Toughest decisions for Division Series teams

While the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Cardinals prepare for win-or-go-home Wild Card Games, six other clubs have already turned their attention to the Division Series. And with that comes the task of building out their 26-man rosters for the best-of-five series.

• Complete 2021 postseason schedule

Most roster selections are a mere formality, but there are still some decisions left to make. Let’s take a look at what those tough calls will be for these six teams this week:

Rays: How do they fill out the bullpen?
In the American League Division Series, it seems like the Rays will rely on three primary starters: Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Shane Baz. Hard-throwing righty Luis Patiño and weak-contact-inducing lefty Josh Fleming are converted starters who seem ticketed for multi-inning bullpen work. There are a bunch of obvious 'pen picks including Andrew Kittredge, Collin McHugh, Pete Fairbanks, J.P. Feyereisen and (assuming his recently injured right finger holds up) Matt Wisler. David Robertson and JT Chargois have pitched in high-leverage roles at times this season, so they would seem to be in as well. Dietrich Enns could be another interesting left-handed option. But what about starters Michael Wacha and Ryan Yarbrough, both of whom have pitched well near the end of the season and could provide bulk innings if something happened to one of the starters? And what of Nick Anderson, Tampa Bay's top high-leverage arm a year ago, who made his season debut in mid-September then finished the regular season on the injured list due to a back issue? The Rays’ position-player group has been stable, but they have decisions to make on the pitching side. -- Adam Berry

Astros: Which relievers to carry?
Most of the Astros’ roster decisions are pretty cut-and-dry, except for the final position player off the bench and how the back of the bullpen will shape up. The decision on whether veteran Marwin Gonzalez, speedy outfielder Jose Siri or a third catcher (Garrett Stubbs) would be left off the roster was likely made for Houston when Siri broke his right pinkie last week. As far as the bullpen goes, the first question is whether Jake Odorizzi makes it as a long reliever, which is likely. That would mean there’s probably just one spot for a left-hander, which would be Brooks Raley. The odd man out in that scenario would be lefty Blake Taylor. Facing a White Sox lineup dominated by right-handers, one southpaw pitcher is likely enough. -- Brian McTaggart

White Sox: Will Carlos Rodón be on or off?
The answer on the White Sox left-hander really is a simple one: If he’s healthy and not bothered by shoulder soreness, then Rodón will be lined up to start Game 3 or Game 4 (if necessary) against the Astros. Rodón has been one of the top starters in baseball throughout the 2021 season, so he would certainly be a major asset to a team with World Series aspirations, even if he is at less than 100 percent. But Rodón has made only two starts since Sept. 11 and has not gone more than five innings or 89 pitches since July 18, when he struck out 10 Astros over seven one-hit, shutout innings. Chicago has been careful with Rodón’s usage all season. To his credit, he allowed one hit over five scoreless innings during his Sept. 29 start against the Reds, despite a noticeable velocity drop. Manager Tony La Russa was non-committal on Rodón when asked prior to Sunday’s regular-season finale. The decision will likely be made after Rodón throws a side session on Tuesday. -- Scott Merkin

Giants: Will there be a spot for Johnny Cueto?
Cueto missed most of September with a right elbow injury, but he recovered in time to be activated for the final weekend of the regular season. He returned to an entirely new role, though, as he was asked to shift to the bullpen for the first time in his 14-year career. Cueto accepted the assignment, but he expressed a bit of trepidation about making the adjustment and gave up one run over 2 1/3 innings in his first career relief appearance against the D-backs on Thursday. The Giants won’t need five starters in the NLDS, and they have no shortage of quality relief options. But few of their pitchers can match the postseason experience of Cueto, who won a World Series with the Royals in 2015 and tends to shine when the lights are brightest. The 35-year-old veteran will also be hoping for a chance to audition for a new contract, as San Francisco is likely to decline his $22 million team option for '22 this offseason. -- Maria Guardado

Brewers: What’s the breakdown of pitchers vs. hitters?
The Brewers finished the regular season at Dodger Stadium, which offered a reminder of the importance of the most fundamental aspect of setting a postseason roster: The breakdown of pitchers vs. position players. In Game 4 of the 2018 NL Championship Series against the Dodgers, the Crew lost Gio González to a left ankle injury in the second inning of a loss that went all the way to the 13th inning, and that created a ripple effect in another loss the next day. It’s the sort of worst-case scenario, president of baseball operations David Stearns said, for which officials game plan as they make their roster decisions. This year, there is a little more leeway since rosters have expanded from 25 to 26, and that extra spot will almost certainly go to a pitcher. For what it’s worth, the last time Milwaukee played a best-of-five postseason series (the ’18 NLDS against Colorado) it carried 11 pitchers and 14 hitters. -- Adam McCalvy

Braves: How many pitchers should be carried?
As the Braves make a fourth straight trip to the postseason, they will set their rotation more wisely than they did in 2019, when their top pitcher Mike Soroka was limited to one start in the NLDS and Dallas Keuchel started Game 4 on short rest. If a Game 4 starter is necessary this year, look for Atlanta to use an opener, which would likely be Huascar Ynoa. This will likely lead the club to carry an additional position player. Could that be top prospect Cristian Pache, who could be carried simply to be a pinch-runner and late-inning defensive replacement? -- Mark Bowman