Analyzing 1 overreaction from each eliminated AL playoff team with a hint of truth

For his sake, we hope that Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson didn’t look at social media as he sat in the Rogers Centre’s visiting manager’s office on Monday night. Not unless he has a burner X/Twitter or Instagram account only featuring accounts dedicated to puppies or clips from his favorite TV show. 

Pick a social media app, and you’ll find no shortage of posts ripping Wilson for his bullpen management in Monday’s heartbreaking ALCS Game 7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Rather than turn to two-time All-Star Andrés Muñoz, Wilson opted to keep Eduard Bazardo on the mound in a 2-1 game. Bazardo promptly gave up a go-ahead, three-run homer to Blue Jays star George Springer, and Seattle failed to score again in the 4-2, season-ending loss.

“You make your decisions, and sometimes you have to live and die with it,” Wilson said. “I think, again, the way Bazardo has thrown the ball all season long, we were comfortable with where we were, and it just, again, didn’t go our way.”

As social media typically does, users immediately called for the Mariners to fire Wilson. Some will argue the anger is justified, and others will counter that it’s an emotion-driven overreaction. But, as with many takes surrounding this year’s American League playoff teams, there might be some truth to the various hot takes.

For this list, we’re listing teams alphabetically based on how far they advanced in the American League playoffs. For example, the Detroit Tigers will rank above the New York Yankees when discussing the teams that lost in the ALDS. 

Seattle Mariners: Dan Wilson’s job security is worth discussing

To be clear, we do not believe the Mariners should fire Wilson. Pinning Seattle’s ALCS loss solely on Wilson is unfair when the Mariners struck out 71 times in 225 plate appearances and posted a 5.16 ERA over 61 innings. It’s not Wilson’s fault that Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert all finished the ALCS with an ERA above 7.00.

With that said, it is fair to wonder if the ALCS loss will impact Wilson’s job security going into 2026. Suppose the Mariners struggle out of the gate and are a .500 team in mid-June. Would ownership consider a managerial change, and should they do so? While we acknowledge that it might be slightly early to ask such a question, the Mariners came so close to their first pennant in franchise history. There is no doubt that Seattle will enter next year with its highest expectations in decades, and Wilson could begin his second full season on a slightly scorching seat. 

Detroit Tigers: It’s time to trade Tarik Skubal

Baseball has long had the significant issue of teams, even those with championship aspirations, trading their best players before they hit free agency. Tigers lead executive Scott Harris all but confirmed earlier this month that the club would consider trading Skubal, the Cy Young frontrunner who is scheduled to become a free agent following the 2026 season.

“I can’t comment on our players being traded,” Harris told reporters on Oct. 13. “I can’t comment on free agents. I can’t comment on other teams’ players. I’m going to respond by just not actually commenting on it.”

If the Tigers are seriously contemplating trading Skubal, then they may as well do it. There is no shortage of teams that will give up multiple top prospects to acquire arguably the best pitcher in baseball, even if they’ll only get one season out of him. It’s a shame that we’re talking about a Skubal trade, especially with the Tigers playing in a winnable AL Central. However, such is the unfair reality that not even an impending lockout could fix. 

New York Yankees: Juan Soto wouldn’t have saved the Yankees

Who needs social media for Yankees hot takes when WFAN still exists? We’ve seen and heard everything from how the Yankees must consider firing Aaron Boone (though we’ve heard that for years now) to Aaron Judge not being a good captain (that’s an interesting take), and that’s not even getting into the various mock trade proposals that aren’t worth acknowledging.

For a brief period following the Yankees’ ALDS loss to the Blue Jays, a small contingent of Yankees fans argued that the team shouldn’t let Juan Soto walk and join the crosstown Mets in free agency. Others believe such a move wouldn’t have mattered, and we agree with the latter camp. There’s no question that Soto remains one of the sport’s top players, and we’re not diminishing his achievements or skillset. But Soto’s absence isn't the main reason why the Yankees didn't win the AL East, much less fail to make the World Series.

The brunt of the Yankees’ problems falls on overall roster construction and Boone’s loyalty to struggling players. Boone — and by extension, general manager Brian Cashman — still would have stuck with error-prone shortstop Anthony Volpe, and he’d still have handed the ball to reliever Devin Williams in pivotal situations, even though Williams repeatedly proved he couldn’t handle the pressure. Soto can do a lot, but there are too many problems in the Yankees’ organization that even he cannot solve.

Boston Red Sox: Sign Pete Alonso at all costs (pun not intended)

We’ve suggested the Red Sox pursue Alonso for months, and the perennial All-Star first baseman has already confirmed that he’ll opt out of his contract and hit free agency. That’s excellent news for a Boston team that dealt third baseman Rafael Devers in June and dealt with questions all season about addressing the middle of their lineup. 

Did the lack of Devers keep the Red Sox from advancing beyond the AL Wild Card Round? We won’t go that far. However, there’s no denying that Alonso, a durable first baseman who has averaged 39 home runs, 114 RBIs, and an .842 OPS over the last five seasons, is a perfect fit for Boston. Ideally, the Red Sox can find a way to sign Alonso and keep third baseman Alex Bregman, who earned rave reviews for his play and off-field impact. A lineup featuring those two is bad news for the rest of the American League.

Cleveland Guardians: They’re one of the best organizations in baseball

When discussing the best organizations in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros should immediately come to mind. The Milwaukee Brewers have quietly joined them in recent years, as have the Seattle Mariners. We’ll even go so far as to include the Atlanta Braves despite their shockingly disappointing 2025 season.

Don’t you dare leave the Guardians out, though. Despite regularly fielding one of the sport’s lowest payrolls, Cleveland has reached the playoffs seven times in the last 10 years. Third baseman José Ramírez continues building his Hall of Fame case, and All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan is one of baseball’s more underrated players. 

Even with a mediocre rotation and the loss of star closer Emmanuel Clase to a gambling-related investigation, Cleveland won 88 games and nearly knocked off the Tigers in the AL Wild Card Round. Although we’re not sure that the Guardians will end an almost 80-year title drought next year, they’ve nonetheless proven that they’ll find ways to make the playoffs and keep things interesting. 

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