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The Toronto Blue Jays made the playoffs on the last day of the regular season after an inconsistent month of September, but they are playing in the American League Championship Series after sweeping the favored Texas Rangers in the division series.

The Cleveland Indians limped into the playoffs with an injured pitching staff after winning the AL Central and then swept the hard-hitting Boston Red Sox. 

Now these two teams will battle in a best-of-seven series to represent the American League in the World Series. The Indians will have the advantage of playing the decisive game at Progressive Field if the series goes seven games.

The Blue Jays appear to have the more powerful offense. They feature Edwin Encarnacion (42 HR, 127 RBI), Josh Donaldson (37 HR, 99 RBI), Troy Tulowitzki (24  HR, 79 RBI) and Jose Bautista (22 HR, 69 RBI in 116 games), and their presence allows Toronto to string long hits and runs together.

The Indians have a pair of big-time sluggers in Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana, who both hammered 34 homers this season.

It’s not going to be easy for the Cleveland pitching staff to keep those big bats in check, but there is no panic among Terry Francona‘s hurlers. Corey Kluber is capable of shutting down the best lineups, and the numbers prove his excellence.

Kluber went 18-9 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.056 WHIP. Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin started and pitched well in the division series, but the strength of the pitching staff is in the bullpen. Andrew Miller is Cleveland’s dominant reliever, and Francona uses him in a creative manner. Miller can pitch at any point from the fifth inning on and throw 40 pitches effectively.

Miller was remarkable after being acquired from the Yankees. In 29 innings with the Indians, he had a 1.55 ERA, gave up 14 hits and had an otherworldly 0.552 WHIP.

Since closer Cody Allen is so effective (32 saves, 1.000 WHIP), Francona does not have to employ Miller in the ninth inning. That may be the key to Cleveland’s success in this series or beyond if the Indians make it to the World Series.

The Blue Jays have excellent starting pitching as well. Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ are capable of going deep into games while giving up a minimal number of runs.

The Blue Jays are slight favorites to defeat the Indians in the ALCS. According to Odds Shark, the Blue Jays range from minus-115 to minus-150 to win the series, while the Indians range from even to plus-142.

Prediction

The Blue Jays are the more explosive team and probably have more talent from top to bottom. However, the Indians are a competitive bunch that welcomes any challenge. They will not be cowed by facing the Toronto sluggers, just as they were not fearful about facing David Ortiz and the Red Sox in the first round.

The Indians have big edges in the bullpen and on the bench. Francona should be able to manage circles around spit-and-vinegar John Gibbons. Francona is the better psychologist and strategist, and that should pay off when the games are late and close.

Look for the Indians to take the series in six games and represent the American League in the World Series.

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The MLB playoffs have been everything fans could have hoped for, from shocking game finishes to surprising series wins.

As Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports noted, one team is going to get its first World Series win in a long time:

Obviously, the Chicago Cubs have been waiting the longest, but all these teams are in new territory for this generation, creating plenty of unknowns moving forward. While uncertainty makes the game fun, here is an attempt to predict what will happen over the next couple of weeks.

American League Championship Series

These two teams have been flawless to this point in the postseason.

The Cleveland Indians won all three games in their series against the Boston Red Sox and are +375 (bet $100 to win $375) to win the World Series, but the Toronto Blue Jays (+225) have won all four of their contests, including the AL Wild Card Game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman sums up what makes Toronto so dangerous:

The pitching came with Aaron Sanchez struggling, which means it could be even better in the next round. The real strength of the team, though, is the lineup, which has produced 10 home runs in four games so far in the playoffs.

Josh Donaldson hasn’t gone yard yet in the playoffs, but he does have five doubles to go with his .500 batting average.

This offense is a terror for opposing pitchers when it is clicking, especially for an Indians rotation that is already short-handed.

Cleveland does have a few tricks up its sleeve, however, including an elite bullpen. Cody Allen has been steady as the closer, although Andrew Miller is the real star as a versatile weapon who can be used in any inning.

“I know sometimes people don’t think a reliever can impact your team as much as a player position [can]. I would argue that point,” Indians manager Terry Francona said, per Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post. “He has been everything we hoped for. We gave up a lot of good players for him. That’s how much we think of Andrew.”

Francona has done everything he can to get the most out of the lefty, and he will be extremely valuable out of the pen to quiet Toronto’s bats for a couple of innings at a time. Unfortunately, there are only so many innings Miller will be able to pitch in a seven-game series.

The bullpen will make an impact, and Corey Kluber is still one of the most talented starters in the game, but the rest of the staff is full of question marks.

Cleveland has an elite offense as well, with Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez hitting well so far in the playoffs, but the Blue Jays will be able to match on the scoreboard for most of the series. Each game should be a back-and-forth battle, but Toronto should be able to advance to the World Series.

Prediction: Blue Jays 4, Indians 3

National League Championship Series

Like the Indians, the Los Angeles Dodgers showed a lot of creativity with their ability to win in the division series.

Game 5 against the Washington Nationals featured a save by Clayton Kershaw just two days after he threw 110 pitches as a starter. Kenley Jansen also came up big with 2.1 innings of relief work, all after Rich Hill pitched 2.2 innings on three days’ rest.

Los Angeles began Thursday at +900 to win the World Series, although that will likely drop to closer to 4-1 or 5-1 odds after moving on to the NLCS.

The Dodgers have trustworthy starters and a lineup that mixes youngsters and veterans, any of whom are able able to come through with a big hit when needed.

On the other hand, the squad is coming into the next round in rough shape after leaving everything on the line against Washington. There are a lot of question marks about who will pitch the first couple of games, not to mention whether anyone in the bullpen will be available.

The Chicago Cubs have no such problems after having a few days of rest leading up to Game 1.

Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks are all elite starters who can shut down an opposing lineup, while the Cubs offense is almost unstoppable from top to bottom.

There is a reason the squad is only +160 to win the World Series despite the organization not winning it all since 1908.

Chicago was by far the best team in the league during the regular season and is built to win over a seven-game series. This one should go according to plan.

Prediction: Cubs 4, Dodgers 1

Note: All World Series odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.

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For a team that made the playoffs on the last day of the regular season, the Toronto Blue Jays are on a roll.

The power bats of Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki may be the most notable factors in the Blue Jays’ postseason surge, but there is a lot more to manager John Gibbons’ team that could lead to yet another victory over the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship Series.

The Indians may have been even more impressive than the Jays, as they disposed of the American League East champion Boston Red Sox in a three-game sweep. Cleveland’s depleted starting pitching staff shut down the booming bats of the Red Sox.

The first game of the American League Championship Series at Cleveland Friday night figures to be a taut pitcher’s duel between Toronto’s Marco Estrada and Cleveland strikeout machine Corey Kluber.

Kluber was 18-9 with a 3.14 earned run average while striking out 227 batters in 215.0 innings this season. He also had an excellent 1.056 WHIP.

Estrada was 9-9 with a 3.48 ERA, and those numbers don’t compare with Kluber. However, Estrada had a 1.119 WHIP, and that indicates he should be up to the task of starting the series opener for the Jays.

The key for Cleveland is that there should be less pressure on Kluber (and subsequent starters) because of the Indians’ superior bullpen.

Andrew Miller may not throw quite as hard as Aroldis Chapman of the Chicago Cubs, but he may be a more effective pitcher. Manager Terry Francona can use him at any time from the fifth inning on for up to 40 pitches. 

Miller was 4-0 with the Indians after coming over from the New York Yankees in a trade. Miller had a 1.55 ERA in 26 appearances, with a sensational 0.552 WHIP.

Even though Miller is Cleveland’s best pitcher out of the bullpen, Francona uses Cody Allen (32 saves) to close out most games and get the save. That gives the manager the opportunity to use Miller in the most dangerous situations.

Game 1 also features two of MLB’s best shortstops.

Tulowitzki‘s all-around play may be the key for the Blue Jays. He’s a big man (6’3″, 205 lbs) who hit 24 home runs and knocked in 79 runs this season, but it’s his athleticism at shortstop that often separates him from the competition.

“He brought a different element of poise and calmness to our club,” right fielder Bautista told Richard Justice of MLB.com. “Most of us are the excited, fiery type player that plays with a lot of emotion and experiences a lot of ups and downs. He’s kind of the guy that stays even. It’s great to have him in the dugout and clubhouse.”

The Indians have their own stud at shortstop in 22-year-old Francisco Lindor. His home run in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Red Sox lit a fuse in the Cleveland dugout and lifted the confidence of the Progressive Field crowd.

Lindor had a .301/.358/.435 slash line in 2016 while hitting 15 home runs and driving in 78 runs. He also stole 19 bases in 24 attempts, but it is his defense that sets him apart.

“It’s just how smooth and under control he is in a lot of aspects of his game that’s so impressive,” second baseman Jason Kipnis told Justice. “He just glides. He’s a very quick learner, and the moment doesn’t get too big for him. He has a right way of approaching the game.”

Keys for Toronto to win Game 1 

The Blue Jays need to get their power bats going against Kluber. That won’t be easy, but with sluggers like Encarnacion, Donaldson, Bautista and Tulowitzki in the lineup, the big names must produce.

Additionally, Estrada must come through with a strong starting effort. Gibbons probably needs six full innings from him before he can go to his bullpen with any comfort.

Keys for Cleveland to win Game 1 

Kluber is a dominating starting pitcher, and he must pitch like one as the Indians open the series at home. He needs to show he can shut down Toronto’s big bats the same way he did against Boston.

The Indians are not the slugging team that the Blue Jays are, but they showed they could deliver clutch hits in the Boston series. They need sluggers Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli to deliver key hits, and they also need production from Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Tyler Naquin.

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We learned a few things in the 2016 American League and National League Division Series.

We learned it will be the Cleveland Indians vs. Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series and the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs in the NL Championship Series. All four teams won three games to advance, which I suppose is another lesson in case anyone’s new to this whole postseason baseball thing.

As for the other key takeaways from the division series round, well, that’s what we’re here to get into. Let’s look at one takeaway for each of the surviving teams and three bigger-picture takeaways for the division series round as a whole.

After all those “takeaways,” it is with no shame that I now say this: Take it away!

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Another year, another dispiriting finish for the Washington Nationals.

Yes, the Nats pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to the maximum five games in the National League Division Series despite key injuries in the lineup and starting rotation.

At this point, though, Washington isn’t looking for moral victories.

The Nationals are seeking actual victories and, to put a fine point on it, trophies. They’re hoping to reverse their trend of choking in the division series. Most of all, they’re looking to optimize their roster and cash in while Bryce Harper remains gainfully employed in the nation’s capital.

First, let’s review Thursday’s heartbreaker.

The Nationals came into Game 5 against the Dodgers with their ace, Max Scherzer, on the hill and the home crowd behind them.

The Nats toted a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning before Los Angeles struck for four runs. Washington made it 4-3 when pinch hitter Chris Heisey launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh.

But Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen and Clayton Kershaw combined on a gutsy relief effort and sent the Dodgers to a champagne shower.

The Nationals, meanwhile, were left to pick up the pieces of another stalled run. There was ample cause for angst, but here’s a bitter nugget, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com:

There was also the ill-advised decision to send Jayson Werth home in the sixth inning, as McCovey Chronicles’ Grant Brisbee captured:

In 2012, Washington was a strike away from finishing off the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS but ended up losing three games to two.

In 2014, the Nats rolled in as heavy favorites but were defeated in four games by the upstart San Francisco Giants.

Last season, Washington was a popular preseason pick to win it all behind a supposed super-rotation but finished second in the NL East and missed the postseason.

This year, veteran skipper Dusty Baker restored order to a fractured clubhouse, and the Nationals reclaimed the division.

They were dinged, however, by late-season injuries to All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos, right-hander Stephen Strasburg and second baseman Daniel Murphy.

Murphy returned for the division series, but Ramos (torn ACL) and Strasburg (balky elbow) didn’t play in the postseason.

That leaves Washington with some wiggle room to explain its early exit. Losing one of your top two rotation cogs and a steady backstop who hit .307 with 22 home runs is no small thing.

Still, excuses aside, another season has passed with the Nationals limping home in October. This can’t keep happening indefinitely.

There is youth on the roster, spearheaded by speedy rookie Trea Turner, who looks like a budding superstar. But the Nats are counting the days until 2015 NL MVP and franchise cornerstone Harper hits the open market.

Harper, who turns 24 Sunday, will become a free agent after the 2018 campaign. That’s not tomorrow, but it’s soon enough for the Nationals to begin wringing their hands.

Yes, they could re-sign Harper at some point between now and then. But even after a down year, he’s likely to bolt for a Brink’s truck payday somewhere else (cough, the Bronx).

That means Washington needs to do its darndest to win now—to turn these recurring October lemons into confetti-flavored lemonade.

“This is the biggest start of my career,” Scherzer said before Thursday’s game, per Eddie Matz of ESPN.com.

He wasn’t wrong, though the 32-year-old right-hander will have other chances after inking a seven-year, $210 million contract in January 2015.

There’s hope on the horizon with a farm system Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter ranked No. 10 in the game after the 2016 trade deadline.

But with Harper’s potential exit looming and the unpleasant taste of three postseason exits in their mouth, the Nats need to regroup. They need to retool, adding a closer to supplant free agent Mark Melancon (or bringing him back) and possibly getting reinforcements for the lineup and rotation.

Most of all, they need to cast aside that dispiriting feeling before it’s too late. The NL East won’t belong to them forever, with the New York Mets looking to get their stable of studs back and the young Philadelphia Phillies on the rise.

The Nationals are heading into the offseason on a down note. Unfortunately for them, that’s a familiar song.

All statistics current as of Thursday and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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Clayton Kershaw, closer.

Hey, why not? After a division series round where bullpens mattered more than ever, why not end it all with the best pitcher of our generation coming out of the bullpen to get the final two outs?

Kershaw did it, finishing off the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals. Their matchup was the only division series to last the full five games.

Not that any of these series were easy.

In 10 of the 15 division series games, it was either tied in the ninth inning or the losing team had the tying run at the plate in the ninth. There were big home runs, four-run rallies and even a walk-off race to the plate on a throw to first base.

There was the emotion of David Ortiz’s farewell, and we learned how to correctly spell Conor Gillaspie (don’t let autocorrect tell you you’re wrong).

If you watched to the end every night, you missed out on a lot of sleep, but you didn’t miss any of the drama. And you probably feel a little like Kershaw did when it all ended well after midnight Friday morning.

“We’re all exhausted after every game, even if you’re sitting on the bench,” he told Fox Sports‘ Jon Paul Morosi. “These games are such grinds that it’s such a relieving feeling when they’re over and you win.”

It’s over. The Dodgers won, and so did the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays.

There was plenty of excitement, plenty of stars and plenty to fill this year’s edition of Bleacher Report’s League Division Series Awards.

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It was truly all hands on deck for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5. 

Clayton Kershaw got the save on one day of rest after starting Game 4, following 2.1 strong innings from Kenley Jansen out of the bullpen. Six different pitchers took the mound for the Dodgers on Thursday as they secured a 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals in a winner-take-all battle.

Mike Petriello of MLB.com summed up the drama in the last inning:

MLB Stat of the Day provided an interesting note on Kershaw’s performance:

While the game was good throughout, the action picked up in the seventh inning. Down 1-0, the Dodgers scored four runs against a record six different Nationals pitchers to take the three-run lead.

Washington was able to answer back with two runs in the bottom of the inning but failed to capitalize on a bases loaded situation that would have tied the game or given the Nationals the lead.

ESPN Stats and Info recapped all the action from a busy inning:

The Nationals had two more chances to tie the game but couldn’t get it done against either Jensen or Kershaw, ending their season at home.

Los Angeles’ bullpen finished with 6.1 innings pitched after starter Rich Hill did all he could on three days’ rest, allowing one run in 2.2 innings while striking out six. Joe Blanton and Julio Urias kept the Nats off the board for the next 3.1 innings.

Justin Turner and the Dodgers then only needed one inning to get all of their offense to secure the win and move on to the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs. 

Max Scherzer looked every bit of the Cy Young contender he is to start the game, throwing bullets out of the gate, per ESPN Stats and Info:

He sent the Dodgers down in order in each of the first two innings and didn’t give up a hit until the fifth. He ended up with six shutout innings before giving up his only run in the seventh.

Meanwhile, the Nationals were able to get on the scoreboard in the second inning when Danny Espinosa hit an RBI single to bring home Daniel Murphy.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post provided some perspective on the surprising hit:

Washington challenged once again in the third inning with two runners on base, forcing the Dodgers to make an early pitching change. Hill gave way to Blanton, who coaxed a fly ball from Anthony Rendon to get out of the inning.

The Dodgers then had their own chance in the top of the fifth but struggled once again with the bases loaded, as described by Scott Miller of Bleacher Report:

According to Baseball Tonight, they fell to 0-for-9 with the bases loaded in the series.

Scherzer was otherwise cruising on the mound, thanks in part to Jose Lobaton behind the plate, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports:

He ended the night with seven strikeouts in a strong effort to keep Washington in the game.

The two sides traded zeroes on the scoreboard as the game continued, with the Nationals only hurting themselves with outs on the basepaths. Bryce Harper was picked off to end the fifth, while Jayson Werth was thrown out at home by a mile in the sixth.

It took until the seventh inning for the Dodgers to get on the scoreboard. Joc Pederson drove a ball over the left field wall, knocking Scherzer out of the game in the process.

Later in the inning, a pinch-hitting Carlos Ruiz came through with an RBI single to give Los Angeles the 2-1 lead. Two batters later, Justin Turner drove in two more runs with a triple.

Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan captured the moment at Nationals Park:

Of course, the game was far from over as Chris Heisey hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to one. This led to a bold move from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, which was praised by Kevin Burkhardt of Fox Sports:

Jansen got out of the inning after striking out Rendon with the bases loaded. The closer followed that up by getting through the eighth inning as well. By the time he got the first out in the ninth inning, he had set a career high in pitches in a game.

After walking Harper and Werth, however, it was time for Kershaw to get his moment, just one game after throwing 110 pitches.

Pedro Gomez of ESPN noted what makes this game different than all others:

The ace did his job, getting Murphy to pop out before striking out Wilmer Difo and securing the win.

Dan Plesac of MLB Network provided this amazing statistic on Kershaw’s save:

Passan explained what this means for the lefty going forward:

There isn’t a lot of time for the Dodgers to celebrate, as Game 1 of the NLCS is Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. The Chicago Cubs are waiting and rested after beating the San Francisco Giants in four games in the NLDS.

The Cubs are certainly favored following a season in which they posted by far the best record in baseball, but Los Angeles won’t go down without a fight.

Postgame Reaction

Nationals manager Dusty Baker expressed skepticism about where the Dodgers will go from here after using their best arms Thursday, per J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group:

On the other hand, Roberts was only concerned with using his best pitchers when it mattered, per Ryan Schuiling of 92.1 FM:

Considering the Dodgers are moving on while Washington is going home, Roberts likely feels good about his choices in Game 5.

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The Chicago Cubs have been waiting for nearly a full year to get back to the National League Championship Series.

Last year, that exercise did not go well for Joe Maddon’s team, as they were swept in four games by the Mets and denied the opportunity to go to their first World Series since 1945.

Of course, it has been much longer than that since Chicago’s National League representative won the World Series. The 108-year wait for the Cubs has been tortured for many generations of fans, and they have good reason to believe that this is the year they can get to the World Series with an excellent chance of winning it.

By beating the San Francisco Giants in four games in the National League Division Series, the Cubs preserved their starting pitching rotation. They will be able to start left-handed ace Jon Lester in the opener and follow with Cy Young candidate Kyle Hendricks if Maddon chooses to go in that direction.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will fly into Chicago on a tremendous high themselves. They edged the Washington Nationals 4-3 in Game 5 of their NLDS, and that allowed them to advance to the National League Championship Series.

The Dodgers got gutsy relief performances from Kenley Jansen and Clayton Kershaw, and that allowed Los Angeles to survive and advance.

The Cubs are favorites to represent the National League in the World Series. According to Odds Shark, the Cubs range from prohibitive minus-310 to to minus-160 favorites to win the NLCS. The Dodgers range from plus-450 to plus-530 underdogs to win the National League pennant.

Chicago was a dominating team during the regular season, winning the National League Central Division by 17 ½ games over the St. Louis Cardinals, and they were a remarkable 57-24 at Wrigley Field. That’s another problem for the Nationals, because the seventh game would be played in Chicago if the series goes that long.

The confidence in the Cubs’ well-appointed locker room is peaking. “This is exactly where I envisioned our team being when I was deciding who to sign with,’’ Cubs infielder-outfielder Ben Zobrist told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. “My ultimate goal here is to win a championship. And that’s what everybody’s is. We’re close to that.’’

Prediction

The Cubs were the best team in baseball during the regular season by winning 103 games, and then they faced a tough test in the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants.

After losing Game 3 that allowed the Giants to get back in the series, the Cubs trailed in Game 4 until the ninth inning. That’s when they rallied for four runs to take the lead. They secured the victory in the game and the series when Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth.

That showed the mettle the team has, and as Zobrist pointed out, the team is confident and ready to play. The Dodgers are a fine team that might have a good chance of advancing most years. However, this Cubs team is one for the ages.

Chicago wins the series in five games.

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Terry Collins won’t commit to the New York Mets beyond the 2017 season.

The 67-year-old manager said Thursday the upcoming season could be his last, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN.com. 

“I just need to re-evaluate at the end of this coming year what’s going on, where I am, how I’m feeling,” Collins said. “I’ve always said a lot of it will be dictated by how I’m feeling. This was a tough year.”

The 2016 season was a strenuous one for the oldest manager in the majors, featuring an assortment of injuries to key players like David Wright, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and others. Despite the issues, the Mets were still able to reach the postseason with an 87-75 record before losing to the San Francisco Giants in the National League Wild Card Game.

In addition to the stress involved in coaching, Collins also cited the travel as holding him back:

It takes a toll on everybody. You talk to the players. If you noticed, that [Labor Day game] was the day we gave everybody off because they were stinking beat. This travel is hard, especially with the late-night scheduling that is prevalent throughout baseball. There are so many night games where you’re traveling after the game and getting into towns at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. And the next thing you know, if you ever have a day game pop up on you, it’s tough to do.

Collins has managed the Mets for six seasons, compiling a 481-491 record in that span. He led the squad to the World Series in 2015 and became just the second manager in franchise history to take the team to the playoffs in consecutive seasons. 

Prior to his time in New York, he spent six years managing the Houston Astros and the then-Anaheim Angels during the 1990s and has a 925-925 record in his career.

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Madison Bumgarner has a team-friendly contract that features two team options for 2018 and 2019, but that’s not stopping the San Francisco Giants from getting an early start on extension talks with their ace.

Continue for updates.

Giants Want to Talk Extension

Thursday, Oct. 13

Per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, Giants general manager Bobby Evans has already spoken to Bumgarner and told his agents the team is ready to discuss an extension when they are.

Bumgarner has been one of the best bargains in Major League Baseball since signing his original five-year, $35 million deal in April 2012.

That deal bought out Bumgarner’s first three years of free agency if the Giants end up exercising both of their options.

Per Baseball-Reference.com, next year will be the first time in Bumgarner’s career that he makes more than $10 million in a season.

Bumgarner is scheduled to make $11.5 million in 2017. For perspective, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, Kansas City Royals pitcher Ian Kennedy will make $13.5 million next season.

There aren’t many pitchers in baseball who warrant an extension more than Bumgarner, who has been named to four consecutive National League All-Star teams.

After finishing in the top 10 in Cy Young voting in each of the previous three seasons, Bumgarner has a strong chance to make it four straight in 2016, setting career highs in starts (34), innings (226.2) and strikeouts (251).

The Giants could end up having to pay Bumgarner a record amount to lock him up. David Price signed the largest contract for a pitcher in history last year, when the Boston Red Sox gave him $217 million over seven years.

Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Zack Greinke of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals are the only other pitchers who have signed deals worth $200 million or more.

At just 27 years old, Bumgarner doesn’t figure to slow down anytime soon. He’s been one of the most consistently dominant pitchers in the big leagues since 2011 and is as valuable as any other player the Giants have.

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