The MLB offseason is just a few days away. The Blue Jays won two out of three games in Los Angeles to take a 3-2 lead in the World Series heading back home to Toronto. The great white north will not greet the Dodgers warmly, but we’ll gladly take a break from discussing this superteam’s collapse. Yes, for 28 teams not named the Dodgers or Blue Jays, the offseason has already started.

In this offseason rumor roundup, we’ll highlight the Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals and, shoot, those darn Dodgers. I just can’t escape them. These teams are in for very different offseasons. The Red Sox, for one, have an impressive young team that could use some support – re-signing Alex Bregman would be a start, though rumor has it Boston is already looking at some backup plans. As for the Dodgers, there is always room to improve, but we’d be pushing it if we suggested LA wouldn’t be in prime position to contend for a World Series again in 2026. Yet, they’ll have to do so without Clayton Kershaw.

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The Nationals, meanwhile, made the biggest splash of all, hiring a manager just barely older than myself. I say that as a means to not feel old, but we can put my mid-life crisis on hold for just a little while longer.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work onThe Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe toThe Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.

Inside Clayton Kershaw’s Dodger Stadium farewell

Los Angeles Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw made his final appearance at Chavez Ravine with Sandy Koufax in attendance. Kershaw is, without a doubt, one of the best pitchers of his generation. Kershaw’s final regular-season start for the Dodgers went well, as he through nearly five innings and gave up just two earned runs. In the postseason, Kershaw put up a clunker that brought up bad memories of failed playoff runs’ past, but he backed that up by getting the Dodgers out of a jam in the World Series.

Kershaw does still got it on occasion, but following the Dodgers Game 5 loss on their home field, it would be surprising to see Kershaw pitch unless either Game 6 or 7 went to extra innings. His velocity is a tick down from its expected marks, and the breaking ball just doesn’t work like it used to. There’s a reason he’s retiring at the end of the season, after all.

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The future Hall-of-Famer took it all in after a 6-1 loss to the Jays, as he went on the field one last time with his family. It was a special moment for a Dodgers hero who has more than earned the right to leave on his own terms.

The Nationals hired a kid to manage their big-league team

The Washington Nationals hired Blake Butera as their next manager on Thursday, per reports. Butera is just 33 years old, and will become the youngest big-league manager since Frank Quilici managed the Twins at 33 years, 27 days old in 1972. Butera is a former backup catcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, so he surely knows how to manage a pitching staff. Were he productive enough at the plate, he could still be playing. Butera, despite his age, was promoted to senior manager of player development in the Rays organization, and likely gave a knockout interview. It’s a risk for Washington, which features some of the best young talent in baseball – including James Wood. But, who better to help the Nationals live up to expectations than someone not all that many years removed from playing himself?

While most young teams in need of a manager might want a skipper with coaching experience under their belt – and a lot of it – Washington president of baseball operations Paul Toboni isn’t in favor.

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“I think it’s one variable to consider, but it’s definitely not everything,” Toboni said earlier this month. “There have been plenty of managers or head coaches across sports that have had success in their first time in the job. There have also been managers and head coaches across sports that have failed the first time, and then they get a second chance and they do really well. So it’s something to consider; by no means is it the end-all.”

The Nationals tried that other strategy, firing Dave Martinez back in July. Washington wasn’t reaching expectations fast enough. Perhaps Butera can speed that process up a bit.

What’s the Red Sox offseason plan?

For any Red Sox fan whose paid attention the past few winters, the message from president of baseball operations Craig Breslow has been rather clear: Expect the unexpected. When it looks like the Red Sox should zig, they zag. Breslow traded away Rafael Devers earlier this season and the team got better as a result. I disregarded anything I thought I knew about the Boston front office then. Devers was supposed to be the face of the franchise, until he wasn’t.

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Boston’s biggest question this winter is whether they will keep Alex Bregman, who is likely to opt out of his contract and test free agency. Bregman will cost a pretty penny to keep, with some contract estimations as high as $182 million on a six-year deal (thank you, Jim Bowden). However, Bregman isn’t the only problem the Red Sox need to address. Whether it be a new first baseman or a backup plan at the hot corner, the Red Sox could be active early depending on how their negotiations with Bregman go.

Per NESN, Boston could be interested in Josh Naylor at first base, who starred for the Seattle Mariners this postseason. Naylor is a middle-of-the-order bat at his best, and is capable of 20-home run power. Naylor helped the Guardians and Mariners reach the postseason in back-to-back years, and one of the best hitters in both of those lineups. Just imagine what he could do with Boston’s resources at his disposal?

As for a backup plan at the hot corner, should Bregman leave, the Red Sox cannot afford to stand pat. I understand how much Breslow believes in this farm system, but young players often fall short of expectation. They should be utilized primarily as planned depth, rather than an expected middle-of-the-order bat. Eugenio Suarez, meanwhile, could be had for cheaper the Bregman’s price tag. Suarez had a rough second half, thus tanking his price tag, but he still has 50-plus home runs to his name. He’s a good enough defensive player at third, as well, to make up for Bregman’s influence at the hot corner.

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This article was originally published on www.fansided.com as MLB Rumors roundup: Red Sox free agency clues, Nationals surprise manager, Kershaw’s farewell.