MLB Notebook: The final four teams set to battle for a spot in the Fall Classic, Pete Alonso eyes a seven-year payday, and Red Sox notes

Thirty teams entered the spring, all chasing one dream. The stage has been set; the margins have been whittled by tension, heroics, key pitching, and defining swings that’ll create postseason memories for years to come. 

Now, just four teams remain. 

In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners will battle for the pennant, while the Brewers will face the defending World Champion Dodgers.

The Blue Jays clinched their ALCS berth by ending the Yankees' season in four games. The Mariners clinched after a dramatic 15-inning victory in the decisive Game 5 win over the Tigers. It was the longest winner-take-all postseason game in MLB history.

Seattle is in the ALCS for the first time since 2001 and is chasing the franchise’s first pennant. Toronto hasn’t been to the Fall Classic since ’93 and will look to end decades of frustration.

The last memorable moment that’s etched in Blue Jays postseason lore was Joe Carter’s incredible walk-off homer to win the 1993 World Series. The famous call from Tom Cheek goes hand in hand with the memory: “Touch ‘em all, Joe! You’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life!”

One key factor for the series for the Blue Jays is the emergence of pitching prospect Trey Yesavage. He shut down the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS, compiling 11 strikeouts—a postseason franchise record—and became the second pitcher with 10 strikeouts and zero hits allowed in a game in postseason history.

"I was sitting in there thinking about the comment I made the other day, where I said I'm built for this," Yesavage said. "And I was like, 'Well, I'd better back that up.' I wanted to go out there and do the best I possibly could. Thankfully it stayed true to that.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pummeled the Yankees in the series, crushing a homer in his first plate appearance at the Rogers Centre. He went .529/.550/1.059 slash line with nine hits and nine RBIs in four games. If the Jays want to advance to the World Series, they will need Guerrero Jr. to be locked in at the plate, utilizing his tremendous power, while limiting strikeouts.

Seattle does a little bit of everything, finishing third in MLB in both homers and stolen bases and sixth in the AL in ERA. Can the Mariners' starters wear down the powerful Blue Jays lineup?

Bryce Miller will start Game 1 of the ALCS on Sunday.

"I'm fired up," Miller said about getting the Game 1 assignment. "Yeah, I'm ready to go. Pitching in the playoffs is something you dream of, and just getting the opportunity to start us off and get us going early and set the tone is super meaningful."

The Mariners are also expected to have Bryan Woo on the 26-man roster, but he isn’t expected to pitch in Game 1. Woo is still attempting to come back from pectoral inflammation.

"We're continuing to assess his availability," manager Dan Wilson said when asked about Woo ahead of the series. "He seems to be rebounding pretty well. He's coming back. Right now, we're continuing to weigh what that timetable might be and when he'll be available."

Seattle has tremendous power up and down their lineup, led by Cal Raleigh, who mashed 60 homers this season. Their pitching is running on fumes following their five-game series with the Tigers.

The Dodgers take on the red-hot Brewers, who had MLB’s best record, going 97-65, winning the National League Central. Milwaukee had a perfect 6-0 record against Los Angeles in the regular season, sweeping the Dodgers in both series the two teams met in.

“The season is over,” Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said following the Game 5 win over the Cubs on Saturday.

The Dodgers have star power; the Brewers have a group of players that are homegrown or acquired in shrewd trades to balance out their roster.

"It’s a bunch of guys nobody’s ever heard of,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of the BrewCrew.

This is the first time the Brewers have made it to the NLCS since 2018, but they lost to the Dodgers in seven games. Despite having the best record in the league, the Brewers enter the series as an underdog. Los Angeles has been steamrolling through the postseason, and their playoff experience potentially gives them the edge over the young Brewers core.

The Dodgers are built for October; they have the talent up and down he roster. The lineup attacked and wore down the Phillies in the NLDS and will look to do the same versus the Brewers.

If the Dodgers are going to go back to the World Series, they will need Shohei Ohtani to break out of his current slump. He hit just .056 in the NLDS with nine strikeouts and one RBI.

“We’re not gonna win the World Series with that sort of performance,” Dave Roberts said of Ohtani, who went 1-for-18 with nine strikeouts in the series.

If the Brewers are going to win this series, they’ll need to rely on their pitching staff. Rookie Jacob Misiorowski stumbled down the stretch. Milwaukee has three trusted starters in Freddy Peralta, Quinn Priester, and Jose Quintana. If any of the three falter, it will put a heavy burden on the Brewers' bullpen, which will now need to navigate a seven-game series.

PETE ALONSO WANTS LONG-TERM DEAL

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is poised to shake up the winter free agent market. After opting out of his deal and declaring for free agency, Alonso is reportedly looking for a huge payday: a seven-year deal that would carry him into his late 30s.

Alonso had a monster bounce-back season in Queens, where he hit .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs and 126 RBI while playing in all 162 games, and is hoping to break the bank this offseason after failing to land a long-term commitment last winter.

It’s a bold ask for Alonso, but not unexpected, since he is represented by super-agent Scott Boras. The “Polar Bear” brings elite power, durability, and star appeal to any franchise that were to sign him. On the flip side, a seven-year deal for a slugger in his 30s comes with enormous risk, and teams may balk at his request.

It’s not unprecedented for players in their early 30s to land seven-year deals in free agency. Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is signed through his age-37 season, and Braves first baseman Matt Olson received an eight-year, $168 million contract, which will carry him through his age-35 season.

Even if Alonso fails to land the seven-year deal, he should land a strong free agent offer from the Mets and other teams in the league. As he enters this offseason, he is not attached to a qualifying offer, which shouldn’t limit teams this time around. Alonso was offered a seven-year deal from the Mets following the 2023 season, but he rejected the deal in the hopes of betting on himself.

The Red Sox should be in on Alonso this winter for various reasons. Boston desperately needs a slugger in the middle of its lineup with true power potential like Alonso. The Sox expect Triston Casas back at some point in 2026, but Craig Breslow wouldn’t commit to his young first baseman’s status.

“He’s in here every day rehabbing,” Breslow said. “Just kind of watching the progress from the initial surgery to where he is now—he’s moving around really well, load-bearing, squatting. So we anticipate a full recovery. But I’m hesitant to put a timeline on that just because with any of these injuries you want to make sure that you’re not coming too far out front."

It’s been a revolving door at first base the last couple of seasons, and Boston needs an everyday presence at the position. After Rafael Devers was traded to the Giants, the Sox were left without a real power threat in the middle of the lineup. Boston could dip into free agency and lure the likes of Alonso or Kyle Schwarber. Alonso would present a right-handed power threat, whereas Schwarber is more of an everyday DH-type. Schwarber has not played first base since he was with the Red Sox back in 2021 and has played a grand total of 11 games at the position in his career.

Boston was 15th in the majors in home runs (186) this season and 27th in the second half of the year (64).

“We’ll be open to all of those things,” Breslow said. “We faced some significant injuries during the course of season, and to guys that have shown that they can get the ball out of the ballpark, whether that was in the big leagues or internally. And so I think we’ll actively look to improve the roster. That means we have to be willing to look in free agency, trades, and internally.”

Breslow has key decisions to make this offseason, including figuring out what Boras’ other client, Alex Bregman, will do from a contractual perspective. He has the ability to opt out of his deal he signed with the Red Sox prior to spring training before last season.

GATOR DIES AT 62

Former Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell died this week. He was 62.

“With a heavy heart, I lost my best friend today,” Tracy Greenwell wrote on social media. “It was Mike’s time to be an angel. At 10:30 a.m. in Boston’s General Hospital. We are forever grateful for the life he has given us.”

In August, Greenwell revealed that he had been diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer.

“Greenwell was one of my favorites,” Joe Morgan, Red Sox manager from mid-1988 through 1991, said in a statement released by the team. “He didn’t start out great, but he worked hard and became a very good left fielder. He was fun to be around, happy-go-lucky. We’ll all miss him greatly.”

Known by his nickname, “The Gator,” Greenwell was a two-time All-Star and played for Boston from 1985 to 1996. He was nicknamed “The Gator” because he wrestled alligators while he was young in Southwest Florida. The outfielder made his debut in 1985 and played a key role on the 1986 ALCS-winning Sox team. 

In 1988, he hit .325/.416/.531 and setting what would be career bests with 22 homers, 119 RBIs, 39 doubles, and 16 stolen bases. That season, he was selected for his first All-Star game and finished second to slugger Jose Canseco for American League MVP.

Greenwell was a constant in the Red Sox’ lineup through his final season in 1998. He finished with a career .303 average with 130 homers, 726 RBI, and 80 stolen bases when he retired at 32, and then was inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Fame in 2008.

“He was a great teammate and an even better person,” said Bob Stanley in a statement through the AP. “He had big shoes to fill in left field, and he did a damn good job. He played hard and never forgot where he came from—Fort Myers. Just a great guy. We’ll all miss him.”

Greenwell is survived by his wife, Tracy, and their sons, Bo and Garrett.

RED SOX NOTES

- Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez had meniscus “clean-up” surgery on his knee, and he should be fully healthy for the start of spring training.

“There were a couple times during the course of the season where (the knee) flared up, one of them pretty obviously where he missed a little bit of time,” Breslow said. “But he deserves a ton of credit for his willingness to play through this, potentially even at a time when others would have maybe bowed out, because he felt that attached to trying to help the group. But this should be a pretty straightforward procedure, and (I) don’t anticipate any issues.”

- Connor Wong also underwent a minor surgical procedure last week, a right-hand carpal boss excision that was performed by Dr. Matthew Leibman at Mass General Brigham Hospital.

For context, a carpal boss is a small, firm bony bump that forms on the back of the hand, usually where the long metacarpal bones of the index or middle finger meet the small carpal bones of the wrist.

The issue could have been a contributing factor as to why Wong struggled offensively this season. Wong hit .190/.262/.238 line with no homers in 63 games this year. Narváez became the Sox’ everyday catcher after Wong spent time on the injured list with a broken pinkie and his offensive issues at the plate.

- Flame-throwing pitching prospect Luis Perales is in Scottsdale representing the Sox’ organization in the Arizona Fall League. Perales is continuing to come back from Tommy John surgery and made his AFL debut last week, hitting 101 mph on the radar gun.

The righty is pitching for the Salt River Rafters against the Glendale Desert Dogs; Perales sat at 99 mph with his fastball, but his control and command weren't sharp. He went 1 1/3 innings, allowing three walks with two strikeouts. He threw 17 of his 33 pitches for strikes in his debut.

- David Sandlin is a name to watch as the Sox decide which minor leaguers to protect from the Rule 5 draft this December. Sandlin is a top candidate to be added to the 40-man roster following this season, where he pitched for both the Portland Sea Dogs and Worcester Red Sox.

Sandlin is another high-octane arm that was converted from a starter to a reliever last summer. Boston was hoping he could offer them another internal depth piece down the stretch. On Aug. 5, Sandlin didn’t transition smoothly into the WooSox’ bullpen. He was tagged for runs in five of his first eight outings and had two blow-ups, allowing four runs in less than one inning on August 15 and August 22. In total, the 24-year-old posted a 9.16 ERA in 14 games. The Oklahoma native allowed 21 runs (19 earned) on 31 hits in 18 2/3 innings, striking out 17 batters while walking 12.

“He’s struggled with it, and he’ll readily admit that to you,” said WooSox manager Chad Tracy about a month ago from Polar Park. “It’s grinded on him, the fact that over the course of the last month, he hasn’t been able to put up the results he’s used to as a starter.”

Sandlin should convert back to a starter in spring training, offering an additional starting option in Worcester should Boston need someone earlier on in the season.