MLB

The 2015 MLB postseason is about to begin, but it's never too early to look ahead to some of the situations that will play out throughout the offseason. Over the next few slides, we'll identify a handful of sell-high, buy-low transactions that teams need to consider this winter.

The 2015 MLB playoff picture is coming into focus, with the relevant squads and MLB as a whole just wrapping up their final series of the regular season. 

There are 10 spots for playoff teams in the MLB. Nine of those are already taken. The only unknown is the last American League wild-card spot. Houston is in the driver's seat, closely followed by the Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins (the New York Yankees have the other AL wild-card spot wrapped up). 

Rain, rain, go away. Come again when baseball season is over, because you're ruining everything right now.

Inclement weather has wreaked havoc across MLB this week, forcing three Friday postponements. As a result, all three makeup games will take place on Saturday as part of doubleheaders. As DraftKings players know by now, those are messy endeavors for daily fantasy.

This year's crop of September call-ups has brought a number of significant contributors and top prospects to the big leagues for the stretch run.

Javier Baez and Corey Seager in particular have stepped into significant roles on contending teams, and they figure to continue contributing on into October.

Success in September does not always mean a breakout season the following year, though, as the makeup of a team can change a lot between the final month of one season and Opening Day the next.

The Houston Astros maintained a grip on the American League's second wild-card spot in prolific fashion Friday evening, scoring a franchise-record 21 runs in a 21-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Praise the second wild-card berth.

Without it, this final weekend in Major League Baseball might be the kind that forces even the steadfast fan to shift his or her attention to the gridiron. But because we are in the era of two wild-card teams in each league, there is no need for attention to be taken off the diamond over the next two days. 

To say that Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta had a good second half to his season would be an understatement—a big one.

The Toronto Blue Jays were feeling themselves after clinching their first American League East title in 22 years Wednesday, and Kevin Pillar must have been feeling himself just the same Friday night.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale broke a franchise record with his 270th strikeout of the season on Friday night against the Detroit Tigers. 

Sale's record-breaking strikeout came against James McCann in the top of the second inning, passing Ed Walsh's club mark set in 1908. 

Shortly after the strikeout, the White Sox sent out a congratulatory tweet after Sale's feat: