BOSTON, MA - MARCH 4: Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers during the third period at the TD Garden on March 4, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins won 4-2. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In a move that was merely a matter of time, the Bruins announced Thursday morning that they’ll be retiring Patrice Bergeron’s #37 during the 2026-2027 season.
Bergeron’s jersey retirement comes on the heels of the B’s retiring Zdeno Chara’s #33 last season, and the Bergeron honor likely isn’t the last one from that golden (modern) era of Bruins hockey.
The B’s released the graphic below along with their announcement, one that they’ll use to promote the retirement in the run-up to the actual ceremony:
The graphic has plenty of nice details, including a silhouette of the Selke Trophy at the top and six gold stars, a nod to his six Selke Trophy wins.
The image of Bergeron used in the graphic comes from a famous photo of what was arguably Bergeron’s most memorable Bruins goal, the game-winning OT goal in Game 7 against Toronto back in 2013.
Bergeron was a lifetime Bruin, spending his entire 19-season NHL career in Boston. He was drafted by the B’s in 2003, making his NHL debut at just 18 years old.
Over the course of his career, Bergeron played 1,294 regular season games for the Bruins, recording 427G-613A-1,040PTS totals.
It’s worth noting that those totals would likely be significantly higher had Bergeron not missed the equivalent of just about a full season between 2007-2009 as he dealt with the effects of multiple concussions, most notably the one that came via a dirty hit by Randy Jones of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Bergeron also had 119 points (44G-75A) over the course of 163 playoff games.
One of the most complete two-way players of his generation, Bergeron was recently inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame, and an induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame isn’t far off.
From a press release from the Bruins:
“To have my number retired by the Boston Bruins is an honor that is difficult to put into words,” said Patrice Bergeron. “When I arrived in Boston as an 18-year-old, I could never have imagined receiving this recognition one day. I have always believed that any success I had was only possible because of the people around me. I was fortunate to play alongside incredible teammates, learn from outstanding coaches and staff and be supported by an organization that believed in me from the very beginning. I am especially grateful to my family for the sacrifices they made that allowed me to pursue my dream. This honor belongs to all of them as much as it belongs to me. To Bruins fans across New England, thank you for welcoming a young French Canadian and making this place feel like home. Every time I stepped onto the ice, I felt the privilege and responsibility that comes with wearing the Spoked-B, and I always tried to represent this organization and community the right way. I am deeply humbled and grateful to be connected to the history of the Boston Bruins. To know that No. 37 will forever be part of that history is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Bergeron’s #37 will be the 14th number retired by the Bruins.
The date and time for the retirement ceremony hasn’t been set yet, but will likely be announced as we get closer to the start of next season.
If you want to experience a wave of nostalgia, here’s a sampling of highlights from Bergeron’s storied career:
Jalen Brunson C of New York Knicks holds the MVP trophy during the awarding ceremony after the final game 5 between New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at the 2025-2026 NBA basketball game in San Antonio, the United States, June 13, 2026. (Photo by Wu Xiaoling/Xinhua via Getty Images)
It’s parade day in New York City.
The New York Knicks are celebrating something that will live forever in that city and around the fanbase — an NBA Championship.
As a fan of both the Knicks and Villanova, this was a special year for me personally. June 13th, 2026 is a day that will be remembered forever and it began in the morning on the college side.
As I sat there waiting for Game 5 of the NBA Finals in hopes of closing it out, Villanova received the news that Italian big man Luigi Suigo decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft and commit to the Wildcats. The inevitable became reality after Suigo made this decision on deadline day.
Suigo brings incredible size at 7-foot-3 and versatility as he can handle the ball on the perimeter and score from all three levels. With the combination of Kwame Evans in the frontcourt and Devin Royal at the three, Villanova now has one of the best rosters in the nation.
So, the day began with this commitment that will have Villanova in the Top 25 rankings to begin the season. We got to enjoy the news and picture the Wildcats back in the NCAA Tournament competing for a Final Four appearance.
Of course, this is something we saw three times in six years with two National Championships. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges were freshmen in 2016 as Josh Hart led Villanova to a title. That year, the Knicks were a 32-win team looking for answers. It would only get worse in New York as win totals dropped to 31 the next year and 29 in 2018 as Villanova was celebrating another championship.
The Villanova trio would go on to enter the NBA as the Knicks remained in the cellar with 38 wins over the next two years.
In 2022, Brunson signed a four-year deal with the Knicks and this began the rise, but not right away. The signing of Brunson was criticized. New York struggled to find a point guard for years and at first, Brunson was not viewed as the savior. Over the next two years, the Knicks would make moves to acquire Hart (2023) and Bridges (2024), both who signed deals to remain in New York.
Let’s not forget about Donte DiVincenzo, who joined Brunson in New York as a free agent. He was sent to Minnesota in the deal that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to the Big Apple. DiVincenzo still has one of the most memorable shots in recent memory against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Two at Madison Square Garden.
Once the Villanova trio was brought to town with OG Anunoby and eventually Towns to complete the starting lineup, the Knicks were ready to compete for a title. Injuries took over in 2024 as the Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the conference semis before they were knocked out in the conference finals last year by the same Pacers.
As a fan of Villanova, it has been incredible to watch the trio in New York bringing the Knicks back to the top of the league. While I saw them win titles at Villanova, it was impossible to visualize the Knicks holding up the Larry O’Brien at the end of the playoffs.
It was done in an epic way. The Knicks logged the largest comeback in NBA Finals history in Game 4 after being down 29 points. Brunson would then scored 45 points in the closeout game on the road. When the clock hit zeros, the Villanova trio had won an NBA title and proved to be the ultimate winners.
It has been a surreal week celebrating the New York Knicks being NBA Champions, but I have also thought about Villanova each day. Jay Wright has also been featured in many interviews discussing how this group has been able to get it done at every level. It brought back visions of Villanova on the stage at the end of the NCAA Tournament celebrating championships. It did not take long for Kevin Willard to bring the Wildcats back to the tournament and now, he has built one of the top rosters in the nation in the transfer portal.
Saturday brought it all full circle. The day began with Suigo and it ended with three Wildcat legends becoming NBA Champions.
The 2025-26 Knicks championship run, aside from being euphoric, historically impressive and unifying, was validating. It validated Leon Rose, who built a team like a family and made good moves to reach this pinnacle.
It validated Mike Brown and Karl-Anthony Towns, two talents who could never get over the hump. But maybe more than anybody, it validated Jalen Brunson, an all-time great playoff performer who was a championship shy of pantheon status.
Now he’s got it, and despite the best efforts of the naysayers and rewriters of history, he’s ascended from gutsy underdog to legend. It’s time we talk about him that way.
First, a refresher on his resume to this point. After his first regular season as full-time starting point guard in 2022-23, he led the Knicks to the second round by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games, ultimately losing to the Finals-bound Miami Heat in six.
He averaged 27.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on 47.4 percent shooting from the field. In a desperate stand against the Heat, he put up 32 points and 11 assists, 38 points and 41 points in consecutive closeout games, playing at least 45 minutes in each.
Turns out that was only a preview of how dominant Brunson could be in carrying a team despite the defensive gameplan being focused on him. He’d average 28.7 points and 6.7 assists the following season, losing his co-star, Julius Randle, halfway through, and finishing top five in MVP voting.
With little but high-skilled role players and the power of friendship, he clawed the Knicks past the Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey-led Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 41.8 points and 10.3 assists on 54.7 percent shooting from two and 35.3 percent from three over the last four games of the series. He opened Round Two with another 43-point outburst, becoming the first player since Michael Jordan to record four straight 40-point games in the postseason, joining only Bernard King,Jerry West and him.
Injuries and wear-down would nix that run, but Brunson came back prepared last season, averaging 26 points and 7.3 assists (a career high) and winning Clutch Player of the Year thanks to his countless fourth quarter takeovers. He’d carry that over into the playoffs, averaging 29.4 points and seven assists on 51.4 percent shooting from two and 35.8 percent from three.
Brunson led his Knicks to two wins shy of an NBA Finals berth, icing the Pistons on a game-winning step-back three and pulling off a major upset of the defending champion Boston Celtics.
Jun 13, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) celebrates with his teammates after the Knicks defeat the San Antonio Spurs during game five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Of course, this year he followed up a relatively muted regular season with the playoff run of his life. He averaged 28.4 points and 6.1 assists on 51 percent shooting from two and 36.3 percent from three, numbers burdened by multiple blowouts wins that saw him sit for entire fourth quarters.
After a Towns-centric first round, Brunson led the Knicks past Philadelphia and Cleveland in dominant fashion, and took control of the NBA Finals against the frisky Spurs. He put up 32.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in the championship round, clutching Games 1 and 2, leading a 29-point comeback in Game 4, and dropping a masterclass 45 points in the Game 5 clincher, all while being the center of attention against the league’s top defense.
In this four-year span, Brunson’s scored 300 more playoff points than any other NBA player and became the second-fastest point guard in history to 2,000 postseason points after Stephen Curry. He became one of six players to notch 26 points per game and 50 playoff wins before the age of 30, joining Curry, Jordan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Shaquille O’Neal.
He’s tied for the most postseason wins over the last four seasons. His 45 points to win the Finals tied Jordan for an NBA road clincher record, and his 10.3 points in fourth quarters was the highest since Jordan in 1997.
Much of this was invalidated by the critique the Knicks couldn’t win a championship this way, or with a player of Brunson’s stature at the lead. Those critics were wrong, and while many will double down or move goalposts, the evidence speaks for itself at this point.
Brunson isn’t just a heartwarming second-round come-up story, he isn’t just the Knicks’ savior or an All-Star tier player. He is one of the greatest guards this game has ever seen, and the time for such discussion is over.
With the Vancouver Canucks naming Ryan Johnson as General Manager and Henrik and Daniel Sedin as co-Presidents of Hockey Operations, we may finally see the Canucks enter a proper rebuild.
Outside of winning a Cup, rebuilding has seemed to be the one thing Vancouver hasn’t managed to do; at least not the proper, old-fashioned way of drafting and developing prospects while selling veterans for young players and draft picks. But with a new regime, there finally seems to be a sense of optimism around the team for the first time in what feels like forever.
At his introductory press conference, Johnson had this to say about the Canucks' process for the rebuild:
“We’re going to do this step-by-step, and we’re not going to race through it. We’re going to be very strategic with everything we do. We’re going to be aligned with everything we do so that, as a group, we are sticking to the vision that was talked about in May of 2026 and not ever get outside of that vision.”
Fans and media will have their own opinions on what moves the Canucks should make during this rebuild, but one thing is certain: this year’s draft, in which Vancouver holds 10 picks, including the third overall selection, will be a huge part of this team moving forward.
During the Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford era, the Canucks never tanked correctly, but they still drafted a high-end defensive prospect in Tom Willander and acquired another one in Zeev Buium via the Quinn Hughes trade. Outside of Buium and Willander, Vancouver still lacks the blue-chip prospects other rebuilding organizations have. The best way to acquire elite prospects is by drafting them.
For Montréal, much of the discussion has been about their young stars producing for them. While Lane Hutson was a second-round pick and Nick Suzuki was acquired via trade, the Canadiens picked in the top five from 2022 to 2024, drafting Juraj Slafkovský first-overall in 2022, David Reinbacher fifth-overall in 2023, and Ivan Demidov fifth-overall in 2024. From 2019 to 2025, Montréal had eight first-round picks. Accumulating draft stock is crucial in the early stages of rebuilding.
Chicago has done the same. Since 2018, the Blackhawks have had seven top-10 picks and 17 first-round picks. As for the Sharks, from 2021 to now, they have had five top-10 picks and 10 first-round picks.
The Canucks have another nine picks in the 2027 and 2028 drafts, but they only have one first-round pick. The lack of first-round picks brings the focus to the Filip Hronek dilemma. Canucks fans, and surely management too, are torn on whether to trade the star defenceman or not.
Acquiring More Draft Stock Will Require Parting Ways With Established Players
Hronek is locked in at $7.25 million for the next six seasons, with a full no-move clause for the next two. He is, without a doubt, Vancouver's biggest trade chip and their best chance to net another first-round pick and potentially other assets as well.
If Hronek waives his no-trade clause, the Canucks need to jump on it, because waiting to trade him will only hurt them. He is a right-shot defenceman on a great contract who can play in all situations. Asset management has hurt Vancouver in the past, and if Johnson and the Sedins want to avoid repeating those mistakes, they should move Hronek if given the opportunity.
As for the future, a large part of who the Canucks trade may be determined by who they select this year. If Vancouver finds themselves in a position where Ivar Stenberg is on the board at three, they get an potential first-line winger. This could make trading Jake DeBrusk more viable. If they draft a defenceman at three, trading Hronek becomes more of a possibility. Lastly, if they can land Caleb Malhotra, they may be more willing to part ways with center Elias Pettersson.
For the first time in years, the Canucks finally seem willing to prioritize patience over shortcuts. With 10 picks in this draft, they have set a good foundation for this rebuild. If they can acquire more picks in the next two drafts and get some lottery luck, it would be a successful start to the Johnson and Sedin management era.
Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; A general view inside the venue prior to the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The Montreal Canadiens’ rebuild is progressing as well as one could have expected, or even better than expected. They made it to the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and were just seven wins away from winning the whole thing. Still, their swift dismissal by the Carolina Hurricanes showed that pieces are missing in Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton’s puzzle.
The Habs brass have a long to-do list this summer, which includes finding a real second-line center who will be able to make Ivan Demidov shine, getting a right-shot defenseman who’ll be able to handle top-four minutes and getting some depth on the blueline that coach Martin St-Louis will trust. Those things are easier said than done, and as anyone who follows hockey, or any professional sport, will tell you, you have to give something to get something.
If the Canadiens do not want to move one of their core pieces, such as Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, or Noah Dobson, they’ll likely have to open up the prospect cupboard. One of the names that has been floating around of late is Alexander Zharovsky, the team’s second-round pick and first selection in the 2025 draft.
In an episode of The Sick Podcast on Tuesday night, Tony Marinaro’s guest Craig Button urged the Canadiens to tread carefully when it came to the idea of trading Zharvosky, given how close Demidov is to the youngster.
It’s a valid point. After all, from day one, the Canadiens have involved Demidov when it came to Zharovsky. Hughes called the youngster before drafting his countrymen and asked him about his work ethic. The Habs have been selling their top guys on the fact that they are all building something together; that’s how they’ve managed to get so many players to sign team-friendly deals. That’s also how Hutson ended up speaking to Demidov about how important it is to stay long-term to build a winner, and that’s how the young Russian finds himself playing a mentoring role for Zharovsky.
Demidov has said that he’ll be spending a significant amount of time with the prospect this summer, training with him, showing him around the city, and even having him stay at his home. Letting Demidov handle those responsibilities is a great way to make him feel like he’s part of the group putting this team together. Slafkovsky really blossomed this past season when he was put on a line with Demidov and Oliver Kapanen and had to take charge, take ownership, and lead it.
Having Demidov play that role this summer is big for the team's culture and the player’s development; that’s why Button’s comment makes sense. If Demidov spends his summer essentially grooming Zharovsky to become a part of the Canadiens’ core, it would be tough for him to see his childhood friend and summer assignment leave. This is not a Slafkovsky-Mesar kind of situation. Zharovsky shows far more promise than Mesar ever did, and Demidov is a year older than Zharovsky. Slafkovsky was brought into the fold at the same time as Mesar and was never asked to be his guide and mentor.
Alexander Zharovsky & Ivan Demidov back in Brossard today, alongside Adam Nicholas pic.twitter.com/JjhDOtGGk4
Should the Canadiens decide to move on from Zharovsky, it won’t be a decision they’ll take lightly, as they’ll be fully aware of the repercussions. Given how high the youngster was on their draft list (they would have taken him with one of the first-round picks they had if they didn’t trade those in the Dobson trade), it feels like the return would have to be huge for the Habs’ brass to even consider the idea.
MONTREAL, CANADA - APRIL 05: Jacob Markstrom #25 of the New Jersey Devils tends net during the third period against the Montréal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on April 5, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Montréal Canadiens 3-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
“The New Jersey Devils are reportedly testing the market for veteran goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Finding a trade could be a tricky proposition. He is coming off a down season, he is set to earn $6 million for another two seasons, and he has a 20-team no-trade list. That combination could limit an already narrow list of matches. Whether GM Sunny Mehta can find a deal is anyone’s guess, but here are three destinations that could make sense.” [Infernal Access ($)]
“The New Jersey Devils had a disappointing offseason in 2025. It’s a significant reason why they missed the playoffs this season and why Sunny Mehta is taking over as GM. I don’t want to get fans too excited, but there’s potential for a much busier summer this year. There’s too much riding on next season, and I expect Mehta to make quite a few changes.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“Landing (Jordan) Spence wouldn’t magically fix every defensive shortcoming, but it would give the Devils balance across their pairs. Slide him into a second-pair role, and you suddenly have better depth in transition and on special teams which certainly moves the needle. With the Senators exploring options and Spence’s value still climbing, questions about (Simon) Nemec’s future in New Jersey, and the downgrade in trade protection for (Brenden) Dillon, the timing feels right.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]
“The Devils should have options — and appealing ones at that — if there is any smoke to the rumors about shopping Markstrom. The only concern that I have is that there needs to be a legitimate replacement.” [Devils’ Advocates]
Hockey Links
The Leafs and Golden Knights have new coaches:
Jim Hiller has been named the 41st Head Coach in franchise history!
Joseph Woll’s time in Toronto is over. The Leafs have traded Woll and Simon Benoit for Samuel Ersson, Emil Andrae and a 2026 third-round pick. pic.twitter.com/WmlqhyqWAg
“There are few teams more process-oriented than the Carolina Hurricanes, so it’s no surprise they finally found themselves hoisting the Stanley Cup this season. But as teams begin their annual tradition of copying the winner, what lessons should they focus on when trying to replicate the success of the Canes? Let’s look into it.” [Daily Faceoff]
“The race to July 1 is on. With the Stanley Cup now handed out to the Carolina Hurricanes, the 31 NHL teams trying to chase them down are entering a critical period for business. They will be digging through a free-agent class that lacks in star power but offers plenty of useful complementary players.” [The Athletic ($)]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
MANHATTAN, KS - MARCH 08: Joshua Jefferson #2 of the Iowa State Cyclones goes to the basket between defenders David N'Guessan #1 and Coleman Hawkins #33 of the Kansas State Wildcats, in the first half at Bramlage Coliseum on March 8, 2025 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Joshua Jefferson provides an instant injection of high-IQ basketball, physical rebounding, and unique frontcourt playmaking. Should the World Champion New York Knicks bite?
Projected Draft Range: Late first to early second round (20–35)
The Numbers
Jefferson is one of the most bizarre and productive frontcourt anomalies in recent college basketball history. He became the first player in Big 12 history to rack up 450+ points, 250+ rebounds, 100+ assists, 70+ steals, and 25+ blocks in a single season. One number to take special note of is the 4.8 assists per game. For a guy built like a linebacker, carrying a 246-pound frame with a 6’10.75″ wingspan, operating as a primary hub of an offense is rare. He posted a 28% assist rate, ranking third among all forwards in college basketball.
Even better, he maintained nearly a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (4.8 to 2.5), so he isn’t just hurling wild passes out of double teams. Combine that with a robust 1.6 steals per game (an 8.1% steal rate as a junior), and my, my, my, what an analytics darling!
Skills That Pay the Bills
High-Level Processing & Playmaking: Jefferson plays like a point guard trapped in a power forward’s body. He is an exceptional short-roll passer, an elbow handoff hub, and a guy who can grab a defensive rebound and lead the break himself. He drops bounce passes on a dime to cutters and processes defensive rotations a step ahead of everyone else.
Physicality and Functional Strength: At 246 pounds with a rock-solid lower base, Jefferson embraced contact against the collegiate opposition. He carves out position inside effortlessly, converts below-the-rim hooks, and boxes out with discipline, anchoring himself for 7.4 rebounds per game.
Defensive Event Generation: He might not be a vertical rim protector, but has very active hands. He anticipates passing lanes, strips bigs on the block, and triggers fast breaks.
Concerns
Functional Athleticism: The combine confirmed a 27-inch standing vertical and a 33-inch max vertical. He lacks pop and has heavier feet laterally. In space, quicker NBA wings are going to test his lateral agility, and he won’t rescue anyone as a weak-side shot-blocker.
Shooting Hesitancy: While his 3-point stroke ticked up to a respectable 34.5% on 3.1 attempts per game, the film shows a guy who frequently passes up wide-open looks to back down into a contested post-up. Scouts at the combine noted that while his mechanics look sound and tight, his confidence is streaky. A 70% free-throw clip also leaves some questions about his ultimate ceiling as a knockdown spacer.
Age & Ceiling: Turning 24 during his rookie season, Jefferson is an older prospect.
The Knicks Fit
Think of Jefferson as a hybrid connective piece who could be an ideal bench multi-tool. If Mike Brown could deploy Jefferson with the second unit, making as a secondary facilitator from the high post or elbow. He plays with the high-IQ, physical, dive-on-the-floor toughness that we love to see. Jefferson can give you backup power forward minutes, play small-ball center in ultra-specific configurations, and hit the glass hard. At worst? He hangs out in the G-League with Westchester while adjusting his defensive footwork to the pro pace.
NBA Comparison
Best-Case Comparison: James Johnson / Boris Diaw
Median Outcome: Kyle Anderson (Slower-paced, highly intelligent decision-maker who fills the stat sheet without elite verticality)
Low-End Outcome: Grant Williams without the lock-down lateral quickness
The Verdict
Drafting him at 24th seems like a stretch. But at 31st? Go for it.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - JUNE 13: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs and Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks looks on during the game during Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The 2026 NBA season has officially ended and the New York Knicks were crowned the 2026 NBA Champions. After Game 5, Victor Wembanyama stated, “Our domination stints are absolute. We absolutely dominated for most of the series. But our errors, our mistakes, are punished so hard that we can’t have ups and downs like this.”
Wemby took some flack on social media for the comment. But mathematically speaking, he was correct.
According to ESPN Analytics, in the 4 games the Spurs lost in the NBA Finals, they had a…
— 91.6% chance of winning Game 1 up 13 points midway thru the 3rd — 72.8% chance of winning Game 2 up 2 points with 1 minute left in the 4th — 99.6% chance of winning Game 4 up 20 points… pic.twitter.com/WkOw0shz7W
“According to ESPN Analytics, in the 4 games the Spurs lost in the NBA Finals, they had a 91% chance of winning Game 1 up 13 midway through the 3rd, 72,8 chance of winning Game 2 up 2 points with 1 minute left in the 4th, a 99.6% chance of winning Game 4 up 20 points, and a 95.4% chance of winning Game 5 up 10 points with 7:54 left in the 4th.”
Obviously, there were problems closing out games which will be a major focus next season. But in three of the four games, the Spurs had over 90% chance of winning during the second half. The Knicks did the impossible while the Spurs did the unthinkable.
FYI: I ordered Midrange Theory By Seth Partnow. It should come next week. For anyone who wants to read and discuss along. Thanks for the suggestion Montreal. I assume zsals is in?
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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 17: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter #24 reacts during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins on June 17th, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Phillies simply couldn’t wait anymore. After another disastrous outing yesterday afternoon, the Phillies finally decided they’d seen enough and sent the struggling Andrew Painter to Triple-A. It’s been a rocky start to a career for the young right hander to say the least, as he owns a 7.06 ERA across his first 14 big league appearances. He will now try to find his command in Lehigh Valley in the hopes of possibly returning to the rotation later this year.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Postponed due to rain, doubleheader scheduled for Friday
Double-A Somerset Patriots:W, 5-4 (10) at Portland Sea Dogs
LF Jackson Castillo 1-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB CF Garrett Martin 2-4, 1 HR, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB — solo shot in the fourth, two-run double in the ninth DH Jace Avina 1-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB 1B Nicholas Torres 0-5, 2 K, throwing error RF DJ Gladney 0-4, 1 BB, 2 K 3B Coby Morales 0-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K C Manuel Palencia 0-5 2B Connor McGinnis 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K SS Owen Cobb 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB
Xavier Rivas 5.2 IP, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K — his longest outing of the year, and second-most strikeouts Michael Arias 0.1 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 1 BB (blown save) Will Brian 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 3 K Hayden Merda 1 IP, 0 R Ben Grable 1.2 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K (win) Chris Kean 0.1 IP, 0 R (save)
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 1-2 at Rome Emperors
2B Kaeden Kent 1-3, 1 CS SS Core Jackson 0-4, 1 K C Eric Genther 0-4, 1 K 1B Kyle West 0-4, 1 K RF Wilson Rodriguez 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB DH Roderick Arias 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K 3B Enmanuel Tejeda 1-2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB LF Josh Moylan 0-3 LF Luis Durango 0-0 CF Camden Troyer 1-3, 1 K
Luis Serna 7 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR — back-to-back quality starts, rebounding from a bad first start in June Wilmy Sanchez 1 IP, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K Luis Velasquez 0.2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K (loss) Thomas Balboni Jr. 0 IP, 0 R, 1 H
Low-A Tampa Tarpons:L, 7-9 vs. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
SS Jackson Lovich 0-4, 3 K 3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K, two fielding errors 2B Hans Montero 0-4, 2 K, missed catch LF Logan Maxwell 1-3, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB RF JoJo Jackson 3-4, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 K CF Willy Montero 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K C Engelth Urena 1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, fielding error DH Ediel Rivera 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K 1B Austin Green 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 K
Thatcher Hurd 4.1 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 8 K Pedro Rodriguez 1.2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K Matthew Tippie 0.2 IP, 4 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 1 K (blown save, loss) — an error kept the inning alive for all four runs, but he didn’t do himself any favors with two walks and a run-scoring wild pitch post-error Jose Martinez 2.1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K
As the Angels' stadium lease approaches its end, what does the future look like for the 150 acres the current stadium sits on? (Photo illustration by Tate Rudisill / Los Angeles Times; photos by Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images, Kirby Lee / Getty Images)
Civic pride, sure. But what is it really worth to the city of Anaheim to have its name on the hometown baseball team?
Hundreds of millions of dollars, the city has said. As the Angels’ stadium lease approaches its end, and as Anaheim prepares for negotiations either with Arte Moreno or a potential new owner, it’s worth keeping in mind.
So too is a concept floating around City Hall in Anaheim: What if we could put a new stadium and a youth sports complex next to one another?
It’s leverage: If the Angels’ owner wants to build atop the stadium parking lots, the city can pursue an exemption to a state law that currently restricts what can be built there, which could mean more money for the team and its development partners. In exchange for the exemption, the team name would revert to the Anaheim Angels.
If that’s the carrot, this is the stick: The city would have to approve the zoning changes that could make the land “two to three times more valuable than it is as a parking lot,” Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said.
Said Aitken: “There are no gifts. For an ownership to truly be a partner to the city in what that property could be, there is going to have to be some realization that Anaheim is not Los Angeles.”
The Angels’ stadium lease expires in 2032, and the team can extend it through 2038. A new owner could move the Angels — or at least leverage the threat of a move — but Anaheim offers a 150-acre site with what every owner in pro sports covets: land around the venue to turn the property into a year-round money-making operation.
The standard ballpark villages include restaurants, shops, hotels, homes, offices and entertainment venues. The Ducks are launching one, called OC Vibe, around Honda Center, and within walking distance of Angel Stadium.
Katie Wright, who books sports events for Anaheim’s tourism bureau, said there would be a market if her city built a sports park.
“The demand for, specifically, soccer, baseball and softball is tremendous,” Wright told the Anaheim City Council in April. “They would be filled every single weekend, I think.”
What Anaheim has that Ontario and Irvine do not: Disneyland down the street for visiting families, a variety of restaurants within walking distance, and hotel rooms aplenty. In Anaheim, 40% of the city’s general fund comes from taxes on hotel rooms.
“With Angels baseball right next to a youth sports facility, to have the synergy of hotels and restaurants, and players interacting with the Little League kids and soccer fields,” Aitken said, “I just think it’s a unique opportunity.”
Everything old is new again: In 1996, Anaheim pitched a youth sports center called the “Little A” in part of the stadium parking lots as part of a ballpark village that never materialized.
What might be in the best interest of the city now might not be in that of the developer, whether that turns out to be the Angels or a real estate partner. While a sports park might drive tax revenues to the city, a developer might pay the most for land used for hotel and retail properties, said Louis Tomaselli, the Irvine-based executive managing director at JLL, a nationally prominent commercial real estate brokerage.
“A youth sports complex would likely be at or near the bottom from a land value perspective,” Tomaselli said.
That’s all part of the negotiation, and for now the city of Anaheim has no party with which to negotiate. That leaves room for all sorts of brainstorming, including Aitken’s curiosity about flanking the development with high-rise residential buildings, similar to the condominiums that have risen next to Petco Park in San Diego. In some of them, you can watch the game from your balcony.
But let’s get back to the value of the Anaheim name on the baseball team.
“A lot of times, we get the question, ‘Exactly where is Anaheim?’” Wright, the Anaheim tourism official, told the City Council. “We’re always fighting to say, ‘We’re not L.A.’”
In 2005, when Anaheim sued the Angels after Moreno slapped the Los Angeles label on the team, the city commissioned experts that testified the name change would cost Anaheim nearly $200 million over the following decade and close to $400 million through 2029. The Angels dismissed both numbers as wildly high, but that is what the city presented in court.
I asked Sean Moran of Los Angeles-based Innovative Partnerships Group for an update. Moran estimated the worth of the Anaheim name at $26.5 million per year — or more than $500 million over the life of a 20-year deal — based on the value of references to the city on game broadcasts, digital and social media, highlight clips, betting sites, in fantasy leagues, and more.
“I don’t think you can put a monetary value on civic pride and respecting your fan base,” Aitken said. “So, if a new owner wants to come in and start fresh and really respect the fan base in Orange County, the name should not even be a negotiating point.
“It should be the first thing you do, out of respect for where this team is located, and the fan base that is so loyal in good times and bad.”
Perhaps. But, if I’m the new owner of the Angels and the city is on record saying its name on the team is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, the first thing I say to the city in negotiations is: You can get your name on the team for that $500 million, which would help me build a new ballpark that could cost $1.5 billion.
Who else could benefit from that? Moreno, as the need for a new owner to pay for a ballpark could lower the sale price.
Even without that exemption from state law, a new owner could pursue a fair amount of development on land Anaheim has failed to develop for 60 years, on a site the city’s own land use plan envisions as “an exciting mix of high energy uses while providing additional housing.” Or a new owner could simply inherit the existing lease and deal with potential development later.
You can start to get the shape of what the bargaining might look like. Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim), the assembly member who introduced the bill in Sacramento intended to spur the return of the Anaheim Angels name, included a provision that says resolution would take precedence over legislation.
“If there is another outcome that takes place, in negotiations or deal-wise, there would be no need for this, right?” Valencia said.
All of that could be years down the road, so no sense arguing all the finer points now. Aitken promises a series of community meetings first, so that Anaheim residents can share how they envision the future of the Angel Stadium property, with or without a baseball stadium.
This should come up for discussion too: The Anaheim Angels name might be ideal for the city, but what, if anything, should the city give up to get it? The last time the city asked, Moreno just said no. If a new owner would be willing, should the taxpayers of Anaheim consider subsidizing the name?
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) warms up before their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday, April 25, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
I’m not breaking news by telling you that Jacob Misiorowski is having a good season. He has made 14 starts (a little less than half of a full season), and here are his numbers, with bolds indicating he leads the NL and bold plus italic indicating he leads the majors:
I want to look a bit deeper into those numbers, and contextualize them within the long history of baseball.
ERA and ERA+
18 qualified starters (meaning they threw at least one inning per team game) have finished a season with an ERA better than 1.34 in AL/NL history. 16 of those happened in the era we know as “Deadball,” between 1900 and 1919. Of the remaining two, one was in 1880 and shouldn’t count: Tim Keefe of the Troy Trojans technically qualified for the ERA title with just 105 innings pitched, in which he had a 0.86 ERA… but Keefe’s teammate, Mickey Welch, threw 574 innings that season, so you understand why I don’t think 105 innings should count as “qualifying.” Both Keefe and Welch are in the Hall of Fame, by the way.
The one pitcher remaining is, as you know if you’re at all a baseball history buff, Bob Gibson in 1968, when he had a 1.12 ERA.
Of course, Gibson’s 1.12 ERA in 1968 was not the same as a 1.12 (or 1.34) ERA in 2026. Let’s take the same parameters—qualified AL/NL pitchers—and sort by ERA+, which includes adjustments for league-wide offense of the era and the ballpark. When we do that, most of the Deadball guys drop out—the top 19, instead of including 16 Deadballers, includes only four.
Gibson is still on the list, at number 10. Keefe is there too, but we discussed him. Guess who jumps to number one in this set? Yes, that would be Misiorowski in 2026. His 307 ERA+ would be the best by any qualified starting pitcher… ever.
The season that should be considered the all-time record for ERA+ by a starter is one that many of you witnessed: Pedro Martínez in 2000. Martínez had a 1.74 ERA in 2000, which ranks “just” 104th all time. But since offense was so jacked up during the Steroid Era, Martínez comes in with a 291 ERA+, the highest single-season mark ever for a qualified pitcher who threw more than 105 innings.
Also near the top is another incredible Steroid-Era accomplishment. Greg Maddux doesn’t just hold the number seven spot on this list, but he holds the number eight spot, too—in back-to-back years. Maddux had a 271 ERA+ in 202 innings in 1994 and a 260 ERA+ in 209 innings in 1995.
Misiorowski, right now, has a better ERA+ than all of them.
FIP and FIP-
Misiorowski’s 1.68 FIP would rank 15th all time, but again let’s get rid of those pesky Deadball pitchers. Do that, and only two pitchers rank ahead of where Misiorowski is right now: Martínez, again, but this time in 1999, and one you’ll enjoy: Corbin Burnes, with a 1.63 FIP in his Cy Young campaign in 2021.
FIP- is FanGraphs’ answer to ERA+ but for FIP and in reverse (lower is better). I’m going to filter out the 1800s because things are weird there, so the record for FIP- after 1900 belongs to Martínez in 1999 at 30. Next is Burnes in 2021 at 38. Third would be Misiorowski, whose FIP- this season is 40.
WHIP, H/9, and HR/9
Misiorowski’s 0.736 WHIP would be the best ever for a qualified starter, a fraction ahead of Martínez in 2000 (0.737). The next-lowest in a post-Deadball, non-2020 season is Justin Verlander at 0.803 in 2019.
Likewise, Misiorowski’s 4.3 hits allowed per nine innings would be a record by far. The lowest total in a non-2020 season is Nolan Ryan’s mark of 5.3 in 1972, which is percentage points ahead of Luis Tiant in 1968, Martínez in 2000, Ed Reulbach in 1906, and… Ryan in 1991. (That Ryan has two of the top five, 19 years apart, is wild.)
For homers allowed per nine, it is important to note that we live in a high-home-run era, so this isn’t approaching any history. But to give a little more context, Misiorowski’s mark of 0.4/9 would be beaten only by Burnes in 2021 and Sonny Gray in 2023 among seasons since 2020.
Strikeouts
Misiorowski probably isn’t going to threaten any strikeout records—Ryan can feel safe that his 383 strikeouts in 1973 will continue to stand as the post-1900 record. (A quick shout to Old Hoss Radbourn and his 441 strikeouts in 1884, the AL/NL record. Of course, he did that in 678 2/3 innings, so his 5.8 K/9 that season are slightly worse than what Jose Quintana had as a Brewer in 2025.)
However, Misiorowski has an outside chance at becoming the first pitcher since Gerrit Cole in 2019 to strike out 300 batters, something that’s happened only nine times this century (Verlander in 2019, Max Scherzer in 2018, Clayton Kershaw in 2015, Chris Sale in 2017, Curt Schilling in 2002, Cole in 2019, and Randy Johnson each year from 2000-02).
But those guys all threw way more innings than Misiorowski will throw this year. Cole’s 212 1/3 innings pitched in ’19 are the least ever for a player who struck out 300 batters. If we sort by strikeouts per nine, Cole jumps to the top (again ignoring 2020) at 13.8 per nine innings, a remarkable number. After Cole, it’s another pitcher this season, Dylan Cease, who is tied with (technically slightly ahead of) Misiorowski at 13.6. Only three other qualified starters have ever finished a season with 13 or more strikeouts per nine: Martínez in 1999, Johnson in 2001, and Spencer Strider in 2023.
Since Misiorowski is merely “good” rather than “historic” at preventing walks, his 5.95 strikeout-to-walk ratio will have to live with being merely excellent; that would rank 80th all time among qualified starters.
But those are whole seasons. What about 14-game spans?
It would be fair to point out that Misiorowski is unlikely to keep this pace all season. So how good, really, are these 14 games, if they’re only 14 games?
There are 42 instances in baseball history of a player striking out 131 batters with an ERA of 1.34 or lower over 14 starts, but many of those are tied up in the same streak; for example, when sorted by strikeouts, eight of the top nine on this list of 42 14-game stretches are all between August 3rd, 1999 and May 17th, 2000 by Martínez, all within the same span.
There are essentially 11 different pitching runs that can match up with Misiorowski’s:
Jacob deGrom in 19 starts from 9/16/2020 to 8/8/2022 (this wraps around a season-ending injury in 2021)
Martínez in 23 starts from 8/3/99 to 6/8/2000
Martínez again, partially overlapping the other: 14 starts from 4/30/2000 to 7/28/2000
Kershaw in 19 starts from 6/6/2015 to 9/19/2015
Kershaw again in 14 starts from 6/18/2014 to 9/2/2014
J.R. Richard in 20 starts from 7/25/1979 to 4/30/1980
Dwight Gooden in 16 starts from 8/11/1984 to 5/10/1985 (the end of his rookie season into his sophomore season)
Ryan in 15 starts from 8/18/1972 to 4/18/1973
Bob Gibson in two overlapping 14-game stretches from 7/21/1968 to 9/22/1968 and 8/9/1968 to 4/19/69
Finally, Rube Waddell in 14 starts from 7/9/1904 to 8/29/1904
A lot of these occur over more than one season, which could allow pitchers to benefit from pitching to batters from non-contending teams who’ve checked out down the stretch.
With that in mind, I want to talk about the season that reminds me most of Misiorowski’s 2026 season thus far, and it is the year in which I have been in the most awe during my fandom: deGrom’s 2021 season.
deGrom didn’t finish 2021 healthy, and I’m going to knock on all the wood right now to ensure that part of his 2021 season does not align with Misiorowski’s 2026. When 2021 started, deGrom was considered the most dominant pitcher in the majors; over the previous two seasons, he’d collected 58 of 60 first-place NL Cy Young votes, and his 2018 season in particular was one of the best of this century. He was third in Cy Young voting in the shortened 2020 season, but he struck out 13.8 batters per nine innings that year, which matches Cole’s record for strikeouts per nine in a full season.
But in 2021, deGrom hit a different level. In 15 starts and 92 innings, he had a 1.08 ERA, which translated to an unbelievable 373 ERA+. He struck out 146 batters, or 14.3 per nine innings. Almost more remarkably, he walked only 11 batters. His 13.27 K/BB wouldn’t just be a record—it would blow away the previous record. Under modern walk rules, no starting pitcher has finished with more than 11.63 K/BB in a season.* Heck, only seven relievers have ever finished a season with a K/BB ratio that high.**
*This is a great trivia question: the record holder for K/BB by a starter is…Phil Hughes, pitching for the Twins in 2014. **One other all-timer actually bettered deGrom’s 13.27 K/BB in another injury-shortened season: Kershaw, in 149 innings in 2016, had 172 strikeouts to 11 walks.
deGrom had a 1.08 ERA, 1.24 FIP, 0.554 WHIP, and a microscopic 3.9 hits allowed per nine innings in those 15 games in 2021. I’d never seen anything like it. He was essentially pitching like the league’s best high-leverage reliever, except he was a starting pitcher. Unfortunately, that took a physical toll, and he managed only 20 starts over the next three years.
I don’t mean to be speculating on Misiorowski’s future health at all, so don’t read into that. The point is, deGrom’s 15-start 2021 season is the closest comparison that I can come up with for what Misiorowski has done in these 14 games, and when deGrom was pitching in 2021, I thought I was watching the most dominant starting pitcher in the history of the game.
What does it all mean?
We have no idea what the future holds for Misiorowski. Maybe he’ll pitch 20 years. Maybe he’ll get hurt. We have no idea.
But right now—not next year, not three years from now, but right now—Misiorowski is pitching like one of the best pitchers ever. And 14 games is a long time; I brought up those nine different pitchers who have had 14-game runs as good as Misiorowski for a reason. Martínez, Ryan, Waddell, and Gibson are in the Hall of Fame. Kershaw will be a near-unanimous selection. deGrom could yet make it, even if his status as a late bloomer and injury issues will make it a complicated case from an innings-pitched perspective. Only Gooden and Richard aren’t major Hall candidates, but there are extenuating circumstances in both cases. Richard’s career was cut short by a stroke suffered during his prime, mere weeks after his aforementioned streak ended. Gooden was considered one of the most talented players ever, but his career was derailed by substance abuse problems. (I could still make a Hall of Fame case, too.)
Misiorowski is a Hall-of-Fame talent. He is pitching at a Hall-of-Fame level, and the only players in the history of the game who’ve been as effective as him over a span this long are all either Hall of Famers or guys who make people say “you should’ve seen ______.”
We have no way of knowing how long this will last, but right now, we are not living in a hypothetical world where Jacob Misiorowski could pitch like Randy Johnson someday. Right now, the only difference between Miz and Johnson is that Johnson pitched for 20 years.
No matter how long it lasts, we should all revel in this, because someday we will say: “you should’ve seen Miz.”
Jacob Reimer of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies reacts before a Minor League Baseball game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, United States, on June 12, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Syracuse and Norfolk traded leads early and often. The Mets got out to a 1-0 lead on a Cristian Pache steal and throwing error, but surrendered two runs in the second to go down 2-1. Ji Hwan Bae tied it with a sacrifice fly in the third, and Norfolk took the lead back with two in the fourth. Bae and Pache tied it up with RBI singles in the fifth, and Yonny Hernandez gave the Mets the lead back with a bases loaded walk. Norfolk answered again, for the final time, in the eighth, as Jud Fabian hit a two run home run to give them a 6-5 lead.
Bimghamton had leads of 1-0 (on a Vincent Perozo solo home run), and 3-1 (on a Nick Lorusso two run double), but they could not hold it through the middle innings. The Fisher Cats scored one in the fourth and three in the fifth, giving them a 5-3 lead that would hold. JT Schwartz added an RBI single in the fifth, but the offense dried up after that.
3B Jacob Reimer: 1-3, K
PR-2B Jaylen Palmer: 0-2, R, K, E (1)
RF Matt Rudick: 1-5, R, 2B
CF Jose Ramos: 3-4, R, K
DH Nick Lorusso: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
1B JT Schwartz: 1-4, RBI, K
C Vincent Perozo: 1-4, R, HR (6), RBI
SS Wyatt Young: 1-3, BB, 3 SB (8, 9 , 10)
2B Diego Mosquera: 0-2
2B-3B Kevin Villavicencio: 0-2, K, E (2)
LF Nick Lucky: 0-4, 2 K
RHP Bryce Conley: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, L (1-2)
RHP Zach Peek: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Saul Garcia: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Brian Metoyer: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP
Well, Brooklyn surrendered three runs in the bottom of the first and that was (mostly) that. They sprinkled five hits across the game (two of which were by Mitch Voit, which is nice to see him continue to rebound after his rough start to 2026), went 0-7 with runners in scoring position, and left eleven on base. Simply put, you are not winning with that little offense.
SS Mitch Voit: 2-5, 2B, K
C Ronald Hernandez: 0-4, BB, K
1B Corey Collins: 0-3, BB, 3 K
DH Daiverson Gutierrez: 1-3, 2B, BB
2B Yonatan Henriquez: 1-4, SB (9), E (5)
CF John Bay: 0-3, BB, 2 K
3B Colin Houck: 0-4, 3 K
LF Trace Willhoite: 1-4, 2 K
RF Sam Biller: 0-2, BB, K
LHP Nicolas Carreno: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, 2 HBP, L (0-1)
RHP Ryan Dollar: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP
RHP Juan Arnaud: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Cristofer Gomez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
St. Lucie scored two in the third and never looked back. Julio Zayas and Branny De Oleo drove in both runs in that frame, on a single and double respectively. Trey Snyder added one in the third with a double of his own, making it 3-0. Daytona got one back in the next inning, but a five run sixth put the game away for the Mets. They homered three times in the inning, with Francisco Toledo, Antonio Jimenez and Yohairo Cuevas doing the damage.
SS Elian Peña: 3-5, 2 R, 2B
DH Trey Snyder: 1-5, 2B, RBI, K
3B Antonio Jimenez: 1-4, R, HR (2), 3 RBI, BB, 2 K
RF Yohairo Cuevas: 1-2, 2 R, HR (2), RBI, 2 BB
1B Julio Zayas: 1-3, RBI, BB, K
CF Branny De Oleo: 1-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K
C Francisco Toledo: 1-4, R, HR (3), RBI
LF Simon Juan: 1-4, R, K
2B Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-3, R, BB, K
RHP Emilio Obispo: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 WP, W (3-1)
RHP Miguel Mejias: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, H (3)
Nov 4, 2025; Baltimore, MD, USA; President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias introduces Craig Albernaz as the Baltimore Orioles new Manager at Warehouse Bar. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Orioles aren’t a very good team. No, it’s true. Film at 11.
If this West Coast road trip turns out particularly poorly for the Birds and knocks them further out of the playoff picture, the O’s could be forced to reckon with the idea of being sellers at the trade deadline next month. It’s a grim prospect that most Birds fans certainly were hoping the team wouldn’t have to deal with for a second consecutive season.
Mind you, it’s not a decision that the Orioles’ front office has to make at this exact moment. They don’t even have to make it at the end of this road trip. But the baseball calendar is moving ever forward and the O’s have about six weeks to prove they’re not a lost cause before the Aug. 3 deadline arrives.
It’s too early to give up hope just yet. But just as a hypothetical, let’s say the worst case scenario plays out and it becomes obvious that the postseason math isn’t going to add up, making the Orioles sellers at the deadline. What exactly would an O’s sell-off look like?
Last year it wasn’t difficult to figure out ahead of time which players would be shipped away. The Orioles had a number of pending free agents, and nearly all of them were indeed traded at the deadline, including Cedric Mullins, Ryan O’Hearn, Seranthony Domínguez, Gregory Soto, and Charlie Morton. The O’s also flipped a few players who still had another season of team control — Ramón Laureano, Ramón Urías, and Andrew Kittredge — to increase their overall prospect haul. And perhaps the most out-of-left-field trade was the Orioles dealing their primary setup man, Bryan Baker, to the Rays, even with 3.5 years of team control remaining. Mike Elias was willing to move any non-core member of the roster if he liked the return enough.
It stands to reason that the O’s would like to follow the same trade recipe if they have another sell-off this year, but it’s complicated. Most of their pending free agents have some issues that might deflate their value. Taylor Ward has been OBP and doubles machine, but his 36-homer power from 2025 has dried up and he’s sitting on just three dingers this year. He’ll still have value and is probably the Birds’ most likely candidate to get dealt, but he’s not going to fetch the kind of prospect haul that will rebuild the organization.
Examining the other free agents to be, there’s Trevor Rogers, who’s sitting on a 5.86 ERA after a massive regression from 2025. He could continue to boost his value if he pitches well between now and Aug. 3, but his career has been so erratic that it’s hard to expect much in return. (Maybe Kyle Stowers. Too soon?) Chris Bassitt has next to zero trade value right now, thanks to his 5.27 ERA and his current back injury. In the bullpen, there’s closer Ryan Helsley, who has barely made an impact due to his month-and-a-half stint on the IL. He also has a $14 million player option for 2027 that the acquiring team might not want to get stuck with. Andrew Kittredge could be on the trade block again. Keegan Akin is a pending free agent, but right now he’s barely pitching well enough to avoid being DFA’d.
Other possibilities for trades are unheralded players who are a year or two away from free agency — your Yennier Canos, your Tyler Wellses, your Leody Taveri. Again, don’t expect any blue-chip prospects in return for those guys.
Would the Orioles dare make a shocking, gigantic trade at the deadline involving one of their heretofore core players, like Adley Rutschman or even Gunnar Henderson? Let me tell you now: it ain’t happening. It’s not necessarily that Elias would never trade those guys, but if he did, he’d almost certainly prefer to do it in the offseason rather than rush into a deadline trade with such seismic ramifications. (There’s also the question of how long Elias will even be the person making these decisions, but that’s a topic for another time.)
So if you’re expecting some kind of massive trade bonanza that will bring in a boatload of young talent to the Orioles, well, don’t get your hopes up. But if we’re lucky, the O’s will play so well leading up to the deadline that any thought of a sell-off will become a moot point.
Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan analyze some MLB players possibly on the move at the deadline, and Taylor Ward makes their list. They peg him as 75% likely to be traded, for whatever that’s worth.
In my mind the only thing that can realistically save the Orioles’ season is Gunnar Henderson returning to his All-Star form. If he’s planning to do so, he sure is taking his sweet time, though last night was a good start.
Turns out the Orioles do have a hot-hitting shortstop in their lineup. It’s just not the one they expected.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Two ex-Orioles were born on this day: catcher Caleb Joseph (40) and first baseman Carlos Méndez (52).
On this date in 2001, Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. announced he’d be retiring at the end of the season, officially closing the book on an epic 21-year career that changed baseball forever. Cal’s farewell tour saw him lavished with gifts and praise at every ballpark he played in for the rest of the season, capped by his unforgettable finale in Baltimore on Oct. 6. Hard to believe it was 25 years ago.
And on this day in 2007, the O’s fired manager Sam Perlozzo after the team’s 29-40 start to the season. Perlozzo, who had taken the reins in 2005, amassed a 122-164 record during his managerial tenure. He was the fourth of six consecutive Orioles managers who failed to guide the team to any winning seasons. That was a pretty bleak time.
Random Orioles game of the day
On June 18, 2003, the Orioles lost to the Blue Jays, 6-2. Future Hall of Famer Roy Halladay limited the Orioles to two runs in seven innings, with a Jay Gibbons homer his only blemish. All three O’s pitchers — Omar Daal, Willis Roberts, and B.J. Ryan — gave up runs, including a two-run single by former Oriole Mike Bordick. The loss dropped the Orioles to 32-36.
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Eduardo Tait #20 of the Minnesota Twins catches during the first inning of a Spring Breakout game against the Philadelphia Phillies at the Lee Health Sports Complex on March 19, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
With Ryan Jeffers set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and Victor Caratini on a moveable two year contract, there is plenty of uncertainty at the Twins catcher position going forward. While I would LOVE to see Ryan Jeffers get an extension, it is entirely possible that he hits free agency this winter or is even traded at the deadline if things don’t go well for the Twins over the next month and a half.
A major league baseball team’s plans for the future are in a constant state of change, and with questions rising about the catcher position going forward, the Twins have acquired a trio of intriguing catching prospects over the past 12 months, providing balance to their farm system and giving the organization some flexibility behind the dish.
Eduardo Tait
We begin with the most well-known of the catching prospects, 19-year-old lefty Eduardo Tait, who was acquired at last year’s trade deadline along with Mick Abel for Jhoan Duran. He is my 4th ranked Twins prospect and checks in at No. 42 on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 MLB prospects.
Tait is one of just three teenage catchers to reach High-A this season, and while he is batting just .211 with a .712 OPS, there is elite power potential. Eduardo Tait posted a max EV of 113.8 MPH in Single-A last season, which is off the charts for his age. High fly ball rates and an ability to drive the ball to all fields give him the potential to be one of the most prolific power hitters in the world. Only three teenagers in all of minor league baseball are topping his 11 home runs this season.
Eduardo Tait is a free swinger who has ran extreme chase rates throughout the low minors. Hit tool development will be very interesting as Tait has shown flashes of strong contact skills over stretches of time, but lacks consistency in that area. As a hitter, Salvador Perez is the easy comp for Tait given the light-tower power and aggressive approach with solid contact skills.
He doesn’t run well, and defensively, the blocking and receiving is a work in progress. His arm is plus and he pairs it with strong pop times. It’s tough to tell how the defensive skills will develop at his age, but the bat looks like it will absolutely play. Tait is a long ways out, but with elite raw power already showing up in-game, he looks like a future big league slugger.
Enrique Jimenez
The offensive production of Enrique Jimenez has been a sweet surprise for the Twins since they acquired him in exchange for Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak last July. After putting up solid numbers in 2.5 seasons of rookie ball in the Tigers org, Jimenez made his Single-A debut shortly after joining the Twins system, and he exploded. He played 34 games in Fort Myers, slashing .283/.450/.540 with 8 homers and a 23.8% walk rate. At 20 years old, he just recently got the promotion to High-A Cedar Rapids, joining fellow catching prospect Eduardo Tait.
Enrique Jimenez is a stocky 5’9” catcher with limited athleticism but a well-rounded offensive profile. He has posted a max EV of 107.2 MPH this year and projects to develop average raw power while his lofty swing and strong pulled fly ball rates allow him to maximize his power output. With the amount of elevation he gets in his swing, some whiff is expected, but Jimenez ran well above-average contact rates in Single-A while his extreme patience and mature approach allowed him to walk more than he struck out.
Defensively, he has an average arm with promising defensive actions behind the dish, giving him a good chance to develop into a major-league caliber catcher if the bat can get there. There’s a more limited ceiling with Jimenez than there is with Tait, but he has already provided exceptional production for his age and has no significant concerns in his profile at the moment. Projects well as a number two catcher in the big leagues.
After signing with the Giants out of Venezuela in 2025 and posting a 135 wRC+ in his first pro season in the DSL, Miguel Caraballo was traded to the Twins in exchange for Daniel Susac, who was a Rule 5 pick by Minnesota earlier that day. At just 17 years old, Caraballo has continued his production in the Florida Complex this season, producing big power numbers as he pushes towards full-season ball.
Caraballo is more lean than the other two, possessing some playable athleticism behind the dish and on the bases. He has a quick-trigger swing with some big loft and good bat speed, very much geared for power. He has posted high walk rates in rookie ball despite some questions about his swing decisions. His hit tool is fringy at best, but the power has enough potential to carry his offensive profile.
Defensively, Caraballo’s receiving is a work-in-progress, but he has a good arm and plenty of time to develop the more technical aspect of the position. His athleticism gives him a higher ceiling there, and could potentially allow him to shift into a corner outfield spot if he doesn’t work out behind the plate. He is a long ways out, but nearing Single-A at just 17 years old. The excitement is beginning to build.
