The Athletic | Andy McCullough ($): The Dodgers are your 2025 World Series champions, defeating the Blue Jays, 5-4, in an eleven-inning instant classic Game 7. They become the first team since the 2000 Yankees to repeat as champs, winning their third title in the last six seasons. Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes home MVP honors after pitching 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to seal the victory just 24 hours after making his Game 6 start, becoming the first Japanese player since Hideki Matsui in 2009 to win World Series MVP.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Gerrit Cole is back on the mound. The 35-year-old ace missed all of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he has recently posted several encouraging reports on social media detailing his rehab progression. Cole expects to have a normal offseason and expressed his urgency to report to spring camp in Tampa, though the Yankees will understandably be cautious with a projected return timetable sometime in May. Cole isn’t the only starting pitcher projected to start the season on the IL, Carlos Rodón having undergone a procedure to remove a bone spur while Clarke Schmidt will likely miss most if not all of the season after also undergoing TJS.
New York Post | Thomas Gamba-Ellis: Austin Wells announced on social media that he and his partner are expecting their first child. It’s a happy ending to an otherwise forgettable season for the third-year backstop, who backslid on offense and slumped down the stretch and in the playoffs. His defense remained elite, and he is expected to remain the starting catcher despite Ben Rice’s emergence.
NJ Advance Media | Manny Gómez: Jason Giambi’s slump-busting gold thong is the stuff of legends, and even Derek Jeter benefitted from its powers. He was mired in an 0-for-32 slump in 2004 and in his desperation wore Giambi’s gold thong to the plate in a game against the Athletics. The result: a first pitch home run off Barry Zito.
