As we wait for the World Series to begin, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. World Series matchup set:
The Mariners will go another year without making it to the World Series. After leading for most of the game, Seattle righty Eduard Bazardo surrendered a three-run homer to veteran slugger George Springer in the seventh inning that put Toronto ahead 4-3, and they managed to hold onto that lead through scoreless innings by Chris Bassitt and Jeff Hoffman. Now, the Blue Jays are headed to their first World Series since 1993, where they’ll try to stop the Dodgers from being the first team to repeat as World Series champs since the 1998-2000 Yankees. For that series, the club is expected to benefit from the return of Bo Bichette, who told reporters (including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet) that he’ll “be ready” to play by then.
2. Angels managerial search faces upheaval:
The managerial search in Anaheim once looked to be a fairly simple one, with future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols as the runaway favorite. A few days ago, the Angels broadened the search with plans to interview special assistants Torii Hunter and Kurt Suzuki as well as interest in a number of other possible candidates. Yesterday saw things change much more drastically, as both Pujols and Hunter are now reportedly out of the running. That leaves the search in flux somewhat, as Suzuki is the only candidate known to be interviewing for the job at this point. Former Astros manager Bo Porter, who coached for the Angels the past two seasons, has expressed interest in the job. Past reporting has suggested interest in both former Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde on the Angels’ part, though it’s unclear if that interest is mutual and more recent reporting has indicated that the Angels have yet to contact either of them, or any other external candidates they’d be reported as interested in.
3. Could hirings be on the way?
With the World Series matchup now set, baseball enters a three-day lull before Game 1 begins on Friday. It’s traditional for teams to hold off on announcing major hires like that of a manager or GM during October until a day when there isn’t a postseason game happening. With several managerial searches ongoing around the league, plus a GM search in Colorado, could one or more clubs look to take advantage of the next few days to officially install a new leader? The Giants have been circling Tony Vitello for days, with a conclusion expected as soon as today, while the Rockies are known to be looking to narrow their GM search this week. It’s also possible that a vacancy with less concrete reporting could be filled in the coming days, particularly from a traditionally tight-lipped franchise like the Braves.
Woo did no such thing.
That was a boo Woo, or is it a Woo boo?
No Woo here.
Woo’s on first?
Bazardo gave up the home run. Not Woo.
It will be a long off season for Bazardo.
He had a great season but Sox fans probably saw the handwriting on the wall. He is not one I would have used in a high leverage situation during a game 7 for the right to go to the WS.
Sox fans? Wrong team.
When did Woo get traded to the Sox?
It sure is easy to say after the fact. I wish I could make the lottery work that way.
Came here for the “pitching woo” comment and was left unsatisfied…
The home run was off Bazardo, not Woo.
Bacardi gave up the home run, not Woo. That needs to be fixed because it is wrong. That was the incorrect thing to put into this article.
Bazardo. Now I stand corrected. Karma is real.
Bazardo and coke?
The only thing getting the citizens of Seattle through the day today.
Was Woo drinking between innings?
That could have made him Woozy.
Dodgers on the way to another World $erie$ win.
A similar sentiment was expressed in regards to the Yankees after they knocked off the Red Sox. The Jays were just one of several remaining stepping stones for New York on their way to a rematch with the Dodgers.
I’m sure after the first two games of this last series, Seattle (or at least their fans) were probably preparing for their first World Series appearance.
The Dodgers may be the favourites, but don’t overlook Toronto. Others have done so, to their own peril.
Tough break for Eduard Bazardo. Will he suffer the same fate in 2026 that Devin Williams did in 2025?
Phil – Nah, Springer is one of the clutchest in postseason history. He would have done the same thing against 90% of MLB relievers.
I still remember that absolute missile off Brandon Morrow in game 5 of the 2017 World Series.
Bang bang
Who gets left off the WS Roster for Bichette? Schneider?
JRam, most likely Loperfido or a reliever
Feel bad for Loperfido, but he’s gotten a grand total of one AB this whole playoff run. He’s shown a lot of promise this season when he’s gotten in there, but he certainly feels like the odd man out.
Appreciate it, resident Jays fan, and good luck
He was looking for FB middle in and they threw it what else can he do
Finally Ohtani will actually soon be on a plane to Toronto.
He’ll probably get more loudly booed in Toronto then Springer did in Seattle.
Funny Biv. The question now is how many RT flights to Toronto, one or two?
My guess: ONE
Miggy Rojas says during this week’s layoff the team should prepare to play as they always do, working hard each day. So I am going to sit in front of my TV each night and scream.
Everyone is rooting for the Blue Jays, right?
I would imagine a great many baseball fans outside of the greater Los Angeles area may well become honorary Jays fans for this series.
@Canuckleball: I’m a Braves fan and I’ve been pulling for the Jays since the start of the Playoffs. I should admit that I placed medium sized wagers on the Jays to win their series against the Yankees and Mariners. Not going to bet on the WS winner, but I’ll bet some of the individual games. I’m still pulling for the Jays.
At this point I’m almost curious what the outcry will be if the Dodgers win again and then sign Kyle Tucker.
There was anger about parity last offseason. If the Dodgers win again and then announce they’re still planning on outspending everyone I wonder how long it’ll take Manfred to bring up another weak defense.
The Yankees have been dealing with that public sentiment for decades since the their 90s run. The luxiry tax hasn’t stopped them from spending. Baseball will go on.
The simple truth is no fan wants a team to “buy” a World Series win unless it’s their own. Money does not guarantee success. The Mets prove that.
First off – kudos to the Dodgers organization. They have done a terrific job overall, and they maximize their advantages within the rules of the sport.
But many of their fans that do not want to acknowledge that they have tremendous advantages over the vast majority of the rest of the teams in baseball need to get a grip. They can keep a fleet of Mercedes in the garage as depth, while most teams can’t afford a Kia or two. They are automatically the go-to choice of the elite Asian market simply via geography and marketing prowess. And perhaps their biggest advantage is that they can spend obscene amounts of money on the organization itself (talent acquisition; player development; front office and back office; marketing and other organizational roles).
It is a free but tilted market akin to the real world. The kids of the millionaires and billionaires can start a business just the same as those that come from nothing. But the nepo kids get automatic financing and support from the outset, while most others have to beat the doors down over time to get their shot. So let’s not pretend.
@Carver
All true. I don’t think many are pretending otherwise. The Dodgers (and several other teams) are far richer than most teams. But Dodgers reportedly pour back into the team on the field 75% of their bucks while others instead line their pockets at the expense of their fans. Mean time it looks to be a great series with loads of talent on both sides. Toronto (also one of the wealthier orgs) is dangerous. Anything is possible in a 7 game stretch.
I’m guessing the majority of owners would love to only have to pour back 75%. That’s a bit funny. Giants tell me they put back 100% and can’t come close. Is what it is. Cornering Japan might have been a bridge too far but we will see what happens.
“Giants tell me they put back 100%”
That IS funny. What’s their number? I’d love to chat with them too.
They tell everyone, all the time. You don’t need their number. What’s the problem ?
I mean it was kind of a given that the Dodgers would do this. The other 29 teams have the same ability to heavily defer contracts to compete with the Dodgers. I do understand that Ohtani/agents wanted the structure of that deal. At any rate, the other 29 teams and free agents have equal opportunity to be a team player today and then cash out later.
(I am not a Dodgers fan, but if my team were to start spending in free agency in creative ways I wouldn’t object to it. But I don’t think my team’s owner excels at doing things outside of his comfort zone)
This is a heel vs. heel matchup for me, just like last year’s World Series. A pox on both their houses.
go Dodgers…this year and next. need the rich to win so this ridiculous, cap-less sport gets locked out and a cap and floor are put in place. the one year lock out saved Hockey. should be able to save this mess.
The lockout “saved” hockey in that the NHL was hemorrhaging money and half the league was under water. That isn’t true for the MLB.
How are the Jays a heel? There are so many good stories on that roster.
Some fans enjoy the narratives and want to make it the WWE. Lol. More power to them if they want to lean into that. I don’t care about the medis noise and only want to watch good baseball.
Top 5 payroll = heel in my book. And let’s just say I hold a long-term grudge against the Jays from back when the Brewers were still in the AL.
Dodger fans are probably rooting for the Dodgers.
Thanks, captain obvious
If it was obvious, why did you say everyone was rooting for the Blue Jays? Did you need the obvious pointed out to you?
I clearly meant everyone of the 29 remaining teams. I’m sorry that is somehow difficult for you.
This isn’t fun anymore, so I’ll just drop the banter.
Your sense of humor sucks.
Dan Wilson, I’m not sure if you were familiar with Springer’s October numbers but you had to walk him intentionally and take your best shot at Lukes and setup the double play. Springer had a bum knee so he wasn’t going to run hard either to break it up.
Feel bad for all M’s fans this morning. Everyone watching knew the ending of that AB with Bazardo pitching.
Springer is one of the best playoff hitters of all time and is a Dodger killer, so hopefully he keeps it going for another 2 weeks.
Yeah – I think the Dodgers win this series, but if it goes to 6 or 7 games I think the Jays have a real fighting chance
I was not a fan of pulling Woo. I know he’s not 100%, but he’s also the Mariners best pitcher. In Springer’s last AB, he struck out on 3 pitches while only seeing 1 actual strike. I get Bazardo has been great, but he’s been used heavily, including multiple innings the night before. If anything, put in Munoz.
Bazardo had a great regular season for Seattle, but he pitched more major league innings this season then in the entirety of his 4 year major league career combined, before this year. He was off to some degree during these playoffs. He may simply have been overcooked.
Chef Boonedoggle’s specialty is overcooked relievers. He’s not the only manager like that.
Not sure how many Mariners fans are eager to jump on here this morning, but I’m wondering if they have any insight into the Bazardo instead of Munoz decision at that point in the game. Bazardo faced Springer the night before and even though he got him out, Springer saw him. Munoz was fresh and Springer hadn’t seen him at all this season.
We are still screaming at the TV this morning. Dan Wilson is a bad manager. He would have been amazing for the M’s run 25 years ago, but he has no idea how to manage in today’s game. Like, why bunt runners over so that you can put up the two worst hitters on your team, that are only in the lineup for their defense, to try to score those runs? There is no excuse for saving your “closer” for the 9th inning if you don’t even need to pitch the 9th. Dan is the problem. But he cant be fired. So its even more amazing how far the M’s got despite their manager thinking its still 1999.
“Like, why bunt runners over so that you can put up the two worst hitters on your team”
This exact point was made by the Blue Jays broadcasters. They were surprised and confused by that too.
Me too. “Surprised and confused” and delighted, lol.
I didn’t watch the ALDS or ALCS much.. kind of expected the Mariners to win after they took the first two games. Why didn’t Munoz pitch more? Was he hurt? Did he have a bad game in the ALDS?
Wilson believes that a closer is only for the 9th inning, not for your highest leverage spot. He is stuck in decades old, rigid thinking. The other reason is that the M’s starters got their doors blown off by the Blue Jays offense the 3 games they won prior to 7. And the M’s blew up game 2. So he wasn’t needed in the 9th except for 1, 5 and…well as it turned out, not 7.
Yikes.
Congratulations to the Blue Jays. I apologize for thinking they weren’t going to be any good this year. Best of luck against the Dodgers. It will be a grind but they seem like the most balanced team to possibly take down the Dodgers.
Arte Moreno is such a clown of an owner.
Bad for the sport.
Teams can be turned around quickly. Just look at the last place Blue Jays from 2024 now in the World Series. I am hoping the Angels will turn around soon.
2012 to 2013 red sox
A no in-climate weather world series, how cool is that ? Great stuff, only the teams are a factor not the weather.
Ernie Clement asked me to tell you that it is spelled “inclement” weather… ; )
Carver, you just globally warmed my heart. Thank you for a quality pun.
Beat LA!
Been some great series this year, particularly in the AL bracket.
The depth of Toronto’s lineup was the difference in the series. They’ll need all of it against LA.
October baseball is both uplifting and devastating. And that’s just about Managerial positions.
#1 payroll in MLB vs #5 payroll in MLB
Sickening. Hope the Doyers lose.
As an aside, we almost had the Mariners, who are #15 in payroll. That would have been trend-defying.
I thought that Cal could of been given some DH duties during the series with Garver catching a few of the games. Cal, while having a decent series looked tired ⚾
Interesting. I guess a Catcher (and a leader and history-maker) is probably not going to sit in too many key playoff games–maybe in a day game after a night one, or after an extra inning game, but if you DH him and need him later in the game, you lose the DH. Garver had an OPS+ of 86 in 2025, 85 in 2024 so you aren’t getting anything with the bat,
He is the better game caller.
Pulled Kirby WAY too early. He was in a groove. Lost all momentum with that unnecessary switch.
It will be tough for the AL’s no. 2 biggest payroll to overcome the NL’s no. 1 biggest payroll.
But the AL’s no. 2 did manage to overcome the AL’s no. 1 payroll along the way
Happy for Blue Jay fans. They have had about as long a World Series drought until now as my team, which is still going.