MLB Player News

Cease gave up back-to-back hits to Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson to start the game in the bottom of the first. Winn would come around to score on a wild pitch to give the Cardinals their first run of the night, while a sacrifice fly by Luken Baker brought home Burleson to push the Cards’ lead to 2-0. Cease would allow two more earned runs in the fifth before being pulled, making for a forgettable outing for the veteran righty. He’ll look to get back on track in his next start, which is scheduled for Monday against the Rays.

The team has allegedly laid out some changes they would like Maeda to make in the offseason, presumably to help ensure better arm health, and that could give him a better chance of providing value to the team in 2025. The Tigers have plenty of options for the starting rotation next year with Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Keider Montero, and Jackson Jobe. It appears that Maeda will at least have a chance to claim one of those spots with a good spring training.

Harris stated that the team still sees a role for Báez in 2025, “particularly if surgery helps him move more like his younger form.” Neither Harris nor manager A.J. Hinch would commit to that role for Báez being a starting role. The Tigers got solid production from rookie Trey Sweeney after Báez went down, so the two would likely battle for the starting shortstop job in spring, but with Colt Keith also locked into the starting second base job, there may not be a starting opportunity for Báez in 2025.

The Yankees only went with 11 pitchers for the ALDS, but they will add Stroman back as another starting pitcher option for a best-of-seven series. Outfielder Duke Ellis will be left off the roster to make room for Stroman.

Rizzo was held out of the ALDS after fracturing two fingers in the final week of the season. The veteran struggled again in 2024, slashing .228/.301/.355 in 92 games; however, he provides defensive value at the position and the Yankees haven’t gotten much from their other options either. Ben Rice will be left off the ALCS in a corresponding move.

Matsumoto mentioned that the team and Sasaki have repeatedly talked about Sasaki potentially being posted for MLB teams this offseason. “We have been talking about it every year since he joined the team.” The 22-year-old Sasaki is considered one of the most gifted pitchers in the world and would set off a bidding war similar to what we saw for Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason. However, even though there is a chance that Sasaki will be posted for MLB teams this offseason, it’s not a given. “We talk about it every year,” said Matsumoto. “He has a dream. I want to move forward by taking one thing at a time.”

Nimmo was visibly limping during Game 1 of the ALCS and now we know why. “Right now it hurts pretty good,” Nimmo said. “The second-to-last game against Philadelphia, I did something on the field and made it quite a bit worse. … When it gets inflamed and flares up, it’s a harder thing to calm down.” The 31-year-old said the injury doesn’t bother him when he plays the field or when he swings but only when he’s running. Still, he has no plans to rest. “It’s the NLCS,” he said. “You do whatever you can in order to get out there and help in any way you can.”

Martínez was a late addition to the ALDS after Tyler Freeman hurt his oblique. The 22-year-old had one plate appearance in the series against the Tigers but was carried primarily for defensive versatility off the bench. Instead, the Guardians will carry Pedro Avila as another key reliever in the bullpen.

The Guardians will not carry Angel Martinez, which means they will now go with 13 pitchers and 13 position players. It makes some sense considering how much they had to rely on the bullpen in the ALDS against the Tigers. Avila struggled in eight innings to start the season with the Padres, but he has been solid in 74 2/3 innings for the Guardians (50 appearances), posting a 3.25 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 73:30 K:BB ratio. He will give the Guardians another solid option out of the bullpen this series.

Flaherty didn’t excel in his final three regular-season starts or in his loss to the Padres a week ago, but he cruised tonight, even if he did give up nine hard-hit balls. He retired the first nine and the final eight batters he faced. The Mets’ lone real threat should have materialized in the fifth, but after collecting the team’s first hit of the game, Jesse Winker made a huge baserunning blunder on a second consecutive hit off the bat of Jose Iglesias, getting himself thrown out at third with no outs and the Mets down 6-0. Flaherty never allowed another baserunner afterwards. Game 2 will come Tuesday. Sean Manaea is starting for the Mets, while the Dodgers will likely go with a bullpen game after Flaherty’s long outing tonight.

Senga walked four of the 10 batters he faced, and he was credited with strikes on just 10 of his 30 pitches. His velocity was also off; he averaged 93.5 mph with his fastball, down from 94.3 mph eight days ago and 95.8 mph in 2023. The Mets might start him again in Game 5, but they’ll certainly be very cautious with him then.