The biggest overreactions from every National League playoff exit, starting with Kyle Tucker

Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers were the last thing standing between the Los Angeles Dodgers and a fourth pennant in nine years. Not even a team solely assembled of Hall of Famers could have stopped Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, though, as the three-time MVP crushed three home runs and struck out 10 in last Friday’s NLCS-ending victory.

Only the Dodgers remain among the National League’s 15 teams, and they’ll square off with the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. It’s a tough reality for a Brewers team that mustered only a .118 average and four runs across 36 NLCS innings. 

“We aren’t that far,” Yelich nonetheless insisted. “Not as far as it seems. I still believe one day that’s going to be us out there.”

We’re not as optimistic as Yelich, and that doesn’t feel like an overreaction. However, there has been no shortage of hot takes regarding the five NL playoff teams that will not be competing for a World Series title. As with any opinion, some are outrageously ridiculous and not even worth mentioning, but others have a layer of truth to them.

For this piece, we’re listing teams alphabetically based on how far they advanced in the National League playoffs. For example, the Chicago Cubs will rank above the Philadelphia Phillies when discussing the teams that lost in the NLDS. 

Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers’ championship window might be closing

Although they still haven’t won a pennant since 1982, the Brewers have quietly become one of baseball’s most successful organizations. Milwaukee has reached the playoffs seven times in eight years, and this season marked the Brewers’ first NLCS appearance since 2018. Unfortunately, they ran into a Dodgers team in what might have been the Brewers’ last chance at a title.

The Brewers’ offseason began with trade reports surrounding ace Freddy Peralta, and although Yelich stayed healthy, he turns 34 in December and is a full-time DH at this point. That in itself is concerning, as is the reality that All-Star rookie Jacob Misiorowski posted a 5.36 ERA and a 54-20 K-BB ratio in 40 1/3 second-half innings. Don’t let his stellar first month distract you from the possibility that Misiorowski could face a significant sophomore slump.

Pat Murphy’s club is always in the thick of things, and we’re certainly not ruling Milwaukee out of the 2026 playoff hunt. However, there’s this sense of foreboding surrounding the Brewers, and we don’t expect to enter next season feeling too confident about their World Series chances. Both things can be true.

Chicago Cubs: Accept the loss and let Kyle Tucker walk

Whether he re-signs with the Cubs or takes his talent to another city, Tucker is set to cash in on the open market. Very rarely do teams have an opportunity to sign a player who has averaged 27 home runs, 87 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, and an .878 OPS as Tucker has since the start of 2021. 

Tucker provided the Cubs and Astros with 25.4 bWAR in that stretch, and we’re sure that he’ll sign a contract exceeding $400 million. Could that be with the Cubs, who are chasing their first pennant since 2016?

“We’ll see what happens,” Tucker told reporters earlier this month. “I don’t know what the future is going to hold. If [I sign elsewhere], it was an honor playing with all these guys, and I wish everyone the best of luck.”

As tempting as it is for the Cubs to re-sign Tucker, both sides need to move on. It’s hard to forget the Wrigley Field crowd booing Tucker for failing to hustle in August, and the Cubs even briefly benched him in August amid a prolonged slump. If that was the case in a contract year, what could happen if he returns to Chicago for 2026 and beyond? That has the makings of a disaster written all over it. 

Philadelphia Phillies: Keeping Rob Thomson was the right move

The Rob Thomson situation is one that attracted hot takes on both sides, many of which were understandable even if you disagreed. A segment of Phillies fans argued that the team needed to move on and hire a younger manager, or at least one capable of providing a new voice that could take the Phillies back to the World Series. Others believe that the team made the right move not only in keeping Thomson, but adding another year onto his contract.

We stand with the latter crowd, though we acknowledge that the end of Thomson’s time in Philadelphia could nonetheless be drawing near. Bryce Harper was among the Phillies players publicly vouching for Thomson to return next season, and the fourth-year skipper drew widespread acclaim for comforting reliever Orion Kerkering following his NLDS-ending throwing error. He’s done a fine job leading the Phillies since taking over for Joe Girardi midway through the 2022 season, and it would have been foolish to make Thomson the scapegoat.

Thomson turns 63 next August, and it’s not unrealistic to think he could retire following the 2026 or 2027 seasons. We’ll see whether he rides off into the sunset having joined Dallas Green and Charlie Manuel as managers to win a World Series with the Phillies. 

Cincinnati Reds: It’s time to trade Hunter Greene

If you’re tired of hearing about teams trading their top players before hitting free agency, trust us when we say that you’re not alone. The No. 2 pick in 2017, Greene has gradually evolved into the Reds’ ace, posting a 2.76 ERA and 301-83 K-BB ratio over 258 innings the last two years. The major knock against Greene, though, is that he’s still never pitched more than 150 1/3 innings in four seasons.

Could the Reds trade Greene, who has three guaranteed seasons and a 2029 team option left, this winter? Reds president Nick Krall didn’t rule it out, opting for a non-answer during an end-of-season press conference.

“I don’t want to speculate on anybody that’s going to get traded or not traded at this point,” Krall told reporters. “Because we haven’t had any conversations with other clubs. I don’t know what the needs are out there. I don’t know what people are available as well.”

Krall and the Reds would be foolish not to consider any trade offers, especially considering that Greene averages 124 innings per season. As talented as he is, he’s not a workhorse truly capable of leading a rotation, though that likely won’t deter other organizations from offering multiple top prospects in return.

San Diego Padres: Everything about Mike Shildt’s retirement

When Shildt surprisingly retired earlier this month, he cited health issues, and both he and Padres general manager AJ Preller confirmed that the veteran skipper received death threats throughout the season. However, social media users countered that Shildt actually retired because, according to the New York Post, he feuded with his coaching staff.

Why would any of that matter? It’s bizarre to glance at X/Twitter and see people downplaying both the manager and GM acknowledging that the stress wore Shildt down. Shildt told The Athletic that he was “sick a lot” and suffered from everything from poor sleep and chest pains to hair loss.

“I just wasn’t feeling good,” Shildt admitted. “I was run down. And I wasn’t sleeping. And it’s nobody’s fault. … But, you know, just unhealthy, man, and sometimes you’ve just got to take care of you, you know?”

Shildt previously reportedly clashed with Cardinals management when he managed in St. Louis, so it certainly isn’t unrealistic to think there were off-field issues again. With that said, both sides of the argument have overreacted when the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. The time came for Shildt to step away, and to his credit, he did what he felt was best for himself. That’s not an overreaction.