SAN DIEGO — New Padres boss John Seidler says the first goal remains this one:

Win the World Series trophy.

I’ll amend that to this: win the 2026 World Series trophy.

The Padres have become an old team, but now isn’t the time to go young. Trading the old dudes looks impractical, so A.J. Preller must upgrade the talent around the nucleus...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Thirty-one days ago, Roki Sasaki arrived at Dodger Stadium, met with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes, and was presented a plan that required faith and trust.

It had been eight months since Sasaki signed with the Dodgers amid massive expectations, coming over from Japan as a 23-...Read more

MILWAUKEE — Entering this week’s National League Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitching plan seemed simple.

After Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow started the final two games of the team’s NL Division Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell were next in line for Games 1 and 2 of ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — It’s safe to say this was a boom-or-bust season for the Chicago Cubs offense, from its first-half dominance to its second-half slumber.

It was a head-scratching turn of events, watching so many good hitters stop hitting at the same time. But there was optimism they could all put it back together in the postseason and make a long...Read more

PITTSBURGH — That the Pirates must improve their offense this winter is obvious. How they do it creates a larger discussion.

Raising payroll should certainly be a part, although the odds of them signing Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger are likely so bad that they don't exist.

The good news: There are other ways to add bats, from ...Read more

NEW YORK — Now that another Yankee season has concluded prematurely without a championship trophy, the usual finger pointing begins and fans in every corner of Yankeeland are looking for culprits. But I’m here to say in this latest playoff elimination at the hands of the Blue Jays the blame should fall squarely on the players themselves.

In...Read more

MILWAUKEE — For nearly three hours Saturday night at American Family Field, the Chicago Cubs, on the brink of elimination for the fourth time this postseason, rode the emotions of a win-or-go-home Game 5 in a hostile environment.

The go-ahead clutch swing consistently eluded the Cubs in a dueling bullpen game against the Milwaukee Brewers. ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When Shohei Ohtani was asked about his woeful performance at the plate in the Dodgers’ National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies last week, he first gave credit to the opposition.

Then, after a series that saw the Phillies counter him with one left-handed pitcher after the next, was also quick to point ...Read more

TORONTO — “The Double” doesn’t need another tribute. It doesn’t need to be a talking point on TV. It doesn’t need its grainy replay rolled yet again, annual nostalgia in place of something new.

The Seattle Mariners’ most memorable moment needs more company.

This team is making up for lost time.

Because, in the three decades ...Read more

SEATTLE — That was the only way this could end if the scriptwriters had any sense.

No other outcome was feasible if the baseball gods had a code.

So many times throughout the evening it looked as though the Tigers were going to leave T-Mobile Park pin-drop quiet. Instead, the Mariners had their mic-drop moment.

In the bottom of the 15th ...Read more

Albert Pujols met with Angels general manager Perry Minasian on Thursday regarding the team’s open managerial role, a source confirmed on Friday.

Although Pujols is considered one of the leading candidates, it remains uncertain if Pujols will ultimately get the job. Torii Hunter, who works as a special assistant in the Angels’ front office,...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The end of a season always feels empty. The more suddenly the end comes, the emptier it feels. But it never feels emptier than when you are the one who is closest in proximity to it. In those moments, the emptiness has a weight that is yours and yours alone.

Early Thursday night, in one of the most iconic ballparks in baseball, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Roki Sasaki was literally the toast of the Dodgers.

"Shot for Roki!" infielder Miguel Rojas screamed.

Hooting and hollering, the players raised the little paper cups in their hands and emptied the contents into their mouths to celebrate the three perfect innings delivered by Sasaki in an 11-inning, 2-1 victory over the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In those buoyant days of spring, Dodgers fans blithely predicted their star-studded and well-financed team would win, say, 125 games. No major league team had won more than 116 but, if the Dodgers were going to ruin baseball, they would have a damn good time doing it.

Then the season started, and with it the ups and downs, and ...Read more

CHICAGO — When the National League Division Series moved to Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs facing a 2-0 deficit against the Milwaukee Brewers, manager Craig Counsell acknowledged the hole they had dug for themselves.

“No question about it,” Counsell said Tuesday. “And we get to decide how this story ends.”

Sweetheart, get him ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs have quickly become battle tested in elimination games.

For the third time this postseason, the Cubs staved off their season ending. Thanks to another first-inning home run — a rocket off Ian Happ’s bat that landed in the right-field bleachers for a three-run lead — and a masterful performance by left-hander ...Read more