MLB Editorials Articles - Page 217

The New York Yankees’ six-game loss to the Houston Astros in the ALCS was not all about their pitching. They also had trouble putting a bat on the baseball, and injuries up and down the roster didn’t help. But let’s be real: the Yankees need help in their starting rotation. CC Sabathia is retiring, Masahiro […]

While the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros do battle in the 2019 World Series, other clubs around the MLB are planning for the offseason. Although teams such as the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs have decided on their managers for the 2020 campaign, a number of teams are still searching for the best managerial […]

**Disclaimer: If you are a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, or the Colorado Rockies – sorry, no need to keep reading to look to see if your team is on this list (it is not).** Welcome to ‘Anything is Possible Land,’ where teams that […]

The New York Yankees will have to wait another year to get a crack at their 28th World Series title. For the second time in three years, the Yankees were eliminated by the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series, falling in six games, and in gut-wrenching fashion, to boot. So, as is usually […]

At long last, the World Series has arrived. Months and months of drama and toiling have led to this moment, though the narratives could not be more different. The Houston Astros rampaged through the MLB en route to a franchise record 107 wins, bolstering an already loaded roster by adding Zack Greinke at the trade […]

With the Professional Baseball Agreement that is put in place between Major League Baseball and minor league baseball teams as a whole scheduled to run out after the 2020 season, an unfortunate proposal of cutting around 40 MiLB teams is in play. In a detailed piece written by J.J. Cooper of Baseball America, he notes […]

Heralded as one of the most top-heavy free agent classes in recent memory, both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado found new homes during the 2018 MLB offseason. The Washington Nationals lost Harper, who had played his entire career with them, as he signed with their divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, igniting that rivalry more than […]

After setting a franchise record for team payroll this past season, the Milwaukee Brewers have a tall task ahead of them going into the 2019 offseason. Faced with having two of their key cogs almost certainly jumping to the open market due to under-market mutual options, both Mike Moustakas and Yasmani Grandal become free agents […]

This was not supposed to happen for the Washington Nationals. On May 23, the Nats fell to 19-31 on the season and were 10 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East division. The bullpen was an absolute nightmare, and there were rumors swirling about manager Dave Martinez’s status on the hot […]

The possibility that Game 4 of the ALCS would be postponed was discussed even prior to the start of Game 3. After all, this is the playoffs. Managers are always thinking ahead in order to give their teams a slight advantage or planning bullpen usage around off days. With rain in the forecast on Wednesday […]

From 2014 to 2017, starting pitcher Jake Arrieta helped anchor the Chicago Cubs rotation on their climb back to postseason play. After he jumped ship and signed with Philadelphia during the 2017 – 2018 offseason, Arrieta has put up consistent career numbers – but could there be a return to Wrigley Field in his future? […]

A hot commodity at this year’s trade deadline that was only saved at the last minute from continued mediocrity by the Chicago Cubs, slugging outfielder Nicholas Castellanos was almost able to help push the Cubs backs to the postseason for their fifth consecutive season under Joe Maddon. With the team missing the playoffs and Maddon […]

LOS ANGELES – Just days after manager Dave Roberts, pitcher Clayton Kershaw, and the Los Angeles Dodgers blew Game 5 of the NLDS against the Washington Nationals, L.A. Clippers head coach Doc Rivers has spoken out. With the Dodgers clinging to a 3-1 lead to start the 8th inning of Wednesday night’s winner-take-all Game 5, […]

Despite the best efforts of the Tampa Bay Rays, the American League Championship Series will feature arguably the two best teams in baseball. The Houston Astros and New York Yankees will meet in the ALCS for the second time in three years. There is every reason to believe that this series can be just as […]

On their way to securing their first National League Central division title since 2015 and their 15th in franchise history, the St. Louis Cardinals have relied on certain players to carry the load in 2019. With Jack Flaherty holding down their starting rotation on his way to putting together his best season as a starter, […]

Throughout the course of the 2019 MLB season, the American League and the National League proved to be two very different entities. While the AL boasted some of the best records in baseball, the league was also extremely top-heavy. The NL, on the other hand, had far more parity from start to finish. Numerous teams […]

What a 2019 MLB regular season it has been – filled with ups and downs, unexpected twists and turns and outcomes that were both expected and not even thought of to be possible. But what can top an awesome regular season is an offseason that is not only full of lots of player moves but […]

The Minnesota Twins were undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the 2019 MLB season. After winning just 78 games in 2018 and hiring a rookie manager in Rocco Baldelli, the Twins stampeded through the American League Central en route to 101 wins and a division title. As successful and enjoyable as the regular season proved to […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals will take their National League Division Series to the limit in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Baseball fans should be thanking their lucky stars. Aside from Game 5 marking the culmination of an excellent series, this could turn out to be one of the best pitching matchups of […]

Even with the firing of Joe Maddon as their manager, the Chicago Cubs did right in the first place by bringing him in to right the ship back in 2015. All he managed to do was lead the team to the playoffs in four of his five seasons, including one postseason trip that resulted in […]

All the rage over the past few offseasons has been the willingness to give first-time, young baseball minds a chance at their first managerial gig. From recently-fired Andy Green and Brad Ausmus to super-successful Aaron Boone and Alex Cora, the mantra of letting former MLB players or baseball minds jump right into managing a team […]

In need of a new manager after the firing of very successful Joe Maddon, the Chicago Cubs are looking for not only someone to lead the team but they are also in need of players to help this team get back to the playoffs. After having made the playoffs in four of the past five […]

The New York Yankees are already up 2-0 on the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS. With a deep and loaded lineup as well as one of the best bullpen units in baseball, the Yankees are hoping to make a World Series run. However, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is always thinking towards the future. Just […]

When the Atlanta Braves signed former American League MVP and veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson to a one-year, $23 million deal last winter, there were plenty of skeptics coming out of the woodwork. Donaldson was just one year removed from a season in which he hit 33 homers and posted a .944 OPS. But he […]

The American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins is sure to feature plenty of slugging. Both teams finished 1-2 in both home runs and total runs scored. The Twins and Yankees also finished second and third, respectively, in terms of OPS. New York has traditionally dominated the Twins in […]

Nine minutes. Nine minutes is all the Washington Nationals had the league in the 2019 National League Wild Card game, but those nine minutes were all at the end of the contest, and they were the ones that meant the most. Milwaukee Brewers reliever Josh Hader let up a bases-clearing single to 20-year-old phenom Juan […]

The American League Divisional Series kicks off on Friday afternoon, as the top-seeded Houston Astros square off against the Tampa Bay Rays. Houston steamrolled teams in the second half to clinch their third consecutive AL West title, winning an MLB-best 107 games. The Rays had to battle practically up until the last weekend just to […]

Now that the dust has settled and we have our respective MLB Wild Card Game winners, it is officially time for the Division Series. The National League is up first, with the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves doing battle on Thursday afternoon. I broke down that series in depth here. The Los Angeles Dodgers […]

The Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals may have been two of the more overlooked teams in the National League during Spring Training. While most writers and fans were focused on the plethora of trades and signings–ahem, Bryce Harper–made by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East and ability for the Chicago Cubs to bounce […]

The New York Yankees are the marquee franchise in baseball and perhaps the most well-known team in American professional sports, so with that uniform comes a whole lot of responsibility. The Yankees won 103 games this season and seem primed to make a push for their 28th World Series championship, and expectations are appropriately high. […]

With the Chicago Cubs facing a huge offseason in terms of hiring a new manager and player management, the topic of Kris Bryant becoming a potential trade piece has surfaced. While the team, which is locked into some nasty big-money contracts with no real end in sight, would surely be worse without Bryant starting every […]

The 2019 MLB playoffs officially began last night with a thrilling National League Wild Card showdown between the Washington Nationals and the Milwaukee Brewers. Fans are in store for another excellent matchup on Wednesday night, as the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays will do battle in the AL Wild Card game for a chance […]

Regardless of their postseason accolades or their home-run bashing reliance, the New York Yankees put together one of the more solid seasons for an MLB team in 2019. But with the health of some of their superstars and the need to always keep up with their competition, a trade for a current member of the […]

After 162 games, playoff baseball is finally upon us. October is indeed in full swing, and the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers will kick things off in the National League Wild Card game on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C. Let’s break it down: How did they get here? The Nationals and Brewers are two teams […]

With the news of Joe Maddon being out as the Chicago Cubs’ manager, where this team goes from here will be a dominating question throughout the entire offseason. While the Cubs have dominated the National League in terms of playoff appearances and even a World Series title, is the proclaimed ‘dynasty’ for the Cubs done? […]

Spending 46 years working at one place of employment is unheard of nowadays unless your job title is an MLB Radio Broadcaster. Vin Scully, Bob Uecker, and Marty Brennaman, among other storied radio commentators, have graced our ears with their beautiful voices for many, many years – unfortunately, of that grouping of three, only Uecker […]

See a big difference below? The Chicago Cubs, who have notoriously become one of the highest-spending teams across all of baseball, have a bit of a difference in their payroll sheet between their 2019 and 2020 seasons. $234,759,847 – Chicago Cubs 2019 payroll ($28,759,847 over the tax threshold) $165,846,774 – Chicago Cubs 2020 projected payroll […]

Every single season, MLB fans across the country expect their stars to perform at the highest level. We have become quite accustomed to the likes of Mike Trout and Christian Yelich putting up ungodly numbers, or Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander dominating on the hill. However, stars are hardly the only players that make their […]

As the San Diego Padres close the book on yet another disappointing season that sees them finish below .500 and behind everyone except the Colorado Rockies in the National League West division, their future is brighter than most teams that sit around 30 games back of the lead in their division. The core of this […]