After a grueling regular season and a thrilling start to the postseason, the World Series is set. Starting on Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies will take on the Houston Astros. While all eyes are locked in on who will win it all this season, let’s take a look at some of the other stories from around Major League Baseball from this week.
Jose Ramirez To Have Hand Surgery
According to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas, Cleveland Guardians All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez will be undergoing hand surgery in the upcoming weeks.
Rojas mentions that the injury for Ramirez occurred during the season, but the injury and the surgery should not hamper his ability to be regular for the 2023 season.
This season, Ramirez led the Guardians’ offense hitting .280/.355/.514 with 29 home runs, 126 runs batted in, 90 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases.
Cleveland finished the season 92-70, winning the AL Central by 11 games over the Chicago White Sox. They beat the Rays in the Wild Card series before finally falling to the Yankees in the AL Divisional series.
The Guardians will look to build off of their solid season next year, and they will look forward to welcoming back Ramirez, who signed a seven-year deal worth $141 million that keeps him in Cleveland through 2028, to the middle of their imposing lineup.
Tatis Has Another Surgery On His Injured List
On Sunday, the San Diego Padres were knocked out of the postseason by the Philadelphia Phillies, but that wasn’t the only reason they were in the news this week. Earlier in the week, San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee reported that shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr had a second surgery on his left wrist.
According to Acee, there were no new issues; rather, this was simply a follow-up procedure, and Tatis would still be ready for next season. With that being said, Tatis won’t be starting the season next year with the Padres as he will be finishing an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
The Padres certainly hope that Tatis gets back on track, both physically and from a maturity standpoint, as there are still 12 years left on his 14-year, $340 million deal.
Last season, in 478 at-bats, Tatis hit .282/.364/.611 with 42 home runs, 97 runs batted in, 99 runs scored, and 25 stolen bases. Padres’ fans hope that a trio of Tatis, Manny Machado, and Juan Soto will be able to push them into the World Series next year, but for now, they are just hoping to get Tatis healthy and ready to play next season.
Two Teams Decide On Managers
While the offseason won’t officially start until after the World Series, a couple of teams have knocked out some of their to-do list by hiring managers for the 2023 season.
In Arlington, the Texas Rangers have agreed to a three-year contract with 67-year-old manager Bruce Bochy. Over the course of 25 years, Bochy has managed both the Padres and the San Francisco Giants, where he holds a 2003-2029 record.
For Texas, they finished this season 68-94, 38 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West. They struggled both at home and on the road, managing identical 34-47 records.
This all comes after the Rangers spent a small fortune last offseason on players like Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Kole Calhoun, and Jon Gray.
Elsewhere, the Toronto Blue Jays have hired John Schneider to a three-year contract to continue managing the club. Schneider became the interim manager after Charlie Montoyo was relieved of his duties in July.
Schneider was able to lead the Blue Jays to a 92-70 record. While they finished seven games behind the Yankees in the AL East, they were able to make the playoffs, ultimately losing to the Seattle Mariners in the AL Wild Card.
