Yankees news: Schlittler, Fried still both in play to start Game 1

New York Post | Dan Martin : Speaking of Schlittler, you'd expect a pitcher of his stature to be a shoe-in for Game 1 of a playoff series. However, the Yankees are considering saving him for Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series. Max Fried could start Game 1, on extra rest, and thus also give Schlittler an extra day of rest before the Yankees embark on what they hope will be a long postseason run. Schlittler would have enough rest to start Games 2 and 5 of a potential ALDS regardless of whether he pitches Game 1 or 2 of the Wild Card Series. Is it possible the Yankees are overthinking it? Yes, admits pitching coach Matt Blake, but these are precisely the things the club's staff is paid to overthink.

Whichever way the Yankees line things up, the good news is that their excellent rotation means that they'll have an ace-caliber talent going every night. As an aside, Andrés wrote up this debate for earlier in the week, and that's worth a read if you haven't checked it out yet.

The Athletic | Evan Drellich and Andrew Marchand : Drellich and Marchand report on the looming lockout, and one mark to look out for next year: 60 games. Apparently, if MLB misses 60 or more games in the 2027 season, the league's national broadcast contracts would extend an extra year, into 2029. That introduces an interesting wrinkle into the owners' calculus when it comes to this round of labor negotiations. On the one hand, the league would still receive their negotiated dues as part of their deals with their broadcast partners. On the other, extending those deals another year means the league can't negotiate new national deals for another year; the league is likely seeking to earn a hefty raise on their next round of national contracts. The league also wouldn't get paid in 2029 under this scenario.