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Even though free agency in Major League Baseball is one of the most exciting times of the year for fans and players, it’s also one of the most painful and arduous if you fall into the former category. 

There’s so much hearsay and speculation about where an impact hitter or pitcher could end up that it only leads to heartbreak when the dreaded “mystery team” shows up to spoil everything. 

Of course, fans of smaller-market teams have grown accustomed to the pain of free agency. Even great-run franchises, like the Kansas City Royals, have to know that Johnny Cueto‘s potential asking price will be far more than they can afford. 

Yet for all the pain that can come with free agency, the winter is when fans are at their most optimistic because all 30 teams are making moves, large or small, to make that postseason push and hopefully play for a World Series in 2016. 

Taking a look at the list of free agents this offseason, it’s going to be a busy and expensive time for a lot of teams.

Note: Players with options (Zack Greinke, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, etc.) are not included on free-agent list.

There are a lot of names, both at the top and secondary guys, who should provide great value both in 2016 and beyond.

Looking at the potential market for all of the stars, these are the few who appear to be locks to sign with a new team this winter. 

Johnny Cueto, RHP (Kansas City Royals)

No free agent this winter will be as frustrating to figure out as Cueto. The right-hander has shown in the past he can be dominant, boasting two top-five finishes in NL Cy Young voting (2012, 2014). 

However, there are a lot of maddening stretches with Cueto where he’s either unable to pitch due to injury or looks pedestrian. 

Take for instance the stark contrast between what Cueto has done in 2015 with Cincinnati and Kansas City:

Basically, Cueto has provided the same value in Kansas City that a replacement-level pitcher would have. It is a small sample size, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.55 is actually better than what it was with the Reds (4.14). 

The postseason will really determine if Cueto is going to be the second- or third-best pitcher available. David Price is a lock in the top spot and seems likely to get a near-record deal. Jordan Zimmermann is in the mix with Cueto for that second spot. 

Last year, the Royals knew they likely weren’t going to re-sign James Shields, but it likely became easier to let him walk when he posted a 6.12 ERA in the playoffs. 

Cueto also has to fight against being short. He’s a 5’9″ right-hander, and that kind of pitcher doesn’t traditionally age well. Tim Lincecum (5’11”) was basically done at the age of 28. 

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote on Sunday that there are teams that have concerns about Cueto‘s ability to stay healthy over the course of an entire season.

“He’ll have to convince shoppers this offseason that he’s physically fine,” Cafardo wrote. “There will likely be a lot of medical attention devoted to Cueto. One AL executive stayed away from Cueto at the trade deadline because of a possible elbow issue.”

The hope for a team will be that Cueto is on the Pedro Martinez career arc, in which Martinez stayed at an All-Star level through his age-33 season before injuries took away what made him great. 

However, that’s not exactly the kind of player who figures to get a huge six- or seven-year deal. Cueto could do well on a four-year deal with some kind of vesting option for a fifth year based on number of starts and/or innings pitched. 

That makes finding a potential suitor difficult, especially since the major-market teams in need of pitching all figure to be in on Price and Zimmermann. 

One team that makes sense is San Francisco. The Giants will have at least two holes in the rotation to fill with Tim Hudson retiring and the Lincecum era likely ending, but they also have free agents like Ryan Vogelsong and Mike Leake to worry about. 

Madison Bumgarner is the only safe bet to be in the Giants rotation next season. Chris Heston is a back-end starter, at best, and Jake Peavy, 34, really doesn’t offer much at this stage of his career. 

Even if Leake re-signs, the Giants still need a strong No. 2 starter to plug in behind Bumgarner. Cueto could thrive back in the National League in a big park with a solid defense behind him. 

San Francisco has about $57 million coming off the payroll this offseason, before factoring in arbitration-eligible players, so general manager Brian Sabean should have plenty of room to play with. This franchise has won three titles since 2010 largely around great starting pitching and solid offense. 

Prediction: Cueto signs with Giants for four years, $110 million.

Justin Upton, LF (San Diego Padres)

Even though the San Diego Padres’ spending extravaganza last winter turned out to be a bust, Justin Upton’s performance in 2015 might actually work in his favor. 

That’s unusual to say because Upton’s .790 OPS will be his worst in a full season, but a deeper dive into the numbers shows how impressive the 28-year-old has actually been. 

Upton’s biggest problem in 2015 has been hitting left-handed pitching (.191/.258/.300), but that doesn’t line up with what he’s done throughout his career against southpaws (.273/.380/.506). This seems like one of those weird one-year outliers that can happen in baseball. 

Another reason to be optimistic about Upton’s future is playing in Petco Park is a hitter’s nightmare, yet he’s still slugging .454 overall and has hit 15 of his 26 homers at home. Putting him in a different park should easily get him into 30-homer territory for the first time since 2011. 

Padres general manager A.J. Preller told Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com in August that the team will look to keep Upton beyond this season. 

“He’s definitely going to be one of the options we talk about,” Preller said. “He’s made a very positive impression here. We’re going to sit down in the offseason and see what we can do with him.”

Unless the Padres just dwarf every other offer, it’s hard to see a scenario in which Upton returns. 

Instead, let’s look at the other side of the country with the Baltimore Orioles losing virtually their entire roster this winter. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, before factoring in arbitration-eligible players, $77 million is coming off the payroll. 

The Orioles have to remake their roster this winter, though they will have core players like Adam Jones, Manny Machado and Kevin Gausman to work with. Gausman‘s development as a starter next season will be critical because there is no pitching coming.

Top prospects Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey can’t stay healthy, so their potential arrival in the big leagues is a mystery. Baltimore’s front office will likely prioritize starting pitching over offense, but Orioles’ left fielders in 2015 have a combined slash line of .212/.289/.352.

Even better news is no one else in the American League East should be seeking help in left field. New York has Brett Gardner. Boston is building around a slew of young outfielders. Toronto has Ben Revere for another two years. Tampa Bay can’t afford Upton, even if it wanted to make an offer. 

Prediction: Upton signs with Orioles for six years, $115 million.

Doug Fister, RHP (Washington Nationals)

Doug Fister is a free agent I wanted to include because he’s going to be a pitcher every team has a chance to sign. The 31-year-old has been bad this season, which works to the advantage of teams. 

For the first time since 2010, Fister will finish a season with a below-average ERA+ (95), and he does have injury concerns after spending time on the disabled list each of the last two seasons. He’s been taken out of Washington’s rotation, making one start since August. 

James Wagner of the Washington Post did rave about Fister‘s two-inning relief stint against Baltimore on Sept. 22:

An effective sinker from Fister is what teams want to see at this late date. He’s never been a huge strikeout pitcher, so keeping the ball on the ground is what he needs to do. His ground-ball rate this year of 44.6 percent will be his lowest since his rookie season in 2009. 

Given the way everything has fallen apart for Fister in 2015, he seems like a candidate to sign a one-year, incentive-laden deal and hit the market again next winter to get one long-term deal before his prime years pass by.

If that turns out to be the case, the field is open for all 30 teams to get in on the bidding. A perfect landing spot for the right-hander would be Kansas City. 

The Royals should be looking for starting pitching for the second consecutive offseason. A team can only count on Edinson Volquez, Yordano Ventura, Kris Medlen and Chris Young for so long. 

Fister‘s knack for letting hitters put the ball in play would fit beautifully with the Royals because of how great the defense is. They’ve proven this year that it’s possible to be a great team without a starter whom anyone would classify as a quality No. 1 or 2 on a playoff team. (Cueto does fit in that category, though he played most of this season with Cincinnati.)

Since the Royals can’t play with the major-market teams, they have to find bargains wherever possible. Their philosophy of building around speed on offense and a defense that can cover a ton of ground will appeal to many ground-ball-type pitchers whose overall talent won’t get them a huge contract. 

Prediction: Fister signs with the Royals for one year, $10 million.

Stats via Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com. 

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When an actor gives a poor performance on Broadway, unflattering reviews and an unsatisfied audience usually follow.

That is the natural order of consequences. All an actor can do in response is prepare, come out the next time and give a better performance. That is the extent of what fans and critics can ask.

The same goes for professional athletes. But when those ugly outings come during the postseason, the stage is infinitely bigger than any Broadway has to offer. Poor performances on the field can lead to more significant consequences, including helping getting a team eliminated from the playoffs and/or making a player expendable from a roster. The boos are also inevitable.

Prince Fielder has experienced all of that. The Texas Rangers’ high-priced designated hitter, a front-runner for the American League’s Comeback Player of the Year Award, has dealt with the criticism that has come with his shoddy postseason numbers with the Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers, the latter of which traded him after the 2013 season.

“I got kids, man,” Fielder famously told reporters while explaining how the hurt from the 2013 ALCS elimination loss to the Boston Red Sox, the last time Fielder appeared in the playoffs, wouldn’t linger.

His responses still do not sit well with his former home fans.

Prince Fielder bounces weakly to first. Already in postseason mode. #igotkidsman

— Motor City Bengals (@MCB_Tigers) August 20, 2015

“You have to be a man about it,” Fielder added two Octobers ago after he hit .182 in the ALCS. “I have kids. If I’m sitting around pouting about it, how am I going to tell them to keep their chins or keep their heads up when something doesn’t go their way? It’s over.”

When told Tiger fans might not embrace that kind of response, Fielder fired back with an age-old athlete adage: “They don’t play.”

Fielder does, but it has been at an entirely pedestrian level during the playoffs over the course of his otherwise impressive career. He has played in 39 postseason games and accumulated 164 plate appearances with the Brewers and Tigers since October 2008.

In no series has he hit higher than .278, and his career slash line is .194/.287/.333 with a .620 OPS, five home runs and 11 RBI. He has not homered in his last 20 games (84 plate appearances). He has one extra-base hit in his last 18 and has not driven in a run in his last 18. Also, in his last 16 games (65 plate appearances), he has struck out 12 times against three walks.

But to have any kind of working relationship with Fielder is to understand his unwillingness to show public frustration or question his own abilities. That attitude stretches to his team, as he showed Monday after the Rangers’ third consecutive loss.

But his comments following the 7-4 loss to the Tigers could have very well summed up his attitude toward his postseason disappointments. He is stoic in both defeat and triumph when the microphones are turned on, downplaying virtually every question hurled his way.

“Worry doesn’t do anything,” Fielder told reporters Monday. “It just makes everything seem bigger than it is.”

Everything about Fielder’s career has been big, though. From his stature (5’11”, 275 lbs) to his home runs—he was the youngest player to ever hit 50 homers in a season when he did it at 23 years, 139 days—to his $214 million contract over nine years, to his playoff failures.

Even his injury last season was a big one. He had a herniated disk in his neck and had surgery in May of last year to fuse two of the disks in his spine. That injury, which started to bother him for the first time in 2012, severely limited his production in 2014 and chopped his season to just 42 games in his first with the Rangers after never having played fewer than 157 contests in any of his previous eight full seasons.

At the time, the injury was significant enough for everyone, including Fielder, to wonder if he would ever be the same slugging, intimidating middle-of-the-order behemoth he had been in those previous eight years.

“There’s doubts,” Fielder told Tyler Kepner of the New York Times last weekend. “You have neck surgery, you don’t know where you’re at. You haven’t played in a year or so, you don’t know where you’re going to be.”

“You worry a lot,” Fielder added. “Anytime someone does surgery, let alone on your spine, it’s a little weird.”

This season has been a wonderful bounce-back campaign. Any doubts have evaporated in the Texas heat as Fielder’s batting average has been no lower than .300 since the third game of the year. His power numbers have been down—his 23 home runs would be the lowest full-season total of his career—but he is getting on base at a .381 clip, reminiscent of his Brewer days that earned him that enormous contract with the Tigers.

But we have seen these kinds of award-worthy seasons from Fielder before, and we have also seen them devolve into ugly postseasons. That cannot happen this time around, assuming the Rangers qualify as the AL West champions or through the wild-card route. The Rangers are not a good enough team to overcome one of their most valuable players performing as Fielder has in past Octobers.

For the Rangers to have a real chance to advance in these coming playoffs, Fielder has to continue being the offensive force he has been his entire career, including this season.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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After stopping off at the hot corner, the B/R MLB 300 now moves to the outfield for a look at the top center fielders in the league.

Like the four infield positions, our list of center fielders consists of 25 out of the overall 300 players. As for how this list came to be, we subjected each player to a scoring system that adds up to a total of 100 possible points.

First, there are 25 points for hitting. Our focus is on how well each player is equipped to hit for average and get on base. This means looking not only at how he hits the ball but also at how consistently he makes contact and whether he has the discipline to draw walks.

Then, there are 25 points for power. We concentrated on how well each player collects extra-base hits, which means looking at how often he puts the ball in the air—ground balls don’t tend to go for extra-base hits, after all—how hard he hits it and how much of the field he can use for power.

Next, there are 20 points for baserunning. It’s more of a priority for center fielders than it is for most, so we’ll look at whether players can steal bases as well as whether they’re capable of running the bases aggressively.

Lastly, there are 30 points for defense. This is arguably overrating the importance of center field a little, but by conventional wisdom it’s an important position. We’ll use defensive metrics as a guiding star and judge center fielders on how much range they have and whether they can make plays with their arms.

As for how the scoring works, a score in the middle is meant to denote average, not failing. For example, a 15 out of 30 for defense means the player is a merely average defender, whereas 10 out of 30 is clearly below average and 20 out of 30 is above average. It’s also important to note that if two or more players end up with the same final score, the priority goes to our preference.

Before we begin, here’s an important reminder that while we’re using what’s happened in 2015 as a foundation for the scores, this list projects performance for the 2016 season. Players are evaluated based on the staying power of each category with progression, decline and past luck in mind—creating a different ranking system than simply judging where each player stands today.

You may now start the show.

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In baseball, as in life, money makes the world go ’round. It’s a business, as players, agents and owners never tire of reminding us.

But something has shifted—there’s a new currency in the game, a new blueprint for success. And it prioritizes prospects, player development and homegrown talent over limitless checkbooks.

Mike Bauman of MLB.com charted this sea change in 2013:

There is an emerging moral for team-building in the early 21st century:

Grow your own. It is so much cheaper than the alternative. It can happen regardless of market size. It is a function of intelligence, acumen and diligence, not a question of pocket depth.

Yes, a glance at the dozen clubs that are still in the playoff mix as of Wednesday includes the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, baseball’s highest rollers:

Look at the rest of that list, though. The Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets are all in the middle of the pack in terms of payroll. The Pittsburgh Pirates, owners of MLB’s second-best record entering play Wednesday, fall into the bottom fifth of spenders.

And the Houston Astros, who sit a half-game off the pace for the second American League wild-card slot, shell out less for their entire roster than the Dodgers do for their pitching staff alone.

Sure, major league history is littered with tales of small-market clubs that rose up, defied the odds and made deep October runs. This is something more than that, though. 

Heck, even the Yankees and Dodgers are getting in on the act. New York has lately shown restraint on the free-agent market and has placed renewed emphasis on its farm system. Ditto the Dodgers under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who cut his teeth with the spendthrift Tampa Bay Rays.

Money still matters; make no mistake. But cost-controlled, emerging talent frequently matters more.

Consider the San Francisco Giants, who’ve won three Commissioner’s Trophies in five years. Yes, the Giants have a top-10 payroll. They’ve also got a roster stuffed with homegrown players.

In fact, seven of the 10 guys (including the DH and pitcher) who started Game 1 of the 2014 Fall Classic for San Francisco rose through the club’s farm system. 

The trend continues among this year’s October hopefuls. 

In the National League, the Cubs, Pirates, Mets and Cardinals are reaping the benefits of fertile farms. Chicago, in particular, is a poster child for the grow-your-own mentality, with a regular starting lineup anchored by presumptive NL Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant and a nucleus of burgeoning studs the Cubs either drafted or brought in as minor leaguers.

And the Bucs, as Will Graves of the Associated Press (via the Idaho Statesman) put it, have “remained reticent in terms of chasing high-dollar free agents,” opting instead “to aggressively pursue players through the amateur draft.” 

Now they’re about to step onto the playoff stage for the third straight year.

In the AL, the story is the same, with the Royals, Minnesota Twins and Astros leaning heavily on development from within. The latter two teams weren’t even supposed to contend this year, yet here they are.

Then there are the squads that used their prospects to acquire reinforcements. 

The Toronto Blue Jays, seeking to end a 22-year postseason drought, dipped into their stash to bring in MVP-caliber third baseman Josh Donaldson in the offseason, plus stud southpaw David Price and All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki at the trade deadline.

And the Mets parted with prospects to land slugger Yoenis Cespedes, a move that’s propelled the Amazins to an NL East title.

Again, that’s not to say big-ticket free agents can’t make an impact (they can) or that a healthy budget isn’t an enviable luxury (it is).

This paradigm, though, isn’t going away, because it allows more clubs to grab a seat at the playoff table provided they invest in scouting, drafting and development. And it pushes MLB closer to the parity that outgoing commissioner Bud Selig touted in the waning days of his tenure.

Rick Burton, a sports management professor at Syracuse University and ex-commissioner of Australia’s National Basketball League, broke down that legacy, per Thomas Barrabi of the International Business Times:

Selig has moved baseball to a situation where you do have competitiveness by small-market teams in an age where dollars should drive everything. You want every team to believe that this year they can contend. I think baseball has that now, but I don’t think they had that back in 1998 or back in the mid-to-late 90’s.

Barrabi credits two watershed moments: the revenue-sharing agreement reached in 2002 and the luxury-tax threshold enacted a year later. Baseball doesn’t have a salary cap, but the league has made moves to help small-market teams become and remain competitive.

Then there’s the advent of the second wild card, also enacted on Selig’s watch. Simply put, with more postseason slots available, more general managers and decision-makers are motivated to get creative, pushing forward and adopting new, innovative methods to put a winning product on the field.

Parity and the emphasis on prospects and player development we’ve been discussing aren’t one and the same, but they appear to be driving each other, and putting the lie to the notion that a few big-budget bullies will win every year, regardless.

Whether you want to heap credit on Selig or some collective shift in strategy and perception is beside the point. Whatever the catalyst, it’s happening. 

As Ben Rogers put it, writing for CBS DFW about the Texas Rangers’ resurgence, “a front office that can contend year after year over an extended period while simultaneously restocking the cupboard with high-end homegrown prospects is the sports equivalent to a money tree.”

So money still makes the baseball world go ’round. It’s just that we’re living in a different world.

All statistics and standings current as of Sept. 29 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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For the likes of David Price, Zack Greinke, Jake Arrieta, Josh Donaldson and the rest of baseball’s biggest stars, it’s time to put the final touches on their 2015 MLB award resumes.

With just days to go in the season, we have one last opportunity to check in on all the races for the top individual honors.

As has been the case in the past, stats such as WAR, OPS, home runs, FIP, xFIP and ERA were the most crucial factors in determining which players have the best chance of snagging Rookie of the Year and Cy Young honors.

When it comes to awards such as Manager of the Year and MVP, the performance of each candidate’s respective team was also a big part of the equation.

While nearly all the awards remain up for grabs as the season winds down, no race saw a more dramatic shift in its landscape than the battle of the America League Rookie of the Year—where a new standout took over as the odds-on favorite.

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Before we inject some Debbie Downer realism into the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ champagne-soaked celebration, let’s pause to appreciate what they’ve accomplished.

By defeating Madison Bumgarner and the archrival San Francisco Giants 8-0 Tuesday night, the Dodgers clinched their third consecutive National League West title. That’s no mean feat, considering three of the other five division winners this season will likely be teams that didn’t even make the playoffs last year.

In fact, it’s the first time in franchise history the Dodgers have won three straight division crowns.

“What a relief that we’ve been able to accomplish this,” manager Don Mattingly told SportsNet LA’s Alanna Rizzo immediately after the game. “We got into the dance, and now we’ve just got to take care of business.”

The Dodgers are ticketed for the National League Division Series, where they lost last year to the St. Louis Cardinals, who also knocked them out in the National League Championship Series in 2013.

This time, L.A. will miss the Cards in the first round and face the NL East champion New York Mets.

In any event, the Dodgers enter October with some serious, potentially fatal flaws.

Yes, their starting rotation—and, indeed, entire roster—is anchored by co-aces Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw, who will likely finish in the top three in NL Cy Young balloting (the Chicago Cubs‘ Jake Arrieta is the only non-Dodger with a shot at the prize).

Kershaw was simply brilliant in Tuesday’s clincher, twirling nine innings of one-hit, no-run ball with 13 strikeouts.

And all you need to do is glance at Greinke’s ridiculous 1.68 ERA to understand what he’s accomplished this season.

Still, as I recently argued, it’s unreasonable for the Dodgers to expect Greinke and Kershaw, great as they are, to carry the franchise across the Fall Classic finish line the way Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling did for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.

We’re living in the era of pitch counts, matchups and late-inning relief specialists. Los Angeles’ two-headed mound monster can do a lot, and Kershaw has a lot to prove, what with his unsightly 5.12 postseason ERA. But they can’t do it alone.

For the Dodgers to end their 27-year championship drought, they’ll need another starting pitcher to chip in. 

Alex Wood has had his moments since L.A. acquired him from the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline, but the 24-year-old left-hander has coughed up a whopping eight runs in two of his last four starts (to be fair, the most recent one was in Colorado).

And Brett Anderson, another lefty, has failed to get out of the fifth inning in his last two trips to the hill, yielding a total of 20 hits and 11 runs.

That suggests the bullpen will play a big role, and the reviews there are mixed.

Closer Kenley Jansen has been excellent, posting a 2.36 ERA and converting 34 of 36 save opportunities. After that, things get dicey.

Right-hander Chris Hatcher has emerged as a reliable setup option, posting a 1.29 ERA, with 17 strikeouts in 14 innings since Aug. 31. And lefty J.P. Howell owns a 1.50 ERA in 12 games over the same stretch.

Still, overall the Dodgers’ relief core carries easily the highest ERA of any NL postseason club. If it’s not an outright weakness, it’s at least a hold-your-breath kind of thing going into October, when every inning and every out is magnified.

On offense, uncertainty also abounds. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is an All-Star-caliber run producer, and shortstop Corey Seager is hitting .333 since an early September call-up.

But with formerly scalding rookie Joc Pederson mired in an extended cold streak and one-time Cuban spark plug Yasiel Puig on the disabled list, Los Angeles’ lineup is lacking, particularly in the power department, as Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times highlighted:

They don’t have the kind of late-inning pop that dramatically, historically has helped the Dodgers to championships. Hello, Kirk Gibson.

Listen to these numbers: They’re 21-26 in one-run games, they’re 6-9 in extra-inning games and they’re 5-47 when trailing or tied after the eighth inning.

Some of that can be laid at the feet of Mattingly, whose strategic machinations don’t always inspire confidence. In the final analysis, though, you live and die with the talent on the field. And while the Dodgers, owners of baseball’s biggest payroll, have some legitimate stars, they’ve got a few black holes as well.

Clinching the division with a week to spare will allow L.A. to line up its rotation and rest its regulars, including guys such as third baseman Justin Turner and catcher Yasmani Grandal, who have both battled injuries.

And certainly if you’re not going to celebrate with the blue-bleeding faithful at Chavez Ravine, doing it at AT&T Park in front of a bunch of bummed-out Giants fans is a fine consolation prize.

Enjoy it for now, L.A. Because when the champagne dries and the autumn tournament begins, you’ll have work to do—and some pressing questions to answer.

All statistics current as of Sept. 29 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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For the third consecutive season, the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the National League West by virtue of Tuesday’s 8-0 victory over the archrival San Francisco Giants.

Despite the amount of success the Dodgers organization has enjoyed over the years in both Los Angeles and Brooklyn, this marks the first time it has won three straight division titles. 

The Giants have been attempting to chase down the Dodgers all year long, but they were never able to get within realistic striking distance in September because of their late-season struggles. It feels fitting Los Angeles clinched the crown with a head-to-head victory behind Clayton Kershaw’s dominance.

Kershaw put the team on his back with a shutout. He notched 13 strikeouts in the process and allowed only one hit. The team provided some of the southpaw’s highlights:

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News did not hold back on his praise of the pitcher:

Kershaw beat last year’s postseason hero Madison Bumgarner on Tuesday. ESPN Stats & Info noted Bumgarner tied his career high with three home runs allowed (he gave up three homers to the Dodgers last season as well).

Not even Bumgarner at his best was beating Kershaw on Tuesday. ESPN Stats & Info pointed out Kershaw became the third pitcher in 100 years with a one-hit shutout and at least 13 strikeouts against the Giants and added, courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau, that he became the second pitcher to throw a shutout and allow one hit or less in a division-clinching game in MLB history.

Molly Knight, author of The Best Team Money Can Buy, summarized the superstar’s greatness and provided a picture of him in the triumphant aftermath:

Kershaw had plenty of support in the final inning from Dodgers fans in attendance in San Francisco, as the team highlighted:

The team also provided some of the postgame celebration:

Unsurprisingly, the celebration carried over into the locker room well after the final out. J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group and MLB provided a glimpse at the euphoria:

Pitcher Brett Anderson enjoyed himself:

Even the rival Giants congratulated the Dodgers:

This marks L.A.’s fifth playoff appearance in the past eight years, but its previous four runs have all been stopped prior to the World Series. In fact, the Dodgers have not made the World Series since winning it way back in 1988.

Los Angeles has the talent to go all the way, but the NL Central trio of the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs has outperformed it, so it isn’t the favorite to win the pennant like it was entering the 2015 campaign.

If the Dodgers do win the National League, the ace starting-pitching duo of Kershaw and Zack Greinke will undoubtedly have plenty to do with it. Kershaw has dominated again to the tune of a 2.16 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 294 strikeouts in 229 innings, per Drew Silva of NBCSports.com, while Greinke has raised his game significantly, with a 1.68 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 192 strikeouts.

Despite that dominant combo, legendary television host Larry King isn’t high on the Dodgers’ chances in the postseason:

King certainly has a point regarding L.A.’s bullpen, as it has been unreliable outside of closer Kenley Jansen and lefty J.P. Howell.

Even so, general manager Farhan Zaidi believes that unit is on the ascent with the playoffs approaching, according to ESPN.com’s Mark Saxon.

“With a bullpen, it’s about trajectory and where they’re heading as much as where they have been, so we’re kind of looking forward with this group and think the guys are sort of figuring it out,” Zaidi said.

The Dodgers also have an interesting situation offensively. Veterans Adrian Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick, Justin Turner and Andre Ethier have all been solid contributors, but question marks abound otherwise. Catcher Yasmani Grandal is trending downward, shortstop Jimmy Rollins has never found his stride and power-hitting youngster Joc Pederson hasn’t been the same since the All-Star break.

Rookie infielder Corey Seager could be the key to the Dodgers’ offensive success come playoff time if he continues his torrid pace, but the same could be said for ailing outfielder Yasiel Puig. The Cuban star has been on the shelf since August with a hamstring injury, and while his status is uncertain, he is willing to do anything to help the team in October, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

“I’ll be there to do what is needed, whether it’s pinch-hitting or play as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning,” Puig said. “Whatever they need me to do, I’ll do.”

The Dodgers are arguably the most intriguing team in the playoffs since they could just as easily get swept out of the National League Division Series as they could go all the way and win the World Series. There are plenty of unknowns surrounding the squad, but now that the Dodgers have won the division and qualified for the postseason, they have a fighting chance.

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The 2015 season is a lost cause for the San Diego Padres, and they received more unfortunate news Tuesday when Matt Kemp was forced to leave the game against the Milwaukee Brewers with an injury.

Continue for updates.

Melvin Upton Jr. Replaces Kemp

Tuesday, Sept. 29

Kemp had two at-bats Tuesday, but the team noted he left the contest with soreness in his right hand. It was a disappointing development for the outfielder in the same game he knocked in his 100th RBI of the season.

“Soft tissue issue in his hand, swollen,” manager Pat Murphy said after the game, per the team. “Will have an MRI tomorrow. He wanted to continue, we thought best to take him out.”

Melvin Upton Jr. pinch hit for Kemp to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning after the injury.

What Kemp’s Absence Means for the Padres

Tuesday, Sept. 29 

Kemp has been a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster campaign for the Padres. The team traded for him this offseason, and he has 23 home runs, 12 steals and the 100 RBI on the year. Corey Brock of MLB.com noted it was the first time Kemp reached the 100 RBI mark since 2011.

Upton Jr. is a veteran who has been in the league since 2004. He is not that far removed from the 2012 campaign when he drilled 28 home runs and stole 31 bases for the Tampa Bay Rays. While he has been nowhere near that player this season (.243 batting average, with five home runs and 17 RBI entering Tuesday’s game), he can at least play out the string for the Padres if Kemp cannot return.

San Diego sits in fourth place in the National League West and has long been eliminated from playoff contention. There is no reason for Kemp to risk further injury by returning this year unless he is 100 percent healthy.

It is far more important for the Padres that he is ready to go by the start of spring training in 2016.

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Having a great manager doesn’t guarantee postseason success.

Games are still won on the field, but managers are tasked with putting players in the best position to succeed.

Bruce Bochy didn’t have a ton of success before joining the San Francisco Giants in 2007. Before arriving in San Francisco, Bochy managed the San Diego Padres for 12 seasons. 

His regular-season record was below .500, and he couldn’t guide the Padres past the National League Division Series. In four postseason appearances, Bochy’s club was 8-16, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

The Giants didn’t make the playoffs in the first three seasons under Bochy but qualified in 2010 and turned into a dynasty. The team won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

Bochy’s decision to pull Tim Hudson in the fifth inning of Game 7 and bring in Madison Bumgarner is the perfect example of a manager pulling the right strings and putting his club in the best position to win a championship.

Here are five managers who will feel pressure to step up as a tactician and help guide his team to a World Series championship.

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October is almost upon us, meaning Major League Baseball’s best action is just around the corner.

Playoff teams don’t make the postseason without good play when it counts, and this list recognizes 12 players who have made a considerable difference in September, looking to do the same in the playoffs.

There are no rankings on this list; everyone on it is pretty much equal in terms of importance to their respective teams during the last month.

With that being said, here are two simple criteria to help you understand how the following dozen ballplayers made this list:

1. Runs accounted for in September, whether that be in the form of home runs or RBI.
2. Batting average during the month of September.

And away we go.

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