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Dodgers Exercise Club Options On Max Muncy, Alex Vesia

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The Dodgers have exercised a $10MM club option to bring back third baseman Max Muncy. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was among those to relay the news. They will also pick up their $3.65MM option on left-hander Alex Vesia, per Ardaya. In other news, Ardaya notes that the Dodgers are adding outfielder Ryan Ward to the 40-man roster.

There was never much suspense about these decisions. Munch has been a key contributor on the Dodgers for close to a decade now. He missed some time this year due to a bone bruise in his left knee and an oblique strain, but still managed to produce when he was on the field. He hit 19 home runs in 100 games and drew a walk in 16.5% of his 388 plate appearances. He put up a .243/.376/.470 line, which translates to a 137 wRC+.

He and the Dodgers clearly love each other, as the two parties have worked out multiple contract extensions. They signed a three-year, $26MM deal back in 2020. Late in 2022, they tacked another year on. After the 2023 season, they signed a two-year, $24MM extension with a $10MM club option for 2026 with no buyout. Barring some kind of surprising offseason trade, Muncy will be back to man third base for the Dodgers in his age-35 season.

Vesia, 30 in April, is going into his third and final arbitration season. In January of 2025, he and the Dodgers appeared headed for a hearing to decide on his 2025 salary. He had filed at $2.35MM with the team at $2.05MM. They avoided that hearing by agreeing to a one-year deal plus a club option for 2026. Vesia would get a $2.3MM guarantee in the form of a $2.25MM salary in 2025 plus a $50K buyout on the $3.55MM club option. Vesia could add $50K to the option by pitching in 60 games with another $50K for 65 games, plus another $75K for 70 games. He got into 68 contests this year, therefore bumping the option price to $3.65MM.

His performance was quite strong this year. He logged 59 2/3 innings with a 3.02 earned run average, 33.8% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate. He also made seven postseason appearances, though he had to miss the World Series due to a family matter.

Even if the Dodgers turned down the option, Vesia still would have been controllable via arbitration. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Vesia for a $4.1MM salary next year. If the Dodgers had similar projections internally, then picking up the option was the cheaper path. It’s also the easier path, when considering the sides almost went to a hearing last year and Vesia has been dealing with that aforementioned family matter. Put it all together and triggering the option was the obvious call.

Ward, 28 in February, gets added to the roster to prevent him from becoming a minor league free agent. The Dodgers selected him in the eighth round of the draft back in 2019. He has proven to be a reliable power bat in the minors, having hit between 21 and 36 homers in each season since 2021. He hit 36 long balls in Triple-A this year with a 12.7% walk rate and 18.7% strikeout rate. He slashed .290/.380/.557 for a 132 wRC+.

A grain of salt is required since that was his third year at the level. He’s a bit old to be considered a prospect. He is also graded as a poor defender, even in an outfield corner. However, the Dodgers didn’t want him to get away. The Dodgers obviously have a strong roster but the outfield is a relative weak spot. The Michael Conforto signing didn’t work out. Andy Pages saw his bat disappear in the playoffs. Teoscar Hernández had some timely hits but also some defensive and baserunning mistakes. Ward gives them a bat-first depth option with a full slate of options.

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images

MLBTR Podcast: Offseason Preview Megapod: Top Trade Candidates

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images

Offseason Outlook: Los Angeles Dodgers

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The Dodgers have won back-to-back World Series. They aren't losing any major contributors to free agency, so they'll go into the winter with a really strong roster and the ability to bolster it further.

Guaranteed Contracts

  • Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH: $560MM through 2033 ($68MM of salary deferred annually)
  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP: $260MM through 2035 (deal includes multiple opt-out chances, beginning after 2029 or any season in which he is traded)
  • Mookie Betts, SS: $235MM through 2032 (includes $40MM of signing bonus still to be paid out; $10MM of salary deferred annually in 2026-27, $11MM annually 2028-32)
  • Blake Snell, LHP: $104MM through 2029 ($13.2MM of salary deferred annually; deal includes conditional club option for 2030)
  • Will Smith, C: $83.45MM through 2033 ($5MM of salary is deferred annually)
  • Tyler Glasnow, RHP: $81.5625MM through 2028 (2028 is either $21.5625MM player option or $30MM club option)
  • Tanner Scott, LHP: $56MM through 2028 (includes $15MM of signing bonus still to be paid out; $5.25MM of salary deferred annually; deal includes 2029 conditional option)
  • Freddie Freeman, 1B: $54MM through 2027 ($12MM of salary deferred annually)
  • Tommy Edman, IF/OF: $52MM through 2029 (includes $3MM buyout on $13MM club option for 2030; $6.25MM of salary deferred annually)
  • Teoscar Hernández, OF: $33MM through 2027 (includes $6.5MM buyout on $15MM club option; deal also includes conditional 2029 option; $8MM of salary deferred annually)
  • Blake Treinen, RHP: $13.5MM through 2026 (includes $2.5MM of signing bonus still to be paid out)
  • Hyeseong Kim, IF/OF: $9MM through 2027 (including $1.5MM buyout of $10MM two-year club option for 2028-29)

Other Financial Commitments

Option Decisions

  • Team has $10MM club option on 3B Max Muncy with no buyout
  • Team has $3.65MM club option on LHP Alex Vesia with $50K buyout (Vesia would remain controllable via arbitration even if option is declined)

2026 guarantees (assuming both options are picked up): $283.15MM ($127.7MM deferred)
Total future commitments: $1.559 billion ($792.55MM deferred)

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Non-tender candidates: Graterol, Gonsolin, Phillips, Banda, Stewart, Rortvedt, Grove

Free Agents

The Dodgers have a strong willingness to bet on talent and not worry so much about injury concerns. That is partly due to their almost unlimited budget, which allows them to take risks other clubs may not be able to afford. It's also because the lineup is so good that they are almost guaranteed to make the playoffs each year, which gives them the wiggle room to let their players get healthy as opposed to rushing them back during the regular season.

This has led to some inconsistency in how things end up when October rolls around. In 2023, they were so banged up that they were swept out of the ALDS by the Diamondbacks. In 2024, the Dodgers had just enough of a rotation to win the title. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler were the three traditional starters as the club relied heavily on the bullpen. In 2025, that flipped. The bullpen had been stripped down by injuries but the rotation had Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani all healthy. Manager Dave Roberts tried to avoid his traditional relievers as much as possible. He often allowed his starters to pitch deep into games. In Game Seven of the World Series, he used all four of Ohtani, Glasnow, Snell and Yamamoto.

Going into 2026, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Dodgers target more pitching, but the rotation is actually in good shape. The four starters they were using in this year's playoffs are all healthy and under contract. Roki Sasaki wound up in the bullpen due to some shoulder trouble but he could be stretched back out next year. Guys like Emmet Sheehan, Jack Dreyer, Ben Casparius, Landon Knack, Bobby Miller and Justin Wrobleski worked both as starters and relievers in 2025 and could be in the mix for starts again next year. Each of Kyle Hurt, River Ryan and Gavin Stone spent 2025 recovering from surgery but should be factors next year. Top prospect Jackson Ferris now has 33 Double-A games under his belt and should be in Triple-A next year.

Nick Frasso finished 2025 hurt and his current status isn't clear. Tony Gonsolin will likely be non-tendered since he underwent internal brace surgery and will miss at least the first half of 2026, though the Dodgers could afford to pay him and hope for a late-season return if they wanted to. Michael Grove missed all of 2025 due to shoulder surgery and could also be non-tendered, though he can still be controlled for three more seasons.

However it plays out, it's an impressive collection of talent, even with Clayton Kershaw retiring. The club has been very active in adding pitching in recent offseasons. After their aforementioned rough ending in 2023, they added Ohtani. However, he wasn't an immediate upgrade to the staff since he was recovering from surgery at the time, so they also added Glasnow and Yamamoto. Coming into this year, they signed Snell.

With the depth suddenly looking overwhelming, the Dodgers may not be as aggressive on the free agent starting pitching market. In fact, there are so many names on the chart that they could probably trade some away, though they could also opt to hold and just have lots of depth on hand for the inevitable injuries that will arise.

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Dodgers Win World Series

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The Dodgers are champions. Los Angeles outlasted Toronto in an epic Game 7 showdown. Will Smith delivered the game-winning swing, homering in the 11th inning to give the Dodgers their first lead, which they wouldn’t relinquish. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitching on no rest after throwing 96 pitches on Friday, closed out the win. Unsurprisingly, the all-time performance earned Yamamoto the Series MVP award.

LA becomes the first team to repeat as champions since the Yankees in 2000. New York won three straight titles (1998-2000). It’s the Dodgers’ ninth World Series title, moving them into a tie for third with the Athletics and Red Sox. It’s their third title in the past six seasons.

Miguel Rojas, an unlikely World Series hero, rescued LA’s season in the ninth inning. The light-hitting shortstop yanked a Jeff Hoffman slider over the left field wall to tie the game. Rojas joined Bill Mazeroski as the only players in World Series history to hit a game-tying or go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later in a winner-take-all game (h/t Jesse Rogers of ESPN).

Rojas’ heroics allowed Yamamoto to do something just as special. After a complete game win in Game 2 and a quality start in Game 6, the ace entered in the bottom of the ninth inning with two runners on. He hit Alejandro Kirk with a pitch to load the bases, but wiggled out of the jam. Defensive sub Andy Pages leaped over teammate Enrique Hernandez to reel in an Ernie Clement drive to send the game to extra innings. Yamamoto then cruised through the 10th inning in order before getting into trouble in the 11th frame. With runners on first and third and one out, he coaxed a double play grounder from Kirk to seal the game.

Toronto was in control for much of the game. Shohei Ohtani, pitching on three days’ rest, labored through the first two innings. After George Springer singled to start the third frame, Nathan Lukes sacrificed him to second. Ohtani then intentionally walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr., before hanging a slider that Bo Bichette deposited into the center field stands for a three-run homer. The Blue Jays had multiple chances to extend their lead, including a leadoff double in the eighth inning, but failed to cash in.

The Blue Jays came out swinging in the Fall Classic, exploding for nine runs in the sixth inning to win Game 1 in blowout fashion. A dominant Yamamoto performance evened the series, then LA took a 2-1 lead after Freddie Freeman walked off Game 3 in the 18th inning. Toronto bounced back, winning Game 4 and Game 5 behind strong starts from Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage, respectively. Yamamoto cruised again in Game 6, pushing the series to its limit. Game 7 delivered an instant classic.

Dodgers Notes: Ohtani, Yamamoto, Lineup

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Shohei Ohtani is slated to start Game 7 on the mound tonight. The two-way star will be pitching on three days’ rest after tossing six innings in Game 4 on Tuesday. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, that he’s “not sure” how long Ohtani will pitch. Roberts added that he wants to “withhold expectations and kind of read and react.”

After tearing his left shoulder labrum in the 2024 World Series, Ohtani was brought along slowly as a pitcher this season. He didn’t make his first appearance on the mound until mid-June. Since he’s a crucial part of the offense, Ohtani couldn’t take a few weeks off to go on a rehab assignment. Instead, he had to build back up at the major-league level. Ohtani tossed a single inning in each of his first two appearances. He eventually built up to three innings by the end of July. Ohtani made it through five innings in his final start of August, then capped off his regular season with his first six-inning outing.

Ohtani has had at least five days of rest between every pitching outing this season. The spread-out postseason schedule (along with LA’s success) has afforded him even more time off. Ohtani had 12 days between his NLDS and NLCS starts, then another 10 days until his first World Series outing.

While the workload has been a question for Ohtani, performance has not. He posted a 2.87 ERA across 47 innings in the regular season, and his xFIP (2.45) and SIERA (2.67) were even better. Ohtani rattled off three straight scoreless starts heading into the playoffs. He then posted quality starts in the NLDS and NLCS, winning both games. Toronto did get to Ohtani for four earned runs in Game 3, though he had six strikeouts and went six innings yet again.

Game 7s are typically all-hands-on-deck situations for the pitching staffs. Could that possibly include Yoshinobu Yamamoto? A video from Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times surfaced of the Game 6 victor throwing ahead of tonight’s game. Yamamoto wasn’t expected to be available tonight, but Roberts was asked about his status for Game 7. “He’s definitely interested,” Roberts told reporters, including Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.

Yamamoto followed his dominant complete game in Game 2 with another sterling effort on Friday. He allowed just one earned run over six innings, throwing 96 pitches. Yamamoto now has a 1.56 ERA over 34 2/3 innings this postseason. He would be in the World Series MVP conversation if it weren’t for Ohtani’s impressive contributions. While Yamamoto seems ready to go 2001 Randy Johnson, he’s probably pretty deep on the depth chart tonight. Roberts only had to use relievers Roki Sasaki and Justin Wrobleski in Game 6, plus an inning from starter Tyler Glasnow, though he only threw three pitches. Every other pitcher, including Game 5 starter Blake Snell, has had at least a couple of days off.

Roberts is largely running back the same lineup tonight, outside of flip-flopping Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez. That means Mookie Betts is back in the cleanup spot. Roberts bumped the scuffling Betts from second to third in the order for Game 5, then moved him to fourth for Game 6. The move paid off, as Betts came through with the biggest hit of the game. With the bases loaded and two outs in the third inning, the shortstop lined a Kevin Gausman fastball through the left side, knocking in a pair of runs. Betts had been 3-for-24 in the series prior to the single. It was his first RBI since Game 3 of the NLCS.

Muncy will move up to fifth in the order for the second time this series. Both instances have come against Max Scherzer. While righties got on at a higher clip against Scherzer this season, lefties had far more power. The veteran yielded 13 home runs and a hefty .545 slugging percentage in 200 plate appearances against left-handed hitters. The lineup adjustment will allow Muncy to get an earlier look at Scherzer.

Nationals Won’t Hire Miguel Cairo As Manager; Interested In Rocco Baldelli, Danny Lehmann

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The Nationals’ managerial search continues to take shape, and one prominent candidate has already been eliminated from consideration.  The Washington Post’s Andrew Golden reports that interim manager Miguel Cairo has been told that he won’t be the team’s full-time bench boss next season, while former Twins manger Rocco Baldelli and Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann have each drawn interest as possible candidates.  Both Baldelli and Lehmann declined comment when asked if they’d already interviewed with the Nats.

Cairo, Brandon Hyde, and Craig Albernaz are the only three names known to have interviewed for the Washington job, and Albernaz is naturally no longer an option after the Orioles hired him as their manager.  Since the Nats and most teams are pretty guarded when it comes to public information on managerial searches, it is entirely possible that other names are being considered, or have already interviewed.  (As an example, Albernaz wasn’t known to be a candidate for the O’s until reports emerged that the team was on the verge of hiring him.)

Cairo was midway through his second season as Washington’s bench coach when manager Davey Martinez and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo were fired in July.  Cairo was bumped up to the interim manager role, and he posted a 29-43 record as the Nationals stumbled to a 66-96 overall record this year.  This was Cairo’s second time stepping into a managerial role, as he was as acting manager for 34 games with the 2022 White Sox when Tony La Russa was absent on medical leave.

While Cairo did enough to merit at least an interview about the full-time Nats job, it always seemed more likely that new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was going to bring in a fresh voice as the team’s next skipper.  That would continue Toboni’s early trend of shaking things up within the organization, as multiple changes have already been made within the front office, scouting and training staffs.

The shake-up will also extend to the Nationals’ coaching staff, as Golden writes that six coaches (pitching coach Jim Hickey, hitting coach Darnell Coles, first base coach Gerardo Parra, third base coach Ricky Gutierrez, bullpen coach Ricky Bones, and catching/strategy coach Henry Blanco) have been told they won’t be retained unless the new manager wants them to stay.  This news doesn’t come as a large surprise, as the Nats had already given their coaches permission to explore jobs with other teams.  While Cairo wasn’t specifically mentioned as also being on the way out, it can be assumed that he won’t be back in his old bench coach role.

Like Hyde, Baldelli would bring some Major League managerial experience to a Nationals team that has hit some snags in its rebuild.  Baldelli posted a 527-505 record over seven seasons with the Twins, winning three AL Central crowns and (in 2023) the club’s first postseason series victory since 2002.  Since that playoff triumph, however, the Twins collapsed down the stretch in 2024 to finish with an 82-80 record, and things continued to spiral this year with a 70-92 record.

Baldelli was fired at season’s end, yet it is hard to entirely fault him for the Twins’ struggles given how ownership responded to the 2023 postseason by immediately cutting the payroll.  At this year’s trade deadline, the club had a fire sale of both impending free agents and some controllable players, further positioning Minnesota toward a rebuild period.  It seems like the league as a whole didn’t assign much blame to Baldelli for the Twins’ situation, as the ex-skipper said that he’d heard from 10 teams about job openings in the wake of his dismissal, though Golden’s report is the first time Baldelli has been linked to one of the many managerial openings around baseball this fall.

Lehmann’s name recently surfaced in connection with the Braves’ managerial vacancy, and he received interest from the White Sox in their managerial search last offseason before Chicago hired Will Venable.  Lehmann spent eight years as a player in the Twins’ farm system and in independent ball from 2007-14, and has since been working with the Dodgers in such roles as an advanced video scout, a special assistant, and a game planning/communications coach.  His four seasons in that coaching role led to his promotion to the bench coach job prior to the 2023 season.

The Dodgers’ ongoing postseason run could be somewhat complicating Lehmann’s candidacy, as he would have only been able to interview in between playoff rounds or on off-days within a series.  It could be that Lehmann is waiting until L.A. has entirely concluded the World Series before turning his attention to managerial possibilities, though this wait may not have hurt his chances, given how the Nats, Braves, and other teams still have openings for the top dugout jobs.

Roberts: Alex Vesia “Most Likely” Won’t Pitch In World Series

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When the Dodgers announced their roster for the World Series this morning, Alex Vesia was the most notable name missing. The team explained that he and his wife were dealing with a “deeply personal family matter” and that an update would be provided at a later date.

Speaking to reporters at the Rogers Centre (including Sonja Chen of MLB.com), manager Dave Roberts said Vesia would “most likely” not pitch in the World Series. Of course, having been left off the roster, the southpaw would have only been available as an injury replacement in any case. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman explained that the team chose not to place Vesia on the family emergency list, which could have allowed him to come back sooner, so as not to pressure him to rejoin the team (per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times).

Vesia has been one of L.A.’s most trusted relievers for the past five seasons, pitching to a 2.68 ERA and a 3.16 SIERA in 270 innings since 2021. Only two pitchers have thrown more innings in relief with a lower ERA in that time: Emmanuel Clase and Raisel Iglesias. Vesia’s brief trip to the injured list earlier this year with an oblique strain was the first of his Dodgers tenure, and his stuff looked every bit as nasty upon his return. Although he was charged with two earned runs in his first outing of the playoffs, the lefty gave the Dodgers 4 1/3 scoreless after that, collecting either the win or a hold in each of his next six appearances. Needless to say, his arm will be missed against the Blue Jays, whose bats have been red-hot in October.

In more Dodgers bullpen news, Roberts explained that Tanner Scott was left off the World Series roster because his stuff “wasn’t quite there” in his latest throwing sessions (per Harris). The skipper described it as a “medical” decision rather than anything to do with the pitcher’s performance (per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic).

Scott was removed from L.A.’s NLDS roster to undergo what Roberts called a “minor procedure” to address a lower-body abscess (per ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez). That meant he was ineligible to pitch in the NLCS. The southpaw initially expressed hope that he could rejoin the Dodgers should they make the World Series (per Jon Heyman of the New York Post), but it was never clear if he would have enough time to ramp back up.

Scott struggled in the first season of his four-year, $72MM contract with L.A., putting up a 4.74 ERA and blowing 10 saves in 33 chances. His strikeout rate dropped, his groundball rate plummeted, and opponents hit him much harder than they had before. That said, pitch models like PitchingBot, Stuff+, and StuffPro were still high on Scott’s arsenal, and his 3.43 SIERA suggested his ERA was bloated by bad luck. Perhaps most importantly, the Dodgers continued to trust him in high-leverage spots. Without Scott and Vesia, the Dodgers will be missing the two lefties they turned to most this season with games on the line.

Dodgers Announce World Series Roster

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The Dodgers announced their 26-man roster for their World Series showdown against the Blue Jays this morning. Among the notable omissions are Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott and Ben Casparius. Scott has been out since the NLDS after undergoing a lower body abscess excision. He was hopeful of returning for the World Series but has seemingly not been cleared. The Dodgers announced that Vesia is “away from the team as he and his wife Kayla navigate a deeply personal family matter.”

Los Angeles’ 26-man roster breaks down as follows:

The Dodgers will turn to Snell to start Game 1 of the World Series tonight against Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage. Yamamoto is lined up to start Game 2, which is expected to be started by Jays righty Kevin Gausman.

Glasnow and Ohtani figure to start Games 3 and 4 for L.A., while Toronto will have Shane Bieber and former Dodger Max Scherzer as options in those contests. Of course, specific matchups haven’t yet been finalized and are subject to change anyhow, given the all-hands-on-deck nature teams tend to employ in critical postseason series.

Latest On Braves’ Managerial Search

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The Rangers and Angels each have new managers in place for 2026, but that still leaves seven other teams looking for a new dugout leader.  Amidst all of the recent news and rumors about all of these simultaneously ongoing managerial searches, there hasn’t been much out of Atlanta, which is by design.  The Braves generally operate with more secrecy than most clubs, and as president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos told reporters during his year-end press conference, “if we do our job the way I want us to do it, you guys won’t have anything” on his club’s hunt for a new skipper.

A few details have emerged from MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, though more in regards to some speculated names that can perhaps be removed from consideration.  Bowman hears from a source that former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons isn’t a candidate, and that “there has been no indication” that former Cubs manager David Ross or MLB Network and former player Mark DeRosa are being eyed for the manager’s job.

A follow-up message from Bowman on X specified that Gibbons, Ross, and DeRosa were the names he felt could be “confidently removed” from the running.  His initial report didn’t eliminate bench coach Walt Weiss or coach Eddie Perez from consideration, but Bowman downplayed the idea of either man being elevated to the manager’s chair, writing that “their potential candidacies seemed to die when the Braves didn’t persuade [Brian] Snitker to manage at least one more year.”  This implies that a succession plan might’ve been the initial concept for the team, but Snitker’s decision to step away from the job after the 2025 campaign might have the Braves leaning towards bringing an entirely fresh voice into the dugout.

Gibbons had the most MLB managerial experience of any of the names rumored to be involved in Atlanta’s search, as Gibbons logged parts of 11 seasons as the Blue Jays’ skipper over two separate tenures with the club.  Anthopoulos was the Jays’ assistant GM during Gibbons’ first stint, and then after becoming general manager himself, made the unusual move of rehiring Gibbons back prior to the 2013 season, when Toronto was looking to replace John Farrell.  Gibbons has spent the last two seasons as the Mets’ bench coach but stepped down from the job last month, creating speculation that he might emerge as Anthopoulos’ choice once more in Atlanta.

Ross seemed to be a natural candidate, as a Georgia native who both played for the Braves for four seasons and has four years of Major League managing experience on his resume.  DeRosa is another former Brave who played seven seasons with the club from 1998-2004, and he has stuck mostly to broadcasting since his playing career ended in 2013.  DeRosa hasn’t coached or managed in the majors or minors, though he was Team USA’s manager during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

In terms of which names might be on the Braves’ radar, Bowman writes that Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann’s “candidacy has seemingly strengthened over the past couple weeks.”  The fact that the Dodgers are on their way to the World Series could be a complicating factor, though Lehmann could interview with the Braves during the interim periods between playoff rounds.  This does mean that Atlanta might not announce a new hire until November, or at least until after the World Series is completed.

The 40-year-old Lehmann has been Dave Roberts’ bench coach for the last three years, and he has spent the last decade in the L.A. organization in such roles as a game planning/communication coach, a special assistant within the front office, and an advance video scout.  Lehmann’s time with the Dodgers overlaps with Anthopoulos’ two-year (2016-17) tenure as the Dodgers’ vice-president of baseball operations, so there’s plenty of familiarity between the two men.

Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty and Tigers bench coach George Lombard are two other “potential candidates,” in Bowman’s words.  The two have each been popular names in managerial searches in recent years, as Flaherty was a finalist for the Padres’ job in 2023 (before Mike Shildt was hired) and has been speculated as a candidate for the Padres’ current vacancy, as well as the Orioles’ and Twins’ open managerial positions.  Lombard interviewed with the Marlins and White Sox last winter, and he was also in the running for past managerial vacancies with the Tigers and Pirates.

Lombard is an Atlanta native, and he also has some past L.A. history with Anthopoulos since Lombard was the Dodgers’ first base coach during the 2016-20 seasons.  Both Lombard and Flaherty are former Braves players — Lombard during the 1998-99 seasons, and Flaherty in 2018.

Poll: Who Will Win The World Series?

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This year’s World Series teams are officially set.  The Blue Jays managed to come back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits in the ALCS to defeat the Mariners in Game 7 last night, thanks to a three-run homer from George Springer. Toronto is now poised to face the Dodgers after L.A. swept the Brewers out of the NLCS on the back of perhaps the greatest single-game performance of all time from Shohei Ohtani in Game 4. How do the Jays and Dodgers match up against each other?

It’s hard not to see the Dodgers as the titan in this series. They have MLB’s largest payroll and a roster littered with superstars. They’re gunning for their third championship in the past six seasons and have been to the Fall Classic five times in the past decade. On top of that, they’ve been utterly dominant this postseason with a combined 9-1 record against the Reds, Phillies, and Brewers. A rotation featuring Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow is among the most frightening in the league and is firing on all cylinders at the moment.

Given that combination of postseason experience, October dominance, and an All-Star rotation, it might seem hard to imagine Toronto being able to put up much of a fight against Los Angeles. After all, this is just the Jays’ third trip to the World Series in team history, and they’ve had to battle every step of the way to get here. They won the AL East off of a tiebreaker, and went to four games against the Yankees in the ALDS before spending their entire series against the Mariners on the back foot. While Kevin Gausman is one of the more reliable veterans in the game and Trey Yesavage has been a standout as a rookie this October, a rotation featuring that duo, 41-year-old Max Scherzer, and Shane Bieber’s first handful of starts post-Tommy John surgery doesn’t exactly inspire the same sort of confidence as L.A.’s quartet.

While some of those concerns are certainly valid, the Jays have several factors working in their favor as well as they try to bring home their first championship since 1993. They’ll have homefield advantage due to winning 94 games in the regular season, while the Dodgers won “only” 93 games. Toronto also has a powerful offense that may give the Dodgers’ pitching staff all they can handle.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been baseball’s best hitter this postseason with an utterly absurd .442/.510/.930 slash line and six home runs over 51 playoff plate appearances.  Ohtani’s 143 wRC+ leads the Dodgers this postseason, but the Jays have four hitters ahead of him on the leaderboard: Guerrero, Ernie Clement, Springer, and Addison Barger. Springer in particular is a postseason standout who already has a World Series MVP award in his trophy case from the last time he faced the Dodgers in October.  While Los Angeles has more than its share of prominent bats, Freddie Freeman (105 wRC+) has actually been slightly cold this October, and regular season standout Will Smith (89 wRC+) hasn’t looked the same while playing through a hairline fracture in his hand.

Speaking of injuries, the Blue Jays have made their deep playoff run without the services of star shortstop Bo Bichette, who is expected back in the lineup for the World Series. After a tough 2024 season, Bichette enjoyed a return to form this year, hitting .311/.357/.483 in 139 games with 18 homers and 44 doubles. Smith’s lackluster performance only serves to underscore the fact that Bichette may not perform at quite that level if he’s less than 100% healthy, but even a diminished version of Bichette should be able to boost Toronto’s lineup.

While the Dodgers have a big advantage in the rotation and the Blue Jays certainly have the hotter lineup, the relief battle may be a draw. Both teams had below-average bullpens this year during the regular season even after signing star closers (Jeff Hoffman in Toronto, Tanner Scott in Los Angeles) to hefty deals this past winter.

Both clubs have also used former rotation pieces in the bullpen to great effect this postseason, with Chris Bassitt (2 2/3 scoreless innings) and Roki Sasaki (eight innings of one-run ball) helping to offer some form of stability on the back-end. Sasaki has even emerged as the Dodgers’ closer throughout the postseason, while Hoffman (7 1/3 innings of one-run ball) has turned things around after a tough second half to dominate in October with a 42.9% strikeout rate so far. Sasaki’s run prevention has been just as impressive, but he’s done so in less dominant fashion with a strikeout rate of just 20.7%.

Who do MLBTR readers think will hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy this year? Will the Dodgers repeat as so many predicted they would this spring, or will the Blue Jays be able to secure their first championship since 1993? Have your say in the poll below:

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