As teams enter the final three games of the season, most of the postseason spots have been filled at this point. Still, a few teams are jockeying for postseason positioning, while others are simply trying to get their rotations set ahead of the playoffs.
While anticipation mounts for the postseason, let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from around Major League Baseball this week.
Shohei-Me The Money
Entering the last year of his contract, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels avoided arbitration on Saturday as the two sides agreed to a one-year deal worth $30 million. After earning just $5.5 million this season, this is the largest raise for any player in history who was arbitration eligible.
Ohtani has been a superstar with the Angels, both on the mound and at the plate. Last season, he won the AL MVP, and he currently has the second-best odds to do so against this year (+3500).
This season, Ohtani went 15-8 on the mound. He did so with a 2.35 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, and he has struck out 213 in 161 innings. Opponents have hit just .207 against him this year.
At the dish, Ohtani is hitting .275/.357/.524 with 34 home runs, 94 runs batted in, 89 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases.
Unfortunately, both Ohtani and Mike Trout will miss another year of the playoffs as the Angels currently sit at 73-86, 31 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West.
Morton Re-Ups With Atlanta
Ohtani wasn’t the only player to agree on a one-year deal this week. The Atlanta Braves announced that they have signed veteran pitcher Charlie Morton to a one-year deal worth $20 million. The deal includes a club option for 2024 for the exact same price.
At 38 years old, Morton is 9-6 this season with a 4.29 ERA. He also has a 1.205 WHIP and has struck out 200 in 167.2 innings.
Morton is trying to help the Atlanta Braves repeat as World Series champions this season. They currently have the fourth-best odds to do so at +700.
La Russa To Call It A Career…Again
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, it appears that Tony La Russa will hang it up again as the 78-year-old is expected to announce his retirement from coaching the White Sox Monday.
La Russa has been battling health issues and has been away from the club since the end of August. Miguel Cairo has been managing in his absence.
It has been a disappointing two years for La Russa. Even though the team finished with a 93-69 record last season, they were ousted by the Astros in the playoffs. This season, they won’t even make the postseason as the Guardians have already clinched the NL Central.
Webb Hits The Injured List
Logan Webb had his season ended on Sunday as the San Francisco Giants officially placed the hurler on the injured list with lower back stiffness. The 25-year-old played a pivotal part to the Giants winning the division last season, and he replicated his success on the mound this year.
While the Giants won’t make the postseason, Webb finishes his season 15-9 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.159 WHIP, and he has 163 strikeouts in 192.1 innings of work.
Between injuries and poor play, it just hasn’t been the exceptional year this year for San Francisco that they had last year. Entering the final three games, they are 80-79, 30 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
