The game between the Orlando Magic and the Memphis Grizzlies was played in front of a sell-out crowd in Berlin [Getty Images]
The NBA has discussed its "vision" for a proposed European basketball league with Real Madrid and other Spanish clubs, says commissioner Adam Silver.
Initial plans for 'NBA Europe', starting in 2027, are for 10 to 12 set franchises that would stay in the league on an annual basis.
Silver said the idea would be to mix established European teams with new ones, with the league initially being funded by the selected member clubs.
The 63-year-old was speaking before the NBA's first regular season game in Berlin, Germany on Thursday, which the Orlando Magic won 118-111 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The two sides face each again at The O2 arena in London on Sunday.
A league of potentially 16 teams is also being looked at, combining the regular 10 to 12 franchises with open spots that teams will be able to qualify for.
With the rise in popularity of basketball and the NBA in Europe, the American league is holding six games in four different European cities across the next three seasons, with London, Manchester, Berlin and Paris hosting games between 2026 and 2028.
Silver said talks with Real Madrid, who play in the EuroLeague and are regarded as one of the greatest basketball clubs in Europe, were "more in the category of fact-finding", but he confirmed discussions had taken place with another EuroLeague side, Alba Berlin, whose Uber Arena hosted the NBA game.
"We're trying to find the best combination of the old and the new; the tradition and the innovation," said Silver.
Alba Berlin, he said, was "the model of the type of club that we would like to see in a potential European league".
Reports say the existing EuroLeague has concerns about the new venture, threatening legal action against the NBA should clubs break existing agreements to take part in the new competition.
But Silver said he does not think the two leagues would clash, adding: "There's plenty of room for competition".
The deal includes a $64 million signing bonus, opt-outs after both the second and third seasons and $30 million of deferred money.
Tucker now has the highest present-day average annual average value of any player in major league history at $57.1 million, surpassing Juan Soto’s $51 million mark set last offseason.
Besides the Dodgers, the Mets and Blue Jays were both in hot pursuit of Tucker as well.
The Mets offered a similarly massive four-year, $220 million deal with no deferred money and a whopping $75 million signing bonus. That was both a larger signing bonus and (obviously) less deferred money compared to the Dodgers’ winning offer.
The exact parameters of the Blue Jays’ final offer to Tucker isn’t known, but reporting suggests they were more focused on a longer term deal with less money per year. It’s clear Tucker’s camp couldn’t turn down the record AAV he got with an opportunity to re-test the free agent market in two years.
In the meantime, Tucker will join forces with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith in what is certainly the best lineup in baseball as the Dodgers chase their third consecutive World Series title.
What an embarrassment of riches. Tucker is now the eighth Dodger with at least a $100 million contract. The Phillies, Padres, and Blue Jays have the next most with six while the Yankees and Giants have five each. Seven teams don’t have a single active player who crosses that threshold.
As funny as it may sound, Tucker will fill a huge hole in the Dodgers’ lineup.
Despite scoring the most runs per game in the National League last season, their outfield was not productive at the plate. Cumulatively, they had a .240 batting average, .299 on-base percentage, and .714 OPS. That was eerily similar to Lourdes Gurriel’s slash-line.
They suffered through offensive woes during the playoffs too, scoring just 4.2 runs per game overall and 3.7 in the World Series. Even with a star-studded lineup their defense, pitching, and eventually Miguel Rojas bailed them out.
This will likely be less of an issue after adding Tucker. His .895 OPS over the last two seasons is sneakily the exact same as Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s and higher than Kyle Schwarber’s, just without the same fanfare.
He’s been one of the most productive players in the league since he became a full-time player in 2021 with both the 10th-most fWAR and 10th-highest wRC+ over the last five years.
Few players make as good of swings decisions as Tucker either. He very rarely chases pitches out of the zone, offers at the right ones in the zone, and has walked more than he’s struck out over the last two years.
By all accounts, he is one of the few best hitters in the game.
Yet, two relatively flukey injuries that caused fractures – a foul ball of his shin in 2024 and jamming his right hand on second base last season – seemed to hurt Tucker's value on the open market and standing among certain groups of fans.
Also, he’s never hit many of the key statistical benchmarks we look for when evaluating a star player.
Tucker has never exceeded 30 home runs, a .300 batting average, or five fWAR in a single season. On top of that, his bat speed is just middle of the pack and his batted ball data is pedestrian for someone making the most money in the sport this coming season.
Still, his production speaks for itself and those types of underlying concerns hold much less weight with him signing a four-year deal compared to the 10 or 12 years many expected him to get when this offseason began.
Is this deal a bad value? Probably on a dollar per WAR basis. The Dodgers clearly don’t care though and Tucker will likely be one of the most productive hitters in the game flanked by their All-Star lineup. He also insulates them against Freeman and Betts aging out of being elite players over the next few seasons. The rich really get richer.
First, the Red Sox had not been linked to Suárez all offseason. Moreover, it felt like no other teams were either. His market was completely silent to public knowledge until Boston swooped in after missing out on Alex Bregman over the weekend.
Next, the Red Sox weren’t exactly starved for rotation help. They traded for Sonny Gray earlier this offseason to support Garrett Crochet at the top and Johan Oviedo a bit later on to provide depth on the back-end.
They still have Bryan Bello as a steady number-four type, veterans Patrick Sandoval and Kutter Crawford on the mend, and super-charged rookies Payton Tolle and Connelly Early chomping at the bit to get their shots. Plus, former top prospect Kyle Harrison ready in the wings. Again, starting pitching was more of a vanity add than a true need.
Lastly, Suárez was an odd free agent to project. He’s been highly effective for his whole career with a 2.91 ERA overall as a starter and is known as one of the best command artisans in the game. He’s regarded as a playoff riser too with a 1.48 ERA across 42 2/3 postseason innings.
On the other hand, he doesn’t do many of the things teams value most on the open market.
His 21.9% strikeout rate over his last four seasons as a full time starter is a hair under league-average. Also, he’s never thrown more than 160 innings in a regular season. Most worrisome, his average fastball velocity has fallen by more than two full miles per hour over the last two seasons. It has fallen from over 93 mph to barely above 91 mph.
Admittedly, velocity is a bit less important to a pitcher like Suárez compared to others.
He has a deep five-pitch mix that forces hitters into uncomfortable decisions as he works them on the edges with remarkable consistency. Suárez also leans on a sinker much more than a four-seam fastball and the former is much less reliant on velocity to be effective.
Yet, he’s drifting dangerously close to breaking point where he could get into a lot more trouble throwing those fastballs.
Suárez was one of just 24 pitchers whose average fastball velocity was at or below 92 mph last season. The list includes some solid names like himself, Shota Imanaga and Jacob Lopez, but was more filled with guys like Jose Quintana, Clayton Kershaw’s corpse, and Tyler Anderson.
Even finding one more tick could do wonders for Suárez as he moves towards the back half of this deal. Check out much more effective fastballs are (relatively) once a left-handed pitcher can stretch back above 92 mph.
This likely won’t affect Suárez much in the near term where he still figures to be one of the 40 or so most valuable pitchers in the league. Some fear could set in down the line though if that velocity continues to fall on a deal that makes him the 12th-most expensive pitcher in the league per year at this moment.
▶ More Hot Stove Quick Hits
◆ Logic would tell us that the Blue Jays will turn their attention back to Bo Bichette after missing on Kyle Tucker. The Phillies seem to be winning that race though as Toronto is reportedly content with their current crop of infielders.
◆ Besides Juan Soto, the only outfielders on the Mets’ current 40-man roster are Tyrone Taylor, Jared Young, and Nick Morabito. Yikes. In a perfect world, none of those three will be starting on opening day and the Mets likely wouldn’t want any besides Taylor to break camp with the club.
Cody Bellinger is still on the market and embroiled in a stalemate with the cross-town Yankees. Will a bidding war start? Or could the Mets turn their attention back to the trade market for someone like Lars Nootbaar or Luis Robert whom they’ve both been connected with.
This trade was announced literally two minutes after Tucker’s contract and got completely lost in the hoopla, but is a fun swap of major league players nonetheless.
Back in 2023, Lowe hit 20 homers, stole 35 bases and put up an .835 OPS across 135 games. Since then, he’s played 214 games across two seasons with just a .670 OPS over that span.
Regular soft tissue injuries have dramatically slowed him down and the Angels are betting that some better health luck could unlock what was once sky-high potential. I’d feel a lot better about that risk if a team other than the Angels were taking it on.
Lux has settled in as a totally unspectacular producer who will run a high on-base percentage (.339 over the last three seasons) but without any semblance of game power (five home runs in 140 games last season). He might find his way into the lead-off spot down in Tampa Bay though ahead of Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda, and Yandy Díaz.
◆ Cubs’ president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer mentioned that Matt Shaw could find some playing time in the outfield this season after the addition of Alex Bregman. That reaffirms the fact that Shaw will be seen as a super-utility man in Chicago and it’s mildly interesting that they’ll likely try to get him at-bats any way possible.
⚾️ Coming soon: MLB returns toNBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.
Former playing great starts new season as an owner in sport’s second tier aiming to rebuild club who would give British game a major lift if they return to Super League
Darren Lockyer has faced some monumental challenges for club and country but this year his trickiest task may be finding the opponents of his new club on a map as he takes on rugby league’s mission impossible.
Throughout his illustrious career, Lockyer faced Melbourne Storm, Sydney Roosters and some of the world’s best international teams. This year, Lockyer’s interests will be centred on places like Goole, Swinton and Batley after taking ownership of London Broncos late last year and attempting to make them a rugby league powerhouse.
After losing eight of their first nine games that extended past regulation, the Golden Knights have now won six of their last 10.
The nationally televised audience and a sold-out crowd of 17,975 were treated with what might have been the most exciting game of the season, in what was undoubtedly the most anticipated.
It marked Mitch Marner's first career game against the team that drafted him in the same draft Eichel was chosen second overall by the Buffalo Sabres.
"Obviously, they knew this one meant a little more to me," said Marner, who finished with two assists. "So, grateful to get the win. A lot of guys putting in the effort, and, you know, it's a team game out there.
"Once the puck dropped, it just felt like another hockey game out there. Obviously, I know a lot of those guys very well and trying to read off some of the plays and do some of the things I think they might do. But it's a competitive game, you want to always try to beat your buddies. That was a competitive game, both sides."
To say the least, as the Maple Leafs opened the game by taking a 2-0 lead just five minutes in on goals from Morgan Rielly and William Nylander.
Vegas would cut the lead in half when Pavel Dorofeyev scored his 18th of the season on a power play.
But in a sign of things to come, the back-and-forth affair saw Auston Matthews push Toronto's lead back to two goals to send the Leafs into the first intermission with a 3-1 lead.
The teams exchanged goals in the second - Keegan Kolesar for Vegas and John Tavares for Toronto - as the Leafs brought a 4-2 lead to the ice for the third period.
Dorofeyev scored his second of the game with another power-play goal just two minutes into the third period, but again, Toronto would answer to give Toronto another two-goal lead when Scott Laughton made it 5-3 with a little more than 11 minutes left.
Then things became interesting, as the Knights entered familiar territory, looking to wage another third-period comeback.
Wednesday night's overtime hero Mark Stone cut Toronto's lead to one with 9:46 left, when he was on the doorstep to punch home his 17th goal of the season.
Dorofeyev appeared to tie the game with a little more than four minutes left in the game, but all the hats that flew on the ice became meaningless when it was ruled he was offsides and the goal was called off.
Hertl's game-tying goal and Eichel's game-winner sent the building into a frenzy as the Knights continued their best run of the season.
KEY MOMENT
Pick one. It could have very well been Stone's third-period goal, or Dorofeyev's goal that was called off, as both fueled the Golden Knights differently. But undoubtedly, Hertl's gem with seven seconds left was the key, as it seemingly deflated the Maple Leafs, who were previously trounced by the Utah Mammoth, 6-1, on Tuesday.
"We got a lot of vets on the team, and obviously, guys played in the Stanley Cup, guys played in some big moments. And then we just so strong mentally and we just never quit. ... Every time we've been down, we knew we have chance to come back."
KEY STAT
8 - Thursday's win marked Vegas' eighth comeback win in the third period, most in the NHL.
"I use the word resilient because they have been," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said, when asked to identify his team 46 games into the season. "As the stakes go up, they get more competitive. ... They don't like losing. And you're going to lose some games and tonight it looked like it was going that direction for us, but we kept pushing back. It would have been easy to probably say we're down a few people, it's not our night, especially after the offside goal comes back. ... But they kept pushing because they want to win. The group wants to win."
WHAT A KNIGHT
Eichel finished with four points to extend his point streak to seven games. Eichel registered three assists for the second straight night after having a hand in every goal in Los Angeles. During his seven-game run, Eichel has 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists). Eichel is tied for 11th in the league with 55 points, while his 38 assists rank tied for ninth along with Marner.
It also marked the second straight night the Eichel and Stone connected on the overtime winner, after the roles were reversed against the Kings.
"Just finding a way, I guess," Eichel said. "You know, competing when we don't have the puck in overtime, I think that's a big thing. And then capitalizing our chances. I mean, Stoney hits the post there right before we score, and thought we had a few chances. But yeah, credit to the whole group. It was a come-from-behind, win, find a way to get a goal late there. The resiliency in our group has been great all year, and it was there again tonight."
UP NEXT: The Golden Knights continue their three-game homestand against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
PHOTO CAPTION: Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) scores a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an overtime period to give the Golden Knights a 6-5 victory at T-Mobile Arena.
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Lakers guard Marcus Smart attempts a behind-the-back pass in front of Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball during the Lakers' 135-117 loss Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
In a back-and-forth high-scoring affair Thursday night, the Lakers led by 13 points in the second quarter before the Charlotte Hornets rallied to build a 15-point lead in the third quarter.
In the end, the Hornets kept the momentum they stole from the Lakers, rolling to a 135-117 win at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers’ defense couldn’t slow down LaMelo Ball in the second half and it was unable to stop the Hornets from scoring 20 three-pointers.
As a result, the Lakers (24-15) lost for the fourth time in five games.
“I mean, it doesn't matter who it is. Doesn’t matter the team, doesn't matter the player," Marcus Smart said. “If they were shooting 20% [before], they’re shooting 50%. And it's unfortunate, but that's part of the game. It's tough. We got to figure it out. We got to play with a little bit more urgency on that end, especially, and kind of impose our will.
“It's not easy. Especially when you play for the Lakers, you always are the hunted— no matter what."
The Hornets (15-26) shot 53% from the field 54% percent from three-point range in the second half. Ball had 27 of his 30 points in the second half. After the Lakers closed to within 10 points with 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in the fourth, Ball's back-to-back three-pointers essentially closed out the game.
“He had some crazy shots, but that's what he do," said Luka Doncic, who scored 39 points. “He was shooting a lot of threes off the dribble ... so he got really hot. So it's kind of hard to stop."
Charlotte forward Brandon Miller looks to pass in front of Lakers star LeBron James in the first quarter Thursday. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
Even with all of the Lakers’ starters scoring in double figures, it wasn't enough. LeBron James, who didn’t speak to reporters after the game, had 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Jake LaRavia had 18 points, Deandre Ayton scored 12 points and Smart had 10.
The start of the game was so different for the Lakers.
Doncic blew a kiss to the crowd and threw his hands in the air after drilling a first-quarter three. Doncic smiled at the Lakers’ bench after shooting another three-pointer a short time later.
During those moments, Doncic epitomized the kind of joy Lakers coach JJ Redick wants to see his team exhibit.
The rest of the Lakers followed Doncic’s lead as the team built a 48-55 lead in the second quarter.
Doncic led the Lakers in the first quarter, scoring 19 points on seven-for-12 shooting, which included a trio of threes. The Lakers had 14 three-pointers in the game, but it wasn’t enough to stop a more consistent Charlotte attack.
The Lakers were outscored 34-16 in the second quarter, 40-38 in the third and 31-24 in the fourth.
“We all knew that they got our full respect and attention pregame and I thought we fought,” Redick said. “Just another team that has a hot shooting night.”
Etc.
Redick said backup center Jaxson Hayes had an MRI scan that revealed hamstring tendinopathy in his left leg. Hayes, who is averaging 6.3 points per game, has missed two games because of the injury. "It's hopefully a short-term thing and hopefully he'll be back at some point this weekend,” Redick said. The Lakers play at Portland on Saturday before facing the Toronto Raptors at home on Sunday.
So it’s almost too easy yet…the question begs to be asked: does Cohen want this smoke?
Or will he, like most other MLB teams now, hold his cards close to the vest and wait for the inevitable lockout and war over a salary cap that is coming after the 2026 season?
In short, the Mets probably thought they were raising the bar into rarefied air by offering Tucker, a very good hitter but hardly a superstar, $220 million over four years. And in some ways, they were. Only for the Dodgers to swat them aside almost dismissively.
Suffice to say, Cohen did no further tweeting on Thursday night.
And I’m not blaming him or the Mets for drawing a line at $55 million a year (their final offer) for Tucker, as absurd as that sounds.
Yet, getting outbid must still be embarrassing in a way to Cohen. He’s a man who’s accustomed to getting what he wants, after all, even if it means spending obscene amounts of money for art pieces to add to his renowned collection.
As the richest billionaire owner in baseball, Cohen was supposed to be the death of baseball, remember?
Yes, the irony here is that this is what most other owners in the sport feared when Cohen said at his very first press conference as owner of the Mets that he wanted to model his organization after the Dodgers, that he might use his billions to create a new Evil Empire in Queens.
Remember, at the time, the Dodgers were indeed a model organization that consistently drafted and developed home-grown talent in a way that allowed them to challenge for a championship every year without blowing the roof off the payroll.
Now it’s different, of course. Helped in large part by the Shohei Ohtani connection that has attracted other Japanese stars and his willingness to defer hundreds of millions of dollars on his $700-million contract, the Dodgers are now outspending the rest of baseball in a manner that may have made even the famously impulsive George Steinbrenner look like a piker were he still alive today.
Evil Empire? More like King Kong at this point.
Aug 24, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker (30) walks against the Los Angeles Angels during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium. / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Still, Cohen has the money if he wants to compete with the big, bad Dodgers. And none of this is to excuse the Mets for what has been an underwhelming offseason.
As it is, it’s hard to tell if their sudden all-out pursuit of Tucker was part of their plan all along or more of a realization they desperately needed a big-splash move as Mets fans showed their displeasure with their wallets.
Did they suddenly decide they better find someone to hit behind Juan Soto so he wouldn’t walk 150 times next season?
Wouldn’t it just have been easier to give Pete Alonso the $150 million over five years? He had made it clear he was willing to ease into the DH role, so I’ll never understand why the Mets drew such a hard line there.
They were willing to go three years but not five? It just never made sense, considering their need for a right-handed power hitter. And whatever their intentions at that time were regarding Tucker, they left themselves vulnerable one way or another.
And now, even if they change course and throw crazy money at Cody Bellinger, well, sure, he’d make them better in a lot of ways, but he wouldn’t fill the huge hole in the lineup behind Soto.
So it’s hard to see how they’re going to have anything resembling a championship-caliber offense, whether they go after Bellinger or not.
And if they were truly going all-in on run prevention, the David Stearns buzzword from the moment the 2025 season ended, why haven’t they made the expected moves to upgrade their pitching?
Jul 2, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Dominant starting pitching and a lockdown bullpen would always offer hope of beating anyone, even the Dodgers, in a short series in October, yet the Mets haven’t gone that route either.
All along, I’ve said it wasn’t fair to judge Stearns until the offseason was over. And who knows, maybe now he’ll go out and trade for Freddy Peralta and sign Framber Valdez, and suddenly the Mets will have a starting rotation that can indeed beat anybody, especially if Nolan McLean blossoms into the ace everyone is now expecting.
But lest we forget, Edwin Diaz is now a Dodger, too. And while I’m laying some of that on Diaz for seemingly wanting to take the easy route to winning a championship ring, the Mets put themselves in a position to let it happen by not locking up their closer before LA ever got involved.
In truth, the most logical move at this point for Cohen might just be to hold onto his chips, save his money for Tarik Skubal next winter, or whenever the sport is open for business again, while seeing what McLean, Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, Carson Benge, Jett Williams and other top prospects look like by mid-summer as the trading deadline approaches.
I’m not saying the Dodgers are unbeatable. The Blue Jays were one hanging slider away from beating them in the World Series.
But it’s hard to see how the Mets, without dramatic pitching upgrades at the very minimum, can realistically compete with LA for a championship in 2026.
And right now that’s on Stearns. You can blame the Dodgers all you want for blowing up the sport and setting up a salary cap fight not only between owners and players, but owners and owners as well.
Yet the Mets shouldn’t be sitting here in mid-January trying to figure out how to save their offseason. If Stearns’ plan was to let the market come to him in search of the best value, which seems to be his M.O., well, it sure looks to be backfiring to the point where desperation is now part of the equation.
The Knicks were defeated by the Golden State Warriors 126-113 on Thursday night at the Chase Center.
Here are some takeaways...
- The Knicks were without Jalen Brunson due to an ankle injury, but they did receive a nice boost, as Landry Shamet was finally deemed ready to return after missing the last 25 games with a dislocated shoulder. Shamet didn't jump back into the starting lineup, though, as it was Miles McBride who slid in in Brunson's place.
- New York was able to get off to a much better start coming off one of their worst offensive performances of the season on Wednesday in Sacramento. Every starter recorded a bucket and they knocked down six of their first seven shots from behind the arc to open a quick double-digit advantage (15-5).
Shamet was the first man off the bench halfway through the first, and he immediately knocked down his first shot.
- The Knicks pushed the lead out to as many as 17 points, but Karl-Anthony Towns was forced to the bench after picking up a pair of early fouls, and Golden State was able to flip the momentum. The home team used a 13-2 run to cut the deficit all the way back down to five at the end of the opening quarter (35-30).
- Towns had five points and a game-high six rebounds in the first before being forced to the bench. The big man continued his domination into the second, picking up four more boards and a pair of putback buckets to help keep the slim lead midway through a back-and-forth middle quarter (46-44).
- The Warriors took their first lead minutes later, and they were able to keep it at three heading into the break (62-59). Jimmy Butler led the way with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, KAT racked up a first-half double-double, and Mikal Bridges led the Knicks with 12 points.
- Steph Curry didn't make a three during the first half (0-for-5), but it didn't take long for him to snap that skid in the third. The All-Star sharpshooter knocked down his first two coming out of the break as part of a Golden State 13-2 barrage, helping them quickly push the lead out to 11 points (78-67).
Moses Moody added two more triples, giving him seven on the night and a season-high 21 points.
- Each time it looked like the Knicks were ready to take back some of the momentum, the Warriors responded right back. New York simply could not get consecutive stops when they needed them the most, and they found themselves trailing by 12 points heading into the final frame.
- Curry's big second half continued into the fourth, but the Knicks refused to go away, and they used a 10-2 run to get the deficit back down to nine points with just over four minutes remaining. Golden State's hot shooting couldn't be slowed down the stretch, though, and they held on for the victory.
The Warriors shot 54 percent from the field and 44 percent from behind the arc in the game.
- McBride took advantage of the start with 25 points, Anunoby had 25 as well, Bridges had 21, and Towns had 17 and 20 boards. Shamet knocked down just two of his seven shots in his return and Jordan Clarkson chipped in 11 points, but the rest of the bench combined for just one point.
Butler led all scorers with 32 points, Curry had 27, Moody finished with 21 and Brandin Podziemski had 17 off the bench.
Game MVP: Steph Curry
Curry got hot after a slow start, making big shots to put this one away late.
Kyle Tucker has agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to a person familiar with the deal, bolstering the team’s chance for a third consecutive World Series championship.
Tucker can opt out of the deal after years two and three, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical.
Tucker’s $60 million average annual value would be the second-highest in baseball history, without factoring in deferred money, behind Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million in his 10-year deal with the Dodgers that runs through 2033.
Tucker becomes the latest accomplished veteran scooped up by the deep-pocketed Dodgers, who will have seven of the majors’ 29 biggest contracts by average annual value in 2026. Los Angeles’ previous big move of the offseason was signing former New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz, widely considered to be the best reliever on the free agent market, to bolster their subpar bullpen.
The Dodgers will welcome Tucker’s exceptional bat for the heart of their order, but he also fixes one of their few roster deficiencies as an everyday corner outfielder after Michael Conforto and several others largely struggled last season in left field. Tucker seems likely to play right field for Los Angeles, allowing the club to move Teoscar Hernández back to left.
The Mets and the Toronto Blue Jays, who lost to the Dodgers in last year’s World Series, were believed to be in the mix for Tucker’s services. “Let me know when you see smoke,” Mets owner Steve Cohen posted on X on Thursday, before following with a second post clarifying that he was “waiting for a decision.”
When healthy, Tucker is among the best all-around players in the majors. But he played in just 214 regular-season games over the past two years.
He batted .266 with 22 homers and 73 RBIs with the Chicago Cubs last season. He was acquired in a blockbuster trade with Houston in December 2024 that moved slugging prospect Cam Smith to the Astros.
Tucker was slowed by a pair of injuries in his lone season with the Cubs. He sustained a small fracture in his right hand on an awkward slide against Cincinnati on June 1. He also strained his left calf against Atlanta on Sept. 2.
After getting off to a fast start with his new team, Tucker hit just .231 with five homers in 41 games after the All-Star break. He served as Chicago’s designated hitter in the playoffs as the Cubs eliminated San Diego in the first round before losing to Milwaukee in a five-game NL Division Series.
Tucker, who turns 29 on Saturday, rejected a $22,025,000 qualifying offer in November, so his new deal means the Cubs will get a compensatory draft pick — likely in the No. 77-80 range.
Tucker was selected by Houston with the No. 5 pick in the 2015 amateur draft. He played in three World Series with the Astros, winning a ring in 2022.
He hit at least 29 homers and drove in at least 92 runs for three straight seasons from 2021-23. He won a Gold Glove in 2022 and led the AL with 112 RBIs in 2023.
He was limited to 78 games in his final season with Houston because of a fractured right shin, but he hit .289 with 23 homers and 49 RBIs.
The Tampa, Florida, native is a .273 hitter with 147 homers, 490 RBIs and an .865 OPS in 769 career games. He also has 119 steals in 135 attempts.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves for his NHL-leading fifth shutout of the season, Anthony Duclair scored the game’s only goal in the third period on the power play and the New York Islanders edged the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 on Thursday night.
Duclair broke the deadlock with 6:18 remaining in the third period after Calum Ritchie sent a backhand pass to him. Mathew Barzal also assisted on the goal, giving him 500 career points in his 576th game over 10 NHL seasons.
Leon Draisaitl — whose tripping penalty put the Islanders on the power play for their goal — nearly tied it with just over 30 seconds left, but his shot in close hit off the far post to the right of Sorokin.
Connor McDavid, who would’ve had an assist if Draisaitl’s shot went in, had his 20-game points streak end. He joined Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey as the only three players in Oilers franchise history to have a points streak of at least 20 games.
It was the 27th career shutout for Sorokin, extending his franchise record. It was the Islanders’ first shutout in Edmonton since Billy Smith also stopped 35 shots in New York’s 2-0 victory in Game 1 of the 1983 Stanley Cup Final.
The Islanders, who have won four of six, had lost their last six games in Edmonton, dating to 2017. They were 1-12-0 against the Oilers in Edmonton since the 2007-08 season.
Connor Ingram made 17 saves for the Oilers, who have dropped three of their last four.
CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, only to turn around and play the other team from Alberta, the Calgary Flames, on Thursday.
The Blackhawks came out with a lot more juice in this one. At 2:38 of the first period, Nick Foligno sniped one after receiving a nice pass from Colton Dach to make it 1-0.
Just under a minute later, Yegor Sharangovich scored a power-play goal to tie it up. This was the first power play goal that the Hawks have allowed since December 30th. The penalty kill was 16 for 16 in the last seven games before allowing this Sharangovich goal.
Chicago's power play, much like its penalty kill, is ranked in the NHL's top ten. However, it failed them at 6:05 of the first period, but not because they didn't score.
While Chicago was on the man-advantage, Mikael Backlund took the puck away from Andre Burakovsky in the neutral zone, skated it in for a breakaway, and beat Spencer Knight to give the Flames a 2-1 lead with a short-handed goal.
That would be the end of scoring in the first period. There was also no more scoring in the second period, but there were lots of other extracurricular activities. Just like the first two matches between these two clubs, there was a lot of hitting and fighting.
In the third period, both goalies stood strong, but the Flames hit an empty net goal with 1:01 remaining in the third period. The 3-1 score would hold as the final.
In the NHL, you can't allow a power play goal and a short-handed goal too often and expect to win.
The Blackhawks have been excellent in both departments this season (power play and penalty kill), so they can use that to help them bounce back next time out, but it wasn't good enough in this game.
"We were minus-2 on special teams," said head coach Jeff Blashill. "It's hard to win games in this league without a great amount a firepower when you lose the special teams battle by 2 like that."
Spencer Knight was great in this one. He allowed the two special teams goals to the Flames, but he didn't allow a single goal at even strength. With goaltending like that, you can expect to win more often than not. The team in front of him just let him down.
The Blackhawks are back in action on Saturday night at the United Center against the Boston Bruins. "The Banner Years" chapter of their centennial season will come to a close in that game, as over 25 alumni who won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2010, 2013, and/or 2015 will be in attendance for the celebration. This will be one of the marquee games of the 2025-26 season.
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After struggling to score in all of their past three hockey games, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally erupted on Thursday.
And who better to do it against than their archrival?
After scoring just two goals in their past three games, the Penguins tallied six against the Philadelphia Flyers and won by a final score of 6-3 to snap their three-game losing streak and move into third place in the Metropolitan Division. They got contributions from up and down their lineup and from their power play, which ended the game with three goals.
Justin Brazeau, Bryan Rust, Egor Chinakhov, Blake Lizotte, Sidney Crosby, and Connor Dewar were the goal-scorers for the Penguins, and Stuart Skinner was really solid throughout, stopping 30 of the 33 Flyers' shots he faced.
The offensive eruption was a nice change of pace for the Penguins, who combined for just two goals in their last three games. But, aside from a few lapses later in the game on the Flyers' last two goals against, they still brought the strong defensive process that has been part of their game since the holiday break.
And, on Thursday, they just had the finishing to go along with it.
"I think it's been coming across the last few games," Lizotte said. "Inside the room, you could feel it building. We were getting chances, and I think throughout the season you just get stretches sometimes where they don't fall. Once one goes, they seem to all go. So, hopefully, we can keep finding the back of the net."
The entire game was a special teams battle, and the Penguins certainly came out on top. They took advantage of two of their first-period power plays, first, courtesy of Brazeau off a nice feed from Ben Kindel on the second unit a little more than two minutes into the game. Rust scored later in the period on the man advantage to put the Penguins up, 2-0.
And they also wasted no time in building their lead when they came out for the second period. Chinakhov - playing in his eighth game with the Penguins - took a feed from Evgeni Malkin off the rush and buried it at close range past Flyers' goaltender Sam Ersson to give Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead.
However, Philadelphia responded just a minute later with a goal of their own from fourth-line center Rodrigo Abols, and they did seize quite a bit of momentum from that tally. They controlled play for most of the period up until Lizotte - with his sixth of the season and third in his last eight games - batted home a Noel Acciari chip opportunity around the net-front at the last second to put the Penguins back up by three.
Then, early in the third, Lizotte laid a huge hit on Flyers' forward Denver Barkey near the red line, and his teammate, Matvei Michkov, stood up for him and challenged Lizotte in a fight. Michkov ended up getting an extra minor penalty for roughing, and Crosby - as he always does - made the Flyers pay on the ensuing power play to make it 5-1.
Dewar capitalized off a defensive zone turnover by the Flyers on a pass from Tommy Novak just over a minute later to put the Penguins up, 6-1, but the Flyers started pushing back a bit again afterward. Nick Seeler picked his spot from the left circle to make it 6-2 with just under 11 minutes to go in regulation, then Michkov scored with two and a half minutes left in the game to cut the Penguins' lead to 6-3.
But, after that, the Penguins were able to shut it down. And responding to momentum swings has been something that the Penguins have done well since the break, too.
"I think if you look back at the history of our season, we've let some leads go that we shouldn't have," Lizotte said. "And I think it just shows the learning curve that we've made. In games like this, you have to control emotion, especially when momentum's really not in your favor at the moment.
"When you're protecting a lead - those moments within the game where it could go sour quickly - you have to find a way to change momentum. And I think we did a really good job of that tonight."
Here are some thoughts and observations from the Penguins' big win Thursday:
- Everyone has been talking about the newly extended Lizotte, and for good reason.
But I don't think there are enough words to express how important he has been to the Penguins this season.
Not only does he kill penalties, block shots, and drill down all of the defensive details, there is just an energy and a tenaciousness about him that isn't matched by anyone else on this team. He has the ability to shift momentum in the game with his speed, work ethic, physicality, and forechecking, and he always seems to be part of the game's turning points and most clutch moments.
Both his goal and his hit-then-fight were important moments in the game, and that all-around ability to be a game-changer has not gone unnoticed by his teammates - not even his newest ones.
"I mean, not just tonight, but ever since I've been here, you see a guy that just works hard in both areas of the ice," Skinner said. "A guy that will do absolutely anything for the team to get us two points. He's a fast skater, he goes into the dirty areas, he fights, scores goals.
"Honestly, a player that shows a lot of heart, and all the success that goes to him... he's one of those guys that are very much deserving of it."
He was huge for the Penguins Thursday, and he has been for them all season long.
- That was Chinakhov's third goal in eight games with the Penguins. None of them have been cheapies, and two of them have come off the rush with Malkin.
It's safe to say that Chinakhov is fitting in nicely with the Penguins, and he is certainly building some chemistry with Malkin. But head coach Dan Muse is very impressed with the other areas of Chinakhov's game, too - which isn't something he necessarily knew about him as a player before coming over from Columbus.
“I don’t think he gets enough credit for the way he works away from the puck," Muse said. "He’s done a really good job there in terms of the tracking, the getting back. He’s got some detail to his game. You watch, and he’s changing at the right time, he’s driving wide, he’s drawing a number of penalties.
"So, I think the scoring’s obvious with him, but there’s some things that I’ve learned about him since he’s been here that, maybe, I didn’t know as much but really like.”
I've said it in a lot of post-game coverage, and I'll say it again: I think this is a really good addition for the Penguins. Chinakhov is a nasty goal-scorer, and he simply needed an elite distributor to help him unleash that. But it's not the only thing he does well.
This is a multidimensional player, and Pittsburgh could really, really have something here.
- The Penguins' special teams were very good Thursday, and the power play got a lot of recognition for its three goals.
But the penalty kill has been a huge strength for this team ever since Lizotte re-entered the lineup, and they were 4-for-4 on Thursday. Since the holiday break, the Penguins have only allowed three power play goals, and they have killed 12 straight and allowed just one goal in the last 16 opportunities.
This team has been a pretty good five-on-five team when at full health. But special teams have been an x-factor in their success this season, and there's a good chance they could spell the difference between a playoff berth and a near miss for the Penguins this season.
- As mentioned before, the Penguins have played very, very well defensively since the break. Save from a few lapses here, this is the team from October that was shutting teams down late in games when holding a lead and not giving the opposition much to work with when closing things out.
In fact, the Penguins have blown just two third-period leads - each by just one goal, and each that they ended up winning beyond regulation - since their disastrous blown four-goal lead against the Utah Mammoth on Dec. 14.
They're shutting opponents down late in games, and they're responding so much better when the opposing team does score a goal or grab some momentum.
Jan 15, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Trevor Zegras (46) over the puck against Pittsburgh Penguins center Blake Lizotte (46) during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Brett Kulak has settled in next to Kris Letang, and that pairing has been pretty solid for a few weeks now. They are being asked to play top-pairing minutes in the absence of Karlsson, and they've handled it well in those two games. Jack St. Ivany has stepped up to the plate since Karlsson went down, too, next to Karlsson's regular partner in Parker Wotherspoon, who has been unbelievably solid for the Penguins the entire season.
But even that bottom pairing of Ryan Shea and Connor Clifton have gelled in the past couple of games. Shea looks a bit more himself, and Clifton is throwing the body around and clearing the net-front like nodoby's business right now.
They're not giving up much in terms of high-danger opportunities and odd-man rushes, and it has certainly helped their goaltenders, too. If they keep playing with this defensive detail - and they can couple that with the scoring that this lineup is capable of - this is a legitimately good hockey team.
- Ben Kindel has no goals in his last 15 games. He did register that assist on Brazeau's goal, but the production hasn't been coming for him.
But he was outstanding on Thursday. In fact, I thought he was one of the best - if not the best - player on the ice.
I've talked at length about Kindel, so I won't spend a ton of time on it. But he was everywhere. He was effective on the power play. Killing penalties. Taking key faceoffs. Driving five-on-five play for his line. Making defensive plays and using his smarts and his stick to disrupt.
The details he has nailed down at his age just don't come this easily for 18-year-olds. His all-around game is so, so advanced for his age, and it was on full display Thursday.
The production is going to come. When it does, this kid is going to be a star. He plays like a veteran already.
- This is five straight games for the Penguins where Skinner has been excellent. He looks poised, settled in, comfortable, and confident in the crease, and he's making some big saves for his team whenever they do happen to give up a good opportunity.
He and Silovs have done an excellent job keeping this team in every game. If they can get this level of goaltending down the stretch, this isn't just a legitimately good team. It's a borderline division-contender.
There is still a lot of season left. But if the Penguins can overcome another major injury and string together some wins before the Olympic break, they surely won't be sellers at the trade deadline this season.
Verstappen ‘impressed’ as Red Bull first team to launch
Red Bull formally began their tilt at the forthcoming Formula One season, unveiling the livery for their challenger, the RB22 in a showcase event in Detroit on Thursday with Max Verstappen admitting the sweeping regulation changes for 2026 will be a step into the “unknown”.
Before a highly anticipated season, with a swathe of big rule changes presenting a challenge across the grid, Red Bull are the first in what is due to be a hectic period of launches before pre-season testing begins.
There's no surprise that the Mets are in the market for starting pitching and have been linked to free agents like Framber Valdez, who is still available, and Ranger Suarez, who recently signed with the Red Sox. However, it seems a trade is just as likely for the Mets with their dearth of major league-ready young starters like Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat.
As for the Yankees, the Bombers recently acquired Marlins southpaw Ryan Weathers to give them more depth as they await the returns of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt.
The Yankees may not have the caliber of prospect the Mets have, but they do have more seasoned young arms like Luis Gil and Will Warren to offer.
Thompson trails Stephen Curry, James Harden and Ray Allen on the all-time list.
Thompson kept piling up 3s on Thursday night, going 6-of-13 from beyond the arc as the Mavericks blew out the Jazz, who as a team had just one more 3-pointer than Thompson.
