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While Mark McGwire failed to earn a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame over the summer, he and nine others will get a new opportunity in the Today’s Game Era Committee voting.

On Monday, the Associated Press reported the group of 10 finalists on the ballot includes McGwire, former Commissioner Bud Selig and former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

Formerly known as the Veterans Committee, the newly established Eras Committees consider candidates from four different eras on a rotating basis. The Today’s Game portion features those who made an impact from 1988 to 2016.

According to the Baseball Hall of Fame’s website, participants from the most recent era will be up for consideration for induction in 2017 and 2019. The modern era (1970-1987) will be discussed for 2018 and 2020, while the golden days (1950-1969) and early baseball era (1871-1949) will be up for election in 2021.

In the meantime, this gives players who have fallen off the regular ballot another chance to be inducted, while executives will get a long look for the first time.

McGwire was on the regular ballot for the 10th and final time in 2016, earning just 12.3 percent of the vote, well short of the 75 percent required. The former St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics star hit 583 home runs, the 11th-most in MLB history.

Harold Baines, Orel Hershiser, Will Clark and Albert Belle are the other players attempting to get in through the committee voting, while Lou Piniella and Davey Johnson will hope to earn a spot as managers.

Among the off-field contributors, Selig oversaw the rise of baseball throughout the 1990s and 2000s, helping create the wild card and interleague play. Steinbrenner also played a major role as the owner of the Yankees. While he bought the club in 1973, he oversaw one of the greatest dynasties in baseball history from 1996 to 2000, featuring four World Series titles.

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While the top teams in the league are focused on the postseason, the rest of Major League Baseball is looking toward the future for players who can turn around fortunes next year.

Unlike the past few years, the 2017 free-agent class lacks many high-profile names who are going to steal headlines for the next few months. Yoenis Cespedes would be the top player available if he chooses to opt out of his current contract, but there is no guarantee of that. Beyond that, the players looking to cash in all have some sort of question marks.

With this in mind, here is a look at some of the biggest stars set to become free agents at the end of the 2016 season.

Wilson Ramos, C

This will be one of the biggest storylines in free agency.

Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was in the midst of his best year as a professional, hitting .307 with 22 home runs and 80 RBI, all of which were career highs.

Mike Axisa of CBSSports.com predicted a multiyear deal with a $12 million annual salary this offseason, with the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves all considered possibilities.

According to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, Ramos had reportedly declined a three-year, $30 million contract earlier this month.

However, everything changed when the catcher went down with a torn ACL.

While there will certainly be interest for the talented player on the open market, the price is going to significantly drop as teams take the risk that Ramos never reaches his previous form.

The 29-year-old player recently discussed his time with the Nationals and the possibility of returning next season, per Castillo:

I feel happy, very proud of the opportunities they’ve given me. My career grew in this organization and I would like to stay here for a lot of years. Unfortunately, this happened with my knee and it’s very difficult at my position to be in the National League, but I’d really like to be here for a lot of years. I hope to get out of the operation fine and get back very strong to stay here with this team.

Moving to the American League would provide Ramos a chance to spend time as a designated hitter, something unavailable with the Nationals (with the exception of a few interleague games each year).

This will limit the opportunities for the catcher, although it will give him a chance to extend his career as long as possible. The AL teams will then dictate the market once the extent of the injury is revealed.

Predicted destination: Chicago White Sox

Ian Desmond, OF

Free agency came at the wrong time for Ian Desmond a year ago. After three straight Silver Slugger awards as one of the premier offensive shortstops in the game, he struggled throughout 2015 and ended the season with a .233 batting average.

He ended up with a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers, although it was a chance for him to re-establish himself as a top offensive player.

Desmond has done just that in 2016, converting to an outfielder and hitting .284 with the fourth 20 home run-20 stolen base season of his career.

Although he was hitting even better in the first half of the season to earn a spot on the All-Star team, Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post noted he leveled out to his normal solid season:

These are still quality numbers and ones that will be valuable on the open market this offseason. One team that will likely have interest is the Philadelphia Phillies, who need to upgrade their offense dramatically if they want to improve for next season.

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball listed Desmond along with Martin Prado as targets for the Phillies, with the team looking for “veterans experienced enough to positively influence their ultra-young team but young enough where they could be there when the Phillies contend.”

With Prado recently signing a three-year extension with the Miami Marlins, Desmond represents the best option to fit this category.

The 31-year-old hitter has plenty of experience in the NL East and should be a quality addition right out of the gate for Philadelphia.

Predicted destination: Philadelphia Phillies

Matt Wieters, C

Although Matt Wieters was once considered a savior for the Orioles, his time with the organization appears to be running out.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe provided the latest buzz from Baltimore:

All signs point to the Orioles cutting ties with the backstop. Wieters accepted a qualifying offer last offseason but the Orioles won’t be as generous this time. … There will be a lot of catching available in free agency and the Orioles may opt for someone cheaper than the switch-hitting Wieters. The Braves and Rays could be good fits for Wieters.

Wieters was named an All-Star this season for the fourth time in his career, although his numbers don’t generate a whole lot of excitement. He’s an above-average defensive catcher, but he isn’t worth the nearly $16 million qualifying offer he accepted to remain with the Orioles this season.

On the plus side, he has remained relatively healthy this season. He has already appeared in 121 games after being limited to just 101 in the last two years combined due to Tommy John surgery.

There should be plenty of interested teams looking for a solid defensive catcher with some pop.

Unfortunately, the Orioles will have too many other needs to fill before giving Wieters the type of long-term deal he will want.

Predicted destination: Atlanta Braves

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was forced to come out of Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals with a facial laceration. 

Continue for updates.

Votto Hit in Face by Throw

Thursday, Sept. 29

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer‘s C. Trent Rosecrans, Votto appeared to get hit by a throw from Cardinals left fielder Tommy Pham that opened up a cut on his chin. 

“He has a big cut and a gash and I think took seven stitches to close on his chin,” Reds manager Bryan Price said after the game, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.

Votto has been one of the best hitters in baseball this season, overcoming a slow start to be among the league leaders in a variety of offensive categories. His .433 on-base percentage leads the National League.

His performance is especially impressive, given he was flirting with a .200 batting average in late May.

When he is playing well, the four-time All-Star and one-time NL MVP remains one of the best hitters in baseball.

Lance McAlister of ESPN Radio 1530 summed it up well:

He has also generally avoided injury, missing only a handful of games this season, most recently due to a neck issue that forced him to miss one game at the start of September.

This latest injury could potentially cause him to miss more time, although it won’t have much of an impact on the Reds. The NL Central squad has been one of the worst teams in the majors this season and was virtually out of the playoff race by the start of June.

Considering Votto is signed through 2024, the important thing for everyone is keeping him healthy for the long term.

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Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Joaquin Benoit suffered a leg injury attempting to join a bench-clearing brawl in Monday’s game against the New York Yankees.

Continue for updates.

Reliever Injured in Melee

Tuesday, Sept. 27

According to ESPN.com, Benoit suffered a torn left calf when he tripped while running in from the bullpen.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the pitcher will miss at least the first round of the playoffs.

“It felt like something hit me,” Benoit said, according to ESPN.com. “I won’t be able to get on the mound anytime soon, so personally this is really disappointing.”

The incident occurred in the bottom of the second inning in Monday’s matchup, when Justin Smoak became the third player of the game hit by a pitch.

Toronto ended up losing the game 7-5, but the squad still remains in the first wild-card position as of Tuesday.

Before the injury, Benoit had been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. Since coming over from the Seattle Mariners, the 39-year-old veteran has a 0.38 ERA, allowing just one earned run in 23.2 innings. He also has 10 holds and just one blown save in this stretch.

Roberto Osuna remains the team’s closer, but Jason Grilli and others will have to step up to solidify the bullpen in Benoit’s absence. 

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New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is having a better start to his career than anyone in baseball history.

The rookie hit his 18th home run of the season Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, making him the fastest to reach that mark in the modern era, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com. It took the 23-year-old phenom just 45 games.

Sanchez amazingly followed the second-inning home run with another long ball later in the game, making him the fastest to 19 home runs as well.

According to MLB, the next-fastest player to reach that milestone was Wally Berger, who needed 51 games to do so in 1930.

The catcher went 0-for-2 in two games at the major league level last season and then 0-for-4 in one appearance in May this year. However, he has been unstoppable since rejoining the roster, producing at an extremely high level over his last 42 games.

In addition to the home runs, Sanchez finished Wednesday’s contest with a .337 batting average and .410 on-base percentage.

Teammate Brian McCann had high praise for the rookie, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com:

Seth Rothman of the YES Network considers him a top contender for Rookie of the Year despite his short time in the majors:

Manager Joe Girardi believes he deserves the award, per Erik Boland of Newsday:

Prior to joining the big league club on a full-time basis, Sanchez hit only 10 home runs in 71 games in Triple-A this year and didn’t reach 19 home runs in any minor league season.

However, he has found magic in the Bronx.

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The Baltimore Orioles are in a fight for the playoffs, but the fans haven’t been around to witness it.

Outfielder Adam Jones voiced his displeasure Wednesday with the lack of attendance at Camden Yards, per Eddie Matz of ESPN.com:

It’s sad. It’s eerie. We grind and grind and grind. We understand, there’s a lot that that factors into it. Ticket prices being higher, although you can bring in food and beverages. Marketing and promotions, I’m sure they’re not the best. I get all that. I’m just saying, the city wanted a winner – the last five years we got ’em a winner. I don’t if know if they’ve gotten complacent already on us winning. I wish they haven’t. I hope they haven’t. Because winning is fun every single year, and being in this race is exciting every single year. So to the ones that come every night, thank you with open arms.

The Orioles are in the midst of a three-game homestand against the first-place Boston Red Sox, a team they trailed by three games entering Monday. Despite the importance of the series, the team drew only 18,456 fans for the first game and 20,387 in the second, according to ESPN.com. Oriole Park at Camden Yards has a capacity of 45,971 fans.

Boston won both games by a score of 5-2 to extend its lead in the American League East, although the Orioles still have control of the second AL Wild Card as of Wednesday.

Attendance issues have been a problem all year long for Baltimore. According to ESPN.com, the squad ranks 20th in the majors with an average of 26,513 fans per game. Interestingly, the Orioles also rank ninth in road attendance.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, Camden Yards has seen a drop of over 2,600 people per game in the past year, which ranks fifth worst in baseball. Of the four teams with sharper declines, three of them (Milwaukee, Minnesota and Cincinnati) are at least 15 games below .500, while the Pittsburgh Pirates have failed to live up to expectations after winning 98 games a year ago.

The Orioles, however, still can’t get fans into the seats despite remaining in contention. 

“We’ve fought our tails off for 145 games to put ourselves into a unique situation as of September,” Jones noted.

The question will be whether the fans will hold up their end of the bargain.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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The St. Louis Cardinals received a boost to their bullpen with Thursday’s return of Trevor Rosenthal.

Rosenthal hadn’t pitched for the Cardinals since July 24 because of shoulder and forearm injuries.

This comes at an ideal time for St. Louis, which had won just six of its last 14 games entering Thursday’s action while falling behind the New York Mets in the National League wild-card race.

The former closer has had a rough season, compiling a 5.13 ERA with a 2-4 record and four blown saves. However, he noted his pitching accuracy wasn’t what it should have been while he was dealing with the injuries.

“Even with the injury, I felt my arm strength was there,” Rosenthal explained, per Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “It was just being able to make pitches and command counts. That’s more important than the arm strength, and having that feel back is going to be what helps me get outs.”

The 26-year-old has proved himself in the past, compiling a 2.10 ERA with 48 saves last season while earning his first All-Star Game appearance and accumulating some NL MVP votes in the process.

St. Louis will hope Rosenthal is not only healthy, but also as effective as he was in 2015 as the team tries to secure a playoff berth down the stretch.

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A potential blockbuster trade between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers came just short of completion before the Aug. 31 waivers deadline.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Ryan Braun was almost swapped for Yasiel Puig and others before the clock simply ran out:

Braun and Puig were about 20 minutes from being traded for one another two weeks ago, according to several executives with direct knowledge of their trade talks, but the teams ran out of time at the Aug. 31 trade deadline. …

Braun was being traded to the Dodgers, who would pay the entire $76 million in his contract, for outfielder Yasiel Puig, injured veteran pitcher Brandon McCarthy and prospects.

Although the deal reportedly came down to the final prospect in consideration, the two sides couldn’t complete the deal. However, Nightengale adds that “officials vowed to revisit the talks again this winter.”

Braun was once one of the most feared hitters in baseball, winning the 2011 National League Most Valuable Player award and finishing as a runner-up in 2012. However, he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in 2013, and his play suffered shortly after.

The 32-year-old player has seen a resurgence in 2016, however, entering Tuesday with a .310 batting average, 27 home runs and 82 RBI. Adding his bat would have provided Los Angeles with a boost heading into the home stretch of the regular season and the playoffs.

Braun was at least intrigued by the possibility of the deal.

“Obviously, I live in Los Angeles in the offseason. I grew up a Dodger fan. When those conversations started, I think it was an interesting position for me to be in,” the outfielder said of the potential move, per Nightengale.

Meanwhile, Puig had been in hot water within the Dodgers organization. The team tried to trade him at the July 31 non-waivers deadline, per Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, but ended up sending him down to Triple-A. At the time, he had just a .260 batting average and seven home runs on the year.

Los Angeles placed him on waivers, where he was apparently claimed by the Brewers, as Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported, although no trade was completed.

Puig returned to the majors in September and has made a positive impact, hitting three home runs with a .357 batting average in his first seven games back. His improvements could change the terms of a deal with Milwaukee if he’s traded this winter.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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Vin Scully has one of the most familiar voices in sports, but it won’t be heard in the 2016 MLB postseason.

While the longtime Los Angeles Dodgers announcer had already called this his final year in the booth, he explained his final game will be the regular-season finale on Oct. 2, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. 

“Otherwise, I’d be saying goodbye like in grand opera, where you say goodbye 12 different times,” Scully said.

“I’m going to say goodbye at Dodger Stadium the last game with Colorado. I will say goodbye in San Francisco. And then that will be it,” Scully added. “And then I will go home.”

The Dodgers have a four-game lead in the National League West. According to ESPN.com, they have a 99.9 percent chance of qualifying for the postseason either as the division winner or through the Wild Card.

The 88-year-old announcer began his career with the Dodgers in 1950, calling a number of the biggest moments in baseball over the last 67 years. He announced perfect games from Don Larsen, Sandy Koufax and Dennis Martinez as well as a handful of World Series games, including Kirk Gibson’s famous walk-off home run in 1988.

He also announced Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run and Barry Bonds’ record-breaking 71st single-season home run.

MLB Network provided a heartfelt tribute to the legendary broadcaster:

By electing to forgo the postseason, Scully’s retirement won’t be dependent the Dodgers’ success in the playoffs, giving the veteran announcer the sendoff he deserves.

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Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez was removed from Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins after suffering a wrist injury on a hit-by-pitch.

Continue for updates.

Perez Suffers Contusion on Wrist

Tuesday, Sept. 6

An Ervin Santana hit-by-pitch knocked Perez out of his team’s game, according to Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press.

Joel Goldberg of FSKC reported the injury was revealed to be a wrist contusion.

The 26-year-old catcher is hitting .254 on the season after going 0-for-2 Tuesday, although his 20 home runs are one shy of his career high. He was also named to his fourth straight All-Star Game this season.

Perez has a knack for getting hit during games, as Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com joked:

However, this hasn’t kept the talented player off the field, as he remains one of the most used catchers in baseball. He led the majors with 142 games played at catcher in 2015 after playing 150 the year before.

The catcher is once again near the top of the list in 2016 with 122 games played, which would have been more if not for six games missed earlier in the year with a quad contusion. This was the only time he didn’t play consecutive games all season.

If the Royals are going to make a late-season run toward one of the American League wild-card spots, they will need all of their players healthy, especially Perez. His bat provides a major force in the lineup, and the three-time Gold Glove winner is also valuable in the field.

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