What happened: The Houston Astros have agreed to hire Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitching coach Spencer Medick as their major league director of pitching, while the New York Yankees retain pitching coach Matt Blake on a three-year extension alongside assistant Desi Druschel. Elsewhere, Hall of Famer Joe Torre is attending the World Series in Milwaukee nearly 70 years after watching the 1957 Braves defeat the Yankees in seven games and playing six seasons there before the franchise moved to becomes the Atlanta Braves.

Why it matters: Retaining Blake preserves stability for a staff headlined by AL Cy Young contender Cam Schlittler and converted relievers Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn, though Medick's exit costs the farm system a key instructor. On the infield, New York faces an offseason overhaul at third base after getting disappointing production from the platoon of Ryan Mcmahon and Amed Rosario.

What to watch: New York will weigh internal third base options such as shifting Anthony Volpe alongside second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. against trade targets Eugenio Suarez and Isaac Paredes or potential free agents Alec Bohm and Bo Bichette, should Bichette opt out of his New York Mets contract.