As the baseball world gears up for the second round of the playoffs, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:
1. Division Series begins tomorrow:
With all four Wild Card Series matchups having been settled on Wednesday, baseball fans are already looking ahead to the four matchups of the Division Series, which will begin tomorrow. The Braves, Orioles, Dodgers and Astros all secured byes through the Wild Card Series, meaning each club is fully rested as they gear up to face their first opponents of the postseason. First up on the schedule at 12:03pm CT tomorrow is the Orioles, who will take on the Rangers at Camden Yards. Next up at 3:45pm CT will be the Astros, who figure to face the AL Central champion Twins in Houston. The NL, meanwhile, features a pair of division rivalries. At 5:07pm CT the Braves will square off against the Phillies in Atlanta before the night concludes at 8:20pm CT with the Dodgers facing the Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
2. What’s next for the Mets?
The Mets had a tumultuous evening yesterday, as GM Billy Eppler abruptly stepped down from his role as the club’s second-in-command under new president of baseball operations David Stearns. Eppler’s sudden resignation was brought on by an MLB investigation into both Eppler himself and the Mets regarding so-called “phantom IL” stints, when teams place healthy players on the injured list in order to give the player a physical and/or mental resist while freeing up their 26-man roster spot temporarily. The practice widely utilized around the league, though it’s technically against MLB’s rules.
In any case, the situation is sure to have effects going forward not only on the Mets, but on the league as a whole. It’s likely that the Mets and/or Eppler himself are at risk of facing fines or other disciplinary action from MLB, depending the results of the league’s investigation, while the league’s other clubs will surely watch the situation with interest, as it may signal a crackdown on the widespread practice by the league. In the more immediate term, the Mets now figure to look for someone to fill Eppler’s shoes in the Mets front office, with Stearns now in position to choose his own number two.’
3. Showalter eyeing Anaheim:
The Angels recently parted ways with manager Phil Nevin, whose contract with the club expired at the end of the season. GM Perry Minasian recently indicated that the club’s search for a new manager was still in a very preliminary stage, noting that they had not yet established a timeline for the new hire or even assembled a list of potential candidates. One candidate has thrown his own hat into the ring, however: recently-fired Mets manager Buck Showalter has reportedly expressed interest in the vacancy in Anaheim.
On the surface, the pairing seems to be a good fit given Showalter’s desire to return to the dugout in 2024 and the tumultuous situation the Angels are facing, with the likely departure of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani this offseason, perhaps calling for a more experienced hand to guide the club as they look to avoid missing the playoffs for the ninth-consecutive time. Organizations looking to fill managerial vacancies around the league appear to be gearing up to begin external interviews in earnest next week; could one between Showalter and the Angels be among them?