Flaherty has been named the Dodgers' starter for Game 1 of the World Series versus the Yankees on Friday, Noah Camras of DodgersNation.com reports.

Flaherty made his last start in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Mets this past Friday, so he will head into Game 1 of the World Series with six full days of rest. The right-hander had an excellent start in Game 1 of the NLCS, shutting out the Mets across seven innings. However, the Mets got to him in his second outing, scoring eight runs in just three innings. With Flaherty set to go Friday, it is likely Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler will start the following two games, respectively.

Gray is on track have a normal offseason after finishing the regular season on the 15-day injured list with right forearm flexor tendinitis, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Gray missed his final start of the season because of the forearm issue, but his offseason training is expected to be unaffected. The right-hander held a 3.84 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 203:39 K:BB across 28 regular-season starts during his first year in St. Louis.

Blackburn underwent surgery Oct. 11 to repair a cerebrospinal fluid leak, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Per the Mets, it's a procedure which typically carries a return to play timeline of 4-5 months. That would seemingly give Blackburn a shot to be ready in time for Opening Day, provided there are no setbacks along the way. If healthy, Blackburn should open the 2025 season in the Mets' rotation. He held a 4.66 ERA and 59:21 K:BB over 75.1 innings covering 14 starts between the Athletics and Mets in 2024.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza indicated that Senga is unlikely to pitch Friday in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Mendoza had previously said Senga would be used in some capacity. However, David Peterson will start the game and it now appears Mendoza doesn't intend to use Senga in relief, barring an emergency. Senga started Game 1 of the NLCS and yielded three runs with a 0:4 K:BB over 1.1 innings.

Peterson will start Game 5 of the NLCS against the Dodgers on Friday, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

Peterson last pitched in Game 1 of the NLCS, though he's appeared exclusively out of the bullpen throughout the playoffs. He has yet to complete more than three innings in any of his six postseason appearances, and Kodai Senga sounds likely to also play a significant part of the Mets' plans Friday.

Flaherty will start in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Mets on Friday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Flaherty was dominant in Game 1 of the series, striking out six batters over seven shutout innings en route to a 9-0 victory. He'll look to put on a similar performance Friday against a Mets offense that owns a .698 OPS across nine postseason contests.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that Senga will pitch Friday in Game 5 of the NLCS versus the Dodgers, although not necessarily as the starter, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Senga started Game 1 of the NLCS and struggled mightily, allowing three runs with a 0:4 K:BB over 1.1 innings. While Mendoza is committed to giving the right-hander another shot in Game 5, it appears it could come as a reliever.

Yamamoto will start Thursday in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Mets, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Yamamoto was able to bounce back in Game 5 of the NLDS by throwing five shutout frames against the Padres after he had given up five runs in just three innings during Game 1. He'll now be tasked with keeping quiet a Mets offense that owns a .698 OPS since the start of the postseason.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza on Tuesday confirmed that Quintana will start Thursday in Game 4 of the NLCS versus the Dodgers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Quintana has permitted just one unearned run over 11 innings in two starts this postseason, and, including those two outings, boasts a 0.57 ERA across his last eight starts dating back to late August. He will be opposed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Kershaw (toe) said Monday in an interview on FOX that he plans to continue his baseball career in 2025, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kershaw returned from left shoulder surgery in late July to make seven starts but saw his season end in late August due to a bone spur in his left big toe. It's not clear whether he might need surgery on the toe or if it will heal from rest, but Kershaw noted Monday that his shoulder and elbow feel "great." Kershaw has a $7.5 million player option for 2025 and it's not known if he just plans to pick that up or he and the Dodgers might work out a different agreement. Slated to turn 37 in March, Kershaw posted a 4.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 24:9 K:BB over 30 innings in 2024.