{"id":809129,"date":"2026-09-19T17:09:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T17:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/809129\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T17:09:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T17:09:20","slug":"mlb-playoffs-format-under-question-with-red-sox-prime-example","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/809129\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB playoffs format under question, with Red Sox prime example"},"content":{"rendered":"

The postseason starts Sept. 29<\/a>, and the Red Sox\u2019 first potential home game wouldn\u2019t be until Oct. 7. Congrats on your season; here\u2019s a five-game, two-city road trip.<\/p>\n

MLB\u2019s 12-team playoff bracket rewards winning a weak division more than it does having a better record. The Rays, Yankees, and Red Sox have the three best records in the league. Only one will get to the AL Championship Series.<\/p>\n

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A far lesser team will have a much easier path.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s every chance the AL West winner will be the third seed in the league bracket with a record one or two games over .500. The Astros or Rangers will undeservedly get at least two home games.<\/p>\n

When I covered the UConn men\u2019s basketball team, coach Jim Calhoun<\/a> celebrated important nonconference victories but always with the caveat that Big East games were the true tests.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to beat your neighbors,\u201d Calhoun used to say. (He\u2019s a big Sox fan, by the way.)<\/p>\n

That stuck with me over the years \u2014 the idea that games against your direct competitors mattered most, so don\u2019t overinflate the other games. When MLB teams played six series against division opponents, winning the division was a significant accomplishment. Every Red Sox-Yankees series felt like a referendum on the season. <\/p>\n

Can we still say that now, with teams playing 52 games within the division and 48 interleague games? The Sox played four games in the Bronx from Aug. 28-30<\/a>, and one was a sellout. Fans understand those games don\u2019t carry the weight they once did.<\/p>\n

The Sox played their final home series against a division opponent the weekend of July 24-26 against the Blue Jays, and had only seven division games scheduled for September.<\/p>\n

The National League doesn\u2019t have that problem this season. The Brewers, Dodgers, and Braves are lined up to win their respective divisions and have the top three seeds.<\/p>\n

The NBA ignores division standings and seeds teams by winning percentage in each conference. Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock<\/a> would like to see baseball go that route.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019ll happen until they do the expansion,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it would be cool, because now we\u2019ve changed the whole schedule, anyways.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ongoing labor negotiations offer the league and MLB Players Association an opportunity to examine the postseason format. It\u2019s a discussion worth having.<\/p>\n

\"BraidenBraiden Ward’s 19 stolen bases in spring training games caught the attention of the Red Sox, and he has followed up with 60 at Triple-A.Gerald Herbert\/Associated Press<\/p>\n

ON THE RUN?<\/p>\n

Maybe Ward will get a chance<\/p>\n

Early in spring training, then-Red Sox manager Alex Cora called Braiden Ward the next Dave Roberts. Then Ward stole 19 bases in 22 tries<\/a>, and it made sense. Theo Epstein was always a big fan of the postseason pinch runner, and Ward profiled as the next player to take that role.<\/p>\n

Ward went 60 for 69 in swipes for Triple-A Worcester, and the Sox are considering adding the outfielder to the roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d cry; I\u2019d freak out,\u201d Ward said. \u201cI was joking with [my] dad about it. In a perfect world, I\u2019d like to go up a little bit earlier just so my first taste in the big leagues isn\u2019t Game 3 of a Wild Card [Series], in a one-run ball game in NYC, looking up at the lights and being like, \u2018Oh my gosh, where am I?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Ward, a 27-year-old career minor leaguer, makes a good point. If the team is going to call him up, let him play in a game or two before Game 1.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I could handle it,\u201d he said. \u201cI just want to do whatever it takes to help the team. It would be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few other observations on the Red Sox:<\/p>\n

\u25aa Sonny Gray has pitched well against the Yankees this season (three earned runs over 13\u2154 innings in two starts), and has a 3.26 ERA in six career postseason starts. He absolutely deserves to start a Game 1, and surely will.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s hard not to think Payton Tolle would rise to the challenge of facing Cam Schlittler in the Bronx and throw an absolute gem. Nothing against Gray, who has been better than the Sox could have possibly hoped. But Tolle vs. Schlittler would be like a big heavyweight fight.<\/p>\n

\u25aa There are 136 qualified hitters in the majors this season. Through the Rangers series<\/a>, Jarren Duran was last in on-base percentage (.259) and next-to-last in OPS (.618) and wRC+ (66). And that\u2019s with hitting 20 home runs.<\/p>\n

Duran has played well in left field, which gives him a 0.2 bWAR, but it\u2019s becoming indefensible that the Sox keep running him out there even with center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela on the injured list.<\/p>\n

\u25aa The Sox will have Franklin Arias report to Fenway South in Fort Myers, Fla., after the Triple-A season ends Sunday. The plan is to have the middle infielder<\/a> work out there for a month.<\/p>\n

Arias doesn\u2019t need the extra work after playing a full season, but keeping him active will serve as insurance if the Sox need an injury replacement in the postseason.<\/p>\n

Ideally, they would prefer Arias to be able to play in Triple-A if the 2027 season doesn\u2019t start on time. But if Arias could help win a playoff series, that becomes a priority.<\/p>\n

\u25aa Minor League Baseball named Single-A Salem catcher Kleyver Salazar to the Carolina League All-Star team. The 20-year-old from Venezuela hit .293 with 38 extra-base hits and an .883 OPS over 96 games. He was signed in 2023.<\/p>\n

MILB also recognized High-A Greenville second baseman Mason White, who hit .270 with 14 home runs and posted an .887 OPS before being promoted to Double-A Portland. White, who was a fourth-round pick in 2025, will play in the Arizona Fall League.<\/p>\n

The Sox will also send infielders Antonio Anderson and Nazzan Zanetello to the AFL, along with righthanders Harry Blum, Madinson Frias, Nick Judice, and Trevor O\u2019Donnell, and lefthander Caden Vire.<\/p>\n

Judice, Frias, Vire, and Zanetello all missed significant time this season because of injuries. Anderson had a breakout season after struggling at the plate for three years.<\/p>\n

Zanetello was the 50th overall pick of the 2023 draft<\/a> and signed for $3 million, more than 23 players taken before him. He has a .619 OPS in 210 games since.<\/p>\n

\"TerryTerry Francona, the two-time World Series-winning manager of the Red Sox, is wrapping up a second season guiding the Reds.Matthew J. Lee\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

ETC.<\/p>\n

Francona wants to see it through with Reds<\/p>\n

Terry Francona\u2019s surprise return to managing in Cincinnati in 2025 resulted in a winning season and a playoff berth. The Reds made a quick exit against the Dodgers but looked like a team on the rise.<\/p>\n

Francona\u2019s second season<\/a> will end with only his third last-place finish in 25 years as a manager. The Reds have been one of baseball\u2019s biggest disappointments.<\/p>\n

Francona is intent on returning next season, saying he was pleased that president of baseball operations Nick Krall and general manager Brad Meador will be back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI value especially, maybe at my age now, the people,\u201d said Francona, who is 67. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t go through tough times, because you do. But when you do, you want to be with people that you\u2019re aligned with and you care about, and they care about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sees 2027 as a pivotal season for the franchise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you go through your second year, and things don\u2019t go the way you want to, I\u2019ve seen a lot of times things go off the rails,\u201d Francona said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I want to be part of the solution, and I know [Krall and Meador] do, too. I mean, that\u2019s why we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Francona is 11th all-time in managerial victories<\/a> and needs only 21 more to pass Hall of Famer Joe McCarthy for 10th place.<\/p>\n

\"J.D.J.D. Martinez played five of his 14 major league seasons with the Red Sox, winning a World Series with the team in 2018.Jim Davis\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

J.D. Martinez, who retired after the 2024 season, will have jobs to choose from if he decides to return to baseball in the front office or as a coach. Martinez is bilingual, speaking English and Spanish. But he\u2019s also bilingual in the sense that he speaks the language of analytics with the sensibilities of having played 14 years in the majors<\/a> \u2026 Mets fans did not miss Tuesday night, chanting Pete Alonso\u2019s name after he belted his 300th career homer<\/a> until he emerged from the dugout for a curtain call. Then they broke into chants of \u201cFire Stearns\u201d to express their displeasure that president of baseball operations David Stearns let Alonso go to the Orioles as a free agent without putting up much of a fight. \u201cTo have that kind of reaction to an opposing player, could be anybody, is crazy to me,\u201d Mets pitcher Sean Manaea said. \u201cI\u2019ve got nothing but respect for Pete. Just never seen anything like that before.\u201d It was a very public moment of embarrassment for the entire organization, something the Mets have specialized in over the years. Owner Steve Cohen\u2019s massive investment in the roster and organizational upgrades hasn\u2019t changed the mojo. Meanwhile, Alonso got the ball back from the fan who grabbed it<\/a> and promised the man and his friends VIP treatment for a game at Camden Yards next season \u2026 Schlittler feels like a lock for the Cy Young Award at this point. The righthander from Walpole and Northeastern has thrown 18\u2153 more innings than Dylan Cease<\/a> and his ERA is nearly half a run lower. Schlittler also has a 1.84 ERA on the road. That\u2019s the lowest for a qualified starter since Greg Maddux\u2019s 1.12 in 1995. \u201cHe might be MVP, too,\u201d Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. Astros DH Yordan Alvarez has the edge there, but you can make a good case for Schlitter to finish second \u2026 Giants first baseman Rafael Devers (core muscle surgery), Astros infielder Carlos Correa (left ankle), Blue Jays righthander Jameson Taillon (elbow), and Cubs righthanded reliever Shelby Miller (elbow surgery) have all been shut down for the season. The Cubs signed Miller to a two-year, $2.5 million contract hoping he would return this season, but it didn\u2019t happen \u2026 The Dodgers had only a brief champagne toast after clinching their 14th consecutive postseason berth Monday with a victory against the Reds in Cincinnati. The players collected the requisite T-shirts and hats, then cleaned up and headed back to the team hotel instead of spraying champagne and carrying on to celebrate what for them is a routine achievement. Tarik Skubal, who was traded to the Dodgers in August, was a bit surprised. \u201cIt\u2019s different than anything I\u2019ve experienced for sure,\u201d the lefthander told reporters. \u201cBut I think it just speaks to the people in this room and what they expect out of this team. That was cool. A little toast and move on.\u201d The Dodgers joined the 1991-2005 Braves as the only teams to qualify for 14 consecutive postseasons. The Dodgers had a more raucous celebration on Wednesday when they clinched the National League West title \u2026 Ryan Watson has pitched well for the Angels since being claimed off waivers from the Red Sox on Aug. 7. The righthander, who made the Sox as a Rule 5 pick, allowed three earned runs on 11 hits over his first 14\u2153 innings for Los Angeles with three walks and 17 strikeouts. \u201cBoston will always hold a special place in my heart because they gave me a chance,\u201d Watson said when the Angels were at Fenway Park earlier this month. \u201cThey taught me how to be a big leaguer, so I greatly appreciate that.\u201d Watson credited Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey for his success. \u201cGreat pitching mind,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s good at what he does. I\u2019m proud of the work that I put in.\u201d \u2026 The Dodgers designated Millbury\u2019s Ryan Ward for assignment Wednesday. The 28-year-old former Bryant College outfielder made his major league debut April 19 and had a .738 OPS over 20 major league games. Ward has hit for power in Triple-A and won\u2019t lack for opportunities \u2026 In a scoreless game, White Sox center fielder Tristan Peters drew an 18-pitch walk<\/a> off Guardians righthander Gavin Williams in the sixth inning Monday. Chicago went on to score six runs in the inning. Peters fouled off 12 two-strike pitches. Since pitch counts were tracked in 1988, it was tied for the most pitches in a walk since Adam Kennedy of the Angels also had an 18-pitch free pass in 2004 off Luis Vizcaino of the Brewers \u2026 Tijuana beat Tabasco to win the Mexican League championship Tuesday with a lineup that included Justin Turner and Franchy Cordero. At 41, Turner hit .295 with an .865 OPS over 65 regular-season games. He often commuted from his home in southern California for the games. Cordero, now 32, had a .953 OPS and belted 17 homers. He has not played in the majors since 2023 \u2026 Edwin Diaz has a week to prove to the Dodgers he belongs on the postseason roster. The three-time All-Star closer has appeared in only 16 games because of injuries, none since Aug. 17, and was hit hard. Worse, Diaz has pitched poorly during a rehab assignment in Triple-A this month. He has only four saves since being signed to a three-year, $60.03 million contract in December. Tanner Scott, who has no postseason saves, has been closing since mid-June \u2026 MLB and MLBPA joined their counterparts from the MLS, NBA, NFL, and NHL in calling for gamblers who threaten athletes to be banned for life from betting sites. That should be the minimum. The best way to end such abuse would be to arrest a few people who make such threats and make a public example of them. A gambler banned from a sportsbook will still bet through a friend \u2026 Mark Wahlberg is set to play<\/a> Pete Rose in a film that could begin production before the end of the year. Wahlberg said the story would center on Rose setting the all-time hits record, his time managing the Reds and subsequent suspension for gambling. If the story sticks to the facts, it would be compelling; a hagiography<\/a> not so much \u2026 Happy birthday to Jeffrey Springs, who is 34. The Red Sox acquired the lefthander a few weeks before spring training in 2020 in exchange for first baseman Sam Travis. Both players had aged out of prospect status at that stage of their careers and had not been particularly impressive in their major league opportunities. That trend continued for Springs in 2020, and he was traded to the Rays as part of a four-player deal after the season that returned infielder Nick Sogard<\/a>. Springs has since posted a 3.94 ERA in 145 games for the Rays and Athletics. Sogard emerged as a valuable utility player for the Sox this season. Springs has yet to appear in a postseason. Sogard has him there as he started twice against the Yankees in the Wild Card Series last season and was 2 for 6 with a double.<\/p>\n

Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social\u202c.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The postseason starts Sept. 29, and the Red Sox\u2019 first potential home game wouldn\u2019t be until Oct. 7.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":809130,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2288],"tags":[5,73826,18281,2328,2304,4,2305,2303],"class_list":["post-809129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb-postseason","tag-baseball","tag-chase-burns-26-starting-pitcher-for-the-cincinnati-reds","tag-garrett-crochet-35-starting-pitcher-for-the-boston-red-sox","tag-major-league-baseball-playoffs","tag-major-league-baseball-postseason","tag-mlb","tag-mlb-playoffs","tag-mlb-postseason"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/117298814509776718","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809129\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/809130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}