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MLB: Possible Free Agent Destinations?

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – As the light turns green to signal the open of Major League Baseball free agency, the looming threat of the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers casts a larger shadow than ever over the other 29 teams.

Most of them are dealing with a level of wallet envy as Los Angeles collects World Series titles and All-Stars at an epic clip.

With perennial MVP Shohei Ohtani front and center, it’s easy to forget the Dodgers scored offseason wins each winter before and after onboarding the two-way stud as a free agent in 2024.

The same year he signed a (largely deferred) 10-year, $700 million contract that runs until 2033, the Dodgers spent $325 million over 12 years (2035) on World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, signed third baseman Max Muncy to an extension and re-upped with right-hander Tyler Glasnow after a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays.

The annual average value of those four deals? A cool $134 million.

Milwaukee was no match for the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. Worth noting is the current payroll allocation for next season from the Brewers: $45 million.

Don’t look now, but this could be the winter the Cincinnati Reds ($39M), Chicago White Sox ($37M) and Miami Marlins ($23M) combine to reach $100 million in total player payroll contract commitments.

Well, maybe not.

Without ballclubs having the cash or credentials to spend Dodgers dollars — or even Brewers bucks — the biggest fish in free agency are not incentivized to float toward smaller markets, lighter spenders or generally away from LA or New York.

Will there be a surprise bidder for any of the top talents on the free agent market this winter?

Don’t rule out the San Francisco Giants, an NL West division rival of the Dodgers and playoff-qualifying Padres all too aware of MLB’s devolved state as a spenders market.

Here’s our early projection for the landing spot of the top 10 players in free agency:

1. Kyle Tucker, RF, Chicago Cubs
Free Agent Destination?: Los Angeles Dodgers
If Tucker truly wants $400 million as is widely speculated, cross off a return to the Chicago Cubs. Yes, he’s 28 and was dogged by hand and calf injuries, but the starting rotation is a higher priority in Chicago. Tucker hit .266/.377/.464 with 22 home runs, 25 doubles, 87 walks and 25 stolen bases in 597 plate appearances.

If the Phillies shock their peers by trading Bryce Harper, they could make a bid and the Yankees are always in play.

2. Kyle Schwarber, DH, Philadelphia Phillies
Free Agent Destination?: Philadelphia Phillies
At 32 going on 33 (March 2026), Schwarber is nowhere close to a perfect candidate for most teams looking for power. But his resume can take a bullet. Other than Yankees bomber Aaron Judge, Schwarber has been baseball’s most consistent HR hitter in MLB the past decade. Schwarber doesn’t fit in the field — anywhere — but the Chicago Cubs might come knocking with full knowledge of perceived shortcomings and the Atlanta Braves are intrigued, too.

3. Alex Bregman, 3B, Boston Red Sox
Free Agent Destination?: New York Mets
If you guessed Bregman was out of gas before last season, your reading was proven wrong. But the exercise is doomed to become annual because of Bregman’s age — he’ll be 32 in March. Still a solid defensive third baseman, his clubhouse leadership is on par with David Wright and he’d bring a bat to help offset the potential loss of Pete Alonso.

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4. Pete Alonso, 1B, New York Mets
Free Agent Destination: Boston Red Sox?
Following a similar map to the one Boston used to reel in Bregman last offseason, the Red Sox could be getting a player capable of being an 80 extra-base-hit threat at Fenway Park. There is the looming return of Triston Casas for Boston to balance with their bidding, but a rotation at 1B-DH would suit if the Mets tag out of the bidding.

5. Bo Bichette, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays
Free Agent Destination: New York Mets?
Cringe away, but the Dodgers make all the sense in the world if the vision is to utilize Bichette as a corner outfielder and second baseman. Of course, he would have a say in buying into that vision. Who else might have the funds for a 28-year-old borderline MVP candidate? All set at shortstop, the Mets would be adding Bichette to play second base and only after the Blue Jays drop the pen and walk away from contract talks. A return to Toronto might still work out, and there are teams with more money capable of forcing Bichette to listen — Los Angeles Angels? — on a 10-year offer.

6. Cody Bellinger, RF, New York Yankees
Free Agent Destination: New York Yankees
Long-term security would appeal to Bellinger, 30, if such an offer exists. More likely, he’s back in pinstripes to give New York balance in the lineup and insurance in case bids for the heavier hitters on this list turn them away.

7. Framber Valdez, LHP, Houston Astros
Free Agent Destination: Chicago Cubs
Reassigning the money ticketed for Tucker to Valdez would be ideal for the Cubs, who have rotation needs and didn’t pick up the option on left-hander Shota Imanaga. Valdez might fetch a $200 million offer from the likes of the Giants and Blue Jays. Will the Cubs blink or swim?

8. Ranger Suarez, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies
Free Agent Destination: San Francisco Giants
We see the Mets and Red Sox kicking the tires on Ranger, but a reunion with the Phillies appears less likely. In the starting pitching market, a team overeager to make a splashy move is always a strong bet. Based on Buster Posey hiring University of Tennessee manager Tony Vitello and both harping on the importance of pitching in the National League West, the Giants fit that profile.

9. Dylan Cease, RHP, San Diego Padres
Free Agent Destination: Chicago Cubs
Once traded by the Cubs to the White Sox, Cease is no longer in Cy Young conversations. He is a workhorse. Cease made at least 32 starts in five consecutive seasons and was No. 1 in the National League in Ks/9 at 11.5 in 2025. The Padres have a Michael King decision to make. It’s possible the new regime prefers Cease or has other (trade) targets queued up. The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants could be in play, and the Detroit Tigers might make a run if they decide Tarik Skubal is worth more as the biggest offseason trade chip due to the direction of contract talks.

10. Josh Naylor, 1B, Seattle Mariners
Free Agent Destination: Seattle Mariners
At 28, Naylor should be the clear priority to return to the Mariners. Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline, Naylor hit 20 home runs and 29 doubles with 92 RBIs between the two stops in 2025. Naylor and third baseman Eugenio Suarez, another Seattle deadline deal last season, are also targets of smaller-market franchises because of the bang for the bucks. Naylor’s contract is likely to be in the 3-5 years, $75 million-$110 million range or approximately $45 million-$60 million less than Schwarber’s.

–Field Level Media

“No Way, Not Even Dead”

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Hard-throwing left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman is dead set against re-signing with the New York Yankees.

Literally.

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“No way, not even dead,” Chapman said when asked if he’d consider joining the Yankees during an appearance on the “Swing Completo” podcast, as translated from Spanish.

“If I were told that I was being traded to New York, I’d pack my things and go home. I’ll retire right on the spot if that happens. I’m not crazy. Never again.”

Chapman, 37, fared well this season while pitching for the Yankees’ chief rival: the Boston Red Sox. He posted a 5-3 record with 32 saves while finishing with career bests in ERA (1.17) and WHIP (0.70).

The eight-time All-Star signed a one-year, $13.3 million contract for the 2026 season in August. The deal also includes a 2027 vesting option.

Chapman played in parts of seven seasons for New York from 2016-22.

He was a three-time All-Star with the club, however, his last season ended on a sour note after he lost the closer role to Clay Holmes and missed a team workout ahead of the American League Division Series — an act that may have contributed to him being left off the Yankees’ postseason roster.

“I dealt with a lot of disrespect (with the Yankees),” Chapman said. “I put up with a lot of things. I knew that they just wanted to find a way to get rid of me, but they didn’t know how. And I just dealt with it quietly, kept playing, and doing what I always do.”

Chapman said his issues stemmed from the “bosses,” not manager Aaron Boone or the players.

“I got along well with all the players,” he said. “Never had a problem with anybody, even the manager. We’re friends and we talk and everything. The bosses are the ones who make those decisions.”

Chapman is tied with Jeff Reardon for 12th place all-time with 367 career saves while pitching for seven teams since 2010. He won World Series championships with the Chicago Cubs (2016) and Texas Rangers (2023).

–Field Level Media

Twins Peeking

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MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) -The Minnesota Twins are seeking permission to interview Boston Red Sox bench coach Ramon Vazquez for their managerial opening, MLB Network reported on Tuesday. The Twins parted ways with skipper Rocco Baldelli on Sept. 29 after finishing 70-92 and fourth in the division in his seventh season.

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Vazquez, 49, has been part of Boston’s coaching staff since 2018. He was promoted to bench coach in 2022.

On May 19 this season, Vazquez filled in for Red Sox manager Alex Cora and recorded a 3-1 win over the New York Mets. Cora was away for his daughter’s college graduation.

Vazquez played shortstop, third base and second base for parts of nine seasons in the majors with six teams from 2001-09. He was a career .254 hitter with 22 homers and 176 RBIs in 696 games.

Baldelli recorded the third-most wins in franchise history with a record of 527-505 (.511).

–Field Level Media

Yankees Outduel Red Sox

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BRONX – Rookie starting pitcher Cam Schlittler struck out 12 in eight innings during a stellar postseason debut as the New York Yankees eliminated the Boston Red Sox with a 4-0 victory in Game 3 of the American League wild-card series on Thursday night.

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The Yankees, who won the final two games of the best-of-three set, advance to the AL Division Series to face the Blue Jays. Game 1 of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Saturday in Toronto.

New York capitalized on shaky Boston defense in a four-run fourth inning. That was more than enough for Schlittler (1-0), who allowed five hits and no walks while throwing consistently in the upper 90s. The 24-year-old right-hander fired 75 of his career-high 107 pitches for strikes.

“I was locked in,” said Schlittler, a Massachusetts native. “I knew exactly what I needed to do and go out there, especially against my hometown team. As I told Andy (Pettitte) yesterday, I wasn’t going to let them beat me. I was just overconfident in that fact. Making sure I wasn’t getting too carried away with it.”

Schlittler joined Roger Clemens (15 in 2000), Gerrit Cole (13 in 2020) and Orlando Hernandez (12 in 2000) as the fourth player in Yankees history with at least 12 strikeouts in a postseason game. He is the only rookie in that group.

Red Sox, Yanks Turn to Rookie SPs

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BRONX – New York’s Jazz Chisholm Jr. was not in the lineup Tuesday because the New York Yankees were facing Boston Red Sox ace left-hander Garrett Crochet.

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While Chisholm appeared to not be thrilled with manager Aaron Boone’s decision, he and the rest of the Yankees were elated with the second baseman’s impact on Wednesday.

Chisholm and the Yankees will attempt to eliminate the Red Sox on Thursday when the longtime rivals play a winner-advance, loser-go-home Game 3 of their American League wild-card series.

New York rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler, a Boston-area native, will start against his hometown team. Rookie left-hander Connelly Early will start for the Red Sox, and Chisholm definitely will be in the lineup.

The winner will advance to the best-of-five AL Division Series, with Game 1 against the host Toronto Blue Jays scheduled for Saturday.

“I feel like every game is a must-win,” Chisholm said. “… We always put everything out there on the line, especially the playoffs. … There’s no space. You don’t want to give any team an edge.”

Chisholm’s imprints were all over the late innings as the Yankees avoided elimination with a 4-3 victory Wednesday night.

In the seventh inning, Chisholm knocked down a ground ball by pinch hitter Masataka Yoshida to hold him to an infield single, prevent a run from scoring. The game stayed tied when Fernando Cruz escaped a bases-loaded jam.

In the eighth, Chisholm walked with two outs after seeing seven pitches from Garrett Whitlock. He scored from first on a headfirst slide when Austin Wells singled down the right field line.

“He loves to play,” Boone said of Chisholm. “He feels a responsibility to us, his teammates. And, you know, he and I have always been good. Despite what you may think happened (Tuesday), like, yeah, he’s a gamer, and, you know, he likes the stage.”

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The Red Sox never led on Wednesday, though they tied the game twice thanks to Trevor Story, who hit well against the Yankees during the regular season. Story belted a two-run single in the third inning, and he added a solo homer in the sixth after the Yankees went ahead on a single by Aaron Judge.

Boston also was aggressive with its pitching staff, pulling Brayan Bello in the third inning after he allowed a two-run homer to Ben Rice in the first. The right-hander was out after 28 pitches.

“I thought it was a great ballgame,” Whitlock said. “I thought both sides played really well. I think you saw that with (in Games 1 and 2). And so hopefully we can put together a good game (Thursday) and go from there.”

After Crochet pitched 7 2/3 innings and Aroldis Chapman got the final four outs on Tuesday, Boston deployed six relievers (Justin Wilson, Justin Slaten, Steven Matz, Zack Kelly, Whitlock and Payton Tolle) on Wednesday.

“We were doing everything possible to get to the top of the ninth with a tie game,” Cora said after Whitlock threw a season-high 47 pitches.

Schlittler, who played at Northeastern University, which is a half-mile from Fenway Park, earned the start after a stellar two-plus months in the rotation. He finished 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts after making his debut July 9.

“He gave us a shot in the arm when he became another stabilizing force in our rotation,” Boone said Tuesday afternoon. “He will handle it well regardless of result or whatever, like I don’t think it will be too big for him, and he will be ready to roll.”

The 24-year-old struck out nine and pitched seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday in his latest start.

Schlittler did not face the Red Sox in the regular season but said he faced Boston in an exhibition game when he was at Northeastern.

“Obviously I am a lot different player than I was then,” Schlittler said. “So didn’t really expect to be in this situation back then, but now I am definitely happy I am.”

Early was Boston’s fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, and he went 1-2 with 2.33 ERA in four starts to open his major league career this year. He is filling in on Thursday for Lucas Giolito, who likely will miss the postseason due to elbow pain.

Early has yet to face the Yankees. He last pitched on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers, when he allowed two runs on four hits in five innings, throwing 86 pitches.

“It comes down to this game, and I’m excited to get out there,” Early said. “I’ve stuck to all my preparation and feel pretty good, so I’m ready to go out there and do it.”

–Field Level Media

Yankees Take Game 2

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BRONX – (Wire Service Report) – New York’s Austin Wells hit a tie-breaking single with two outs in the eighth inning and the hometown Yankees avoided elimination with a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 of their American League wild-card series on Wednesday night.

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Game 3 of the best-of-three set will be played Thursday in New York and the winner will advance to face the top-seeded Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Division Series on Saturday.

Trevor Story drove in three runs off New York starter Carlos Rodon. He hit a two-run single in the third and blasted a game-tying homer to open the sixth.

Guardians 6, Tigers 1

CLEVELAND – (Wire Service Report) – The Guardians’ Brayan Rocchio belted a go-ahead solo homer and Bo Naylor had a three-run shot as part of a five-run eighth inning, giving Cleveland a victory over Detroit in Game 2 of their American League wild-card series.

Rocchio’s 379-foot shot to right field occurred after Troy Melton (0-1) retired C.J. Kayfus to start the eighth, giving Cleveland a 2-1 advantage. Steven Kwan followed with a double and was driven in by Daniel Schneeman.

The Central Division champion Guardians forced a winner-take-all Game 3 at home Thursday, when they will attempt to become the first team to advance after losing Game 1 since the current wild-card format became permanent in 2022. The Tigers left 15 on base and went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

Padres 3, Cubs 0

CHICAGO – (Wire Service Report) – San Diego’s Manny Machado belted a two-run homer in the fifth inning, helping visiting San Diego square their National League wild-card series against Chicago at one win apiece.

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Fernando Tatis Jr. scored on a sacrifice fly from Jackson Merrill in the first inning. Luis Arraez contributed two of the seven hits for the Padres. Adrian Morejon (1-0) relieved starter Dylan Cease in the fourth inning and did not allow a hit over 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Opener Andrew Kittredge (0-1) gave up the first inning run and Shota Imanaga pitched the next four innings, allowing Machado’s blast. San Diego pitching allowed only four hits; Seiya Suzuki accounted for the lone extra-base hit, a two-out double in the fourth.

–Field Level Media

High Priced Pitchers Square Off

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BRONX – (Wire Service Report) – Max Fried and Garrett Crochet lived up to expectations in sparkling debut seasons as No. 1 starters for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

Now it gets real.

Crochet (Red Sox) and Fried (Yankees) delivered after being acquired in the offseason to become staff aces at the center of baseball’s most historic rivalry, and the left-handers find themselves front and center as Game 1 starters in the American League wild-card series starting Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

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The AL East archrivals fight it out in the wild-card round for the first time and best-of-three series winner advances to the division series.

Sox Beat Tigers: Will They Be Back?

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers sealing the Tigers’ fate as the No. 6 seed in the American League Postseason while the Sox will hold the No. 5 and play at the Bronx against their longtime rival, the New York Yankees. The Toronto Blue Jays took the American League East title.

Boston now plays New York on Tuesday, Sept. 30, Wednesday, Oct 1 and, if necessary, Thursday, October 2. The winner of the Boston vs. New York wild card will face the No. 1 seed Blue Jays.

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To close out the season today, Boston spot starter José De León pitched a career-high 6 2/3 innings in his first outing in two years. Red Sox DH Masataka Yoshida and second baseman David Hamilton homered to give the Boston Red Sox a 4-3 victory. The Tigers’ loss gave the AL Central title to the Cleveland Guardians.

After each team wrapped up a playoff berth during the final series of the regular season – the Red Sox on Friday and the Tigers on Saturday – they both sent out lineups for the regular-season finale that allowed some regulars to rest. That included Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman.

De León, called up from Triple-A so the Red Sox could line up their starters for the AL Wild Card series, allowed three runs on eight hits and three walks. He struck out eight. Greg Weissert pitched the ninth for his fourth save. Detroit starter Chris Paddock suffered his 12th loss against five victories on the 2025 season.

Detroit lost 13 of their final 16 and 22 of their last 31 regular season games to allow Cleveland to grab the Central title. Coincidentally, Detroit will travel to Cleveland for their best-of-three game Wild Card series, with the winner to play the Seattle Mariners.

 

 

Red Sox Clinch AL Wild Card

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Break out the swimming masks and the snorkel gear. Pop the bottles of Korbel. The Boston Red Sox will be playing postseason baseball in 2025.

On June 6th, the Red Sox lost a 9-6 game to the New York Yankees and fell to 30-35 and 10.5 games out of first place. On September 26, the Red Sox fell behind the Detroit Tigers, 3-0, in the 4th inning. It looked as though they’d need a win on Saturday or Sunday, the final day of the Major League Baseball regular season, to secure the Wild Card berth that hung like a slow curve ball, only because the Houston Astros dropped six of their last 10 games.

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That put the Red Sox in control of their own destiny as the Friday night lights shined upon Fenway and a season-ending three game set against the Tigers began.

Detroit had spent all but six days of the season tied or in sole possession of first place in the American League Central Division. The club went 59-34 in their first 93 games of the season which took them to July 8. They’ve gone 27-40 ever since, including the fact they’ve dropped 12 of their last 14 games and 21 of their last 29 games.

That opened the door for the red hot Cleveland Guardians to grab honors atop the Central as Toronto and New York battle it out for honors atop the AL East. Seattle holds first place and had already cliched a bye along side of the East division champ. All the others, minus Houston will play with a deck filled with wild cards.

Boston earned the postseason berth when centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela cracked a ball off the center field wall, just over the outstretched glove of Tigers centerfielder Parker Meadows. One more inch, and we’d be reading and writing about Saturday.

Boston will see Postseason play for the first time since 2021, not all that long ago. But, Friday night’s big win in front of a sold out crowd of 37.052 at Fenway marked the first time since at least 1920 that the club earned a playoff berth via a walk-off RBI, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

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Instead, Boston’s Romy Gonzalez rounded the bases to score, giving the Red Sox a 4-3 “walk-off” victory. The hit marked Rafaela’s third walk-off RBI of the 2025 season and the 12th walk-off RBI for the Red Sox this season. Gonzalez had singled to start the one-out rally in the bottom of the ninth.

Boston scored single runs in the 7th, 8th and 9th inning to earn the victory.

Masataka Yoshida continued his hot-hitting ways as the team’s designated hitter. He went three-for-four with an RBI single in the 4th inning and a run scored in the 7th. Left fielder Jarren Duran slapped an RBI single in the 8th inning, scoring Nate Eaton who had pinch-run for Carlos Narvaez who singled and allowed Boston to tie the game at 3-3.

Boston spotted Detroit a three-run lead in fourth inning of this September night. Starting pitcher Kyle Harrison had held Detroit scoreless for three innings, striking out six Tigers batters. But he allowed five consecutive batters to reach base in the 4th inning, via four hits and a walk. Harrison gave way to Justin Slaten and he retired three of the four batters he faced to put the fire out.

Sox manager Alex Cora used six pitchers in relief of Harrison. Closer Aroldis Chapman (5-3) earned the victory after blanking Detroit in the top of the 9th inning, striking out the final two batters he faced.

Detroit’s reliever, Tommy Kahnle (1-5) took the loss, the fifth walk-off loss of the season coughed up by the Tigers. Detroit is now 6-16 (.272) in the month of September as they fight off the law of averages and steep competition in the postseason, most likely as the 6th seed and final Wild Card berth in the AL.

Boston has won seven of their last 11 games, and 13 of their last 23. The club went (6-5) in their Fenway Green uniforms, but each of the six victories came in “walk-off” fashion.

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You just might wonder if they’ll wear them on the road in the Wild Card round of the Postseason?

Playoff Picture On Line at Fenway

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – The American League playoff picture will be in full focus as the Boston Red Sox host the Detroit Tigers in a regular season-ending, three-game series beginning on Friday night.

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The teams holding the final two wild-card spots had opposite Thursday results, with the Red Sox (87-72) missing an opportunity to officially clinch their first postseason berth in three years via a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays, losing 6-1 in the series finale. Their magic number is still one; a win or a Houston Astros loss to the Los Angeles Angels would do the trick.

“Just one of those nights,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We’ve put ourselves in a good position, yet we know what we have to do and it’s going to be at Fenway Park.”

Detroit (86-73), meanwhile, snapped an eight-game skid with a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians, leaving the two teams tied atop the Central entering the weekend after the Tigers had a double-digit lead in the division as recently as Sept. 3.

After winning their first two games in Toronto by a combined 11-2 score, the Red Sox were hitless until the seventh inning on Thursday. Jarren Duran doubled and scored the lone Red Sox run on a Trevor Story single.

Story is four RBI away from his first 100-RBI season since 2018 and just the second of his career.

On the mound, Kyle Harrison (1-1, 3.58 ERA) looks to continue making his case for October when he makes his third appearance and second start with Boston on Friday.

The 23-year-old southpaw, who was part of the Rafael Devers trade in June, pitched six innings of one-run ball last Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Cora called it an “amazing” debut start with the club.

“His strike-throwing with the fastball is legit. And when he’s around the zone, he’s tough to hit,” Cora added. “He was under control.”

Prior to last weekend, Harrison had not pitched since a three-inning relief outing on Sept. 10 against the Athletics. He has never faced Detroit.

“I’m just glad they had the confidence in me, and I was glad that I was able to deliver in that moment,” Harrison said.

The Red Sox are trusting Harrison in a key situation against Detroit, which scored five runs in its previous three games before tagging Cleveland lefty Parker Messick for three homers in four innings out of the gates on Thursday.

Solo shots by leadoff-hitting Jahmai Jones and Wenceel Perez made it 2-0 in the first, while Riley Greene added his team-leading 36th homer of the season in the fourth.

“Look, everybody needs to see a little positivity in the game,” Detroit manager AJ Hinch said. “We’re human. We feed off a ton of things, including the good things. Of course I think everyone took a collective breath and said, ‘Here we go.’”

A handful of relievers clinched the much-needed win behind rookie Troy Melton, who lasted 3 2/3 innings. Will Vest struck out the side in the ninth.

It was Tigers’ first triumph since Sept. 14 and just their fifth in 20 September games.

“It felt like a weight was lifted off our shoulders and we’re back on track,” Melton said. “We know we’re a good baseball team.”

Despite the team’s September struggles, Casey Mize (14-6, 3.91 ERA) has gone five innings and allowed no more than three runs in each of his four starts. The first two were wins.

Mize has a pair of eight-strikeout efforts this month and has 14 outings with five or more this season, which was his total across 5 2/3 Sunday innings against the Atlanta Braves.

“The opportunity’s still in front of us, as bad as it’s been,” Mize said after his last start.

Mize, a 2025 AL All-Star, is 0-1 with a 4.29 ERA in four career starts against Boston.

-Field Level Media