NL Central

Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams is considered a trade candidate after the team declined his $10.5 million club option, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Per Passan, Williams will receive a $250,000 buyout and remain with the Brewers. He's expected to make roughly $9 million in his final year of arbitration.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post noted that Milwaukee declined the 30-year-old's club option because he should get a lower salary in arbitration due to injuries that caused him to miss time.

Williams was limited to just 22 appearances during his 2024 campaign, as his season debut was delayed until July 28 due to stress fractures in his back. He was able to maintain a 1.25 ERA while recording 38 strikeouts in 21.2 innings of work, though.

His season didn't end on a high note, as he allowed a three-run homer to Pete Alonso as Milwaukee was eliminated by the New York Mets in the National League Wild Card Series.

PETE ALONSO!!!!!!!!!!!!! #POSTSEASON pic.twitter.com/LzgpxTWUzN

— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2024

Still, Williams has established himself as one of the top closers in the majors when he's been able to stay healthy. He won 2020 NL Rookie of the Year honors with the Brewers and made consecutive All-Star appearances in 2022 and 2023.

Williams owns a 1.83 ERA for his career, racking up 68 saves and 375 strikeouts compared to 112 walks in 241 appearances.

Brewers general manager Matt Arnold didn't rule out a trade when discussing Williams entering his final year of team control.

"We have to stay open-minded," Arnold said, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. "We're the smallest market in the league, so that's something that's required in this."

While Milwaukee is coming off a 93-win season, moving Williams for a package of future assets appears to be on the table. Heyman reported on Sunday that the closer will be "highly coveted" as a trade target, but the Brewers can still afford to keep him.

After the team declined his club option, Arnold could start receiving calls from opposing front offices regarding Williams' availability.

Cody Bellinger is sticking with the Chicago Cubs.

The veteran center fielder opted into the second year of his deal with a $27.5 million salary in 2025, per ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan.

Bellinger initially signed with Chicago ahead of the 2023 season on a one-year, $17.5 million deal. After a prolonged free agency before the 2024 season, he landed a three-year deal with the Cubs in February following a terrific season.

The contract has a unique structure that gives Bellinger the ability to opt out after each of the first two years. He will go through this process again next year with a $25 million salary on the table in 2026 if he opts in.

After coming to Chicago following a six-year stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bellinger had moments of his former MVP self in 2023. He hit 26 home runs and 97 RBI with a .307 batting average and .881 OPS.

That outstanding first year with the Cubs led many to believe Bellinger could help Chicago reach the postseason in 2024, but he didn't offer as much with just 18 homers, 78 RBI, a .266 batting average and a .751 OPS.

Bellinger, the 2019 NL MVP and a World Series champion, has certainly regressed since having surgery in 2020, but he's still just 29 years old and has plenty of time to work back toward being the player he once was.

While Chicago's focus seems to be on the future, Bellinger's return could help make a rebuild move along faster than it otherwise would have.

Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams is putting the weight of Thursday's 4-2 loss to the New York Mets in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card series on his shoulders.

After allowing four runs in the top of the ninth inning, Williams told reporters he felt like he let the team down.

"This is the closest team that I have played on," Williams said. "That it makes it that much more disappointing. Everyone did their job except me. I feel like I let everyone down."

After both teams were held scoreless for the first six innings, the Brewers broke through in the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back homers from Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick.

Milwaukee maintained a 2-0 lead going into the ninth when Williams took the mound. The two-time All-Star allowed three of the first four hitters to reach, highlighted by Pete Alonso's go-ahead three-run homer.

PETE ALONSO!!!!!!!!!!!!! #POSTSEASON pic.twitter.com/LzgpxTWUzN

— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2024

The Mets tacked on another run with two outs after Jesse Winker was hit by a pitch, stole second and came around to score on Starling Marte's RBI single that knocked Williams out of the game.

David Peterson closed out the game for the Mets by getting Brice Turang to ground into a double play.

Williams has been one of the best and most reliable relievers in baseball since his first full season in 2020. He had a 1.70 ERA and 361 strikeouts in 222 regular-season innings over the past five seasons.

A back injury kept Williams out for the first three months this season. He was excellent in 22 appearances with a 1.25 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 21.2 innings.

Thursday night marked the first time Williams allowed more than two earned runs in a game all season. His four earned runs allowed tied his career-high, previously done twice. The last time it happened was against the Minnesota Twins on June 13, 2023.

The dramatic finish for New York came one day after the Brewers had their own late-inning magic with a three-run eighth in a 5-3 win to force the decisive Game 3.

Milwaukee has now lost five consecutive playoff series since losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 NLCS. The Brewers are just 2-10 in their last 12 playoff games.

The Cincinnati Reds are hiring Terry Francona as the team's next manager, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported.

Francona most recently spent 11 seasons with the Cleveland Guardians organization before stepping down following the 2023 season.

Francona's 23-year managerial career also includes eight years with the Boston Red Sox and four with the Philadelphia Phillies, and he spent one season of his 10-year playing career with the Reds in 1987.

The Reds made a surprise move to fire David Bell on Sept. 22 after six seasons. The decision came 14 months after he signed a three-year extension through the 2026 campaign.

Bell's departure came as the Reds were in the midst of a 77-85 record in 2024. He finished 409-456 with three winning seasons and a postseason appearance in 2020 during his tenure with the club.

Since making the playoffs three times in a four-season span from 2010 to '13, the Reds own the fourth-worst record in Major League Baseball (753-927). The only teams that have been worse are the Miami Marlins, Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies.

There is hope for the Reds to challenge for a playoff spot sooner than later. Elly De La Cruz is one of the most dynamic talents in the sport, coming off a season in which he had 71 extra-base hits and an MLB-high 67 stolen bases. Hunter Greene is an ace after posting a 2.75 ERA in 26 starts during the 2024 season.

Top prospect Rhett Lowder looked terrific with a 1.12 ERA in six starts late in the season after being called up from Triple-A. Chase Burns, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 MLB draft, could move fast through the minors and be in Cincinnati at some point next year.

There is work for the front office to help out that core group of players, but that quartet is a great starting point for any organization to build around.

Francona marked a 1950-1672 overall record during his prior managerial career, which was highlighted by breaking an 86-year championship drought by leading the Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007.

He then headed to Cleveland in 2013 and went on to lead his team to an AL pennant in 2016. When Francona stepped away from the MLB to focus on his health after the 2023 season he left as the winningest manager in Guardians franchise history.

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames confirmed to reporters on Thursday that he not only told New York Mets designated hitter Jesse Winker to meet him in the parking lot after Winker was chirping at him during Game 1 of the Wild Card matchup between the teams, but that he actually waited for him after the game.

"I was there (in the lot)," Adames told Jon Heyman of the New York Post, adding that Winker didn't show up.

Willy Adames tells Jesse Winker to meet him in the parking lot, a breakdown pic.twitter.com/jphq8n1CZx

— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) October 2, 2024

Here's the context from that situation.

Winker hit a two-run triple in the second inning during New York's 8-4 win in Game 1 of the series on Tuesday. At third base, he began barking at the Brewers, and Adames had words in return.

Jesse Winker ties it for the Mets!

(via @Mets)pic.twitter.com/HWrbOb9Gwv

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 1, 2024

"He just started yelling to me straight-up," Adames told Heyman. "In the heat of the moment, I'm not going to back down. So we were just chirping. I don't know what he was mad about."

Winker—who was a member of the Brewers last season—reportedly was mad that Frankie Montas had hit him with a pitch during a matchup between the teams last Friday, per Heyman, though he declined to discuss the situation after Game 1.

Jesse Winker was asked about his exchange with Willy Adames:

"I don't really want to speak on it. I just want to focus on the game tomorrow." pic.twitter.com/XxUeVYToyb

— SNY (@SNYtv) October 2, 2024

"I don't know what was going through his head, but he just started saying some stuff and I said something back," Adames told reporters after Game 1. "I don't know. I think that's the kind of player he is. ... I guess that's part of his personality. It was just a little bit of a surprise to me, but we don't back off."

Winker wasn't in the lineup for Game 2, but was for Thursday's decisive Game 3 and was greeted with boos when he stepped to the plate for the first time in the top of the second.

Brewers fans and Winker already had a salty relationship. He struggled for the team in 2023, hitting just .199 in 61 games while missing the majority of the second half of the season with a back injury. He was nonetheless selected for the postseason roster over the more popular Garrett Mitchell—who hit what ended up being a game-winning, two-run homer for the Brewers in the eighth inning of Game 2 on Wednesday night—and was booed several times by Milwaukee fans during the 2023 postseason.

He received a similar reception on Thursday.

Things got intense during the second inning of Tuesday's wild-card matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets.

Brewers shortstop Willy Adames had a heated exchange with Jesse Winker as he rounded the bases, though it's unclear what the two said to each other.

After the game, Adames addressed the situation, saying he was surprised by his former teammate.

"I don't know what was going through his head but he just started saying some stuff and I just said something back," he said. "I think that's the kind of player he is, it is what it is... That was surprising that he was saying so much stuff. But like I said, that's part of his personality. It was just a little bit of a surprise to me. But we don't back off."

Willy Adames spoke about his exchange with Jesse Winker and the team's mindset heading into a must-win Game 2 on Wednesday night. #ThisIsMyCrew | #MLB pic.twitter.com/oFKEO0vEXd

— FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin (@FanDuelSN_WI) October 2, 2024

Winker had less to say about the situation, instead turning his attention to Wednesday's matchup.

"I don't really want to speak on it," he said. "I just want to focus on the game tomorrow."

Jesse Winker was asked about his exchange with Willy Adames:

"I don't really want to speak on it. I just want to focus on the game tomorrow." pic.twitter.com/XxUeVYToyb

— SNY (@SNYtv) October 2, 2024

He did, however, clarify that he didn't say anything to Adames when he was rounding the bases.

"If y'all think I'm able to run and talk, you don't know my athletic abilities," Winker said.

"If y'all think I'm able to run and talk, you don't know my athletic abilities" 😂

Jesse Winker talks about getting to third on his triple: pic.twitter.com/LDAm3fctvf

— SNY (@SNYtv) October 2, 2024

On the play that sparked the altercation, Winker hit an RBI triple to right field to tie things up.

😉😉😉 pic.twitter.com/az6QPNxU31

— New York Mets (@Mets) October 1, 2024

New York later took a 3-2 lead in the second after Starling Marte hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Winker.

The Brewers regained the lead in the fourth inning before the Mets tied things and ultimately pulled away in the top of the fifth, taking an 8-4 lead that held as the final score.

It took New York until the final day of the regular season to clinch a spot in the postseason, beating the Atlanta Braves on Monday to secure a playoff berth.

After their first game of the postseason, the Mets have a 1-0 lead on the Brewers and need just one more win to advance to the divisional series.

Winker, who was traded from the Washington Nationals to the Mets earlier this year, spent the 2023 season alongside Adames and the Brewers. His history with the team was certainly a factor coming into the series, and fans saw things heat up early on Tuesday.

A Nevada coroner determined that former Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose died on Monday at age 83 due to heart disease.

Rose's cause of death was "hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease," with diabetes mellitus as a significant condition, according to a report from Clark County coroner Melanie Rouse (per Erin Couch of the Cincinnati Enquirer and Emily Sanderson of WLWT 5.)

The manner of Rose's death was determined to be natural.

Diabetes mellitus refers to multiple diseases that can cause blood sugar usage issues, according to the Mayo Clinic. Diabetes, as well as atherosclerosis and hypertension, are considered risk factors for heart problems including heart attack or stroke, per the Mayo Clinic.

The Clark County medical examiner previously told ABC News that Rose's death would be investigated after he was found by a family member in his home. The examiner reported that there were "no signs of foul play," per Mark Osborne and Angeline Jane Bernabe.

The examiner also noted that Rose "was not under the care of a doctor when he died," per Osborne and Bernabe.

During his 24-year-year MLB career, highlighted by 19 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Rose set MLB records with 4,256 career hits in 3,562 games played between 1963 and 1986.

As a player, Rose was named an All-Star 17 times and won two World Series with the Reds and one with the Philadelphia Phillies. He then served as the Reds manager before he was banned from MLB in 1989 for violating league betting policy.

The ban kept the Cincinnati native out of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but not from being honored in his hometown. Rose was named to the Reds Hall of Fame in 2016, and the team unveiled a statue of him in front of Great American Ball Park in 2017.

One of the best sluggers in MLB is reportedly set to hit the open market over the offseason.

According to The Athletic's Katie Woo, the St. Louis Cardinals "are expected to part ways with" star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt when his contract expires at the end of the 2024 campaign.

Goldschmidt is in the final season of the five-year, $130 million deal he signed with the Cardinals prior to the 2019 season. Woo noted that St. Louis is "planning to transition to a reset in 2025," which led to the decision to "move on from one of their franchise faces."

A seven-time All-Star and the 2022 National League MVP, Goldschmidt has been one of the most consistent power hitters in MLB since he made his major-league debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011. The 37-year-old has hit 30 or more home runs in a season seven times in his career.

Unfortunately, 2024 has been a down year for Goldschmidt by his standards. In 153 games, he registered a career-low batting average of .245 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI, his lowest totals since 2020 when he was limited to 58 games due to an elbow injury.

At 82-79 entering Sunday's season finale against the San Francisco Giants, the Cardinals are set to miss the playoffs for the second straight year. St. Louis ended a run of four straight postseason appearances in 2023 after finishing with a 71-91 record.

The only thing missing from Goldschmidt's career resume is a World Series title, so he will likely be looking to join a contender when he hits the open market this offseason.

The Cincinnati Reds are targeting multiple options to fill the team's vacancy at manager.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, former Miami Marlins skipper Skip Schumaker is Cincinnati's "No. 1 target" for the position. Former Chicago Cubs manager David Ross is also "expected" to receive an interview with the team.

The Reds fired former manager David Bell on Sept. 22 in the midst of an underwhelming season that saw the team miss the postseason for the fourth consecutive year. With 85 losses, Cincinnati will also finish with a worse record than the team's 82-80 mark in 2023.

Yasmani Grandal lifts a 2-run #walkoff BLAST! 💥 pic.twitter.com/SWGAq5nD6u

— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2024

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on Saturday that Schumaker told Marlins players that he miss Miami's final two games due to a family issue and would not be back with the organization in 2025.

Although the Marlins sit at 61-100 this season, they won 84 games in 2023. Schumaker was rewarded for the effort, winning last season's NL Manager of the Year award.

Ross was fired by the Cubs after narrowly missing the postseason in 2023. He made progress with Chicago before his exit, as the team's win total increased in each of his final three years as manager.

The cost of hiring a new manager will likely factor into Cincinnati's decision-making process, as Bell is still owed $4.9 million over the next two years (h/t Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer).

As the Reds begin their search for a new manager, Schumaker and Ross are reportedly at the top of their list.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have released Rowdy Tellez just as he was on the verge of receiving a $200,000 bonus for reaching 425 plate appearances this season.

The team announced prior to Tuesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers that the 29-year-old had been designated for assignment.

Pittsburgh's decision came with six games remaining in the regular season. Tellez had 421 plate appearances, four shy of triggering the $200,000 bonus in his contract.

Today, with just six games left, the Pirates DFA'd Rowdy Tellez, who has been an above-average hitter by wRC+ over the past month.

Coincidentally, Tellez's contract reportedly entitled him to a $200,000 bonus at 425 plate appearances.

His time with the Pirates ends at 421.

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) September 24, 2024

In the same move, Michael A. Taylor was designated for assignment. The team called up Liover Peguero and Joshua Palacios from Triple-A to fill out their roster.

The decision to part ways with Tellez raised some eyebrows, but general manager Ben Cherington told reporters it was not a financially motivated move:

"No factor at all, zero. And, no, I'm not concerned. Contracts are negotiated in good faith. Then they live out. We feel like we gave Rowdy lots of opportunity here this year. To his credit, he fought through some difficult times earlier in the year. Had periods of success and frustration. This is just where we got to in the season. Had nothing to do with where the plate appearances were lining up."

Tellez signed a one-year, $3.2 million contract with the Pirates as a free agent in December 2023. He has been in the lineup for most of the season as the starting first baseman or designated hitter.

There was a performance-based justification for the Pirates to release Tellez. He hit .243/.299/.392 with 13 homers and 56 RBI in 131 games.

Among 19 first basemen with at least 400 plate appearances this season, his minus-0.6 FanGraphs' wins above replacement is tied for last with Ty France.

But the decision to wait until the final week of the regular season to make this move is questionable, especially since Pirates owner Bob Nutting has been scrutinized for his lack of investment in the MLB roster over the years.

In a February report from The Athletic's Stephen J. Nesbitt and Ken Rosenthal about the state of the franchise under Nutting's ownership, one former instructor for the team said they had to wait a day to execute a trade to save $30,000.

The Pirates haven't run a payroll of at least $90 million since 2017. They have missed the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons dating back to 2016, with just one winning year during that span (82-79 in 2018).