Offseason ramble, Vol 1

The Royals aren’t in the playoffs for the first time since 2024 (see what I did there), but the tournament does get underway on Tuesday.

With the Royals standing outside of the postseason, October figures to be a slow news month. At some point, there will be an end-of-the-season press conference to review things while looking forward to 2026. Hell, there may even be talk of a new stadium!

Today’s edition contains a couple of Royals-adjacent items, but otherwise is just a collection of general baseball thoughts as we gear up for four games today. Read on or bail out now.

If you’re still with me, how about we start with some Wild Card round predictions? These are guaranteed to be incorrect, but here goes.

Tigers over Guardians
Yankees over Red Sox

I’m cold on the so-called hot hand. Yeah, Cleveland had a fairytale end to their season, clinching a playoff spot on Saturday with a guy getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, then rallying from three down in the 10th to clinch the division title on a walkoff home run that clanged off the foul pole. The Guardians also rolled the Tigers at the end of the season, taking five of six down the stretch. This is a pick that, if I’m not right, I’ll look back at and think that I was an absolute idiot for not taking Team Momentum.

Honestly, a Yankees/Red Sox postseason matchup is absolute nightmare fuel for those of us who like crisp baseball. ESPN will be bad enough, but let’s all come together to be thankful that it’s not on FOX.

Reds over Dodgers
Cubs over Padres

Once upon a time, the Reds and Dodgers battled for supremacy in the NL West. This was back when my baseball consciousness was awakening. In the decade of the ‘70s, either Los Angeles or Cincinnati won the division nine out of ten times. That rivalry was Royals/Yankees hot. I always leaned toward Big Red Machine. This is more of a pick with the heart than the head…I’ve never liked the Dodgers.

I really want the Padres to make a run because I really want to continue to watch Freddy Fermin do his thing. Dude is already a legend in San Diego. But come on…the Padres always disappoint in October.

If you are feeling bold, leave your picks in the comments. No prizes or anything for being right, other than maybe declaring you King of the Comments or something.

Here are my predictions for the LDS rounds and beyond:

Mariners over Tigers
Yankees over Blue Jays
Phillies over Reds
Brewers over Cubs

Mariners over Yankees
Phillies over Brewers

Phillies over Mariners

I’ll revisit after every round, though, because as noted above, I’m certain my baseball bracked will be busted by Thursday. Also, a reason to post!

Speaking of disappointments, the Twins announced they fired manager Rocco Baldelli on Monday. ’Tis firing season.

I think Baldelli is a good manager, but I can’t say for sure, mainly because the Twins have been such a dumpster fire of an organization the last few years, culminating in a complete fire sale at the last trade deadline. The Twins picked up Baldelli’s 2026 option earlier in the year, which makes his dismissal even stranger, given that I’m sure everyone associated with the Pohlad family up in Minnesota probably cannot stomach paying someone to not work.

I figure the next Twins manager will be someone with no managerial experience who the club can get without paying any kind of premium. With the White Sox being the White Sox and the Twins punting on whatever they were doing, I figure the Central will remain a three-team race for the next couple of seasons.

Speaking of the White Sox, they announced an overhaul of manager Will Venable’s coaching staff. Chicago will not be renewing the contracts of pitching coach Ethan Katz, hitting coach Marcus Thames, first base coach Jason Bourgeois, and catching coach Drew Butera.

Butera, who was behind the plate for the Royals at the end of the 2015 World Series, was a leftover from Pedro Grifol’s staff, finishing his second season as catching coach. He previously was a coach for the Angels.

Former Royal Michael A. Taylor announced his retirement ahead of the season’s final game. It was kind of a full-circle moment for Taylor, as his current team, the White Sox, was visiting the team that he broke in with and where he spent parts of seven seasons, the Washington Nationals.

Taylor arrived in Kansas City for the 2021 season on a one-year deal after the Nats cut him loose. He won a Gold Glove patrolling center field for the Royals in ’21, and that one-year deal turned into two more. The Royals shipped him to Minnesota after the ’22 season, though, in exchange for Steven Cruz and Evan Sisk.

Taylor hit .249/.304/.357 with an 83 OPS+ in his two seasons with the Royals, but the defense was often spectacular.