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Max Scherzer didn’t hide his pitches well (and that cost the Blue Jays the series)

This afternoon, the Blue Jays took on the Yankees in the Bronx. At stake? The series between the two clubs.

It was an important game, as the Blue Jays didn’t want to let the Yankees get within two games of them. Even though they have the tie-breaker against the Bombardiers, every win is important at this point.

But in order to do so, Max Scherzer, who lost the game, would have had to avoid tipping. We’re talking here about the act of poorly concealing his throws, which greatly helps the opponent.

The first to benefit was the little bowl of rice. Ben Rice hit a three-run home run in the first.

Although the Blue Jays rallied from a deficit, a fourth run was scored by the Yankees. In a 4-3 setback for the Blue Jays, let’s just say it made the difference.

For once, Toronto’s offense lacked opportunism and the relief was excellent. #EhBien

Obviously, the fact that the Yankees discovered a flaw in Scherzer’s game (he wasn’t exactly born yesterday) made the difference in a very crucial game.

And Scherzer knows it. Note that he has no reason to be angry with the Yankees, since it’s obviously legal to use your eyes to try to determine which pitch is coming.

The Blue Jays know the Yankees are good at this. They’ll have to pull out all the stops to win the division.

Note that there are still six series left on the menu (19 games) for the Blue Jays, who still have (mathematically) two chances out of three to win their division. There’s still a lot of work to be done.

PMLB
  • Alexis Diaz with the Braves.

  • Trea Turner is injured.

  • Otto Lope guided the Marlins to victory.

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MLB in brief: Bruce Bochy back in 2026 | Justin Verlander gets better

Bruce Bochy back in 2026?

Perhaps. And if so, what will Skip Schumaker do?

Justin Verlander gets better

For the past eight games, his business has been going well.

The importance of Ha-Seong Kim

The Braves are counting on him in 2026.

Two home runs for Shohei Ohtani

He’s up to 48 this year.

But the fat ass is 53.

A promising debut

Brandon Sproat pitched a quality start.

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Kyle Schwarber: a player talks about a $200M contract

Kyle Schwarber is upping the ante for his next contract. We can all agree on that.

The way he hits (like an MVP, in effect), the Phillies slugger is making several teams – including his current organization – look to sign him over the winter.

And that’s even if he’s just a choice hitter.

But the question we’re asking is this: how much money can a premium hitter who will be 33 years old at the start of the 2026 season receive from a team?

Obviously, everyone in MLB has an opinion on the matter. Will he sign for three years? Four years? Or more? And for how much per year?

One Major League Baseball player even mentioned to Buster Olney, who covers MLB, that Schwarber should earn $200 million over four years, or $50 million a year. That’s a lot of money for a DH in his thirties!

Was the player in question, who obviously spoke on condition of anonymity, preaching to the choir and driving up prices for other players? Without a doubt.

But it’s still noteworthy.

In reality, it’s more logical to think that the slugger will have a contract of around $30 million per year if he signs for four years. And if he signs for three, the amount per year could be higher ($33.33 per season), bringing the contract to $100 million.

Bidding can raise the stakes, but I have a feeling that a four-year contract at $30 million per year with the Phillies could be realistic for one of the league’s best power hitters. Especially if he finishes the season strong and puts numbers on the board in the playoffs…

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Five teams to watch for Bo Bichette

The more time passes, the more we realize how strong Bo Bichette really is, in 2025.

We knew he was excellent, but after an injury-riddled 2024 season, he reminded everyone just how capable he is of putting the ball in a safe place on a regular basis.

He chose his moment well, since the Blue Jays need him. More importantly, he will become a free agent at the end of the season, for the first time in his major league career.

He’s bought himself millions of dollars this year. After all, he’s only 27…

We don’t know if his future lies at shortstop (if he changes clubs, he’s likely to change positions in the process, whether to second base or third cushion), but we do know that many teams will be on the case.

And on that subject, Jon Heyman (NY Post) mentioned five teams (besides the Blue Jays, who will obviously be in the mix) that will be keeping an eye on the case this winter, on the free-agent market.

The Rangers, Red Sox, Tigers, Angels and Dodgers are the teams in question.

If the Rangers go after him, it would surely be for the third cushion. The club has money and will surely want to redeem its last two seasons, which have been difficult.

Red Sox? If Craig Breslow doesn’t bring back Alex Bregman, the club (which doesn’t always like to spend) could simply rely on the Marcelo Mayers and Kristian Campbells of this world in the infield, right? I can’t see the fit here, but if Bichette likes Boston, it could be a game-changer.

The Tigers, who wanted Alex Bregman a year ago, could also be interested in Bichette. If his salary demands aren’t crazy, it’s a possibility on the table, in my eyes.

Angels? The club likes to spend on stars at bat. Why not coconut?

And let’s just say it’s impossible to leave out the Dodgers, who could move Betts out of shortstop and into a less physically demanding position for a veteran.

  • Paul Goldschmidt has a sore knee.

  • Bo Bichette is out.

  • Ronald Acuna Jr. at seventh in Braves offensive lineup.

https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1964679035419791854

  • Billy Hamilton: minor league contract with the Cubs.

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Framber Valdez autonomy: one team has already crossed off its name

Last Tuesday, Framber Valdez allowed a grand slam to New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham, and just as he was about to make the shot, his catcher, Cesar Salazar, waved him off at the plate.

In the subsequent at-bat, Valdez threw a 93 MPH fastball that hit Salazar in the chest, as the latter was expecting a spin ball. The pitcher wanted revenge.

As can be imagined, the incident has sparked much debate, as the vast majority of those interviewed, including several Major League Baseball executives, seem to agree that the Houston Astros pitcher deliberately hit his catcher to send him a message after Grisham’s long ball.

And it could even have a major impact on the 31-year-old’s market this winter, as he will become a free agent at the end of the current campaign.

In fact, it seems that the domino effect has already begun. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, it could cost Valdez dearly in the coming months.

Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez’s situation, in which he intentionally hit his own catcher or at least simply didn’t care about hitting him in the chest with his fastball, could cost Valdez millions of dollars on the free agent market. One scout said his organization had already crossed Valdez off their list of free-agent prospects after the incident.

Valdez commands a salary of $18 million this season, and prior to the incidents, he could have been expected to initial a six-year pact worth over $200 million.

But with one Manfred Circuit team already out of the running, that may not be the case.

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Yankees win, move to within three games of the Blue Jays

For the second day in a row, the Toronto Blue Jays were in New York to take on the Yankees.

In last night’s game, the Blue Jays played an excellent ball game. This allowed them to climb to four games above the Bombardiers – plus the tie-breaker, in favor of the Sparrows – in the Eastern standings.

But today was a different story.

The Yankees managed to hold off the Blue Jays forward in a 3-1 win. The visitors scored in the fourth inning only, via Isiah Kiner-Falefa who drove in Bo Bichette.

Chris Bassitt pitched five innings and gave up two runs. He wouldn’t return in the sixth as the game was interrupted for nearly two hours due to rain.

By the way, the delay gave Bo Bichette time to recover from his boo-boo and finish the game. He underwent an X-ray, which proved negative.

For the Yankees, Jasson Dominguez and Austin Wells (twice) produced runs, bringing the Yankees within three games of the Blue Jays in the standings. That’s important for the future.

And of course, Jazz Chisholm Jr. found a way, once again, to whine about the umpires. #Classic

Tomorrow, Max Scherzer and Max Fried will be on the mound in an important game for both clubs – especially for the Yankees, who can’t afford to lose the series to Toronto.

But at the same time, the Blue Jays don’t want to see the Yankees within two games of them tomorrow…

  • What a beautiful pitcher.

  • He’s tired of getting hit.

  • Tyler Glasnow: nothing too serious for his back.

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MLB in brief: Pete Crow-Armstrong injured | The Dodgers’ problem

Pete Crow-Armstrong injured

He left his team’s game. He hurt his knee.

Bo Bichette also hurt his knee, but did not leave his team’s match. Did the rain delay help?

Speaking of Bichette: his friendship with Vladdy is stronger than ever.

The Dodgers’ problem

Their two catchers are injured.

At least Dalton Rushing doesn’t have a broken bone.

Victor Robles back

His suspension is over.

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Don’t expect Framber Valdez back in Houston in 2026

Everyone has an opinion on the Framber Valdez situation.

Let’s remember that the pitcher reached out to his catcher recently, when he was angry at the way the leadoff batter had been handled. His reaction, and that of his catcher, tells us all we need to know about the case.

But what does this mean for the future?

Valdez, who will be a free agent in a few months, is the best pitcher who will be available on the autonomy market, if nothing changes. But will teams keep in mind his gesture against his own teammate?

That depends.

Jim Bowden, a former GM in the league, thinks that for a talented guy like him (who can finish in the top-10 of Cy Young voting every year), it doesn’t make much difference. He’s a hard-to-acquire type of pitcher, and if you can do it, you do it.

But does that mean the Astros will keep him?

Chandler Rome, who covers the Astros for The Athletic, broached the subject on the Foul Territory podcast. And according to him, even if the pitcher has a strange reputation and even if his “gesture” is the talk of the town, it won’t be a factor.

However, he still expects to see the pitcher sign elsewhere.

Why? Because Jim Crane doesn’t give long contracts to his players, and he’s never given a pitcher more than $95M. And we’re talking about Josh Hader, who is a reliever.

We imagine the Astros are willing to go into nine figures for Valdez, but it might not be enough and the club could be far behind other teams. Once on the market, anything can happen in the realm of overbidding.

Stay tuned this winter.

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CC Sabathia supports Anthony Volpe

In yesterday’s game between the Yankees and Blue Jays, Anthony Volpe didn’t play. In other words, he didn’t start the game, but he didn’t show up at the end, when the club needed help.

Did anyone complain about that? I haven’t either.

It’s worth noting that the Yankees will be playing Volpe today. Offensively speaking, the club is going with a less optimal line-up than yesterday and that will include Anthony Volpe at position #6.

Giancarlo Stanton will not be a starter. The club thought about putting him in the outfield for the duel against Chris Bassitt and the Blue Jays, which starts at 1:05 p.m., but didn’t.

Will Volpe, who is in the midst of one of the worst runs of his young career, make it? Will he end up being a player who doesn’t hurt his club offensively or defensively?

That’s what Bombardiers fans are hoping, anyway.

But on this subject, it’s important to note that one of the greats of the Yankees organization, CC Sabathia, was keen to offer his support to Volpe, who hasn’t had it easy for too long.

In the eyes of the legendary pitcher, developing young talent in the Bronx isn’t easy. #Pression

Sabathia, who is well into retirement, thinks people need to relax. He gives the example of Miguel Andujar, who “was no longer able to handle rollers” here, but is still in the Majors right now.

He even thinks that, with patience, Gary Sanchez could still be the Yankees’ catcher. But the patience to develop in New York just isn’t there.

Does that explain why the Yankees are always looking for older players? In part, yes. But at the same time, Volpe isn’t a rookie and he’s done better in the past.

It’s not a simple matter, in any case.

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MLB in brief: Albert Pujols, Angels manager? Vernon Wells praises George Springer

Albert Pujols, manager of the Angels?

It’s not impossible, but is it likely?

Mets make way for youngsters

Three starting pitchers arriving from the minors as top prospects in the space of a month in the middle of the playoff race? Yes!

Vernon Wells praises George Springer

Right now, he’s his favorite player.

An unlikely friendship

Salvador Perez and Aroldis Chapman are friends after a ball hit the pitcher in the face. Wow.

The importance of Jack Leiter

In the midst of the playoff race, the Rangers are counting on him.

Speaking of the Rangers: Adolis Garcia is injured.

30 years ago, tomorrow…

Cal Ripken Jr. broke the record for most consecutive games.

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