The Chicago Blackhawks have made a few additions this off-season in what has been a pretty quiet summer for them. One of their moves was bringing back old friend Sam Lafferty, as they acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick back in July. This marked the third time that the Blackhawks have traded for Lafferty.
Lafferty is coming off a tough 2024-25 season with the Buffalo Sabres, as he had just four goals, three assists, and a minus-15 rating in 60 games. Overall, the 2014 fourth-round pick simply struggled to find his fit with the Sabres, so it was not particularly surprising to see Buffalo trade him this off-season.
While Lafferty had a rough year with the Sabres in 2024-25, he still has the potential to be a solid addition to the Blackhawks' roster. He played some of the best hockey of his career during his first stint with the Blackhawks and cemented himself as an NHL player in the process. He had his most success in Chicago during the 2022-23 season, as he recorded 10 goals and 21 points in 51 games before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2023 NHL trade deadline.
This was not the only solid season Lafferty has put together during his NHL career, though. Just back during the 2023-24 season with the Vancouver Canucks, the gritty forward scored a career-high 13 goals and recorded 24 points and 191 hits in 79 games. If he can get his offense back to these levels for the Blackhawks while maintaining his heavy style of play, he will end up being a very solid addition to the Blackhawks' bottom six.
Nevertheless, it is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season Lafferty can put together for the Blackhawks in 2025-26. Bringing him back was a low-risk move for Chicago.
Blackhawks Still Have Important Move To MakeThe Chicago Blackhawks have not had as busy of an off-season as they did last summer, but they still have made some moves. They improved their overall depth, as they brought in players like Andre Burakovsky, Sam Lafferty, and Dominic Toninato. They also made a significant move when they signed Ryan Donato to a four-year, $16 million contract extension back in June.
It's Wednesday, August 13 and the Braves (51-68) are in Queens to take on the Mets (64-55). Carlos Carrasco is slated to take the mound for Atlanta against David Peterson for New York.
New York took game two of the series, 13-5 in a thriller that included Pete Alonso breaking the Mets all-time home run record with 253 for his career. That win snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Mets and marks a 2-11 mark over the past 13 games.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Braves at Mets
Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Time: 7:10PM EST
Site: Citi Field
City: Queens, NY
Network/Streaming: FDSNSO, SNY, FS1
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Odds for the Braves at the Mets
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Braves (+163), Mets (-196)
Spread: Mets -1.5
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Braves at Mets
Pitching matchup for August 13, 2025: Carlos Carrasco vs. David Peterson
Braves: Carlos Carrasco, (2-2, 5.91 ERA) Last outing: 9.53 ERA, 6 Earned Runs Allowed, 9 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 2 Strikeouts
Mets: David Peterson, (7-5, 2.98 ERA) Last outing: 6.00 ERA, 4 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 7 Strikeouts
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Braves and the Mets
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday’s game between the Braves and the Mets:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Mets on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Atlanta Braves at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 9.0.
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Braves at Mets
The Mets are 1-7 in the last 8 games and 2-11 in the past 13
Atlanta is 3-1 in the last 4 games
Atlanta is 2-8 in the last 10 games
The Mets have won 3 straight divisional matchups
The Under is 20-11-1 in the Braves' divisional matchups this season
The Mets have covered the Run Line in 3 straight matchups against the Braves
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It's Wednesday, August 13 and the Padres (68-52) are in San Francisco to take on the Giants (59-61). Nick Pivetta is slated to take the mound for San Diego against Kai-Wei Teng for San Francisco.
The Padres will entertain a sweep over the Giants after a 5-1 on Tuesday and 4-1 on Monday. San Diego is winners of four-straight, while San Francisco is the opposite with four consecutive losses as the Giants continue to play itself out of the playoff picture.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Padres at Giants
Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Time: 3:45PM EST
Site: Oracle Park
City: San Francisco, CA
Network/Streaming: SDPA, NBCSBA
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Odds for the Padres at the Giants
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Padres (-156), Giants (+132)
Spread: Padres -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Padres at Giants
Pitching matchup for August 13, 2025: Nick Pivetta vs. Kai-Wei Teng
Padres: Nick Pivetta, (11-4, 2.94 ERA) Last outing: 7.50 ERA, 5 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 3 Walks, and 3 Strikeouts
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Padres and the Giants
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday’s game between the Padres and the Giants:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the San Diego Padres on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the San Francisco Giants at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Padres at Giants
San Diego is 4-0 in the last 4 and 6-1 in the past 7
San Francisco is 0-4 in the last 4 and 3-4 in the past 7
The Padres have won 4 of their last 5 away games against teams with losing records
The Under is 4-1 in the Giants' last 5 matchups against divisional opponents
It has been 4 games since the Giants last covered the Run Line
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The Kings went 1-3 in the group stage last season, missing the knockout round.
If the Kings advance out of the group stage, they head to the knockout rounds. The Western and Eastern Conference quarterfinals take place on Dec. 9 and 10, while the conference semifinals will be held on Dec. 13.
Should the Kings survive the single-elimination knockout stage, they will play in the NBA Cup championship game on Dec. 16.
Sacramento heads into the 2025-26 NBA season looking to return to the playoffs after losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference play-in tournament in April.
It's Wednesday, August 13 and the Tigers (69-52) are in Chicago to take on the White Sox (44-76). Shane Smith is slated to take the mound for Chicago, while Detroit has yet to announce its starting pitcher.
The White Sox even up the series against the Tigers at one apiece after a 9-6 victory on Tuesday. Detroit's struggles continue and it appears they will roll with an opener rather than a rotational starter for the series finale in Chicago as Tarik Skubal takes the mound at Minnesota Thursday.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Tigers at White Sox
Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Time: 2:10PM EST
Site: Rate Field
City: Chicago, IL
Network/Streaming: FDSNDT, CHSN
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Odds for the Tigers at the White Sox
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Tigers (-130), White Sox (+109)
Spread: Tigers -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Tigers at White Sox
Pitching matchup for August 13, 2025: TBA vs. Shane Smith
Tigers: TBA
White Sox: Shane Smith, (3-7, 4.22 ERA) Last outing: 3.60 ERA, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 4 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 8 Strikeouts
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Tigers and the White Sox
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday’s game between the Tigers and the White Sox:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Detroit Tigers on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago White Sox at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Tigers at White Sox
Chicago is 2-7 in the last 9 games
Detroit is 4-5 in the last 9 games
The White Sox have lost 27 of 43 games this season following a win
The Over is 4-1 in the Tigers' last 5 divisional matchups
The Tigers have failed to cover in their last 5 games against the White Sox
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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The senior, a sprint star in track, rushed for 1,493 yards and 25 touchdowns last season while catching 40 passes for 498 yards and four touchdowns last season
It's Wednesday, August 13 and the Pirates (51-70) are in Milwaukee to take on the Brewers (75-44). Mitch Keller is slated to take the mound for Pittsburgh against Brandon Woodruff for Milwaukee.
The Brew Crew continues its dominance with an 11th straight win! Milwaukee beat Pittsburgh 14-0 after a 7-1 victory on Monday, so it's 21-1 on the series score if you're counting, Pittsburgh (I am a Pirates fan).
Milwaukee holds the best record in the MLB, the No. 1 seed in the NL, and is larger than a -500 favorite to win the NL Central amid this blue-burning winning streak.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Pirates at Brewers
Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Time: 2:10PM EST
Site: American Family Field
City: Milwaukee, WI
Network/Streaming: SNP, FDSNWI, MLBN
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Odds for the Pirates at the Brewers
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Pirates (+160), Brewers (-192)
Spread: Brewers -1.5
Total: 7.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Pirates at Brewers
Pitching matchup for August 13, 2025: Mitch Keller vs. Brandon Woodruff
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Pirates and the Brewers
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday’s game between the Pirates and the Brewers:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Milwaukee Brewers on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Pittsburgh Pirates at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Pirates at Brewers
Milwaukee is 11-0 in the last 11 games
Pittsburgh is 0-4 in the last 4 games
Pittsburgh is 4-8 over the past 12 games
The Brewers have won 17 of their last 20 home games with Brandon Woodruff as starting pitcher
In his last 5 home starts on the mound the Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff has an ERA of 1.96
The Brewers have covered the Run Line in 4 straight matchups against the Pirates
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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It's Wednesday, August 13 and the Nationals (47-72) are in Kansas City to take on the Royals (60-60). Jake Irvin is slated to take the mound for Washington against Seth Lugo for Kansas City.
The Royals chase of the three-game sweep over the Nationals continues after Kansas City took game two, 8-5. Kansas City is now 3-1 in the past four games and 4-2 in the previous six, while Washington is in a slide at 3-10 over the last 13 contests.
A win and sweep in favor of the Royals would put Kansas City above .500 for the first time since they were 34-33 (now 60-60).
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Nationals at Royals
Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Time: 2:10PM EST
Site: Kauffman Stadium
City: Kansas City, MO
Network/Streaming: MASN2, FDSNKC
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Odds for the Nationals at the Royals
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
Moneyline: Nationals (+152), Royals (-183)
Spread: Royals -1.5
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Nationals at Royals
Pitching matchup for August 13, 2025: Jake Irvin vs. Seth Lugo
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Royals
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday’s game between the Nationals and the Royals:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Kansas City Royals on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Washington Nationals at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the under on the Game Total of 9.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Nationals at Royals
Washington is 0-2 in the last 2 games
Washington is 3-10 in the last 13 games
The Royals have won 7 of their last 9 games at home
The Nationals' last 3 games versus the Royals have gone over the Total
The Royals have covered the Run Line in 5 of their last 6 matchups against the Nationals
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Steph Curry and the Warriors’ road to the 2025 NBA Cup knockout rounds begins Friday, Nov. 7, with a Group C matchup against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets in Denver and concludes Wednesday, Nov. 26, against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets at Chase Center in San Francisco.
In between those two games, Golden State will play the Spurs on Friday, Nov. 14, in San Antonio and host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Nov. 21.
If the Warriors advance out of the group stage, they head to the knockout rounds. The Western and Eastern Conference quarterfinals take place on Dec. 9 and 10, while the conference semifinals will be held on Dec. 13.
Should the Warriors survive the single-elimination knockout stage, they will play in the NBA Cup championship game on Dec. 16.
The Warriors made it to the knockout stage last season, winning Group C with a 3-1 record. But they lost 91-90 to the Rockets in the quarterfinals. Houston would go on to lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinal.
Golden State got its revenge in April by taking down Houston in a thrilling seven-game first-round NBA playoff series.
With Jimmy Butler in the fold to begin the 2025-26 season, the Warriors are better equipped to do damage in the NBA Cup. But the path is daunting with games against the Nuggets, Spurs, Trail Blazers and Rockets.
From milestone blasts to walk-offs to October clouts that will live forever in Mets lore, Pete Alonso has hit a ton of home runs, more than anyone in Flushing history.
But which round-trippers are his best ever? We engaged a crack team of homerologists to come up with a list of Alonso’s Top 5. They used everything from tape measures to Statcast to their deep feel for baseball (and Mets) history to determine which of Pete’s nukes really stand out.
You’ve got to start somewhere, and Alonso did on April 1, 2019. It was a delight that the Mets took him on the big league roster out of spring camp instead of trying to manipulate his service time and, zowie, did it pay off. After going homer-less in his first three MLB games, Alonso gave the baseball world an idea of what to expect when his bat meets ball. With the Mets up by a run in the ninth inning in Miami, he smashed a three-run homer off righty Drew Steckenrider to give the Mets a cushion in what eventually was a 7-3 win. The drive went 112.8 mph off the bat and traveled 444 feet to center field.
Sep 3, 2020; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) is greeted by teammates to celebrate the victory after hitting a 2 run home run during the tenth inning against the New York Yankees at Citi Field. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
4. Pete punishes pinstripers
Alonso seems to have a flair for big moments, so it’s hard not to choose his first walk-off career home run, which came on Sept. 3, 2020 and doomed the Yankees. With the score knotted at 7 in the bottom of the 10th inning at Citi Field, Alonso powered a 404-foot shot down the left-field line off Albert Abreu, clobbering Abreu’s 97.5-mph four seamer. Since Dom Smith started the inning on second base – he was the Manfred Man – the Mets won the game by a 9-7 score. Weird nugget: The “fans” in the stands were cutouts, since it was the pandemic season.
3. The one where we cheat
The 2019 season was milestone mania for Alonso, who set the MLB rookie record for homers and the Mets’ club mark for a single season, too, by blasting 53. We can’t leave any of these record-breakers out! We refuse. So we are going to recognize them all, starting with his 27th homer that year, which came off Cole Hamels at Wrigley Field and broke Strawberry’s Mets record for rookie homers in a single season. When he hit No. 40 roughly two months later, it broke Cody Bellinger’s mark for an NL rookie. When he slugged No. 42 on Aug. 27, he set the Mets single-season record, passing Todd Hundley and Carlos Beltran. And when he hit his 53rd on Sept. 28 off Mike Foltynewicz of the Braves, he broke the MLB rookie record Aaron Judge had set two years earlier. What a season.
New York Mets first base Pete Alonso (20) hits a three-run home run in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
2. Postseason Polar (Bear) power
The Mets were facing elimination in Game 5 of the 2024 NLCS against the Dodgers, but Alonso gave them a first-inning jolt that helped spur a 12-6 win and push the series to six games. Facing Jack Flaherty, who had shredded the Mets in Game 1, Alonso reached down and golfed a Flaherty offering over the center field fence, a three-run drive that traveled 432 feet. According to MLB.com, it was the longest postseason homer by a Met in the Statcast Era (since 2015), topping Travis d’Arnaud’s 431-foot shot off the Home Run Apple in 2015.
1. Duh
One day, Alonso may hit a bigger home run than our list-topper. That would be incredible, because what Alonso did on Oct. 3, 2024 was historic. It saved the Mets season – maybe saved Alonso’s Mets career, too, considering he was heading into free agency off a down (for him) season. In the ninth inning of Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Brewers, the Mets were down, 2-0, with two on and one out in the ninth inning. Their superlative closer, Devin Williams, was on the mound. Fairly bleak, right? But Alonso hit a three-run homer and the Mets went on to win, 4-2. Alonso’s home run was the first ever go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of a winner-take-all postseason game hit while the player’s team was trailing. That’s a bit of a mouthful; simply put, it’s one of the great clutch swings in MLB history.
Honorable mention(s)
We can’t stop ourselves. And we’d be remiss if we did not mention July 17, 2019, when Alonso hit the longest home run of his career, a 489-foot mash off Matt Magill in Minnesota. Then there’s the day in 2024 (Aug. 8) when he slugged two homers off Austin Gomber at Coors Field that went 471 feet and 454 feet, respectively. That’s 925 feet worth of homers! In the 2021 Home Run Derby, Alonso was credited with a 514-foot shot in Colorado. Man, imagine if Alonso played his home games at Coors Field? One last one – Alonso got plenty of national buzz after his performance in the 2018 MLB Futures Game when he smacked a 415-foot homer, kind of like he was saying, “Hello, baseball world, I’m the future Mets club leader in home runs.”
Since being traded by the St. Louis Blues to the Montreal Canadiens, Zachary Bolduc has been looking forward to playing for the team he cheered for as a kid. He’s been to Brossard to check out the CN Sports Complex and has spoken to his new coach a couple times. La Presse’s Simon Olivier Lorange caught up with Bolduc and new Habs signing Samuel Blais at the first edition of the QMJHL Foundation tournament in Terrebonne.
According to Lorange, he jokingly asked Bolduc if he was ready to kill penalties and the forward replied that when training camp comes around, he’ll be ready for any kind of opportunity. The youngster was dead serious even though he’s only played a grand total of 21 seconds on the PK in his young career.
The forward acquired in return for Logan Mailloux added that he wants to help the Canadiens in any way possible, be it at even strength, on the power play or even when down a man. While he’s never had the opportunity to be a penalty killer, he told Lorange that he’s smart and sees the game well, playing on the PK is something he would like to had to his toolbox.
The 22-year-old has a single season of experience in the big league, but he is seen as a player who has a legitimate chance at a top-six spot. In 72 games, he racked up 36 points, 12 of which came on the power play. It will be interesting to see who Martin St. Louis elects to use with the man advantage now that Bolduc, Ivan Demidov and Noah Dobson can make reasonable first-unit cases.
Last season, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson and Patrik Laine all joined forces on the top unit, but now that there have been significant new additions to the lineup, who should be on the first line unit and who should lose their spot? That’s going to be an interesting story to follow when training camp rolls around.
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Grousbeck also is expected to retain his CEO title through 2028, while Chisholm will take over as lead owner when the sale goes through, which could happen as soon as next week.
What does this all mean for the future of the organization? As Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg explained Tuesday on Arbella Early Edition, the team’s day-to-day operation shouldn’t change much under this arrangement.
“(It’s) a little bit of a change from what was expected, but I don’t think this is going to change a whole lot in how the dynamic is going to work moving forward,” Forsberg said.
“I think that Bill Chisholm is gonna enjoy having Wyc here to help steward the franchise forward in this transition process, but Bill, after paying $6.1 billion, is understandably going to sit in the lead chair. He’ll be the guy who goes to the Board of Governors meetings and has that bigger role as the Celtics chart a path forward here.”
According to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov, the NBA doesn’t allow someone to serve as lead governor if they don’t own at least 15 percent of the franchise. With Chisholm set to take at least a 51 percent ownership stake in the team until the full sale is complete in 2028, it makes sense that he’d assume that “lead role” given his financial investment.
As Forsberg noted, however, Grousbeck still will be involved in the franchise’s operations, even if Chisholm is atop the masthead.
“The fans probably won’t notice much change from the outside,” Forsberg added. “It’s still going to be a collaborative effort. But I do believe that when you pay a hefty price — we thought that at some point, Bill would elevate to that role maybe even before 2028.
“But Wyc will still have a part of this, and Bill Chisholm can start leaving his imprint on this new franchise and finding a way to get them back to a championship level.”
For his part, Chisholm has placed his trust in Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, who has aggressively trimmed salary this offseason in an effort to trim salary but has ownership’s blessing to spend in the future and rebuild a contender in Boston when Jayson Tatum returns from his ruptured Achilles.
“Bill has been pretty clear from the get-go that he wants to make sure that we’re prioritizing basketball assets and the ability to retool this thing at the highest level that we can,” Stevens said last month.
All-rounder is back on form and would be an exciting addition to England’s squad, says Leicestershire’s director of cricket
As the Hundred fires into primary-coloured summer action, all free T-shirts and AI fan photos, the Spin has been putting her feet up, coffee in one hand, notebook in the other, chewing over the Championship season to date.
If the notebook has proved a bitter disappointment, scribbled with long-forgotten three for 67s, the ruminations have been fun. It’s been a season of surprises – Leicestershire! Lancashire! – and memorable moments, from Tom Banton’s 371 in the very first game to Ian Botham’s thunder and fury over Somerset’s field-of-onions pitch for the game against Durham.
The Giants’ organization took a significant step forward in recent weeks.
At the minor-league level.
San Francisco, by trading relief pitchers Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski before MLB’s July 31 trade deadline, received eight players (seven prospects) that appear to have significantly improved its farm system in the eyes of some experts.
MLB.com’s Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo released their updated ranking of all 30 farm systems, and the Giants are on the rise.
“The most improved system since our March rankings — up 10 spots from No. 28 — the Giants are loaded with young talent and poised to continue to climb,” MLB.com wrote. “Eldridge is raking in Triple-A at age 20, but many of their best prospects have starred in Rookie ball this year, including shortstops Josuar Gonzalez and Jhonny Level and right-handers Argenis Cayama, Keyner Martinez and Alberto Laroche.
“Outfielders are becoming a strength of the system, led by Bo Davidson (signed as a nondrafted free agent) and Dakota Jordan.”
While the Giants continue to struggle mightily at the major-league level, their farm system at least is trending upward as the team continues to look toward the future.
Blackhawks Still Have Important Move To MakeThe Chicago Blackhawks have not had as busy of an off-season as they did last summer, but they still have made some moves. They improved their overall depth, as they brought in players like Andre Burakovsky, Sam Lafferty, and Dominic Toninato. They also made a significant move when they signed Ryan Donato to a four-year, $16 million contract extension back in June. 
