Butera: James Wood likely to return Wednesday

The 39-year-old impending free agent told Jon Heyman of the New York Post, “I love competing” when asked about his future. It remains to be seen if he’ll be able to find an opportunity that fits what he’s looking for. That free agent search could be made even more complicated by MLB’s labor dispute. Goldschmidt slashed a solid .252/.313/.452 with 18 homers and 52 RBI over 380 plate appearances for the Yankees in 2026 while doing most of his damage against left-handed pitching.

The Guardians were able to stave off elimination with a victory in Game 3 on Wednesday and they’ll run back an almost identical lineup as they try to do the same in Game 4. The only change will be Hedges catching instead of Patrick Bailey. Here’s the full lineup for the Guardians in a must-win spot against Hagen Smith and company on Thursday evening in Chicago: Steven Kwan (CF), Jose Ramirez (3B), Chase DeLauter (RF), Jo Adell (DH), Nathaniel Lowe (1B), Angel Martinez (LF), Travis Bazzana (2B), Hedges (C) and Brayan Rocchio (SS).

With left-hander Parker Messick taking the ball for the Guardians, Antonacci will begin this one on the bench for the White Sox. Fellow left-handed hitters Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters will also take a seat for the Southsiders. Here’s how Will Venable’s club will line up as they look to punch their ticket to the ALCS on Thursday: Chase Meidroth (2B), Randal Grichuk (LF), Miguel Vargas (3B), Munetaka Murakami (1B), Tommy Pham (DH), Brenton Doyle (CF), Kyle Teel (C), Braden Montgomery (RF) and Colson Montgomery (SS).

Also coming along with that would be the expansion of the Division Series from five to seven games, and the ability for high seeds to pick their opponents in the Wild Card and Division Series rounds.

Mahle was a tremendous deadline acquisition for the Braves this year, pitching to a 1.99 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 48/9 K/BB ratio in 54 1/3 innings after the trade. He also allowed just three runs (two earned) on nine hits in 13 1/3 playoff innings while posting a 10/2 K/BB ratio. Increased reliance on his splitter and throwing more fastballs up in the zone were crucial to his success, so hopefully any team he signs with would try to replicate that.

Sato is just the third NPB hitter to win a Triple Crown this century, with Munetaka Murakami winning the most recent won in 2022. The 27-year-old Sato hit .308/.385/.613 in 142 games with 39 home runs, 106 RBI, and eight steals. Sato is a potential target of MLB teams this offseason, pending what happens with labor negotiations, and Jon Heyman had reported in September that the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, and Phillies had all already been linked to the third baseman. Many people believe his MLB future, like Murakami, will be at first base, but he also has some experience in the corner outfield as well. Sato went 3-for-10 in this year’s World Baseball Classic with a double, three walks, and three batted balls hit over 100 mph.

Zuber was placed on the injured list during the final week of the season with a right elbow sprain. At the time, the team did not believe surgery would be needed, but that has obviously not borne out to be true. The 31-year-old will now miss the entire 2027 season as he recovers from surgery.

Marsee played in 155 games for the Marlins this season, so this is a bit of a surprise. Clearly, he was not playing healthy for a portion of those. The estimated recovery time for that injury is six months, which would be the middle of May. That means Marsee looks likely to miss at least the first month of the 2027 season, if not more.

Peete is a 2023 first-round pick of the Seattle Mariners who was traded to the Cardinals in the Brendan Donovan deal. He has gone 6-for-14 in three games in the AFL with a home run, two RBI, and three steals. On the season, he hit .296/.359/.549 in 66 games across two levels while registering 13 home runs and 16 steals. He ended the season with 21 games at Double-A and will likely begin 2027 there as well.

The league’s top two seeds will meet in the NLCS, with the Brewers getting home-field advantage over the Dodgers. Even bigger than his offensive contribution tonight was Mitchell taking away a two-run homer from Manny Machado in the eighth. He finished the series 4-for-15.