Scaling the Rocks: Bring on the Division Series

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 01: Signage in Truist Park during the Philadelphia Phillies versus the Atlanta Braves in game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series on October 1st, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Gett

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What is the story about?

The Wild Card series wrapped up on Thursday and now we’re onto the divisional rounds, which will give us our fist look at the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians. These series will feature some old friends, and has there are a lot of storylines to keep up with.

Here are some Rockies storylines from the first week of the offseason, as well as some from around the league:

Rockies News & Links

Here is each club’s Arizona Fall League sleeper prospect | MLB.com — For the Rockies, Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra believe that Jack O’Dowd (HM PuRP) is the biggest sleeper prospect.
Rockies Struck Gold With One of Paul DePodesta’s First Moves | Sports Illustrated — It’s no secret that TJ Rumfield was one of the brightest spots on this 2026 Rockies team. Scott Roche revisits the move and the impact it had on this team.
4 Rockies Prospects Listed in MLB Pipeline’s Final Top-100 List | Sports Illustrated — You can probably guess the four (they’re Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 on our mid-season PuRPs list).

Around MLB

Seattle Mariners claim Michael Toglia off waivers from Cincinnati Reds | Red Reporter — Old friend Michael Toglia played just 10 games with the Reds in 2026 before a shoulder injury ended his season. Wick Terrell breaks down the move, and Toglia’s tenure with the Reds, on our sister site.
Dodgers’ Ohtani admits he won’t be fully healthy in playoffs | ESPN — Shohei Ohtani has been fighting left knee and right biceps injuries, so this could be a story to keep up with in the postseason. The Dodgers have a ton of depth even without Ohtani, and are still favored to threepeat, but it’s definitely something to watch.
Yankees’ Aaron Judge Undergoes Experimental Blood Treatment In Desperate Bid To Return | Yahoo! Sports — Another storyline to watch is that of Aaron Judge. Judge has been battling hamstring injuries for most of the season, but was available to play against the Rockies a few weeks ago. The headline is slightly misleading, stating, “But the shot he received is a fairly new medical innovation, known as platelet-poor plasma (PPP), and it is so groundbreaking that it is still considered relatively unproven by the healthcare industry.”
Miz and Miller in same series? Postseason velocity records beware! | MLB.com — Zach Sweet writes, “Fifty-six pitches. That’s the most triple-digit heat any postseason series has produced since pitch tracking began in 2008.” That happened during the 2016 Giants-Cubs NLDS. And Jacob Misiorowski has thrown four more this season by himself. And Mason Miller is second in that arms race. Good luck to any of the batters in this series!
MLB nixes plan to host regular-season game at Grand Teton National Park | The Athletic ($) — Looks like MLB read Renee’s article explaining why a game in the Tetons was a bad idea!
Are Dodgers villains? Or a model to aspire to? Their title defense could shape MLB’s labor debate | The Athletic ($) — Look, I hate the Dodgers as much as the rest of us (#BeatLA!). But Andy McCullough makes some good points about how we’ve gotten to a potential lockout, and how the Dodgers are being blamed (rightfully or wrongfully) for what’s likely about to happen in two months.