MLB Trade Rumors and News: Yankees sweep the Twins, both NL series to go to five games

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• On paper, the matchup between the Twins and Yankees should have been a pretty decent one on paper. Unfortunately for the Twins, that is not how it turned out as the Yankees swept the Twins to move on to the ALCS behind a big night from Gleyber Torres and some really good pitching.
• The rest of the league division series will have to wait to be decided as the Cardinals rallied in another great game against the Braves to force a game five, the Nationals clubbed the Dodgers to do the same, and the Rays put on an offensive show to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Astros.
• Who said athletes don’t age gracefully? Russell Martin’s heroic efforts last night gave the Dodgers the series lead as Patrick Corbin, in his first time coming out of the bullpen in two years, fell victim to Los Angeles’ bats. The 36-year old went 2-for-4 with a two run home run, and was also assisted by previously non-tendered Met, Justin Turner’s three run home run. Honestly Martin might not even be aging at all. Someone check him for whatever stuff Keanu Reeves has too. Rich Hill (better known as Dick Mountain) takes the mound tonight as the Nationals fight for one more game of postseason baseball.
• The Mets found a way to distract people from what should have been a celebration of the best teams in the league when they announced that they were firing manager Mickey Callaway. This was always an option on the table as the Mets did underperform this season and seem like they are going to continue to go for it, but one has to think that MLB would have preferred them to choose to announce that decision on a different day.
• Dansby Swanson and Mike Soroka lend some helpful insight on the Braves’ Game 3 win and how the team is strategizing for Game 4.
• Joe Madden, previous Cubs manager and current angry man in glasses, will be interviewing for the manager spot Brad Ausmus left open on the Angels, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Los Angeles is currently Maddon’s one seed, which when you consider the competition is a very beat up Pirates team and a young, talented Mets team that’s perpetually cursed due to Citi Field being on a Native American burial ground (probably), Mike Trout on your squad doesn’t look too shabby. This will be a nice homecoming for Maddon with the Angels, considering he was the team’s interim manager in 1996 and 1999, won a World Series in his five years as Mike Scioscia’s bench coach, and acted as a scout in his over thirty years with the organization. Seems legit to me.
• The Nationals, who already saw Bryce Harper walk away last offseason to the rival Phillies, have reportedly offered star third baseman Anthony Rendon a seven-year contract extension worth around $210 million. This is going to be an important offseason for the Nationals as Rendon will be a free agent and it sounds like Stephen Strasburg will opt out of his contract as well. Whether they figure out an extension for these guys or they hit the free agent market to try and replace them, the Nationals appear poised to be VERY busy this offseason yet again.
• This is the innovation that makes the Tampa Bay Rays so scary and no it’s not that Blake Snell was made in a factory (that theory is still up for debate, though).
• Much has been made in recent days and weeks about the fate of Angels manager Brad Ausmus. The fit was always a tough one and the team did not perform well this season, although a good chunk of that was beyond his control. However, the axe did come down, as Ausmus was relieved of his duties as manager of the Angels.
• The regular season is over and with that comes analysis of all of the match-ups in the playoffs. Our own Andersen Pickard took a stab at it as he ran down each of the division series coming up with some predictions as to what will go down.
• After five years in Chicago, the Cubs have parted ways with outspoken manager Joe Maddon. With a record of 471-338, the 65-year old leaves his mark as the fifth-winningest manager in Cubs history.
• Up next on the list of managers officially getting their walking papers: the Pirates have fired manager Clint Hurdle. This is particularly surprising considering a week ago it was being reported that Hurdle would stay with the team next season, which turned out to be a massive miscommunication that seemed to fit right in with the season Pittsburgh had this year.
• Yes this is a very exciting time for baseball and all but this news is equally as important and ground shaking: Every Max Scherzer face is actually a reaction to a dessert. And don’t even think about what it would be like to take him to the Cheesecake Factory.
• The Phillies had a pretty lousy year considering the high expectations they had coming out of the offseason after all of the wheeling and dealing they did. All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto chose to end his season a few days early in order to undergo knee surgery.
• In another managerial shake up, Royals manager Ned Yost announced his retirement. For a team that is in the middle of its rebuild, their choice of manager after Yost could have ramifications for a long time, particularly as they look to develop a lot of young players.
• The Padres fired manager Andy Green after almost four seasons with the club. Despite adding Manny Machado to the roster and developing young phenom Fernando Tatis Jr., Green’s all time 274-366 record was enough for both the fans and upper management to lose faith in him. Stay tuned as we watch for the smoke signals to see who the Padres have elected as their new manager.
• Yankees starter Domingo German was placed on administrative leave after allegations surfaced that he struck his girlfriend.
• The Marlins, coming off back-to-back seasons where they have finished dead last in the NL East, decided to give manager Don Mattingly a two-year contract extension. Some may be puzzled by this move given the Marlins’ lack of success, but it worth noting that the Marlins aren’t going to be winning much of anything over the next two years, which puts less onus on getting the right guy in there at the moment.
• In an extremely disturbing development, Pirates All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez has been arrested and denied bond after being charged with possession of child pornography, providing obscene material to minors, and soliciting a child. He’s been placed on administrative leave by MLB.