The Opener: NL Wild Card, Cardinals, Red Sox

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With the regular season now over for 28 of the league’s 30 clubs, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. NL Wild Card race reaches finish line:

MLB was forced to postpone the final two games of a three-game set between the Braves and Mets last week due to the impact of Hurricane Helene, but with the final two NL Wild Card spots still up in the air after the scheduled end of the regular season, those games will be made up as part of a doubleheader today. If either Atlanta or New York get swept in today’s doubleheader, they’ll miss the playoffs as the winner moves on to face the Padres in San Diego during the Wild Card Series, while the Diamondbacks head to Milwaukee for a match up against the Brewers. If the two teams split the series, the Braves will head to San Diego while the Mets head to Milwaukee, leaving Arizona out of the playoffs and unable to defend their status as the reigning champs of the NL.

Game 1 of today’s doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1:10pm local time in Atlanta. Rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (3.47 ERA in 20 starts) will be on the mound for the Braves in Game 1, and The Athletic’s David O’Brien was among those to note that veteran southpaw Chris Sale (2.38 ERA in 29 starts) will take the mound in Game 2 if the Braves are facing elimination. In the event that Braves win Game 1 today, however, Atlanta appears poised to push Sale back to tomorrow so he can face San Diego in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. As for the Mets, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com notes that right-hander Tylor Megill (3.98 ERA in 14 starts) is set to face Schwellenbach in Game 1 while Luis Severino (3.91 ERA in 31 starts) will start Game 2 if the Mets are facing elimination. Like Sale, Severino would be held back for the start of the Wild Card Series should New York emerge victorious in Game 1.

2. Cardinals to hold presser amid organizational changes:

As noted by MLB.com’s John Denton, the Cardinals are set to hold a press conference at 2pm local time in St. Louis this afternoon on the heels of a disappointing 83-79 season where the club missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. The presser comes on the heels of plenty of news in the rumor mill regarding the Cardinals’ future over the weekend. That includes a report that the club will part ways with longtime first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and look to deal veteran players over the winter in an effort to cut payroll, with veteran right-hander Sonny Gray among those who could be shopped. While president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and manager Oli Marmol are both set to remain in their roles with the club in 2025, former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom figures to take a much larger role in the club’s front office going forward.

3. Red Sox to hold end of season press conference:

The Red Sox announced last week that manager Alex Cora, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and team president Sam Kennedy are scheduled to hold a press conference together later today to discuss the club’s plans for the offseason as they look ahead to 2025. Boston finished the year with an 81-81 record and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season, though they did enjoy breakouts from young members of their core like Tanner Houck, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu. Veteran starter Nick Pivetta, closer Kenley Jansen, set-up man Chris Martin, and slugger Tyler O’Neill are among the club’s outgoing free agents this winter.

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