The Braves and Mets both clinched their NL wild-card berths on Monday by splitting an afternoon doubleheader, eliminating Arizona in the process.
Atlanta will take on San Diego in the wild-card round, while the Mets will face the Brewers.
While Detroit has the longest odds to win the World Series of any playoff team at +2800, just two weeks ago, the Tigers sat at +40000 to emerge victorious in the Fall Classic. They qualified for the postseason by going 15-5 over their last 20 games.
Which team do you like to win the next World Series? Follow FOX Sports for the latest MLB news.
The MLB postseason is under way, with the wild-card round beginning with four best-of-three series.
The Astros-Tigers winner faces AL Central champion Cleveland in a best-of-five Division Series beginning Saturday, and the Orioles-Royals winner plays the AL East champion New York Yankees.
In the NL the Braves and Mets both advanced to the postseason by splitting their doubleheader on Monday, leaving the Diamondbacks out of luck.
Atlanta will start it’s wild-card series at San Diego on Tuesday, while the Mets will head to Milwaukee to face the Brewers.
The Dodgers and Phillies are awaiting their opponents in the NL Divisional Series that will begin on Saturday. Both of those games will be on FOX.
Follow along with all the wild card action right here!
The American League might’ve had the more stacked All-Star roster, but there’s no shortage of talent in the National League playoff field. That much was evident in Part 2 of our superteam draft.
After selecting AL teams — each roster includes eight position players, one designated hitter, four starting pitchers and one closer — Fox Sports’ Deesha Thosar and Rowan Kavner moved on to their ultimate NL rosters. Only players expected to be playing this October were eligible. (Worth noting: Since pitching triple crown winner Chris Sale is unavailable for the wild-card round, he was ultimately ruled out for this draft, too.)
The writers could assemble their teams in any order but had to declare what position each player would occupy upon selecting them. Again, they took some … creative liberties with those positions. And, again, the competitive juices got flowing.
Since Thosar drafted first in the AL version, Kavner got first pick for the NL portion. From there, the two writers switched off picks, and the back-and-forth barbs and slights commenced until two superteams formed.
No. 1 (Kavner): Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers DH Rowan: It takes an otherworldly type of talent for a DH to go first here. Ohtani, who leads the National League in WAR at a time when he can only hit, is that singular talent. He has already delivered plenty of unforgettable moments in his first season with the Dodgers, including a walk-off grand slam to get to 40/40 and one of the greatest single-game performances of all time to record the first 50/50 season in MLB history. I expect more to come in his first ever postseason.
Deesha: Keep it snippy, Kavner. I have a soccer game to play. We don’t need 150 words on why you selected Ohtani first.
No. 2 (Thosar): Francisco Lindor, Mets SS Deesha: It’s only right for the NL MVP runner-up to go second. He carried the Mets all year with a sore back to prove it. On my squad, he won’t need to do as much heavy lifting, but the clutch performances will be welcomed.
No. 3 (Kavner): Bryce Harper, Phillies 1B Rowan: As good as the two-time MVP is during the regular season, there’s another level the 2022 NLCS MVP tends to find in October. With a career postseason OPS close to 1.000, he brings a level of playoff intimidation and experience to my squad that few can match.
No. 4 (Thosar): Mookie Betts, Dodgers 2B Deesha: It’s time for Betts to get redemption for last year’s 0-for-11 showing in the postseason and starting at second will help him shake off those demons. Plus, Betts himself has admitted he believes he plays better when he’s part of the infield mix, so I’m setting him up for optimum success.
Rowan: You’ve been thinking hard, huh? Had that SS/RF ready to go at 2B.
Deesha: Overthinking is the name of the game.
Rowan: That angle throwing from 2b might feel a little different now …
Deesha: Gotta be easier than rolling a bowling ball.
No. 5 (Kavner): Fernando Tatís Jr., Padres RF Rowan: Injuries have not been kind to Tatis lately, but they didn’t stop him from winning a Platinum Glove in his first full season in right field last year, and they didn’t stop him from producing when on the field this season. This is still one of the sport’s most dynamic talents, as evidenced by his .958 OPS since the start of June.
Deesha: Arghhhhhhhh.Whatever, .607 OPS in his last seven days.
No. 6 (Thosar): Kyle Schwarber, Phillies LF Deesha: Postseason hero with a .941 OPS and 20 home runs in 65 playoff games? Sign me up. I’m asking for a little more from him as my left fielder when he’s used to DHing, but he handled it all the way to the World Series in 2022, and he can handle it again.
Rowan: Lotta open grass on that defense.
Deesha: My starters won’t even let balls go out that far.
No. 7 (Kavner): William Contreras, Brewers C Rowan: Another year, another .800-plus OPS for the Brewers backstop, who leads all NL catchers in hits, homers, doubles and RBIs. Among NL catchers with 100 games played this year, he leads in every slash line category. He’s hitting the ball harder and whiffing less than ever before, and he played a vital role in putting Milwaukee atop the Central. Sign me up.
No. 8 (Thosar): Zack Wheeler, Phillies SP Deesha: Wheeler doesn’t get nearly enough credit for being arguably the best big-game pitcher in the game right now. He’s consistently calm under pressure-packed moments, and then backs it up with a 2.42 postseason ERA across 11 outings (10 starts). Ace.
No. 9. (Kavner): Manny Machado, Padres 3B Rowan: It was a difficult start to the year for Machado as he worked his way back from elbow surgery, but the six-time All-Star looks like himself again. He has an .879 OPS since the start of June, and he has settled back in at the hot corner after DH’ing early in the year. That game-ending triple play last week was something to behold.
Deesha: I deserve that for going for my ace that early
No. 10 (Thosar): Jackson Merrill, Padres CF Deesha: Besides helping Schwarber cover some (most) of that outfield grass, I’m expecting the Rookie of the Year candidate to have a banger of a first-career postseason on a red-hot Padres team. He had a .982 OPS with seven home runs in late and close games and nine homers in high-leverage situations. With the season on the line, I won’t be sweating it when Merrill is at the plate.
Rowan: That’ll help!
Deesha: Why do you think I put Schwarbs in left?Twice now you’ve missed out on the best CF available.
Rowan: I’ll live with what I’ve got.
No. 11 (Kavner): Willy Adames, Brewers SS Rowan: Getting a guy with more than 30 homers, 20 steals and 100 RBIs at this point in the draft? I’ll take it. Adames will be getting paiiiid this winter regardless, but a strong postseason showing can only help the impending free agent’s case. The only NL player who has knocked in more runs than Adames this season is Ohtani. Nice to have them both on the squad.
Deesha: He’s gonna be an interesting one in free agency.
No. 12 (Thosar): Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers RF Deesha: The All-Star slugger finished his one-year deal with the Dodgers by becoming BFFs with Ohtani and crushing 33 home runs with a .891 OPS that topped all NL outfielders with a minimum of 210 plate appearances. He fits right into my now stacked outfield, too.
No. 13 (Kavner): Jackson Chourio, Brewers LF Rowan: I got a 50/50 guy to start, a 30/20 guy with my last pick and now a 20/20 guy in Chourio. Extraordinary rookie seasons from Paul Skenes and Merrill have taken some of the attention away from Chourio, but the Brewers rookie has an OPS over .900 in the second half. He has figured this thing out.
No. 14 (Thosar): Freddie Freeman, Dodgers 1B Deesha: I didn’t want to insult him by taking him too much later, but after Rowan took Harper early, I knew I could wait. Freeman being in the second tier of first basemen just goes to show how stacked this position is in the NL and how lucky we all are to get to watch them go to work in the playoffs again.
No. 15 (Kavner): Dylan Cease, Padres SP Rowan: It’s past time to take my first arm, and with Chris Sale off the table due to injury, I feel good getting a guy in Cease who has a no-hitter under his belt this year and an elite strikeout rate right up there with the best in the game.
No. 16 (Thosar): Michael King, Padres SP Deesha: King taking the ball for Game 1 of the wild-card round against the Braves is exactly the kind of energy I need in my rotation. It’s been an excellent year for the righty after he was transplanted from the Bronx for Juan Soto, to the point where King flashed a lower regular-season ERA (2.85) than his rotation-mate Cease.
Rowan: Let me know if this is allowed …
No. 17 (Kavner): Trea Turner, Phillies 2B Rowan: OK, time to play my “you-used-Santander-out-of-position-in-the-AL-draft” card. If he can be put in left field, I feel like I can conjure memories of 2021 Turner and bump him over to second. A lineup with plenty of power and speed gets even more.
Deesha: Only allowed if he played there this year! This is not like Mookie at second!
Rowan: Santander didn’t play LF this year!
Deesha: Oh, you’re right, it was last year, lol.
Rowan: And he played one game there last year.
Deesha: You need all the help you can get right now, so out of pity, this is fine.
No. 18 (Thosar): Max Fried, Braves SP Deesha: Fried will have to be the starting pitcher to step up for the Braves with Sale down for the foreseeable future, and he ended the regular season with the right stuff to get the job done. The lefty takes a 2.39 ERA over his final eight starts of the year into the postseason.
No. 19 (Kavner): Reynaldo López, Braves SP Rowan: There was always the injury risk for López as his innings mounted in his first season as a full-time starter since the COVID year, but he has persevered through forearm and shoulder issues in the second half and remains lights out every time he takes the mound. Paul Skenes is the only starter who’s thrown 100 innings this year with a lower ERA.
Deesha: I went back and forth between him and Fried foreva.
No. 20 (Thosar): Robert Suarez, Padres closer Deesha: Sure, Suarez surrendered some ugly blown saves this season when he was fatigued, but how can you not go with the guy who has the most saves among NL playoff closers? He’s the final piece of the puzzle in a Padres bullpen that is stacked, and I trust him to get the final three outs when the season is on the line.
No. 21 (Kavner): Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers SP Rowan: He’s one of the postseason’s biggest wild cards — and the Dodgers’ biggest X-factor. Yamamoto didn’t go more than five innings in any of his four September outings after missing nearly three months with a shoulder issue, but the swing-and-miss stuff is still there to dominate as long as he can hold up, and he has the chance to end his stateside debut on a high note. The Dodgers’ pitching staff needs it.
Deesa: Nooooooo! Whyyyyyyy? Aaaaaaaaghhhhhh!
Rowan: We have no idea what we’re getting from him, but it might be good. Also, he’ll never go on short rest.
No. 22 (Thosar): J.D. Martinez, Mets DH Deesha: The veteran slugger already hit rock bottom with his 0-for-33 hitless stretch in September, so it can only go up from here. I’m relying on Martinez to find his 2018 postseason magic (.300 BA, .923 OPS, 14 games) that helped the Red Sox win a championship.
No. 23 (Kavner): Devin Williams, Brewers closer Rowan: A back injury held Williams out for the first half — and made the Brewers’ success all the more remarkable — but the shutdown closer and his airbender changeup are back in typical form. He didn’t allow a run in any of his final 13 appearances of the year, and opponents managed just four hits against him during that stretch.
No. 24 (Thosar): Freddy Peralta, Brewers SP Deesha: Another wild-card Game 1 starter in my rotation is a win for me. Peralta will get the ball to open the Brewers’ postseason run after a solid regular season that featured a career-high 32 starts to accompany the ninth-best ERA (3.68) among NL starters who will pitch in October.
No. 25 (Kavner): Jack Flaherty, Dodgers SP Rowan: How much do the Tigers wish they still had this guy? The most significant arm to move at the deadline hasn’t pitched to quite the same level in Los Angeles as he did in Detroit to start the year, but there’s a reason he was so highly coveted. This is great value for a pitcher who ranks in the top four among all qualified MLB starters this year in both strikeout rate and strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Deesha: I forgot about him.
Rowan: I was stuck between the Phillies guys and him. He has been … not as good lately.
No. 26 (Thosar): J.T. Realmuto, Phillies C Deesha: This was the first time since 2016 that Realmuto finished a full season with fewer than 17 home runs, but he was limited to just 99 games due to injury. Now that he’s fully healthy, I’m expecting Realmuto to be a catalyst on my squad, bringing veteran presence and star power to the bottom of my lineup.
No. 27 (Kavner): Michael Harris II, Braves CF Rowan: It hasn’t been the season the former Rookie of the Year would have hoped for, but injuries and poor luck were part of it. He’s still hitting the ball hard, he’s still an elite outfielder, and the 23-year-old is turning his season around at the perfect time. He was one of MLB’s most valuable players in September, and I would expect that to continue as the calendar turns. Also, there’s a dearth of center fielders in the National League.
Deesha: Lol.
Rowan: Also kinda crazy we’re not drafting Jurickson Profar.
Deesha: Yeah, I thought that too.
No. 28 (Thosar): Mark Vientos, Mets 3B Deesha: Listen, Vientos ended the regular season with the highest OPS (.861) among NL third basemen with a minimum of 300 plate appearances this season. He also had the fourth-highest fWAR (3.2) across all qualified NL third basemen, and that’s nothing to sneeze at. He stayed on the field, parked 27 home runs, and became one of the best in the league at his position. The hot corner doesn’t faze Vientos, and he fits right in on my stacked squad.
Rowan: OMGGGGGGGGG
Deesha: Alec Bohm is somewhere crying.
Team Rowan’s starting lineup:
1. Shohei Ohtani, DH 2. Fernando Tatís Jr., RF 3. Bryce Harper, 1B 4. Manny Machado, 3B 5. Willy Adames, SS 6. William Contreras, C 7. Trea Turner, 2B 8. Michael Harris II, CF 9. Jackson Chourio, LF
SP1: Dylan Cease SP2: Reynaldo López SP3: Jack Flaherty SP4: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Closer: Devin Williams
Team Deesha’s starting lineup:
1. Francisco Lindor, SS 2. Mookie Betts, 2B 3. Freddie Freeman, 1B 4. Kyle Schwarber, LF 5. Teoscar Hernández, RF 6. Jackson Merrill, CF 7. J.D. Martinez, DH 8. Matt Vientos, 3B 9. J.T. Realmuto, C
SP1: Zack Wheeler SP2: Michael King SP3: Max Fried SP4: Freddy Peralta Closer: Robert Suárez
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
Slugger Yordan Álvarez and outfielder Chas McCormick returned to the Houston Astros active roster for the team’s wild-card round playoff series against the Detroit Tigers after both players suffered injuries late in the regular season.
McCormick had been out since suffering a small fracture in his right hand on Sept. 10. Álvarez, who is in the Astros’ lineup for Game 1 of the series Tuesday batting second as designated hitter, had not played since sustaining a right knee sprain on Sept. 22.
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Not included on Houston’s roster is three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander. The 41-year-old right-hander struggled in his return after missing almost two months with a neck injury this summer.
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He went 2-2 with a 9.26 ERA in five starts in September.
Espada said Verlander was very professional when told of the decision and said he could be on the roster for future rounds if the team advances.
“JV understands how well some of our starters have performed, some of our young guys and … he threw the ball really well against Cleveland,” Espada said. “So I don’t want us to just disregard JV for the rest of the postseason.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale, the favorite for the National League Cy Young Award, is out for the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres because of back issues.
Sale was a last-minute scratch Monday from the final game of the regular season, the nightcap of a makeup doubleheader against the New York Mets.
Manager Brian Snitker said the Braves will be without their top starting pitcher when they face the Padres in a best-of-three series that begins Tuesday. The Braves will reassess Sale’s status if they advance to the Division Series.
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“He wants to step up,” Snitker said. “We’re hoping that with some more rest or whatever, we can get him right and get to the next round.”
Journeyman Grant Holmes stepped in for Sale against the Mets, throwing one-hit ball over four innings as the Braves won 3-0 to clinch a wild-card berth. New York also made the playoffs with a thrilling 8-7 victory in the first game of the twin bill, while the defending NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks were eliminated.
Braves clinch playoff berth after 3-0 victory over Mets in Game 2 of doubleheader
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The Atlanta Braves clinched a playoff berth after a 3-0 victory over the New York Mets in Game 2 of a doubleheader.
All three teams finished 89-73, but the Braves and Mets held the season-series tiebreakers over the Diamondbacks.
Snitker said Sale (18-3, 2.38 ERA) has dealt with back issues periodically all season, though the issue became more problematic after his most recent start, a five-inning stint against Cincinnati on Sept. 19 that was notable for a drop in velocity.
“I think he felt it in Cincinnati, but it’s something he’s had off and on all year,” Snitker said. “He knows how to deal with it.”
Sale was scheduled to start last Wednesday against the Mets, but the game was rained out. He kept getting pushed back, with Snitker insisting that he was simply trying to save the left-hander for an elimination game.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos insisted the latest round of back spasms only cropped up after a throwing session on Sunday.
“He’s been throwing all week just to keep his arm going,” Anthopoulos said. “He went out to the cages to throw. He came in after and told us his back was tight. We talked to him about it and he told us he’s pitched with worse.”
Anthopoulos said it was decided before the start of the doubleheader that Sale would not be able to go. Holmes said he got the word he was starting the second game about a half-hour before taking the mound.
“The more we talked about it, this was the right thing,” Anthopoulos said. “This is not an (injured list) thing. This is a day-to-day thing. If we could have him pitch and it was safe, we would do that. Regardless, we’re going to need him where we want to go. We’re going to need him going forward.”
Snitker made the injury sound more serious after the doubleheader, conceding that Sale will not be available until the second round at the earliest.
It was a discouraging setback for Sale, who had battled injuries since 2018 but made it to the closing days of his first season with the Braves without any major issues.
Now, the team is left pondering its options, which include bringing up a pitcher from the Triple-A roster to take Sale’s spot against the Padres.
Top prospects Hurston Waldrep and AJ Smith-Shawver have continued throwing since the end of the minor league season. So has Ian Anderson, who has struggled with injuries since going 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA over eight starts in the 2020 and ’21 postseasons.
Series winner: Padres -165 (bet $10 to win $16.06); Braves +140 (bet $10 to win $24)
GAME 1(Tuesday) Spread: Padres -1.5 O/U: 7 total runs scored Moneyline: Padres -155, Braves +130
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Major League Baseball is going back to using primary team uniforms for the All-Star Game, scrapping criticized special jerseys used for the past four years.
Club uniforms were used by the American League from 1933-2019 and by the National League from 1934-2019. Players from the All-Star host team league wear their home uniforms and the other All-Star team’s players wear their road jerseys.
When the game resumed in 2021 following the pandemic-related cancellation in 2020, MLB had started a uniform contract with Nike and Fanatics, and All-Stars were outfitted in specially designed league uniforms that were maligned by traditionalists.
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Home Run Derby participants will wear their home team uniforms for the derby. Other players on the field watching the competition will wear special uniforms.
MLB also said Monday it will phase in changes to regular team uniforms over 2025 and ’26, responding to criticism by players and fans of new materials introduced this year that were designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics. Pants fit poorly and were somewhat see-through, and lettering was smaller.
Changes will include pant customization, larger letters and prior fabric requested by players.
MLB said the changes resulted from discussions among MLB, the players’ association, Nike and Fanatics. It will take until opening day 2026 to fully implement the changes.
The 2024 MLB playoffs are almost underway, so we asked our staff to create superteams out of the best players remaining in each league.
For Part 1, FOX Sports’ Deesha Thosar and Rowan Kavner drafted exclusively from American League postseason teams. Each roster includes eight position players, one designated hitter, four starting pitchers and one closer. The writers could assemble their teams in any order but had to declare what position each player would occupy upon selecting them. Naturally, things became competitive and contentious.
Thosar drafted first in our American League exercise, with Kavner selecting first for our National League iteration. Both drafts were linear.
But enough with the footnotes. Enjoy the stacked lineups, ruthless trash talk and sometimes loopy explanations for certain selections.
Deesha: He’s a threat to change the game with every swing in every at-bat, and there’s no one else in the AL that I’d trust more at the plate in do-or-die moments to come up clutch. After his heartbreak of missing the playoffs last year, then leading the majors in home runs, RBIs, OBP and OPS this year, this is finally the October that he steps up as the postseason MVP.
Rowan: I could take a player who hits for a high average. Or I could search for someone with slug. Or I could go with someone who can cause havoc on the bases. Or I can take a player I can rely on defensively at a premium position. Or…I can just go with Witt and get everything in one package. Sign me up.
Deesha: Perennial All-Star and MVP candidate? Add best third baseman in baseball to his list of accolades. Ramírez finished the year just one home run and one double shy of an unheard of 40/40/40 season.
Rowan: Yankees fans are hoping Judge and Soto won’t be split up after this season. In this draft, though, I have to do it. With Witt and Soto, who are both hitting over .340 with runners in scoring position this year, I feel confident in my squad not just reaching base at a high clip but also bringing runners home when they have the chance.
Deesha: Henderson will get on base, slug, bring runners home, swipe bags, and play solid defense in the hole. But he’s also the third MVP candidate on my team, and that friendly competition between teammates will only bring out the best in the 23-year-old shortstop.
Rowan: We know Soto can thrive on the biggest stage, but it can’t hurt to add a veteran to the squad who happens to be one of the all-time greatest postseason performers. One of just two players in MLB history with 27 career playoff home runs, Altuve is far and away the most accomplished and productive second baseman in the AL playoff field.
Deesha: He should be more dangerous than usual in October thanks to all that extra rest and preserved energy from his three-month absence due to injury. Fortunately, it looks like he picked up where he left off in the first half, and he’ll be essential in creating runs and getting on base for my squad.
Rowan: Is it too early to grab the guy who won the pitching Triple Crown here? I don’t think so. Good luck, hitters. Oh, and if you do make contact against the guy with the most strikeouts in the AL, try not to hit it to shortstop.
Deesha: An ace pitching in the playoffs weeks before he hits the free-agent market as the best available starting pitcher? Yes, please. After a 1.20 ERA in five September starts, I’m expecting Burnes’ postseason to be extra dominant as he stabilizes my rotation with his devastating cutter and workhorse mentality.
Rowan: I should probably just make him my left fielder here to justify taking a DH this high, but considering his health concerns going into the postseason and that we have to pick the position with each pick, I’ll just take the dude with a .949 career playoff OPS — the most dangerous bat remaining in the field — and worry about finding another guy to roam the outfield later.
Deesha: We didn’t get to see last year’s Cy Young winner at his best in the postseason last year, but if you take out his weird intentional-walk start against the Red Sox, this is the closest we’ll get to that version of Cole. The 1-2 punch of Burnes/Cole will allow for zero breathing room for opposing hitters in a short series. Have fun!
Rowan: Oh, good. I was worried you might take one of the best pitchers left.
Deesha: Honestly, I‘m overthinking over here and that’s dangerous.
Rowan: You take your Burnes-Cole mix, and I’m plenty comfortable having the starter with the lowest ERA (Skubal) and second-half ERA (Valdez) in the AL playoff field.
Deesha: Don’t forget to mention his 12 earned runs in 12 innings last October.
Rowan: He also had 4 in 25 innings the previous one, so …
Deesha: Yeah, well, he was younger then.
Rowan: I didn’t see Cole’s first half numbers on your blurb? Did I skim over it?
Deesha: Sure, he hasn’t played in left all that much. But the havoc he’ll cause with his bat after a 44-home run season that went under the radar makes my outfield a powerhouse full of guys who can slug and stay calm under pressure.
Rowan: Can’t even hate on that, except he basically never plays LF.
Rowan: Well, turns out I didn’t need to wait that long to get that left fielder. Happy to get an All-Star at this spot with the fourth-highest OPS among all qualified AL outfielders this season. Greene is hitting over .300 in his last 20 games and has played a huge role in the Tigers’ stunning late-season run.
Deesha: The best closer in baseball – and nobody is even remotely close. It’s virtually impossible to score on him (you can count the number of runs he gave up all year on one hand) and, somehow, Clase surrendered just two home runs in 74 appearances. The game is over the minute those bullpen doors swing open.
Rowan: After Ramírez went early, there’s no question Bregman stands out as the next best option at the position, so this is incredible value for him before Deesha snags him and tries to play him somewhere else. Bregman should be extra motivated as he heads into free agency, but if he performs anywhere close to the way he has the last couple months — he has an OPS over .880 since the start of August — I’m in good shape.
Deesha: Amid 49 games played at first, the Royals veteran enjoyed a renaissance season — drawing a career-high 44 walks while earning his ninth All-Star nod. Perez brings World Series experience to my team, where he’ll fit right in as the cleanup hitter.
Rowan: Oh, here we go …
Deesha: Hey, he did play at first a lot!
Rowan: I actually didn’t realize he played THAT much at first. I thought it was like five games.
Rowan: I promise I didn’t set out to create an Astros All-Star team, but here we are. Since Deesha got fancy putting Perez at first base, I’ll take the other top offensive catcher on the board so she can’t. Diaz had the highest batting average of any qualified catcher in the majors this year and should keep the line moving in this stacked lineup.
Deesha: Nnnnnoooooonooooo. You are literally Joe Espada at this point.
Rowan: This is what happens when the guardians and royals and tigers all make the playoffs. i’m realizing i’m gonna have to take hader now too eventually. maybe i’ll get cute and use a different guardians reliever. I can still get Jason Heyward to play center.
Deesha: Lugo’s not getting the same attention as some of MLB’s other lights-out rotation arms, but he’s been just as dominant in only his second season switching to a full-time starter, earning his first career All-Star selection in his age-34 season. We won’t disrespect him on my team, at least.
Rowan: Not a surprise to see the top Royals arms go back-to-back. While Lugo has the edge in ERA and wins, Ragans’ whiff rate is far superior. Missing bats is crucial in October, and I’m thrilled to end up with the AL’s top two strikeout leaders in Skubal and Ragans.
Deesha: The Astros’ top-of-the-rotation arm is a solid addition to round out my pitching staff. He owns a 1.69 ERA in 10.2 innings across seven playoff appearances that have all come out of the bullpen, and now I’m expecting Brown to produce those results for the rotation with ease.
Rowan: The fact that Perez, who spends most of his time behind the plate, was the first first baseman to go in this draft demonstrates the dearth of elite options at the position. Naylor, though, brings the most pop at the spot, leading all AL first baseman this year in both homers and RBIs.
Deesha: Even though Rowan thought he messed up my game plan by taking Diaz, I’m happy this late in the draft to go with the Orioles catcher who’s one year removed from a Silver Slugger award. It’s been a disappointing second half, no doubt. But I’m not counting out the two-time All-Star just yet.
Rowan: he’s been so bad. but yeah i was tempted too
Rowan: He’s been in the conversation for AL Rookie of the Year all season and is a helpful piece on both sides of the ball. Offensively, his strikeout rate can make him prone to ebbs and flows, but he has 24 home runs and can get hot in a hurry (he had four homers over his last eight games). Defensively, his 11 outs above average are more than the rest of Baltimore’s outfielders combined.
Deesha: Among designated hitters with a minimum of 100 plate appearances not named Aaron Judge, Carpenter has the best OPS (.968) in the AL. His numbers likely would’ve been even better had injuries not slowed him down, but he’s getting red-hot at exactly the right time.
Rowan: I wanted to add a right-hander to my southpaw-heavy group, and I feel great about getting the ace of Cleveland’s staff here. Bibee has been the one reliable force in the rotation of the AL Central champs and will head into October with some momentum after posting a 2.64 ERA in five September starts.
Deesha: After Rowan took Altuve early, I knew I could afford to make second base my final pick if only because the position is so terribly depleted among AL playoff teams. Still, snagging Chisholm here gets me extra speed and that’s music to my ears.
Rowan: I almost took him for CF, lol. I don’t know how I’d feel about throwing him back in the outfield for the playoffs. You ready for the finale?
Rowan: “Who?” some who haven’t watched much AL Central baseball might be asking. OK, this might be getting a little cute, but the Cleveland bullpen’s dominance goes beyond Clase, and Smith is the strikeout king of the group. In October, I want my closer to miss bats, to not give up free passes and to keep the ball in the yard. Smith ranks in the top 10 among all qualified MLB relievers in strikeout rate and strikeout-to-walk ratio and has surrendered one homer — ONE! — all year in more than 75 innings of work. I’ll take the guy who by fWAR is MLB’s most valuable reliever this year. Plus, Hader had too many Sept blowups
Deesha: Smith has one save! this feels like grounds for disqualification. Luke Weaver was RIGHT there
Rowan: Have you seen Smith’s numbers? He strikes people out, unlike your closer. And he has more saves than Santander has starts in left field this year.
Deesha: You’re the first and only person ever to attempt Clase hate.
Rowan: I love Clase. I’m sad I couldn’t pick him.
Team Deesha’s starting lineup:
1. Gunnar Henderson, SS 2. Kyle Tucker, RF 3. Aaron Judge, CF 4. Jose Ramirez, 3B 5. Kerry Carpenter, DH 6. Salvador Perez, C 7. Anthony Santander, LF 8. Adley Rutschman, C 9. Jazz Chisholm, 2B
Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
Four months after dropping 11 games under .500, the New York Mets earned a playoff berth a day after the regular season was supposed to end.
With an 8-7 win at Atlanta in the opener of a makeup doubleheader on Monday behind Francisco Lindor’s ninth-inning homer, the Mets advanced to a best-of-three NL Wild Card Series starting Tuesday at Milwaukeex or San Diego. If New York wins the second game, it would play at the Padres. If the Mets lose the nightcap, they would play at Milwaukee.
Mets secure playoff berth thanks to Francisco Lindor’s go-ahead two-run home run vs. Braves
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New York overcame an 0-5 start to advance to the postseason for just the 11th time in 63 seasons. The Mets then rebounded from deficits of 3-0 in the eighth inning and 7-6 in the ninth to beat the Braves in Monday’s opener. And the big hit was by Lindor, who returned Friday from a back injury that had sidelined him since Sept. 15.
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A 10-3 loss to the Dodgers on May 29 completed a three-game Los Angeles sweep at Citi Field by a combined 18-5. New York dropped to 22-33 in its first season under manager Carlos Mendoza and was six games out of the last wild-card berth and needing to overcome seven teams.
Lindor called a players’ only meeting. As players explained it, the Mets aired some issues in the clubhouse that day and committed themselves to positivity, effective preparation and a team-first approach dedicated to helping each other and winning games.
“We just opened the floor and talked about ways we can turn it around,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo said then. “Just felt like a boiling-over point.”
Since then, with Lindor leading the charge, they have the best record in the majors at 67-39. They have outscored opponents 541-430.
Baseball’s biggest spenders since Steve Cohen bought the team ahead of the 2021 season, the Mets reached the playoffs in 2022 only to lose a three-game Wild Card Series to San Diego. The Mets sank to 75-87 last year, when they had a record $319.5 million payroll and were assessed a record $100.8 million luxury tax.
They began this year as the top spender again at a projected $321 million, including $70 million in payments to teams covering salaries of traded players Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and James McCann. Their projected luxury tax was $83 million.
