Texas plans a heavy rotation refresh around Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, with Jack Leiter ready to step forward and Kumar Rocker in the mix. The challenge is adding reliable depth behind the pair while rebuilding a bullpen and retooling the lineup to keep the rotation competitive into 2025.

Dylan Cease stands as the marquee target, but price and market dynamics could push the Rangers toward middle- and back-end options like Zack Littell, Michael Lorenzen, Adrian Houser or Dustin May, offering durability, innings, and upside without blowing budget—plus internal prospects ready to push for a larger role.

Blake Snell joined the postseason pantheon with eight innings of one-hit, 10-strikeout work, the lone baserunner a Durbin single that Snell promptly erased with a pickoff. Two dominant playoff starts now read 14 innings, two hits allowed, 19 Ks. The night echoed Don Larsen’s 1956 perfection and underscored Snell’s rare, blowtorch control in October, elevating Dodgers’ title odds and cementing his legacy as a playoff force.

Seattle pounded Toronto 10-3 in Game 2 of the ALCS, riding three-run blasts from Julio Rodríguez, Jorge Polanco, and Josh Naylor to seize a 2-0 series edge. Rodríguez opened the scoring, Polanco added a fifth-inning homer, and Naylor piled on in the seventh to turn the rout. The Mariners’ bullpen stymied Toronto’s bats after a sluggish Game 1, and Seattle heads home with momentum and a real shot to close out the series.

Fantasy takeaway: Seattle’s lineup stacks power with a favorable upcoming schedule at home, while the Jays must rework rotation and bullpen usage to prevent a quick exit. Toronto’s offense showed life early but faded against Seattle relievers, underscoring the value of identifying hot hand bats and bullpen matchups for the rest of the series.

Milwaukee vs. Los Angeles in the NLCS doubles as a referendum on baseball’s economics. A Dodgers back-to-back title would bolster the push for a salary cap, while a Brewers upset would spotlight building winners in low-revenue markets through development and smart trades. The outcome could shape the 2027 CBA as the league and players confront a costly, revenue-driven reality. Beyond payroll, the series highlights coaching, development, and the sport’s evolving rules that matter to fantasy managers and bettors alike.

In a broader sense, the clash is a narrative-driven collision of spending power versus organizational craft. It tests whether marquee rosters or ingenuity in scouting and player development drive sustained success. The stakes extend far beyond October, touching the strategic impulses that fuel fantasy lineups, player values, and futures bets as MLB eyes a contentious bargaining horizon.