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Enough about actual baseball. Sure, either the New York Mets or Kansas City Royals will end three decades of futility sometime in the next week. And great, the World Series will feature a cabal of young stars with bright personalities. And, OK, Jacob deGrom does have super dope hair.

But you know what else is super dope? Free agency. For 28 of the 30 MLB teams, that’s all they have going for themselves at the moment. Just rapidly dropping temperatures, slightly ornery owners and the potential of grabbing superstar players on the market.

David Price, Johnny Cueto, Jason Heyward and Justin Upton lead a surprisingly start-studded class. The likes of MLB home run king Chris Davis, Mets hero Yoenis Cespedes and Royals all-around star Alex Gordon would lead most classes, but they’re toward the bottom of most top-10 lists this year. With Zack Greinke and Ben Zobrist also hitting the open market, it’s going to be a record-setting winter for contracts.

However, all those stars leave a number of players dipping into the market under the radar. Here’s a quick look at a few who stand out as potential values and rumors on their potential destinations. 

C Matt Wieters

The last two years have been a nightmare for Wieters. He’s played in just 101 games due to injury, combined for 13 home runs and saw his defense fall off a cliff. After being consistently among baseball’s most productive defensive catchers in the first half-decade of his MLB career, Wieters was barely above average in 2014 and 2015.

That makes Wieters a prime under-the-radar pickup. In most cases, we give pitchers one full season, and sometimes two, before expecting them to fully recover from Tommy John surgery. It’s strange that Wieters hasn’t been afforded the same leeway. Playing catcher takes a toll on a player’s shoulder, and the constant wear and tear is a detriment to his ability to regain power. 

“I think that’s probably a test every free agent goes through,” Wieters said, per Roch Kubatko of MASN. “They run you through a battery of tests. But I’m confident once I get home and get back to a normal offseason that I’m going to feel great for next year. I’m actually looking forward to a normal offseason and not having to do rehab after rehab for the whole offseason.”

Folks may forget just how good Wieters was before the injury. He has been at least a two-win player in each of his four seasons with at least 100 games, peaking during a 4.4-win 2011 campaign, per FanGraphs. He was also well on his way to his best offensive season before going down in 2014, posting a .308/.339/.500 slash line with five home runs and 18 RBI in 26 games.

That is precisely the reason the Texas Rangers are interested in Wieters if he does not receive a qualifying offer, per CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. With a year to fully prepare, Wieters could very easily be a bargain on a short-term deal as he prepares to turn 30 in May.

SP Jordan Zimmermann

Zimmermann is no stranger to anyone who pays attention. He’s been consistently rock-solid since his 2011 return from Tommy John surgery, posting quality numbers and avoiding the disabled list like a charm. He’s made no fewer than 26 starts in the last five seasons and at least 32 in four of those campaigns.

“That’s the word that comes to my mind, is consistency,” former Nationals manager Matt Williams told reporters. “Durable. Reliable. For a starting pitcher that’s important and he’s provided this organization that for a long time. It’s always tough having Tommy John. He’s responded from that. He’s worked to become the pitcher he has become. I admire him for that and respect him for the way he goes about it every fifth day.”

Durability and dependability aren’t sexy traits. Zimmermann’s never going to sell a ton of jerseys or be a foundational ace. He works best as a second or elite third starter, where the expectations are relatively low but the production is still high.

This is what makes him a secondary option behind the likes of David Price, Zack Greinke and Johnny Cueto on the open market. It’s likely he’ll hang on the market a bit longer than the others, waiting until the dust settles before scoring his long-term deal.

Zimmermann nonetheless has a chance to be nearly as valuable over the length of his contract as any of that trio. This season was his worst since his Tommy John surgery, and he still posted a 13-10 record with a 3.66 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Only 10 other pitchers have a higher wins above replacement over the last five seasons, all of whom are considered among the true greats.

Zimmermann, for whatever reason, is viewed as a step down. If his contract reflects that, he’ll be a real value. With the Dodgers having reported interest dating back to midseason, these two might be a solid pairing if Greinke heads elsewhere.

OF Austin Jackson

Traded twice in as many seasons, Jackson is not hitting free agency at the ideal time. He hit .236/.304/.375 with one home run and 10 RBI in 29 games after being traded to the Cubs at the waiver deadline. It mirrored his 2014 campaign, where Jackson’s production fell off a cliff after a midseason swap to Seattle.

After posting 14.8 wins above replacement in his first four MLB seasons, Jackson has 3.2 in his last two. He was caught stealing a career-high 11 times in 2015, didn’t get a single hit in eight postseason at-bats and was so shaky down the stretch it wasn’t even certain whether he’d make the October roster.

Throw all that out the window for a second. Jackson is a 289-year-old outfielder with solid speed and power who has been a good-to-above-average defensive player since his MLB arrival. In 107 games with Seattle before the trade, Jackson was hitting .272/.312/.387 with eight home runs, 38 RBI and 15 steals. Those are right in line with the Jackson of Detroit, who was a player any franchise could have used.

While he finished dreadfully in Chicago, Jackson still posted a 2.3 WAR in 2015. He’s truthfully had only one bad MLB season. Rob Rogacki of Bless You Boys even suggested a return to Detroit might be what Jackson and the Tigers both need: “While his recent numbers are concerning, Jackson has a strong track record in the Tigers organization and won’t have a draft pick tied to his name. If Detroit is interested in a reunion, he could fill a versatile role in their outfield in 2016.”

The key here will be cost, and Jackson hasn’t done nearly enough in recent seasons to command a big contract. It’ll all be a team banking on him returning to his Detroit form—and not getting traded somewhere along the way. 

Advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted. 

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Three decades’ worth of postseason futility will come to an end for either the Kansas City Royals or New York Mets this season. Based on the way things are going, that’s a good thing for the secondary ticket market.

ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell reported prices for Games 3 and 4 of the World Series at Citi Field in New York are both averaging more than $1,000 per ticket as of Monday. Game 3 comes in at a high of $1,115, and Game 4 currently sits at $1,077. Rovell noted it’s the first time since the 2013 World Series that a single ticket has hit quadruple digits.

Though the price is noteworthy, it’s actually trending downward. Mark Townsend of Yahoo Sports reported Thursday that tickets were going for an average of $1,667.82 for the trio of scheduled games at Citi Field. Jesse Lawrence of Forbes also noted the overall average resale price has now dipped lower than last season in Kansas City. Prices are tapering off in New York as well, though not as significant, per Lawrence.

The reasoning for Kansas City’s side is simple: The Royals were in the World Series a year ago. The novelty factor has worn off. They’ve been one of the best teams in baseball all season and were expected to make a deep October run after acquiring Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist at the deadline. After being an October ghost for 29 years, there was something magical about their 2014 run that isn’t quite the same a year later.

The Mets, meanwhile, haven’t been to the World Series since 2000 and have gone to the playoffs only three times since the turn of the century. It’s natural that their ticket prices would be higher, especially after such low expectations coming into the season. There is also the factor of New York prices simply being higher for everything; New York City boasts three of the five most expensive living areas in the United States, with Queens coming in at No. 5, per CBS News.

Combine those factors together, and it makes sense that the Mets are leading the Royals when it comes to setting the ticket-price bar. Secondary ticket provider ScoreBig.com currently lists its lowest ticket as going for $1,053.84.

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One league championship series down, one to go. The New York Mets completed their surprising sweep of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley on Wednesday, as Lucas Duda drove in five runs and Daniel Murphy smashed a homer in the Amazins‘ 8-3 victory.

The Mets sent Chicago starter Jason Hammel to the showers after only 1.1 innings, pelting him for five runs on four hits, including homers from Duda and Travis d’Arnaud. Murphy added another dinger in the eighth—his seventh of the postseason and sixth straight game going deep—in a game that was never really competitive from the outset.

New York will be making its first World Series appearance since the turn of the century, the famed Subway Series. It’s also responsible for helping an LCS matchup end in a sweep for the second straight year, which is just the second time that feat has been accomplished since Y2K.

The Kansas City Royals’ celebration will be held off for at least another day after they dropped a potential series clincher to Toronto. The Blue Jays roughed Edinson Volquez up for four runs in the fifth inning, helping bust open a pitcher’s duel on their way to a 7-1 triumph. After going down 2-0 to Texas, they’ve now won four straight games when facing elimination. 

Here is a look at what players from all four teams were saying after Wednesday’s games and a look at the remaining playoff schedule. 

Quotes

From the Losing Cubs Dugout

Viewed by most as the favorite before this series—especially after their impressive win over St. Louis—the Cubs were victims of one of the more surprising sweeps in postseason history. That’s not going to create much positivity, yet all involve tried to put on brave faces in their public comments. 

“Everyone in this clubhouse, everyone in this organization, should be proud of what we did this year,” said first baseman Anthony Rizzo, per Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald. “It’s hard to say that because we want to be celebrating right now.”

Others pointed to the team’s young roster and noted this experience will be a positive if and when the Cubs return to October baseball.

“This is really a good experience for everybody,” catcher Miguel Montero said, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. “You can’t take anything for granted. Hopefully, they feel even hungrier, and they’ll be better.”

“This is a really good experience for us,” third baseman Kris Bryant said, per Wittenmyer. “Just to be able to do it on a stage like this, my first year and a lot of the guys’ first year, too. This will definitely help us in the long run.”

From the Winning Mets Dugout

A manager two times before finding his home in New York, Terry Collins took a moment to reflect on how long it had taken him to reach the sport’s pinnacle.

“It’s very exciting,” said Collins, per Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel. “I’m so happy for the job we did. There were some tremendous peaks and tremendous valleys. This might be the finest group of guys I’ve ever been around.

“After all these years, I can’t believe I’m going to the World Series. It’s a special moment for me. I told the players we had to grind it out. We’re going to go home and enjoy it.”

David Murphy, who was the runaway NLCS MVP after belting homers in all four games, offered similar sentiments. 

“This is very special,” said Murphy, per Haudricourt. “I can’t explain it. It’s surprising to me. It’s such a blessing to be able to contribute to what we do. I’m excited to do something to help us win some big games. This means so much to all of us.”

The one negative from Wednesday night’s win for New York was an injury to outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who is suffering from shoulder pain. Not to fear, though. Cespedes says he’ll be in the lineup for the World Series no matter what.

“If not, I’ll chop it off and put on a new one,” Cespedes said through a translator, per Anthony Rieber of Newsday. 

From the Losing Royals Dugout

The biggest controversy from Kansas City is a did-he-or-didn’t-he regarding an alleged apology about a crucial missed strike call in the sixth inning. Royals starter Edinson Volquez told reporters after the game that umpire Dan Iassogna offered an apology for missing a call that gave Jose Bautista a walk as part of Toronto’s four-run sixth inning. 

“He apologized to [catcher Salvador Perez]. He said, ‘I thought that pitch was a strike,’” Volquez said, per Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. “But he didn’t say that to me he said it to Salvy. It was nice. It would’ve been better if he gave me that pitch before. He said he thought it was a strike and he was sorry about it. But there’s nothing you can do, the game is over, you look forward and go back home.”

What makes the story interesting is that Perez denied Volquez‘s account in an interview with Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star.

“No,” Perez said. “They’re not going to say that to nobody.”

As for the Blue Jays closing the series to 3-2, Royals players understandably tried staying positive, pointing to their lead and the impending return home.

“We’re excited to go home,” Royals pitcher Danny Duffy said, per Ian Harrison of the Associated Press (via FoxSports.com). “We wish we could have got it done today, but we didn’t.” 

“Nothing but positivity,” first baseman Eric Hosmer said, per Harrison. “We’ve got a 3-2 lead and we’re heading back to Kansas City. That’s where we play our best baseball, so everyone is still feeling pretty good.”

From the Winning Blue Jays Dugout

Marco Estrada, who threw 7.2 innings of three-hit baseball, credited the fans with creating a raucous environment, per Gregor Chisholm and Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com:

It’s a great game. The fans gave me all the energy I needed, all the adrenaline I needed. I was shaking on the mound, I had so much adrenaline going. I wasn’t nervous. I just had a lot of adrenaline going, and it helped me pitch today. I located early on, and that’s really been my biggest issue, is not locating early on. Today I had everything going, had a little bump at the end, but we got it done.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was sure, meanwhile, to give credit to his starter, per the Canadian Press (via SportsNet): “He’s a guy that’s carried us in a lot of ways. He’s a master of what he does. It doesn’t always look pretty but he’s mastered it.”

David Price, who is yet to earn a postseason win as a starting pitcher, will get the ball for Toronto in Game 6. He’s given up 13 runs in 16.2 innings so far this postseason but does not seem deterred by his struggles. 

“I’ll be ready,” Price said, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet. “It’s still pitching. It’s still baseball, something I’ve done for a long time. Just go out there, help this team win and get outs.”

Highlights

The only highlights anyone needs right now are videos from the Mets’ postgame celebration early Thursday morning. Here is a look at some of the best videos and GIFs from around the interweb: 

TV Schedule

2015 MLB Postseason Leaders

Batting Average

Home Runs

RBI

Wins

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If you were looking for a closely contested LCS, well, sorry about your luck. The Mets and Royals have each raced out to 2-0 leads in their respective series, sweeping home contests while putting the Cubs and Blue Jays’ backs against the proverbial wall.

It’s a stark change to the competitive LDS, which saw three of the four series go to a deciding fifth game. Although Toronto and Chicago have a chance to flip the script upon their return home, teams ahead 2-0 have gone on to win best-of-seven series 78 percent of the time, per Yahoo Sports. A comeback hasn’t happened in more than a half-decade.

That’s…not promising!

Nevertheless, it’s still worth checking in on both series and assessing the chances of a comeback. 

ALCS: Royals Lead Blue Jays, 2-0

The Royals couldn’t possibly have envisioned the first two games going any better. Despite not having ace Johnny Cueto at their disposal, they’ve held Toronto to just three runs. All of those came in Game 2, when the Blue Jays opened up a 3-0 lead before a disastrous five-run seventh inning flipped the script and gave Kansas City a 2-0 series lead.

“We know that this club is capable of getting on a run and putting together two or three or four wins in a row,” Royals manager Ned Yost said, per Chris Fickett of the Kansas City Star. “You have to keep your guard up.”

The Royals are one win away from setting the record for most consecutive wins in LCS history. They’ve won nine straight dating back to their 1985 World Series run; they won the final three games of that series and swept the Baltimore Orioles in last season’s ALCS.

Even hitting the road, the Royals have to feel good about their chances in Game 3. Cueto is scheduled to start against 24-year-old Marcus Stroman, who appeared in only four games during the regular season and has 30 MLB appearances to his name. Stroman‘s been brilliant since his return from injury, posting a 1.67 ERA in four regular-season starts and giving up five runs in 13 innings during Toronto’s ALDS win over the Rangers.

Still, the resume discrepancy here is pretty large. Cueto‘s been one of baseball’s best pitchers over the last half-decade, a lock to land a nine-figure contract this winter and the Royals’ prized midseason acquisition. He wasn’t up for the task for most of the second half of the regular season but has come back in a big way in October. The Royals won both of Cueto‘s starts in the ALDS against Houston, and he appears to be rounding into mental form.

Toronto will have its fingers crossed that the inconsistent Cueto of the regular season shows up. If he does, the Blue Jays bats can finally awaken and get themselves out to an early lead to calm Stroman‘s nerves. Given the way the first two games went, we’re all better off banking on Cueto‘s experience.

NLCS: Mets Lead Cubs, 2-0

Speaking of dormant bats. The Cubs, who spent the regular season grooming a group of young power hitters for this very moment, have gone quiet. They’re down 2-0 thanks to only scoring three runs through the first two games of the NLCS, only recording a grand total of five hits in each game.

“Our guys are fine,” manager Joe Maddon said, per Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. “They pitched well and they beat us. We only scored three runs in the two games. That’s hard to win. But we have so much offensive talent and I believe in our guys.”

Putting it mildly: The pitching matchup for Game 3 does not favor Maddon‘s faith. The Cubs, having already watched aces Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta go down, will start Kyle Hendricks. The 25-year-old went 8-7 with a 3.95 ERA during the regular season but lasted only 4.2 innings in his postseason debut against St. Louis.

He’ll go up against Jacob DeGrom, who has been mowing fools down all season. DeGrom took Games 1 and 5 against the Dodgers, besting Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in the same series. An outside Cy Young contender for most of the regular season, DeGrom‘s now in a position to all but clinch a World Series berth for a Mets team no one expected to be here in April.

“When you’re throwing that hard and hitting your spots, there’s not a lot you can do,” Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com. “It’s the way it’s going for them right now. Maybe the day off will cool them off.”

There’s not much to indicate things are going to change anytime soon, either. DeGrom vs. Hendricks is a massive advantage for New York. Getting to 3-0 would be as close to a mortal lock in the Mets’ favor as possible, though the presence of Theo Epstein and other former members of the Boston Red Sox brass will keep some hope alive in Chicago.

Basically, everything hinges on Game 3. The Mets have an ace. The Cubs have a perfectly fine rotation arm. There have been bigger upsets in the past, but the Amazins are probably heading to the World Series.

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The “debate” about Matt Harvey‘s innings limit is over: There isn’t one. It’s become clear the New York Mets ace will keep pitching until his arm falls off or New York is eliminated from the playoffs—whichever comes first.

Harvey’s agent, Scott Boras, has put a plan in place just in case the former scenario happens. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Boras purchased an insurance policy for Harvey’s arm that will cover potential lost earnings if he suffers an injury. The policy is “two-tiered,” according to Heyman, with one payout based on a loss of earnings and another covering a potential career-ending injury.

Harvey, 26, threw 7.2 innings of four-hit baseball Saturday night, helping lead the Mets to a 4-2 win over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. That win pushed him over the 200-innings mark for the season, a mark that may be concerning to Boras. The agent and Mets management were at odds last month over how many innings Harvey should throw in 2015 as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery.

Per Heyman, Boras said:

We were never about him not pitching in the postseason, and we never said Matt Harvey wasn’t going to pitch in the playoffs. Any question revolved around the management of innings. There’s an obligation — I should say mandate — to pitch. There’s an obligation to the integrity of the game, to his teammates and the fans. At no time did the player or I ever say he wasn’t going to pitch in the postseason.

I understand Matt Harvey has to pitch. The only way not to is to have the team take the ball away from him. And I don’t think they’re doing it anytime soon.

As it stands, there’s no way Harvey can stop throwing now. The Mets are ahead, 2-0, in the NLCS and peaking at the perfect time. Their offense, after being so stagnant earlier in the regular season, is surging with clutch hits. Their rotation, led by Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, might be the best 1-2-3 punch remaining.

There is no easy out here. It’s just smart of Boras to put a contingency plan in place in case the worst happens.

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When the New York Mets took a 2-0 lead in their National League Championship Series matchup with the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, it wasn’t just their fans and players who felt a sense of joy. It was also their state representatives.

As noted by the Associated Press (via USA Today), New York Sen. Joe Addabbo and other colleagues began a bet with Illinois state representatives for the series. Terms of the wager say the losing side are to wear apparel of the opposing team in their legislative chambers and send the winners pizza from their respective cities.

Illinois Senate President John Cullerton was quick to respond to Addabbo’s challenge:

Along with being two of the United States’ biggest cities, Chicago and New York are part of a longstanding debate about which style of pizza is better. Chicagoans boast the famous deep-dish style, while New York is defined by its thin, hand-tossed crust.

“Some consider Chicago the Second City, but we can all agree on two things: New York is second in baseball and pizza,” Cullerton said in a press release.

While these bets are typically made just between city-based legislators, Addabbo introduced the bet to multiple constituents “to make the stakes even higher,” according to the AP. The Mets are making Addabbo look brilliant so far, holding the Cubs to three runs over the first two games as they head back to Chicago with a commanding lead.

The Illinois politicians, led by Cullerton, will be banking on a return to the Windy City igniting the Cubs’ bats. 

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Left searching for answers after their talent-laden roster failed to make the postseason, the Washington Nationals have apparently begun considering putting ace Stephen Strasburg on the trade block.

Continue for updates. 

Nats Thinking About Pre-Emptive Strasburg Deal

Sunday, Oct. 18

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported the Nationals are “retooling,” and moving Strasburg could be part of a series of moves this winter. Strasburg, 27, went 11-7 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.11 WHIP this season while being limited to 23 starts due to injury. Mostly horrible before the All-Star break, he posted a 1.90 ERA and struck out 92 batters in 66.1 innings in his final 10 starts.

“I learned to be more aware of my thoughts out there,” Strasburg said, per James Wagner of the Washington Post. “There are times in the game when you can kind of let your focus slip just for a split second. And I made it a point to not let that happen, to just focus on each pitch and just let everything I’ve got go on that individual pitch and turn the page.”

Strasburg was one of a select few positives in the second half for Washington, which finished a disappointing 83-79. Manager Matt Williams has already been let go, and management may look to shake up a roster that was seen as a spring training World Series favorite.

Strasburg’s a natural for the trade block simply due to his contractual situation. He can become a free agent after next season, at which point he’ll likely command a nine-figure contract. Washington already has Max Scherzer locked into a long-term contract and could choose to re-sign Jordan Zimmermann this winter over paying the Strasburg premium. Zimmermann, a consistent fixture in the rotation, will almost certainly come at a cheaper cost now than Strasburg a year from now.

If the Nats could keep Zimmermann and get a big prospect haul for Strasburg, it might be in their best interest to make a move. 

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For the second straight year, the Kansas City Royals are headed to the American League Championship Series. Johnny Cueto threw eight innings of two-hit ball, and Kendrys Morales hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to cap the Royals’ 7-2 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 5 of their divisional series.

The Royals provided a look at the on-field celebration:

The Astros got their only two runs in the second inning, when Luis Valbuena hit a two-run homer. They wouldn’t have another baserunner for the final seven innings. Cueto struck out eight batters and didn’t walk any in a performance that will undoubtedly erase concerns regarding his struggles in a Kansas City uniform.

Jeremy Guthrie, leading the postgame celebration, gave a shoutout to the Royals starter, per Fox Sports Kansas City:

“He showed up,” Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland said of Cueto, according to the Kansas City Star‘s Andy McCullough.

Royals owner David Glass had similar praise to heap on the Game 5 winner, per the Kansas City Star‘s Sam Mellinger:

Alex Rios came through with arguably the biggest hit of the night in the fifth inning, hitting a two-run double to give the Royals a lead they would not relinquish. Rios, who went 2-for-3, was the only Royal with multiple hits. Eric Hosmer and Ben Zobrist also drove in runs, the latter closing the series with the team’s highest batting average.

The Royals will move on to play the Toronto Blue Jays, who earned a 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers in their own Game 5 earlier Wednesday evening. As noted by ESPN Stats & Info, it’s a rematch of their 1985 series—which also doubles as the last time Kansas City won the Fall Classic:

It’s more than enough reason for players and fans alike to celebrate, as highlighted by Fox’s MLB feed:

Very few of the players had any interest in leaving the field, per Yael T. Abouhalkah of the Kansas City Star: 

Even the city’s Twitter feed got into the mix, posting a video of fans celebrating:

When the Migos hit? When the Migos hit, indeed:

Unlike last year, these Royals are not a fun small-ball outfit making their way through the playoffs despite all logic. Kansas City has been a World Series favorite all year. It finished the season with the American League’s best record, acquired high-profile veterans such as Cueto and Zobrist for an all-in push and brought back most of its key contributors from 2014.

The Royals will, however, be playing a Blue Jays team that’s gone equally all-in for 2015. Toronto added David Price and Troy Tulowitzki at the deadline, moves that make the Cueto-Zobrist pairing pale in comparison. Both Price and Tulowitzki have had their postseason struggles—Price currently carries a 7.20 ERA, while Tulowitzki is hitting .095—but Toronto is as formidable a challenger as the Royals will face in the AL.

After the way both needed five games to get through the ALDS, it’s possible we’ll be looking at another seven-game classic 30 years later to match their last playoff series.

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California Gov. Jerry Brown took a major step in the movement against smokeless tobacco in Major League Baseball last weekend, signing a bill that bans its use in each of the state’s ballparks.

The San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants—five of MLB‘s 30 teams—play in California. According to John Rogers of the Associated Press, the ban will be in place before the 2016 season. That said, even the lawmakers responsible for the bill acknowledge there will be problems with enforcement. 

“The question we’ve been asked is are we going to have police officers walking around checking lips, and no, that’s not the case,” Opio Dupree, chief of staff to Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, told Rogers. “It’s going to be left to the team and the league.”

It will then be up to MLB and the MLB Players Association to discuss how they will handle the ban. MLB cannot unilaterally ban smokeless tobacco under terms of the collective bargaining agreement. It’s an issue the two sides discussed late in the tenure of former Commissioner Bud Selig, with both sides acknowledging the drug’s use does not send the best message.     

“We believe the numbers suggest that usage [of smokeless tobacco] has declined significantly,” MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said last year, per Mike Bauman of MLB.com. “It’s declined in the minor leagues and the major leagues. Our hope is that we can continue to educate guys on the damage that dipping can do and they will continue to decide not to dip and chew.”

“We give the players the opportunity to make the decision they’re going to make against the backdrop of it being legal,” Clark continued. “At the end of the day, we don’t condone it and they know we don’t condone it.”

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports also reported last year that MLB attempted to institute a ban in recent CBA talks but gave up when talks grew “contentious.” 

“You certainly understand what MLB is trying to do,” Giants pitcher Jake Peavy said last year, per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “I respect that. At the same time, it’s really, really hard to tell grown men who have been in this game and done it for a long time that they can’t do something that’s legal. Old habits die hard.

“I grew up with it. It was big with my family,” he continued. “Next thing you know, you’re buying cans and you’re addicted to nicotine.”

Though widely acknowledged as being unhealthy, smokeless tobacco use has been prevalent throughout baseball history. Numerous MLB legends—such as Babe Ruth and Tony Gwynn—were famous dippers. Both also died far too young of cancers that could have been linked to their smokeless tobacco use. 

A statewide ban in California might be the first step in cutting the dangerous habit out of MLB once and for all.

Smokeless tobacco has been banned in the minor leagues since 1993. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates may have gone down in the 2015 NL Wild Card Game without scoring a single run, but they didn’t do so without a fight. Both benches cleared in the seventh inning Wednesday night when Pirates reliever Tony Watson hit Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta with a pitch.

No punches were thrown in the melee, but multiple players from both sides were seen pushing and shoving. 

Pittsburgh’s Sean Rodriguez was the only player tossed for his actions. A parody account has already been set up for the poor, unsuspecting Gatorade cooler Rodriguez attacked in the aftermath:     

After the game, Rodriguez made some strong accusations against Cubs catcher David Ross, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports:

Of course, none of us have ever hit an object in a fit of rage. That would be crazy. Wait…you mean we’ve all done it? Probably within the not-too-distant past? Oh, OK, take it away, Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network:

Kristen Balboni of Fox Sports commented on Rodriguez’s resemblance to his team’s nickname:

Baseball isn’t for everyone. Dudes knocking out water coolers, however, can make a fan out of nearly anyone. Just not Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel:

Peter Burns of ESPN also wasn’t impressed:

If you wanted to know what a “real” baseball brawl looks like, Tim Ryan of the Sports Hernia has us covered:

Even if none of the Pirates or Cubs will be confused with Ronda Rousey, the skirmish at the very least offered excitement in a game that was a one-sided snoozefest. Pittsburgh couldn’t hit Arrieta all night with its bats, so it took a shot with a ball. Based on the reaction, that didn’t go exactly as planned, either.

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