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Winning baseball starts on the mound, and that’s an understatement as far as the 2015 World Series goes with two stud pitchers lining up for Game 2 in Kauffman Stadium.

Both Edinson Volquez of the Kansas City Royals and Matt Harvey of the New York Mets pitched gems in Game 1 and canceled each other out with three runs apiece. That led to an incredible 14-inning affair as both bullpens battled adversity before the Royals took advantage of a Mets fielding error and loaded the bases for Eric Hosmer’s walk-off sacrifice fly.

Neither staff takes a step downward with pitching quality for Game 2. In fact, one could argue that the pitching will be even more dominant in Wednesday’s contest. 

Johnny Cueto, Kansas City Royals

It’s a battle of spectacular hair in Game 2 of the World Series.

While the mop of Jacob deGrom has generated a world of interest throughout this postseason (and long before it), he’s got some competition in the form of Johnny Cueto. And if you ask Cueto, he’s got the leg up in that category, as he told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN:

Well, that’s one advantage he might have over the Mets ace.

Otherwise, Wednesday spells a tough ask for Cueto, who looked shaky at best in his last postseason outing. He gave up eight runs against the Toronto Blue Jays and was yanked after just two innings.

He did do well to dispel his playoff struggles before that, pitching 14 combined innings in two victories over the Houston Astros in the ALDS. But Wednesday, he’ll be tasked with slowing down a desperate Mets lineup intent on jumping on him early.

Cueto should settle down in front of his home crowd eventually, but Royals fans haven’t seen the ace in Kansas City who emerged as one of baseball’s best pitchers with the Cincinnati Reds. He should pitch a strong game but not strong enough to outduel deGrom.

Prediction: 6 innings, 3 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

Jacob deGrom, New York Mets

Any Mets fans whose heart rates have spiked since their Game 1 defeat should rest easy heading into Game 2, knowing they have their best pitcher on the mound.

And that’s saying something, considering the rotation New York has dominated with throughout 2015. There’s little doubt, however, that deGrom is the bell cow of that rotation and best suited to pitch in what feels like a must-win game.

Should pitching on the road phase deGrom? He certainly doesn’t think so and in fact believes it’s to his advantage, per Neil Best of Newsday.

“I’ve actually enjoyed pitching on the road in the postseason,” deGrom said before Game 1. “You go out there, and you’re getting booed, and it’s fun to try to silence the crowd.”

It’s not just his talk that should have Mets fans confident—he has backed it up as well. All three of his starts have come on the road this postseason, and he’s been virtually unhittable while striking out opponents with ease, per ESPN Stats & Info:

When it comes down to it, pitching on the road hasn’t fazed deGrom in the least. It also hasn’t fazed him pitching in an elimination game, as he put together a gem in Game 5 of the NLDS and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This game isn’t a must-win, but it feels like it. Expect deGrom to pitch in that fashion, putting together seven innings of marvelous work.

Prediction: 7 innings, 1 run, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts

Game Prediction

The Mets bullpen entered the stretch run of Game 1 with a one-run lead and didn’t prove able to hold on to it. But you can’t expect closer Jeurys Familia to give up a late game-tying homer in a second straight game.

New York will give the Royals’ opportunistic lineup a breath of life in the eighth, allowing them to trim the deficit to just one run. But in the same position as he was Tuesday, Familia won’t let his club down.

Prediction: Mets 3, Royals 2

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This 2015 World Series is going to be fun.

The opening night of it provided an obvious showcase of that, as Tuesday night’s Game 1 went well into the morning in one of the longest games in World Series history. After five hours and nine minutes, over 14 innings, the Royals emerged on top to take the 1-0 series lead.

Heading into Wednesday’s Game 2, there’s little time for reflection on that instant classic with another one right around the corner. With that in mind, let’s dive right into odds and predictions for Game 2 as well as the updated prop bets.

Game 2 Odds

Game 2 odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Updated Prop Bets

Prop bets courtesy of OddsChecker.com.

Preview and Prediction

The opening game of the World Series unfolded just as we expected it—albeit with a handful more innings than initially thought.

Game 1 in Kansas City was indeed evenly matched, so much so that starting pitchers Matt Harvey and Edinson Volquez canceled each other out by conceding three runs each. The teams matched each other after that as well, largely thanks to Alex Gordon’s ninth-inning bomb that tied the game and sent it to extras.

Four more innings of even baseball followed as relief pitchers Bartolo Colon and Chris Young both pitched gems, until an error from the Mets allowed a bases-loaded situation with no outs that Colon couldn’t overcome.

With the Royals once again coming from behind, they tied an incredible statistic, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

It wouldn’t be surprising at all if the Royals were forced to cut into a deficit again Wednesday night in Game 2—not with who the Mets are rolling out onto the mound.

New York ace Jacob deGrom has turned into a folk hero, more so for his dominance on the mound than his wild mop of hair (although the latter is nonetheless exceptional). The 27-year-old is coming into his own in his first postseason, winning all three of his starts.

What’s more, deGrom tends to come through when pitching following a Mets loss, as Baseball Tonight noted:

For all of deGrom‘s great pitching throughout the postseason, he has proven susceptible during one stretch of games—the first inning. He has gotten into an early jam in each of his last two postseason starts, including allowing two runs to the Dodgers early in Game 5.

But it’s no secret why he’s able to settle in after that, as Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen told Scott Miller of Bleacher Report:

“Because he’s able to breathe,” Warthen says, in referring to deGrom‘s ability to slow the game down. “He’s able to focus. Even when you watch him get behind in the count, I’ve watched him umpteen different times where he’ll get 3-and-0 or 3-and-1 and he’ll be able to come back and get quality pitches from that count.

“At any given time, he can throw a 3-1 changeup or a 3-0 breaking ball and get back in the count. His command of the fastball and, more than anything, his ability to focus on that individual pitch [is key].”

You can bet that deGrom‘s early shakiness will be on the Royals’ scouting report. However, that doesn’t mean they’ll be able to prevent him from getting into his groove after that.

Kansas City’s bats have proven opportunistic throughout this postseason and the last, but only when the opposing pitching gives them the opportunity. Harvey rarely conceded that in Game 1, and deGrom will be even less likely to do that.

In the other dugout, trade-deadline acquisition Johnny Cueto gets the ball—who was shaky in his last outing, allowing eight earned runs in just two innings (two innings!) last time out in Game 3 of the ALCS.

Pitching at home should allow for Cueto to settle down, and both pitchers should shut the door often. But the Mets undoubtedly have the edge in that department, and their desperation to avoid going into an 0-2 hole will have their bats making the plays to win a low-scoring affair.

Prediction: Mets 3, Royals 2

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No New York Mets player will be more active during the 2015 World Series than Travis d’Arnaud. 

The catcher for the Mets has not yet missed a postseason game. D’Arnaud should, so long as he remains healthy, be behind the plate for every pitch made by the Mets against the Kansas City Royals. The task at hand will be that much more difficult for the Mets if d’Arnaud is not, for whatever reasons, at his best. 

His World Series got off to a rough start on Tuesday night. 

With d’Arnaud crouched behind the dish, Matt Harvey began the bottom of the first inning by tossing a fastball over the plate. Alcides Escobar, to the surprise of nobody who watched him in the American League Championship Series, came out swinging. Escobar smashed a ball deep into center field, and Michael Conforto and Yoenis Cespedes failed to properly communicate on who would play the ball. 

Cespedes followed that up with a pair of miscues that allowed Escobar to complete his journey around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. 

Harvey and d’Arnaud not only needed to be on the same page before Harvey took the hill; both should have realized that tempting Escobar so early in the game was unwise. This point was not lost on ESPN analyst Buster Olney, who immediately questioned the pitch after Escobar scored.

What is particularly upsetting about that early mistake for fans of the Mets is that d’Arnaud has been terrific behind the plate for much of the playoffs. D’Arnaud is currently, per ESPN Stats and Info, the best catcher in Major League Baseball as it pertains to getting strike calls for pitchers. His ability to “frame” pitches during the National League Championship Series earned d’Arnaud praise from analysts and fans.

As Jonah Kari of Grantland pointed out in September, d’Arnaud has not always been known for his defensive skills:

Improvement has come behind the plate, too. As a rookie last season, d’Arnaud led the National League with 12 passed balls (in 105 games behind the plate); this year he’s allowed just one (in 53 games as a catcher). Last year, opposing base-stealers ran wild on d’Arnaud, swiping 58 bags in 72 attempts — marking a lousy 19 percent caught stealing rate. This year, they’ve stolen 26 times in 38 tries, good for a much improved 32 percent caught stealing rate. Amid that improvement, d’Arnaud has remained one of the better pitch-framers in the game, ranking 13th this year (and 14th last year) in that category per StatCorner.com.

The Royals will continue to be aggressive at the plate and on the basepaths during the World Series. It is what has gotten the club to within three wins of a championship. This was not lost on Kevin Kernan of the New York Post as he was previewing the World Series: 

The Royals steal bases, go first to third and even first to home as (Lorenzo) Cain did to send the Blue Jays packing in the ALCS.

The pressure will be on catcher Travis d’Arnaud.

“We just have to execute,’’ he said. “We’re definitely ready for this challenge. We all believe in each other and that’s all we can really do. Get your work in and get your routines down and just go out there and play the game. It’s tough to know what is going to happen. All I can do is be best prepared for it as I can.’’

ESPN’s Olney spotted something concerning while watching d’Arnaud during a Mets’ workout session on Monday:

The Royals tested d’Arnaud and his comfort in the bottom of the sixth of Game 1.

With Kendrys Morales at the plate and the Mets leading 3-2, Cain took a short lead from first. Cain broke for second when it could have been argued that d’Arnaud should have called for a pitchout. The New York catcher came up firing, but the throw from d’Arnaud was late and well off the mark.

Cain scored the tying run later in the inning.

It would, of course, be only a plus for the Mets is d’Arnaud were to catch fire as a hitter during the World Series. The same can be said about anybody in the New York lineup. D’Arnaud is currently batting just .200 in the playoffs, 68 points under what he averaged in the regular season (h/t ESPN). The Mets need better from his spot in the order.

What d’Arnaud will provide the Mets as a catcher, though, could make or break the team during the World Series. 

Calling smart games. Keeping pitchers from being overwhelmed by the moment. Earning strikes for starters and relievers. Preventing the Royals from taking extra bases. D’Arnaud must be spot-on in these aspects. He wasn’t in Game 1, and the Mets lost. 

He will hope to have at least four more nights to redeem himself. 

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Game 1 of the World Series between the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets wound up being an instant classic, as it took five hours and 14 innings to find a winner.

The Royals, with their postseason magic on full display, managed to scrape out a 5-4 victory to keep home-field advantage.

You could look at it as the Mets coughing up a game in which they had several leads or the Royals being a gritty team that never dies, but it’s probably a mixture of both. 

The Mets got off to a rough start as Yoenis Cespedes booted a routine fly ball to center field on the first pitch out of Matt Harvey’s hand. His misplay resulted in an inside-the-park home run for Alcides Escobar.

New York recovered, however, taking multiple leads that it later blew.

The Mets led 3-1 in the sixth when a cruising Matt Harvey allowed the Royals to even the score at 3. After Eric Hosmer gift-wrapped the Mets a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning, Jeurys Familia came on to blow his first save since July 30, giving up a game-tying home run to Alex Gordon in the bottom of the ninth. 

It was Hosmer who won the game for the Royals, completing a ridiculous script that couldn’t have even been written by the best authors around the world. Hosmer went from Game 1 scapegoat to World Series hero with a walk-off sacrifice fly.

Although the Mets should be thoroughly disappointed that they hit poorly with men in scoring position, left 17 runners on base and played bad defense with Cespedes’ misplay and a 14th-inning error by David Wright that got Kansas City rolling, they can take solace in the fact that Jacob deGrom, their true ace, will take the hill for Game 2 on Wednesday night.

The Royals will oppose him with the struggling Johnny Cueto as they look to take a 2-0 lead before the series shifts to New York.

Final: Royals 5, Mets 4, 14 innings

Dan Ferrara is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Find him on Twitter @BigRed_BR for more analysis and insight. 

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Playoff baseball often comes down to pitching, which means both teams in the World Series will hope for a big performance from their starters in Game 1.

The Kansas City Royals waited until the last minute to announce Tuesday’s starter, but it will be veteran Edinson Volquez. He will battle Matt Harvey of the New York Mets in the important first game of the best-of-seven series. There are a lot of factors at play, but the performances of these two men could make a huge difference in the first contest of the series.

With that in mind, here is a look at what to expect from each pitcher in Game 1.

Edinson Volquez, Royals

While he did have one shutdown performance against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series, Volquez has not been great in his postseason career. In five starts, he has a 1-4 record with a 6.56 ERA, including 17 walks in 23.1 innings.

He explained to reporters that the key is to stay mentally composed, via Thomas Harding of MLB.com:

It’s another game. I don’t have to do anything different than what I’ve been doing. I’ve got to stay focused in what I’m doing, especially this game, because this is a World Series game. You don’t have too many chances to make a lot of mistakes in those games. So I’ve got to stay under control and pitch my game.

One thing he does have going for him is the extended layoff the Mets have had since last playing. Thanks to their four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs, they will go six days between games. This is a major gap for players who haven’t gone this long without seeing live pitching since March.

Volquez does have obvious talent, and while New York should be able to get some runs on the board, it won’t have the consistent hitting it has shown throughout the playoffs to this point. As long as the walks don’t get out of control, the Royals starter should at least be able to keep his team in the game.

With a dominant bullpen behind him, just going five or six innings should be more than enough for the 32-year-old starter.

Prediction: 5 innings, 3 runs, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts

Matt Harvey, Mets

Most of the discussion surrounding Harvey this season has been what has happened off the field. Agent Scott Boras wanted to shut him down due to an innings limit. He missed a postseason workout while stuck in traffic.

There weren’t many complaints about his actual pitching, however. Harvey finished the year ranked sixth in the National League with a 2.71 ERA and seventh with a 1.02 WHIP. Although he was sometimes overshadowed by teammate Jacob deGrom, the 26-year-old pitcher has outstanding stuff and can shut down any lineup.

With a fastball that can reach the upper 90s and breaking balls he can locate for strikes, Harvey was able to keep the Cubs lineup in check for 7.2 innings, allowing just two runs in his most recent start.

The problem is the Royals have a much more experienced lineup than the Cubs with a better approach at the plate. As Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports notes, they know how to handle hard pitching:

Kansas City might not have one terrifying hitter in the middle of the order, but it has a deep lineup full of hitters who can all get the ball in play. Even if Harvey is at his best, this is a batting order that could scratch a few runs across with multiple singles in a row and eventually get to the talented pitcher.

Look for him to have a great start to the day before giving up a few runs at the end of his outing.

Prediction: 6.2 innings, 3 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts

Game Prediction

Harvey has the clear edge in this matchup when it comes to pure ability. However, there are multiple other factors at play, most notably the Royals bullpen and the offense’s knack for scoring late.

Mets manager Terry Collins knows the opposing bullpen combination of Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson and Wade Davis could be tough to beat late in games:

The problem is even if this plan works out, a close lead also isn’t safe. This is more of an issue with the Mets lacking faith in setup men Tyler Clippard and Addison Reed. If Harvey can’t go seven or eight innings, the bridge to closer Jeurys Familia will feature plenty of drama.

New York has the hitters to get an early lead, but the Royals will eventually get to Harvey and tie up the game. In a battle of bullpens, the edge will go to Kansas City, and the home team will pull out a Game 1 win.

Prediction: Royals 4, Mets 3

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis. 

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This might not have been the World Series matchup everyone was expecting, but the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals should create an interesting series.

The Royals entered the playoffs with the best record in the American League, although the Toronto Blue Jays offense and the Houston Astros’ young talent led many to predict an upset. Meanwhile, the Mets pulled off the surprise, winning the National League pennant despite having the league’s fifth-best record during the regular season.

Of course, none of that matters heading into the upcoming best-of-seven series. It will all start with both sides trying to get the edge in Tuesday’s all-important Game 1.

Game 1 Info

When: Tuesday, Oct. 27

Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Time: 8:07 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Probable Pitchers: Matt Harvey (Mets) vs. Edinson Volquez (Royals)

Preview

The Mets were dominant in their National League Championship Series sweep of the Chicago Cubs, winning all four games without trailing for a moment. While the focus has been on the team’s young pitching, the hitting has been just as impressive.

Daniel Murphy has earned all of the headlines in the postseason thanks to his .421 batting average and seven home runs in nine games. Meanwhile, Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes have played well, too, with seven RBI apiece in the same stretch. David Wright, Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud have also showed they are capable of picking up big hits.

The problem is that sweeps don’t always lead to success in the next round, as MLB Stat of the Day noted:

As hot as Murphy and the rest of the Mets hitters have been in the playoffs, a six-day break is not going to help them sustain their strong play.

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports looked at a positive side of the long layoff:

Of course, nine days off for Matt Harvey might be too long for him to stay in a rhythm, as well. The 26-year-old pitcher was excellent against the Cubs, allowing just two runs in 7.2 innings, but a long layoff and a road game in a hostile atmosphere could make things tougher.

Opposing starter Edinson Volquez has been inconsistent in the playoffs, giving up five runs against the Blue Jays in his most recent start after tossing six shutout innings in Game 1. Throughout his career, the 32-year-old veteran is 1-4 with a 6.56 ERA in the postseason.

One of the big differences, however, is that Volquez does not need to go deep into the game to be effective. If he throws five solid innings, the bullpen—led by Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson and especially Wade Davis—can take care of business.

This mindset also helps the Royals hitters, who know they can come from behind late. Alcides Escobar and Ben Zobrist were excellent in the American League Championship Series, but Kansas City will trot out a deep lineup featuring quality hitters such as Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and others who are all capable of coming through with an RBI when the opportunity presents itself.

Manager Ned Yost discussed his confidence going into the series, which stems from the disappointment of last year’s heartbreaking World Series loss, per Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News:

Last year, we hadn’t been there – and we were one historic performance from Madison Bumgarner away from winning the World Series. Now, the experience definitely helps us a little bit on our side because we’ve been there before, we know what it’s like. The confidence that these guys have, and our abilities, they knew from the first day of spring training that we’d be back here, and here we are.

Nerves will not be a problem for the Royals, and you can expect them to keep fighting inning after inning.

Look for the Mets to build an early lead in Game 1 against Volquez before surrendering a few runs in the middle innings. It will be a long series, but the home team will come away with the opening victory.

Prediction: Royals win 4-3.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis. 

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How will the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals fare against each other in the 2015 World Series? We’re about to find out.

In the meantime, here’s a thought experiment: What if these two franchises stepped into a flux capacitor-equipped DeLorean and traveled back in time to face themselves?

Specifically, what if the current Royals played a best-of-seven series against the 1985 Royals, the last K.C. club to win it all? And what if the ’15 Mets squared off against the 1986 world champion Amazins?

We’d get some scintillating baseball, for one, and a couple of epically hyped fanbases.

But who would prevail in each of these space-time-bending clashes? 

Let’s unpack that intriguing hypothetical by examining the rosters and statistics, looking at each squad’s strengths and vulnerabilities and, of course, adding a hefty dollop of pie-in-the-sky speculation.

We’ll consider regular-season stats for context, but ultimately we’ll compare each team’s postseason roster, leaving off players who may have contributed during the 162-game slog but for whatever reason didn’t factor in to the Fall Classic equation. 

These decade-spanning matchups won’t happen without an assist from Doc Brown, obviously. But while we wait for the real-life games to begin, it sure is fun to imagine. 

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With the way this postseason unfolded, you almost knew a long-suffering organization would end up on top at the culmination of the 2015 World Series.

That’s guaranteed to be the case over the next several days, no matter who comes out on top between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals. A club that hasn’t hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy in 29 years (New York) or 30 years (Kansas City) will do just that in early November to cap off a magical playoff run.

If that doesn’t get your heart pounding for the World Series, I don’t know what will. Take a look below for more information.

2015 World Series Schedule

World Series Preview

The Mets and the Chicago Cubs were both expected to make strides in the National League this season, but seeing them play for a spot in the World Series had even the most optimistic fans of both franchises pinching themselves.

But as it turned out, the NLCS wasn’t even competitive. While the Cubs struggled to find their footing, New York strolled its way through the Windy City, sweeping a four-game series with a more than three-run average margin of victory.

It’s no secret that the Mets’ standout pitching has led the way to the club’s first World Series appearance since 2000, when they came up short against the Yankees in the Subway Series. Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard have been dealing fire throughout the playoffs, and Stephen Matz joins them in the World Series rotation, per the Mets:

New York will start out on the mound in Game 1 with Matt Harvey, who has won both of his starts so far in the postseason. Having not pitched since a 7.2-inning performance on October 17, he’ll be fresh and ready to go.

While the pitching has been there all season for the Mets, they’re getting incredible production from bats that had been inconsistent throughout the season. It’s mainly attributed to a balanced lineup, but the sudden outburst of Daniel Murphy has put them over the top.

Take a look at how well Murphy is raking against outside pitches, as he’s in the midst of a six-game postseason streak with home runs that broke an MLB record, per Mark Simon of ESPN:

Of course, the Royals aren’t to be outdone by the Mets’ suddenly reliable bats. Kansas City is in the middle of a scoring explosion as well, putting up 38 runs in its six-game series win over Toronto in the ALCS.

A scary Mets rotation might strike fear in Kansas City fans, but they should rest easy after seeing what the Royals were able to do to Blue Jays ace David Price in Game 6 despite a great performance from him, per Lee Judge of the Kansas City Star:

The Royals were not going to wait around; they’d go after the first good pitch they saw. The Royals wanted to get Price early in the count, before he got to those two-strike chase pitches.

They didn’t exactly kill him with that strategy — Price only gave up five hits total — but as far as the Royals were concerned, the strategy worked. Price was under 90 pitches after six innings, but gave up three earned runs in six and two-thirds and that was enough to put Kansas City in a position to win the game.

Doing that against a pitcher who is 0-7 all time in the postseason is one thing, but getting it done against a trio of red-hot pitchers who don’t seem at all fazed by the playoff spotlight will be another story entirely.

Simply put, the Royals have been getting it done, even when they face the other team’s top pitcher. But what will happen when the other team has three top pitchers?

Well, we should find out soon enough.

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Each one of Daniel Murphy‘s home runs this October wasn’t accompanied by a cartoon cash-register sound effect, though they all probably should have been.

Murphy slugged the New York Mets to the World Series, sure. But he’s also bashing himself toward a hefty free-agent payday this winter.

How hefty will it be? And how hefty should it be? Let’s parse those questions.

First, it pays (get it?) to recount what the veteran infielder has accomplished in his historic postseason debut.

Murphy hit .333 with three home runs in the division series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. As it turns out, that was merely a prelude for the National League Championship Series, when he went 9-for-17 with four more dingers as the Mets swept the Chicago Cubs.

Overall, Murphy carries a .421 average and 1.026 postseason OPS into the World Series. And he owns an MLB record after homering in six consecutive playoff games.

“I can’t explain it,” Murphy said, per USA Today‘s Jorge L. Ortiz. “It’s just such a blessing to be able to contribute to what we’ve been able to do.”

Murphy’s done more than contribute. He’s joined forces with the Mets’ stable of power arms and turned New York into a genuine juggernaut. And he’s transformed himself into one of the offseason’s hottest commodities.

Murphy wasn’t a slouch before he became the lovechild of Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth. He made his first All-Star team in 2014 and hit a career-high 14 home runs this season.

But after shining this brightly on baseball’s biggest stage, Murphy has significantly upped his value.

Maybe the best recent comparison is Pablo Sandoval, a solid regular-season contributor who won World Series MVP honors with the San Francisco Giants in 2012 before inking a five-year, $95 million deal with the Boston Red Sox last November.

Sandoval hit just .245 for Boston this year and posted a career-worst minus-0.9 WAR, per Baseball-Reference.com, so he’s a cautionary tale. And he was 28 when the Red Sox signed him, while Murphy will turn 31 in April.

Still, the allure of October glory can take a good player and round him up to a legend. And legends tend to get paid.

“Obviously, he’s not going to be as hot as he’s been in the postseason, but he plays positions where his power plays well,” an unnamed American League general manager said of Murphy, per Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

That same GM cited the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels, three of the top seven MLB clubs by payroll, as potential suitors. And, he concluded, “He’s going to be sought-after and get a five-year deal at around $75 million. Maybe more.”

Murphy, who got the bulk of his starts at second base but can play third and first, is part of a free-agent class that also includes analogous veterans Ian Desmond, Howie Kendrick and Ben Zobrist, whose Kansas City Royals will battle Murphy’s Mets for the Commissioner’s Trophy.

So the supply might be high enough to drive down the price. And New York figures to make a qualifying offer to Murphy, which would mean any other club that signed him would surrender a draft pick.

Either way, the Mets are apparently out of the running.

Despite Murphy’s status as the reigning King of Queens (with apologies to Kevin James), the Mets don’t intend to bring him back, per Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News.

“He’s been great, really great,” an unnamed source told Ackert, “but it changes nothing.”

That’s a peculiar stance to take, at least from a public-relations standpoint. Yes, the Mets consider Dilson Herrera a potential replacement up the middle. And, double yes, a Murphy overpay would strain their bottom line, especially as they look to retain their young pitching nucleus.

Symbolically, though, how do you cut loose the guy who did this against NL Cy Young hopeful Jake Arrieta in Game 2 of the NLCS, with one hand to boot:

For the moment, as the Amazins charge full-steam toward their first title since 1986, it’s a moot point, as Newsday‘s David Lennon argued:

So what if Murphy is inflating his next contract offer with every swing? Right now, his plate production is getting them that much closer to the World Series. What good would it do the Mets to suddenly whisper during the playoffs that they’ve reconsidered and intend to have Murphy as their second baseman for the next half-decade or so?

The Mets have other goals right now, as does Murphy.

Someone is going to open his checkbook for Daniel Murphy in a couple of months, and when he does, he’ll be thinking about Murphy’s hero act through the NLDS and NLCS and possibly what he’s about to do for an encore in the championship round.

That may be irrational, and it could lead to a Sandoval-esque boondoggle.

But with each colossal swing, Murphy keeps the cash-register sound effects coming—and sends the doubters spinning deeper into orbit.

All statistics current as of Oct. 25 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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Between now and the start of the 2015 World Series, there’s going to be a lot of talk about the layoff, and for good reason.

The New York Mets haven’t played since last Wednesday, and extended breaks have not been kind to Fall Classic participants. Five of the last six teams that had five or more days off before the World Series ended up losing, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

While it will be worth watching out to see if the Mets can buck that trend, it’s far from the only narrative to keep an eye on as the World Series approaches.

From the emergence of Bartolo Colon as a middle reliever to the potential disappearance of Kendrys Morales, here are a few of the under-the-radar storylines that will make a major impact in this matchup between the Mets and the Kansas City Royals.

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