Q and A with Anthony Castrovince from MLB.com
I caught up with Anthony Castrovince from MLB.com to recap the 2025 baseball season, look ahead to 2026 storylines and more. Enjoy.
ML: Years down the line, when someone says 2025 World Series, what do you say first?
AC: It’s bound to go down as one of the best experiences of my work life. I’ve had the privilege of attending some incredible postseason games, but I’ve never covered a series that was so consistently captivating, inning by inning, game by game. From the general excitement in Canada to the 18-inning game (and Shohei Ohtani reaching base nine times) to Trey Yesavage making rookie history to Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s all-time pitching performance to the thrill and agony of the late and extra innings in Game 7, it had everything.
ML: Are the Blue Jays sustainable?
AC: Absolutely. It’s amazing how quickly the narrative around that team shifted in the span of a year. Entering the 2025 season, they were known primarily for their unfulfilled potential, their bridesmaid standing in the bids for Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto in consecutive winners, and the angst of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s approaching free agency. Now, Guerrero has been extended, their core played to (and maybe even above) its potential, and suddenly Toronto is viewed as a destination for other players. The franchise was a sleeping giant (financially) for a while, and now we’re going to see them throw their weight around.
ML: You know I can’t stand Hal-Cashman-Boone in the Bronx. Same clown show in 2026, right? They just aren’t built right and have no idea what they’re doing.
AC: Well, you said that, not me! I wouldn’t call it a circus, as they’ve routinely remained one of the teams to beat in the AL. But I do agree with the general sentiment that something is not right when a team has every resource in the world available to it and only reaches the World Series once in a generation (and gets soundly beaten in that Series). Joe Girardi was fired for only winning one championship with a .538 winning percentage in the postseason, while Boone has yet to win it all and has a .481 postseason winning percentage. So…that doesn’t add up. Though Aaron Judge is a sizable (in every way) exception, their player development has been lacking, they don’t generate enough contact in their lineup, they don’t field sound defensive teams, and they seem to have a long stretch every season in which they simply stink. Fans are right to be frustrated, given the expectations this franchise has set for itself.
ML: How worried are you that baseball will shut down again soon?
AC: It’s a big concern, but I remember the doom and gloom that preceded other recent CBA discussions. At the end of the day, the sport is in a much better place than it was a few years ago in terms of reducing the average age of its viewership, improving engagement, quickening pace of play, marketing its many young stars and just generally increasing its relevance. There are competing interests on both the player and ownership sides that need to be nursed, but neither side has incentive to miss games. So I remain optimistic that a palatable agreement will be reached without interfering with the 2027 season.
ML: Two franchises to buy stock in for 2026 and two to sell on.
AC: I’ll take one from each league in both cases. For the NL, I’m buying that the Mets still have way too much talent to routinely miss the playoffs and will find a winning formula next season, and I’m selling the Padres, who are too top-heavy and I think will run into depth issues. In the AL, I’ll buy an Orioles bounceback under Craig Albernaz, and I’ll sell the Astros, who again contended until late in 2025 but I think are finally, firmly outside their impressively long championship window.
ML: Ohtani is a legendary player. He just won MVP again. His athleticism is amazing. His unicorn play is off the charts. He’s clutch in October. I get it all. I love watching him. But this GOAT talk is a little much, isn’t it? I mean, THE BEST. EVER?
AC: He’s the greatest ever, Mike! He won’t have the greatest statistical career ever because of injuries, but what he’s doing as a two-way player of this caliber defies description. Babe Ruth gave it up at age 25 because it was too hard, and that was in a tremendously different league, schedule and media environment (and pre-integration, of course). If Ohtani were merely league average at both roles, it would still be extremely impressive, given the routines of starting pitchers. But over the last five seasons, this guy has the best league- and ballpark-adjusted ERA of any pitcher with at least 400 innings, and his adjusted OPS is second only to Aaron Judge among those with at least 2,000 plate appearances. It’s completely insane.
ML: Thanks Anthony. Keep crushing it.
AC: Thanks, Mike! I think I’ll go listen to “Send in the Clowns” now…
