Member » WASHINGTON (AP) — Trevor Rosenthal’s return from Tommy

John surgery will come with the Washington Nationals after the former St. Louis Cardinals closer agreed in principle to a 2019 contract Max Kepler Jersey , according to two people familiar with the deal.The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Wednesday because the Nationals had not announced that they would be signing Rosenthal, who still needed to pass a physical to make the move official.He missed all of last season after reconstructive surgery on his pitching elbow in 2017.One person told the AP that Rosenthal gets a one-year contract that guarantees $7 million and allows him a chance to earn an additional $8 million in performance bonuses. According to that person, Rosenthal’s salary next year will be $6 million, and the agreement includes a $15 million conditional player option for 2020 that kicks in if Rosenthal appears in 50 games next year or has 30 games finished. The option has a $1 million buyout Rosenthal would get if the conditions for the player option are not met.The 28-year-old Rosenthal is a hard-throwing righty reliever with 121 career saves in the majors, all with the Cardinals. That includes a career-high 48 saves in 2015, when he was an NL All-Star, and 45 the year before.He had only 14 saves in 2016, and 11 in 2017 before getting injured. Rosenthal was released by the Cardinals in November 2017, a few months after having surgery.The Nationals added Rosenthal as their first free-agent signing of the offseason two days after picking up lefty closer Sean Doolittle’s $6 million contract option for 2019.While more moves for relievers are likely, and adding starting pitching is also a priority, the No. 1 question facing the club is whether it will re-sign free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper.Washington finished 82-80 in 2018, in second place in the NL East and out of the playoffs. It won the division each of the previous two seasons. Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesAfter six months and 162 regular-season games, the real action has begun with the 2018 MLB playoffs.The American League bracket had been set for some time with three 100-win teams and two more dangerous squads all having their eyes on a World Series title. On the other hand, the National League playoffs remained a mess until the final day.There are now just two teams remaining. The margin for error at this point is slim, likely creating plenty of drama until a World Series champion is crowned.Here is what you need to know for the playoffs, with a bracket available at MLB.com.2018 MLB Playoff ScheduleTiebreaker GamesMilwaukee Brewers defeat Chicago Cubs, 3-1Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Colorado Rockies, 5-2National League Wild Card GameColorado Rockies defeat Chicago Cubs Zach Duke Jersey , 2-1 (13 innings) American League Wild Card GameNew York Yankees defeat Oakland A's, 7-2 National League Division Series (Milwaukee Brewers defeat Colorado Rockies 3-0)Game 1: Milwaukee Brewers def. Colorado Rockies, 3-2 (10 innings)Game 2: Milwaukee Brewers def. Colorado Rockies, 4-0Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers def. Colorado Rockies, 6-0 National League Division Series (Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Atlanta Braves 3-1)Game 1: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Atlanta Braves, 6-0Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Atlanta Braves, 3-0Game 3: Atlanta Braves def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Atlanta Braves; 6-2 American League Division Series (Boston Red Sox defeat New York Yankees 3-1)Game 1: Boston Red Sox def. New York Yankees, 5-4Game 2: New York Yankees def. Boston Red Sox, 6-2Game 3: Boston Red Sox def. New York Yankees16-1Game 4: Boston Red Sox def. New York Yankees, 4-3 American League Division Series (Houston Astros defeat Cleveland Indians 3-0)Game 1: Houston Astros def. Cleveland Indians, 7-2Game 2: Houston Astros def. Cleveland Indians, 3-1Game 3: Houston Astros def. Cleveland Indians, 11-3 National League Championship Series (Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Milwaukee Brewers 4-3)Game 1: Milwaukee Brewers def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Milwaukee Brewers, 4-3Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-0Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers def.Milwaukee Brewers, 2-1 (13 innings)Game 5:Los Angeles Dodgers def. Milwaukee Brewers http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-max-kepler-jersey , 5-2Game 6:Milwaukee Brewers def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-2Game 7: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Milwaukee Brewers, 5-1 American League Championship Series (Boston Red Sox defeatHouston Astros 4-1)Game 1: Houston Astros def. Boston Red Sox, 7-2Game 2: Boston Red Sox def.Houston Astros, 7-5Game 3: Boston Red Sox def. Houston Astros, 8-2Game 4: Boston Red Sox def. Houston Astros, 8-6Game 5: Boston Red Sox def. Houston Astros, 4-1 World Series (Boston Red Sox defeat Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1)Game 1: Boston Red Sox def.Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-4Game 2: Boston Red Sox def.Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2Game 3: Los Angeles Dodgers def. Boston Red Sox, 3-2 (18 innings)Game 4: Boston Red Sox def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 9-6Game 5: Boston Red Sox def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-1Full schedule available at MLB.com. Top StorylinesThe Brewers Finally LostJustin Edmonds/Getty ImagesSometimes, playoff success simply comes down to being hot at the right time, and that was perfectly fine for the Milwaukee Brewers.The squad had seven straight wins to match the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central and then followed it up with a win in Game 163 to avoid the Wild Card game. While the division rivals were eliminated in the sudden-death game, Milwaukee went onto sweep the Colorado Rockies.The 11 straight wins put them in rare territory in MLB history:MLB Stat of the Day MLBStatoftheDayThe Brewers are riding an 11-game winning streak into the #NLCS.Talk about getting hot at the perfect time. HUm9UVJioIThe winning streak grew to 12 games with Milwaukee's victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the NLCS.Alas, the Dodgers finally ended the win streak in Game 2 of the NLCS, when Justin Turner's two-run homer in the eighth inning gave them a 4-3 win.But the Brewers remained one of the best stories in baseball. Christian Yelich was the big star as the likely MVP in the National League Fernando Rodney Jersey , but there were other players who helped put the games in the hands of the bullpen. This is where the real strength of the team was as Josh Hader, Corey Knebel, Jeremy Jeffress and others can shorten any game.While the Dodgers eliminated them, the Brewers were amazing since late September, even if their win streak finally came to a close. Ultimately, the Brewers just couldn't regain their momentum in time to save their season.Can the Red Sox Avoid a Final Let Down?Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty ImagesThere is something special about a playoff series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. While the first round was mostly filled with one-sided matchups, the AL East rivals at least held our attention due to the tension in every game.Just like during the regular season, Boston was the better team in the ALDS, winning the series in four games and earning bragging rights for the next five months.The problem is this was just the start of the postseason for the Red Sox.This team won 108 games this year so it is obviously talented, but the players are relatively inexperienced when it comes to playoff success. Most of the roster had never won a playoff series before this year, so winning one over a hated rival is certain to create a lot of excitement.Rookie manager Alex Cora responded, though, and rallied his team for a five-game victory over a very good Astros team.There are still lingering questions about top starters Chris Sale and David Price in the playoffs, so this is no time for Boston to relax. Sale was hospitalizedfor a stomach illness, and Price has struggled in the postseason throughout his career even though he allowed just three hits and zero runs in the closeout game against Houston.Boston was baseball's best team during the regular season. But the Dodgers represent a monumental challenge for the Sox in the World Series.