PHILADELPHIA (AP) – All-Star reliever Matt Strahm passed a physical, causing the $7.5 million option for 2026 to vest in his contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Strahm received a $7.5 million salary in 2025 and the option became guaranteed because he reached 60 innings this year and passed the physical. The Phillies made the announcement Tuesday night.
The 33-year-old left-hander had a 2.74 ERA this year with 70 strikeouts and 20 walks in 62 1/3 innings, holding batters to a .208 average.
He was an All-Star for the Phillies in 2024 after agreeing to the deal with Philadelphia that March.
Strahm has a 3.36 ERA in 10 seasons with Kansas City, San Diego (2018-21), Boston (2022) and the Phillies (2023-25).
NL East champion Philadelphia will play the Los Angeles Dodgers or Cincinnati in a best-of-five Division Series starting Saturday.
When it comes to postseason baseball, regular-season records and playoff seedings don’t seem to matter. Anyone can win the World Series, and there are never any guarantees.
Sixteen teams have won the World Series since 2000, and no club has won back-to-back World Series championships since then.
As we open the 2025 postseason, here’s a look at why each playoff team can win the World Series.
TIGERS
No, the last couple weeks haven’t looked great for the Detroiters, but history shows that momentum to close the regular season means little in the postseason. That includes Tigers history: The 2006 team lost the AL Central title after being swept on the final weekend of the regular season, then caught fire in the playoffs for a run to the World Series. The 2025 team that lost a 14-game lead in the AL Central is essentially the same team that headed into the All-Star break with the Majors’ best record. More importantly, Tarik Skubal is still a force to be reckoned with in a postseason game, and the Tigers play a frenetic brand of offensive baseball, baserunning and all, that is difficult to counter when they’re on. — Jason Beck
BLUE JAYS
No team in baseball had as many different heroes throughout the season as the 2025 Blue Jays. It doesn’t always have to be Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette who beat you, and we all know the postseason can be home to unlikely stars. That’s the Blue Jays’ biggest strength, leaning on one of the deepest rosters in the league to creatively attack teams, especially late in games when they can play the matchup game. When this lineup is rolling, the Blue Jays can pair it with elite team defense and a rock-solid pitching staff. While some teams can just plain out-slug everyone else, the Blue Jays can win ball games in a dozen different ways, and they might need every single one of them in October. — Keegan Matheson
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