MLB Playoffs: 1 mistake every Wild Card team made with their postseason roster
- Phillies leave a major trade acquisition at home
- Blue Jays make head-scratching call for bullpen
- Brewers bring a bat of little use to the playoffs
Minnesota Twins: Leaving Joey Gallo off the roster
I want to take this in a different direction. I want to give the Twins credit for not having Gallo on the wild card roster and admitting an $11 million offseason mistake.
I’m not sure how many franchises would have done that. But considering that Gallo was hitting .177/.301/.440 with 21 home runs in 111 games, the upside was not worth the risk. Especially with Gallo striking out 142 times in 282 at-bats.
Toronto Blue Jays: Having Trevor Richards on the roster
I was very tempted to put "leaving Hyun-Jin Ryu" in this spot, especially considering that he’s far exceeded expectations coming off Tommy John surgery. But he just pitched recently and likely wouldn’t have been available for this series. So I’ll go with Richards instead.
Richards has a high strikeout rate, which could make him a valuable late-inning asset. But his numbers this season - 4.95 ERA, 35 walks in 72.2 innings - make him a volatile option and could be risky if needed down the stretch.
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