Four key World Series updates, plus 10 MLB free agents you should know

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A lot of Not Baseball has certainly happened so far this week, but here's the latest on the last two teams remaining. Plus: More on Fernando Valenzuela and our first look at free agency, which is just around the corner. I am Levi Weaverhere with the return Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup!

World Series: Last day off before game 1

Game 1 of the World Series is tomorrow night. While we wait patiently, here's the latest on each team:

Dodgers: In Fabian Ardaya's current status update, he says Freddie Freeman's ankle is “100 percent healthy” for Friday. Remarkable: This is something completely different than “100 percent”. The projected recovery from Freeman's injury (which occurred approximately four weeks ago) would be 4-6 weeks…if he were to fully rest. Ardaya also explains more about the exact impact of the ankle on his swing.

Additionally, Ardaya says two backup players — lefty Alex Vesia and righty Brusdar Graterol — will be “game-time decisions” for inclusion on the World Series roster. Vesia (intercostal inflammation) and Graterol (shoulder inflammation) could develop into a bullpen that was heavily used this October.

Yankees: Freeman isn't the only first baseman having a tough time. On the official MLB website, Brian Hoch spoke with Anthony Rizzo, who is still dealing with two broken fingers that have not yet healed. Doctors told Rizzo that while they wouldn't be cured in time for the ALCS, he wouldn't make them worse. He somehow managed to go 6 for 14 (.429) with a double.

In addition to likely adding Nestor Cortes to bolster the left side of his bullpen, Yankees manager Aaron Boone also confirmed that Gerrit Cole will start against Jack Flaherty in Game 1 tomorrow. So Carlos Rodón and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are the likely starters in Game 2 on Saturday.

More Dodgers-Yankees: Tyler Kepner has rated all 11 previous World Series matchups between these two teams.

Ken's notebook: How players took control of the World Series adventure in LA

From my latest story with Fabian Ardaya:

When the Los Angeles Dodgers were at their lowest, Dave Roberts did something he couldn't remember doing in any of his first nine seasons as manager: He called a preseason meeting. The Dodgers faltered. Their injuries mounted, the final blow coming with the news that Tyler Glasnow would be out for the rest of the year because his sprained right elbow wasn't cooperating enough to play a scheduled simulation game.

“I just felt like the squad was a little bit shaky in terms of the talent to win 11 games in October,” Roberts recalled recently The athlete.

That meeting, a call from Roberts for players to show trust in one another, prompted the Dodgers to move inward, prepare for the long haul and begin a new approach to the postseason. While the Dodgers are sometimes perceived as a top-down operation with the front office dictating virtually every move, it was the players who took control of the team's October plans, from watch parties during the Division Series to buses and Airplanes only for player rides.

The players say the time they spent together has brought them closer together and helped bring them within four wins of their first World Series title since 2020 and first in a full season since 1988.

“We don’t let the organization tell us what we do,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “The players say, 'This is what we do.'”

Shohei Ohtani, Kiké Hernández and Yoshinobu Yamamoto celebrate in a cramped locker room after eliminating the Mets. The day Roberts gathered his group in Atlanta, timing was important. The team was coming off a pair of losses, with Walker Buehler on the mound and suddenly playing a larger role in the organization's October plans. The message was even more critical.

“They recognized, without a doubt, that there was enough talent on this team to win a championship,” Roberts said. “As a coach, the message is also: I can believe in you until the cows come home. But if you don't believe in each other more than I believe in you, then it's all for nothing. It was a challenge for the boys.”

The Dodgers picked up on the news. If they were to achieve their goals, the impetus would have to come from the remaining talent of an organization hit hard by injuries. Over the course of an October in which they recovered from a series deficit, eliminated the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series and scored a postseason record 46 runs to beat the New York Mets and into the World Series To return, the Dodgers prevailed against them through recent October history. They came closer.

And they did it their way.

More here, and here's more team chemistry: The Dodgers aren't the only close-knit group in this World Series. Chris Kirschner tells us how this Yankees team came together to overcome last year's disappointment.

Free agency: Top names come onto the market

I promise I won't keep doing this while games are happening. But we haven't had a game since Sunday night, so while we wait, I decided to put together a list of my top 10 upcoming free agents. These aren't necessarily ranked – at least by #1.

• Juan Soto (LF, NYY): A lot has been said about his free agency. He is at the top of his class and will only be 26 years old tomorrow.
• Corbin Burnes (RHP, BAL) turned 30 on Tuesday and started this year's All-Star Game. He will likely be the biggest target for teams needing to start pitching.
• Alex Bregman (3B, HOU): Will he be the last Houston superstar to depart, or will he be the second (after Jose Altuve) to stick around long-term due to his ownership? I wonder how Josh Hader's contract last year impacts this decision.
• Blake Snell (LHP, SFG) has an opt-out that he will almost certainly use. After a difficult start last year, negotiations will hopefully not drag on into spring again this year.
• Yusei Kikuchi (LHP, HOU): I still think the Astros overpaid for a rental starter, but holy crap, did Kikuchi shine in Houston, going 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 starts?
• Max Fried (LHP, ATL): As David O'Brien points out, Fried has the second most wins since 2019 (Gerrit Cole). He's had some injury issues, but that could help make him a little more affordable.
• Willy Adames (SS, MIL) hit 32 home runs and stole 21 bases last year (both career highs). It's not the Seager/Story/Correa class it was a few years ago, but it will have applicants.
• Tanner Scott (LHP, SD): Speaking of high rental prices, the Padres gave up a lot for Scott at the deadline. It will be interesting to see the market for this premier left-handed reliever.
• Cody Bellinger (OF, CHC) An opt-out is also likely, meaning this will be the second year in a row that his free agency will dominate the discussion on Chicago's North Side.
• Anthony Santander (OF, BAL): While the younger stars get more attention in Baltimore, Santander, 30, hit 44 home runs this season, making his first All-Star Game.

Honorable Mentions: Christian Walker (1B, ARI), Marcell Ozuna (DH, ATL), Freddy Peralta (RHP, MIL) – club option, Jack Flaherty (RHP, LAD), Ha-Seong Kim (INF, SDP) – mutual option, Pete Alonso (1B, NYM), Gleyber Torres (2B, NYY).

Want more? Jim Bowden goes in-depth on 45 free agents, including projections.

Tributes: More Fernando Valenzuela

The tributes keep pouring in, so here's a little more about the Dodgers great who died Tuesday night at the age of 63.

Man, those first eight games of his rookie season in 1981 are truly incredible. Seven complete games (he pitched the other nine innings, but it went into extras). Five shutouts. An ERA of 0.50. Only two home runs (and four total runs) are allowed in 72 innings. Furthermore, not only had the teams never seen him before; He appeared twice each against the Astros, Giants and Expos.

Valenzuela wasn't even supposed to be the Dodgers' Opening Day starter this year. Jerry Reuss was scheduled to start against Houston.

“I caught another fly ball in the outfield and thought I was Superman or Mickey Mantle, one of the two,” Reuss said. He felt his calf tug as the ball flew past him. A quick assessment ruled him out of the race the next day. Burt Hooton also was unable to pitch due to an ingrown toenail. Bob Welch was unavailable. The Freeway Series exhibition had ruled out several other options from manager Tommy Lasorda. So he turned to Valenzuela, who had already thrown a full bullpen that day.

If you want to learn about the history of baseball, you can do worse (and perhaps no better) than reading Tyler Kepner, whose Ode to Valenzuela does justice to the legend of the man who captivated a city and a sport has drawn.

Handshakes and high fives

This year's matchup is a mystery for fans who remember it Brooklyn Dodgers, says Steve Buckley.

If our position comparisons from the last few days weren't enough for you, Brendan Kuty and Fabian Ardaya have a more detailed version here.

David Stearns had his season-ending media availability yesterday. As Tim Britton explains, this winter will be a new opportunity – and challenge – for Stearns.

Questions about the plan with the Red Sox? Jen McCaffrey has answers.

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(Top photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)