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Team USA’s 2026 World Baseball Classic run begins tonight in Houston, Texas.
The first of USA’s four games in five days will be against Brazil, with first pitch set for 8 p.m. ET.
The 2023 WBC runner-up, Team USA is bringing a stacked lineup to this year’s edition of the tournament, starting with “Captain America” and Yankees captain Aaron Judge, who will make his WBC debut after sitting out of the tournament in 2023.
The roster also includes Marines catcher Cal Raleigh, who hit 60 home runs and came second in MVP voting; Kyle Schwarber, who led the NL in home runs and RBIs for the Phillies; and MLB stars Alex Bregman, Bobby Witt Jr. and Bryce Harper.
Brazil enters the World Baseball Classic without a single MLB player on the roster.
2026 world baseball classic: what to know
Who: Team USA vs. Team Brazil
When: March 6, 8 p.m. ET
Where: Daikin Park (Houston, Texas)
Channel: FOX
Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free)
Giants ace Logan Webb will get the start for Team USA tonight; Webb has a career 3.38 ERA with 180 MLB games to his name. The rest of Team USA’s starting pitching rotation includes two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, reigning AL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes and Mets rookie phenom Nolan McLean.
Team USA vs. Brazil WBC start time
Team USA vs. Brazil at the World Baseball Classic is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET tonight, March 6.
How to watch Team USA vs. Brazil for free
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the World Baseball Classic for free.
DIRECTV is our favorite service for watching TV live for free — it has a five-day free trial and there are a ton of options for plans that include FOX, including genre packs that offer more flexibility at lower price points. FOX is part of the MyNews genre pack, which is currently discounted to $34.99/month for your first two months.
TRY DIRECTV FOR FREE
World Baseball Classic 2026: Team USA roster
Pitchers: David Bednar (Yankees), Matthew Boyd (Cubs), Garrett Cleavinger (Rays), Clay Holmes (Mets), Griffin Jax (Rays), Brad Keller (Phillies), Clayton Kershaw, Nolan McLean (Mets), Mason Miller (Padres), Joe Ryan (Twins), Paul Skenes (Pirates), Tarik Skubal (Tigers), Gabe Speier (Mariners), Michael Wacha (Royals), Logan Webb (Giants), Garrett Whitlock (Red Sox)
Catchers: Cal Raleigh (Mariners), Will Smith (Dodgers)
Infielders: Alex Bregman (Cubs), Ernie Clement (Blue Jays), Paul Goldschmidt (Yankees), Bryce Harper (Phillies), Gunnar Henderson (Orioles), Brice Turang (Brewers), Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)
Outfielders: Roman Anthony (Red Sox), Byron Buxton (Twins), Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Aaron Judge (Yankees)
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
Feb 27, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; New York Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. (96) hits a two-rbi single against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning during spring training at Lee Health Sports Complex/Hammond Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Don H. asks:I’m just so tired of the Yankees letting players languish in the minors, until their play by or sell by dates are expired. Lombard Jr. is playing shortstop and hitting leadoff this spring, and reminds me a little of Derek Jeter when he first came up. And makes you wonder why Yankee insiders think he needs more seasoning in the minors.
George Lombard Jr.’s development is a far cry from languishing in the minors, having just three seasons as a pro with his age-21 season coming up this year. It’s an understandable concern given the team’s tendency to call up their prospects more towards 25-26 for a variety of reasons (development time, major league players blocking them, etc.), but the clock is nowhere near started on Lombard’s future and he should be around for quite some time should he make a push to the majors soon. On top of that, most scouts and insiders project Lombard to be with the Yankees sometime in 2027, with a few giving him an outside chance of making an appearance this year — Lombard has the potential to be a fast riser in the organization, a great sign for a top prospect.
As for the Jeter comparisons, while his spring has been phenomenal so far it’s important to remember that it’s just that — spring training. Lombard’s track record in the minors so far is a player with excellent defensive potential and a bat that has promise but needs refinement, with his .983 OPS in a 24-game stint in High-A Hudson Valley thus far being an outlier to the rest of his minor league career. The jump up to Double-A Somerset challenged him, and his bat came back down to Earth with a .695 OPS in a 108-game sample size, much more indicative that there’s work to be done still before rushing him into matchups with major league pitching. For all of the vitriol that Anthony Volpe has gotten from Yankees fans for largely being a glove-only shortstop, it’d be naive to rush Lombard into a similar fate when there’s plenty of time for him to figure things out at the appropriate level. And, just to give a look at what Jeter was doing with the bat at that same time, he was crushing the ball to the tune of an .873 OPS in his age-20 season that saw him jump from Single-A to Triple-A, before spending his entire age-21 season in Triple-A slashing .317/.394/.422 before getting a cup of coffee in New York.
NYCKING asks:Should LCS and World Series go to 2-2-1-1-1 format like NBA and NHL does?
The NBA and NHL format is a more “fair” approach from a home field advantage perspective, but there’s a key difference in how the baseball postseason operates that makes the 2-3-2 format feel more fitting for the sport. Introducing more travel would necessitate travel days off as well, allowing more rest for pitchers to recover and potentially allowing for teams to run with just three starters in a series, not to mention the benefits that it would give to high-end relievers whose number gets called in every close game their team finds themselves in come October. That’s not to say that it’d be bad if MLB chose to adopt this format, but it comes with tradeoffs — do you want the biggest stars to get the ball no matter what, or do you want the postseason to test the depth of your roster? On top of that, schedule-wise it would almost assuredly push the World Series further into November, which isn’t the biggest deal to some but might be to executives eyeing how much baseball can compete with football during the late fall ratings-wise.
russell1256 asks:With the Yankees farm system currently ranked in the lower half of baseball, next year, do you see a marked improvement in their ranking? Maybe based on their minor league pitching? They have multiple “studs” everyone is talking about. Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodríguez, Ben Hess, Bryce Cunningham, Chase Hampton, Brendan Beck to name a few.
It largely depends on how many of them are still in the system come next season — the group at large looks promising enough to catch the eyes of scouts if they continue developing, but they might also get dangled in front of general managers for upgrades at the deadline. It’s unlikely that the majority of the prospect core gets dealt out unless the team makes wholesale changes, but given the Yankees’ propensity to deal in quantity over quality because of how their top prospects rank relative to other organizations it might still be enough to prevent a major leap from the farm system overall. There’s also the chance for one or two names to end up playing a role in the 2026 campaign and graduating from the system, though there’d either need to be a remarkable run through the minors by them or a chaotic mess going on with the major league team for that to happen.
MIAMI (AP) — Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery after police say she punched a man in the face at a Miami nightclub.
A four-time WNBA All-Star, Ogunbowale was celebrating early Thursday at the club E11EVEN after winning the Unrivaled championship with the Mist that night. According to Miami-Dade County police records, Ogunbowale punched the man in the face, knocking him to the ground, and security cameras captured the act.
The county corrections department said Ogunbowale has been released from custody.
“The league is aware of an incident involving Arike Ogunbowale and we are in the process of gathering additional information,” Unrivaled spokesperson Tish Carmona said. “We’re in contact with Arike and her representatives.”
The Wings said they were aware of her arrest and “are in the process of gathering more information. Further comments will be provided once we have more details.”
The Associated Press left message seeking comment with Excel Management, which represents Ogunbowale.
Ogunbowale scored 19 points in the title game Wednesday night against the Phantom.
The Vancouver Canucks have reportedly made another deal on trade deadline day, sending David Kämpf to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Kämpf played in 38 games with the Canucks this season and scored two goals and four assists.
Vancouver acquired Kämpf via free-agent signing on November 15 after the forward's contract was terminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to joining the Canucks, Kämpf had yet to make his NHL debut for the 2025-26 season as he had been assigned to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
While with the Canucks, Kämpf also represented Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics alongside Filip Hronek. He scored a goal and an assist in five games played with Team Czechia and averaged a faceoff winning percentage of 52.75%.
Kämpf was not the only Canucks Olympian to be traded today, as Vancouver also sent Lukas Reichel to the Boston Bruins for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Reichel represented Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Vancouver will face the Chicago Blackhawks later today at 5:30 pm PT.
Jan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward David Kampf (64) during a stop in play against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
It sounds like the Sharks did a lot of window shopping, but they certainly didn’t do any buying at the NHL trade deadline.
On Wednesday, the Sharks did re-sign pending UFA Kiefer Sherwood to a five-year contract. Sherwood, acquired on Jan. 19 for essentially a pair of second-round draft picks, ended up being their biggest purchase this season.
And that’s not a bad thing, really.
In general manager Mike Grier’s post-deadline availability, he sent a clear signal that the Sharks were turning the page from their rebuild, but with an accurate sense of where the franchise really is in their competitive cycle.
He’s also keeping his gunpowder dry, saving his best trade assets for a big swing this offseason.
Here are some of the highlights from his chat with the media.
Cautious Buyers?
The Sharks were looking to buy at the trade deadline. That’s a big deal, because that’s the first time they could say that since 2019, the last time that they made the playoffs.
Clearly, acquiring 30-year-old Sherwood for a couple second-rounders is an example of a more aggressive mentality than we’ve grown accustomed to. Usually, Team Teal is out of the playoff picture by Thanksgiving, if not earlier.
That said, San Jose knows that it’s not one player away from a Stanley Cup.
“We were in on a few things throughout the week, but I wasn’t really in the rental market,” Grier said. “We were more into poking around and involved in things with players who had some term.”
Grier revealed that at least the Edmonton Oilers’ 2026 first-round draft pick, acquired last year for Jake Walman, was in play.
“In an ideal world, it’s looking at guys in their 20’s who can keep growing with the group,” Grier said. “We were trying to have an open mind to everything, just not really interested in the rental market.”
Notable players went for first-rounders, but they were all 30-something rental types like John Carlsson and Jason Dickinson, or 30-somethings with term like Justin Faulk, Brayden Schenn, Nazem Kadri and 29-year-old Nicolas Roy.
The reported deal for Colton Parayko, 32, who declined a move to the Buffalo Sabres, also included a first-rounder.
All these players, especially the defensemen, could’ve helped the Sharks, for sure, but San Jose isn’t in a position to throw first-rounders away like candy.
Grier also confirmed his interest in 34-year-old star winger Artemi Panarin, which San Jose Hockey Now reported in January.
“We didn’t really get into it too far, but this was a place I think he would have been willing to come to,” Grier said of Panarin, who has an NMC. “Ultimately for us, I think we thought the assets might be better spent elsewhere.”
The Los Angeles Kings sent top prospect Liam Greentree and a conditional third-rounder to the New York Rangers for Panarin.
Grier also shot down a rumored William Eklund-for-Simon Nemec offer, which would’ve been a swap of a young winger for a young defenseman.
The San Jose Sharks dangled William Eklund to try and get Simon Nemec, but the New Jersey Devils said no in the end.
“I think that was more Twitter stuff,” Grier said. “It’s something where you call and see if someone’s available and then see what the asking price is. That was really about the extent of it. There wasn’t any real getting into it too much.”
The point is, Grier recognizes the Sharks, led by superstar Macklin Celebrini, are in another phase of their quest to become contenders again.
Unlike past years, it wasn’t sell, sell, sell. But San Jose also isn’t yet in buy, buy, buy mode either.
Speaking of Celebrini, the 19-year-old superstar is eligible for an eight-year extension on July 1. This potential record-setting contract is being watched closely league-wide.
Grier revealed that negotiations haven’t started yet, joking, “I don’t want to think about the number.”
Anyway, I’d expect the Sharks to be more aggressive with improving the team this offseason.
In Sherwood, they’re already planning ahead by locking up the gritty scoring winger.
“We didn’t trade for him with the idea of him being a rental; we thought we’d be able to get something done,” Grier said.
There was some online consternation about the price tag and giving a 30-year-old winger such a lengthy extension.
An NHL executive, not with the Sharks, says a five-year, $28.75 million contract was about his prediction for Sherwood on the open market. He predicted Sherwood would get a five-year, $25 million contract, so San Jose was in that range.
Also, there aren’t many players around the league who combine both Sherwood’s skill, grit and leadership. In fact, Sherwood, Will Cuylle and Emil Heineman are the only players in the NHL right now with 15 goals, 100 shots, and 200 hits.
These attributes are craved league-wide.
Grier also tackled the question about Sherwood’s age and length of contract, in contrast with his bruising style of play.
“Not too concerned about it. I know the sports science staff in the gym, I think they’re really confident in the type of shape he keeps himself in, his body and everything,” Grier said. “On top of it, he’s a little bit of a late-bloomer; it’s not like he started playing in the league at 19, he’s been playing this way for ten years leading up to it.”
Obviously, the future isn’t written, but Grier isn’t writing off Sherwood’s durability like some fans have.
“While he plays hard and everything, injuries are a part of the game that can always happen,” Grier said. “We feel confident that he’ll be fine throughout the contract.”
Grier Wanted To Reward This Year’s Sharks
No one, not even Grier or head coach Ryan Warsofsky, would’ve predicted that the Sharks would be on the cusp of a playoff spot at the trade deadline. As of March 5, the Sharks are three points behind the Seattle Kraken for the West’s last wild card spot, but they’ve got two games in hand.
Grier admitted that the team’s pre-deadline three-game winning streak helped make his buy-or-sell decision easier.
“We had a tough road trip going into the break, and then you come out of the break, you lose to Calgary, it could have easily gone sideways if the next three games, they buckled … It definitely had a part in the decision we made over the last couple of days to not strip it away too much and give them an opportunity,” Grier said. “They’ve earned it. Not only these last three games, but really throughout the season—it’s a group that deserves to have a chance to see what they can do.”
This explains keeping pending UFA defenseman Mario Ferraro, who might have netted a second-round pick in a trade.
This also explains not dealing pending UFAs John Klingberg, Vincent Desharnais, Ryan Reaves, Pavol Regenda or Nedeljkovic, all of whom probably would’ve commanded less than Ferraro in a trade.
All this is to say, besides Ferraro, Grier wasn’t exactly walking away from a gold mine of draft picks or anything.
Meanwhile, trading Liljegren does open the door, potentially, for a Sharks prospect to get a look on the blueline, chiefly Luca Cagnoni or Nolan Allen.
Veteran Nick Leddy also is with the Cuda.
The Sharks currently have six healthy defensemen in Dmitry Orlov, Ferraro, Mukhamadullin, Klingberg, Desharnais and Sam Dickinson, and they’ll need a seventh on their upcoming road trip.
Between 5-foot-8 Cagnoni and 6-foot-2 Allan, both left-handers, it’s a contrast of styles.
The more offensive Cagnoni leads Barracuda defensemen with 33 points, on seven goals and 26 assists, in 51 games. That is a little off-pace from last year’s 16 goals and 52 points in 64 contests.
“I think Cags’ season’s been pretty good. I think he set the expectations probably too high [with] how he did last year,” Grier admitted. “He’s taken steps in defending, his rush reads and things like that.”
Allan, acquired this season from the Chicago Blackhawks, is a stay-at-home type.
“Nolan, I think, has been real solid for us,” Grier said. “His skating and his physicality is something that we don’t have a lot of in our group down there…His first pass ability and puck-moving is probably even a little bit better than we maybe initially gave him credit for.
“I’m sure they’ll, at some point, probably be some opportunity for those guys, up here, to get some games in and see how they do.”
Michael Finley is adamant he’s not a member of the fun police.
Nearly two years after the Mavericks executive was caught on video ripping a celebratory beer away from Luka Doncic following Dallas’ Western Conference Finals victory over the Timberwolves, Finley revealed he was absolutely not attempting to throw a wet blanket on his star’s party.
Luka Doncic and his father, Sasa, after the Dallas Mavericks clinched a spot in the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/fbqhft2G6B
Finley insisted to 105.3 The Fan on Thursday that he was actually just temporarily holding the beverage for Doncic so the Mavericks’ social media team could snap some photos of the guard following the big May 2024 win.
“This is the God’s honest truth about the beer situation with our former player,” Finley said. “So after the game in Minnesota, we win the Western Conference championship, we’re on our way to the Finals. I leave the court. I see No. 77 standing over there having a beer, and I say, ‘Congratulations, young fella. You definitely deserve that beer.’
“And he’s like, ‘Thanks, Fin. Thanks.’
“I leave him, I go in the locker room, I celebrate with the rest of the team. We’re having a great time. Champagne’s being popped, pictures are being taken, and we’re having a jolly old time.”
During his visit with @OThankKevin and @inthemageors, #Mavs co-interim GM Michael Finley addressed the viral video of him taking a beer from Luka Doncic after Dallas won the Western Conference Finals:
Finley, though, said when he briefly left the locker room, he noticed some of Dallas’ photographers were “frozen” and staring at Doncic — who was traded to the Lakers only a few months after the incident.
“I’m like, ‘What’s going on, guys? What’s wrong?’” he said. “They said, ‘We want to take a picture of Luka and his dad.’ And I said, ‘Well take the picture. What are you — you guys are great at it. Take the picture.’
Luka Doncic and Michael Finley share a moment after the Mavericks win the Western Conference Finals in 2024. NBAE via Getty Images
“They said, ‘But Luka’s holding a beer. He’s drinking a beer.’”
So Finley said he went to grab the cold one so the Mavs could get some content.
“When you watch the video,” Finley explained, “I go, I take the beer, I hug Luka again, and that’s why Luka looked like, ‘Man, what are you doing? We just talked about this and you said it was cool.’
Luka Doncic and his father Sasa embrace, holding the Western Conference Finals trophy in 2024. Getty Images
“I take the beer, he looks at me in an odd way, they take the picture, two minutes later he comes back and I give him the beer and we continue to celebrate our win.”
Finley, a 15-year NBA veteran who’s now the Mavericks’ co-interim general manager, went on to say that as a former player, he wanted Doncic to enjoy every minute of that victory.
“I’ve been there, I’ve done that and I don’t take it for granted,” he said. “And when a guy like Luka, and what he had done for the team that season, that series, he deserved a chance to celebrate.”
“And,” Finley continued, “I gave the beer back. We celebrated in the locker room. We had a great night. Great trip and went on to the Finals. And yeah, that’s the story. That’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth, as they say.”
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The 3:00 p.m. cutoff has come and gone for the NHL trade deadline, and while the Philadelphia Flyers made some headline-grabbing moves, they did not move what appeared to be their most obvious trade chip.
Flyers moves today:
Bobby Brink to MIN for D David Jiricek Nic Deslauriers to CAR for 2027 conditional 7th round pick Alexis Gendron & Massimo Rizzo to BOS for D Jackson Edward & F Brett Harrison (AHL deal) Claimed C Luke Glendening from NJD
The Flyers started the day off by trading winger Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for David Jiricek, a 22-year-old right-shot defenseman who will report to the AHL upon his arrival in Philadelphia.
Then it was forward Nic Deslauriers to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2027 conditional 7th-round draft pick. Deslauriers saw limited playing time this season, mainly being utilized as a fourth-line piece when the lineup needed some physical edge.
They also picked up a center in Luke Glendening, claiming him off waivers from the New Jersey Devils.
On the AHL side of things, forwards Alexis Gendron and Massimo Rizzo are shipping up to Boston, with the Flyers receiving defenseman Jackson Edward and forward Brett Harrison in return.
Perhaps the biggest headline, though, is who Philadelphia didn't move today—namely defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who was widely regarded as the Flyers player with the most significant interest from teams around the league.
Ristolainen is no stranger to trade rumors, but in the lead-up to today's deadline, it appeared that he could legitimately be on the move, with teams like the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins rumored to be strong potential landing spots. However, the Flyers' asking price for the 31-year-old Finn was reportedly not met, so he will remain on the roster.
I'm told the #Flyers are not moving Rasmus Ristolainen. They did not get their price.@DailyFaceoff
Forwards Owen Tippett and Carl Grundstrom, along with defenseman Noah Juulsen, also floated around as trade chips, but ultimately were not moved either.
In return, Los Angeles sent a 2026 conditional third-round pick to Toronto as the deal was finalized in the late queue at the NHL trade deadline.
That draft pick becomes a second-rounder if the Kings make the Stanley Cup playoffs, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported. As of the trade deadline, Los Angeles is three points behind the Seattle Kraken, who own the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
At last year's trade deadline, the Maple Leafs acquired Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers for a first-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin. This time around, Holland brings in the same player for a far lower price.
Laughton, 31, has been a key penalty killer for the Maple Leafs this season and is an excellent leader and competitor. He's spent most of this campaign as a bottom-six center, taking reps on the third and fourth line.
In 43 games this season, Laughton has eight goals, 12 points and a minus-three rating. He missed some time early in the year with an upper-body injury and was also a healthy scratch for Toronto's last two games. It was listed as roster management, as Leafs GM Brad Treliving was expecting to move him.
In terms of killing penalties, Laughton averages 2:17 of ice time while his team is shorthanded. What ties in nicely with that ability is how good he is in the faceoff dot, posting a 56.7 percent on the year.
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The St. Louis Blues first traded away their captain to the New York Islanders, then made another deal, sending veteran defenseman Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings for first- and third-round picks, veteran minor league defenseman Justin Holl and prospect forward Dmitri Buchelnikov.
The move came right at the end of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday.
In moving Faulk, 33, who was in his sixth season with the Blues, along with Brayden Schenn to the New York Islanders, the Blues have stocked up two first-round picks, two third-round picks a goalie prospect and a minor league skater. Faulk still has one more year at a cap hit of $6.5 million.
Faulk, who was having a solid season, especially offensively with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 61 games, it gives the Red Wings a veteran presence and gives the Blues more picks to perhaps use to deal in the summer or stockpile prospects.
Faulk leaves St. Louis having played 482 games with 232 points (56 goals, 176 assists).
Buchelnikov, 22, is an unsigned draft pick of the Red Wings (second round, 2022). This season, he has played in 39 games for the KHL’s CSKA Moskva and has 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists). Overall, the Nizhny Tagil, Russia native has 108 points (42 goals, 66 assists) in 169 KHL regular-season games.
Holl, 34, has played in 41 games for Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League this season and had 14 points (two goals, 12 assists). He has appeared in eight NHL seasons, including stints with Toronto and Detroit and has 95 points (13 goals, 82 assists) in 396 career NHL regular-season games.
We'll have more on these when general manager Doug Armstrong speaks to the media soon ...
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The Winnipeg Jets have traded veteran winger Tanner Pearson to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick, according to Winnipeg Free Press writer Ken Wiebe.
Pearson, 32, has provided depth scoring and experience for Winnipeg this season. This season, the Kitchener native has recorded eight goals and ten assists for 18 points in 52 games, contributing primarily in a bottom-six role. The Jets added Pearson this past offseason on a one-year, $1 million deal.
Over the course of his NHL career, Pearson has played for several teams including the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, and most recently the Jets. Across 774 career NHL games, he has recorded 157 goals and 168 assists for 325 points, establishing himself as a reliable secondary scoring option for a majority of his career.
Pearson was selected 30th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, where he would go on to win a Stanley Cup in 2014.
For Winnipeg, the move gets something in return for a pending free agent as they look to add some future draft capital and start planning towards next season and the future.
Further details, including the identity of the acquiring club and the exact draft pick involved, are expected once the trade is officially finalized.
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Less than six months after acquiring him, the Vancouver Canucks have dealt forward Lukas Reichel to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Reichel, who spent most of his time in the organization with the Abbotsford Canucks, played a total of 14 games for Vancouver.
Vancouver first acquired Reichel on October 24, 2025 from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. This move was made to help the Canucks deal with depth issues at centre due to injuries to Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger. Reichel’s fit with the team didn’t quite gel the way many hoped it would, as it took him eight games to register his first point with Vancouver. He was ultimately sent down to Abbotsford and has played there since.
In 23 games with Abbotsford, Reichel scored six goals and seven assists, going on a six-game point streak through the end of January to the end of February. He also represented Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics, putting up two goals and one assist in five games. During his Olympic tournament, Reichel ended up playing on lines with both Tim Stützle and Leon Draisaitl.
Vancouver will face Reichel’s former team, the Blackhawks, later today at 5:30 pm PT.
Nov 5, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Lukas Reichel (73) during a stop in play against the Chicago Blackhawks in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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Spring Training is well underway and the World Baseball Classic pool play has also begun. It’s always a good idea to exercise some caution with early stats because players are frequently working through a few things as they prepare for the regular season. That said, there are early indicators we do keep an eye out for, especially for pitchers, like velocity and new pitches. With the obvious small (and early!) sample size caveats in mind, let’s take a closer look at what the Cubs have seen from Shōta Imanaga two starts into Spring Training.
Cubs fans will recall that the 2025 season ended with Imanaga struggling with pitch location and giving up a large number of home runs as a result. To put that in perspective, you can see some of Shōta’s key stats split by season and month below:
Season
Month
IP
TBF
K/9
BB/9
K/BB
HR/9
K%
BB%
K-BB%
AVG
WHIP
BABIP
LOB%
FIP
xFIP
2024
Mar/Apr
27.2
108
9.11
0.98
9.33
0.65
25.93%
2.78%
23.15%
.181
0.80
.227
88.54%
2.41
3.44
2024
May
30.1
123
9.20
2.08
4.43
0.89
25.20%
5.69%
19.51%
.250
1.19
.317
84.91%
3.10
3.81
2024
Jun
27
117
8.33
1.33
6.25
1.67
21.37%
3.42%
17.95%
.288
1.33
.329
53.33%
4.28
4.33
2024
Jul
24.2
97
9.85
1.09
9.00
1.46
27.84%
3.09%
24.74%
.217
0.93
.262
92.78%
3.69
3.67
2024
Aug
36.2
146
9.08
1.47
6.17
2.21
25.34%
4.11%
21.23%
.221
1.01
.234
73.77%
4.83
3.37
2024
Sept/Oct
27
103
8.67
1.67
5.20
1.33
25.24%
4.85%
20.39%
.184
0.85
.206
100.00%
3.72
3.20
2025
Mar/Apr
39
159
6.92
3.00
2.31
1.62
18.87%
8.18%
10.69%
.214
1.13
.220
90.64%
4.93
4.93
2025
May
5.2
22
6.35
1.59
4.00
0.00
18.18%
4.55%
13.64%
.190
0.88
.235
60.00%
2.25
5.52
2025
Jun
5
17
5.40
1.80
3.00
0.00
17.65%
5.88%
11.76%
.063
0.40
.077
100.00%
2.54
5.00
2025
Jul
33.1
134
7.02
0.54
13.00
2.43
19.40%
1.49%
17.91%
.256
1.05
.250
85.47%
5.36
4.53
2025
Aug
34
122
8.47
1.32
6.40
1.32
26.23%
4.10%
22.13%
.154
0.68
.163
81.25%
3.61
3.92
2025
Sept/Oct
27.2
113
7.16
1.30
5.50
3.25
19.47%
3.54%
15.93%
.275
1.23
.260
65.00%
6.68
4.32
Admittedly, some of these samples are minuscule. The 10.2 innings Imanaga threw between May and June last season while dealing with injury are too small to be meaningful. But there are trends here that are notable. Imanaga’s strikeout rate has declined during his time in MLB. His walk rate is still elite. Say what you will about Imanaga, he throws strikes. Unfortunately, the other thing you can see is that those strikes have been more hittable over time, which is a problem.
During his first two spring training starts there is both good and bad news out of Mesa for Imanaga. The good news is that the velocity on Shōta’s pitches has been up a couple of ticks for both starts. In 2025 Shōta’s fourseam averaged 90.8 miles per hour, his splitter was at 83.0 and his sweeper was 80.3. On February 24, Shōta’s fastball sat around 92 miles per hour and hit 94.1, hist splitter mostly sat at 84 and hit 85.5. He threw one sweeper, it was 82.6 miles per hour. This approximately two mile per hour bump persisted in his second start against the White Sox on March 1 — unfortunately, another problem that reared its ugly head during the 2025 season was on display during the March start: a highly elevated home run rate. Of the four hits Imanaga surrendered in that start against the White Sox, three went over the wall.
Obviously it’s early. Imanaga has only thrown 4.2 innings so far this spring, which is an even smaller sample than either of the tiny months I told you to ignore in the table above. His HR/FB rate will not be 37.5 percent for the spring and unless there is a small sample during a month in the regular season, he won’t post a split like that in the regular season. Pitchers are frequently working on their pitch arsenal and approach during the spring in ways that can radically shift their results from start to start. However, if Shōta is still missing middle-middle when Opening Day rolls around an extra two miles per hour might not be enough to get him back to his 2024 results.
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo scored 25 points, Iyana Moore added 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals, and No. 5 seed Notre Dame beat fourth-seeded N.C. State 81-63 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
Notre Dame (22-9), which has won seven in a row and nine of 10, plays top-seeded Duke in the semifinals Saturday.
Hildalgo, who also had five rebounds and five assists, has scored at least 25 points in six consecutive games. She made 12 of 20 field goals.
Cassandre Prosper scored 13 points for the Irish.
N.C. State (20-10) had its three-game win streak snapped. Khamil Pierre had 17 points and 14 rebounds — her 21st double-double this season — for the Wolfpack. Murray State's Sharnecce Currie-Jelks leads the nation with 23 double-doubles.
Moore hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring 48 seconds into the game and Notre Dame led the rest of the way. Moore (17) and Hidalgo (16) combined for 33 first-half points on 13-of-24 (54%) shooting — while the rest of the team made just 2 of 10 from the field — as the Irish took a 40-32 lead into the intermission.
Hildalgo converted a three-point play 38 seconds into the third quarter that pushed the lead into double figures for good and sparked a 16-1 run. Prosper, who was scoreless in the first half, scored 11 points in the spurt that gave the Irish a 56-33 lead.
Zamareya Jones had 14 points, Qadence Samuels scored 12 and Zoe Brooks 10 for N.C. State.
Up next
N.C. State: Awaits a likely NCAA Tournament invitation.
Bobby McMann, once rumored to be a potential addition for the Colorado Avalanche, is instead heading west to the Seattle Kraken. The Toronto Maple Leafs traded the 29-year-old forward to Seattle in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Nick Kypreos.
This marks Toronto’s second roster move this week amid a disappointing season. On Thursday, the Maple Leafs sent centre Nic Roy to Colorado.
Before the deal was finalized, speculation had swirled that McMann could be headed to the Avalanche. Insider Frank Seravalli shared the report on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
Bobby McMann highlights with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Sounds like #GoAvsGo and #LeafsForever engaged again on Bobby McMann. We’ll see where it goes.”
McMann, a Wainwright, Alta., native, has spent his entire NHL career with Toronto. Undrafted out of junior hockey, he signed as a free agent in April 2022 and is now in the second and final year of a two-year, $2.7 million extension. This season, he has produced 32 points (19 goals, 13 assists) in 60 games, demonstrating the speed, physicality, and scoring ability that would have made him an ideal top-nine power forward for Colorado. Over his three NHL seasons, he has tallied 15, 20, and 19 goals, proving his consistency as a goal scorer.
With the trade to Seattle, McMann becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, giving the Kraken a potential short-term boost down the stretch while providing him a fresh opportunity in a new market.
And for the Avalanche, it could be seen as possibly a disappointing deadline. They reportedly had a deal to acquire Nazem Kadri from the Calgary Flames, but ownership nixed the deal at the last second, and they were also unable to snag McMann. However, Nic Roy and Brett Kulak were definitely solid acquisitions.
North Carolina's star freshman and a projected top-five pick in next June's draft, Caleb Wilson, is done for the season after fracturing his right thumb (which requires surgery to repair) while throwing down a dunk in practice on Thursday, North Carolina announced Friday.
Wilson had missed the last six Tar Heel games with a fractured left hand but was working his way back into the rotation when the injury occurred, coach Hubert Davis had told reporters.
Wilson is expected to be cleared to return to basketball activity during the pre-draft process, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. This injury should not impact his draft status.
Wilson, a 6'10" forward, was in the midst of a standout season in Carolia blue, averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
Caleb Wilson was incredible today vs Kansas
24 points 7 rebounds 4 assists 4 steals 9-12 FG
High level motor with NBA athleticism, length, shotmaking, just an incredible performance today pic.twitter.com/IwBQ7B2tOc
Most pundits, as well as front office people NBC Sports has spoken with, have Wilson fourth on draft boards, and maybe the one guy who could crack the "big three" at the top of the board (AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer). His athleticism and power have impressed scouts, and head-to-head he has outplayed Boozer and Peterson when their teams met this season. While there are questions about his game — can he develop a 3-point shot, can he clean up some things defensively — Wilson is considered an elite prospect who almost certainly will be drafted in the top five next June.
