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One win separates the Kansas City Royals from a World Series showdown with the New York Mets, but a stiff Game 6 test awaits the reigning American League champions.

Following the Toronto Blue Jays’ 7-1 Game 5 win Wednesday, the pressure is on Kansas City to respond with a series-clinching victory Friday and squash Toronto’s hopes once and for all. However, David Price will be taking the mound for the Blue Jays, and if his performance in Game 2 was any indication, the Royals could experience some trouble at the plate.

As the massive showdown approaches, here’s a look at the updated American League Championship Series schedule:

All ALCS games can be live-streamed via Fox Sports Go.

Previewing Game 6

The ball will be back in Price’s hand for Game 6, which means we have to mention Price’s historic postseason struggles. Although the lefty was brilliant for six innings in Toronto’s Game 2 loss to the Royals, he self-destructed in the seventh inning, handing Kansas City a 2-0 series edge.

Price is now 0-7 in postseason starts over the course of his career. However, a shot at redemption has presented itself with a chance for Price to take Toronto’s title hopes off life support Friday evening at Kauffman Stadium.

The good news for Toronto is that the team didn’t thrust Price into relief duty in Game 5, as it had planned to, thanks to a stellar outing from starter Marco Estrada, as CBS Sports’ David Brown explained: 

Only 15.2 percent of teams that are down 3-1 in a best-of-7 series come back to win it. In order to maximize their chances in the series, the Blue Jays needed not only to win, but also to minimize the amount of relief pitchers used in Game 5. And don’t use Price at all if they could help it. Other than losing the pennant outright, a nightmare scenario included winning Game 5 but having to use Price in relief — and he was warming up in the seventh inning. 

“That really worked out perfectly,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said, per Bleacher Report’s Danny Knobler.

If Price can replicate even portions of the first six innings he pitched in Game 2, Toronto will be in good shape. During that span, the southpaw allowed one hit and no runs, striking out seven while retiring a postseason-franchise-record 18 batters in a row, per USA Today‘s Jorge L. Ortiz.

The task for Toronto will be generating quality run support. In four road games during the postseason, the Blue Jays have generated 16 runs, which equates to an average of just four runs per night. In Price’s last start, Toronto mustered three runs. Against a seasoned and disciplined Kansas City lineup, that’s not good enough.

The Royals, on the other hand, have churned out five runs per home game in the postseason. Kansas City has lost a single home tilt since the second season began, and that defeat came in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros.

Here’s another stat that should have Price and the Blue Jays nervous: The Royals haven’t lost back-to-back games since late September.

“You’ve got to have a short-term memory in this game,” Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said following Wednesday’s Game 5 loss, per the Kansas City Star‘s Vahe Gregorian. “You’ve got to flush it out, and when you look at the series as a whole right now … we like where we’re at.”

Kansas City’s comfort and confidence at home will make a 3-2 series deficit difficult for Toronto to erase, but if any team is equipped to do it, it’s the Blue Jays. Toronto was down 2-0 against the Texas Rangers but emerged with a 3-2 ALDS victory that included timely offensive explosions.

The Royals are a different beast and have numbers on their side, but the Blue Jays have the mental and physical wherewithal to pull off a second straight stunner.

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Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell has been away from the team since Aug. 14 after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but terrific news trickled in Thursday when the organization announced his cancer is in remission.     

Farrell expressed his happiness with the update Thursday in a statement, per ESPN.com: 

I am extremely thankful for the outpouring of support I have received from the Red Sox, my family, friends, and fans throughout this process. I am also especially thankful for the talented doctors who cared for me in Detroit and here at [Massachusetts General Hospital]. I look forward to getting back to work and bringing another championship back to Boston.

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski also released a statement on behalf of the franchise, according to ESPN.com: “We are thrilled to hear the great news about John today. Foremost, we are extremely happy for him and his family, knowing what he has gone through over the past two months. We all admire him for his strength and courage and look forward to having him back as our manager.”

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Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly mutually parted ways with the team after it failed to reach the National League Championship Series in back-to-back seasons, per the Dodgers, but he may not be out of work for long. 

Continue for updates. 

Marlins Have ‘Serious Interest’ in Mattingly

Thursday, Oct. 22

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman broke the news on Miami’s interest in the former Los Angeles manager and added the Miami Marlins’ coaching search “appeared to be on semi-hold, waiting for this.”

The Marlins have been searching for a new full-time manager ever since they canned Mike Redmond in May, and the franchise has conducted several experienced candidates in recent weeks.

According to USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale, Phil Nevin and Larry Bowa have both had two interviews with the Marlins, but Mattingly has emerged as the “favorite” for the team’s vacancy.    

“I’m still very passionate about managing and hope to get the opportunity in the near future,” Mattingly said in a statement released by the Dodgers on Thursday (h/t the Sun Sentinel‘s Craig Davis). 

Miami has also reportedly talked to Manny Acta and Bo Porter about the opening, per Davis, but Mattingly appears to be in the driver’s seat for the gig. 

The Marlins are still in the midst of a rebuild, and a 71-91 season that was mired in turmoil didn’t enhance the franchise’s prospects. However, bringing a manager like Mattingly aboard could help. The former Dodgers skipper has a career winning percentage of .551, and he helped L.A. capture NL West titles in each of the past three seasons. 

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A year removed from winning an AL West title, the Los Angeles Angels are making changes to their coaching staff. 

According to the Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Shaikin, the team announced late Tuesday night it has fired pitching coach Mike Butcher and hitting coach Don Baylor. 

MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez relayed a statement from general manager Billy Eppler on the shakeup: 

Eppler said manager Mike Scioscia was involved in the decision, noting “It feels very much like we’re in lock step,” according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. 

Butcher has been a staple of Mike Scioscia’s staff since getting hired prior to the 2007 season, while Baylor was brought aboard after the 2013 season ended. 

The Angels competed for a playoff spot in a heated AL West race with the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, but Scioscia’s squad ultimately fell three games short and missed out on back-to-back postseason appearances. 

As a team, the Angels ranked 27th in MLB in batting average (.246) while pushing just 621 runs across the plate. The team’s average also ranked as as the worst in the AL. By comparison, L.A. graded out as the A.L.’s third-most efficient team at the plate (.259 average) en route to winning an AL West crown in 2014. 

L.A.’s pitching staff finished a respectable No. 6 overall in the AL with a 3.94 ERA, but some late-season struggles ultimately doomed Butcher. Following the All-Star break, Los Angeles posted a cumulative ERA of 4.29, which would have ranked as the third-worst mark in the AL had it spanned the entirety of the regular season. 

Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller offered his take on the firings within the context of a disappointing campaign: 

Baylor and Butcher are out of the picture, but the Angels have a tremendous amount of talent on a roster that includes Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson, Jered Weaver, Erick Aybar and Huston Street. 

The coaches Scioscia brings aboard will have plenty of pieces to work with, but it will be up to the new faces to maximize those players’ abilities as the Angels seek to make recent disappointments a distant memory. 

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The New York Mets announced shortstop Ruben Tejada suffered a fractured right fibula following a takeout slide from Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley in the seventh inning of Saturday night’s National League Division Series matchup.

Continue for updates.

Matt Reynolds Reportedly Replaces Tejada On Roster

Sunday, Oct. 11

Joe Trezza of MLB.com noted Reynolds would be the second player in the modern era to make his debut in the postseason.

The shortstop and second baseman hit .267 across stints with the GCL Mets and Triple-A Las Vegas this season.

Utley Apologizes, Had No Intent to Injure Tejada

Sunday, Oct. 11

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported, “Utley sent an apology to Tejada [Saturday] night through a player on the Mets that he knows well. Intent was not to injure.“

Utley later spoke to Rosenthal about the play, saying: “In no way shape or form was I trying to hurt Ruben. I slid in hard like I have for 12 years. I feel terrible about the outcome. I’ve reached out to Ruben via David Wright.”

“I had no intent to hurt him whatsoever, but I did have the intent to break up the double play,” Utley said after the game, per Mark Herrmann of Newsday. “Utley acknowledged that he had watched a replay. When he was asked if what he saw constituted a late slide, he said, ‘I thought the whole play happened fast,'” per Herrmann.

Collins Comments on Utley’s Style of Play

Sunday, Oct. 11

Mets manager Terry Collins stayed even-keeled when questioned about the slide, telling reporters that Utley, “Broke my shortstop’s leg. I’m not going to get into it (if slide was clean),” per the Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Shaikin.

Collins also told reporters Utley plays “with great passion and great aggression,” according to the Wall Street Journal‘s Jared Diamond. 

Torre’s Immediate Thoughts on Utley’s Slide

Sunday, Oct. 11

“It certainly was late,” MLB official Joe Torre said, according to the Orange County Register‘s Pedro Moura. “That concerns me, the lateness of the slide. We’re still talking about it.”

Tejada Carted off Field

Saturday, Oct. 10 

Tejada’s leg was immobilized and placed in an air cast after the shortstop laid on the field for several minutes.

The intentions behind Utley’s takeout slide are already being debated fiercely. Colorado Rockies and former Mets shortstop Jose Reyes didn’t hesitate to offer his opinion:

Tejada has primarily operated as a shortstop this season, logging 618 innings at the position during the regular season. However, New York could also count on him in a pinch to fill in at second or third base, where he played 98 and 156.1 innings, respectively, per Baseball-Reference.com.

Wilmer Flores now projects as the Mets’ full-time starting shortstop for the remainder of the postseason. While Flores isn’t the fielder Tejada is, he packs more power at the plate and can provide the Mets offense with an added dimension as they seek to take a 2-1 series lead when the scene shifts to Citi Field on Monday.

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MLB division series play got rolling Thursday with an American League doubleheader, but Friday’s slate will include showdowns between all eight teams that were lucky enough to qualify for action. 

So, without wasting any more time, let’s check out when and where you can view Friday’s full schedule:

Additionally, Odds Shark passed along series-long odds, which were listed prior to the start of division series play on Thursday: 

• Kansas City Royals (-150) vs. Houston Astros
• Los Angeles Dodgers (-200) vs. New York Mets
• Toronto Blue Jays (-255) vs. Texas Rangers
• Chicago Cubs (even) vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays, 12:30 p.m. ET

The Toronto Blue Jays are still searching for their first playoff win since 1993 after dropping Game 1, 5-3, to the Texas Rangers Thursday afternoon, but a bounce-back performance should be in order when Marcus Stroman heads to the mound Friday. 

Since returning from a knee injury on Sept. 12, Stroman has gone 4-0. The Blue Jays outscored the opposition by an average of 6.25 runs per game over that span, including a 15-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles in Stroman‘s final start of the regular season. 

The task for the Blue Jays will be solving Rangers ace and 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels, who went 7-1 with a 3.66 ERA after he was shipped to Arlington by the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Here’s the good news: According to ESPN.com’s Gordon Edes, star third baseman Josh Donaldson passed his concussion test after exiting Thursday’s game following a collision at second base. His status will be reevaluated Friday, but the concussion test was the biggest hurdle he needed to clear. 

Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi also reported Thursday that slugger Jose Bautista “will be fine tomorrow” after departing Thursday’s game in the ninth inning with minor hamstring cramps. 

Thursday’s loss briefly dampened hopes, given the excitement that’s permeated through Toronto over the past few weeks. But now that nerves have calmed down and the Blue Jays know what to expect, Game 2 should culminate in a happier ending for the AL East champs.  

Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays def. Texas Rangers, 4-2

Houston Astros at Kansas City Royals, 3:30 p.m. ET

Two days after they defeated the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game, the Houston Astros downed the defending AL champion Kansas City Royals, 5-2, in Game 1 of their AL Division Series matchup Thursday night. 

What’s frightening is Houston didn‘t play close to its best ball in the triumph. While the Astros racked up 11 hits, they batted just 2-of-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners on base. 

If the Astros can push a few more of those runs across the plate against Johnny Cueto—who’s 3-4 with a 4.40 ERA at Kauffman Stadium this season—while getting a quality start from Scott Kazmir, an upset will officially be in the works.  

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the last three teams to win Game 1 of an ALDS on the road have won the series. Don’t be surprised if the Astros take a step toward adding to that streak with a Game 2 win.

Prediction: Houston Astros def. Kansas City Royals, 7-5

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, 6:30 p.m. ET

Considering early odds have this series pegged as the most even of the division series round, the Chicago Cubs are in position to knock off this season’s only 100-win team.

Cubs pitcher Jon Lester provided insight into Chicago’s collective mindset following Wednesday’s 4-0 Wild Card win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to the New York Times‘ Tyler Kepner:

We’ve got to beat the best team in baseball and we’ve got to go from there, so we’ll see. But really, from February, everyone was excited, but they didn’t really know what would happen. And I’m seeing more and more people cheering us on, more and more people in the streets just excited to be Cubs fans again. That’s exciting.

Make no mistake about it: The Cubs possess the pieces necessary to stun the NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals—especially if their bats show up against the league’s deepest and most statistically dominant pitching staff.

The Cardinals allowed a league-low 478 earned runs this season—54 fewer than the second-ranked Pittsburgh Pirates. St. Louis relievers also allowed a league-low 152 earned runs while posting a 2.82 ERA that ranked second among all NL teams behind the Pirates. 

Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant have the ability to frustrate even the most prolific pitching staffs, but expect the Cardinals to take Game 1 before Chicago makes things interesting over the weekend. 

Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals def. Chicago Cubs, 5-3

New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:30 p.m. ET

The New York Mets are slated to make their first postseason appearance since 2006 on Friday night, but they won’t get any breaks in their return to the game’s grandest stage.  

NL Cy Young favorite Clayton Kershaw is the Los Angeles Dodgers’ probable starter for Game 1, and New York’s streaky bats could have trouble catching up with his pristine repertoire of pitches.

According to MLB.com, current Mets batters have combined to accrue seven RBI against the three-time Cy Young Award winner over the past five years. Yoenis Cespedes has come up empty in all three of his at-bats against Kershaw, while Curtis Granderson has batted .143 in seven plate appearances against Kershaw. 

In other words, chances will likely be few and far between for the Mets as they attempt to steal Game 1 on the road.

Jacob deGrom will help hold things down for a spunky Mets team, but Andre Ethier and Adrian Gonzalez have both batted in excess of .330 against the young phenom. If that trend holds, L.A. will run away with Game 1. 

Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers def. New York Mets, 6-2

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Josh Donaldson has been the biggest offensive catalyst for the Toronto Blue Jays all season long, and the third baseman is back in the lineup for Game 2 after being removed from Game 1 with a head injury.  

As the Blue Jays rocketed up the AL East standings following a trade deadline that saw the team acquire Troy Tulowitzki and David Price, Donaldson consistently set the tone for Toronto’s offense.  

“He’s a guy that keeps pushing, pushing, never takes an inning off,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said, per MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm. “We needed some of that, but the name of the game is production on the field, and he is near the top of most offensive categories, and he has played some great defense for us. I don’t know where we would be without him.”

En route to cementing his place as an AL MVP candidate, Donaldson batted .297 while smashing 41 home runs and driving in an AL-best 123 runs this season.

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The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers have been slated to clash in the National League Division Series for a few days now, but the St. Louis Cardinals’ first postseason opponent was finalized Wednesday by virtue of the Chicago Cubs’ 4-0 Wild Card Game win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

As the start of play approaches Thursday, here’s a look at when and where you can catch this fall’s NLDS action. Updated game times will be posted at MLB.com.  

Odds for the Cubs’ Game 1 meeting with the Cardinals had yet to be released at the time of publication, but according to Odds Shark, the Dodgers opened as a 1-2 favorite for Friday’s tilt with the Mets. 

New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Fans of pitching should be salivating over the New York Mets’ bicoastal showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Those squads ranked third and first, respectively, in strikeouts during the regular season, and their aces wield some of MLB‘s nastiest stuff. 

As always, the Dodgers are led by 2015 strikeout leader and three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who went 16-7 with a 2.13 ERA and 0.88 WHIP en route to helping L.A. capture an NL West title. 

However, the Mets won’t get a break after Kershaw hits the rubber. Zack Greinke and Brett Anderson represent the other two prongs of L.A.’s vicious three-headed pitching monster, one that’s capable of tormenting opposing batters. 

The good news for the NL East champs is they can counter with a pitching triumvirate of their own. Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom form a masterful young pitching corps that could take another leap over the course of the postseason. 

“We’ve played the Dodgers pretty well,” Mets manager Terry Collins said, per NJ.com’s Mike Vorkunov. “We’ll get ourselves ready this week. If it means you gotta see Kershaw and Greinke in the shadows, they probably gotta see a couple of guys that throw pretty good in the shadows.” 

In the end, this one’s going to come down to which team can solve opposing pitching at the plate. 

The Dodgers were steadier with a cumulative batting average of .250, which ranked six points higher than New York’s season-long mark of .244. However, the Mets came on strong after integrating Yoenis Cespedes into the lineup following the trade deadline. In September, New York batted .260, which represented a 44-point leap from the team’s dreadful mark of .216 in August. 

The Mets are a trendy pick given their up-and-coming status, but the Dodgers finished the season ranked first in the NL in on-base percentage (.326) while producing at more consistent clips. Consider the Dodgers favorites to advance as they enter the NLDS with home-field advantage. 

Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers def. New York Mets in five games

Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals

The NL Central dominated the regular season, so it’s only fitting two teams from MLB’s most esteemed division will meet in the NLDS.

For the Cardinals, this is familiar territory. They’re seeking to appear in the National League Championship Series for the fifth straight year and capture the franchise’s third World Series title since 2006.

The story differs drastically for the Cubs.

Chicago’s back in the NLDS for the first time since 2008, and it just snapped a nine-game postseason losing streak with Wednesday’s win over the Pirates. In fact, the Cubs’ last win in the NLDS came in 2003, when they defeated the Atlanta Braves in five games to set up an NLCS showdown with the Florida Marlins.

During the regular season, the Cubs ranked third in ERA (3.36) thanks to Jake Arrieta’s brilliance, but the Cardinals’ league-leading mark was so stellar that it clocked in 0.42 points lower at 2.94.

On offense, neither team was particularly impressive over the 162-game slog. St. Louis, though, developed a recipe that allowed it to stymie the opposition on a regular basis. 

“Offensively, the team is unconventional—its leading home run hitter (Matt Carpenter) bats leadoff—and ranks in the lower third in the majors in runs scored,” Fox Sports’ Chris Bahr noted.

That may not be a formula generally conducive to traditional postseason success. Having said that, it could be enough to counter the Cubs’ pristine power if Mike Matheny’s pitching staff continues to post absurd numbers. 

The Cardinals are a savvy, experienced and deep club that knows how to win games in October, and the NLDS should represent a stepping stone toward more prestigious accomplishments later in the month. 

Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals def. Chicago Cubs in four games

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Jake Arrieta’s run of dominance continued Wednesday in a National League Wild Card contest as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-0, to clinch their first NLDS appearance since 2008.

Arrieta pitched a four-hit, complete-game shutout that saw him strike out 11 Pirates batters. According to ESPN’s Karl Ravech, Arrieta is operating in truly elite air:

The win snapped Chicago’s nine-game postseason losing streak, per ESPN Stats & Info, so it’s no wonder the team went nuts upon recording the game’s final out.

Before everyone could get to the clubhouse, it was time for a Gatorade shower, per Baseball Tonight:

The Cubs’ official Twitter account passed along a photo of Arrieta greeting ecstatic fans following the win:

Once Arrieta and his teammates reached the clubhouse doors, bottles were promptly popped, per ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers:

Arrieta’s son was also allowed to take in the moment with his father, as the following photo illustrated:

Rogers later passed along video of Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder partaking in the locker room festivities:

The Chicago faithful celebrated quite a bit as well, per SportsCenter on Twitter:

Fans also flocked to Wrigley Field, according to Time Out Chicago:

Kyle Schwarber got the scoring started with a single to left field in the top of the first inning, and ultimately, that was all the Cubs needed to get past their NL Central rivals.

However, Schwarber didn’t stop there. The power-hitting right fielder followed up with a mammoth two-run home run in the third inning that put the Cubs up 3-0:

Chicago bested a Pittsburgh team that simply couldn’t solve Arrieta’s brilliance after the Cubs ace closed out the regular season by allowing four earned runs over his final 12 starts (Aug. 4-Oct. 2).

Once the celebration winds down, Chicago will be treated to an NLDS meeting with a familiar foe. Next up for the Cubs are the St. Louis Cardinals, who finished the regular season with an MLB-best 100 wins.

Although the Cubs are bursting with confidence, they’ll need to replicate Wednesday’s performance against a Cardinals team that owned an 11-8 record against Chicago this season. Over the course of 19 regular-season showdowns, Chicago went 5-4 at home but just 3-7 on the road against the NL’s most dominant club.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said, per WGN-TV’s Larry Hawley. “We haven’t done anything yet.”

One thing’s for sure, though: For the first time in seven years, the Cubs are fighting for a spot in the National League Championship Series. And if this season has been any indication, shocking the baseball world might not be out of the question for a team that’s regularly exceeded expectations.

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The New York Yankees were eliminated from postseason play Tuesday after falling to the Houston Astros, 3-0, in front of their home crowd, and general manager Brian Cashman took some time afterward to reflect on a deal that nearly materialized at this summer’s trade deadline. 

According to LoHud.com, Cashman told reporters the Yankees turned down a proposed deal that would have sent pitcher Adam Warren and second baseman Rob Refsnyder to the Oakland A’s for utility man extraordinaire Ben Zobrist. 

Zobrist was ultimately traded to the AL Central-champion Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor league pitchers Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks. 

Since joining the Royals at the trade deadline, Zobrist has batted .284 with a .364 on-base percentage and .453 slugging percentage. Although he’s appeared in just 59 games for the Royals, Zobrist’s mark of 1.6 offensive wins above replacement ranks seventh among all Kansas City players. 

Despite Zobrist’s second-half prosperity, Cashman made a wise move by standing pat and not mortgaging valuable future pieces in exchange for a half-season rental. According to Spotrac, Zobrist is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, at which point he won’t be tethered to the Royals and he’ll be free to find long-term security elsewhere. 

Refsnyder made his MLB debut on July 11 as the Yankees scrambled for solutions at second base, but he was optioned back to Triple-A on July 19. However, the Yankees promoted the 24-year-old back to the big leagues prior to September, and he impressed in 16 total regular-season appearances. 

In a small, 47 plate-appearance sample size, Refsnyder batted .302 with two home runs and five RBI while recording an on-base percentage of .348. He even started Tuesday night’s Wild Card Game but failed to record a hit. 

Prior to the postseason, manager Joe Girardi told reporters, “We like the way he’s swung the bat and defensively, he’s done a good job,” according to the New York Post‘s Dan Martin. 

Warren was also solid for the Yankees in spots. The 28-year-old posted a 3.29 ERA as he went 7-7 and notched a career-high 104 strikeouts in 131.1 innings. 

Zobrist would have given the Yankees some more peace of mind at second base as Stephen Drew flirted with the Mendoza Line, but holding on to two inexpensive, cost-effective youngsters instead of taking a shot on a two-month flier will help New York in the long run. 

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. 

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