing the NL East in the final week with a three-game sweep of the New York Mets — to do it.
And it’s not just a repeat, the Braves might be on their way to a dynasty here. Their turnaround from a 10½-game deficit to the division title began when they called up Michael Harris II to play center field in late May and moved Spencer Strider to the rotation. From June 1 — the first win in a 14-game winning streak — to the end of the regular season, they went 78-34. Strider’s injured oblique might keep him out of the playoffs, but they still have Max Fried, 20-game winner Kyle Wright and October hero of the past Charlie Morton, plus a lineup that led the NL in home runs.
4. Speaking of dynasties … what do we make of the Houston Astros?
You might have noticed by now, but there are a lot of good teams at the top of this year’s playoff bracket. We have four 100-win clubs in the Dodgers, Astros, Braves and Mets, with the Yankees finishing at 99 wins. The you-can’t-predict-baseball nature of the postseason doesn’t guarantee we’ll see two of these teams in the World Series, but if we do, there’s a good chance we’ll see a classic series. The last matchup of 100-win teams in the World Series was 2017, when the Astros beat the Dodgers in seven thrilling games. Before that, you have to go all the way back to 1970 to have two 100-win teams in the World Series.
The Astros also have four 100-win seasons since 2017, including 107 in 2019 and 106 this season. Sign-stealing scandal or not, if they win the World Series, perhaps they go down as the dominant franchise of this era. And an added bonus? After 25 years of managing in the big leagues and making his 12th trip to the postseason, manager Dusty Baker is hoping to finally win that final game of the season.
To make matters more interesting, the Astros appear on a collision course to meet the Yankees in the American League Championship Series for the third time since 2017. Remember the war of words in the spring between Astros owner Jim Crane and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman after Cashman cried that the only thing that had stopped the Yankees in previous seasons from reaching the World Series was “something that was so illegal and horrific.” A Yankees-Astros ALCS would be an epic battle — even if it is one Evil Empire versus another.
5. New York baseball is B-A-C-K
This is now the Yankees’ 13th season since last appearing in a World Series in 2009 — an unacceptable length of time for baseball’s richest and most historically successful franchise with 27 titles in a sport where the wealthiest teams have a decided advantage. Longtime fans will note the Yankees are closing in on the infamous World Series drought from 1982 to 1995, the reign of terror era under George Steinbrenner when he cycled through 13 managers and seven general managers.
On the other side of town: The Mets won 100 games for just the fourth time in franchise history and first time since 1988, but they enter the postseason with the bitter taste of defeat after losing that final series to the Braves. Everyone knows that Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer can carry a team through a postseason — but deGrom allowed 14 runs and six home runs in 21 innings over his final four starts, so the Mets will need him to find that groove where he posted a 1.66 ERA over his first seven starts after returning in August. Still, this is hardly a two-man team: Pete Alonso led the NL in RBIs, Francisco Lindor might finish in the top 10 of the MVP voting, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker are solid 3-4 starters and Edwin Diaz has been a lockdown closer. The Mets have had their moments since that run of success in the 1980s, including two World Series appearances, but it’s been 36 years since their iconic 1986 team won it all.
6. Did you really think we forgot about Aaron Judge?
Yes, both teams have made New York baseball interesting all season, but nobody has been more at the center of that than the man who just finished up a 62-home run campaign — and has fans of both New York teams envisioning his free agency will end with him signing with their club.
Now, we have Judge trying to cap off what might be arguably the greatest season of any player in history — by that, I mean a historic regular season, a great postseason and a World Series title. Ted Williams in 1941? Didn’t even win the pennant. Carl Yastrzemski in 1967? The highest single-season WAR for a position player other than Babe Ruth, but the Red Sox lost the World Series. Bob Gibson in 1968? A 1.12 ERA and a record 17 strikeouts in one World Series game, but he lost Game 7. Dwight Gooden in 1985? The Mets missed the playoffs. Pedro Martinez in 1999? The Red Sox lost in the ALCS. Barry Bonds in 2001? The Giants didn’t make the playoffs. Bonds in 2002? He had a great postseason, but the Giants lost Game 7 of the Fall Classic. Mookie Betts in 2018? A 10.7-WAR season that matches Judge and the Red Sox won the World Series, but Betts had a lackluster postseason (.210/.300/.323).
7. Can the GOAT go out on top?
Let’s not forget the other slugger who made home run history this season — Albert Pujols. Every player would love to go out on top, either still playing well or with a dogpile on the field. Almost none of them do. Pujols and Yadier Molina have a chance to do that — and maybe Adam Wainwright joins them in retirement as well (he’s yet to officially announce his status for 2023).
The three St. Louis Cardinals legends reunited this season when Pujols returned after a 10-year exile, and all three will play a key role in what happens to the club in October. As will Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, two of the greatest players of their generation who will likely finish 1-2 in the MVP voting in the NL — and who both seek their first trip to the World Series.
8. The playoff drought-busters
While the Cardinals come into this postseason with loads of October experience, there are two franchises about to get their first taste of the playoffs in a long, long time. The Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies ended the sport’s two longest playoff droughts in securing wild-card spots, although both teams will be on the road for the first round — Seattle at Toronto, Philadelphia at St. Louis.
When Cal Raleigh hit his pinch-hit walk-off home run to clinch a wild-card spot, the Mariners celebrated like they had won the World Series. Can you blame them? Twenty-one years is a long time between playoff appearances. Sure, they had plenty of terrible teams along the way, but also several near misses: 93 wins in 2002 and 2003, 88 wins in 2007, one win short in 2014, three short in 2016, alive until the final day last season. They aren’t even guaranteed a home playoff game if they don’t beat the Blue Jays, although you can bet the watch party at T-Mobile Park will have a playoff-like atmosphere.
The good news is Julio Rodriguez returned from his back problem to play a couple of games at the end of the regular season (and homered in the season finale). The bad news is second-half spark plug Sam Haggerty and outfielder/DH Jesse Winker both just landed on the injured list. The rotation and bullpen are healthy, however — Luis Castillo looks like a legitimate ace when he’s on, while Logan Gilbert had a 2.00 ERA in September, allowing one run or less in five of his six starts. If you like a good underdog story, believe in the Mariners.
Meanwhile, the Phillies had the majors’ second-longest playoff drought, making it for the first time since 2011. They have Bryce Harper, back in the postseason for the first time since 2017, and power-hitting Kyle Schwarber, who led the NL in home runs. Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suarez (2.95 ERA since July 16) are a strong rotation trio. I wouldn’t bet on them in the tough NL, but there are similarities here in roster construction to the 2019 Nationals, who went from the wild card to World Series champs.
9. The World Series curses we don’t talk about enough
The Cleveland Guardians are trying to win their first World Series since 1948. The San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays are trying to win their first one, while the aforementioned Mariners remain the only franchise never to play in a World Series.
The Guardians’ World Series drought has never received as much attention as the ones for the Red Sox and Cubs did, but it’s now been 74 years since the Cleveland franchise won it all — longer than the 1986 Red Sox had gone (68 years) when they lost to the Mets. How about winning it all in the first season with the new nickname? They might make a movie out of that given this list of Cleveland’s postseason heartbreaks:
1995: The best team in baseball that year, but they lost the World Series to the Braves.
1997: Blew a ninth-inning lead in Game 7 of the World Series to the Marlins and lost in extra innings.
2007: Lost the ALCS to the Red Sox after being up 3-1.
2016: Were up 3-1 on the Cubs in the World Series and lost Game 7, again, in extra innings.
2017: Lost the division series to the Yankees after being up 2-0.
And then there’s the team that’s been around since 1969 — and never won it all. The Padres made World Series appearances in 1984 and 1998, but this is just the seventh postseason trip in franchise history.
But these aren’t your older brother’s Padres. This is a team that has spent the past three seasons acquiring an All-Star squad of talent while playing with a brash style that could make it very popular this postseason — if the Padres can stick around long enough for national fans to get familiar with their stars. They’ve gone all-in to dethrone the Dodgers in recent seasons — only to fall well short. But they squeaked in, and anything can happen in the playoffs, right? Especially with Manny Machado and Juan Soto and Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish and a suddenly rejuvenated Blake Snell (1.76 ERA over his final seven starts). The Mets-Padres wild-card series is the one to watch — with the winner facing the Dodgers in a colossal division series showdown.
10. The redemption stories
Let’s see here. We’ve got Justin Verlander, who after missing 2021 with Tommy John surgery, came back and went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA while leading the American League in wins, ERA, WHIP and lowest batting average allowed. His status as future Hall of Famer is secure, but with a big October and another World Series championship for the Astros, his legacy becomes that of an inner-circle Hall of Famer. DeGrom and Scherzer missed some time, and deGrom sputtered at the end of the season, but that dynamic pair could carry the Mets to their first title since 1986. And then of course, there is Clayton Kershaw. Yes, he got his ring a couple of years ago, but he was injured last October, and he hasn’t won a ring in a full season with a normal postseason. How will he perform?
11. The October introduction of some legit young stars
As my colleague Kiley McDaniel pointed out recently, this is the best rookie class since Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki debuted in 2001 — and most of the biggest names will be playing in the postseason (sorry, Adley Rutschman). We’ve got Rodriguez leading the Mariners and Harris and Strider on the Braves.
But it’s not just the rookies who will remind us how bright the future of baseball is this postseason …
While we often think of the Rays as a parade of bullpen arms, they also have two budding young superstars in Wander Franco and Shane McClanahan who could power another small-market success story this postseason. And across the AL East, Alek Manoah, Alejandro Kirk, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. form a young core that makes the Blue Jays a team nobody wants to face this postseason. Of course, the question we’ll all be waiting to see answered is how these young stars will handle the bright lights of October … or should we say November.
12. It’s an October so great — it could take part of November to finish it
That’s right, thanks to the combination of the new format and the MLB lockout pushing back the start of the season, Game 7 of the 2022 World Series would take place on Nov. 5, the latest date of a playoff game in MLB history.
If every series goes the distance, we’ll get 53 postseason games with all of these incredible storylines fueling the possibility that any given night can become a must-see moment for baseball fans. Of course, in the end we need great games to have a great postseason.
That’s what still makes 1986 the gold standard for all postseasons. There were just 20 playoff games that October — the seven-game ALCS between the Red Sox and Angels, the six-game NLCS between the Mets and Astros, then the seven-game World Series when the Mets beat the Red Sox. Five of the 20 games went extra innings. Eight were decided by one run. Several are all-time classics, including Game 5 of the ALCS; Games 3, 5 and 6 of the NLCS; and Games 6 and 7 of the World Series.
The stage is set. I’m going with the Dodgers over the Astros. I’ll take Kershaw versus Verlander in Game 7 of the World Series, thank you very much.
