Bob Melvin played 10 years in the big leagues, and has managed for another 20. Yet the San Diego Padres’ skipper freely admitted that he has no idea exactly what to expect from Fernando Tatis Jr., now that the 24-year-old superstar has returned to the field after missing the entire 2022 season. “Based on what […]
Remember all those big favorites going into the MLB postseason? The record-tying four 100-plus win teams from the regular season? The 20-win gaps between best and worst seeds in each league? The theoretical advantage of a first-round bye for top teams under MLB’s new playoff system? Turns out only one league got the memo about […]
After an MLB wild card weekend that scrambled the lower tier of the World Series odds, the division series offers four solid favorites — on paper, at least. According to our MLB forecast model, the top-seeded Houston Astros, L.A. Dodgers, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves each have at least a 2-in-3 chance at moving […]
In the NBA, any talk of building a superteam usually centers around the notion of a Big Three: a trio of stars so daunting that it can carry just about any roster to a championship. In the past 15 years, we’ve seen that model work for the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors. […]
neil (Neil Paine, acting sports editor): One of the most hyped MLB trade deadlines in recent memory is in the rearview mirror, and now we get to sift through the fallout. To help with that, I’ve gathered Brian Menéndez and Robert O’Connell, two of our esteemed FiveThirtyEight baseball contributors — guys, welcome! Brian (Brian Menéndez, […]