The MLB Wild Card series was a rather underwhelming start to the postseason in totality. Three of the series ended in fairly uncompetitive sweeps, while the fourth one featured a pair of NL East clubs that look poised to lose handily in the NLDS against the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. As it turns out, maybe the format we’ve been complaining about actually does need changing.
With all of that being said, this round of baseball still brought us some major talking points, both positive and negative, to dissect. With that in mind, here’s a look at the winners and losers from the Wild Card series.
Winner: New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone
Matched up against their arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees not only swept the series, but they outscored Boston 18-2 in the two games. Cam Schlittler did typical Cam Schlittler things, Max Fried pitched incredibly well, Ben Rice drove in six runs in Game 1 and Cody Bellinger drove in four runs in Game 2. Aaron Boone is a winner not only because of just how well his team played, but also because when he had to push buttons, he did so correctly.
He allowed Schlittler to throw 117 pitches in Game 1, and as soon as he was pulled, the reliever who entered, Paul Blackburn, generated a double-play ball. In Game 2, Boone made the slightly controversial decision to start eight left-handed hitters against Sonny Gray, and the Yankees’ offense exploded for a second straight night. The Yankees didn’t have Aaron Judge, yet they still looked like a team capable of winning a World Series. Boone has at least something to do with that.
Loser: Houston Astros manager Joe Espada
Boone likely boosted his job security by getting New York past Boston in the Wild Card series, while Joe Espada might’ve ensured that he won’t be brought back after the Houston Astros‘ early postseason exit. The odds were stacked against the Astros bringing Espada back, given the fact that they already fired GM Dana Brown, Espada’s contract is about to expire and the team had a .500 record in the regular season, but a long postseason run could’ve changed the equation.
Instead, the Astros were embarrassed on their home turf by a White Sox team that hadn’t won a playoff game in quite some time. They got no starting pitching, and with Yordan Alvarez playing far from his best baseball, the offense floundered too. Their downfall certainly shouldn’t be pinned solely on Espada, but it’s clear Houston needs change. They’ll likely start with him.
Winner: RHP Michael King, San Diego Padres
Michael King faced a tall task in his first postseason start of the year, as he was being asked to contain a Chicago Cubs offense that led the Majors in runs scored in the regular season. King did more than just contain that juggernaut of a lineup, though, as he wound up surrendering just one hit in seven shutout innings. He put together arguably the best start of his big-league career in one of the biggest spots of his career.
King showed that he can be a reliable frontline arm for the San Diego Padres, even against an elite lineup. That’ll help San Diego a ton in its quest for a World Series title, and it’ll also help King, who can hit free agency after the year if he chooses.
Winner: San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller
Speaking of King, who was the GM who wanted him to be a full-time starter? That would be A.J. Preller, who also happens to have built one of the best rosters in the sport. The Padres have played superb baseball for months now after a rough start to their year, and in this week’s Wild Card series, they looked like a team capable of winning a World Series title.
San Diego’s offense is alive and well now that Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado are doing more of what was expected of them. Their rotation is far from perfect, but it allowed just one run in two games against the high-powered Cubs. The bullpen proved how elite it can be by shutting Chicago down completely. You can question whether Preller was right to trade as much prospect capital as he has in recent years, but he’s had the Padres in the hunt annually for a while now, and this might be the year they break through. They certainly appear to have the roster for it, and that’s thanks to Preller.
Loser: The MVP favorites
Yordan Alvarez is the AL MVP favorite after nearly winning the Triple Crown in a fully healthy season. In the National League, Pete Crow-Armstrong appears likely to wind up with the award after putting together one of the best all-around seasons we’ve seen in quite some time. Both of these premier talents played in the Wild Card series, yet they combined to go 1-for-15 with six strikeouts and one walk. That’s one hit (a single) in 15 at-bats with six strikeouts and only one walk drawn. Unacceptable.
It’s hard to advance in the postseason without stars showing up. Tatis Jr. did for the Padres. Schlittler shoved for the Yankees. Alvarez and Crow-Armstrong performing as poorly as they did played a huge role in their teams getting sent home. It won’t impact their MVP standing, but it sure does impact how fans might think of them in 2027 and beyond.
Loser: Boston Red Sox manager Chad Tracy
Chad Tracy helped lead the Boston Red Sox out of their early-season doldrums and onto an improbable run that resulted in a playoff berth. For that, the Red Sox stripped him of his interim manager label and gave him a three-year extension. Do they regret it now? Perhaps they should, after what was on display in the Wild Card series.
Boston was always going to have its hands full in a Wild Card series in the Bronx, and they would’ve lost no matter who was in the dugout thanks to a moribund offense, but it felt like every move Tracy made was the wrong one. Pulling Payton Tolle for Erik Miller backfired in Game 1, and Tracy repeated that same mistake with Sonny Gray in Game 2. Speaking of Game 2, the decision to use Garrett Crochet for the first time since April in a close game couldn’t have gone any worse. Again, the Red Sox didn’t play well enough, but while Boone made the right calls, every button Tracy pushed led to an unfortunate result for Boston.
Winner: Chicago White Sox GM Chris Getz
The Chicago White Sox entered the 2026 campaign with three straight 100-loss seasons under their belt and were expected to finish in last place in the AL Central once again. Instead, this roster, several years ahead of schedule, made it to the postseason and won a round, making easy work of the Astros in the Wild Card series. A lot of what went right had to do with moves Getz made.
The Crochet trade was controversial, but Chase Meidroth and Kyle Teel both played large roles throughout the regular season and in their series win in Houston. Their bullpen, mainly consisting of players acquired by Getz, shoved. Getz would’ve gotten crushed had the White Sox’s magical season ended this early, especially after his rough trade deadline, but Chicago getting this far is something he deserves immense credit for.
Loser: Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer
While the South Siders advanced, the Chicago Cubs couldn’t have been much more disappointing. Yes, they ran into the buzzsaw that is the San Diego Padres, but they were outscored 12-1 across two games. The pitching that many assumed would hold the team back did just that, and the offense that had been so stellar in the regular season completely no-showed. There isn’t much Jed Hoyer can do when PCA, Alex Bregman, Ian Happ and Michael Busch combine to go 0-for-26, but the fact that they looked this overmatched says a lot about how good this roster actually was.
Hoyer didn’t do a good enough job when it came to building a contender, and now, with so many pending free agents and not much in terms of tradeable prospects in their farm system (remember, they just traded Jefferson Rojas for a pair of rentals), are we sure the Cubs will be any better in 2027? Suddenly, it’s fair to be concerned about the future of this organization.
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