There's still plenty to be decided in the playoff bracket before the regular season ends, but with most of the field itself already set — as of this writing, only three teams currently on the outside looking in have yet to be mathematically eliminated, and both the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks are extreme long shots — it's time to start looking ahead to how each postseason roster might shake out. And that means it's time to start sweating every detail.
Because in October, the thinnest possible margin separates victory from defeat, moving one step closer to a World Series from heading home for a long, cold offseason. All 12 current playoff teams have at least one difficult decision to make between now and the start of the postseason next week — and they should choose wisely, lest they fall into the traps below.
Tampa Bay Rays: Putting too much on Brody Hopkins' plate
It's hard not to get excited about Hopkins, Tampa's top pitching prospect who dominated Double-A this year and has flashed big-time stuff in four relief appearances with the big-league club this month. But there's a big difference between being excited and actually handing the 24-year-old a spot on the ALDS roster. Yes, his potential is immense, but he posted an eye-watering 8.8 BB/9 at Triple-A and has walked three batters in four MLB innings. This is a very, very volatile profile, and Tampa has too many other worthy options in their bullpen.
Cleveland Guardians: Carrying Petey Halpin
Love anything in your life the way Cleveland loves Halpin, who's almost a parody of modern-day Guards Ball: an all-glove, no-bat speedster who has nonetheless earned significant playing time in the second half of the season. But Halpin's athleticism, while valuable as a pinch-runner, hasn't yet translated to center field, and he's more or less an automatic out at the plate (dramatic homer against the White Sox earlier this month notwithstanding). Daniel Schneemann is a far better fit with more pop at the plate and more versatility defensively, and I'd rather trust a youngster like Angel Genao than carry Halpin's dead weight.
Houston Astros: Keeping LaMonte Wade Jr. around
The Astros suddenly find themselves with a glut of lefty-hitting outfielders, and it should leave Wade Jr. on the outside looking in come playoff time. The veteran is just 5-for-26 in September; at this point, Taylor Trammell is clearly a better option offensively, and Lucas Spence can at least spell Daulton Varsho in center field. Houston is set at DH and first base, too, so there's just no room here.
New York Yankees: Letting Aaron Judge have his way
What exactly are we doing? Judge looked all out of sorts at the plate after returning from months on the IL with a rib fracture. And now he wants to thrust himself back into the hothouse of the postseason after another layoff — not to mention the injury risk he'll incur by trying to play on a calf strain? I respect how desperate Judge is to finally get over the hump in October, and I understand why he has such latitude organizationally in New York. But someone needs to step in here, because the risk far, far outweighs the reward given his current form.
Boston Red Sox: Giving a bench role to Andruw Monasterio
This one stings a bit, because Monasterio has done yeoman's work for Boston amid all the uncertainty in the infield this year. But he's simply not part of the team's best bench unit at this point, even with Ceddanne Rafaela now iffy with another injury. Given Rafaela's status, Jarren Duran is a must, and I'd rather have Mickey Gasper and Isiah Kiner-Falefa on the postseason roster as things currently stand. Monasterio's versatility is nice, but it means less in a short series, and he doesn't bring much of any impact at the plate or as a runner.
Chicago White Sox: Letting Luisangel Acuña take Brenton Doyle's spot
Granted, neither player can hit worth a lick. But at least we have some recent evidence that Doyle can be a passable big-league bat, not to mention the fact that he's a better athlete and a smoother defender in center. These two are competing for one defensive replacement/pinch-runner role on Chicago's roster, but Doyle feels like the clear and obvious choice despite Acuña being the incumbent.
Milwaukee Brewers: Continuing to trust Kyle Harrison
Harrison has been a mess since going on the IL with arm trouble earlier this summer, struggling even when moved into a bullpen role. The Brewers clearly don't trust him to start a postseason game, but should they trust him with a roster spot at all? It's tough to argue that the answer is yes with the way he's throwing the ball right now; Drohan doesn't have anywhere near Harrison's upside, but said upside is strictly theoretical at this point, while Drohan can give the Brewers multiple innings or serve as a bulk man if Milwaukee needs to go to the bullpen earlier than expected.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Refusing to let Josue de Paula cook
I understand L.A.'s reticence here, given de Paula's relative inexperience; he's just 21 years old with all of 42 big-league plate appearances under his belt. But those 42 plate appearances were so good, and de Paula's Minor League track record so impressive, that I'm not sure there's a case to carry Dalton Rushing over him as the team's lefty bench bat. That's a tough break for Rushing, who's a hitter only for the rest of the year due to arm trouble, but de Paula's ceiling is that high. There's a reason he drew Yordan Alvarez comps coming through the Dodgers system.
Atlanta Braves: Not putting AJ Smith-Shawver in the bullpen
Atlanta's roster feels more set than most at this point, especially with Lane Thomas sidelined and Robert Suarez nearly back from the IL. The only questions that remain likely involve the last couple of spots in the bullpen, and while he's certainly not the most experienced option, I think the Braves would be remiss if they didn't give one of them to Smith-Shawver. He struggled mightily as a starter at the big-league level this year, but his stuff has played way up in relief — look no further than his two scoreless innings with four strikeouts against Houston over the weekend. His ceiling is so high, along with his ability to work multiple frames, that Atlanta has no choice but to find room for him.
San Diego Padres: Carrying three catchers (sorry, Ethan Salas)
I get why Padres fans, and seemingly many within the organization, want to carry all three of Luis Campusano, Freddy Fermin and Salas. But doing so comes at a real cost, especially if both Miguel Andujar and Gavin Sheets are back healthy in time for the postseason (which it seems like they will be). Those are two better, more accomplished hitters right now; as bright as Salas' future is, he's struggled mightily at the plate, as you'd expect of a 20-year-old catcher. Being able to use two of those three in the lineup at once while still retaining flexibility is nice, but carrying Andujar or Sheets as impact hitters off the bench is even nicer.
Chicago Cubs: Risking it with Justin Steele
I get it: The Cubs bullpen is a mess, and Steele has looked pretty darn good in his rehab assignment so far. It would be awfully hard not to give the lefty a shot. But it's been 17 months since he pitched in a competitive game. Asking him to ramp back up this quickly, and max out his elbow with so much adrenaline flowing in a playoff environment, feels like a massive risk. Even if Steele is ready to get high-leverage outs, what's to say he won't suffer a setback that puts some of his 2027 season in jeopardy? Chicago needs him for the long haul, and like with Judge above, I'm not sure the risk is worth the reward.
Philadelphia Phillies: Keeping Brooks Raley as your lefty specialist
I was a fan of Philly bringing Raley in at the trade deadline to give them another left-handed look out of the bullpen. But to say it hasn't worked would be a profound understatement; he's posted an 8.71 ERA with his new team, including four homers in just 10.1 innings. The Phillies have veteran Nestor Cortes Jr. stashed in the Minors, where he's struck out seven in 5.2 innings of work so far at Triple-A. Neither make me feel great, but right now, I'd rather have Cortes.
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