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Devin_Williams_EF241004 [608x342] (Credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Preston s Osmajic given eight-game ban for bite

There's nothing quite like wild-card week. The 2024 MLB playoffs began Tuesday with a best-of-three first round featuring eight teams battling to move on to their league's division series. 

The first teams to go? After an incredible seven straight trips to the American League Championship Series, the Houston Astros were swept by the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. In the very next game, the Baltimore Orioles were swept by the Kansas City Royals, another upset by an AL Central squad. Next to exit October were the Atlanta Braves, who fell in two straight to the San Diego Padres. Finally, in a stunning Game 3 winner-take-all, the Milwaukee Brewers got bounced by the New York Mets.

Whether your team's playoff departure comes in the opening days or after a long run, let's look ahead to what could be on the front office's to-do list heading into the offseason. ESPN MLB experts Alden Gonzalez, Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield identify the free agents to watch, key priorities and a question that will shape the coming months for each eliminated squad. 

Did your favorite team miss the postseason altogether? We dove into what went wrong for each non-playoff team -- and how to fix it.

Teams eliminated in wild-card series Atlanta Braves

Key free agents: LHP Max Fried, RHP Charlie Morton, OF Adam Duvall, LHP A.J. Minter, RHP Jesse Chavez, IF/OF Whit Merrifield, 3B Gio Urshela; club options on DH Marcell Ozuna, C Travis d'Arnaud, LHP Aaron Bummer, RHP Luke Jackson

Biggest offseason priority: Fried is 73-36 with a 3.07 ERA in his Atlanta career and ranks third among all pitchers in WAR since 2020. He'll be 31, but he's in his prime and clearly one of the top southpaws in the game, with a deep arsenal of pitches that should allow him to age well. Re-signing him is one of the biggest offseason priorities the Braves have faced in a long time. It's certainly no guarantee he returns, however. He's one of the few young Braves players who never signed a long-term extension. He's from L.A. and, well, there's a team there with very deep pockets that suffered a slew of pitching injuries in 2024.

Aside from that, the Braves will wait to see if Morton retires. They'll have Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach as guarantees for the rotation, plus Spencer Strider returning at midseason or so. They still have 2023 All-Star Bryce Elder around, plus AJ Smith-Shawver, so I don't think they have to make a rotation addition, even if they don't re-sign Fried.

They're set on the position player side of things and will certainly pick up Ozuna's option after his monster season (although the in-season trade for Jorge Soler creates a logjam at DH).

Will they look to upgrade shortstop or left field? Aside from all the injuries, the weakest positions were shortstop, where Orlando Arcia hit .218, and left field, where Jarred Kelenic slumped badly in the second half. Soler has two years and $32 million left on his contract, so he's going to be difficult to trade and maybe the Braves shove him into left field. Given the Braves' payroll situation, they'll probably just live with Arcia's $2 million salary and hope his bat bounces back a bit.

Offseason prediction: The Braves have a lot of payroll on the books in upcoming seasons, and even though those are at generally team-friendly rates, it might make re-signing Fried prohibitive, as important as he is to the team. I predict he signs elsewhere -- whether it's with the Dodgers or another team. He'll be in high demand. The Braves would love for some team to take on Soler's contract, although they might have to eat some of the salary. Otherwise, the 2025 Braves are going to look a lot like the 2024 team -- just with more Ronald Acuna Jr. and hopefully more Strider. -- David Schoenfield

Baltimore Orioles

Key free agents: RHP Corbin Burnes, RF Anthony Santander, C James McCann, LHP John Means; club options on DH Eloy Jimenez, RHP Seranthony Dominguez, 1B Ryan O'Hearn, LHP Danny Coulombe, Cionel Perez

Biggest offseason priority: Deciding if they want to make a run at re-signing Burnes or figure out some other way to add a top-of-the-rotation type. They will have in-season acquisition Zach Eflin for the entire season and Grayson Rodriguez (who would have missed the entire postseason because of a strain in his right shoulder and back), but Kyle Bradish, their 2023 ace, had Tommy John surgery in June, so he'll be out for most or all of 2025.

Burnes or the other top free agent starters -- Max Fried, Blake Snell, Jack Flaherty -- might be out of the Orioles' price range, or at least contrary to Mike Elias' ideas of building from within and making trades rather than dishing out big free agent contracts. That philosophy could also mean they let Santander sign elsewhere, even coming off a 44-homer season. That earned Santander his first All-Star selection, but the Orioles do have potential replacements, and if they spend money, it's more likely to be on the pitching staff.

Where will all the young position players fit in? The Orioles will have to figure out where Coby Mayo and Heston Kjerstad will play in 2025 -- most likely in Baltimore, but possibly elsewhere if one is traded for pitching help -- and if Jackson Holliday is ready to take over second base after struggling as a rookie. Mayo had a cup of coffee and went 4-for-41 (.098) with 22 strikeouts. Kjerstad missed time with a concussion. Both have done all they can in Triple-A, so it makes sense to work them into the lineup, but at what positions? Is Mayo a third baseman or first baseman? Does Kjerstad take over a corner outfield position? What they do with those two and Holliday could affect how they deal with O'Hearn, Ryan Mountcastle and Ramon Urias (and where Jordan Westburg plays).

Offseason prediction: The Orioles have hard-hitting Samuel Basallo close to the majors as well, after he reached Triple-A. But there's room for all these guys: Holliday to second, Westburg to third, Mayo to first, Kjerstad in the outfield and Basallo as a catcher/DH/first baseman. I don't think they spend for either Burnes or Santander and will definitely turn down Jimenez's option. They'll trade Mountcastle or O'Hearn to save some money, free up a spot and keep all the kids, while signing a second-tier starting pitcher and maybe some bullpen help (remember, Felix Bautista should be back from Tommy John surgery). That's unlikely to please Orioles fans. -- David Schoenfield

Houston Astros

Key free agents: 3B Alex Bregman, RHP Justin Verlander, LHP Yusei Kikuchi

Biggest offseason priority: Fill out the corners. This need begins with the likely pursuit of franchise cornerstone Bregman, who means so much to the Astros, on the field and off. He's not the kind of player you can replace easily with mere production, but you do need to replace the production if he leaves. The Astros also have a need across the diamond, as they've struggled for consistent first base impact since the Jose Abreu signing went south. You could also argue that, given Yordan Alvarez's cumbersome knees, that a full-time DH plan would make sense, and then you'd have to make sure you have enough in left field.

How high can the payroll get and how long can it remain this high? The Astros have been so good about finding pitching production that even with Verlander's apparent decline and possible departure, Houston doesn't have to break the bank to fill out the staff. Still, the Astros have been running a top-five payroll. Bregman will cost them if they are able to keep him in the fold, and they should. Kyle Tucker is one year from free agency and probably should have already been extended. Same holds true for Framber Valdez, as no matter how good your overall pitching program might be, a consistent and durable ace is a precious commodity.

The Astros are on the Gibbon trajectory (Edward Gibbon wrote "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"). They started modestly, built up into a mighty empire, but thanks to incursions from competitors, economic pressures and the natural forces of cosmic regression, the fortress is showing wear and tear. A collapse isn't looming yet, but it's out there, and you wonder how long Jim Crane might want to keep ramping up payroll to prevent the inevitable.

Offseason prediction: Bregman stays on a long-term deal. It's impossible to imagine Bregman with another team. (Though the list of "you can't see him with another team" players is as long as baseball history itself.) Still, what would they do at The Moonshiners if he left? Name his sandwich after somebody else? No, this has to work out, and Bregman has an off-the-field future with the club if he wants it. Make him a career Astro. You could see a deal surprisingly longer in duration than you might expect, but perhaps with more modest average annual values to lessen the tax hit. And there are always deferrals. -- Bradford Doolittle

Milwaukee Brewers

Key free agents: SS Willy Adames, LHP Wade Miley (mutual option)

Biggest offseason priority: With the Brewers bursting at the seams with young positional talent, Milwaukee can focus on adding some veteran stability to the rotation. The question is how much Milwaukee will spend in free agency.

Milwaukee has little long-term money on the books beyond the rest of Christian Yelich's contract and what's already looking like an extraordinarily team-friendly deal with Jackson Chourio. That doesn't mean the Brewers will be hunting for a splash because, let's face it, that's not what they do. They will probably make a run at keeping Adames, and a decision has to be made on Freddy Peralta, who, assuming Milwaukee picks up his club option for 2025, will be a free agent after next season. Do the Brewers extend Peralta or trade him, as they did Corbin Burnes?

Then there are the injuries. Robert Gasser had Tommy John surgery, as did the veteran Miley, who might not want to keep playing anyway. Brandon Woodruff might be ready to return from the shoulder injury that kept him out all of 2024, so that would certainly help. Still, the Brewers navigated to the playoffs using 17 different starters, including 13 who started at least three times. Some stability would be nice. An ace, if they want to swing big, would be really nice.

How does Christian Yelich fit in going forward? This question is not posed because Yelich has slipped as a player. It does assume he recovers fine from back surgery, which is never a sure thing. Before he went down, though, Yelich was easily the Brewers' best hitter, posting a 151 OPS+ and stealing 21 of 22 bases over 73 games.

No, the problem isn't Yelich but the depth of outfield talent the Brewers have at their disposal. This begins with Chourio but includes Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins. You figure Yelich will still be a regular out in the grass, but given his age (33 by Opening Day) and the back problem, you could see him having more DH time and ... just maybe ... taking some reps at first base.

Also, given the Brewers' depth of controllable outfield talent and the possible desire to extend some of their younger players, could a Yelich trade be on the table? Because of the surgery, that's not likely to happen this winter. Still, it's also likely Yelich's role will begin to evolve as he assumes the mantle of the Brewers' elder statesman.

Offseason prediction: The Brewers won't re-sign Adames, but it won't be as much of a fait accompli as it currently seems. The last part of the season has felt a bit like a farewell tour for Adames in Milwaukee. Manager Pat Murphy stated bluntly that Adames probably won't be around next year. Owner Mark Attanasio said, "I think the free agent contract is going to be very valuable for him and quite high, and we'll do what we can do to stretch. But others have bigger pocketbooks." So he's gone, right?

Well, we'll see how Adames' market develops, but it's possible he's one of those players who is more valuable to the Brewers than to other teams. He's a low-average, low-contact hitter who obviously hits for plus power for a shortstop. His RBI count was impressive (112), but he also was near the MLB lead in terms of runners on base when he batted. He just turned 29, and while his defensive metrics are a bit confusing if you're comparing systems, one leading measure (DRS) had him at a whopping minus-16.

All this is to say that the market for Adames might not be as budget-blowing as the Brewers expect. Even if that comes to pass, however, Milwaukee still probably won't bring him back. The simple reason? In Brice Turang and Joey Ortiz, the Brewers already have young options with less expensive contracts who can replace him. This is how the Brewers keep winning a lot without spending a lot. -- Bradford Doolittle