The Los Angeles Lakers have come to a decision on their roster to open the season.
Dalton Knecht has been waived, the team announced Monday afternoon. The move puts the Lakers roster at 15 players, the limit under NBA rules.
The Lakers, who carried 16 players through the preseason, had a choice to make between Knecht and Bronny James. Both players were held out of practice ahead of Monday's 2 p.m. cut deadline, with head coach JJ Redick saying the two cut candidates were "under the weather." And despite rumors over the weekend of trade talks centered around Knecht, it appears president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka ultimately decided to make a clean break.
Lakers waive Dalton Knecht
The problem that comes with trading a player who won't make the roster comes down to value. Teams have no reason to give up any assets for a guy they know they can get for nothing a few days later. Pelinka has shown over the years that he's particular about return packages; he's more than willing to pass on a trade if he's not 100% sure it would improve the roster.
For Knecht, it became painfully clear over the last couple of weeks that he was the odd man out. His shooting -- the reason the Lakers drafted him with the 17th overall pick in 2024 in the first place -- was too streaky to be relied upon, and his subpar defense made him a liability most times he stepped on the court. That, and the addition of several wings with size who could shoot -- Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili when he's not playing the five -- during their roster overhaul this summer, suddenly made Knecht's skillset redundant.
Redick admitted as much to reporters ahead of Friday's preseason finale.
"I think the biggest thing is the team changed. The team changed. Needs changed, the fit changed. I think he’s gotten better as a player the last two years. I think, particularly last year, each guy got plenty of opportunities with the injuries we had. I just think coming into this year, we added a lot of wings," Redick said at the time. "And he’s in a tough spot right now."
Knecht didn't check in until halfway through the fourth quarter of the Lakers' loss to the Denver Nuggets, the 12th man off the bench that night, and finished scoreless for the second game in a row. In his 7:30 minutes of playing time, he added one rebound and an assist.
The writing had been on the wall at UCLA Health Training Center for quite some time. Now, it's official.
After practice Monday, Knicks coach Mike Brown, as well as guards Jalen Brunsonand Landry Shamet, spoke about what it means to turn the page on their championship berth and enter a new campaign with largely the same group.
Turning the page on a title
The Knicks will kick off their 2026-27 campaign with one last celebration of their historic NBA title: a ring presentation and banner raising ceremony hosted at MSG ahead of their season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night.
As fun as it's been to revel in their success the last few months, much of the team is already trying to move forward.
"Every year, it's a new year to attack something,"Brunsonsaid. "When people say we're defending the title — I mean, that's one way to look at it, but it's something we won. We've put in our past, and now we're just trying to attack another."
Shamet added that although fans across New York City are still riding the high of the championship, once the new season starts, everyone will be more focused what lies ahead.
"I think the fascinating part about sports is that starting tomorrow, no one cares [about the championship],"Shametadded. "After the ceremony's over, it's 0-0. We're a competitive bunch, and by no means is anybody expecting to just coast or anything like that. That's definitely not the tone of our group."
Between the ring presentation, the roar of the home crowd, and the excitement of a new season, having a ceremony immediately before the opener against Philly could be distracting. But Brown said he trusts his players to compartmentalize.
"It's hard, because they're human, and there's a part of you that wants to keep celebrating, but we've got to turn it off," he said. "The challenge is to try to get them enjoy the moment, but not fully. You have to try to supress all that early, before the ceremony, so that you can quickly get not just your body, but your mind and your emotions into the task in front of you."
The hard part, Shamet said, is to not get so wrapped up in what they've already accomplished that they become cocky or complacent.
"I think that's maybe some of the challenge that I've read about and seen in the past that championship teams have," Shamet added. "How do you take the high in the celebration at the beginning of the game, and still go out and perform, play the brand of basketball that you'd want to play?"
Jalen Brunson on Knicks fans seeing a new banner raised tomorrow night: "They deserve it. This is something that's been brewing for a long time...to share this moment with them is definitely going to be special." https://t.co/IlRiUGpGil
For the first time in his eight-year career, Shamet is spending a third-straight season with the same team.
After splitting his freshman season between the 76ers and the Clippers, he floated from the Nets, to the Suns, to the Wizards, until finally landing in the Knicks organization in 2024. He then dislocated his shoulder, got waived by the Knicks, spent a few months recovering, and worked his way from New York's' G-League affiliate back onto the major league bench.
Shamet ended up a crucial piece of the Knicks bench late in the playoffs, shooting 55.6 percent and 41.7 percent from the field in Games 1 and 2 of the Finals, respectively. In June, he inked a four-year deal with the team worth $24 million, marking Shamet's first long-term commitment with a team.
"It's not lost on me. I feel like I try and do a good job of not taking much for granted," Shamet said of his tenure with the Knicks. "[I've] never spent three consecutive training camps with the same organization, so feels really good ... to be here and have a familiar group and feel comfortable and confident with the people I'm around. I feel like they feel the same way about me, so I don't take that for granted at all."
He's one of several key players the Knicks were able to retain in the offseason — a fact that should give them a boost against many of their Eastern Conference rivals, whose rosters saw major shakeups over the summer: Boston got Paul George and former Knick Mitchell Robinson, Philadelphia added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, Toronto welcomed Kawhi Leonard back after seven years away from the team, and Miami acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo after a lengthy trade battle with Boston.
While those teams spend the early months of the season working out the kinks that come with a roster rebrand, the Knicks are hoping to lean on their well-established system to get ahead early.
"[It's] very valuable," Brunson said of returning so many key players. "For us to come back, it's good to have our chemistry continue to grow, understanding that we've done it, but are we still hungry, are we still satisfied? Do we continue to get better every single day, or are we just content? That's our big question that's going to be answered within the first couple weeks of the season. However we answer it, we're going to attack it and get better every single day after that."
With direct access to Lakers memorabilia, the franchise’s global fan base and eBay’s live-commerce infrastructure, Goldin is drawing on decades of auction expertise to bring sports history to mainstream fans and established collectors alike.
Magic Johnson signed his name three times across a purple Los Angeles Lakers jersey before Ken Goldin brought it to auction.
The five-time NBA champion was among the Lakers legends participating in an invitation-only gathering at a private residence in West Hollywood on October 13. Public figures, private collectors, athletes, and industry figures, including Rob Veres of Burbank Sports Cards and members of the Trove Media team, gathered for an evening of live signings, historical memorabilia and auctions streamed through eBay Live.
Johnson’s signed jersey was auctioned, with proceeds benefiting the Magic Johnson Foundation. Lakers legends Kurt Rambis and Derek Fisher also participated in the evening, while Goldin presented an assortment of collectibles spanning generations of Lakers history.
Elsewhere in the residence, a Wilt Chamberlain jersey photo-matched to Game 3 of the 1972 NBA Finals stood alongside a Magic Johnson jersey worn during his 1989–90 MVP season. Kobe Bryant’s twice-signed Nike Air Zoom Huarache 2K4 sneakers, worn during his 42-point playoff performance against the San Antonio Spurs in 2004, were also on display. Five championship rings belonging to longtime Lakers public-address announcer Lawrence Tanter represented the franchise’s championship runs from 2000 to 2002 and 2009 to 2010.
The evening marked the first major activation of Goldin’s multiyear partnership with the Lakers, announced in July, which named the eBay-owned company the franchise’s official auction house sponsor. Beginning October 28, Goldin will introduce weekly Wednesday auctions on eBay Live, bringing together historical memorabilia and equipment used during the current NBA season.
For Ken Goldin, the choice of partner was deliberate.
“Look, for me, I wanted to start at the top,” Goldin told Sam Goodman, Mantel contributor and founder of SOMOS Index, pointing to the Lakers’ championship history, international recognition and generations of culturally significant players.
The agreement represents more than an opportunity to sell memorabilia associated with one of basketball’s most recognizable franchises. It connects Goldin directly with the organization producing and preserving those objects, while opening access to the global audience that gives them cultural and commercial significance.
The Goldin Advantage
Auction houses have traditionally relied on private collectors, dealers and consignors to bring valuable memorabilia to market. A historically significant jersey might remain in a personal collection for decades before its owner decides to sell.
Goldin’s Lakers partnership introduces a different approach, establishing a direct relationship with the franchise rather than depending exclusively on owners bringing memorabilia to auction.
“How does working with professional sports organizations change your approach to sourcing inventory?” Goodman asked.
“For us, it gives us a guaranteed supply without competition,” Goldin responded.
The agreement gives Goldin access to selected memorabilia from the Lakers’ historical archives alongside contemporary game-used equipment, including jerseys, basketballs and nets. Rather than competing for those objects once they enter private collections, the auction house can source them through the organization itself.
That relationship is particularly important in a market where an object’s value depends not only on who used it, but also on the ability to establish its history.
“To us, provenance and authenticity is the number one thing,” Goldin explained. “Is it real? Is it authentic? We are getting it from the source.”
Acquiring memorabilia directly from the franchise provides a clearer chain of custody, connecting an item’s documented use to its eventual sale. For collectors, that provenance can be as important as the athlete or performance associated with it.
Direct sourcing also changes how quickly memorabilia can reach the market.
Goldin described how equipment associated with a significant performance could potentially reach auction as soon as the following day, rather than spending years circulating through private collections. The same relationship could allow collectors to pursue objects before their significance has even been established.
He outlined plans for a service allowing fans to arrange the purchase of game-worn memorabilia before an upcoming matchup. A collector, for example, could request an Austin Reaves jersey without knowing whether the player will deliver an ordinary performance or a career-defining night.
The distinction is significant. Historically, collectors have often pursued memorabilia after an athlete or moment has become important. Goldin’s approach could allow them to acquire objects tied to moments whose place in sports history has yet to be determined.
For an auction house built around bringing desirable collectibles to market, the Lakers relationship provides a closer connection to the athletes, games and organizations responsible for creating them.
The Power of the Purple and Gold
The Lakers offer Goldin something beyond a collection of historic jerseys and game-used equipment.
Few professional sports franchises have a cultural identity as recognizable as the Lakers. From Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant to LeBron James and Luka Dončić, the team’s history extends across generations of basketball, entertainment and popular culture.
That recognition also gives Goldin access to an audience far larger than the established sports memorabilia market.
“Part of our deal is that this is going to be promoted to the millions of fans that are in the Lakers database and maybe not in my auction database,” Goldin explained.
For an auction house accustomed to reaching customers through collectors, dealers and existing marketplace participants, the franchise relationship creates another path to potential buyers.
A lifelong Lakers fan may have attended games, purchased jerseys and followed the team’s biggest moments without ever participating in a memorabilia auction. Through the partnership, that same fan could encounter an opportunity to own an object directly connected to a favorite player or memorable performance.
Goldin has previously used entertainment to introduce collecting to audiences outside the traditional hobby.
Netflix’s King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch, which premiered in 2023, brought viewers inside the auction house, following the personalities, historic objects and competitive transactions that define its business.
The Lakers partnership approaches audience development from another direction.
Where Netflix introduced collecting through entertainment, the franchise relationship allows Goldin to reach potential customers through their existing attachment to a team and its players. Rather than asking viewers to become interested in collectibles generally, Goldin can introduce memorabilia connected to athletes and moments they already care about.
The inventory itself is intended to serve a broader range of buyers.
“We’re going to have something for everybody and we’re going to have something from every player,” Goldin said.
Alongside premium game-worn jerseys and historically significant artifacts, Goldin plans to offer more accessible collectibles and unusual objects connected to players throughout the roster. Potential offerings include media-day jerseys, game-used basketballs, locker-room nameplates and equipment associated with the franchise.
For established collectors, that creates another source of rare and historically significant memorabilia. For Lakers fans unfamiliar with auctions, it introduces collecting through a relationship they already have with the team.
Exposure to the Lakers’ global audience does not guarantee that those fans will become collectors. But it gives Goldin a direct channel to potential customers beyond the people who already participate in its auctions, expanding the audience for the memorabilia the partnership brings to market.
Beyond the Auction Block
Ken Goldin’s experience with live selling dates back decades. Long before the rise of livestream shopping, he sold sports memorabilia to television audiences through QVC and the Home Shopping Network.
In 2024, eBay acquired Goldin, connecting its established auction business with a global marketplace and digital commerce infrastructure.
The Lakers partnership brings those capabilities together with something traditional auction houses cannot always count on: a continuing source of memorabilia tied to a franchise whose history is still being written.
Beginning October 28, Goldin will introduce weekly Wednesday Lakers auctions through Goldin on eBay Live, offering historical collectibles alongside contemporary game-used equipment throughout the NBA season.
“We’re doing so much more than an auction; we’re creating a real show each week that is entertaining, fast-paced, and interactive,” Goldin said in the company’s October announcement.
For an auction business historically organized around consignments and scheduled sales, recurring programming introduces a different rhythm.
Rather than waiting for individual collections to become available, Goldin can organize regular auctions around memorabilia sourced through the franchise. The NBA season provides a natural calendar, with each game creating the possibility of another significant performance, while the Lakers’ archives offer decades of material beyond the current roster.
The October 13 activation offered an early example of how those elements could work together.
Magic Johnson’s live jersey signing placed one of basketball’s most recognizable figures directly into the presentation of an object associated with his career. Ken Goldin brought the jersey to auction, while eBay Live extended participation beyond the collectors and guests gathered in West Hollywood.
The athlete, the memorabilia and the transaction became part of the same event.
Goldin’s traditional auction platform will continue offering Lakers memorabilia alongside its eBay Live programming, allowing the partnership to serve established collectors while developing a recurring format for new audiences.
For Ken Goldin, whose career has spanned televised selling, high-end auctions and digital marketplaces, live commerce represents another way to connect collectors with the objects and stories that have long defined his business.
The difference now is that Goldin has a direct relationship with the franchise supplying those stories.
A League of Opportunities
The Lakers are not the only professional sports organization Goldin is pursuing.
The company has also announced a partnership with the Detroit Pistons, reflecting a broader effort to establish direct relationships with teams rather than relying solely on traditional consignment channels.
During his conversation with Mantel, Goldin discussed the possibility of expanding the model across major professional sports leagues. But he made clear that the company is not interested in accumulating partnerships simply for the sake of increasing their number.
Instead, Goldin described a selective approach focused on franchises with established histories, strong fan communities, recognizable identities and championship potential.
The Lakers provide a particularly compelling starting point. Their decades of championships, internationally recognized players and extensive historical archives offer valuable inventory, while the team’s global audience creates opportunities to reach collectors and fans well beyond the existing auction market.
Whether other franchise relationships can deliver similar results remains an open question.
For Goldin, the success of the Lakers partnership will depend on more than the number of objects brought to auction.
“I think success is going to not only be determined by sales,” he explained. “Success is going to be determined by selling prices. Are we getting good prices?”
The company is also looking at whether the partnership attracts new bidders, increases Goldin’s visibility and generates interest from other professional sports organizations.
“How much do we raise our profile? Did we gain X number of tens of thousands new bidders?”
Those measures offer a clearer picture of the company’s ambitions. Strong auction results would demonstrate demand for the memorabilia itself. New bidders would suggest that access to the Lakers’ fan base is translating into customers. Additional franchise relationships could indicate that the model has applications beyond one of basketball’s most recognizable teams.
None of those outcomes is guaranteed. But the partnership gives Goldin an opportunity to test how direct access to professional sports organizations can change both the supply of memorabilia and the audience participating in its sale.
Goldin has spent decades building a business around bringing pieces of sports history to auction. Its partnership with the Lakers creates an opportunity to connect that business more directly with history as it unfolds.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 28: CJHuntley #21 of the Phoenix Suns poses for a portrait during NBA media day on September 28, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Huntley originally joined Phoenix on a two-way contract after going undrafted out of Appalachian State in 2025. In November of last year, the Suns terminated that contract, making him a free agent. He continued playing with the Valley Suns, however, and following the conversion of Jamaree Bouyea’s two-way contract to a standard NBA deal in March, Huntley was brought back on another two-way contract.
Hamstring issues prevented Huntley from participating in the Summer League, but he put together a productive season with the Valley Suns last year. In 42 appearances, the 6’11” big man averaged 15.4 points and 7.9 rebounds in 27 minutes per game, shooting 63% from the field, 34% from beyond the arc, and 67% from the free throw line.
Despite that production, Phoenix has decided to move on from Huntley as it continues adjusting its roster ahead of the regular season. His departure, along with Brea’s, leaves the Suns with one open two-way contract spot and one standard roster spot.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 05: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics argues with referee Ben Taylor #46 against the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter in game three of the Eastern Conference Second Round Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on May 05, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ladies and gentlemen, Adam Silver has done it again. The commissioner and the rest of his coroporate teammates at the NBA office continue to ensure the league’s viewers have the maximum amount of fun, thanks to the endless amount of jerseys each franchise wears.
That, of course, includes your Boston Celtics. Boston is one of eight franchises to have a “Specter” edition uniform bestowed upon them this season.
When I saw this, I almost spiked my phone. What a disgusting piece of moneygrabbing slop.
Now, I’m the defininition of a traditionalist, so there’s definitely some bias here. I think the home team should always wear white, and road teams can wear any of their more colorful uniforms.
With that being said, there’s simply no way that these should’ve seen the light of day. The Northern Lights-esque design doesn’t work. The small font that reads “Boston” (you might not even have noticed it on the chest of the jersey) looks ridiculous.
Who is this even for?
There are seven other fanbases who are likely asking themselves the same question.
The New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, and Golden State Warriors will all feature a similar looking monstrosity in their respective wardrobes this season.
Ironically, the league picked its eight oldest franchises to force these disguting unis on as part of this Specter series.
“The new Specter Edition uniforms open a new chapter in how team identity for the Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics — the teams tracing their history back to the earliest chapters of the NBA — appears on court,” the league wrote in an official release last month. “Bringing forward the same obsession with the game that defines the NBA Standard Issue collection, each uniform features details inspired by the franchises’ history, city heritage and fan culture.“
You know what would’ve been a great way to honor history?
Maybe whip up some cool throwback jerseys.
It’s possible. We’ve seen the Celtics run with throwbacks in the past, despite not having changed much about their uniforms over the course of 80 years.
BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 10: Ray Allen #20 of the Boston Celtics celebrates after breaking the NBA All-time three point record against the Los Angeles Lakers during the game on February 10, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty ImagesLOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 30: Kevin Garnett #5 of the Boston Celtics blocks the shot of Lamar Odom #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers during their game at Staples Center December 30, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2007 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Thankfully, every single post I’ve seen related to these jerseys has been a negative one. Having read through the full press release, it seems like the NBA is trying to capitalize on the hypebeast culture of wearing silly looking things just because they’re rare.
Featured several times throughout is the “1:1” tag.
More or less, the goal of the entire charade is to break into the fashion world by having players serve as models for this new line.
Does the league know that they can just release obscure merch without making the teams wear it?
There is some “good” news woven into this story, though. The Celtics will only put these things on three times this season. Three, by the way, is the bare minimum amount of games that teams are required to wear any special edition uniform.
In other words, the Celtics themselves know that these stink just as much as the rest of us do.
It’s tough because I was actually felling good about Nike heading into the season. They allowed teams to bring back their preferred City Edition uniform from the past decade, and Boston nailed their choice with the green and yellow unis from the 2018-19 season.
Jayson’s reaction is actually the opposite of mine when I heard this news.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 25: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics reacts during the third quarter of the game to an officials call during the third quarter of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden on December 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Besides the St. Patrick’s Day uniforms off the 2000’s, these are probably my favorite non-traditional Celtics uni. So, good job, Celtics.
Boston won’t actually wear these beauties until Jan. 20, 2027, though. They do, however, understand how fire they actually are since they’ll be wearing them 11 total times throughout the back half of the season.
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 14: The sneakers worn by Paul George #13 of the Boston Celtics during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on October 14, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 16: Drew Sommers #51 of the Detroit Tigers looks on against the Toronto Blue Jays in their MLB game at Rogers Centre on September 16, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/Getty Images)
The Detroit Tigers bullpen destroyed their 2026 season. That much is clear. It was clear in May when, racked with injuries and badly needing to win some games without having to put up 5-6 runs, the bullpen coughed up lead after lead. Things were a little better in June and July, but by mid-August, just as they’d fought their way back into the divisional race, the offense sputtered again and the bullpen just could not win even an average amount of games in which they held slim leads in the eighth and ninth innings. Losing the majority of close games is a pretty terrible recipe for success.
The Tigers held the second worst record in baseball in one-run games. They had 31 blown saves, second most in the major leagues behind the Washington Nationals. Their Jekyll and Hyde offensive nature is another issue to be confronted, but at the same time streakiness is natural for all but a truly elite offense. Top teams still manage to win their share of those low scoring games with clutch relief work and some timely run scoring. Will the Tigers start to bunt and run more next year as they showed in September? We’ll see. At least they finally are starting to build up the type of players who can successfully play multiple styles of offense. A more versatile offense would certainly help as well, but it’s the disastrous high leverage relief work that really did them in this season.
So while yes, the Tigers have needed another good, low strikeout bat the past two seasons (hey Alex Bregman), and have got to a better job putting the ball in play in high leverage spots, the overwhelming issue this season is the lack of good high leverage relievers. Somewhat ironically considering the, AJ Hinch as slave to analytics, complaints, this is the least sabermetric-minded roster construction possible. A terrible bullpen mocks WAR numbers and run differential, and yet the Tigers have seemed much more focused on their starting rotation rather than emphasizing winning the high leverage battles that generally go to the team with the better pen.
How the plan went awry
Will Vest should have been the guy again this year, but he was pretty clearly never right and eventually succumbed to his injuries. That’s par for the course for relievers even more so than starting pitchers. It’s hard to get elite production out of any reliever year after year, and that’s why consistently great closers are so pricey in free agency in WAR terms. Drew Sommers could be a guy like that next year, but he’s only recently figured out how to command his fastball-slider combination and is just getting his first exposure to high leverage situations over the past six weeks.
Beyond those two it’s just been a mix of low strikeout middle relievers, veteran Swiss Army knife Tyler Holton, and another group of Scott Harris and Jeff Greenberg failures in free agency like Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, and Drew Anderson, who were downright terrible at holding leads. Anderson at least redeemed himself by performing better as a starter when he had the opportunity, but in relief he was a mess in a setup role when tasked with holding leads, and never really worked his way into the circle of trust for high leverage work late in games.
One of the strangest moments of Harris and Hinch’s end of the season presser was hearing Harris say that they used Kenley Jansen in high leverage situations too often. This seemed a bit rich, and by the look on his face Hinch agreed, considering that Harris signed him to close games and didn’t really provide any other options beyond Vest. The problem wasn’t using Jensen too often. The problem was doing a poor job at developing relief options over his first three years here, leaving Harris little choice but to try and sign a bunch of free agent relievers last offseason just to hold things together. And, instead of prioritizing a top arm to go with Vest, they took the bulk approach, hoping someone in the group would solve the problem. Just like their grab bag of arms including Chris Paddack, Charlie Morton, Rafael Montero, and Kyle Finnegan at the 2025 trade deadline, they never did.
The question is how to fix this. With Harris showing minimal interest in the trade market, and unlikely to pursue top relievers in free agency, most of this is going to have to be accomplished internally. The lockout and CBA fight coming this offseason make it very hard to see the Tigers doing much until we see how everything shakes out. Even then there are only a few high end relievers headed to free agency, and competition will be fierce for them.
The problem is that they still don’t have that much to offer internally either. Drew Sommers has shown he’s good enough to handle high leverage work. He posted one of the highest strikeout rates in baseball in the second half, and we can hope that in year two he’ll settle in and play a major role in the late innings. The Tigers might get a healthy Will Vest back next year, which would help. Beyond that there isn’t much of note in the upper levels in the system to help them. We’re not just talking about triple digit flamethrowers here either. Just guys that by whatever means, strike out a lot of hitters and can smother a lineup for an inning when the pressure is at its highest.
Harris opined in that press conference that eventually the Tigers will have so much starting pitching that they’ll spill over good arms into the bullpen. That’s certainly part of how successful teams build their bullpens, but that’s pretty cold comfort considering Harris has had four years to address the issue already and still doesn’t have a top 100 pitching prospect of his own in the upper minor leagues.
Down on the Farm
The flaw in the program is partly tied to the emphasis on high school arms. Just about all the Tigers big pitching draft picks from 2023-2025 were high schoolers, with a smattering of college/JUCO arms in the mix. Every single one of these guys has seen the beginning of their pro careers seriously derailed by injury. If we play the long game here this might all work out with a huge flow of pitching talent to the major leagues eventually, but it certainly isn’t imminent in 2027.
We finally saw progress on this front in the summer months as former top picks like Owen Hall, Michael Massey, Cale Wetwiska, and Paul Wilson returned to action over the course of the season. They were rusty, but the velocity and raw stuff was pretty much as advertised. Massey in particular looks like an ideal relief prospect with a really impressive riding fastball and breaking stuff. Wetwiska is another sleeper pick with a really good heater and quality breaking pitches. 20-year-old Australian RHP Alistair Tanner might be another in time, although he’s further away and ended the season on the injured list. If the Tigers choose to move Massey and Wetwiska pretty quickly into the Double-A Erie SeaWolves bullpen next year, they might move very quickly to the Show despite limited experience in pro ball so far. Both are college arms, in contrast to Hall and Wilson, but for now they’re still some distance from the major leagues.
At this point, the Tigers actually do have a really nice crop of pitching prospects developing, but top arms like 2026 breakout LHP Ben Jacobs, 2026 RHP first rounder Cameron Flukey, and nasty young right-hander Kelvis Salcedo, and I can name several more, will just be looking to break into the Double-A level next year with Jacobs leading the way and probably starting the season there. He has a chance to reach the major leagues sometime later in the 2027 season if all goes well, though the Tigers are fairly flush in southpaws already and Jacobs isn’t really an obvious comversion candidate.
In the upper minors, things come down to lefty Andrew Sears, who we saw briefly late in the season, and right-hander Lucas Elissalt, who reached Double-A this year. Neither profiles as a high leverage, closer type of arm. Still, those two starters may end up converted to relief if the Tigers don’t need them stashed in Triple-A Toledo as starting depth. We’re still waiting on a sustained velocity bump from Elissalt.
In terms of pure relievers in the upper minors? The only homegrown name of interest is Moises Rodriguez, who does feature a great sinker that touches 100 mph. He’s 24 now, and didn’t really make any tangible progress with his breaking stuff and command in 2026, but he does have potential at least. Beyond him, the Tigers have tried to take advantage of other teams’ 40-man roster crunches, which sometimes force international pitching prospects off rosters prematurely.
They claimed 26-year-old RHP Yilber Diaz, who we saw in Detroit, from the Diamondbacks back in July. They claimed 23-year-old right-hander Yoniel Curet from the Phillies back in April. They signed 30-year-old RHP Wandisson Charles to a minor league deal last offseason as well. All three have the stuff to be late innings relievers, but have not been able to refine their control enough to be reliable at the major league level. Charles at least finally cut his walks this year, but again, he’s 30 and has been stalled just short of the major league level for years. There’s nothing at all to count on here, just some lottery ticket arms to hope on. The unfortunate truth is that relief prospects are a complete crapshoot outside of the rare high end pure relief talent. The Tigers have been waiting on RHP Tyler Mattison, for example, for years now.
There are some issues in player development that need work to build their own killer bullpen eventually. The Tigers went the whole year without a dedicated director of pitching in the farm system after Gabe Ribas left to join the Colorado Rockies last offseason. They continue to struggle to develop velocity, while other teams’ bullpens are stacked up with guys throwing 98+, and their track record at keeping pitchers healthy has been pretty abysmal, though some of that may be related to the heavily prep oriented draft classes they’ve produced.
The point is, the arm talent is present in the system now beyond the names already mentioned. Kash Mayfield, Brady Smith, Charlie Christensen, Jhonan Coba, Carlos Rodriguez…we could go on, but they’re all still in A-ball. The Tigers may have a lot of talent to draw on in 2028-2029, but there still just isn’t much coming down the pipeline next year.
How to build a better bullpen in 2027
First of all let’s hope the owners don’t tank the season trying to force a salary cap in the next CBA. Assuming we have a normal season, there are things the Tigers can do to get a better relief corp together in 2027.
Harris is correct that a surplus of starting pitchers is one of the fastest ways to build up a bullpen. With Framber Valdez, Jackson Jobe, Keider Montero, Troy Melton, River Ryan, Reese Olson, Drew Anderson, and Andrew Sears all as options for the 2027 starting rotation, they may be able to draw on an arm or two to help out. Of course, we’re talking pitching here so assuming that we aren’t going to lose 1-3 of these guys to injury for a significant part of the 2027 season would be unwise.
Were the Tigers to add another starter, particularly a right-hander like Anderson with the stuff to get strikeouts, that would certainly help by allowing them to use one of their hard-throwing starters, like Troy Melton or River Ryan, in the bullpen. The issue is that the Tigers have shown no sign of prioritizing the bullpen in the Harris years. It’s always been an afterthought, and they seem dead set on using both of those pitchers in the rotation. That’s understandable, they have the deep pitch mix to be top shelf starting pitchers, but the argument for getting “more WAR value” out of a guy because he’s racking up a big volume of innings, is undercut by the crucial importance of having dominant arms who can get the last nine outs of a game with a lead. Having two Drew Anderson caliber guys in the bullpen instead just doesn’t move the needle the same way at all, even if it allows you to have a somewhat better rotation.
Another option, which is hard to discuss in any depth right now because of impending lockout and CBA fight, is to hunt for teams with a need to trim payroll, or who have top relievers whose team control is down to one year and try to trade for them. Are the Phillies staying all in next year or do they finally have to take a step back? Jhoan Duran is a free agent after the 2027 season. Could the Tigers go trade for him? Not until the Phillies see how the CBA shakes out first, if even then. Dombrowski, Harper, and company aren’t very likely to throw in the towel just yet. And of course this would require Harris to part with precious prospects and aggressively trade for upgrades, which he’s shown zero willingness to do.
Finally, there’s free agency. Padres hard-throwing lefty Adrian Morejon and Yankees closer RHP David Bednar lead the list of free agent relievers. Morejon was banged up to end the year, and the Yankees are rumored to be considering making Bednar the qualifying offer, so it’s possible neither are appealing for those reasons, but there are some other talented arms available.
It would be nice to see the Tigers not settle for the trick pitch types like Tommy Kahnle and Kenley Jansen, and really go get a killer arm in free agency. They’ll have money to work with, but it’s certainly fair to be skeptical of free agent relievers, and of the Tigers ability to do what the Rays, Brewers, and others routinely do, which is find an undervalued, underperforming pitcher that they have solutions for. That’s the way this is best accomplished, and it doesn’t bode well for Scott Harris and the Tigers long-term that his front office has shown minimal ability to compete with smarter teams in acquiring and fixing up flawed pitchers from less skilled teams. Hopefully, Sommers is the start of a trend and they figure this out.
Hope for 2027
I’m sure none of this sounds terribly promising. The Tigers will be bringing back a pretty good roster in all other regards but the bullpen. They should be right back in the thick of contention in the AL Central. If the bullpen costs them a ton of games again, then heads are going to have to roll in the organization.
From year to year, bullpens are pretty fungible. It’s very likely the Tigers could run it back with the same guys and still blow a lot fewer leads. Outside of Vest, they really haven’t had much in the way of top high leverage relievers the past three years, and yet the bullpens in 2024 and 2025 did a far better job avoiding blown saves. They only blew 21 in 2025, and in 2024 they blew 26. Neither mark is good, but blowing 31 games is hard to do without bad luck playing a role. By ERA and FIP, the Tigers had a middle of the pack bullpen this season, and they shouldn’t have much trouble doing that again. Better high leverage work should follow, but there’s no guarantee and they need to aim a lot higher than than just hoping to put an average bullpen out there.
Even those happy thoughts and statistical norms only get the Tigers back to having a middle to low tier bullpen. That might be enough to get back to the postseason, but you just don’t see many teams go deep in the postseason without a crew of pretty talented relief arms.
The Detroit Tigers really need to make this their number one priority. Sure, we’d love a good right-handed bat added to the mix, but the offense scored plenty of runs as they are in 2026. From player development and pro scouting, to the analysts, to the training staff, coaches, manager, and front office, they’ve got to take a very cold, sober assessment as to why they aren’t developing pitching as well as top teams, nor landing the right free agent targets in free agency or trades.
They should be able to do better than they did in 2026 with relative ease, but they have to set their sights a lot higher if they’re going to avoid wasting more seasons. Tarik Skubal is gone, and players like Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler aren’t going to be around, or at least playing at this caliber, forever. They need to stop shooting themselves in the foot through bullpen neglect, and get it together now, not a year or two down the road when hopefully they’ll start producing a steady supply of good homegrown arms.
This week, Jake and Scott are joined by MLB.com writer and host of the Dealin’ The Cards Podcast, Josh Jacobs! In this episode, we talk about several topics, including how Josh was able to grind his way to a writing role with MLB.com, and how he, along with Sandy and Andrew, built the Dealin’ The Cards podcast up into the juggernaut competitor that it is today. We also hit on everyone’s favorite areas of the roster to debate this offseason: third base, center field, and the pitching staff.
Tomorrow, I will be posting my conversation with Cardinals Assistant General Manager and Head of International Scouting Moises Rodriguez and special guest host Tyler Gettinger, AKA Redbird Farmhands, to discuss all the exciting things that are happening from an international scouting perspective in the organization! We will also be joined by Cardinals Pitching Prospect Jacob Odle and Kyle Reis, Bernie Miklasz the following week, and then we’re kicking off the offseason in November with Cardinals beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Derrick Goold! It may be the offseason, but I’m committed to bringing you guys mid-season form content!
Chapters List: 00:23 Introduction and Guest Introduction 01:41 Josh’s Journey to MLB.com 04:15 Building a Successful Podcast 10:11 Cardinals Offseason Strategies 10:48 Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals 15:26 Fan Expectations and Team Performance 20:07 Addressing the Bullpen Concerns 26:18 Exploring Center Field Options 37:19 Trade Talks: Evaluating Jimmy Crooks’ Value 39:50 Prospects vs. Rentals: The Case for Brandon Marsh 43:07 Long-Term Planning: The Future of the Cardinals’ Roster 46:58 Pitching Depth: Exploring Trade Opportunities 52:19 Building a Competitive Bullpen: Free Agent Strategies
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No Transcript today; there will be one tomorrow for Moises Rodriguez to serve as my “Tuesday Article.”
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 12: Tanner Gordon #29 of the Colorado Rockies examines a baseball while pitching against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at Comerica Park on September 12, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.
No. 40, Tanner Gordon (-0.2 rWAR)
Tanner Gordon appeared in 24 games for the Colorado Rockies in 2026, making 12 starts and finishing with a 1-6 record, 6.68 ERA, and 1.66 WHIP across 103.2 innings. His season was worth -0.2 rWAR.
For the second consecutive season, Gordon struggled to find consistent success at the major-league level. In fact, his 2026 numbers looked remarkably similar to those from 2025.
Statistic
2025
2026
G/GS
15/15
24/12
IP
75.1
103.2
ERA
6.33
6.68
WHIP
1.50
1.66
xERA
5.88
5.16
K%
18.4%
18.0%
BB%
5.0%
5.1%
Barrel%
11.5%
11.0%
Hard-hit%
41.2%
43.1%
Groundball%
35.3%
33.1%
Despite the similar results, Gordon did make some adjustments.
Gordon reduced his four-seam usage from 52.8% to 43.1%, incorporated his curveball more frequently, and added 2.6 mph to his slider. His chase rate climbed from 27.1% to 31.3%, while his whiff rate improved from 18.0% to 21.7%. His expected ERA also dropped from 5.88 to 5.16.
Those numbers moved in the right direction, but the improvements weren’t enough to substantially change Gordon’s overall effectiveness. Gordon continued to struggle with strikeouts, hard contact, and keeping the ball on the ground. Despite the adjustments, his actual ERA increased.
One thing that hadn’t changed was Gordon’s ability to avoid walks. Unfortunately, getting the baseball into the strike zone and keeping hitters from doing damage against it proved to be two very different things.
A season of changing roles
Gordon opened the season in long relief.
His April 15 debut against Houston was encouraging: four scoreless innings, two hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.
Five days later, against the Dodgers, Gordon surrendered six earned runs over four innings, including three home runs. He also committed a fielding error, threw a wild pitch, and walked three hitters in a 12-3 loss.
On May 19 against Texas, Gordon replaced starter Sammy Peralta with two outs and the bases loaded in the first inning. With help from Willi Castro’s defense, he escaped the jam without allowing another run.
That reprieve didn’t last long. Texas scored three runs against Gordon in the second inning, all with two outs, as Brandon Nimmo, Ezequiel Duran, and Jake Burger delivered RBI singles. Nimmo added a two-run homer in the fourth, and Gordon eventually worked 6.1 innings, allowing seven earned runs on 12 hits while walking just one batter.
Six days later, Gordon joined the rotation, making his first start of the year against the Dodgers. He allowed just one run over five innings, although it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.
The Dodgers put their leadoff hitter aboard in four of Gordon’s five innings. In the third, he allowed the first three hitters to reach, including an RBI double by Kiké Hernández and a walk to Shohei Ohtani.
With runners at first and second, nobody out, and Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman coming to the plate, Gordon was in serious trouble.
Instead, he retired Betts on a flyout and induced an inning-ending double play from Freeman.
Gordon escaped another jam in the fourth and retired the final five hitters he faced. The Rockies eventually lost 5-3, but Gordon had given them a chance to win.
He remained in the rotation until a right hip impingement interrupted his season in early June. Gordon returned June 30 and continued starting through July 10.
His July 5 outing against San Francisco was particularly ugly. Gordon allowed four home runs and five earned runs in five innings despite striking out seven hitters. Rafael Devers accounted for two of those home runs, both against Gordon’s four-seamer, including a 463-foot blast.
Five days later, Gordon faced the Giants again, this time in San Francisco. Devers homered off him for the third time in less than a week, but Gordon escaped with just one run allowed over five innings despite surrendering eight hits.
Gordon then returned to long relief, providing 5.2 innings of one-run baseball against Cincinnati on July 19. After a rougher appearance against Tampa Bay on August 3, he tossed four scoreless innings against San Francisco on August 15.
The Rockies returned him to the rotation on August 21, but his first outing back wasn’t encouraging. Cleveland collected nine hits and five earned runs over 5.1 innings, with Gordon issuing two walks.
Five days later, Gordon delivered his best start of the season against Washington. Dylan Crews tripled with two outs in the first, but Gordon retired Daylen Lile to strand him. Andrés Chaparro led off the second with a solo homer, and the Nationals threatened again in the fourth.
With runners at second and third and two outs, Gordon got Harry Ford to ground out, escaping without another run.
He settled in from there, retiring 10 of his final 12 hitters and completing seven innings with six hits, one earned run, five strikeouts, and no walks.
Gordon followed that performance with another strong outing, holding Baltimore to one run over five innings on August 31.
He finished August with a 3.82 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 30.2 innings, walking just three batters. It was his most productive month, although his struggles against Tampa Bay and Cleveland showed that the improvement wasn’t entirely consistent.
September was a different story. Gordon allowed 26 earned runs on 40 hits in just 15.0 innings, producing a 15.60 ERA and 3.20 WHIP. His final two starts were particularly brutal, beginning with seven earned runs on 10 hits over three innings against San Diego on September 17.
A week later, Arizona opened the game with seven consecutive baserunners, scoring six runs before Gordon recorded an out. Gabriel Moreno launched a three-run homer, Geraldo Perdomo tripled, and Nolan Arenado capped the barrage with a two-run shot.
Arizona added two runs in the second and two more charged to Gordon in the fourth. He finished with 10 earned runs on 12 hits and four walks in just 3.1 innings.
After allowing two earned runs over 12 innings in his final two August starts, Gordon surrendered 17 in 6.1 innings to close the season.
Command is more than avoiding walks
Gordon was exceptionally good at one thing in 2026: avoiding walks. His 5.1% walk rate ranked in the 96th percentile among MLB pitchers.
When the walks did come, however, so did the damage.
He issued multiple walks in just five of his 24 appearances. Every one of those outings resulted in at least five earned runs, and together they accounted for 33 of his 77 earned runs, nearly 43% of his season total.
Limiting walks didn’t guarantee a good outing. Gordon was knocked around several times while issuing one or fewer free passes, including May 19 against Texas.
Of course, command involves more than avoiding walks. Getting the baseball into the strike zone is one thing. Consistently locating pitches where hitters have difficulty doing damage is another.
Gordon’s results illustrate that distinction. His 18.0% strikeout rate ranked in the 18th percentile, while his 21.7% whiff rate placed him in the 22nd. His 43.1% hard-hit rate ranked in the 14th percentile, and his 11.0% barrel rate fell in the fourth.
Opponents hit .368 and slugged .637 against his four-seamer, which accounted for 10 of the 21 home runs he allowed. His Baseball Savant zone chart shows where hitters were particularly productive.
Opponents produced a .600 wOBA against pitches in the middle-middle portion of the strike zone and .546 against those in the upper-middle portion.
Gordon’s September 24 start against Arizona showed just how quickly poor fastball location could become a problem.
Facing Arenado in the first inning, Gordon opened with a 90.2 mph four-seamer that missed above the strike zone.
Now behind in the count, Gordon threw a third consecutive four-seamer, this one at 93.7 mph in the upper half of the zone. Arenado turned on it for a 419-foot, two-run home run.
Compare that sequence with Gordon’s August 26 start against Washington, when he faced Jacob Young in the third inning. Once again, Gordon threw three consecutive four-seam fastballs. This time, however, he consistently located them down and toward the edges of the strike zone.
His first fastball, at 90.9 mph, caught the lower portion of the zone for strike one.
Gordon finished with a 93.4 mph four-seamer toward the outer edge. Initially called a ball, the pitch became strike three after catcher Hunter Goodman successfully challenged the ruling.
All three fastballs against Young featured greater induced vertical break and horizontal movement than Gordon’s season averages. But the most noticeable difference between the two sequences was location.
Against Arenado, Gordon missed the zone with his first two fastballs, fell behind, and watched his third leave the ballpark. Against Young, he established the strike zone immediately, stayed around its edges, and recorded a three-pitch strikeout without the batter taking a swing.
These are just two plate appearances, but they highlight a larger issue that followed Gordon throughout the season.
Gordon could throw strikes. Too often, he threw strikes hitters could punish.
A better fit in the bullpen?
Gordon’s results varied considerably depending on his role.
Statistic
Starter
Reliever
Appearances
12
12
IP
55.1
48.1
ERA
7.97
5.21
WHIP
1.97
1.30
He was more effective in relief, although his 5.21 ERA was hardly outstanding.
Gordon also wasn’t working as a conventional one-inning reliever. He averaged roughly four innings per relief appearance, and his average start wasn’t much longer.
The relief appearances came under different circumstances, often with Colorado already trailing, so the split doesn’t establish that he would succeed in a permanent bullpen role. It does, however, suggest that bulk relief may be a more practical role than a regular rotation assignment.
His performance also differed dramatically by ballpark.
Gordon posted a 9.25 ERA at Coors Field, allowing 17 home runs in 59.1 innings. On the road, his ERA fell to 3.25, with four home runs allowed in 44.1 innings.
Even away from Colorado, however, opponents hit .302 against him.
Final thoughts
Gordon enters his age-29 season in 2027 with three years of major-league experience and many of the same limitations that have defined his career.
His ability to limit walks and cover multiple innings provides some utility, but his results have remained largely unchanged despite adjustments to his repertoire. His performance in relief was better than as a starter, although neither role produced particularly encouraging results.
At No. 40 in our rankings, Gordon sits on the fringes of two areas the Rockies desperately need to improve: their starting rotation and bullpen.
How many innings Gordon pitches in 2027, and in which role, might ultimately say as much about Colorado’s progress in addressing those weaknesses as it does about Gordon himself.
The Mesa Solar Sox, the Cubs affiliate in the AFL along with the A’s, Blue Jays, Angels and Red Sox, had an abbreviated week with only four games. Monday’s home game was rained out and made up on Wednesday, but Tuesday’s game at Surprise was postponed because of a power failure. I’m not sure if that game will be made up. In any case, the Solar Sox didn’t take the field until Wednesday.
The Solar Sox went 2-2 over the week, putting their overall record at 4-6. Here’s how they did in those four games. The home team is listed second.
Here’s how the eight Cubs prospects on the Solar Sox did.
Infielder Juan Cabada: The second-youngest player in the AFL this year played two games this past week. He was the third baseman for Mesa on Thursday and the second baseman on Friday.
Cabada went 2 for 6 on Thursday with an RBI single in the first inning and an RBI single in Mesa’s five-run top of the tenth. In Friday’s loss, Cabada went 0 for 3 with a walk.
For the season, Cabada has played seven games and is hitting .167/.286/.167 with one stolen base. He has scored twice and has driven in three.
Outfielder Harrison Feinberg: Feinberg only played in Thursday’s extra-inning win over Salt River. He was the left fielder in that game and went 2 for 4 wth a walk.
In four games for the Solar Sox, Feinberg is hitting .385/.529/.385 with two steals. He has scored twice and has one run batted in.
Outfielder Kade Snell: There were some high hopes for Snell coming into the AFL and this past week, he played like the sleeper prospect he is. Snell played left field on Wednesday and went 2 for 3 with a walk. On Thursday Snell played right field and he was 1 for 3 with three walks and a stolen base. After an off-day on Friday, Snell returned to DH on Saturday and was 1 for 3 as the Solar Sox were shut out. That’s 4 for 9 with four walks and a steal on the week.
For the AFL campaign, Snell is hitting .286/.459/.321 wth two steals over eight games. He has four runs batted in and has scored six times.
Right-hander Jhon Cabral: Cabral pitched the ninth inning on Wednesday in a non-save situation. He walked the first batter he faced, but then retired the next three in order. Cabral struck out one.
Over 2.1 innings and three appearances, Cabral has yet to allow a run or a hit in the AFL. He has walked three while striking out two.
Right-hander Anhuar Garcia: Garcia has had a rough AFL campaign because he’s had trouble throwing strikes. That continued this week after he threw 1.2 innings of relief on Friday. Garcia allowed three runs on one it and four walks. He also balked twice. In his defense only one of the three runs was earned. Garcia struck out two.
In three appearances, Garcia has an ERA of 6.75 over 6.2 innings. However, he’s allowed five unearned runs on top of the five he’s given up that were earned. Garcia has walked eight and has struck out four.
Right-hander Yohendris Gonzalez: Gonzalez did not pitch this past week. He has a 40.50 ERA after allowing six runs over just 1.1 innings in two appearances so far.
Right-hander Dominick Reid: With the shortened week and Reid having pitched on Saturday the previous week, Reid did not get a start this week. Reid is still 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA over two starts.
Right-hander Luis Rujano: Rujano threw 1.1 innings in Saturday’s shutout loss. He allowed one run on one hit, but the run was unearned. Rujano walked two and struck out one.
For the season, Rujano has pitched four innings in three relief appearances. He has an ERA of 2.25 with four walks and four strikeouts.
Nets first-round pick Joshua Jefferson practiced full contact on Monday and will be available for the team's season opener against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
Jefferson, the No. 28 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft out of Iowa State, missed all of Brooklyn's preseason games due to back soreness and had not fully practiced yet.
In three Summer League games, the 22-year-old averaged 7.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.7 blocks across 21.3 minutes of action.
During his senior year of college, Jefferson was the Cyclones' second-leading scorer with 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks per night over 35 games.
While Jefferson hopes to see the court on Wednesday night, fellow rookie Tyler Bilodeau will miss the first game of the year due to a shoulder injury, per the New York Post's Brian Lewis.
Bilodeau, the No. 43 overall pick in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft, scored five points in both of the preseason games he played.
MACAO, CHINA - OCTOBER 11: Dwight Powell #7 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket during the game against the Houston Rockets as part of 2026 NBA China Games on October 11, 2026 in Macao, China at Venetian Arena. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Ryan Stetz/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Goodnight, sweet Dwight.
The Dallas Mavericks waived veteran forward/center Dwight Powell on Monday. The all-time glue guy ends his 12-year run with the team as by far the most tenured player on the roster in a move that signals the end of an era for the Mavericks under first-year team president Masai Ujiri.
“Dwight was the consummate professional throughout his 12 seasons with the Mavericks and embodies everything you want in someone representing your organization,” Ujiri said in a statement. “He’s a tireless worker, an incredible teammate and someone whose impact extends well beyond the basketball court and into the Dallas community. We are grateful for everything Dwight has contributed to this franchise. He will always be part of the Mavericks family, and Dallas will always be a home for him. We wish him nothing but the best in this next chapter.”
Powell averaged 6.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 17.3 minutes per game in his 12 seasons with Dallas. Last season for the Mavericks, he scored 3.3 points, grabbed 4.1 rebounds and dished 1.1 assists in 14.3 minutes per game. He appeared in 63 games in 2025-26 and started 12.
He appeared in three of the Mavericks’ four preseason games in 2026, averaging 1.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 12.1 minutes.
MACAO, CHINA – OCTOBER 11: Dwight Powell #7 of the Dallas Mavericks signs memorabilia for a fan before the game against the Houston Rockets as part of 2026 NBA China Games on October 11, 2026 in Macao, China at Venetian Arena. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Powell (6-10, 260) ranks fourth among Mavericks’ all-time leaders in career field goal percentage (.606), fifth in games played (763), sixth in offensive rebounds (1,187), sixth in total rebounds (3,251) and 10th in blocks (330). He was the third-longest-tenured player (with the same team) in the NBA when the team waived him, behind only Steph Curry and Draymond Green.
His presence in the locker room and his fashion sense will be sorely missed — as will his innate ability to absorb blows to the face under the basket while battling for rebounds.
It’s rare you find someone ceaselessly willing to put others first and [self] last. Someone who exceeds their expectations regardless of their crescendo. You just don’t find those fall into your arms often. We found ours 12 Decembers ago. And boy, did we have a memorable embrace. Dwight Powell — you and your face enriched countless MFFL’s lives long before this account began in 2022, and will continue to do so as the next chapter begins. I really enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you did too. Dwight Powell — may you have a very enjoyable morning, eat a nice dinner later, and peacefully fall asleep in under 3 minutes tonight. Dwight Powell – go continue to be great. We’re all so excited to watch.
Thank you, Dwight.
The Dwight’s Face Community
OFFICIAL STATEMENT: It’s a funny thing. There is an immeasurable abundance of hearts one person can touch. Yet, there is no abundance of people who will maximize that capability. (cont.)🧵
— Did Dwight Powell get hit in the face tonight? (@DwightsFace) October 19, 2026
“He’ll really be missed. He gave a lot to the franchise. Just a consummate professional, good friend of mine, good friend of a bunch of us on the team, past and present. He represented a lot here in the city of Dallas, and he did a lot for us.”
And, for the record, Mavericks head coach Dusty May told DLLS that Powell joining the coaching staff “hasn’t been discussed at this point.”
MACAO, CHINA – OCTOBER 9: Dwight Powell #7 of the Dallas Mavericks arrives to the arena before the game against the Houston Rockets as part of 2026 NBA China Games on October 9, 2026 in Macao, China at Venetian Arena. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Ryan Stetz/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After waiving Powell, the Mavericks are down to 17 players on the roster, including the two two-way players. With 15 full-time NBA roster members, the team now carries the maximum number of players it can carry into the start of the regular season.
We would urge Powell, however, to stay in shape this season. If injuries hamper this team half as much as they have in the previous two years, he may be receiving a mid-season call-up from the couch.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Scott Boland had to wait a long time. Scott Boland took a wicket as soon as he got a chance. It was the same story on day two of the second Test at Gqeberha as it had been on day one, with rain delaying play, this time until deep into the afternoon. When a wet outfield had finally dried enough to allow play to resume in African sunshine, South Africa lost three more wickets to finish on 97 for 5.
It was 3:45pm, six hours after the planned start, when Boland got to finish the over that he’d started the day before. Four balls, one driven by Temba Bavuma to the boundary. That happens from time to time because Boland goes full, inviting that shot while searching for an edge. That’s how he got Aiden Markram and David Bedingham the day before. Seven balls into day two, that’s how he added Marques Ackerman.
⚽ Live updates from the 8pm BST kick-off ⚽ Get in touch! Share your thoughts with Daniel
Sport’s ability to ape and shape the world means it teaches us many things, often in a friendlier environment than real life. It is, for example, better to learn the Australian states and their capitals during an Ashes series than by rote in a geography lesson, just as the accordant failure and disappointment is – ultimately! – less painful to process when it’s happening to yet another bunch of hapless tourists than when it’s happening to us.
Football, though, is a slightly different thing, the constant competition and the way in which teams are passed down through families installing their nature as part of our personalities, both heirloom and genetics. And within that, there’s supporting Tottenham, a relentless barrage of dark nights and false dawns delivering martyrdom to the afflicted and mirth to everyone else.
The first game of the 2026-27 NBA regular season will officially tip off in the middle of the afternoon, and NBC hopes it can become an annual addition to the league's traditional opening night schedule.
The Detroit Pistons are set to host the Boston Celtics at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 20, with "College Gameday-style activations," a "Blue Carpet" experience, a marching band rendition of "Roundball Rock" and other special festivities planned around Little Caesars Arena and downtown Detroit throughout the day, according to NBA league officials. The afternoon tip is an experiment conceived by the NBA and NBC entering Year 2 of their massive 11-year, $27-billion media rights partnership, with the goal of turning opening night into an all-day event.
"We kind of challenged the NBA," NBC Sports Executive Vice President Justin Byczek told USA TODAY Sports. "We think opening day should be expanded, and we'd love to be the network that gets behind it, and over the course of the next decade, let's try to understand where opening day can get to."
Why the NBA is playing an afternoon game on opening day
This will be the first time in 15 years that more than two games will be played on the first day of the NBA season, and it only happened in 2011 because of a lockout-shortened schedule. It will also be the first-ever NBA opening-day tripleheader broadcast nationally.
NBC's opening night coverage for the 2026-27 season features the ring ceremony and banner raising for the defending NBA champion New York Knicks, their first game against LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers and a Western Conference Finals rematch between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
But the network saw an opportunity to generate excitement before the two primetime windows that have typically defined the NBA's regular season debut. NBC pointed to strong viewership for its 2026 Major League Baseball Opening Day doubleheader, which also began with an afternoon game.
NBC is confident putting Celtics vs. Pistons on a national broadcast network in the afternoon can add to the buzz leading into the Knicks' pregame title coronation, with coverage from Madison Square Garden on streaming platform Peacock bridging the gap between the first two games of the tripleheader.
"The benefit of a decade-long partnership is the ability to test and to try new things," said Byczek, who oversees programming and rights management for NBC Sports. "We pushed them pretty hard to kind of say we really believe this is going to be a good opportunity to add some excitement to opening day. They went out as a great partner and found the right combination of people and teams and partners and arenas and folks that wanted to raise their arm and get behind it."
NBA senior vice president for broadcast content Paul Benedict said it wasn't a hard sell. The league wanted to lean more into opening night's spot as a distinctive event on the sports calendar.
The NBA, through NBC's wide reach as a national broadcast network, sees a chance to create excitement throughout the day on platforms more likely to attract the casual fans that can grow the product moving forward. For NBC, this is another way to potentially enhance the value of its NBA package and create the tentpole events that attract more viewers.
The NBA gets an additional standalone national showcase game on a day and time in which it will face minimal competition from other major professional sports.
"The conversations with NBC have always been built around not even just a tripleheader, but the entirety of the day," Benedict told USA TODAY Sports. "The thinking being when you turn on 'The Today Show,' you're going to get some NBA flavor. That's pretty exciting for us, the opportunity to be on NBC and celebrate the start of the season."
How NBA and NBC picked Celtics vs Pistons for opening day game
Finding the right host was also crucial. Not every NBA fanbase and city wants a day game to start the season. It's not part of the sport's culture like MLB opening day or the first Sunday afternoon of NFL season.
Byczek compared the process to a "Jenga puzzle" in terms of figuring out what franchises were interested in hosting the game, and then identifying an opponent that would present the best possible matchup for a national audience. The NBA brought the idea of hosting an afternoon opener to "some teams," according to Benedict.
"Detroit raised their hand and was all-in from Day One," he said, "and to put a 60-win team on that's built such a great sports community, specifically around the downtown area where they can rally around it, was appealing. And then when you pair them with the Boston Celtics, that just fit the criteria of adding another elite matchup if you're going to turn this into a tripleheader. The Pistons have really bought into this."
Neither the league nor NBC committed to an afternoon game to start the NBA season beyond this year, with both sides emphasizing the results from Tuesday will dictate what happens next.
"We'll evaluate it and see whether this is something that is here to stay. Who knows? Maybe we expand it from here as well," Byczek said. "We don't ever want to remain status quo. We want to test new things, try new things, and this one ... hit us right between the eyes of let's try to do more on opening day."
What time is Celtics vs Pistons on NBA opening day?
The NBA opening day game between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, Oct. 20, is set to tip off at 3 p.m. ET.
How to watch Celtics vs Pistons: TV channel, live streaming
