New York Post | Cooper Albers: For the second straight year, the Yankees have been called out by the team that eliminated them in October — or at least, a member of that team. While attempting to complete the All-AL-East career, Isiah Kiner-Falefa revealed that the Blue Jays were hoping the Yankees beat out the Red Sox in last year’s American League Wild Card Series, believing New York to be an easier opponent. This comes on the heels of many critiques the Dodgers tossed against the Yankees after the 2024 World Series, but then again, IKF is a non-insignificant reason why the Blue Jays went down to those Dodgers some months ago.
The Athletic | Jayson Stark ($): Perhaps nothing has changed as much in baseball over the last 20 years like the standard for Hall of Fame pitchers. Hurlers on the ballot today, even those gaining momentum like Andy Pettitte, just don’t have the same counting stats and career milestones as pitchers from previous generations. In an era where just three pitchers top 200 innings, those milestones are going to have to change further. Stark talks to a number of past and present starters, including Hall of Famer CC Sabathia, about the challenges current pitchers face around induction standards.
Baseball Prospectus: BP is out with their PECOTA projections, widely seen as one of the most reliable systems across the sport. The good news is that PECOTA is high on the Yankees, tabbing them to just eke out atop the AL East, but they have them just a single point of winning percentage higher than Toronto. The way it shows up is 88.5 wins to 88.3, so there’s not much separation. If nothing else, expect the division to be a dogfight once again. For those curious, the Mariners are tabbed as the American League’s best team in the 93-win territory, while the two-time defending champion Dodgers pace MLB as a whole at an emphatic 105-win pace — one of their highest-ever projections.
Newsweek | Jon Paul Hoonstra: A melancholy happy trails to Gary Blaylock, who pitched in 41 games with the 1959 Yankees and Cardinals and passed away on February 7th at the age of 94. The reliever later served as the pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals from 1984-87, winning the team’s first World Series championship in the ‘85 season. Our best to his family and loved ones.
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