NL West

Outfielder Ian Desmond won't be returning to the Colorado Rockies. 

The team chose to decline the $15 million club option on his contract for the 2022 season, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman on Thursday.

The Rockies will pay Desmond a $2 million buyout. 

The 36-year-old opted out of the past two seasons amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"For now, I've decided to opt out of the 2021 season," he wrote in February. "My desire to be with my family is greater than my desire to go back and play baseball under these circumstances. I'm going to continue to train and watch how things unfold."

"I've let my teammates know, as well as the coaching staff and the front office, and they have all been extremely understanding and supportive," he added at the time. "I wish nothing but the best for the entire Rockies organization and have let them know I am willing to do whatever I can to help them from afar."

Desmond last played in 2019, hitting .255 with 20 home runs, 65 RBI, 64 runs and a .788 OPS. The absence of the two-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner was a blow to a Rockies team that ultimately finished 74-87 and fourth in the loaded NL West. It was the 10th time in the past 12 seasons Colorado missed the playoffs. 

After two seasons without him in the fold, the Rockies ultimately decided to cut ties and create some wiggle room on their salary sheet.

Assuming Desmond returns to play next season, he should have some interest from teams seeking a power bat in the outfield. The Florida native slugged .479 in 2019 and hit at least 20 homers in six of his past eight seasons.  

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer reportedly will not opt out of the final two years and $64 million on his contract with the team, according to the MLB Network's Jon Heyman. 

Even though they were fresh off winning a World Series, the Dodgers spared no expense to sign the best pitcher on the free-agent market last winter, giving Bauer a three-year, $102 million deal.

The agreement provided him with player options for next year and 2023.

The 2020 National League Cy Young winner's performance in 2021 dipped slightly compared to that season as he was 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA and a 4.03 FIP through 17 starts, per FanGraphs. For some, it was more than a coincidence his advanced stats trended downward after MLB chose to enforce stricter rules on pitchers using sticky substances to better grip the baseball.  

Bauer's season came to an abrupt halt in June after The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang reported a woman in California was granted a temporary restraining order ex parte against him on June 28. The woman said he sexually and physically assaulted her on April 21 and May 15.

She said she had consented to having sex with Bauer but that she "did not agree or consent to what he did next ... I did not agree to be sexually assaulted."

During one of their encounters, the woman said Bauer choked her to the point of unconsciousness and punched her multiple times in the head.

One of Bauer's agents, Jon Fetterolf, denied the allegations in June, saying in a statement that Bauer and the woman "had a brief and wholly consensual sexual relationship.

Another of his agents, Rachel Luba, said on July 1 that she "will always defend my clients when I believe the accusations made are false." 

The Washington Post's Gus Garcia-Roberts and Molly Hensley-Clancy reported in August that another woman in Ohio had also sought a temporary order of protection against Bauer in June 2020 "after repeated threats from the then-Cincinnati Reds pitcher." According to Garcia-Roberts and Hensley-Clancy, her lawyer said Bauer punched and choked the woman during sex, with photos showing bruising on her face and blood in her eyes.

Fetterolf and Luba said those allegations were "categorically false."

MLB first placed Bauer on administrative leave on July 2 for a period of seven days. His leave continued to be extended for seven-day increments until the league and MLB Players Association agreed in September to rule him out for the remainder of the year.

Although a judge rescinded the woman's restraining order in August, police in Pasadena, California, continued to investigation the allegations and handed the case over to the district attorney’s office.

Running concurrently with Bauer's legal situation has been an investigation by MLB, and ESPN's Jeff Passan noted in August how the league can still levy a punishment in the absence of formal charges under its joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.

"Based on the rules as written in the joint policy, the relevant precedents and the belief of numerous sources familiar with the process, the question isn't whether Trevor Bauer will be suspended," Passan wrote. "It's a question of how long."

He went on to report a suspension of at least one year was expected by some around MLB and that Bauer's ban could reach two years.

While plenty of questions remain for Bauer, one thing appears to be clear: He wants to suit up for the Dodgers in 2022.

Buster Posey is a San Francisco Giants legend, but his time with the team and in Major League Baseball is apparently coming to an end.

Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reported Posey plans to announce his retirement Thursday.

This comes after Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported in August the Giants intended to bring him back and were "more likely" to sign him to a new multiyear deal than simply exercising the $22 million club option on his contract for 2022.

Posey's MLB career started in 2009, and he finishes with a slash line of .302/.372/.460 to go with 158 home runs and 729 RBI.

He will forever be a Giants icon with an incredible resume that includes three World Series titles, a National League MVP, a NL Rookie of the Year, four Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove, a batting title and seven All-Star selections.

Despite that track record, he was somewhat of a question mark coming into the 2021 campaign.

After all, Posey struggled in 2019 compared to his elevated standards when he slashed .257/.320/.368 with seven home runs and 38 RBI and then opted out of the shortened 2020 campaign.

That put plenty of pressure on the 2021 season when he looked to rediscover his old form as one of the best overall players in the league and secure his hefty option year on his deal. He responded in kind as an All-Star who slashed .304/.390/.499 with 18 home runs and 56 RBI.

Posey was a veteran leader for a Giants team that was among the best in the league throughout the season while surpassing expectations as the National League West champions.

The showing figured to be perfect timing for the veteran with the contract status looming, but he will instead head into retirement.

The 34-year-old was a generational talent who hit for average, provided power, managed star-studded pitching staffs and delivered key October hits during a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

Baseball's all-time home run king is still a valuable name in the sports memorabilia world.

Sports Collectors Digest announced Barry Bonds' 500th home run ball sold for $303,277 at the company's fall premier auction. The announcement revealed it "led memorabilia sales," although a 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner card sold for more than $1.1 million.

Though Bonds was linked to performance-enhancing drugs during his career, he is also arguably the greatest hitter in Major League Baseball history.

He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 through 1992 before joining the San Francisco Giants for the rest of his career, which lasted through 2007. He finished his career with a record 762 home runs and also set the single-season mark when he launched 73 long balls in 2001.

Bonds won seven MVPs during an illustrious career that also featured eight Gold Gloves, two batting titles, 12 Silver Sluggers and 14 All-Star selections.

He hit his 500th home run during the 2001 season against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Former Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen interviewed for the San Diego Padres' vacant managerial position, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

Lin added that former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and former New York Mets manager Luis Rojas have also interviewed for the position.

Guillen would make sense for the Padres on a few levels.

Lin noted that "Guillen, a Venezuela native, might provide the kind of Latin American presence some team officials believe the Padres' coaching staff has lacked in recent years."

He added that Guillen is "familiar" with Manny Machado, who is Dominican American. 

And Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that "one thing several sources have said is the team is looking for a strong Latin American influence on the coaching staff."

The 57-year-old would also bring both playing and managing experience to the position. The three-time All-Star was an MLB shortstop between 1985 and 2000 before transitioning to coaching. He spent eight seasons with the White Sox (2004-11), going 678-617 and leading the team to two postseason appearances, including a World Series title in 2005.

Today I am reminded what it was to be a champion. I never got to win won for the city as a player but I was honored to do it as the manager. Thank you always my family, players, coaches and front office believing in me. No one will take this away. Gracias. pic.twitter.com/FoSAu340wO

— Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) October 26, 2021

His tenure in Miami lasted just one year (2012), however, as the Marlins struggled and went just 69-93.

The Padres, meanwhile, were one of baseball's biggest disappointments after reaching the postseason last year, going just 79-83 in 2021. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller has built a loaded roster around Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado, but the Padres seriously underachieved this past season.

The Padres get some slack, given they were in a division with the two best teams in baseball during the regular season, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. But the collection of talent they've amassed is too good to have anything close to a losing record. Getting that underachieving group back on track will be the new manager's primary task.

Atlanta lost its best player to a nasty knee injury in July, and probably the most exciting thing about its activity at the trade deadline is that they dealt away a former World Series MVP. In theory, not the best recipe for success.

Yet, there's Atlanta on its way to its first World Series since 1999 after winning the National League Championship Series over a team that ranked first in payroll and second in wins during the 2021 regular season. And it has an awful lot to do with the guy who came back in the aforementioned trade.

On July 30, Eddie Rosario was a struggling outfield on the injured list with a strained abdominal muscle. As of Oct. 23, he's the NLCS MVP after collecting 14 hits in the series, including a three-run home run that proved to be the dagger in Atlanta's 4-2 win in Game 6 on Saturday.

BANG! EDDIE ROSARIO FOR THREE! pic.twitter.com/SJUnWTSWDO

— MLB (@MLB) October 24, 2021

Inasmuch as any pennant-winning team can possibly be diminished, really the only way to diminish Atlanta's victory is to point out that they beat a Dodgers club that was far from at full strength. Because of this, the Dodgers and all those who bleed their distinct color of blue will inevitably look back at 2021 and wonder what might have been.

Regardless, let there be no question that the better team won the NLCS. And at least until the Fall Classic begins on Tuesday, that's the only thing that matters right now.

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Atlanta Players of the Game

• LF Eddie Rosario: 2-for-4, 1 BB, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI. The veteran finished with 14 hits in the NLCS, tying a postseason record for a single series. That plus three homers and a walk-off hit in Game 2 will win you a series MVP.
• RHP Ian Anderson: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 R, 4 K. The rookie wasn't great, but he was about as good as manager Brian Snitker needed him to be before turning things over to his well-rested bullpen.
• LHP Tyler Matzek: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 4 K. Now, this guy. He was straight-up great, especially in the seventh inning, which we'll discuss in more detail shortly. 

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Dodgers Players of the Game

• CF Cody Bellinger and LF AJ Pollock: On an otherwise quiet night for the Dodgers offense, they brought home the club's only runs on an RBI single and RBI double, respectively.
• RHP Kenley Jansen: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 2 K. In what could be his final appearance with the Dodgers, he came through with a scoreless ninth inning that kept his team in the game.

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This Series Was Pretty Much All Atlanta

Lest Rosario gets all the glory, his series-clinching home run was but one of two significant turning points in Game 6.

The other one was in the seventh inning when Atlanta found its lead in peril after Pollock's run-scoring double also put runners at second and third with nobody out. After giving Luke Jackson the hook, Snitker placed the monumental task of getting out of the inning on Matzek's shoulders.

Spoiler alert: The burly left-hander didn't allow another Dodger to put a ball in play that inning.

Three HUGE strikeouts from @TylerMatzek! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zGFTrh1oU1

— MLB (@MLB) October 24, 2021

According to FanGraphs, Matzek's pitching alone lifted Atlanta's win expectancy from just 55 percent to 88 percent. And that was pretty much that, as the Dodgers failed to produce another threat in the eighth or the ninth.

More broadly, Matzek's electric performance didn't just save Atlanta from the kind of heartbreak that local sports fans have become all too familiar with in recent years. It also effectively secured the NLCS as one of the more dominant efforts in the Atlanta organization's history.

Though the books will show that Atlanta had two bad games in the NLCS, it was really more like one bad game and one bad inning. Yes, Game 5 at Dodger Stadium was an 11-2 blowout. But the only other loss that Atlanta incurred in Game 3 was borne from a four-run eighth. Snitker's guys barely had a chance to recover before the game was over.

This is not what was expected from this series, and for understandable reasons. Atlanta had won 18 fewer games than the Dodgers during the regular season and, while its win over the 95-win Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS was impressive, the Dodgers did one better by dispatching a 107-win team in the San Francisco Giants.

It's not, however, as if Atlanta backed into the playoffs. It burst into the postseason with 12 wins in its last 14 games and 36 out of 54 overall, dating back to Aug. 3. It thus hasn't so much gotten hot as, you know, stayed hot.

Perhaps the greatest compliment to pay Atlanta right now is that one doesn't actually need to wonder how much better it would be right now if Ronald Acuna Jr. hadn't torn his ACL just before the All-Star break.

This is indeed an especially dangerous offense, even without his MVP-caliber bat. To wit, Atlanta co-led the National League with the Dodgers in home runs after Aug. 3. And while it didn't win the home run battle in the NLCS, Atlanta's offense thoroughly outclassed its Los Angeles counterpart in hitting with runners in scoring position.

Though it was Rosario and reigning NL MVP Freddie Freeman who did most of the hitting in the NLCS, it's likely just a matter of time before incumbent sluggers Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Dansby Swanson and deadline newcomers Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall and Jorge Soler are heard from again in the World Series. 

On the mound, Max Fried's stinker in Game 5 of the NLCS is the only real postseason dud between him and fellow aces Anderson and Charlie Morton. And apart from Jackson's meltdown in Game 3, Matzek and the rest of Atlanta's bullpen have been absolute nails of late.

In the Houston Astros, Atlanta is about to face a team that's fresh off a 95-win season and is playing in its third World Series in the last five years. Which is to say, Atlanta is going to be an underdog again.

But as Snitker's club knows all too well right now, even underdogs can slay dragons. So, why not add one more to the heap?

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The Shorthanded Dodgers Just Couldn't Get It Done

For the Dodgers, this one hurts. Not only figuratively but quite literally in some cases.

To be sure, it's a tad silly to make excuses for a team that spent $267 million on the payroll only to become the 21st consecutive reigning champion to fail to make it two World Series wins in a row. But let's be real. After losing Clayton Kershaw and Max Muncy to injuries late in the season and then Justin Turner and Joe Kelly to their own injuries during the postseason, the Dodgers basically had no margin for error going into Game 6.

However, their loss and earlier than anticipated exit from the playoffs was also largely self-inflicted.

In spite of occasional flashes of brilliance, Mookie Betts' postseason was very much like his regular season in that he just wasn't the difference-maker that he is when he's at his best. Trea Turner was cold throughout, as was Corey Seager, apart from a couple of home runs.

Those guys' struggles shifted too much slack into the hands of the Dodgers' supporting cast. It's to Chris Taylor's, AJ Pollock's and especially Cody Bellinger's credit that they met the challenge as well as they did, but it ultimately wasn't enough.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, meanwhile, deserves all the hard questions he's going to get about how he deployed his pitchers.

Aces Max Scherzer and Julio Urias just weren't the same after working in relief in Game 5 of the NLDS and Game 2 of the NLCS, respectively. And after the former had to be scratched from starting Game 6 with a dead arm, Roberts took an arguably unnecessary risk by starting a wavering Walker Buehler on three days' rest for the second time in less than two weeks.

As for Buehler himself, the world would like to know what the heck he was thinking with the baffling sequence of pitches that preceded Rosario's home run:

Just... pathetic sequencing. pic.twitter.com/wlU6QZnWaS

— crongstantinople (@cdgoldstein) October 24, 2021

In context of all this, there's no saying that the Dodgers lost a series they should have won. They were shorthanded, sure, but they simply misplayed the hand they were dealt.

Particularly in light of their seemingly infinite supply of resources, the usual line here is that the Dodgers will be back. But that's actually taking a lot for granted. As talented as they are and will remain in 2022, between now and then they'll need to either re-sign or replace Seager, Scherzer, Kershaw, Jansen and Taylor in free agency.

So if the Dodgers do want to be back, they'd better get busy.

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What's Next for Atlanta

It's on to Houston for Atlanta, where it will face the Astros in Game 1 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:09 p.m. ET.

No matter what happens in the first two games, the World Series will shift back to Truist Park in Atlanta for Game 3 on Friday.

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Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that ace Walker Buehler will start on short rest in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

Max Scherzer was originally supposed to start the game on normal rest, but he will not take the mound reportedly because of concerns about arm fatigue, per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.

Buehler will start on short rest for just the second time in his career. He last started L.A.'s Game 3 win over Atlanta on Tuesday.

The Dodgers trail the NLCS 3-2, meaning a loss to Atlanta on Saturday will send the Braves to the World Series against the Houston Astros.

While the Dodgers won Game 3 thanks to a three-run home run by Cody Bellinger followed by an RBI double by Mookie Betts in the eighth inning, Buehler wasn't at his best.

He lasted just 3.2 innings, allowing six hits, three walks and two earned runs, while striking out only three.

It was an uncharacteristic outing for 27-year-old righty, who was named an All-Star for the second time in his career this season after going 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 212 strikeouts over 207.2 innings.

Buehler hasn't been as effective in three postseason appearances, going 0-1 with a 3.77 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 14.1 innings.

Still, Buehler is undoubtedly the Dodgers' best option with Scherzer unable to pitch, even on short rest.

Had manager Dave Roberts not chosen to go with Buehler for Game 6, it likely would have been a bullpen game for the Dodgers, which would not have been ideal given that they just had a bullpen game in Game 5.

The Braves are countering with Ian Anderson, who has experienced no shortage of playoff success during his young career.

In six career playoff starts dating back to last season, Anderson is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 32 strikeouts over 26.2 innings.

Anderson did have a rare poor postseason start in Game 2 against the Dodgers, however, allowing three hits, three walks and two earned runs in three innings.

If the Braves are able to win Saturday's Game 6 at home they will clinch their first World Series berth since 1999. Otherwise, the teams will clash in a win-or-go-home Game 7 on Sunday. 

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Max Scherzer will not be starting Game 6 of the National League Championship Series at the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times provided the report on Friday, citing a pair of sources. He noted that Scherzer was scheduled to address reporters via Zoom on Friday after the Dodgers landed in Atlanta, but L.A. canceled the press conference.

Castillo added that it's been custom for pitchers to speak with reporters on the day before their playoff outings.

Scherzer told reporters that he had issues with his throwing arm following his 79-pitch start in Game 2, which featured the 37-year-old giving up two earned runs over 4.1 innings while striking out seven in a 5-4 loss.

"My arm was dead," Scherzer said, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. "I could tell when I was warming up that it was still tired."

Scherzer said he felt he could make his next start at the time.

"I wasn't dealing with red flag injuries, it was just my arm was tired," Scherzer added.

The Dodgers are down three games to two in the best-of-seven series.

Losing Scherzer, who had a 15-4 record, 2.46 ERA and 236 strikeouts for the Washington Nationals and Dodgers this year, is a tough blow in advance of L.A.'s win-or-go-home game, as it looks to defend the NL pennant.

Castillo outlined the Dodgers' options in lieu of Scherzer's absence. L.A. manager Dave Roberts could opt to start Walker Buehler on three days rest, or he could decide to go for another bullpen game and use Tony Gonsolin or David Price to open.

Buehler struggled in his Game 3 start, throwing 3.2 innings and allowing six hits, two earned runs and three walks in a no-decision. The Dodgers ended up winning 6-5.

He was excellent during the regular season, posting a 16-4 record, 2.47 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 212 strikeouts.

Gonsolin has struggled against Atlanta, allowing five earned runs over four innings in three total NLCS outings. The 27-year-old fared much better during the season with a 4-1 record, 3.23 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 55.2 innings.

Price has not pitched this postseason. In the regular season, he went 5-2 with a 4.03 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 58 strikeouts in 73.2 frames.

The eventual Dodger starter (or opener) will go up against Atlanta's Ian Anderson, who was pulled after 3.0 innings in Game 2 of the NLCS after allowing two earned runs, three walks and three hits. He went 9-5 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 124 strikeouts in 128.1 innings.

David Price could be in line to make an appearance in the 2021 Major League Baseball playoffs. 

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Friday that Price is replacing Joe Kelly on their roster ahead of Game 6 of the National League Championship Series on Saturday. 

Kelly started Game 5 against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night. He only recorded two outs, allowing two runs, before being removed in the top of the first inning with biceps tightness. 

Roberts told reporters after the Dodgers' 11-2 win that Kelly would likely miss the rest of the postseason, regardless of whether the team advances to the World Series. 

"Just the way it reads right now," Roberts said, "that will be it for the rest of the season for him."

The Dodgers skipper also said Price was "at the top of the list" of potential replacements for Kelly. 

Price was on the Los Angeles' 26-man roster for the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants, but he didn't appear in a game. The five-time All-Star hasn't pitched since Oct. 2 when he closed an 8-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. 

After opting out of the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Price returned to the Dodgers pitching staff this year primarily as a reliever. The left-hander had a 4.03 ERA with 58 strikeouts over 73.2 innings in 39 appearances during the regular season. 

The Dodgers trail the Braves 3-2 as the NLCS heads back to Truist Park in Atlanta. Game 6 will begin at 5:08 p.m. ET on Saturday on TBS.