Giannis Antetokounmpo at The 2026 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game held at the Kia Forum on February 13, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images) | Billboard via Getty Images
In this week’s Tuesday Tracker and our SB Nation Reacts survey, results are in from fan polling about the NBA trade deadline. Here are the highlights:
Perhaps influenced by Giannis’ social media activity after the deadline, 57% of Bucks fans believe he will sign an extension with the team once he becomes eligible on October 1st, in a bit of a reversal from last week: seven days ago, 74% believed that the Bucks would still trade him this offseason, though most of those votes came in before the deadline.
Another way of looking at this shift: 52% of respondents believe that the deadline’s circumstances increased the likelihood that Giannis will remain in Milwaukee next year, at least slightly. Compare that to 42% of those polled who believe it didn’t change anything.
There is widespread satisfaction with the Cam Thomas signing, with 83% of Bucks fans in favor his minimum deal for the rest of the season.
Even stronger is support for acquiring Ousmane Dieng in exchange for Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey, which is viewed favorably by 93% of voters.
In light of this, Jon Horst’s approval rating rose above his disapproval rating for the first time since January 9th, with 44% approving and 36% disapproving. A week ago, those numbers were 25% and 50%, respectively.
Thanks again for voting! Check back on Tuesday for another slate of questions.
Check out FanDuel, the official sportsbook of SB Nation.
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — England's 12-test winning streak was shattered by Scotland pulling out an astonishingly one-sided 31-20 victory at Murrayfield in the Six Nations on Saturday.
England was favored to win at Murrayfield for the first time since 2020, having developed a mighty bench and become well-drilled and confident during its longest winning run in nine years.
But English set-piece dominance was undone by sloppy handling in Scotland's 22, under pressure from having to play catchup after a scintillating Scottish start.
Conducted by a masterly Finn Russell, Scotland blasted off to 17-0 after 14 minutes, its speed and slickness twisting an overburdened England into knots.
“I thought that was some of the best rugby we’ve every played,” Scotland coach Gregor Townsend told ITV. “It’s all you want as a coach. I thought that was one of Finn Russell’s best games for Scotland and the work rate of our forwards was superb.”
England winger Henry Arundell received a 20-minute red card but his first yellow card was the most damaging. Scotland, emotionally up for the match against its oldest rival and out to redeem for a woeful loss to Italy last weekend, exploited Arundell's absence in the fast start.
It was too much for England to overcome. By the time of Arundell's second yellow card right on halftime, leading to the automatic red, Scotland was still up by 14. In his second absence, Scotland out-scored England only 7-3 though it was a second try for center Huw Jones and Scotland's bonus-point fourth and last try.
“We are bitterly disappointed at that first 20 minutes, the lead Scotland got ahead of us and playing for such a long period with 14 men,” England coach Steve Borthwick told the BBC.
“The way Scotland can move the ball to the edges without our winger it exposed us there and it gave us too much to do.”
Scotland and Townsend, on the occasion of his 100th test, were under fire all week after Italy humbled them 18-15 in Rome.
A sixth win (plus the epic draw in 2019) against England in nine matchups, all under Townsend, will quieten the growing clamor for him to resign, at least until Scotland's final position in the championship becomes clear.
“There has been a lot of talk about Gregor Townsend but his players really showed up today, they really performed and really played for Gregor today,” Borthwick said. “They don’t play like that in every single game."
Beating England has given Townsend's Scotland a best placing of only third, leading supporters to believe the victories, while celebrated, have been used by the team to gloss over poor campaigns.
Townsend didn't deny it: “We've given them something to shout about for the next 12 months.”
Russell in charge
Against Italy, Scotland made no line breaks. Against England, it made 10 in the first half alone.
Arundell was coming off a hat trick against Wales but after he was sin-binned early for not releasing, Russell's one-handed flick on with Tom Roebuck in his face set up the opening try for Jones.
A Russell line break was followed by captain Sione Tuipulotu's huge pass to unmarked flanker Jamie Ritchie to stroll over.
Arundell returned from the sin-bin to score thanks to George Ford, who added a conversion and penalty, and England looked to be finding a foothold.
But Russell then switched the attack, stepped two defenders and chipped ahead. England prop Ellis Genge made a mess of grabbing the ball and Scotland scrumhalf Ben White took the gift over the tryline.
Right on halftime, Arundell took out leaping opposite Kyle Steyn and his second yellow card became a 20-minute red.
Ford started the second half with a penalty; he was perfect off the tee. But his drop goal attempt was charged down by Matt Fagerson, who collected the ball and let Jones race to the posts at the other end. It made Jones Scotland's top try-scorer in Six Nations history since 2000 (18), and the leading try-scorer against England (8) in the same period.
Russell went five for five in goalkicking, a year after his late missed conversion cost Scotland a fifth straight win over England.
England was consoled by a late converted try to No. 8 Ben Earl.
The Mets felt it right away when A.J. Minter went down last year.
The left-hander was brought in to help bridge the gap to closer Edwin Diaz in the late innings, and he did just that before suffering his season-ending lat injury in late May.
Minter allowed just two runs over his 13 appearances at the time.
But New York was forced to maneuver the rest of the way without him, and it ended up being a significant blow to a bullpen that was leaned on heavily during the second-half collapse.
After months of rehabbing, the 32-year-old southpaw is finally closing in on his return.
Minter is expected to miss at least the first month of the season as he continues progressing his way back, but the Mets have been encouraged by what they’ve seen from him to this point.
Saturday marked his second bullpen session since reporting for spring training.
“He’s another guy we have to take care of,” Carlos Mendoza said. “But he looks really good -- watching him in that first bullpen, then the second one today, the way the ball is coming out, it’s with ease, it’s effortless, it’s a good sign.
“I keep telling him to take it easy; we have a long way to go. But he’s a big part of this team, a big part of our bullpen, and we’re counting on him as well.”
Getting Minter back in the mix alongside fellow lefty Brooks Raley will be a huge boost for this group.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 07: Cincinnati Reds mascot Mr. Redlegs leans on the dugout wall prior to a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park on June 07, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tyler Callihan enters camp in Goodyear looking to regain a spot on the active roster of the Cincinnati Reds after a devastating broken arm ended his 2025 season prematurely. Callihan also checks in as the #18 prospect in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings thanks to his gap power, good patience at the plate, and ability to man just about half the defensive positions on the field competently.
Now, we take the voting into the final few spots, with #18 next up on the list!
Per usual, you can find the link to the Google Form for voting right here, yet it’s also embedded at the bottom if you want to read through first and not have to embark upon the painstaking process of scrolling all the way back up here. Both link and embed will be removed once voting closes so you can’t stuff the ballot post facto, however, so be advised that this paragraph will make zero sense if you stumble back across it a year from now.
Here’s how the list has materialized so far:
Sal Stewart
Alfredo Duno
Rhett Lowder
Hector Rodriguez
Edwin Arroyo
Cam Collier
Steele Hall
Tyson Lewis
Chase Petty
Arnaldo Lantigua
Jose Franco
Zach Maxwell
Leo Balcazar
Adolfo Sanchez
Carlos Jorge
Aaron Watson
Julian Aguiar
Tyler Callihan
A large list of talented names exists below for spot #19. Have at it with the votes!
Liberts Aponte, SS (18 years old)
2025 at a glance: .247/.368/.461 with 7 HR, 9 SB in 193 PA for DSL Rojos (Dominican Summer League)
Pros: 29/35 K/BB showed greatly improving strike zone awareness; already a plus defender at short where he projects to be excellent both with range and arm long-term
Cons: Still not viewed as a potential plus with the bat, though early returns are already better than original scouting reports; has a long way to go in terms of physically maturing
The Reds doled out $1.9 million to sign Aponte last January, and that marked the single largest contract they doled out in that particular international signing window. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the #18 player overall in that class, noting he was ‘one of the most skilled defenders in his class’ and ‘offers solid wheels’ with ‘magic in his hands’ while doling out a 65 grade on his fielding ability.
The rest, we knew, would take time, as he was just liked at 6’0” and 160 lbs, and that even felt like a slight exaggeration. To his credit, though, he mashed 7 homers as a 17 year old in DSL play while showing more power than anticipated, and if that aspect of his game grows to match what’s already known the Reds have found themselves a gem.
It will be interesting to see if the Reds push him up to Arizona Complex League play at all in 2026 or give him another year in the DSL seeing as he just turned 18 years old in November.
Luke Holman, RHP (23 years old)
2025 at a glance: ER, 2 H, 10 K, 4 BB in 9.0 IP with Daytona Tortugas (Class-A Florida State League
Pros: Two plus breaking pitches (slider, curve)
Cons: Not a ton of velocity on his fastball, which sits 91-94 mph
Luke Holman threw 109 pitches for LSU in a 6-2 loss to North Carolina on June 1st, 2024, a game in which he yielded 4 ER in 6.2 IP with 7 H, 11 K, and a lone walk. Since then, he’s thrown just 9.0 IP on a mound, total.
Holman, Cincinnati’s 2nd round pick in 2024, sat out the remainder of 2024 after being drafted, finishing his calendar year with 91.2 IP of 2.75 ERA ball that included a wonderful 0.98 WHIP and 127/33 K/BB. When his 2025 began in Daytona, all signs looked promising in his first pair of starts only for an elbow issue to subsequently sit him down and require Tommy John surgery, and we’ve not seen him since.
He sat 91-94 with his fastball (and touched 96) before, and has a pair of wicked breaking balls that he uses as his out pitches. If he returns to form in 2026 the way he ways before (or even better!), he still profiles as a back-end starter who should move quickly through Cincinnati’s system after dominating SEC play in stints first with Alabama and later with LSU.
Mason Morris, RHP (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: 9.00 ERA, 7/1 K/BB in 4.0 IP with Class-A Daytona Tortugas; 3.29 ERA, 78/31 K/BB in 54.2 IP with University of Mississippi
Pros: Fastball that can touch 100 mph; four-pitch mix
Cons: Lack of experience
Mason Morris landed with Ole Miss in 2023 primarily as a corner infielder, and the now 6’4” 225 lb righty only recently became a full-time pitcher prior to the Reds selecting him with their 3rd round pick in 2025. He’s got projection through the roof, though, with a 100 mph heater, plus cutter, and a pair of other breaking balls that look like they’ve also got the juice.
The question, though, is how Cincinnati plans to use him.
Morris only got a pair of outings as a pro after being drafted, and it appears the Reds have intentions on seeing if he can develop into a starting pitcher. That’s something he’s never really done before, however, and he’ll turn 23 years old in August of 2026. So, we’ll see how long of a leash the Reds give him with that avenue, since if they want to simply keep him in the bullpen there’s very little reason why he shouldn’t rocket through the minors and give them a legit relief arm at the big league level in short order.
Mason Neville, OF (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: .247/.333/.442 with 1 HR, 2 SB in 90 PA with Class-A Daytona Tortugas (Florida State League); .290/.429/.724 with 26 HR, 9 SB in 280 PA with University of Oregon
Pros: 60-grade power with potential plus arm and plus speed & baserunning; chance to stick in CF, though still profiles as a solid RF if moved to the corner; led Division I with 26 HR in final season at Oregon
Cons: Lots of swing and miss in his game, at times, including a 34.4% rate in his short sample with Daytona
The Reds clearly love Neville, as they drafted him in the 18th round out of high school 2022 only to watch him initially attend the University of Arkansas. After transferring to Oregon and swatting more dingers than anyone else in 2025, the Reds went back to him in the 4th round of the most recent draft.
Neville is incredibly toolsy, his left-handed swing producing significant power when he makes contact. He’s good at working walks despite his swing-and-miss proclivities, and posesses the kind of athleticism and speed to be a legitimate CF.
His tiny sample with Daytona has some red flags with the Ks, but it’s such a small sample that it’s hard to take it with too much certainty. For instance, he hit .298/.365/.526 through his first 17 games there only to go 2 for 20 with 9 Ks across his final 6 games – that could, and likely is, all small-sample noise.
Big tools, that Neville. He could well be the steal of the 2025 draft.
Sheng-En Lin, RHP (20 years old)
2025 at a glance: 3.06 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 61/15 K/BB in 47.0 IP split between ACL Reds (Arizona Complex League) and Class-A Daytona Tortugas (Florida State League); .172/.348/.310 with 2 HR in 113 PA with ACL Reds (Arizona Complex League)
Pros: Former two-way player has tons of athleticism; fastball that runs to 97 mph with three-pitch mix including curve and change; excellent command
Cons: Still building up innings; dropping hitting to focus on being a pitcher
Lin was signed for $1.2 million during the 2023 international signing period, and the Taiwan native spent the last trio of seasons in Arizona attempting to do both hitting and pitching. The hit tool stalled, though, as his K-rate spiked and power never arrived, and on pitching he’ll now focus after making a late-season cameo with Daytona after being promoted to full-season ball for the first time.
In very, very small samples, his work on the mound has been excellent. He’s the owner of an impressive 4.07 K/BB rate for his short career, and that’s with an impressive 11.7 K/9 that shows just how much of a strikeout pitcher he can be. His secondary pitches both flash plus grades, at times, and more consistency there with a fastball that hits 97 mph already (with perhaps more velocity coming as he focuses solely on the mound) could see him rocket up these rankings in short order…if he hits the ground running in April.
Ricky Cabrera, 3B (21 years old)
2025 at a glance: .187/.276/.240 with 0 HR, 0 SB in 89 PA with High-A Dayton Dragons (Midwest League)
Pros: Above-average power, speed, and hit tool, with an arm that’s good enough to play at 3B (if he can find his accuracy)
Cons: An absolutely lost 2025 season that included a season-ending knee injury
The optimist in you sees that Cabrera only just turned 21 years old in October, and in 2024 posted a 110 wRC+ with 11 HR and 19 SB in the pitcher-friendly confines of the Florida State League with Daytona (with said wRC+, along with his OPS, both ranking among that league’s top 10). That same optimist probably would point out that 2025 saw the Venezuela native play in the cold April weather of the Midwest League with Dayton for the first time, and he struggled mightily in those new conditions before a knee injury rendered his 2025 completely lost.
There’s still a lot to like about Cabrera, even though he’s physically matured off shortstop at this juncture and likely profiles as a 3B, or potentially at 2B defensively – with his defense needing just as much improvement as his bat at the moment, too. If the batting cage stuff can begin to translate onto the field again post-injury, there’s still a ton to like about the former $2.7 million signee and Top 5 overall international prospect from the 2022 class.
I’m assuming there is no pessimist in you, for now.
Hansel Jimenez, SS/3B (19 years old)
2025 at a glance: .269/.374/.445 with 5 HR, 12 SB in 147 PA for DSL Reds (Dominican Summer League); .229/.345/.364 with 4 HR, 3 SB in 142 PA for Sydney Blue Sox (Australian Baseball League)
Pros: 70 grade raw power (per FanGraphs) with potential to be a plus runner, fielder, and have a plus arm
Cons: Potential swing and miss issues (25.9% K-rate in the DSL, 64% contact rate); may end up at 3B long term
Signed for an undisclosed amount during the 2024 international signing period, Jimenez has immediately hit the ground running in prospect circles with his mix of potentially elite athleticism and batted-ball metrics that jump right off the page.
After dabbling in DSL play in 2024 at age 17 (6 for 14 with a double and 4 steals in 5 G), he repeated that level in 2025 and more than held his own with an .820 OPS. Those solid surface stats hide his pretty monumental 45% hard-hit rate, 106 mph EV90, and maximum exit velocity of 113 mph – all numbers posted by an 18 year old. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs has him ranked 12th (right behind Tyson Lewis) and notes the multiple similarities between the two, though Jimenez is a full year younger.
We’ve all been there. Probably, as D-backs fans, more often than we would like. You reach a certain point in the season, look at the standings and realize that this is not going to be the Diamondbacks’ year. Maybe you keep watching games; maybe you watch fewer of them; maybe you switch over to just checking the box-scores at the end of the night, and find other ways to occupy your free-time. Even here on the SnakePit, I’ll admit that there have been seasons – 2021, most obviously in recent history – where the site has basically been running on the writing equivalent of muscle memory.
What would make you check out on the 2026 season early?
Time to ‘fess up. There’s no denying, it will be an uphill struggle for the D-backs this year. The Dodgers are very heavy favorites to run away with the division – Fangraphs currently projects them to win the NL West by fifteen games. To a certain extent, I’m consequently already checked out – or, at least, less invested in the regular season than I would want to be. Because the outcome of the NL West feels about as close to pre-determined as possible. The wild-card chase is rather more nebulous: I’ll see if we are in the hunt there when we get Corbin Burnes and Justin Martinez back.
But at what point would you find yourself looking at other sports or pastimes?
This is Cubs infielder Ronny Cedeńo, pretty clearly having been called out on strikes against the Pirates at Wrigley Field. It’s another photo from BCB reader Clark Addison.
The Cubs wore blue jerseys at home on occasion pre-Ricketts ownership, and we are looking at an afternoon game.
I was given a clue here by the file name, which contained the year, 2006.
That helped.
The Cubs played nine games against the Pirates at Wrigley Field in 2006. Three of those were night games, now we’re down to six games. I eliminated two others because the game time weather conditions said “cloudy,” so that leaves four.
It’s clearly a warm summer day, as you can see by the way fans are dressed. That eliminates an early May date where the game time temp was 67. Many would have been in jackets or sweatshirts at that temperature.
Then the task was simply to look through the three remaining games to see if there was more than one time where Cedeño was called out on strikes.
Fortunately, there was only one. It happened in the bottom of the fourth inning, Monday, Sept. 4, 2006, an afternoon contest on Labor Day.
The pitcher was someone who’d become a Cub later on, Paul Maholm.
The Cubs lost the game 5-4. Neither team was very good that year. The Pirates were 55-82 after they won that game and the Cubs 55-83. It could be said that game decided fifth place in the NL Central, because the Pirates finished 67-95 and the Cubs 66-96.
Unfortunately, no video of this game appears to have survived, so this photo will have to serve as the only record of that strikeout.
(Original Caption) 10/5/1949-New York, NY: A crowd of 66,224 looks on as the Yankees execute the only double-play of the first game of the 1949 World Series at Yankee Stadium. The play came when Dodgers' Gil Hodges, at bat with two on and none out in the second inning, hit back to pitcher Allie Reynolds after twice failing to bunt safely. Reynolds is shown here throwing to second baseman Gerry Coleman, who retired Carl Furillo and threw to first. Reynolds pitched a two-hit 1-0 victory.
If I were to give you no information about a game other than that your team had a pitcher go 8.2 innings and allow one hit and no earned runs, you’d probably be feeling pretty good about what happened. First, that’s all but one out of a complete game. Second, one hit is not very many and even though I said “earned runs” and not just “runs,” chances are good that total isn’t going to be particularly high considering the hit total.
However, especially in baseball, you can’t get the full picture of the game by looking at just one player’s stats. Too many weird things can happen. In one particular game from 1944, the Yankees got a great outing from pitcher Steve Roser. They also lost because he was only one player in the game.
The Yankees were hosting Cleveland for a doubleheader on July 4, 1944. They dropped the opening game of the twin bill 3-1, but did get nine innings out of starter Monk Dubiel. Getting a good, long outing out of a starting pitcher is always needed in at least one of the games, so you don’t have to rely on your bullpen too much, two separate times.
That was also helpful, because you couldn’t say the same for the second game’s starter Joe Page. Page got Cleveland leadoff hitter Mickey Rocco to ground out to start things off, but things quickly went off the rails after that. Following a single and a walk, Lou Boudreau cleared the bases with a triple, coming around to score himself on a Roy Cullenbine single. Ken Keltner then added an RBI double, which brought Yankees’ manager Joe McCarthy out to the mound for a pitching change.
Steve Roser came in to replace Page. He got off to an iffy start, but throwing a wild pitch and walking the first batter he faced. That ended up being costly, as it moved a runner to third, from which they scored on a groundout. Roser eventually got out of the inning, but the Yankees already trailed 5-0.
Cleveland then picked up two more runs in the second, although they weren’t entirely due to Roser’s pitching. Roser made a fielding error on a Myril Hoag grounder, which eventually led to two unearned runs coming around and scoring.
After that inning, Roser was excellent. From the third through ninth inning, he allowed just one baserunner to reach. That was wasn’t even really due to him, as it came on an error from shortstop Mike Milosevich. Including that error, the Yankee reliever retired 21 out of 22 batters over that stretch. Unfortunately, the Yankee offense didn’t do much to back him up.
The Yankees got on the board in the bottom of the second thanks to a Nick Etten home run. After that, they put runners on in all of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, but couldn’t cash in to chip away further. Finally in the ninth inning, Hersh Martin — pinch hitting for Roser — added another home run, but it was too little, too late. Cleveland pitcher Ray Poat just retired the next three hitters to doom the Yankees to a 7-2 loss.
Between the error made and the base runners he did allow, you can’t fully absolve Roser. However, he finished with a pitching line of no earned runs allowed on one hit and two walks in 8.2 innings. Getting that outing from a pitcher would be plenty good enough to win many games. However, Roser wasn’t the first pitcher of the day, and the one that was got dinged with five earned runs, which proved to be the final margin.
Sheffield Wednesday threatened to record only their second victory of the season after taking the lead against Millwall before their promotion-chasing opponents hit back to win 2-1.
Having not scored a goal since Boxing Day, there was a mixture of relief and jubilation among the home supporters when Jamal Lowe scored in the 60th minute to put Wednesday ahead. However, the joy was short-lived as Millwall scored two goals in two minutes after Cole McGhee put into his own goal and Macaulay Langstaff’s winner earned all three points.
When Marcus Semien was introduced to the New York media for the first time following his trade from the Rangers, the Mets hadn’t yet acquired their new third baseman, Bo Bichette.
Arriving in Port St. Lucie for his first day in spring training on Saturday afternoon, the veteran infielder finally had a chance to discuss reuniting with his former Toronto teammate.
“That’s a big pickup,” Semien said. “I got to play with Bo when he was a 23-year-old shortstop, so now he’s a little older, a little more seasoned, and he’s learning a new position -- I was in that position when I met him too, learning second base.
“Being in a new place and learning a new position can get uncomfortable at times, but because he’s such a pure hitter and a great hitter, that’s where I know he’s going to be one of the best hitters.”
Semien, Bichette, and Luis Robert Jr. are the big-name additions to this offense.
While losing some key sluggers like Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso certainly hurts, Semien feels that the new pieces mixing with the returning stars and young bats make for a strong lineup on both sides of the ball.
“It’s a loaded group,” he said. “We have a lot of All-Stars, guys who have played in big games; World Series champions, Silver Sluggers, all kinds of accolades up and down this lineup -- a good amount of speed, power, good defenders.
“I look at the whole package, the lineup is one thing, but everyone is playing both sides of the ball. If we all score as many runs as we can, that means we’re running the bases well, we’re getting on-base, we’re slugging, we’re doing those things -- if we can all do that together, we can win a lot of ballgames with our bats.”
Semien himself is coming off back-to-back down seasons at the plate, but the Mets believe he still has the MVP form he showed during the ’23 campaign.
The 35-year-old was in contact with New York’s staff all offseason, discussing his performance the last couple of years and adjustments he can make to help get back on track.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations,” he said. “And those conversations were good. I think I’ve been able to control the strike zone for the most part, but it’s about hitting the ball with more authority, and getting my body in the right position to do that more consistently.”
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Tyler Ferguson #44 of the Athletics pitches in the top of the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Sutter Health Park on September 27, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s well known that relievers are a volatile bunch. From year to year you don’t usually know quite what to expect, as mediocre relievers suddenly blossom and have career years and the guys you thought you could count on inexplicably struggle.
Sometimes this volatility doesn’t just show up from one season to the next. Relievers often have great months followed by terrible months even though their velocity and arsenal remain unchanged. Case in point, Justin Sterner, April 2025: 14.2 IP, 0 ER. May, 2025: 11.2 IP, 9 ER. September, 2025: 12 IP, 1 ER.
This makes it especially hard to construct a bullpen for an upcoming season, not knowing who will regress or blossom for no apparent reason, and who will pitch with at least some consistency from month to month versus who will ride the proverbial roller coaster.
Why are relievers so prone to this extreme variance? Some possible answers:
They’re Not
Perhaps relievers aren’t that much more volatile from season to season and month to month than other players. Cody Bellinger is a good example of a position player who has vacillated from spectacular to spectacularly awful without warning. In 2025 Cam Smith went from a 116 wRC+ in the first half to a 41 wRC+ in the 2nd half. Is the whole ‘relievers are volatile’ narrative a “perception” thing rather than a reality?
Small Samples Produce Large Variance
Relievers don’t wind up accruing large inning totals and anytime you look at 50 inning samples instead of 150 innings or 500 plate appearances, you are going to see more variance. This is especially true the more you zoom in: the samples cited above for Sterner are all of 11.2 – 14.2 innings each.
Perhaps the difference between a good season and a medium season, at least statistically, boils down to 2-3 gascan appearances totaling 3 IP and 8 ER which inflate the numbers in a 50 inning sample. A starting pitcher with one start out of 30 in which he lasts just 3 innings and serves up 8 ER still has a chance to put up excellent overall numbers.
It’s The Demographic, Stupid
Hey, no insults on AN please. OK I suppose it’s fine to insult yourself. Just don’t do it again, dumba$$. Anyhoo, another theory is that who becomes a reliever is not a random group of pitchers. It’s pitchers who specifically did not make it as a starting pitcher and don’t have the stuff to thrive multiple times through a batting order.
This might mean reliance on 2 pitches, in which case any time one pitch isn’t working you have a “one pitch pitcher” on your hands. Or it might mean not being good enough to crack the “best 5” — including the flaw of not being consistent enough from outing to outing, or from inning to inning.
Perhaps what got a reliever to the bullpen is precisely what makes him more prone to volatility: he has the stuff to pitch in the big leagues, but just enough flaws to require a slot in the bullpen rather than the rotation.
There’s 3 possibilities, any or all of which could be right or wrong. Here’s where you come in (to type a minimum of 3 words, new rules) and weigh in on whether any of these are correct or what other factors might be in play. And if you have truly figured it out, by all means share it with the A’s because I can assure you no one in MLB has all the answers — or relievers would be a lot more consistent and bullpens would be much easier to assemble.
INGLEWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 13: A photo of the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend logo before the Rising Stars Game on Friday, February 13, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, 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 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Before the 2026 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, All-Star Saturday will bring in three promising events that will gather past, present and future superstars in the NBA.
Start time and TV schedule
What: State Farm Three-Point Contest, Kia Shooting Stars Challenge, AT&T Slam Dunk Contest
When: 2 p.m. PT p.m. PT, Feb. 14
Where: Intuit Dome
Watch: NBC, Peacock
This year’s All-Star Saturday night festivities have the case to arguably be the most exciting part of the All-Star Weekend. Perhaps it’s the star-studded lineup for each category that makes these events worth the watch. The 3-point and Dunk Contest as well as the Shooting Stars Challenge will test each contestant’s skill, endurance and hang time.
To tip off an action-packed night, the 3-point contest — which has been the most entertaining event for All-Star Saturday night over the years — will be held first. There will be eight players competing in this one, five of which are All-Stars, who will also be suiting up for Sunday’s main event. These marksmen are Devin Booker, Kon Knueppel, Damian Lillard, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray, Bobby Portis Jr., and Norman Powell. As it has been over time, the contestant who makes the most threes wins.
Then, there’s the Shooting Stars Challenge, which was brought back this year after an 11-year hiatus. Unlike how it was done from 2004 to 2015 though, this year’s tournament has a revamped format. Four teams consisting of two current NBA players and one retired NBA legend will rotate through designated shooting locations and the team that racks up the most points before time expires wins. The four teams are:
Team All-Star: Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren, Richard Hamilton
Team Cameron: Jalen Johnson, Kon Knueppel, Corey Magette
Team Harper: Dylan Harper, Ron Harper Jr., Ron Harper Sr.,
Team New York Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Allan Houston
Last but not least is the Slam Dunk Contest, where Laker Jaxson Hayes will take part. As it has been over the years, the hope for this tournament is to outdo the previous ones, which honestly isn’t that difficult to achieve.
This year, though, the contest will no longer include Mac McClung, so there will be a new dunk champion crowned for the first time in three years. Along with Hayes, the participants are Carter Bryant, Keshad Johnson and Jase Richardson. They will be judged by Dominique Wilkins, Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson and Brent Barry, who all have left their mark in the competition during their time in the league.
Speaking of leaving a mark, it’ll be interesting to see how this year’s All-Star Saturday night will be remembered. Will it stand out as the most entertaining one in years? Or be another version of what we’ve watched in the past?
Regardless, it’s still going to be worth tuning if only because we get it just once a year. Hopefully, it’s going to be an event that’s worth talking about.
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 22: Brendon Little #54 of the Toronto Blue Jays poses for a photo during the 2025 World Series photoshoot at the Rogers Centre on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Brendon Little is a 29-year-old, left-handed reliever. The Jays picked him up from the Cubs in November 2023. When we picked him up, he had less than an inning of major league experience. The Jays liked that got ground balls. Lots of ground balls, thinking that would be a nice combination with their good infield defense. He still has an option year left.
He threw 45.2 innings in 2024, with a 18.7% strikeout rate. In 2025, he threw 68.1 innings and had a 30.8% strikeout rate. Unfortunately, the walk rate also increased substantially, from 9.8% to 15.3%.
Little had a 70.9% ground ball rate in 2024, dropping to 59.0% in 2025 (still very high).
There are a few great stats from last season:
Whiff rate 100th percentile.
Strikeout rate 92nd percentile.
Ground ball rate 97th percentile.
Barrel rate 80th percentile.
But then there was some bad stats:
Walk rate 1st percentile.
Hard hit rate 2nd percentile.
And, as we know, he had a great first half of the season (2.03 ERA, .177/.305/.234, in 44.1) than the second half (4.88, .230/.355/.345 in 24 innings). And, of course, the playoffs didn’t go well for him. He allowed two home runs during the regular season and two home runs in the playoffs.
Brendon was part of a story about the Jays in the Athletic this morning (nice timing). In it, he says that he warmed up too often and too vigorously during games last year, and tired himself out. He mentions that he threw in the pen three times, as well as throwing two other times, before coming into the playoff game, where he gave up the home run to Cal Raleigh.
He also said that he is going to warm up at “80%” before coming into games and “70%” before games, feeling that he tired himself out as the season went on.
And, he also said that he is adding a couple of pitches, a slider and a ‘tweaked’ four-seam fastball, to give him more pitches he can throw in the zone.
Last year he threw three pitches: a knuckle curve (46% of the time), sinker (45.6%) and an occasion cutter (7.8%).
Being a two-pitch pitcher worked for the first half of the season, but batters figured out that he tended to throw the knuckle curve below the strike zone most of the time. Once they realized they didn’t have to chase it, it wasn’t as effective (surprising, isn’t it).
The question is ‘Will he be a high-leverage reliever again this year?’
Since he and Mason Fluharty are the only lefty relievers who are on the 40-man (though Eric Lauer may well be a reliever this year), odds are pretty good that Little will be a high-leverage guy again.
Steamer figured Little will pitch in 54 games, with a 3.41 ERA (and 10 holds, he had team leading 30 last year).
Piotr Zielinski scored a last-minute winner as Serie A leader Inter Milan beat Juventus 3-2 to stay eight points ahead of second-placed AC Milan on Saturday.
Juventus twice came from behind and overcame a red card but finally capitulated in the 90th when Zielinski drove in a low shot after being set up by Yann Bisseck near the penalty area.
The defeat dropped Juve one place to fifth behind Roma, which has a better goal difference and can move into third spot if it wins at defending champion Napoli on Sunday.
Juventus left back Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends in the first half.
He inadvertently deflected Luis Henrique's cross past his goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio in the 17th minute, then latched on to a right-wing cross from American midfielder Weston McKennie in the 26th.
Juve's chances were hampered when defender Pierre Kalulu was sent off for a second yellow card late in the first half after fouling Alessandro Bastoni, who moments earlier had missed a golden chance from close range.
Inter regained the lead in the 76th when forward Pio Esposito headed in powerfully from Federico Dimarco's left-wing cross. Manuel Locatelli equalized from another McKennie cross in the 83rd to ensure a tense finish.
Zielinski ensured Inter notched a sixth straight win overall.
Como loses ground to Atalanta
Como's hopes of securing Champions League qualification were dealt a blow by visiting Fiorentina.
Nicolo Fagioli and Moise Kean scored in 2-1 win for Fiorentina at Como's Guiseppe Sinigaglia stadium.
The day got worse for Como as Champions League-chasing rival Atalanta won 2-0 at Lazio to move one point above in sixth place, thanks to a penalty from midfielder Ederson in the 41st minute and a second-half effort from Poland’s Nicola Zalewski.
Como's defeat came days after it advanced to the semifinals of the Coppa Italia for the first time in 40 years by beating Italian champion Napoli.
An impressive campaign could yet see it secure a place in next season's Champions League, but the loss to relegation-fighting Fiorentina was a setback.
Fagioli put Como ahead in the 26th from close range after his first effort was blocked. Kean scored from the penalty spot nine minutes into the second half.
Como created a number of chances as it tried to get back into the game and the pressure told when Fabiano Parisi fired into his own net in the 77th. But it couldn't find an equalizer and ended the game with 10 men when Alvaro Morata was sent off in the 89th.
On Friday, Luka Modrić scored a late winner for AC Milan to beat Pisa 2-1.
The All-Star break is a great opportunity for teams to reset. With less than two months until the playoffs, players get a chance to recover from nagging injuries and coaches can reset mentally before the final stretch of a lengthy regular season.
Fantasy managers get the opportunity to do the same. A week off from scouring the waiver wire as soon as you wake up. The fantasy playoffs in many leagues will start March 2, which means there are only a couple weeks left until the postseason. Start making moves now to maximize your games played during your playoffs.
Waiver wire adds can push your team to a championship, but you can only be in that situation if your stars are healthy and dominating. For this year’s fantasy All-Stars, I went with players that have been both excellent and available. The games played minimum is set at 35, so roughly two-thirds of a player’s possible games played. That led to some studs not making the cut, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Austin Reaves, even if they have all been incredible and can be difference-makers down the stretch if healthy.
Using the NBA’s new All-Star roster format of Team World, Team USA (old guys) and Team USA (young guys), we have our 24 fantasy All-Stars. Having a team with a few of these guys likely means you’re sitting near the top of your standings and preparing for the postseason (unless you have some ridiculous bad luck, which happens in fantasy).
Unsurprisingly, Jokic headlines Team World. He missed about a month with a knee injury, which was unfortunate, but he is back to dominating already. He has been the best player in fantasy basketball of the 2020s, which hasn’t changed this season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
The reigning MVP missed the final five games before the All-Star break, but he only missed two games prior to that and has been dominant all season. His counting stats are slightly down from last season, but he has been even more efficient.
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio has managed Wemby’s minutes for most of the season, but he has still been able to replicate his production from last season while being even more efficient. He has the Spurs just three games out of first in the West.
Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers
Doncic was still incredible last season, but after a tumultuous year for him, he has gotten back to producing like he did during the 2023-24 season. LeBron James has been better recently, but both he and Austin Reaves have missed time this year. The Lakers are 5th in the West because of how dominant Doncic has been.
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Murray is making his first All-Star appearance this weekend, and he has also had the best fantasy season of his career. He is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists and three-pointers per game while also posting the best field goal percentage of his career. Everyone else in Denver has missed significant time this year, but Murray has kept them afloat.
Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
After struggling during the 2024-25 season, Markkanen bounced back in a big way this year. He’s averaging career highs in points, assists and steals in what has been arguably the best statistical season of his career. Hopefully we’ll get to see him keep it up down the stretch of this season.
Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
With Fred VanVleet (knee) sidelined for the season, Sengun has stepped up as the primary facilitator in Houston. He is averaging career highs in assists, steals and blocks, which has helped him lead the Rockets to the 4th-best record in the West.
Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards
In his second season, Sarr has taken drastic strides on both ends of the floor. His field goal percentage is up over 10 percent from last year, and he is posting career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. He’s going to be a fantasy star for a long time. Unfortunately, he’s set to miss some time with a hamstring injury.
Team USA Stripes
Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers
The most (pleasantly) surprising thing about Leonard cracking this list is that he has played enough games. He has missed some time, but he has been available for most of the year and has been playing some of the best basketball of his career. He is averaging career highs in points and three-pointers per game while also shooting the best free throw percentage of his career.
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Mitchell is averaging a career high in points per game to go with the best field goal percentage of his career. The Cavs are 17-5 over their last 22 games, and Mitchell will look to take his team further in the playoffs with his new backcourt partner James Harden.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
The man that has singlehandedly been keeping the Warriors afloat in recent years just keeps on getting it done. He missed the final five games entering the All-Star break but has been mostly available this season. Surprise, surprise, he’s leading the league in triples per game again.
James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers
Harden’s 25.0 points per game this year are his highest average since the 2019-20 season, when he led the league with 34.3 points per game. He’s not that MVP caliber player that he once was, but he has had an excellent year and will look to keep that going with the Cavs down the stretch of this season.
Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets
It doesn’t seem to matter what jersey KD is wearing. He’s going to put up an efficient 25 points per game. He’s only missed five games this season, which is impressive at 37 years old. Durant is clearly still one of the best scorers in the NBA.
Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets
MPJ’s value in Denver deteriorated, which led to him being shipped to Brooklyn for Cam Johnson. This is the first time in his career that he has been a top scoring option, and he has taken advantage of the opportunity, averaging career highs in points, assists and three-pointers per game.
Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks
Bridges’ usage is down this season, but he is posting a career high in assists per game while also averaging his most steals per game since his second year in the league. He has cooled down in recent weeks, but he’s done enough over the course of the season to make this list.
Derrick White, Boston Celtics
If White’s field goal percentage wasn’t below 40 percent for the first time in his career, we’d be looking at White as a top-10 player in fantasy basketball this season. He is averaging career highs in points, assists, steals and blocks. Boston is 2nd in the East entering the All-Star break, and White has helped them have success without Jayson Tatum.
Team USA Stars
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Somehow, Maxey just keeps getting better. He is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and three-pointers per game. The 76ers are officially his team, though the reemergence of Joel Embiid will give them a chance to really make some noise in the East. We’re officially in fantasy superstar status for Maxey.
Trey Murphy, New Orleans Pelicans
Murphy has been one of the lone bright spots in New Orleans this season. He is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and three-pointers per game, though that hasn’t been enough to make this team competitive. Hopefully this right shoulder injury won’t keep him sidelined for the rest of this season.
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Edwards seems to improve on something every season, but this year he simply became a better scorer. His rim, mid-range and three-point percentage are all the best marks of his career, which had led to a career-high in points per game.
Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
Toronto has been much better as a team this season, and Barnes has been a big part of that. He’s having the most efficient scoring season of his career while still stuffing the stat sheet across the board. There aren’t many players in the league that are more tailored for fantasy basketball than Barnes.
Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
Johnson made a huge leap last season, but he has somehow done it again this year. He’s second in the league in both double-doubles and triple-doubles while also averaging a bunch of career highs across the board. Atlanta handed him the keys by dealing Trae Young to Washington, and Johnson has taken advantage.
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Detroit has the fewest losses in the league entering the All-Star break, and Cunningham has been at the center of it all. The efficiency has been average, but he has poured in the counting stats across the board. He may not win the award, but there is a reason Cade is in the middle of the MVP race.
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder
After only playing 32 games last season, Holmgren has barely missed time this year and has been excellent for fantasy managers. He’s averaging career highs in points and rebounds per game while also ranking in the top-five in blocks per game.
Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
If anyone saw this list during the preseason, George would be the biggest surprise, but he has been that good. He has taken a monster leap forward on offense after being behind Isaiah Collier in the rotation to end last season. George was one of the best late-round picks this year, and he should continue to dominate when he returns from this ankle injury.
Kurt Helin
Raphielle Johnson