Top of the morning to you, Purple Row!
Well, friends, since it’s the final week of the 2026 regular season, teams are looking ahead to what comes next. For some, it’s preparing for the postseason, while teams like the Rockies are looking forward to what comes next after the World Series.
The Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks continue their series tonight with Mason Adams facing off against the veteran Merrill Kelly. Meanwhile, the playoff push continues across the league as teams fight for the few spots
remaining in the Wild Card. It’s a fun time of the year in the final sprint!
Now, here are some links to kick off your Wednesday.
Rockies News & Links
- Freeland soaking it all in ahead of potential final home start with Rockies | MLB.com — Tuesday was perhaps the last time Kyle Freeland takes the mound at Coors Field. As the season winds down, Freeland has been well aware this could be the end of his Rockies tenure, so he’s taken the time to enjoy and soak in every last minute with the team he grew up rooting for.
- Offseason Outlook: Colorado Rockies | MLB Trade Rumors — MLB Trade Rumors always does some great content and this article gives a quick overview of free agents, salary obligations, and arbitration candidates heading into the 2026 offseason.
- Assessing the Futures of Kyle Freeland and Other Rockies’ Pending UFAs | Rockies on SI — Ben Fisher gives an outlook on the potential decisions concerning the pending free agents for the Rockies.
- Affected by Altitude Episode 226: Statuesque | Rocky Mountain Rooftop — This week, Evan Lang and I discuss the Todd Helton statue, the seasons of Willi Castro and Gabriel Hughes, and close out with a round-up for the 206 minor league season.
Around Baseball
- Judge likely to miss Wild Card Series with ‘moderate grade’ calf strain | MLB.com — The New York Yankees got some bad news about Aaron Judge’s availability in the first round of the postseason. Manager Aaron Boone announced that Judge was dealing with a “moderate grade” right calf strain and that the team isn’t planning on activating him for a potential Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox. Judge has been down most of the year with injury, so it may not be the worst news for the Yankees, but it certainly doesn’t help.
- Red Sox award Tracy with 3-year deal; Breslow’s options for ’29, ’30 picked up | MLB.com — The turnaround for the Boston Red Sox from being dead in the water to clinching a playoff spot has been one of the fun stories of the 2026 season. To reward his efforts, the Red Sox took off the interim tag of Chad Tracy, officially making him the 49th manager in club history. Additionally, Boston has picked up the options of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow through 2030.
- When Will the Angels Be Competitive Again? | FanGraphs — Dan Szymborski dives into the prospects of how quickly the Los Angeles Angels could turn things around under new owner Stan Kroenke. It’s worth a read and ultimately, it may not be as easy a turnaround as fans may hope for.
- How Walt Weiss found the balance that guided the Braves to a NL East title | The Athletic ($) — Former Rockies manager Walt Weiss has had a much easier time in his second stint as a big league manager, guiding the Atlanta Braves to another NL East title. He reflects on the lessons he learned leading struggling Rockies teams and also points to the great working relationship he has with Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos.
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