With the regular season now over for 28 of the league’s 30 clubs, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. NL Wild Card race reaches finish line:
MLB was forced to postpone the final two games of a three-game set between the Braves and Mets last week due to the impact of Hurricane Helene, but with the final two NL Wild Card spots still up in the air after the scheduled end of the regular season, those games will be made up as part of a doubleheader today. If either Atlanta or New York get swept in today’s doubleheader, they’ll miss the playoffs as the winner moves on to face the Padres in San Diego during the Wild Card Series, while the Diamondbacks head to Milwaukee for a match up against the Brewers. If the two teams split the series, the Braves will head to San Diego while the Mets head to Milwaukee, leaving Arizona out of the playoffs and unable to defend their status as the reigning champs of the NL.
Game 1 of today’s doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1:10pm local time in Atlanta. Rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (3.47 ERA in 20 starts) will be on the mound for the Braves in Game 1, and The Athletic’s David O’Brien was among those to note that veteran southpaw Chris Sale (2.38 ERA in 29 starts) will take the mound in Game 2 if the Braves are facing elimination. In the event that Braves win Game 1 today, however, Atlanta appears poised to push Sale back to tomorrow so he can face San Diego in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. As for the Mets, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com notes that right-hander Tylor Megill (3.98 ERA in 14 starts) is set to face Schwellenbach in Game 1 while Luis Severino (3.91 ERA in 31 starts) will start Game 2 if the Mets are facing elimination. Like Sale, Severino would be held back for the start of the Wild Card Series should New York emerge victorious in Game 1.
2. Cardinals to hold presser amid organizational changes:
As noted by MLB.com’s John Denton, the Cardinals are set to hold a press conference at 2pm local time in St. Louis this afternoon on the heels of a disappointing 83-79 season where the club missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. The presser comes on the heels of plenty of news in the rumor mill regarding the Cardinals’ future over the weekend. That includes a report that the club will part ways with longtime first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and look to deal veteran players over the winter in an effort to cut payroll, with veteran right-hander Sonny Gray among those who could be shopped. While president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and manager Oli Marmol are both set to remain in their roles with the club in 2025, former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom figures to take a much larger role in the club’s front office going forward.
3. Red Sox to hold end of season press conference:
The Red Sox announced last week that manager Alex Cora, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and team president Sam Kennedy are scheduled to hold a press conference together later today to discuss the club’s plans for the offseason as they look ahead to 2025. Boston finished the year with an 81-81 record and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season, though they did enjoy breakouts from young members of their core like Tanner Houck, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu. Veteran starter Nick Pivetta, closer Kenley Jansen, set-up man Chris Martin, and slugger Tyler O’Neill are among the club’s outgoing free agents this winter.
Mets win Game 1 please, no Sales at Petco!
Red Sox press conference is bound to be nothing but your usual cliches about what a great job Cora did, how the young talent is coming along and how they’ll be looking at adding “the right” players.
Huge first game for the Mets, and the Cards seen what Harris did with the youth in Detroit, and said yes !
The Tampa Oakland model those teams used for years to get into the playoffs is finally here in Detroit. This is so good now for Detroit. The farm is deep, and they have choices for a change. GO TIGERS !
Please at the press conference do not …. I say …. Please …..do not say we’re GOING FULL THROTTLE in 25!!!
They’ll say full throttle and then immediately backpedal later, just like last offseason.
acoss – Nah, they won’t backpedal until after season ticket renewals are due …. just like last offseason ;O)
Fever,
That’s pretty bad lol
Cubs have their own issues too, God forbid Hoyer gets something done with two straight playoff misses…
acoss – It was LITERALLY the day after the season ticket renewal deadline when Werner said he misspoke.
Ownership is incredibly unethical and classless, especially Werner and Henry. Not even showing up for Larry’s funeral was par for the course.
Didn’t bother showing up for Joe’s last game either.
Very sad commentary Fever but it says all you need to know about Sox ownership. Too bad fans have no backbone. I left T-Mobile and will not be paying for the package in 25. Getting at no extra cost was great but then they raised my bill enough to cover that cost. As I needed new phones and they were not being competitive with their offers, I left. Now that it’s actual money out of my pocket, I will not spend unless ownership first makes big moves to truly compete.
dewey – The best part of the press conference was Kennedy saying there’s no plans to buy the Celts, I hope to God that’s the truth. Wouldn’t want another Boston franchise ruined by FSG’s corporate greed.
Yeah I don’t blame you on the T-Mobile situation, if I ever lose my grandfathered plan – and I’m guessing it will happen eventually – I would explore other options.
When the Sox finally decide to compete, you could always get the package around June at 50% off.
Well, the Cards are brining back Mo and Marmol. They’ve learned nothing. Not only another lost season coming, but empty stands, which leads to lower spending, which leads to more lost seasons. There’s gotta be an interested buyer for this team out there somewhere.
Red Sox Bluprint 2.0:
1) Red Sox need more SP and less Left-Handed bats.
2) Avoid Big Ticket FAs (Soto, Burns, Bregman, etc)
3) Devers moves to DH for health and defensive improvement.
————-
1) Trade Casas for Gilbert or Kirby (add in prospect if necessary).
2) Sign one of the LH FA pitchers (Boyd, Manaea, Heaney, or Kikuchi).
3) Trade Yoshida and eat some salary to open up the DH spot.
4) Sign one of the RH hitting 1Bs (Walker, Santander or Goldschmidt).
5) Story at SS, and let the kids battle it out for the rest of the infield positions (Gonzalez, Grissom, Hamilton, Sogard, Medrioth and Mayer, Campbell)
6) Add a backup catcher (Grandal)
If enough money:
7) Short-term Closer (Yates, Chapman), otherwise let in-house competition settle it.
Have to feel for Arizona a bit in this particular situation. Doubleheader to settle elimination is rough for all parties involved.
On the flip side for Arizona here is that if teams weren’t so concerned with launch angle and velocity and simply played situational baseball when the scores dictate doing so they might have won another game or 2 to avoid this situation.
As a modern fan high velocity and mashing bombs are cool but it plays into the media rights, ticket sales, etc. I’m a bit old school in that enjoying the little pieces of the game are much more enjoyable than double digit strikeout performances vs teams that refuse to make approach changes in game.
Start the movement of working counts, hitting behind runners, gap to gap approach!!
AZ has had a very good year. Hard to believe 89 wins may not be enough in this expanded playoffs set up
@VANC
“I’m a bit old school in that enjoying the little pieces of the game are much more enjoyable”
You’re not paying attention
These are the little parts of the game
It all started with the 2014 Pirates when they went big on shifting the infield. They then realized that if they got more ground balls the shift would be even more effective. So, they focused on 2-seam fastballs.
The league caught on and everyone started doing it.
Offensed had to adjust. To avoid hitting ground balls to shifted infielders, batters changed their swing angles to better meet the incoming trajectory of the ball. No more level swings hitting the tops of sinking pitches – elevate and celebrate.
Pitchers countered the offense’s counter attack. The upward swings left hitters susceptible to high 4-seam fastballs.
Pitches and pitch arsenals are crafted in the lab now. Tunneling. Seam-shifted wake.
The game within the game has never been more intense.
You should check it out.
Pregame strategy is great. Love it. Good organizations have a plan and stick to it and build bottom up.
My biggest qualm with players currently is the lack of adjustments made in game. Having been to numerous MLB and MiLB games this season I’ve seen many stick to their approach (I understand that’s what got them there) rather than having the game/score dictate. Far too many 0-4 3 strikeout games this year for my liking.
@VANC
“the lack of adjustments made in game”
I don’t think that you know that this is true. How could you?
Dasha:
They’re not adjusting in-game on iPads, they’re catching up on The Bachelor. Despicable
Obviously an outsiders opinion and a subjective opinion.
The eye test from this fans perspective doesn’t pass in many situations.
Switching gears from organizational values, the O’s are playing their best ball going into the playoffs. They’re dangerous!
Love watching the O’s, but not enough pitching. Hot hitting is not what produces magical runs in the playoffs. It’s hot pitching, particularly relievers.
The Cardinals missed their reboot window by trying to piece together a team of aging starting pitching and losing all value in their position players. They should have traded Arenado, Goldschmidt and Mikolas this past offseason.
Would help if they would actually let their young guys succeed when they get called up rather than trying to cram them into a box and watching them flounder, either keeping them and killing their confidence or dumping them right away and seeing them excel somewhere else. Wish they would notice that pattern and do something about it.
The whole Arenado trade was a pretty big mistake. Yeah they got one great year out of him (his career year, I think) in 2022, but they are also paying him the 5th highest position player salary in baseball and moved not one but TWO elite hitting prospects off their natural 3B position to fit him in.
There have obviously been worse trades and contracts, but to invest that much in him instead of pitching was just a bad idea. Funnily enough, Arenado had only very slightly more bWAR than Austin Gomber, for whom he was traded, this year.
Colorado is paying some of his contract. His salary declines over the next 3 years the Cardinals owe him 64 million through 2027. That’s really not that bad considering they got an MVP caliber season out of the deal.
Since it escaped MLBTR’s attention, I would like to congratulate Reinsdorf and Getz on leading the White Sox to a record setting 121 loss season. The ’62 Mets lost 120, but they were an expansion team and had to take the players the rest of the league didn’t protect. Getz hand-picked this team. So, how to celebrate their achievement?
-TP reinsdorf’s mansion with Brooklyn Dodger’s toilet paper?
-hide the training wheels off of Getz’ Gremlin?
-send a letter of thanks to Bowie Kuhn for making Bill Veeck sell this franchise to Reinsdorf in the first place?
It continues to amaze me that the White Sox were the worst team in baseball history despite having a top 5 pitcher in the game, arguably top 3. Reminds me of Steve Carlton.
The White Sox actually finished with a higher winning percentage than those Mets this year. They played 2 more games than the Mets did and split them. They might have more losses but they also had more wins than the Mets.
And that gets you what, exactly? They were still an absolute disgrace.
@remember
“And that gets you what, exactly? ”
Not the worst record in MLB history
But the Colt 45’s were in the same position and they didn’t even lose 100 games. So the Mets were pretty epic that year, only winning 40 games. Plus there was the post game video with Casey Stengel throwing his cap in the air when they won and on the ground when they lost.
I saw Jeff passan on ESPN talk about this scenario where if the braves and Mets both forfeit a game or intentionally lose one then they both win and go to the playoffs
I remember this happened a few years ago with the chargers and raiders I believe but in that game the teams still decided to play for the win and not the season
Going to be an interesting day in the NL regardless. There isn’t too much love between the Braves and Mets so I can’t see either team giving the other one a “courtesy W”. The Diamondbacks are obviously going to be watching both games today on the edge of their seats.
The D’Backs could sell tickets to a watch party thing at their park, invest all of it in Bitcoin, and if Bitcoin Clears $100,000 they could afford a closer who won’t dump the season like Paul Sewald did this year
Sewald is the main reason they made the playoffs and went on their run last year. Relief pitchers giveth, and relief pitcher taketh away.
They don’t need to watch game 1. Means nothing who wins that one, only game 2.
A rookie tryin’ to save the Braves’ season? Bah! In my day, a rookie was lucky to carry a veteran’s bags, let alone pitch in a do-or-die game!
The 1944 Cincinnati Reds used 15 year old Joe Nuxhall in a game. He didn’t fare so well.
This situation is incredibly unfair to both teams. It’s not like you didn’t know there would be a hurricane. So get the teams to a neutral stadium and play the damn games on the schedule. Jeez Louise it’s not like hurricanes are some new thing. MLB stinks at basic common sense solutions.
If I were these two teams I would each forfeit one game and tell MLB to stuff it.
They should’ve had a doubleheader on the day they got a game in. Maybe had a game on Mondays off day too but as for weather you really didn’t know for sure until a day before at the most. A hurricane can move anywhere it wants before it makes landfall. We arent talking about Florida we are talking about leftover effects all the way up in suburban ATL. If the hurricane shifted a bit it’s possible those games are played. And it was possible they weren’t necessary anyway. I don’t like changing stadiums. They were Braves home games. ATL is supposed to have homefield advantage here. If you knew absolutely it would happen then you would’ve just had the games played Monday and Tuesday at Truist.
My somewhat objective playoff rankings
NL
1/2) Dodgers and Phillies
3) Padres
4) DBacks
5/6/7) Mets, Braves and Brewers
AL)
1) Yankees
2/3) Astros and Orioles
4) Guardians
5/6) Royals and Tigers
Dasha: No love for the midwest. I agree on Cleve, but think Milwaukee better than DBacks.
It’s getting a little ridiculous with all the negative Cardinals stuff here. Look at the Cubs. They were supposed to be better than the Cardinals in 2024 and they weren’t. Lot of guys in their primes. Imanaga and Busch were good moves and the Cubs still weren’t any good. Any articles about that? Any press conferences? Perhaps the Cubs and their fans are better at losing. And that’s not a compliment…….
This NL playoff situation certainly opens the door to the integrity of the game. Just saying. We win one, you win one and we’re both in the playoffs and Arizona is helpless.
.
“Integrity of the game”…C’mon bro, that literally could happen at any point in the season, not just today with Mets vs Braves.
And with sports leagues completely in bed with(potentially organized crime)gambling operators, how does any sports league claim “integrity”?
I’m a huge D-backs supporter and wanted to see them do well, but they had their chances just like all the other teams.
Then Lindor goes yard. If the rest of the playoffs are like this, count me in….
Will the Mets have anyone available to play game 2 after the clubhouse celebration?
I would expect them to rest multiple starters in preparation for Tuesday’s game.
Guess that means the Snakes out the playoffs….
Sale scratched from his start with Braves’ backs against the wall. Will make for an interesting game 2….
Advantage Atlanta, because their back is to the wall and the Mets don’t care, but you never know…
Those 2 Snake fans are totally bummed tonite….
Sam Kennedy is an absolute skunk
Weasel. Same family, but sneakier!