Ready for Chaos? Your Guide to the Regular Season's Final Weekend
As the regular season comes to its end, there's so much to play for with the playoffs still ahead. View the original article to see embedded media.Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.Congratulations: You’ve made it to the final weekend of the regular season. But there’s still plenty left to figure out, with playoff spots, important stat lines and more still up in the air. Here’s a primer on what to watch for: © Provided by Sports Illustrated Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports; John E.
In a chat with reporters Thursday, including Corey Brock of The Athletic, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said that he has the blessing of club chairman John Stanton increase spending this winter. Dipoto stopped short of committing to anything, however, making sure to keep his words vague.
© Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports Jerry Dipoto can increase spending this offseason.. “We do have payroll flexibility, and we’re going to use it to make the team better,” Dipoto said. He continued, “It’s incumbent on us to go add where we can add and improve where we think we can improve. That’s not lost on us. We’ll visit every avenue to do that…We’re just looking to add talent.”
Snake Bytes 10/3: Conclusion
Depending on what happens today, the “regular” season may not be over for a handful of teams. It will certainly be over for the Arizona Diamondbacks.[AZ Central] If other Diamondbacks were going to keep their jobs, it’s only right Torey Lovullo did too - This season was an organizational failure. To deliver cardboard packing boxes and tape to just one man in one office would have been scapegoating at its finest. Lovullo didn’t put together a wretched bullpen. It wasn’t his idea to emphasize “position flexibility” over putting a young player in one spot and letting him develop.
Of course, it makes a lot of sense that the Mariners would be looking to open the proverbial checkbook this offseason for a couple of reasons. For one thing, they’re coming off a surprise 90-win campaign that saw them stay in the AL wild-card race until the final day of the season. And secondly, this year’s payroll was less than half of what it was just a few seasons ago.
According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the team payroll got as high a notch above $160M in 2018. It was after that year’s 89-win campaign that Dipoto and the Mariners famously, or infamously, decided to strip down both the roster and payroll and start rebuilding again. That winter, they unloaded Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, James Paxton, Jean Segura and others, then endured two straight losing seasons in 2019 and 2020 before opening this year’s campaign with a payroll under $75M.
Examining the Mariners' Kyle Seager decision
The Mariners’ playoff push came up a couple games short, as the club dropped their final series of the year against the Angels to fall out of the Wild Card race. While some underlying indicators suggest the club was fortunate to finish 90-72 — they were outscored by 51 runs despite finishing eighteen games over .500 — it’s clear the focus is on contention moving forward. A few of Seattle’s top young talents have already gotten their feet wet in the big leagues, and more (including Julio Rodriguez, George Kirby and Emerson Hancock) aren’t far behind. © D.
Potent bats will certainly be a primary target in the coming months. “We do want to make our lineup longer,” said Dipoto. “We would like to add offense.” In spite of their 90 wins, their 697 runs scored this season put them tied for 22nd in the majors in that category, and better than just three teams in the American League (Royals, Orioles and Rangers).
Kyle Seager, Dylan Moore, Jarred Kelenic and Tom Murphy all got over 300 plate appearances with Seattle this season and posted below-average offensive numbers, by measure of wRC+. Seager is likely to depart in free agency, as it seems doubtful the club wants to pick up his $20M option. That creates one obvious area of potential improvement. Abraham Toro has been floated as Seager’s possible heir at third base, but his wRC+ of 99 since coming over from the Astros matches Seager’s number on the year. If the Mariners want to improve on the infield, they’ll have lots of options, as the market has stars like Marcus Semien and Kris Bryant, as well as solid regulars such as Chris Taylor, Eduardo Escobar, Josh Harrison or Brad Miller.
Blue Jays tried to acquire Jose Ramirez, Robbie Grossman at deadline
In the end, the Blue Jays stuck to added pitching at the deadline.This comment came within the context of a discussion he had with general manager Ross Atkins about the lack of diversity in the Blue Jays’ lineup this season.
The club will also be on the hunt for pitching, as Dipoto said it is “going to be a focus for us. The likelihood for us is it’s going to come as a starter.” The Mariners' rotation certainly has room for improvement, as it was fairly pedestrian this year, ranking 19th in ERA, 23rd in strikeout rate, 13th in walk rate and 22nd in WAR. They will also be losing deadline-pickup Tyler Anderson to free agency, leaving them with a rotation of Marco Gonzales, Chris Flexen and Logan Gilbert. Yusei Kikuchi would have seemed like a lock to be in that group a few months ago, but had a terrible second half and got bumped from the rotation in September. The Mariners will likely decline their four-year option on him, but Kikuchi would still likely return in that scenario as he would then have a player option valued at $13M. Whether they want to give him another shot or figure out another path forward remains to be seen. Prospects like Matt Brash, George Kirby and Emerson Hancock could help out eventually, but none of them have big league experience as of yet.
This year’s crop of free-agent starters is loaded, with the top end featuring names like Max Scherzer, Robbie Ray, Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman, but they could also aim for buy-low wildcards like Chris Archer, Zack Greinke or taking a flyer on James Paxton again.
3 Seattle Mariners who won't be back next season
The Seattle Mariners nearly ended their postseason drought this year, but these three players won't be back in 2022. The Seattle Mariners went 90-72 this season, and they were in the chase for a Wild Card spot right to the end. But ultimately, the longest playoff drought in the four major No rth American sports extended to 20 seasons. The future is bright in Seattle, with a solid pipeline of prospects to fortify the major league roster. In September, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto promised to be more active in free agency. And we know he has never met a trade he wouldn't entertain since coming to Seattle.
Regardless of how it plays out, it should be interesting, as it always is when “Trader Jerry” is involved. Although, it seems there’s at least a chance that this offseason is focused less on wild trades and more on straightforward additions in free agency.
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More must-reads:
- Examining the Mariners' Kyle Seager decision
- Mets parting ways with six coaches after missing playoffs for fifth straight season
- The 'Teams that never won a championship' quiz
Related slideshow: The greatest postseason players in MLB history (Provided by Yardbarker)
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The greatest postseason players in MLB history
There are countless memorable plays, pitches, and at-bats in baseball postseason history. However, there are a select few legends who made it a habit of creating these moments when the stakes are at their highest. Here’s a look at the greatest MLB postseason performers of all time.
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Carlos Beltran
Although he didn’t play in his first postseason until his 7th season, Beltran made a habit of turning it on in October. During his first postseason run with the Astros in 2004 –where he hit .435 overall— Beltran tied the record for most home runs in a postseason series with eight, while setting a record by homering in five consecutive playoff games. Overall, in 65 postseason games, Beltran produced a 1.021 OPS with 16 home runs.
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Yogi Berra
There is no bigger winner in baseball history than Berra, who won 10 of the 14 World Series he played in during his 19-year career. He was the link between the eras of Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle in the Bronx, and behind the plate for Don Larsen’s perfect game during the 1956 Series. Overall, Berra played in 75 World Series games, connecting for 12 home runs, 10 doubles, and hit over .300 in five separate postseason series.
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Lance Berkman
A somewhat underrated October performer even his own time, Berkman is second all-time in Championship win probably added, with an 82.4 mark over 224 plate appearances. Over 5 postseason games divided between the Astros, Cardinals, and Yankees, Berkman produced a .317/.417/.949 slash line. His biggest playoff showing came in the 2011 World Series when he hit .423 and produced a series-saving, extra innings single to keep the Cardinals alive and set the table for an eventual walk-off Cardinal win the following inning.
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George Brett
Of the nine postseason series in his career, Brett hit better than .340 in five of them. He was named ALCS MVP in 1985, when he turned in a .348 average, with three home runs, two doubles, and six runs scored versus the Blue Jays. In World Series play, he was a lifetime .373 hitter, with five extra-base hits and two stolen bases over two series. He turned in a four-hit effort in the decisive Game 7 of the 1985 Series, clinching the first title in Royals history.
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Lou Brock
Brock played in three (and won two) World Series with the Cardinals during the 60s, and he absolutely went off every time. After hitting .300 with three extra-base hits in 1964, but took it to an unreal level from there. Over 14 games in the 1967 and ’68 Series’, Brock hit .439 with 43 total bases, 10 extra-base hits, and converted 14 of 16 stolen base attempts.
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Madison Bumgarner
Bumgarner first appeared in the postseason as a 20-year-old and tossed eight shutout innings in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series. Since then, Mad Bum has gone on to own a 2.11 ERA and an 8-3 record over 102.1 postseason innings. His crowning moment came during an unbelievable 2014 postseason, where owned a 1.03 ERA over six starts and a record 0.29 ERA in the World Series. He capped the effort with a series-saving Game 7 relief appearance – where he threw five scoreless innings on two days rest to deliver a third World Series in six years for the Giants.
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Eddie Collins
Collins played in six World Series between the Philadelphia A’s and Chicago White Sox and won four. He hit over .400 in 1910, 1913, 1914, and 1917, owning a .381 on-base percentage, alongside nine extra-base hits and 14 stolen bases. More dubiously, Collins was a member of the 1919 ‘Black Sox’ in his final World Series appearance, but was not mentioned among the players in on the fix.
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Rollie Fingers
As the relief ace for the dominant Oakland A’s teams of the 1970s, regularly worked in some high-leverage October moments. Over the course of nine postseason series, Fingers worked 57.1 innings, turning in nine saves and 45 strikeouts. During the 1973 World Series, he posted a 0.66 ERA, while appearing in six of seven games and working two or more innings in three of those outings. He was named MVP of the 1974 World Series, after winning Game 1 and converting saves in games 3 & 4.
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Whitey Ford
No pitcher in World Series history has more wins to his credit than Ford’s 10. Overall, ‘The Chairman of the Board’ appeared in 11 Fall Classics, working to a 2.71 ERA and winning World Series MVP in 1961, after allowing no runs over two starts. Over the course of his career, in addition to his wins record, Ford set World Series records for consecutive scoreless innings (33.1), strikeouts (94), and innings pitched (146), among others.
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Steve Garvey
Between his tenures with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, Garvey won five NL pennants and one World Series, in 1981. Over the course of 11 postseason series, he hit under .300 only twice, owning a career .338 average, with 11 home runs and 31 RBI, with a .910 OPS. His crowning performance came when he won the first of two career NLCS MVP honors in 1978 when he hit four home runs and totaled 22 total bases over four games to lead the Dodgers over the Phillies.
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Lou Gehrig
The Iron Horse won six of his seven career World Series appearances and remains among the upper echelon of even the best postseason performers of all time. Gehrig hit a staggering .361 over 34 World Series games, adding in 10 home runs and a .483 on-base percentage. In the 1928 Series, he posted an unbelievable 2.433 OPS, with four of his six hits leaving the park while driving in nine. Overall, Gehrig’s Yankee teams posted a 27-7 record with him in postseason play and he once won 12 consecutive World Series games, hitting .460 during the streak.
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Bob Gibson
Over the course of nine postseason starts, turned in a 7-2 record, a 1.89 ERA, and some of the most legendary outings in baseball history. He twice won World Series MVP, first in 1964 when he won games five and seven and set a record with 31 strikeouts for the series. In 1967, he worked three complete-game victories over the Boston Red Sox, allowing just three runs in the process – all after coming back from a broken leg suffered just three months prior. Finally, in 1968, he set a still-standing World Series record with 17 strikeouts in Game 1 versus the Detroit Tigers.
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Orel Hershiser
On the heels of his incredible Cy Young Award-winning 1988 season, which featured his mythical 59 consecutive scoreless inning streak, Hershiser turned in a postseason for the ages as well. He captured both NLCS and World Series MVP, going 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA over 42.2 innings. It was the crowning season of an overall strong playoff career, that saw him go 8-3 with a 2.59 ERA over 22 appearances.
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Reggie Jackson
For ‘Mr. October’, the name truly says it all. A five-time World Series Champion and two-time Series MVP, few –if any— players craved the spotlight as Jackson did, and he didn’t waste the opportunity often. He connected for 18 career postseason home runs, which tied for the most in history at the time of his retirement. In the 1977 Series, Jackson hit .450 with a record-tying five home runs, three of which came in a legendary Game 4 effort, all coming on consecutive pitches.
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Derek Jeter
Few –if any— players in history are most synonymous with postseason success than The Captain. A five-time World Series champion and .321 career postseason hitter, Jeter is the all-time leader in games played, hits, doubles, triples, runs scored, and total bases, among many other categories. Jeter’s postseason greatness often transcended statistical measures, as his uncanny knack for getting the big hit or making the perfect play just went the Yankees needed it appropriately earned him the monikers “Mr. November” and “Captain Clutch”.
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Sandy Koufax
No pitcher in history impacted the course of a World Series to a greater degree than Koufax. He won MVP in two of the three Dodger World Series victories between 1959 and 1965, working to a lifetime 0.95 ERA in postseason play. In 1965, after notably sitting out Game 1 in observance of Yom Kippur, Koufax threw complete-game shutouts with 10 strikeouts in games 5 and 7, wrapping up a series where he allowed one run over 24 innings. Lifetime, Koufax struck out 42% of the batters he faced in World Series play, with 61 Ks over 57 innings.
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Jon Lester
Lester played a pivotal postseason role with two of the more beleaguered franchises in MLB history. With the Boston Red Sox, he won two World Series, owning a 3-0 record and an 0.56 ERA, and 18 strikeouts vs. four walks. In 2016, he was named NLCS MVP after scattering two runs over two starts and propelling the Cubs to their first World Series since 1908. Once in the Series, Lester won Game 4 and started the decisive Game 7, completing a six-start postseason run of a 2.02 ERA and 30 strikeouts against six walks and a .209 average against.
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Mickey Mantle
The iconic Yankee centerfielder played in 12 World Series in his 18-year career, winning seven. Although he played in his last Fall Classic 57 years ago, he remains the all-time World Series leader in home runs (18), RBI (40), extra-base hits (26), runs scored (42), walks (43), and total bases (123). Mantle twice connected for three home runs in a single Series (1956 & 1964) and had 15 or more total bases four times (1952, ’56, ’58, and ’64).
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Christy Mathewson
The first great World Series performer was the Giants’ ace from the turn of the century. A 373 game-winner and member of the inaugural Hall of Fame class, ‘Matty’ turned in an extraordinary 0.97 lifetime World Series ERA over 11 complete games. His greatest performance came in 1905, when threw three shutouts in three starts against the Philadelphia Athletics, issuing just one walk over the 27 innings worked. Amazingly over his World Series career, Mathewson was touched for one run or fewer in eight of 11 starts and twice pitched 11 innings, while allowing one run over the pair of starts.
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Paul Molitor
A .368 lifetime postseason hitter, the multi-skilled Molitor turned in one of the great World Series efforts of all-time in 1993. Although Joe Carter famously connected for the walk-off homer in Game 6 that ended the series, it was Molitor who technically scored the tying run, as he had singled the at-bat prior to Carter coming to the plate. It capped a series where he hit .500 (12-for-24), with two doubles, two triples, two home runs, eight RBI, and 10 runs scored.
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David Ortiz
Big Papi was the backbone of three World Series champions in Boston, from 2004 to 2013. Along the way, he hit an incredible .455 in World Series play, alongside a 1.372 OPS and finishing in the top 10 all-time in Win Probability Added in Series play. He was named World Series MVP in 2013 when he turned in one of the most undeniable impacts of all-time against the Cardinals. Ortiz hit .688 (11-for-16), with two home runs and eight walks against one strikeout. It was by far the highest batting average in Series history for players with at least 20 plate appearances.
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Andy Pettitte
The workhorse starter for the Yankees dynasty of the late 1990s into the 2000s, Pettitte holds the records for most total postseason wins (19), games started (44) and innings pitched (276.2). He often took the mound in some of the most pivotal moments of the World Series, most notably being the victor of 1-0 duel against John Smoltz in Game 5 of the ’96 Series and starting the decisive Game 4 of the 1998 Series. He was the first pitcher to start –and win— three series-clinching playoff games in a single season in 2009.
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Albert Pujols
The offensive engine for the ultra-consistent Cardinals of the early 2000s, Pujols is a two-time World Series champion and owns a .323 lifetime postseason average. Over 77 playoff games, he has 38 extra-base hits, including 19 home runs – three of which came in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series. Pujols is one of the foremost League Championship Series terrors of all time, where he owns a .383/.467/.713 split all-time and famously launched one of the most devastating home runs of all-time against Astros closer Brad Lidge to stave off elimination in 2005.
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Manny Ramirez
One of the most consistent hitters of all-time, Ramirez predictably carried over his elite run production to October as well. A postseason attendee with the Indians, Red Sox, and Dodgers, Ramirez owns the record for most postseason home runs with 29, lifetime. He also places second all-time in postseason RBI (78) and total bases (223). He played a vital role in the Red Sox ending the “Curse of the Bambino” in 2004, winning World Series MVP after hitting .412 over the four-game sweep of the Cardinals.
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Mariano Rivera
A very strong argument for Rivera as the most dominant postseason performer of all time could be made, and hard to argue against. Rivera converted an incredible 42 of 46 save attempts in postseason play, owning the record for both World Series and total playoff saves in the process. He allowed just 13 runs over 141 innings and 96 career playoff appearances, good for an all-time record low 0.70 postseason ERA. Overall, he won five World Series titles, along with an ALCS and World Series MVP in the process.
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Pete Rose
The unstoppable force of nature for both Cincinnati’s ‘Big Red Machine’ teams of the 70s and for the Philadelphia Phillies of the early 80s, Rose reached the postseason eight times. Lifetime he walked away with three World Series titles and a .321 career average. He hit over .350 in seven different series, highlighted by his World Series MVP effort in 1975 when he hit .370 and contributed a game-tying single late in Game 7.
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Babe Ruth
The biggest question is not IF Ruth should be on the list, but WHICH version of the Babe was greater? As the big-swinging, Sultan of Swat for the Yankees, Ruth was a lifetime .347 hitter with 15 home runs in World Series play, leading the Yankees to their first four championships. However, prior to that, he was one of the great early pitchers in postseason history for the Boston Red Sox, going 3-0 with a 0.87 ERA in route to two titles there as well. No matter how you slice it, Ruth was an October legend of rare approach.
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Pablo Sandoval
A solid contributor during the regular season, the affable “Panda” became one of the most dangerous and timely clutch performers of all time in postseason play. A lifetime .338 postseason hitter overall, Sandoval took things to the next level in World Series play, hitting .426 over 50 plate appearances, with a 1.162 OPS. In Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, he joined Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, and Albert Pujols on a select list of players with three homers in a World Series game, in route to claiming series MVP.
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Curt Schilling
The “Bloody Sock” game in 2004 is the most notable moment of his postseason career, where he helped to keep the surging Red Sox alive and set the table for the first 3-0 series comeback win in history. However, there are few with a better all-around body of work in October than Schilling. A three-time World Series winner, Schilling posted an 11-2 lifetime postseason record, with a 2.23 ERA and 120 strikeouts over 133.1 innings. He was MVP of the 1993 NLCS with the Phillies and then 2001 World Series MVP with the Diamondbacks.
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John Smoltz
With a lifetime 15-4 postseason record, while he was just one leg of the Braves Hall of Fame trio of starting arms, Smoltz set himself apart from the pack in the playoffs. Smoltz owned a career ERA south of 3.00 in every stage of postseason play, is the all-time leader in LCS strikeouts with 89, and is tied for the all-time lead in NLCS wins with six. His most memorable postseason moment came in 1991 when he carried a shutout into the eighth inning of Game 7 of the World Series against Jack Morris in one of the great postseason duels of all time.
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Padres to interview Mike Shildt for managerial opening this weekend .
Shildt has been repeatedly connected to the Padres' position that’s been vacant since Jayce Tingler was fired.It was just over a week ago that Shildt was surprisingly fired by the Cardinals, on the heels of a 90-win season that ended when they lost the wild-card game to the Dodgers. Since then, he’s been repeatedly connected to the Padres' position that’s been vacant since Jayce Tingler was fired the previous week.
As the regular season comes to its end, there's so much to play for with the playoffs still ahead. View the original article to see embedded media.Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.Congratulations: You’ve made it to the final weekend of the regular season. But there’s still plenty left to figure out, with playoff spots, important stat lines and more still up in the air. Here’s a primer on what to watch for: © Provided by Sports Illustrated Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports; John E. 
Depending on what happens today, the “regular” season may not be over for a handful of teams. It will certainly be over for the Arizona Diamondbacks.[AZ Central] If other Diamondbacks were going to keep their jobs, it’s only right Torey Lovullo did too - This season was an organizational failure. To deliver cardboard packing boxes and tape to just one man in one office would have been scapegoating at its finest. Lovullo didn’t put together a wretched bullpen. It wasn’t his idea to emphasize “position flexibility” over putting a young player in one spot and letting him develop. 
The Mariners’ playoff push came up a couple games short, as the club dropped their final series of the year against the Angels to fall out of the Wild Card race. While some underlying indicators suggest the club was fortunate to finish 90-72 — they were outscored by 51 runs despite finishing eighteen games over .500 — it’s clear the focus is on contention moving forward. A few of Seattle’s top young talents have already gotten their feet wet in the big leagues, and more (including Julio Rodriguez, George Kirby and Emerson Hancock) aren’t far behind. © D. 
In the end, the Blue Jays stuck to added pitching at the deadline.This comment came within the context of a discussion he had with general manager Ross Atkins about the lack of diversity in the Blue Jays’ lineup this season. 
The Seattle Mariners nearly ended their postseason drought this year, but these three players won't be back in 2022. The Seattle Mariners went 90-72 this season, and they were in the chase for a Wild Card spot right to the end. But ultimately, the longest playoff drought in the four major No rth American sports extended to 20 seasons. The future is bright in Seattle, with a solid pipeline of prospects to fortify the major league roster. In September, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto promised to be more active in free agency. And we know he has never met a trade he wouldn't entertain since coming to Seattle. 
