MLB

Since the growth of Twitter, it has allowed fans and players to connect like never before. One Kansas City Royals fan sent a tweet to Royals rookie reliever Brandon Finnegan, asking him if he could hook him up with playoff tickets.

On October 8, Shortstop J.J. Hardy agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in black and orange until 2017, per John Perrotto of USA Today. The deal contains a vesting option for 2018, assuming Hardy reaches a predetermined number of at-bats.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are bolstering their front office at the expense of the Tampa Bay Rays, as the two-time defending National League West champions have hired former Rays general manager Andrew Friedman to be their president of baseball operations.

The team confirmed the move Tuesday, adding that current Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti will remain in a senior role:

Assuming Mother Nature is on her best behavior, the American League Championship Series between the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals will resume Tuesday night in Kansas City.

That means it’s time for the Royals to unleash their secret weapon: right fielder Norichika Aoki. 

The National League Championship Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants is tied at one game apiece as we head into the always important Game 3.

On the hill for the Cardinals will be October veteran John Lackey. Opposing him is Tim Hudson, another pitcher with a ton of postseason experience. After Kolten Wong's late-game heroics in Game 2, we should be in store for another exciting game. 

FINAL SCORE: Giants def. Cardinals, 5-4 (Giants lead series, 2-1)

The San Francisco Giants watched Kolten Wong walk-off Game 2 of the NLCS in St. Louis.

On Tuesday, the Giants flipped the script on the Cardinals, as they pushed across the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning on a throwing error by reliever Randy Choate.

Those of us who expected to see Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Monday evening will just have to wait a little longer. Some torrential rains doused Kansas City, forcing a postponement to Tuesday.

Here's a look at what the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals would have been dealing with otherwise, via Sports Illustrated:

The Detroit Tigers’ 2014 season certainly had its ups and downs. During a roller coaster ride of a year, Detroit started the campaign with an offseason full of hope and promise. Then the roller coaster officially started.

The Tigers experienced more highs and lows than most. They went from a runaway division favorite to being in danger of missing the playoffs. In the end, thanks to some key performances and acquisitions, the team pulled out a fourth consecutive American League Central title.

With Game 3 of the ALCS getting rained out on Monday night, let's turn our attention away from the postseason for a bit and focus on what promises to be another busy offseason around the league.

This year's free-agent class is headlined by a trio of starting pitchers in Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields, and there are plus arms behind them as well like Francisco Liriano, Jake Peavy, Brandon McCarthy and Aaron Harang.

The MLB is currently blessing us with an epic batch of playoff baseball, but us forward thinkers can't sit still without pondering the future. October will eventually end, making room for the offseason's free-agency process.

We have plenty of time before any of MLB's available stars sign the dotted line on the open market, but that won't stop the rumor mill from churning away during the postseason.