Postseason Baseball. Even with a potential lockout approaching the drama of this month-long grind is a sight to behold. 12 teams entering the arena where only one can survive. And I know there will be at least two teams that everyone wants to see fail, maybe more. But still anything can happen. Alright enough from me, let’s take a look at this year’s lineup to see who will claim the Commissioners Trophy.
Tampa Bay Rays (Moneyball Extreme): There’s a reason why I didn’t want to sleep on these boys back in March. Because with their player development system and Kevin Cash being one of the better managers in baseball, you just knew that the Rays would return to contention status. Well they have. Mostly thanks to the rise of Junior Caminero into the next face of the franchise and a pitching staff that has run roughshod over the American League. (Bryan Baker is this good? WHERE WAS THIS IN BALTIMORE!) Oh by the way Chandler Simpson is doing his best 1985 Vince Coleman impersonation for crying out loud. They’re an exciting team to watch in nearly every way possible. (Why do the Gods hate Shane McClanahan so much) But their goals lie in October. Even though they’ve been contenders for the better part of the last decade it’s been a minute since Tampa Bay was seen as the clear cut pick to represent the AL in the World Series. (Especially with how bad the rest of the league is) And even if they don’t make it back there, I do have good news. You’re finally getting much needed new ownership and a new stadium in Tampa. Now just imagine if they combined their Moneyball formula with an aggressive mindset in free agency. A deadly sight to the rest of baseball.
Cleveland Guardians (Slow And Steady): Something about this team just doesn’t seem right. For the past few years the story in Cleveland has been the same. Solid starting pitching, a great bullpen, and a few hitters tearing the cover off the ball with little depth around them. Wouldn’t you guess it, the Guardians are facing the same dilemma. When Jose Ramirez is in the midst of a down year, yeah not looking good. (Also what happened to Steve Kwan? Only 32 RBIs) At least Travis Bazzana is now on board and should have his coming out party in the playoffs. They’re gonna need that because this bullpen led by Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis are going to have to carry this to kingdom come if need be. Also the rotation can’t just be the Gavin Williams Show, somebody needs to match him on the mound. Parker Messick this is where you come into the picture. Having an elite 1-2 punch with that bullpen could do wonders for the Guards. That and if Ramirez, Kwan, and Angel Martinez can get out of the slumps they’re in right now. Wouldn’t that be great?
Houston Astros (2005 San Diego Padres): BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! For the first time in the history of baseball a team that is either 500 or worse has made the playoffs. Well you can thank the AL West turning into the MLB’s answer to the NFC South. (Seattle and Texas have to be kicking themselves right now) There is one reason why the Astros window of contention hasn’t slammed shut on their face yet. Yordan Alvarez. “THIS GUY IS A WRECKING MACHINE!” Throughout this season he not only carried Houston’s injury prone and aging offense kicking and screaming but he nearly won himself the Triple Crown. That’s how dominant he’s been at the plate this year. The only player who isn’t having a down year besides Yordan is Jeremy Pena. The rest of the team, especially Altuve and Correa have fallen off hard. Although we said this exact same thing in 2020 and that team made it to Game 7 ALCS. If Hunter Brown turns into prime Verlander and Josh Hader doesn’t continue his postseason Wacky Taxi ride they could shock people. If they do, the salt from this next team would be hilarious… (THE PLAN! THE PLAN!)
New York Yankees (Operation Minus 1 Aaron Judge): The Yankees are facing what appears to be an uphill climb in every sense of the word. Especially with how much their fans have been calling for Boone and Cashman’s heads. And it’s not going to get any easier for them because Aaron Judge is out for the Wild Card Round. (No Volpe or The Martian to be found here either) And there’s that dreaded bullpen which went from the Pinstripes biggest strength in recent years to arguably their biggest weakness. The only things keeping this team afloat right now is their starting rotation, Cody Bellinger, and Ben Rice. If Cam Schlittler does what he did last year in the playoffs, and if Gerrit Cole’s comeback campaign carries over to October, they’ve got a shot. However I think it’s safe to say that everyone in the Yankee organization will be on thin ice. Why? Because who they get to see in the 1st Round of the playoffs… (And they want revenge for Schlittler turning into the pitching version of Bucky Dent in Game 3)
Boston Red Sox (When Did You Get Hot?): How is this team a contender right now? After what we saw in April where the Red Sox crapped the bed so badly to the point where Alex Cora was fired and they nearly overhauled their executive room. But then we realized that Boston’s young talent especially in the hitting core would break out. And well they did. You can thank Jarren Duran, Michael Mayer, and a potential generational talent in Mickey Gasper. (They get dunk on Yankees fans with the I Love Mickey anthem. HAHA!) Those three and a revived Willson Contreras have carried the offense since June. And that’s with a certain marquee acquisition from Charm City going through a late season slump. (Well when he’s not playing the O’s) The Red Sox fate this time is going to be in the hands of their pitching staff. Sonny Gray has turned back the clock and Payton Tolle looks like a future ace, but depth is a concern although they are getting Garrett Crochet back for the playoffs which is huge. As long as they don’t fall to the Damn Yankees again this will be a successful season especially after how it began. Did I just say that?
Chicago White Sox (LMAO!): Really? The White Sox made it here? After having the worst record of the modern era 2 years ago. With next to no hope both on and off the field. What a world we live in. (Are we sure Pope Leo XIV is blessing their every move?) That young core of theirs is starting to come of age though. When you have the Montgomery Brothers in the middle of the order, Munetaka Murakami becoming a franchise cornerstone, and Tristan Peters going from the Savannah Bananas to an All Star, that’s saying something. Even Sean Burke and Davis Martin look like promising young pitchers. And this is with Luis Castillo not panning out. If anyone is due for a Cinderella run thanks to playing with house money it’s these boys. (I’m dreading saying that given that my grandparents on my mom’s side are Cubs fans) They’re gonna make it to the ALCS aren’t they especially with that softball schedule on their side of the bracket. If they do, nobody’s going to hear the end of it from the South Siders. DANG IT! (Sounds like Reinsdorf finally managed to remember what made this franchise great. YOUNG TALENT!)
Milwaukee Brewers (Milt Mason Looms Large): You have no idea how badly the state of Wisconsin wants a World Series played there. Look at what they’ve had to deal with this year. Jimmy Haslam lowballing the Greatest Player in Bucks History to Miami and the Packers in a free fall not seen since the 80s after Micah Parsons went down with a torn ACL. (At least they have the Badgers returning to relevance again) The Brewers are their only hope from being dunked on by most of Mainstream Media for roughly the 26th time in the last 12 months. And with the talent that Milwaukee has they’ve got a really good chance of finally getting past the Curse of Milt Mason. Jacob Misiorowski has taken the best pitcher in baseball moniker and ran with it, Logan Henderson is the next big thing in this rotation, (If only Brandon Woodruff wasn’t so fragile) Jackson Chourio is a budding superstar and the talent around him on offense hasn’t skipped a beat. Christian Yelich has been here for too long and is well overdue for a ring. The most wins in franchise history and leaving the rest of a stacked NL Central in the dust. However there is one thing that has eluded this entire franchise, specifically longtime owner Mark Attanasio. A much earned championship. And if they want to get there, they know who they need to get past…
Los Angeles Dodgers (Baseball’s Most Wanted): The quest for a 3 peat and ridiculous amounts of coping and seething from the rest of the Baseball World has kicked into high gear. The first year was a breeze even if San Diego had them on the ropes in NLDS. Last year nearly every single major acquisition blew up on them until the postseason began. Now the Dodgers are in a familiar situation especially with Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz not living up to the offseason hype. But as we saw with Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell last year, it can all change in the playoffs. Why do you think they brought in Tarik Skubal at the deadline? To try and break the internet. And here’s what should scare everyone. They’re now healthy at the right time. Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts are back from the injured list and they’re probably going to throw the Unicorn and Sasaki out of the bullpen too. Tremble in fear, baseball! The bad guy is lurking in the shadows and ready to strike. Who even has a chance to stop them? I think this team might given their recent success against them…
Atlanta Braves (Back From Vacation): Good news Braves fans, the injury bug from last year didn’t carry over. You’re back to being legit contenders again. With that offense there’s reasons to be excited even with Austin Riley going through a brutal step back this year. (Knowing him, he’ll up his game in October) Ronald Acuna is now at full strength at long last and Michael Harris has become the next in a long line of great Atlanta Center Fielders. A 5 tool talent in his prime. (Plus a two headed monster behind the plate in Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy) While their lineup is possibly the deepest in the entire postseason, the Braves pitching staff has a lot to be desired. Chris Sale may be defying Father Time, but the rest of the rotation now that Spencer Stridder is going under the knife will have a bigger responsibility. Tyler Mahle is going to need to build off his white hot September if the ATL is going to have any chance at a 2nd title in half a decade. That bullpen can also not be wasted with the way they’ve been pitching since July. And here’s the fun part, they’re going up against the brick wall of a city that has owned the ATL since the 1970s. If they lose to patient zero again there will be laughter abound. (Especially after what happened in 2022 and 2023 not to mention Macho Row in 93)
San Diego Padres (UNDER PRESSURE… again): Tell me darling, WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR THIS BUNCH TO FINALLY OVERCOME THE GHOSTS! Many things. Mainly consistency in nearly every phase of the game. The talent is certainly there. Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr snapped out of early season slumps and are raking again. The bullpen with Mason Miller has mowed down lineups left and right. If only their rotation wasn’t banged up and their middle infield wasn’t underachieving despite the level of talent there is. (Boegaerts and Cronenworth in down years? Shocking) Michael King and Nick Pivetta need to be at their best if they are to at least have a shot at making a deep run. And this year is critical for more than one reason. New ownership, AJ Preller on the hot seat, and most of their core is either aging or losing its steam. And won’t you look at that, if a familiar foe from last year stands in their way in the Wild Card Round. At some point you may have to consider blowing it up. But has San Diego reached that point? Maybe.
Chicago Cubs (The Lovable Mystery Box): Which Cubs team are we going to see? That’s been a question that I have been pondering for weeks on end. (Hell this has been a question I’ve had possibly since 2017) This team is capable of dominating anyone who stands in their way, or capable of getting blown out by anyone who stands in their way there’s no inbetween. If Wrigleyville is going to witness glory this year it’ll be on the shoulders of PCA. One of the most electrifying talents in the game both on the bases and at the plate. (Shades of prime Andre Dawson) He and Seiya Suzuki have been crushing the ball since May and the rest of the lineup eventually caught on. To some extent. However I do have great concerns. Mostly with the pitching staff. Outside of Shota Imanaga and Kevin Gausman the Cubbies pitching staff has been banged up mainly Ben Brown and Justin Steele. This lineup is going to have to carry the load during the playoffs aren’t they? If they don’t the calls for Craig Counsell’s head will only grow. (If so, the narrative of him being carried by Attanasio will only grow)
Philadelphia Phillies (Barely Breathing): The Phillies. This franchise can be so frustrating to witness at times. (I’m not even a fan of theirs and even I am frustrated with their play this year) Early in the season they were one of the biggest jokes in baseball, Rob Thomson was canned after being mauled by angry fans outside of Citizens Bank Park, and it seemed like the entire team was declining hard. Then comes June and August where Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper start tearing the cover off the ball and Cristopher Sanchez and Zach Wheeler consume opposing bats at high rates. July and September the less said the better. Don Mattingly has been thrown right into the fire whether he deserves it or not and that’s mainly due to a fanbase aching for a champion. Especially after nearly blowing the final Wild Card spot to the Diamondbacks. But we did say this exact same thing back in 2022 going into the playoffs. And we all know how that team did when everyone thought they’d suck in October. And most of that core is still here. I will laugh so hard if the Phillies play up to their potential this postseason especially after all of the heart attacks they gave their fans this season. It would be so fitting for that franchise and fanbase. PAUSE.
This season has seen plenty of god awful baseball mainly from the American League as well as the pressure starting to creep up into the minds of teams who haven’t won a title with their current core. (Philly and San Diego in particular) But regardless of the way you look at this, there can only be two teams who will be able to survive this test of wills.
Prediction: I’m not even going to try to hide my cynicism; it’s going to be Yankees vs Dodgers again. The matchup nobody outside of New York, LA, or ESPN wants because Rob Manfred and the Baseball Gods love those Big Market Superteams. But as I and many others have stated before, don’t hate the players, hate the game. Honestly I’m going to enjoy this slate of playoff games as much as I can. Especially since we may be headed for a long work stoppage in the future. CRUD.
