What. A. Divisional. Series!!! After a 162-game grueling regular season, the first two rounds of the postseason have been especially unkind to the favorites.
In fact, of the four 100+ win teams to make the playoffs this season, only one remains in the Houston Astros, and it took them an 18-inning marathon of a game against the Seattle Mariners to seal their fate moving onto the next round.
The Dodgers and Mets were ousted by the Padres, and the Braves by the Phillies. For the New York Yankees, who had 99 wins, they are trying to push to a Game 5 against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday after going down 2-1 midway through the series.
While the postseason has been full of surprises and upsets, there is still plenty of news going on around the rest of the league as well. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from the week.
Correa To Become A Free Agent Again
In an interview with Jorge Figueroa Loza of El Nuevo Dia, Minnesota Twins shortstop indicated that he plans to exercise his opt-out on his deal and become a free agent again this offseason.
Last offseason, Correa signed a three-year deal worth $105.3 million; however, the deal included an opt-out after each of the first two seasons. It appears that his time in Minneapolis will be a short one as he is done after one year.
In 136 games this season with the Twins, the 28-year-old Correa hit .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs, 64 runs batted in, and 70 runs scored.
While Correa will certainly be a top-tier free agent, he enters what could be a deep shortstop free agent crop. Superstars Trea Turner (Dodgers), Xander Bogaerts (Red Sox), and Dansby Swanson (Braves) could all be free agents this year.
Still, there are plenty of teams that could use Correa’s services and expect him to once again try to cash in on a long-term deal from potential suitors like the Phillies or Cubs.
Could Cubs Be In On Abreu?
Speaking of the Cubs, Carlos Correa isn’t the only potential free agent that they have been linked to. This last week, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine reported that the Cubs may look across town for a potential free agent in Jose Abreu.
The 35-year-old Abreu is set to become a free agent, and with Andrew Vaughn waiting in the wings, the White Sox may make the decision to move on.
For Abreu, he hit .304/.378/.446 with 15 home runs, 75 runs batted in, and 85 runs scored in 601 at bats this season. Given that he has played all nine years of his MLB career in Chicago, it may make sense for him to stay in the Windy City, just this time on the North Side.
Raleigh Played With Broken Thumb
Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners had a really strong postseason, but given what he revealed after the game, it was downright amazing. Raleigh, who hit .227/.292/.409 with a home run and four runs batted in, informed reporters that he has been playing with a broken thumb and torn ligaments on his catching hand for several weeks.
It is even more remarkable that he was able to catch every inning, all 236 pitches for the Mariners, in their 18-inning season-ending loss to the Astros on Saturday.
Raleigh will now meet with a hand specialist to determine the best course of action moving forward, but he has certainly endeared himself to a Mariners’ franchise that is set to be really competitive for several years to come.
