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The Opener

The Opener: ALCS, NLCS, Lukes

By Nick Deeds | October 13, 2025 at 8:59am CDT

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. ALCS Game 2:

After a solo homer by George Springer in the first inning, Bryce Miller and the Mariners’ bullpen managed to shut down a Blue Jays offense that throttled the Yankees in the division series to take Game 1 of the ALCS 3-1. Seattle will look to build on that lead later today with right-hander Logan Gilbert (3.44 ERA) on the mound, while the Blue Jays will turn to rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage (3.21 ERA) as they look to tie up the series before it heads to Seattle for Game 3. Yesavage is coming off a dominant performance against New York where he struck out 11 in 5 1/3 hitless innings, but Gilbert had a strong showing in the ALDS himself. He struck out seven Tigers across six innings of one-run ball in his lone start in the series before pitching two scoreless innings of relief in Seattle’s marathon Game 5 win over Detroit. The teams are set to face off at 5:03pm local time this evening in Toronto.

2. NLCS Game 1:

Just over three hours later, at 7:08pm local time in Milwaukee, the Brewers and Dodgers will kick off Game 1 of the NLCS. Left-hander Blake Snell (2.35 ERA) is slated to take the mound for L.A. He’s already come up with wins for the Dodgers against both the Reds and Phillies this October, combining for 13 innings of two-run ball with 18 strikeouts. Milwaukee, meanwhile, has not announced a starter but plans to go with an opener for the start of the game, with either Quinn Priester (3.32 ERA) or Jose Quintana (3.96 ERA) to follow as a bulk arm. Quintana was the far more effective of the two in the NLDS, as he threw three scoreless frames against Chicago while Priester surrendered four runs and recorded just two outs in his lone appearance.

3. Lukes day-to-day:

Turning back to the ALCS, Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes exited yesterday’s game after fouling a ball off of his knee. He was eventually diagnosed as a right knee contusion after x-rays came back negative. It’s a good sign for his availability at some point later in the series, but manager John Schneider told reporters yesterday that it wouldn’t be known if Lukes was available for today’s game. Lukes will be evaluated by the Jays’ medical staff when he arrives at the park today. If he’s unavailable, Davis Schneider or Myles Straw would likely step into the starting lineup in his place.

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The Opener

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The Opener: ALDS, NLDS, Phillies

By Nick Deeds | October 10, 2025 at 8:53am CDT

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:

1. ALDS to conclude:

The ALDS will wrap up tonight as the Tigers and Mariners head back to Seattle for a decisive Game 5. The game is scheduled for 5:08pm local time and will see the Tigers send ace Tarik Skubal (2.21 ERA) to the mound opposite righty George Kirby (4.21 ERA). Skubal is the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner and likely to win it again this season after another dominant campaign. That excellence has extended into the postseason, as he’s posted a 1.84 ERA with an eye-popping 41.8% strikeout rate in two starts so far.

Elite as Skubal has been, he’s not completely unbeatable. The Mariners themselves managed put together a win in Game 2 of the ALDS when Skubal threw seven innings of two-run ball thanks to a slip by the Tigers bullpen. Kirby, meanwhile, surrendered two runs in five innings while striking out eight when he faced Detroit in Game 1 of this series. The winner of tonight’s game will go on to face the Blue Jays in ALCS, which kicks off Sunday. Toronto would have home field advantage over either club for the series.

2. NLDS wrapping up in Milwaukee:

Though the Brewers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the NLDS, the Cubs battled back and won two straight elimination games at Wrigley Field to take the series back to Milwaukee. The decisive Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday at 7:08pm local time. Neither team has announced their starter, though the Cubs would have southpaw Shota Imanaga (3.73 ERA) on regular rest while the Brewers figure to have both Jacob Misiorowski (4.36 ERA) and Quinn Priester (3.32 ERA) available for what’s sure to be an all-hands-on-deck game for both teams. The winner of the series will head into the NLCS, where they’ll face the Dodgers with Game 1 scheduled for Monday. The Brewers would hold home field advantage in the NLCS if they advance, while the Dodgers would have it over the Cubs.

3. Phillies head into the offseason:

The Phillies’ season ended last night on a heartbreaking walk-off error by Orion Kerkering, and with the end of the season comes the start of the club’s offseason. It would be a surprise to see the Phillies move on from the generally successful partnership of Rob Thomson and Dave Dombrowski, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some real potential for change this winter. Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Ranger Suarez are all ticketed for free agency. Reuniting with or replacing those players, and Schwarber in particular, figures to be the main storyline of Philadelphia’s offseason. Between Suarez’s free agency, Zack Wheeler’s thoracic outlet surgery and Aaron Nola’s 2025 struggles, the Philadelphia rotation is facing some uncharacteristic uncertainty this winter, too. Like most clubs, the Phillies should be expected to hold an end-of-season presser at some point in the coming days that could provide hints to their offseason plans.

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The Opener

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The Opener: Phillies, Cubs, Yankees

By Nick Deeds | October 9, 2025 at 8:20am CDT

As the playoffs continue, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Phillies stave off elimination:

The Phillies managed to keep their playoff hopes alive last night as they clobbered the Dodgers 8-2 off the back of two home runs from Kyle Schwarber. Today’s game will kick off in Los Angeles at 3:08pm local time as the Dodgers send right-hander Tyler Glasnow (3.19 ERA) to the mound opposite lefty Cristopher Sanchez (2.50 ERA). Both already pitched in Game 1 of this series, though they had different roles in the game. Sanchez drew the start for Philadelphia and allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings of work while striking out eight against two walks. Glasnow, by contrast, was used as a reliever and recorded 1 2/3 scoreless innings of work where he struck out two with two walks.

2. Cubs survive to see Game 4:

Philadelphia wasn’t the only team to remain standing after an elimination game last night, as the Cubs beat the Brewers 4-3 after rallying to a lead in the first inning they would not relinquish. At 8:08pm local time this evening, Chicago and Milwaukee will take the field on the north side. Neither team has announced its starter for the game. Southpaw Matthew Boyd would be on regular rest after starting Game 1 for the Cubs, but after failing to make it out of the first inning in his last start against the Brew Crew there’s at least a possibility Chicago will consider other options. Meanwhile, Freddy Peralta would be on regular rest for Milwaukee, though it’s at least plausible they could go with another arm for Game 4 and save Peralta for either a decisive Game 5 or keep him fresh for the start of the NLCS should they win tonight.

3. Yankees head home after ALDS defeat:

After winning the AL pennant last year for the first time since 2009, the Yankees won’t be able to recapture it this year. They dropped last night’s game to Toronto in a 5-2 loss and will now head into the offseason earlier than they were surely hoping to. This offseason likely won’t involve quite as much upheaval as last winter, when New York overhauled its roster after losing Juan Soto to the Mets, but there are still some significant pieces ticketed for free agency including Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham, and (most likely) Cody Bellinger. The Yankees will surely hold a presser in the coming days that will shed some light on their offseason plans as they look ahead to the 2026 campaign, when Gerrit Cole will return from Tommy John surgery to help lead the rotation alongside Max Fried.

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The Opener: NLDS, ALDS, Injuries

By Nick Deeds | October 8, 2025 at 8:18am CDT

As the playoffs continue, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. NLDS continues:

After an off-day yesterday, the NLDS continues today. The Brewers and Cubs are heading back to Wrigley Field with Chicago on the verge of elimination. Right-hander Jameson Taillon (3.68 ERA) will carry the hopes of the Cubs on his shoulder, while Quinn Priester (3.32 ERA) will try to send Milwaukee to the NLCS tonight at 4:08pm local time. Four hours later at 6:08pm local time, the Phillies and Dodgers will play Game 3 at Dodger Stadium with Philadelphia on the brink. Aaron Nola (6.01 ERA) is expected to start today’s game for the Phillies, but Alden Gonzalez of ESPN relays that manager Rob Thomson told reporters southpaw Ranger Suarez (3.20 ERA) will also pitch in the game. However those two divide today’s work, they’ll be faced with a fearsome opponent as Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.49 ERA) looks to lock up the series for Los Angeles.

2. ALDS continues:

While the NLDS is still at Game 3, the ALDS have had an extra game with both series currently split two games to one. The first game of the day is at 3:08pm local time in Detroit, where the Tigers will look to avoid elimination and tie up the series with right-hander Casey Mize (3.87 ERA) on the mound opposite Mariners righty Bryce Miller (5.68 ERA). At 7:08pm local time in the Bronx, meanwhile, the Yankees will be looking to build on yesterday’s comeback victory of the Blue Jays and tie up the series after going down two games to zero.

Toronto manager John Schneider told reporters (including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet) last night that “everyone is available” for Game 4 as they look to avoid the series coming back to Toronto for a decisive Game 5. He said he wasn’t “exactly sure” who would start the game this evening at the time, although Louis Varland has been announced as the game’s starter since then as a likely opener after surrendering a three-run homer to Aaron Judge yesterday. Regardless of who ends up pitching the bulk of Toronto’s innings, they’ll be facing Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler (2.96 ERA) with New York’s playoff hopes on the line.

3. Playoff injuries:

While the division series continue, there are some notable injury questions facing two of the NL clubs that could wind up impacting the series in a big way. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com relays that, per Brewers manager Pat Murphy, star outfielder Jackson Chourio is still bothered by the hamstring injury that saw him pulled from both Games 1 and 2 of the series, even as he managed to hit a decisive homer on his ailing hamstring in Game 2. Chourio has been among the Brewers best players both this year and during the postseason, so losing him for Game 3 would be a massive blow. Meanwhile, the Phillies may be without Harrison Bader when fighting for their playoff lives in L.A. tonight. Gonzalez relays that Thomson told reporters Bader’s presence in the lineup will be “a game-time decision” as Bader nurses a groin injury suffered in Game 1 of the series on Saturday. He was not in the lineup for Game 2 but did pinch hit in the game, recording a single off Alex Vesia.

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The Opener: ALDS, Rays, MLBTR Chat

By Nick Deeds | October 7, 2025 at 8:57am CDT

As the playoffs continue, here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on today:

1. ALDS resumes:

Game 3 of the ALDS is today, with the Yankees and Blue Jays headed to New York while the Mariners and Tigers head to Detroit. For the Yankees, today could be the club’s last stand as they face elimination. Carlos Rodon (3.09 ERA) will take the mound for the club opposite Toronto righty Shane Bieber (3.57 ERA in seven starts). In Detroit, the Tigers will be hoping to take a lead over the Mariners after Seattle managed to tie the series in a game started by Tarik Skubal on Sunday. This time around, Jack Flaherty (4.64 ERA) is on the bump for Detroit against Seattle right-hander Logan Gilbert (3.44 ERA). The Mariners and Tigers are set to play at 4:08pm local time at Comerica Park, while the Blue Jays and Yankees will square off at 8:08pm local time in the Bronx.

2. Rays ownership introductory presser:

The Rays’ new ownership group has officially taken over for longtime owner Stu Sternberg, though Sternberg remains in the fold as a minority stakeholder. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times notes that an introductory press conference for the new owners is scheduled to take place at 11:30am local time later today. Patrick Zalupski, the managing partner and co-chair of the organization, will be in attendance alongside new co-chair Bill Cosgrove and new CEO Ken Babby. Per the Rays, the conference will be viewable for fans on the Rays’ YouTube channel among other local options. While personnel changes on the baseball operations side of organization currently appear unlikely, fans will still surely be curious to see if the new owners will be altering the club’s budget going forward. It’s also possible there will be notable updates on the Rays’ stadium situation.

3. MLBTR chat today:

The postseason is underway, and just eight teams remain in the fight as the Division Series continues in both leagues. The rest of MLB is already looking ahead to 2026, with a number of managerial vacancies (plus a GM vacancy in Colorado) yet to be filled. Whether your team is still in the hunt or you’re already turning your attention towards the offseason free agent and trade markets, MLBTR’s Steve Adams has you covered in a live chat at 1pm CT later today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

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The Opener: NLDS, Yankees, Managerial Searches

By Nick Deeds | October 6, 2025 at 8:58am CDT

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. NLDS Game 2:

While the ALDS had its second game of the series yesterday, the NL had a day off. The NLDS will resume today with games in Milwaukee and Philadelphia. The Phillies will be looking to avoid dropping a second consecutive home game to the Dodgers after Teoscar Hernandez’s three-run homer gave Los Angeles a 5-3 lead they would not relinquish. At 6:08pm local time this evening, a duel between opposing lefties will begin as two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell steps up for the Dodgers to face off against Phillies southpaw Jesus Luzardo. Three hours later (8:08pm local time), the Brewers will take the field and try to put the Cubs on the brink of elimination while Chicago will try to put Saturday’s 9-3 drubbing in the past and send a tied series to Wrigley Field. Lefty Shota Imanaga will be on the mound for the Cubs today. The Brewers will use fellow southpaw Aaron Ashby as an opener with right-hander Quinn Priester likely to handle bulk innings.

2. Yankees on the brink:

The Yankees managed to win back-to-back elimination games against the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series last week, but now they’ll need to win three consecutive elimination games if they hope to stay alive and advance to the ALCS after they were no-hit by Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage through 5 1/3 innings while the Jays’ offense piled on 13 runs by the end of the sixth inning. While New York rallied a bit against the Toronto bullpen, it wasn’t enough to stop the Bombers from entering today’s off-day staring down the possibility of getting swept in front of their home crowd on Tuesday.

3. Managerial searches continue:

While the playoffs continue, a number of teams eliminated from the postseason are on the hunt for a new manager. Skip Schumaker has already been hired in Texas to replace Bruce Bochy, but that still leaves vacancies in Colorado, Baltimore, San Francisco, Minnesota, Atlanta, Anaheim, and Washington D.C. New candidates emerged for the Giants and Angels yesterday, but other potential candidates like Mets executive Andy Green have passed on the opportunity to be considered for a managerial gig. With so many vacancies yet to be filled, plenty of intriguing candidates will emerge over the next few weeks as teams conduct interviews and ask rival organizations for permission to speak with their employees.

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The Opener: Division Series, Rangers, Angels

By Steve Adams | October 3, 2025 at 9:03am CDT

Here are three things to keep an eye on as we head into the weekend…

1. Division Series begin in both leagues:

MLB’s Wild Card round capped off yesterday when the Tigers toppled the Guardians on the strength of some late offense, while the Cubs edged past the Padres — but not before some ninth-inning drama put everyone on the edge of their seats. In the nightcap, Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler delivered a historic performance when he held the Red Sox scoreless and punched out 12 hitters over eight innings as New York advanced.

There are no games today, but the NLDS and ALDS are both slated to kick off tomorrow. Action begins when the Cubs head to Milwaukee, where they’ll be greeted by Brewers ace Freddy Peralta. Chicago has yet to formally name a Game 1 starter. Javier Assad would be on full rest, or they could turn to Colin Rea, who tossed 1 2/3 innings in relief on Wednesday and would presumably be able to go multiple innings to open a de facto bullpen game.

The Yankees will be in Toronto for Game 1 of the ALDS later on Saturday. Neither club has announced a Game 1 starter. New York is deciding between Luis Gil and Will Warren, per SNY’s Andy Martino, with a current lean toward the former. The Blue Jays will go with Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber in Games 1 and 2 but haven’t yet tipped their hand on which order they’ll be deployed.

The Dodgers will be at Citizen’s Bank Park on Saturday in the only of the four matchups where both starting pitchers have been publicly revealed. Shohei Ohtani (2.87 ERA, 33 K%, 4.8 BB% in 47 regular season innings) will be on the bump for Los Angeles opposite Phillies southpaw Cristopher Sanchez (2.50 ERA, 26.3 K%, 5.5 BB%, 202 innings).

The final game on Saturday’s slate will see the Tigers head to Seattle. If Detroit wants to avoid using ace Tarik Skubal on short rest, they’ll likely need to go with Keider Montero or Chris Paddack to open the series. The Mariners are hoping that Bryan Woo will be ready to go after being down nearly three weeks due to a pectoral injury. He threw a bullpen session yesterday and will be further evaluated today. If not Woo, the Mariners can choose among Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Luis Castillo to kick things off at home.

2. Rangers press conference today:

The Rangers announced yesterday that president of baseball operations Chris Young and general manager Ross Fenstermaker will address the media this morning at 10am CT for their end-of-season press conference. The team’s two top baseball ops executives will surely take questions on Bruce Bochy’s departure from the organization, the subsequent managerial vacancy created by his exit, the 2025 season and where it went wrong, and the direction for the team moving forward. End-of-season pressers like this typically offer vital insight into what shape the offseason could take — particularly for hopeful contenders that miss the playoffs.

3. All quiet in Anaheim:

It’s another story entirely in Anaheim, where the Angels missed the playoffs for an 11th straight season and have not yet held any media availability. As Sam Blum of The Athletic points out, general manager Perry Minasian had previously indicated that he would address the media this week, but those plans seem to have changed. Blum adds that team sources confirmed to him Minasian is still employed at this time — there’s been speculation about his job status after the club announced a managerial change — but it’s unclear when or whether anyone from the team will take questions about the 2025 season or the upcoming offseason. Press conferences of this nature on a just-wrapped season are standard practice for all teams in MLB, and the fact that Minasian had broadcast a forthcoming media session only to pull back is rather strange.

No one from the Angels has publicly commented on whether Minasian will be back for the 2026 season. He signed a two-year extension covering the 2025-26 seasons (with a 2027 option) in Aug. 2024. Minasian conducted an end-of-season press conference following each of his first four seasons as the team’s GM — including a post-2024 session that was conducted exactly one year ago yesterday.

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The Opener: Wild Cards, Rockies, Managerial Vacancies

By Nick Deeds | October 2, 2025 at 8:24am CDT

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Wild Card Series continues:

The Dodgers bested the Reds 8-4 yesterday to complete a two-game sweep of Cincinnati and advance to the NLDS against the Phillies. The other three Wild Card matchups all saw the team facing elimination force a Game 3, leaving us with plenty of baseball to enjoy today. Things will kick off in Cleveland, at 3:08pm local time, when Jack Flaherty and the Tigers face off against Slade Cecconi and the Guardians to decide who will represent the AL Central against the Mariners in the ALDS.

In Chicago, at 4:08pm local time, the Cubs take the field at Wrigley behind Jameson Taillon as they try to advance in the playoffs for the first time since 2017 against the Padres and former Cub Yu Darvish. Finally, the Wild Card series will wrap in the Bronx, at 8:08pm local time, when the Red Sox and Yankees conclude the latest chapter in their storied archrivalry. That game will feature two rookies, with Connelly Early taking the ball for Boston in light of Lucas Giolito’s recent injury. The Yankees will turn to right-hander Cam Schlittler.

2. Rockies searching for new leadership:

Bill Schmidt is out as Rockies GM after this year’s brutal 119-loss season. He was promoted from within the organization to take over for Jeff Bridich in May of 2021, who himself was promoted to the top job from within in organization back in 2014. For a franchise that has dealt with a lot of struggles and failure over the years, this stands out as a rare opportunity for the club to bring in an outside voice and see what that sort of breath of fresh air could do to rejuvenate the organization. Perhaps that could come in the form of someone with ties to the organization like Thad Levine, who is already rumored to be in the mix for the job. Of course, it’s at least possible that owner Dick Monfort could break with his past tendencies and look for a less familiar partner to help lead the Rockies back to the postseason for the first time since 2018.

3. Managerial vacancies continue to grow:

While the Rockies likely won’t have clarity on their managerial situation until they bring in Schmidt’s replacement, there’s still plenty of intrigue surrounding the various managerial vacancies that have been created around the game in the past few days. Yesterday, Atlanta joined the pile of teams searching for a new voice in the dugout after Brian Snitker opted to retire from the dugout, though he’ll remain in the organization for a landmark 50th season in an advisory role. The Braves have a talented core and could very feasibly be back in the playoffs as soon as next year, so they’ll be one of the more attractive managerial vacancies available for candidates to pursue.

Elsewhere, the rumor mill is buzzing over the possibility that Hall of Famer Albert Pujols could take a turn as manager. He’s a strong candidate to take over for Ron Washington and Ray Montgomery in Anaheim with the Angels. The Rangers, Giants, Twins, Nationals and Orioles are each in the market for a new manager as well, and there’s always the possibility that a playoff club will look to make a change following an earlier-than-hoped-for exit from the postseason field.

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The Opener: Wild Card Games, Chisholm, Nationals

By Nick Deeds | October 1, 2025 at 8:27am CDT

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:

1. Game 1 winners go for sweep in Wild Card Series:

The Tigers, Cubs, Red Sox, and Dodgers took home victories in Game 1 of their respective Wild Card series yesterday, and each of those clubs will be going for the sweep today. Casey Mize will kick things off at 1:08pm local time today for Detroit, while the Guardians will counter with Tanner Bibee with their season on the line. Two hours later (2:08pm local time), the Padres will hang the hopes of their season on Dylan Cease. The Cubs will counter with an opener in the form of right-hander Andrew Kittredge. Kittredge threw a scoreless inning for Chicago in Game 1 of the series yesterday and is likely to turn things over to lefty Shota Imanaga for the bulk of the game. Turning back to the AL, the Yankees will have to overcome Red Sox starter Brayan Bello with southpaw Carlos Rodon on the mound if they’re going to live to see Game 3, and the Reds’ last stand against the Dodgers will come with Zack Littell on the mound against Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

2. Frustration in the Bronx:

Infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. was not in the lineup for yesterday’s first game of the Wild Card series against the Red Sox, and The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner relays that Chisholm made no secret of his displeasure about riding the pine following the game. Chisholm conducted his post-game interview with his back turned to reporters and said he had “not much” conversation with Aaron Boone about not playing. A 30-30 player worth more than four wins in 130 games this year according to either version of WAR, Chisholm is one of the league’s most talented second basemen. While his status as a left-handed hitter may not have made him the ideal choice to start against lefty Garrett Crochet, his .248/.322/.411 against southpaws is hardly a liability — though it does trail the production of both Amed Rosario (.302/.328/.491) and Jose Caballero (.250/.361/.452) versus left-handers.

3. Toboni to be introduced:

The Nationals are introducing newly minted president of baseball operations Paul Toboni at a press conference that kicked off about 15 minutes ago. Owners Mark Lerner, Ed Cohen, and Robert Tannenbaum are all on hand alongside Toboni. The decision to fire Mike Rizzo and hire Toboni, who had spent years working his way up the ladder in the Red Sox organization prior to being brought in to lead baseball operations in the nation’s capital, is the first change of leadership the Nationals have experienced since Rizzo’s hire all the way back in 2009. With a young team that lost 96 games this year despite steps forward from young players like James Wood and CJ Abrams, Nationals ownership and their new baseball operations leader will be providing further insight into the team’s direction and what lies ahead.

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The Opener: Wild Card Series, DeLauter, Bloom

By Nick Deeds | September 30, 2025 at 8:27am CDT

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Wild Card Series to begin:

Each of the four Wild Card matchups are scheduled to have their first game today. Things will kick off in Cleveland with Gavin Williams on the bump for the Guardians. He’ll be facing Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The reigning AL Cy Young winner will be looking to redeem Detroit after their shocking slump, paired with Cleveland’s surge, caused the Tigers to fall out of the top spot in the AL Central. Two hours after first pitch in Ohio, the NL’s first game will start with Nick Pivetta on the mound for the Padres at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs and Matthew Boyd will be looking to secure the franchise’s first win in a playoff game since 2017. Three hours later, attention will turn to the east coast, where one of baseball’s most storied rivalries will add a new chapter when Garrett Crochet and the Red Sox take the mound in the Bronx against Max Fried and the Yankees. That battle of aces will be followed by another on the other side of the country, when the Reds and right-hander Hunter Greene visit the reigning champion Dodgers, who send southpaw Blake Snell to the mound for Game 1.

2. A potential MLB debut in the postseason?

Guardians outfield prospect Chase DeLauter has not yet appeared in an MLB game. That might change this week, as Zack Meisel of The Athletic writes that DeLauter is on the club’s taxi squad and participated in Cleveland’s workouts at Progressive Field yesterday. That leaves him at least potentially in the conversation to make the roster, and as a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport who hit .278/.383/.476 at Triple-A this year, it’s not hard to see why a Guardians team light on offense might be interested in seeing if the 23-year-old can provide a spark. Daniel Schneemann, George Valera, Johnathan Rodriguez, and Angel Martinez are all presently mixing and matching in the Guardians outfield alongside Steven Kwan, so there’s plenty of flexibility to fit DeLauter into the mix if the club so desires.

3. Bloom to be formally introduced:

In news not related to the postseason, the Cardinals are set to hold a press conference at 10am local time where, as relayed by Katie Woo of The Athletic, owner Bill DeWitt Jr. will introduce Chaim Bloom as the club’s new president of baseball operations. Both DeWitt and Bloom will discuss the future direction of the Cardinals. Bloom has already been in the Cardinals organization for a couple years, having joined the club as an advisor to the front office in 2023 before it was announced late last year that Bloom would be taking over for longtime baseball operations president John Mozeliak following the 2025 season. Now that Mozeliak has stepped aside, Bloom will now fully step into his new role and fans in St. Louis will have the opportunity to hear more of what this changing of the guard means for the franchise.

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