‘Signed, sealed, delivered,’ says promoter Eddie Hearn
Joshua takes on Prenga in Riyadh warm-up in July
Anthony Joshua is to face Tyson Furythis year after the promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed a deal to stage the biggest fight in British boxing history has been signed. Joshua will face the Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on 25 July as a warm-up for his long-awaited showdown with Fury, which is expected to take place in November and be shown on Netflix.
“Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on!” Hearn said on Instagram. “The biggest piece of business we’ve ever done but more importantly the one we’ve always wanted. Biggest year of AJ’s career coming up, the comeback is on.”
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - APRIL 26: Sung-Mun Song #24 of the San Diego Padres runs to third base during the eighth inning of the MLB Mexico City Series game between San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú on April 26, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sung-Mun Song was added to the San Diego Padres roster as the 27th-man for the Mexico City Series and made his debut with two outs in the top of the eighth inning of their 12-7 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks when he came in to run for Luis Campusano. He was able to advance to third base on a wild pitch, but he was unable to score as Jake Cronenworth grounded out to first base to end the inning. Song was then replaced in the order by Freddy Fermin who came in to catch the bottom of the eighth inning. Considering the Padres allowed 10 combined runs in the seventh and eighth inning, the debut for Song may not be as sweet as his expected it would be, but he should get opportunities to experience the winning feeling at some point as the season progresses. Perhaps that will come in a game where he gets his first start, plays the field for the first time or gets his first hit. San Diego will have roster decisions to make about Song before they return to Petco Park on Monday to face the Chicago Cubs. It is unknown if Song will return to his spot in the lineup with Triple-A El Paso or if he will remain in the MLB roster, but speculation will permeate through the fanbase as the Friar Faithful play general manager and coach prior to first pitch.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune provided some final news and notes about German Marquez and his start against the Diamondbacks that saw him allow four runs in the second and then work through the sixth inning to give the Padres a chance to comeback and win.
Baseball News:
The Boston Red Sox saw their manager Alex Cora fired on Saturday and came out on Sunday and beat the Baltimore Orioles.
Director of cricket Rob Key keen to ‘work together better’
Arthur is former head coach of South Africa and Pakistan
Mickey Arthur, the former South Africa and Pakistan head coach, is one of four appointments to England’s new County Insight Group as the national team seeks to repair relations with the domestic game in the wake of last winter’s Ashes defeat.
Among the recommendations from the internal Ashes review that saw Rob Key and Brendon McCullum remain as director of cricket and men’s head coach respectively was improved dialogue with the county game, not least regarding selection.
There was a little optimism to close out the week with a winning Friday, but there's still a lot of home-run work to do, and this is a big week to crush some MLB player props.
Nobody is popping off more on the projections than Trent Grisham today, indoors vs. Jack Leiter, while Victor Caratini looks to do some damage against Luis Castillo.
Best MLB home run props today
Player to hit a HR
Odds
Trent Grisham
+490
Victor Caratini
+920
Trent Grisham (+490)
No player is showing more expected value today at Covers than Trent Grisham at +490. He projects for 0.23 home runs, with the price implying 0.19.
He could see five at-bats hitting leadoff and has gone deep twice over the last seven days. The matchup is favorable against Jack Leiter, a fly-ball arm who allows some of the best launch angles in baseball.
Grisham is also elite at squaring the ball up, leading the New York Yankees in that metric while ranking second in Blast Contact%. Only two players in baseball currently have a higher square-up rate.
On a small slate with poor weather expected on the East Coast, an indoor environment stands out as the best place to target home runs on Monday.
Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Rangers Sports Network, YES
Victor Caratini (+920)
Let’s take a bigger swing with the projected cleanup hitter for the Minnesota Twins in a strong matchup. The Covers projections like the Over in this game, and suggest the Minnesota offense is being undervalued.
Victor Caratini is a switch-hitter who is better from the left side, and the Seattle Mariners bullpen may be without both of its left-handed arms. He’s also very familiar with Luis Castillo, with 23 career at-bats against him.
Castillo may be on the back end of his prime. He’s been inefficient this year, allowing 31 hits in just 23 innings, and projects as a pitcher who could give up 25-30 home runs over the full season.
The fair price for a Caratini home run sits around +770, and double-digit winds blowing out only add to the appeal. Kody Clemens (+520) and Josh Bell (+590) also project as +EV in this game.
Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Twins.TV, Mariners.TV
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 24: Will Smith #16 of the Los Angeles Dodgers taps his helmet to initiate an ABS challenge and is successful against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on April 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers catcher Will Smith did not start either of the final two games of the weekend series against the Chicago Cubs, while dealing with back tightness.
“He could play if he needed to, but we felt it was smart to give him an extra day, and I guess put him into the day-to-day category,” manager Dave Roberts said Sunday, while adding that he didn’t think Smith would require an injured list stint. “Even talking to the training staff, it’s something that he could have played last night, he probably could have played today. But we didn’t want to push it.”
Roberts first mentioned the back tightness for Smith on Saturday, noting that the original plan was for Smith to start two of the three games against the Cubs, and it was just a matter of when to fit in the Dalton Rushing start this series.
Smith hit a three-run home run on Friday night, and the three-time All-Star is hitting .266/.337/.392 with three home runs and a 106 wRC+. The Dodgers plan to keep monitoring Smith, but it doesn’t hurt having Rushing in reserve. Rushing in his second major league campaign is off to a blazing start, hitting .385/.455/.974 with a 284 wRC+ and seven home runs in only 44 plate appearances. Rushing has hit so well, he’s even started a game each at designated hitter and first base when the need arose.
“My hope is that he’s in there [Monday],” Roberts said of Smith, ”But to have Dalton Rushing going how he’s going, it just seems like only downside to push him right now.“
He wanted to throw his splitter harder, he told pitching coaches Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness, similar to how he threw the pitch in Japan. After months of inconsistency, Sasaki finally felt his delivery was in a good enough place to make the change. McGuiness made a couple of tweaks — the biggest one being a slight grip adjustment— and the two coaches gave Sasaki the all clear to try the pitch in his bullpen session in San Francisco.
“The first one was disgusting,” Prior said. “So we were like, yeah, let’s do that.”
“I think that my No. 1 problem hasn’t been my fastball but rather the percentage of forkballs I’ve been able to throw over the plate,” Sasaki said in Japanese.
By reducing the vertical break of the pitch, Sasaki made it easier to control — but also not as lethal.
Apr 26, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker (80) is visited on the mound by pitching coach Jordan Tiegs (83) and catcher Danny Jansen (9) during the fifth inning against the Athletics at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Good morning.
Shawn McFarland writes about what we learned regarding the Texas Rangers as they went 3-3 at home over the last week.
Kennedi Landry writes that Kumar Rocker recorded a second consecutive quality start in a unfortunate losing effort.
After a resounding 114-98 win against the Hawks on Saturday in Atlanta, the Knicks regained homecourt advantage in their first-round playoff series. That wasn’t the only thing.
The Knicks rediscovered their mojo after two close losses. After notable performances from Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart, New York has a chance to take a 3-2 series lead on Tuesday night.
Here are three keys ahead of Game 5 at Madison Square Garden...
Point KAT
It’s been a season of push-and-pull between head coach Mike Brown and Towns.
The All-Star has slowly become more acclimated to a role where he is more of an offensive hub with the power to score and facilitate. Towns had the first playoff triple-double of his career in Game 4, notching 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Towns has also been more under control over the last few months -- he had just two turnovers on Saturday.
It was clear from the jump that the Knicks wanted to emphasize Towns as an initiator of the offense, and he excelled. New York found comfort in repeatedly having the big man with the ball at the top of the key, and Anunoby making a lex cut off a screen from Jalen Brunson. Since Atlanta was looking to prevent Jalen Johnson from switching onto Brunson, it opened up several easy passes for Towns to make for Anunoby at the rim.
The trouble with performances like these is consistency. Can the Knicks continue to operate the offense through Towns on Tuesday night? Or will they revert to a bogged down offense?
Going into Game 5, the Knicks should continue running the offense through Towns. As we saw on Saturday, he doesn’t need to score on every play, but the attention he draws should continue to open up opportunities for his teammates.
Halfcourt series
When this series has been played in the halfcourt, the Knicks have the advantage.
After giving up 20 fast break points in Game 3, New York held the Hawks to just seven in Game 4. Many of those quick strike opportunities came after the game was in hand. One of the keys to controlling the pace comes from mitigating turnovers.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) works against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the first half at State Farm Arena. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
New York had 10 turnovers through the third quarter in Game 4. Four of the turnovers were live-ball miscues, limiting opportunities for the Hawks to run out. Also, in some of the live-ball turnovers, New York did a good job of getting back to limit easy scoring opportunities.
One concern has been Brunson’s struggles with full court pressure. Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels gave the Knicks captain fits as he brought the ball up in Game 4. Brunson finished the night with six turnovers, as the Knicks made more of a concerted effort to have Hart bring the ball up.
If New York can keep Atlanta in the halfcourt, the team should have control of this series the rest of the way.
Scoring leap
Anunoby has been New York’s most consistent player in the postseason. Through four games, the Knicks forward is averaging 20.8 points on 56 percent from the field and 8.8 rebounds. It’s arguably the best stretch of the nine-year veteran’s career.
Anunoby has made an impact on both ends, making him a must-have on the court. He played a game-high 40 minutes on Saturday, scoring 22 points and collecting 10 rebounds.
Defensively, he’s been the defensive force that the Knicks have come to expect every night. With Hart moving over to guard CJ McCollum more often, we’ve seen an increased amount of Anunoby defending Johnson.
That two-way play has been successful. In 152 minutes with Anunoby on the court during the first round, New York has a net rating of plus-6.7, per NBA Stats. When he has been off the floor, the Knicks have been outscored by 1.2 points per 100 possessions.
Amid Mikal Bridges' struggles and subsequent decrease in playing time in the series, Anunoby’s continued production on both ends has been paramount to picking up wins.
Columbus Clippers Travis Bazzana (12) throws the ball to first base during home opener at Huntington Park on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Pedro Avila was tagged for five runs in the second inning of game one of the doubleheader, pretty much removing any chance of Columbus getting back into the game.
Nolan Jones went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk while Kody Huff homered and walked. Petey Halpin also reached base three times, going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks.
Game two was much more fun. Starting pitcher Logan Allen allowed four runs on six hits through 5.1 innings, but the bullpen was sensational after that. Daniel Espino pitched a scoreless 0.2 innings, coming in mid-inning for the first time with a strikeout.
Franco Aleman followed with a scoreless inning and a pair of strikeout to send the game to extra innings and Tanner Burns was downright sensational, striking out all three batters he faced in the 10th inning to earn his second save of the season.
Offensively, Juan Benjamin blasted off for his second home run of the season and he timed it perfectly in extra innings to give Columbus the lead.
Ralphy Velazquez had a solid game, going 2-for-5 with a walk and three RBIs while Jacob Cozart went 2-for-3 with three walks to reach base a whopping five times.Alex Mooney went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk and a stolen base while Jose Devers went 2-for-4 with a walk. Conner Barstad also walked three times and was hit by a pitch.
Starting pitcher Khal Stephen didn’t have his best stuff and also was a bit unlucky with sequencing. He only allowed three hits and walked one, but he gave up four runs in 4.0 innings with six strikeouts.
Adam Tulloch, Carter Rustad and Jack Carey all had scoreless appearances in relief.
I know I talk about him every time he starts, but Justin Campbell is too good to still be at High-A. He pitched 3.0 nearly immaculate innings on Sunday with four strikeouts, no walks, no runs allowed and just one hit allowed.
Melkis Hernandez followed and was solid, allowing one run on two hits in 4.0 innings while striking out five and walking three.
Luis Flores held on to preserve the win, allowing a pair of runs in his two innings of work to get a save.
Offensively, Lake County didn’t have any major standouts, but everyone contributed. The team’s nine hits were spread between eight players and the one player who didn’t get a hit (Dean Curley) walked three times.
Jace LaViolette went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks, Aaron Walton went 1-for-3 with a double and was hit by two pitches. Nolan Schubart went 1-for-4 with a hit by pitch. Ryan Cesarini went 1-for-4 with a walk. Bennett Thompson went 1-for-3 with two walks.
Esteban Gonzalez only went 1-for-5, but he blasted a two-run home run. Jeffrey Mercedes went 2-for-4 and Spencer Howe doubled and stole a base.
You can learn a lot about a team by how they perform against some of the best teams, and Hill City proved itself Sunday against the then 15-5 Hickory Crawdads. who have one of the best records in minor league baseball.
Trailing 8-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Howlers rallied for four runs to tie the game, then held Hickory scoreless in the 10th and 11th innings before walking off in the bottom of the 11th to earn a massive come-from-behind victory.
The walk-off wasn’t anything particularly crazy. Robert Arias was the ghost runner and advanced to third base on a balk before trotting home on a game-winning sacrifice fly from Juneiker Caceres.
How Hill City tied the game was more exciting. The Howlers loaded the bases with no one out, then Anthony Martinez walked to bring in the first run. Jose Pirela then was hit by a pitch to bring in the second run. Tyler Howard walked to bring in run No. 3 and Jhorvic Abreus hit into a 4-6-3 double play, which scored the tying run.
Incredibly, Hill City managed nine runs on just four hits thanks in part to walking a whopping 13 times and getting hit by one pitch.
Caceres went 1-for-3 with two walks and the game-winning sacrifice fly. Robert Arias was a beast, going 1-for-3 with three walks and two stolen bases. Martinez went 0-for-2, but walked three times as well. The lone extra base hit came from Abreus, who doubled and walked. Yerlin Luis also walked twice and stole a base.
Starting pitcher Chase Mobley didn’t have his best stuff, allowing two runs on three hits with three walks and no strikeouts in 2.0 innings.
The first four pitchers all allowed runs, but the back half of the bullpen locked things down, not allowing a single hit or run over the game’s final 4.1 innings.
Wes Burton pitched 1.1 perfect frames with a strikeout. Miguel Flores pitched a perfect scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout and most impressively, Angel Perez didn’t allow a run in either the 10th or 11th innings despite starting both with a ghost runner on second base.
BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 25: Colton Cowser #17 of the Baltimore Orioles at bat against the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 25, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Elias was pretty clear that Cowser isn’t going anywhere. “He’s frustrated,” Elias said “We know the talent level is there, he’s frustrated. Right now, he’s helping us, and we need him on the team.”
It is obvious to everyone that Cowser has not played up to his expectations or, as Elias said, his talent level. One month into the season, that has forced the Orioles to upend their planned outfield rotation, and it has Cowser’s future with the club in doubt, at least externally.
For the first two weeks of the season, Cowser was the team’s everyday center fielder. Since April 10, he has been used exclusively in the corner outfield spots. And even more recently, he has been treated like a fourth outfielder rather than a starter at all. Over the Orioles’ last 11 games, Cowser has started just four of them. He didn’t start any of the games against the Red Sox this weekend, not even the one against a right-handed starter coming out of an off day.
It’s hard to make an argument for Cowser to play any more than he is. The numbers just aren’t good enough. He owns a .200/.274/.236 batting line with two doubles, zero home runs, six walks, and 20 strikeouts.
Strikeouts have always been a problem for Cowser. His 31.7% K-rate this year is actually better than his career number (32.2%), though both are awful. And, as usual, he is pairing it with a fine walk rate (9.5%). The bigger problem is that he has shown no power in 2026. As a rookie, Cowser popped 24 home runs and had a .447 slugging percentage. Last year he hit 16 homers and had a .385 slug despite a myriad of injuries. This year his slugging percentage is the dumps at .236 and he is yet to go deep.
What has saved the Orioles center field position from being an offensive black hole yet again is the presence of Leody Taveras. Signed for $2 million this past offseason, the expectation was for Taveras to be a depth option across the outfield. Instead, he has earned the everyday spot in center with his .288/.400/.441 batting line that includes two home runs, 15 RBI, 11 walks, and 14 strikeouts.
This version of Taveras is much different than the one that found success with the World Series-winning Rangers in 2023. That year saw him post a 101 wRC+ while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense in center. This year, he has a 141 wRC+ and is just passable in the field.
How long can Taveras keep this offensive production up? That’s where things get tricky. His 15.5% walk rate is more than double his career rate (6.9%), and he has a .349 BABIP. Negative regression is probably coming for both of those numbers. He also has below average exit velocities, barrel rates, and hard hit rates.
We may be seeing the numbers start to slip already. Taveras is hitting .143/.217/.286 over his last 23 plate appearances. That has brought his season OPS from 1.016 on April 18 to .841 today. One bad week isn’t enough to take Taveras out of the lineup, especially with Cowser still scuffling. But it could be a warning sign that the Orioles need to figure something out in center field.
Dylan Beavers and Blaze Alexander are the other two Orioles that have played in center this year. Neither looks like a natural fit at the position, and should probably only be used there in emergency situations. But it could be an avenue to go down when one of them is hot at the plate and manager Craig Albernaz is looking to juice his lineup. That seemed to be the logic for Beavers to start there on Sunday.
Down in Triple-A Norfolk, there are two center field options that are at least somewhat intriguing.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. was the team’s top draft pick in 2023. He came out of Vanderbilt as an old school lead-off type. It’s good bat control, limited power, but elite speed and a great glove. The Orioles probably hoped for better batting averages out of Bradfield—he hit .242 last year and is at .224 so far this year—but he still walks a lot and can steal a base at any time. If you need a sparkplug type, he could be the answer. It just might be more a of bottom-of-the-order type of bat than a lead-off man.
Jud Fabian is another name to watch, though probably not an everyday solution. The Orioles coveted Fabian in the 2021 draft, but the Red Sox swooped in and took him instead. He declined to sign with them, returning to Florida for a year, which allowed the Orioles to get their man the following year. The guy is lauded for his physical skills, but has always been killed for his lack of a hit tool. That hasn’t changed this year. He is striking out 29.6% of the time, but he is also walking a ton (21.4%) and has shown tremendous power (five home runs, .440 SLG). The glove and arm are good too. He feels like a fourth outfielder type, but could plug and play with the O’s pretty soon.
Elias didn’t pursue any other center field upgrades this offseason beyond Taveras. He seemingly assumed that Cowser would be fine, and when he needed a breather the club had suitable fill-ins. All the while Bradfield could further develop and prove worthy of being the heir-apparent at the position. For now, that has been a reasonable solution. But if Taveras’ production dries up, which it may already be doing, it will exploit a hole in the Orioles roster than many pointed out all winter long.
Apr 26, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (49) in the dugout during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The Boston Red Sox pulled the trigger on a major coaching staff change this weekend when they fired manager Alex Cora and several assistant coaches. There is a brewing player revolt happening because of it, but the Red Sox made the decision to move in a different direction. They’re not playing particularly well and since you can’t fire the players, the “next best thing” was the option the front office chose.
Should the Phillies be considering a similar move?
If this was something they were truly going to think about, the time is probably right to do so. They have had a dreadful road trip that saw them end it with a 9-19 record, the entire operation feels stagnant at this time and there are actual reasons to do something. Maybe that involves Rob Thomson’s job being on the line, maybe it involves Kevin Long looking for his next place of employment. Maybe even Caleb Cotham should start sweating a little more than usual.
Would they actually do it? I’m not so sure about that.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - MARCH 19: Jacob Melton #29 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on in the dugout prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Mets at Clover Park on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
This was the 3rd week of full minor league play (stats are entering play on Sunday, April 26th).
According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), 22-year old backstop Caden Bodine continues to be the top hitter in the Rays system; the Rays acquired the former 1st round pick in the Shane Baz deal. Bodine is currently hitting .408/.457/.662 with 3 HR over 83 PA; notably, he has only struck out twice (2.4%).
Meanwhile, Aidan Cremarosa is still the team’s top minor league pitcher. The 22-year old was taken by the Rays in the 8th round of the 2025 draft out of Fresno State. Thus far over four starts, Cremarosa has a 3.60 ERA | 1.76 FIP with a 39.5 K% & 3.7 BB% over 20 IP.
RUMBLINGS
SO MANY INJURIES
Jacob Melton looked awkward rounding third base and had to be assisted off the field. The injury would be disclosed as a sprained ankle and he is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
Daniel Pierce was placed on the 7-day Injured List
Brendan Summerhill was placed the 7-day Injured List.
Other players placed on the IL (Some of these were last week):
RHP Jacob Kisting, RHP Nate Knowles, C Brady Donay, OF James Quinn-Irons, RHP Luke Jackson, & LHP Drew Dowd.
Baseball America’s top ten prospects are featured below each team they’re currently assigned to.
(minimum of 30 TBF for pitchers)
Tampa Bay Rays
Top 10 Prospects
None currently on active roster
Durham Bulls
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .323, Victor Mesa Jr OBP: .417, Victor Mesa Jr SLG: .565, Victor Mesa Jr HR: 4,Justyn-Henry Malloy and Dom Keegan wRC+: 157, Victor Mesa Jr SB: 17, Jacob Melton
Team Pitching Leaders: ERA: 0.00, Trevor Martin FIP: 2.93, Andrew Wantz K%: 35.3%, Logan Workman BB%: 9.0%, Chase Solesky WHIP: 1.12, Kodi Whitley AVG: .171, Trevor Martin WHIFF%: 16.0%, Alex Cook
4/23: Suffered sprained ankle. Expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
Montgomery Biscuits
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .306, Cooper Kinney OBP: .431, Xavier Isaac SLG: .571, Xavier Isaac HR: 4, Will Simpson & Xavier Isaac wRC+: 159, Xavier Isaac SB: 18, Austin Overn
Team Pitching Leaders: ERA: 1.80, Michael Forret FIP: 2.79, Derrick Edington K%: 29.7%, Santiago Suarez BB%: 2.4%, Tommy McCollum WHIP 0.73, Garrett Edwards AVG: .130, Garrett Edwards WHIFF%: 14.2%, Santiago Suarez
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .364, Nathan Flewelling OBP: .464, Tony Santa Maria SLG: .867, Theo Gillen HR: 6, Theo Gillen & Connor Hujsak wRC+: 213, Theo Gillen SB: 9, Tony Santa Maria
Team Pitching Leaders: ERA: 0.93, Andres Galan FIP: 2.05, Anderson Brito K%: 32.8%, Anderson Brito BB%: 6.3%, Anderson Brito WHIP: 1.2, Andres Galan AVG: .216, Trevor Harrison & Andres Galan WHIFF%: 14.7%, Anderson Brito
By all accounts, Alex Cora is a good manager as far as these things go. Dan is correct in that you really can’t predict or even properly judge a manager’s contributions except in obvious outlier situations, but the buzz around Cora has always been positive. His strongest claim to fame is winning a World Series with one of greatest teams of all time, credit for which can go whichever way one is inclined. Did the manager inspire or ride the team to greatness?
Cora landed on the positive side of that unknowable gulf, having come out of the 2018 season with an incredible reputation that persists to this day even if it doesn’t necessarily stand up to scrutiny. Unfortunately, that was followed by a yearlong suspension by MLB for his role in the Astros’ cheating fuckery, leading him to being fired by the Sox, which honestly was probably a blessing given that the “season” he ended up missing was 2020, which was a fake idea (the playoffs were good tho). But let’s assume for purposes of this column it wasn’t and say getting fired for cheating was generally bad for his career.
So when Cora returned as the Red Sox manager in November 2020, several months and a “full” MLB season later during which the Mookie Betts-led Dodgers won it all, it was understandable from both sides. The Sox had been terrible and Cora needed to rebuild his reputation. But the last time Cora had suited up for the Sox, Betts was on the team. Cora knew the environment into which he was walking. He was returning to Dysfunction Junction.
Fast-forward to second Instagram post following his shock dismissal on Saturday, a reel of Mookie Betts talking about the business of baseball in Boston. I wasn’t moved. He came back into the fold with eyes wide open with respect to John Henry and Sam Kennedy — a Massachusetts Milhouse crossed with Walnut St. Wormtongue — and has been kicked to the curb like so many before him, including Betts and Rafael Devers. He didn’t appear to be too upset or surprised about it in the first post, that’s for sure:
It was, as I wrote on Saturday, probably just time for him to move on, but the Red Sox, in their inimitable way, botched it completely. And let me tell you something: the nostalgia dopamine blast for this nonsense I had for this was amazing. It wasn’t just a throwback to the more recent FSG fuckery. I’m 48 years old, which is older than most of you, and pre-FSG this was the norm. It’s sort of unreal that the Sox won 5 titles between 1900 and 1918 and 4 between 2000 and 2018 and decided, exactly 100 years apart, to aggressively self-sabotage. Billy Shakes would be proud; Claude could never. Even in the misery, life is beautiful, in its way.
But I don’t feel bad for Cora. He came back because they gave him money and power because they were chasing their tail, which they continue to do. Live by the disinterested billionaire and his quietly power-mad protege, die by them. Henry is cooked. Kennedy’s job is obscuring that, and he’s running out of other people to blame. Breslow is a patsy, one who’s supremely aloof but better at his job than his predecessor. But on the subject of Chaim Bloom I can firmly now say that I might have been too hard on you, given how absurd your bosses were.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 7: Reynaldo López #40 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting Jorge Soler (12) of the Los Angeles Angels with a pitch at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 7, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Reynaldo Lopez mechanics saga is, well, a saga.
First, we had his diminished velocity in Spring Training due to “mechanics” rather than injury or something else that persisted, as he was throwing in the high 90s in this 2026 debut. That debut went well without Lopez pitching all that well, but he looked and pitched much better in starts three and four, until essentially a career-worst outing in Washington upended the nascent trend of effectiveness and threw everything into question.
Since then, Lopez has been on a rotation hiatus, but really, a pitching hiatus. He was warming up in the bullpen in Sunday’s win over the Phillies, but didn’t make it into the game. The explanation? It involves “mechanics” again.
So, because I have no idea and am hoping someone else will do the work for me: what mechanical issues are we talking about, exactly? Mechanics have now been attributed to Lopez’ wide variance in fastball velocity from pitch to pitch and game to game, but also his overall effectiveness. I can’t tell whether it’s meant to be a vague catchall for everything under the sun, i.e., he’s not effective and we’re not sure why but he doesn’t want to go to on the Injured List, or whether there really is something that he’s unable to fix in a side session. Anyone have any ideas?
May 6, 2018; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans player Rajon Rondo controls the ball against the Golden State Warriors for game 4 of the 2018 NBA playoffs in the Smoothie Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Clause/The Advertiser via USA TODAY NETWORK
Former Kentucky Wildcat and two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo is reportedly in the running to be a NBA head coach.
According to Marc Stein, the New Orleans Pelicans are largely considering Rondo for their HC position.
He spent the 2017-2018 season as the starting point guard, averaging eight points and as many assists in 65 games.
Clearly the Pelicans brass liked what they saw from Rondo during his time in New Orleans and throughout the rest of his career, as they’ve already interviewed him for the HC position.
Rondo most recently served as a special assistant on the staff of Doc Rivers in Milwaukee, having last played in the NBA during the 2021-2022 season for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
He was always a true floor general and locker room leader during his playing career, even dating back to his first few seasons when he was the starting PG for the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics where he was heavily mentored by Kevin Garnett.
Rondo’s basketball IQ has always been seen as one of the best, which should also help him in the coaching scene where the Pelicans have highly talented players such as Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson. He could also be a great mentor for someone like Dejounte Murray.
What do you think about Rondo’s chances of becoming the next young coach in the NBA?
This is the lab. In the lab we do experiments. Sometimes it is the moral and ethical equivalent of shining a magnifying glass on an ant. In other times, it is a little more serious. I should note that when I put things like this in the lab, it is not proceeded by “the Astros should…” or “the Astros should not….” This is not a hot take. If it were a hot take I certainly would not put it in a lab.
What we are looking at here is ultimately the value of a superstar. Branch Rickey is obviously known as the executive that broke the color barrier. He was also an executive with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. He infamously told Ralph Kiner that he could finish in last with him or without him. We have obviously seen the huge numbers that Yordan Alvarez has put up and I have spent the last two labs comparing those numbers with the rest of the team and the best hitters in baseball history.
Obviously, if the Astros were shopping Alvarez it would be big news. There have been a few superstar level moves in baseball over the last several years. Heck, Juan Soto was involved in two of those deals as the teams that held him cashed in with prospects. I shouldn’t have to tell anyone that if Yordan became available, there would be at least a half dozen teams waiting in line to make their offer. So, what would a Yordan Alvarez trade even look like?
We should start by accurately pegging his value. Last time, we saw that he is on pace to get close to 12 wins at the pace he is currently at. However, that is not horribly realistic. The best thing we can do is look at what he has done and project from there. There are two ways to do this. We can look at the WAR numbers and project those over 150 games or we can look at the traditional hitting numbers and do the same.
Yordan Alvarez: 25.8 FWAR in 703 career games through Thursday, 5.5 FWAR per 150 games Yordan Alvarez: .298/.392/.580, 39 HR, 96 Runs, 111 RBI, 2 SB, 78 BB
Those are pretty sparkling numbers. We could surmise that this is a career season for Yordan and he might be closer to a seven or eight win player. This is where things get more dicey than what we might think. It would be simplistic to suggest that you want something equivalent to seven or eight wins to break even on the exchange. However, that misunderstands the designation of a replacement level player. The players coming up to replace injured bench players are replacement level players. Most teams are not employing those players as regulars and the Astros are no different.
I hate to pick sides in a debate over metrics because that would taint the lab and its purpose. However, most sabermetricians seem to prefer Fangraph’s WAR over baseball-reference.com’s WAR. Again, I use both because I like getting a cross-section of thought on a player. In this case, we will use FWAR just to keep everything simple. Below would be the Astros regular lineup according to their 2025 FWAR numbers when Yordan Alvarez is removed from the equation.
FWAR
C Yainer Diaz
1.6
1B Christian Walker
1.1
2B Jose Altuve
2.1
3B Carlos Correa
2.6
SS Jeremy Pena
5.7
LF Joey Loperfido*
0.8
CF Jake Meyers
2.3
RF Cam Smith
1.0
DH Isaac Paredes
2.4
Asterisk: Joey Loperfido’s 2024 and 2025 FWARs were combined to simulate the number of plate appearances he would likely get in a full season.
So, as you can see, none of the regulars would be a replacement level player, so you are not starting at zero. The effective difference between Loperfido and Yordan would be an average of five wins and maybe closer to six or seven wins this season alone. I have to emphasize again that we are not simply looking for six or seven wins. We are looking for players that would be six or seven wins better than the players they are replacing.
For instance, if you wanted to upgrade at catcher then you would take the wins above 1.6 as the net improvement. So, a three win catcher is not a net three wins. It would be a net 1.4 wins. As you might imagine, it would be a group of players (likely three or four) that you would hope would combine to add six or seven wins of value to make up for the six or seven wins you are losing. One could easily look at the lineup and pitching staff and identify the spots where an upgrade would be nice. I’d surmise at least one of the players would be a pitcher if not two. The thinner outfield would also be a place where they would likely add.
Unfortunately, that would not be the end of the ledger on any such trade. A look at the wins added would also have to include the element of time. Yordan would have considerable value this season as someone under contract through the 2028 season on a pretty friendly hometown discount (6 years, 115 million). So, we are not only talking about the seven or eight wins he would produce this season, but also those same wins in 2027 and 2028. If we assume Loperfido is fixed at about a win then the Astros would need to recuperate conservatively 18 wins total.
The good news is that they wouldn’t have to do this only through 2028. The players they would likely get back with have more club control than Yordan. If those players were on the younger side then you would be talking five or six seasons of club control remaining for each player. So, three or four players with an average of five seasons of club control each would need to add 18 net wins over the span of those five seasons.
For instance, the tale of the tape on the Kyle Tucker trade is still ongoing. The Cubs got 4.5 wins out of Tucker last season which is probably three to 3.5 wins more than a marginal starter would have gotten. However, the Astros get the services of Cam Smith for six seasons, Isaac Paredes for this year and next year, and Hayden Wesneski for three additional seasons after this year. The Astros have not recouped the four wins yet, but they have through 2030 to recoup a grand total of four wins.
Obviously, the downside is bringing in prospects that produce zero wins. That is always the chance you take with these kinds of deals. However, while it seems foolish to think that you could get bang for your buck when you trade a superstar, the math actually works out more often than not. Naturally, math is not making these trades and it is a lot harder to do because you have to pick the right prospects and accept the fallout of trading a superstar player. Keep in mind, this is a lab experiment where we explain the math behind a theoretical deal. I am not advocating trading Yordan and I’m certainly not predicting it. What do you think? Could we ever recoup that value back?
Trent Grisham
Victor Caratini
