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Entering the 2024 MLB season, two superteams have stood out from the crowd. In fact, the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers were in a tier of their own at the top of our initial MLB Power Rankings and are the clear projected favorites to win it all when the postseason rolls around. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the league is going to lie down and watch the Dodgers and Braves battle it out for supremacy this season.

We asked five of our ESPN MLB experts to each pick one team they think is best suited to take down the Dodgers and Braves in October, when it counts the most. While none of our experts necessarily expects this team to be better than L.A. and Atlanta for the 162-game long haul, they all made their strongest cases why their selection could be the team to knock L.A. and Atlanta out of the postseason. Just how strong were their cases? We left that for our resident judge — the honorable Jeff Passan — to decide with his ruling for each case.


The case for the Rangers: I already hear Judge Jeff: “No team has gone back-to-back since the Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000. It’s impossible.” That just means we’re due for a repeat champion — and this lineup can carry the Rangers to another title. You know this is true, Judge. After all, you wrote the story in spring training heralding the coming of Wyatt Langford. The Rangers are adding him plus a full season of Evan Carter to a lineup that already led the American League in runs scored a year ago. Yes, Josh Jung‘s broken wrist stinks, but that means the Rangers will have only eight good hitters instead of nine while he’s out.

I’m less worried about Texas’ pitching than most. Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray and Dane Dunning are good enough to keep the rotation afloat until Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle return later in the season. You want to bet against Eovaldi, who merely went 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA last postseason, plus a healthy deGrom and Scherzer in October? The bullpen is also deeper with the additions of David Robertson and Kirby Yates, which is nice but doesn’t even matter because Bruce Bochy could manage a bullpen with three High-A pitchers, two college relievers, Jesse Orosco and Judge Jeff himself to a World Series title. — David Schoenfield

Judge Jeff says: I’ve been working on a splitter, but that’s neither here nor there. Your case is sound. It also depends on the health of guys who haven’t been able to stay healthy. What version of deGrom returns in August? How much more is left in the tank for Scherzer, who turns 40 in July? The lineup, even without Jung, will be just fine, and general manager Chris Young’s aggressiveness almost ensures the Rangers will get better at the trade deadline. For now, the lack of pitching certainty leaves them a touch light compared to the Braves and Dodgers.


The case for the Orioles: The Orioles won 101 games last season and still haven’t come close to reaching their ceiling. Baltimore has so much young talent that its Triple-A team is more interesting right now than at least four big league clubs. The ascension of these players is collectively steep, inevitable and organic. A lineup that within a few weeks will feature Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg has balance, speed, power and athleticism to match up with anyone, and there is more on the way as the outfield gets younger.

Yes, the talent is tilted toward the position player side — but that means Baltimore can make targeted additions to the pitching staff over the course of the season. The depth in young hitters will allow the O’s to fill in gaps in the rotation and bullpen alike with top-of-the-market reinforcements. And it’s not like those acquisitions would be counted on to turn around a faltering staff. Baltimore, as is, has a playoff-caliber pitching staff. Everything that’s put into the roster from here is gravy. — Bradford Doolittle

Judge Jeff says: “Will allow” is not the same as “will,” and that’s the flaw in the pro-Orioles argument. Everything you say about Baltimore’s lineup is correct. It’s the Orioles’ willingness to move controllable players that I doubt, even with David Rubenstein’s recent purchase of the team. Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal run the Orioles’ baseball operations department with a high degree of judiciousness, and because their window to win is as big as any American League team’s, adding the necessary pitching might come down to value over urgency. And it is indeed necessary. With Kyle Bradish’s return from an elbow injury uncertain and John Means getting hammered in his first rehab start at Triple-A, the questions about Baltimore’s pitching linger.


The case for the Phillies: There were times watching the Phillies last October when it felt as if they’d never lose. The electricity at Citizens Bank Park was unmatched, the confidence with which this team carried itself palpable. The Phillies seemed destined for the World Series. And if not for Craig Kimbrel — tagged with the loss in Games 3 and 4 of the National League Championship Series, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks get back into a series they ultimately won — they probably would have reached it. Kimbrel is now gone. What remains is a loaded lineup headlined by Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto; a devastating rotation duo in Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola; and a bullpen that, early hiccups aside, began the season with the highest WAR projections by FanGraphs.

Even if the Phillies don’t win the NL East, they’ve more than proved they can take down the Braves when it matters most, having eliminated them from each of the past two postseasons. As for the Dodgers? These Phillies seem to possess what the Dodgers have lacked in recent years: an October swagger that radiates through your television screen. — Alden Gonzalez

Judge Jeff says: When it comes to star-level talent, the Phillies have as much as any team, Dodgers and Braves included. Their ability to take the leap might depend on the secondary characters, though. Is Cristopher Sanchez — with his 2 mph velo leap and filthy changeup — a viable rotation piece for a full season? Can a healthy Spencer Turnbull be the guy whose first start includes five scoreless innings? Does the best version of Nick Castellanos show up? If the answer to all three is yes, I’m a lot more bullish on the Phillies’ prospects, particularly considering the team’s October pedigree.


The case for the Yankees: Brian Cashman’s multiyear obsession with attempting to balance his lineup finally came to fruition when the Yankees acquired Juan Soto in the offseason. It was essential to their October goals. The postseason is littered with good teams who bowed out early because they were too right handed. See the White Sox in 2021 and the Blue Jays, basically every year, for evidence. New York was in that category, relying on Anthony Rizzo and a cast of characters (Matt Carpenter, Joey Gallo et al), to provide slug from that side of the plate. It never worked. Now we’re already seeing what having a premier left-handed hitter can do to stretch the lineup while taking some pressure off Rizzo. This group, when healthy, plays in the fall.

But let’s not bury the lead here. Pitching is still the name of the game, and Gerrit Cole needs to get healthy while Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes must be the best versions of themselves. I don’t believe that’s asking too much. And there was chatter last July that the Yankees would have moved a top prospect for Cody Bellinger, so don’t discount a big trade for a pitcher this time around. I’m sure they don’t want to give up a recovering Jasson Dominguez or the highly touted Spencer Jones, but there was a time when championships were all that mattered in New York. With potentially having Soto for only one year, Cashman needs to go for it. The Yankees can topple the giants if he does. — Jesse Rogers

Judge Jeff says: Sweeping the Houston Astros over four games to begin the season — all in come-from-behind fashion no less — validated the these-Yankees-are-different buzz that accompanied them entering the season. The validity of their case boils down to one thing, however: Do they or don’t they have Gerrit Cole come October? If he is healthy and himself, the threat for championship No. 28, and their first since 2009, is very real. Without Cole, the Yankees’ rotation is fine, just not the sort that screams World Series winner.


Houston Astros

The case for the Astros: For the Astros to take down the Dodgers or Braves themselves, they would have to reach the World Series. And if recent history is any indication, they will at least give themselves a shot to do so. The Astros have advanced to the ALCS a record seven straight seasons. They went to the World Series four out of those seven years and were one win away from a fifth appearance last fall. They’ve won it all twice. October baseball is different, and there hasn’t been a better team in October than Houston over the past decade.

Two managers, a few stars and some valued complementary veterans have come and gone, but an elite core remains intact in 2024. Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman highlight a deep lineup that also features Jose Abreu, Yainer Diaz and Chas McCormick as part of the supporting cast. The back end of the bullpen, bolstered by Josh Hader‘s arrival, is the best in the majors on paper.

The starting rotation has question marks to start the season — enough for Houston to have strongly considered signing Blake Snell in mid-March — but the talent is there. Justin Verlander is expected to come off the injured list by the end of the month. Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia should follow. Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier were elite in 2022. Ronel Blanco, a rotation fill-in, tossed a no-hitter Monday. If need be, the Astros could address the rotation at the trade deadline. An 0-4 start was less than ideal, but the Astros are consistent winners when it matters most. The Dodgers and Braves, who have both been knocked out in the NL division series the past two years, can’t say the same. — Jorge Castillo

Judge Jeff says: What, no one wants the Pirates? Tigers? Brewers? And you’re going to go with a team that has played six games, led all of them at one point and won just one? This is also a team with similar-to-Texas concerns about starting pitching health, a payroll already at an all-time high without much deadline wiggle room and a weak farm system. Then again, these are the Astros. In addition to Alvarez, Tucker and Altuve, Diaz is mashing. A low-strikeout offense with few holes, a still-strong defensive unit and a nasty back end of the bullpen, Hader’s early hiccups notwithstanding? There’s a reason the Astros are one good run shy of an all-time LCS streak, and as the Yankees and Phillies learned in 2022, only a fool sleeps on Houston in October.

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Source: USC flips Ducks’ Topui, No. 3 DT in 2026

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Source: USC flips Ducks' Topui, No. 3 DT in 2026

USC secured the commitment of former Oregon defensive tackle pledge Tomuhini Topui on Tuesday, a source told ESPN, handing the Trojans their latest recruiting victory in the 2026 cycle over the Big Ten rival Ducks.

Topui, ESPN’s No. 3 defensive tackle and No. 72 overall recruit in the 2026 class, spent five and half months committed to Oregon before pulling his pledge from the program on March 27. Topui attended USC’s initial spring camp practice that afternoon, and seven days later the 6-foot-4, 295-pound defender gave the Trojans his pledge to become the sixth ESPN 300 defender in the program’s 2026 class.

Topui’s commitment gives USC its 10th ESPN 300 pledge this cycle — more than any other program nationally — and pulls a fourth top-100 recruit into the impressive defensive class the Trojans are building this spring. Alongside Topui, USC’s defensive class includes in-state cornerbacks R.J. Sermons (No. 26 in ESPN Junior 300) and Brandon Lockhart (No. 77); four-star outside linebacker Xavier Griffin (No. 27) out of Gainesville, Georgia; and two more defensive line pledges between Jaimeon Winfield (No. 143) and Simote Katoanga (No. 174).

The Trojans are working to reestablish their local recruiting presence in the 2026 class under newly hired general manager Chad Bowden. Topui not only gives the Trojans their 11th in-state commit in the cycle, but his pledge represents a potentially important step toward revamping the program’s pipeline to perennial local powerhouse Mater Dei High School, too.

Topui will enter his senior season this fall at Mater Dei, the program that has produced a long line of USC stars including Matt Leinart, Matt Barkley and Amon-Ra St. Brown. However, if Topui ultimately signs with the program later this year, he’ll mark the Trojans’ first Mater Dei signee since the 2022 cycle, when USC pulled three top-300 prospects — Domani Jackson, Raleek Brown and C.J. Williams — from the high school program based in Santa Ana, California.

Topui’s flip to the Trojans also adds another layer to a recruiting rivalry rekindling between USC and Oregon in the 2026 cycle.

Tuesday’s commitment comes less than two months after coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans flipped four-star Oregon quarterback pledge Jonas Williams, ESPN’s No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in 2026. USC is expected to continue targeting several Ducks commits this spring, including four-star offensive tackle Kodi Greene, another top prospect out of Mater Dei.

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Sources: QB Pyne leaves Mizzou, seeks 4th team

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Sources: QB Pyne leaves Mizzou, seeks 4th team

Missouri quarterback Drew Pyne has entered the portal as a graduate transfer, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

Pyne is looking to move to his fourth school after stints at Notre Dame, Arizona State and Missouri. He’ll be a sixth-year senior this fall.

Pyne joined Missouri last year as a backup for senior starter Brady Cook. He earned one start, leading the Tigers to a 30-23 comeback win over Oklahoma while Cook was sidelined by ankle and wrist injuries.

Missouri brought in former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula via the transfer portal this offseason. He’ll compete with redshirt junior Sam Horn and true freshman Matt Zollers, the No. 86 overall recruit in the 2025 ESPN 300, for the opportunity to start this season.

Pyne, a former ESPN 300 recruit, began his career at Notre Dame and started 10 games for the Fighting Irish in 2022. He threw for 2,021 yards on 65% passing and scored 24 total touchdowns with six interceptions while winning eight of his starts.

After the Irish brought in grad transfer quarterback Sam Hartman, Pyne transferred to Arizona State but appeared in just two games with the Sun Devils before an injury forced him to sit out the rest of the season.

Pyne played 211 snaps over six appearances for the Tigers last season and threw for 391 yards on 60% passing with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

The NCAA’s spring transfer window opens April 16, but graduate transfers are permitted to put their name in the portal at any time. More than 160 FBS scholarship quarterbacks have already transferred this offseason.

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What’s going on with Rafael Devers? Putting his historic strikeout streak into context

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What's going on with Rafael Devers? Putting his historic strikeout streak into context

There are slow starts, there are slumps, and then there is whatever Rafael Devers is going through.

The 28-year-old three-time All-Star for the Boston Red Sox has been one of baseball’s best hitters since 2019, posting three 30-homer seasons, three 100-RBI seasons and a whole bunch of doubles.

His first five games of 2025 have been a nightmare. It’s the early-season equivalent of dealing Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. Johnny Pesky holding the ball. Bucky Dent. The ball rolling through Bill Buckner’s legs. Aaron Boone. Just to name a few Red Sox references. Here’s how those games unfolded for Devers:

Game 1: 0-for-4, three strikeouts
Game 2: 0-for-4, four strikeouts
Game 3: 0-for-4, three strikeouts, walk, RBI
Game 4: 0-for-4, two strikeouts, walk
Game 5: 0-for-3, three strikeouts, two walks

Along the way, Devers became the first player to strike out 10 times in a team’s first three games of a season — and that’s not all.

He became the first player to strike out 12 times in a team’s first four games. And, yes, with 15 strikeouts through five games he shattered the old record of 13, shared by Pat Burrell in 2001 and Byron Buxton in 2017. Going back to the end of 2024, when Devers fanned 11 times over his final four games, he became the fourth player with multiple strikeouts in nine straight games — and one of those was a pitcher (the other two were a rookie named Aaron Judge in 2016 and Michael A. Taylor in 2021).

With Devers struggling, the Red Sox have likewise stumbled out of the gate, going 1-4 after some lofty preseason expectations, including an 8-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in the home opener Monday. To be fair, it’s not all on Devers: Jarren Duran, Devers and Alex Bregman, the top three hitters in the lineup, are a combined 11-for-62 (.177) with no home runs.

But there is one question weighing heaviest on the minds of Red Sox Nation right now: What is really going on with Devers?

It’s easy to say his head simply isn’t in the right space. Devers made headlines early in spring training after the Red Sox signed Bregman, saying he didn’t want to move to DH and that “third base is my position.” He pointed out that when he signed his $331 million extension in January of 2023, the front office promised he would be the team’s third baseman.

That, however, was when a different regime was in charge. Bregman, a Gold Glove winner in 2024, is the better defensive third baseman, so it makes sense to play him there and move Devers — except many players don’t like to DH. Some analysts even build in a “DH penalty,” assuming a player will hit worse there than when he plays the field. While Devers eventually relented and said he’d do whatever will help the team, it was a rocky situation for a few weeks.

But maybe it’s something else. While Devers avoided surgery this offseason, he spent it trying to rebuild strength in both shoulders after dealing with soreness and inflammation throughout 2024. He didn’t play the field in spring training and had just 15 plate appearances. So maybe he is still rusty — or the shoulder(s) are bothering him.

Indeed, Statcast metrics show his average bat speed has dropped from 72.5 mph in 2024 to 70.3 mph so far in 2025 (and those are down from 73.4 mph in 2023). His “fast-swing rate” has dropped from 34.2% in 2023 to 27.9% to 12.2%. Obviously, we’re talking an extremely small sample size for this season, but it’s clear Devers isn’t generating the bat speed we’re used to seeing from him.

That, however, doesn’t explain the complete inability to make contact. Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters after the series in Texas that Devers had made alterations with his foot placement — but was having trouble catching up to fastballs. Following Monday’s game, Devers told reporters (via his interpreter) that, “Obviously this is not a position that I’ve done in the past. So I need to get used to it. But I feel good, I feel good.”

Which leads to this question: Does this historic bad start mean anything? Since the DH began in 1973, three DHs began the season with a longer hitless streak than Devers’ 0-for-19 mark, so let’s dig into how the rest of their seasons played out:

  • Don Baylor with the 1982 Angels (0-for-20). Baylor ended up with a pretty typical season for him: .263/.329/.424, 24 home runs.

  • Evan Gattis of the 2015 Astros (0-for-23). Gattis hit .246 with 27 home runs — not as good as he hit in 2014 or 2016, but in line with his career numbers.

  • Curtis Terry with the Rangers in 2021 (0-for-20). Terry was a rookie who ended up playing just 13 games in the majors.

Expanding beyond just the DH position, I searched Baseball-Reference for players in the wild-card era (since 1995) who started a season hitless in at least 20 plate appearances through five games. That gave us a list of … just seven players, including Evan Carter (0-for-22) and Anthony Rendon (0-for-20) last season. Both ended up with injury-plagued seasons. The list also includes Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, who was 0-for-24 for the Houston Astros in 1995. He was fine: He hit .302/.406/.483 that season, made the All-Star team and finished 10th in the MVP voting. J.D. Drew started 0-for-25 through five games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2005; he hit .286/.412/.520, although an injury limited him to 72 games.

But none of those hitters struck out nearly as often as Devers has.

So let’s focus on the strikeouts and expand our search to most strikeouts through the 15 first games of a season. Given his already astronomical total, Devers is likely to rank high on such a list even if he starts making more contact. Seventeen players struck out at least 25 times through 15 games, topped by Yoan Moncada and Miguel Sano with 29, both in 2018. Not surprisingly, all these seasons have come since 2006 and 12 since 2018.

How did that group fare?

They were actually OK, averaging a .767 OPS and 20 home runs. The best of the group was Matt Olson in 2023, who struck out 25 times in 15 games, but was also hitting well with a .317/.423/.650 line. He went on to hit 53 home runs. The next best season belongs to Giancarlo Stanton in 2018, his first with the Yankees. He finished with 38 home runs and an .852 OPS — but that was a big drop from his MVP season in 2017, when he mashed 59 home runs. His strikeout rate increased from 23.6% in 2017 to 29.9% — and he’s never been as good.

Indeed, that’s the worrisome thing for Devers: Of the 16 players who played the season before (Trevor Story was a rookie in 2016 when he struck out 25 times in 15 games, albeit with eight home runs), 13 had a higher OPS the previous season, many significantly so.

As Cora argued Monday, it’s a small sample size. “You know, this happens in July or August, we’d not even be talking about it,” he said.

That doesn’t really sound quite forthright. A slump, even a five-game slump, with this many strikeouts would absolutely be a topic of discussion. Still, that’s all the Red Sox and Devers have to go on right now: It’s just a few games, nothing one big game won’t fix. They just hope it comes soon.

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