FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 19: Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox look on in the bullpen during a Spring Training workout at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 19, 2025 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Friday night, just a few days before the New England Patriots attempt to assume their rightful position as the class of the NFL (narrator: they did not), I was doing what any 28-year-old man does on a Friday night: talking about relief pitching. As I was scrolling Twitter, I ran into a tweet from Sammy James, a co-host of the Play Tessie Podcast. Sammy is always thinking outside the box when it comes to roster moves, and pitched old friend Jalen Beeks as a potential fit for the left-handed relief role in the bullpen.
I wonder if the Red Sox could have any interest in a reunion with FA Jalen Beeks. His changeup was elite in 2025—opponents hit .067 with an .080 SLG off of that pitch. Fastball sits between 94-95 MPH, pretty solid. Plenty for the pitching lab to work with. Red Sox need a LHP. pic.twitter.com/BQfQb441x7
He highlighted Beeks’ changeup, noting the remarkably low batting average and slugging percentage against it. If you look at those numbers and nothing else, it appears to be an elite pitch. I dug in a little bit further, and while I found that the pitch was solid, I wouldn’t place it among the league’s best changeups.
Not that the changeup is a bad pitch, but I’d be careful using BAA and SLG at the pitch type level here. 30% zone rate and almost never throwing it behind in the count is doing a lot of work there. A 55% strike rate and fairly average movement means probably can’t throw it much…
None of this is a knock on Sammy. He’s got great insights and has as many ideas on how to improve the roster as anyone. At the same time, I’ve written what feels like 1,500 pitcher evaluations, and don’t think I’ve ever broken down my methodology.
The Red Sox could use a left-handed reliever. Last season, Justin Wilson, Brennan Bernardino, and Chris Murphy were the first lefties out of the pen for the Red Sox. As it stands, none of those three is on the 40-man roster. Outside of Aroldis Chapman, there aren’t many left-handed relievers with major league experience on the team, making an addition to the group before the season begins likely.
There’s not necessarily a rush to acquire a reliever. While it’s definitely a hole, as teams cut down their rosters, there will be opportunities to find a lefty, and they won’t need much time to stretch out before the season. Still, having bodies in camp to see what you have is a good thing. So, with all that being said, let’s look at one option and see what he might bring to the table for Boston.
Jalen Beeks
The bulk of my analysis is done with three websites: Pitcher List, Baseball Savant, and FanGraphs. Baseball Savant is always a decent starting point, just for their dashboard information.
I focus on the left and right panels, although the middle panel is probably the most popular among people who pretend that they know what they’re talking about (that’s another rant for another day). On the left, we see the pitch usage chart, broken out by handedness. Handedness is everything. Garrett Crochet throws his sinker 16% of the time, which makes it appear to be a secondary offering. When we split it, we see it’s his most thrown pitch by a wide margin to lefties at 37%. For Beeks, we can see he’s a pretty fastball-heavy pitcher, using a changeup most often as a change of pace, and mixing in a cutter against lefties. On the right, I like to see the arm angle, because it provides some context about pitch usages. Beeks is more over the top, which means he’ll likely have a harder time generating East-West movement. The movement chart helps see how much of the plate a pitcher can cover, but it’s hard to draw conclusions from movement alone.
Pitching is about getting outs. The best way to get outs is to throw strikes. That’s what we look for next: what pitches does he throw for strikes, and how does he end at-bats? Beeks is a left-handed reliever, and while the three-batter minimum rule means he’ll have to get righties out as well, I’m mostly concerned with what he does in same-handed matchups.
Going over to Pitcher List, we can filter by handedness and see when Beeks is throwing each pitch.
The right side of the Counts tab is categorized into three sections: Early, Behind, and Two-Strike. Early consists of the first two pitches of an at-bat as well as 1-1 pitches, behind consists of 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, and 3-1 counts, and two-strike is any two-strike count (duh). If it were up to me, I’d have an additional view showing the percentage of each bucket by pitch type, but we can use Baseball Savant’s search function to find that. Beeks, for example, throws a four-seam fastball 58.3% of the time in “early” counts. Putting all of this together, it looks like he uses his four-seam fastball and cutter to get strikes, and his changeup to put hitters away.
Now that we understand what Beeks is trying to do, we can assess his effectiveness. The overview tab on Pitcher List is great for this.
Paring it down to one pitch, we get nice percentiles and averages, although sometimes I’m skeptical of how accurate the percentiles are (They’re based on total stats and don’t change based on the handedness filter, for example). Regardless, strike rate is always the first place I look, and Beeks fastball has a huge number. It also comes with a massive 60% zone rate, as well as a mediocre 9.5% swinging strike rate and 15.2% called strike rate. A 70% strike rate with swinging and called strike numbers that low likely means the ball is in play a lot. So how’s the contact?
Here’s where you might be tempted to look at batting average or slugging percentage, but those can lead you astray because they’re only considering the final pitch of an at-bat. A pitch that’s thrown only in two-strike counts out of the zone is going to have a low batting average, because it will result in strikeouts, weak contact, or be taken for a ball. I like to use Ideal Contact Rate (ICR) because the denominator is total batted ball events, removing strikeouts from the equation. For a fastball, we want to see a number below 40%. In Beeks’ case, the 53.5% mark against lefties is high. That’s in part because the pitch is in the zone so often, but also because the shape isn’t much of an outlier.
Beeks also throws the majority of his cutters early in counts, although 34% usage in two-strike counts is fairly high as well. A look at the metrics shows a 15.8% swinging strike rate and a 17.1% called strike rate. The strike rate is incredibly low at 51%, while the zone rate is also fairly low at 38%. Because it’s able to return both called strikes and swinging strikes, my assumption is he’s deploying it more as a slider in two-strike counts. Looking at the heatmaps (below) that appears to be the case. Further, if you look at the movements, he throws some cutters as hard as 88 mph with less vertical drop, while others are as slow as 82 mph.
The pitch returned a 44.4% ideal contact rate, which is high for an off-speed pitch that isn’t in the zone much. It didn’t induce many chases either. It was able to generate whiffs at a decent rate, but it was a pitch that lefties handled well for the most part. Overall, when looking at the pitches designed to be strike-getters, both are hit fairly hard, and only the four-seam returns consistent strikes.
We’ll circle back to the strike-getting pitches, but let’s jump ahead to the changeup. Same-handed changeups are controversial. Some people hate them, some people are fine with them. I think it depends on the changeup, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Beeks throws his changeup 26.6% of the time to lefites, most of which are in two-strike counts. He throws it primarily down and inside to lefties, which always gives me pause, but it appears to work for him. While it’s only in the zone 35% of the time, the 42% chase rate and 20% swinging strike rate are both excellent. The ICR rate was 0%, but the sample was incredibly small. It’s been a solid pitch throughout his career, though, so it’s safe to say that hitters will continue to struggle with it.
While his changeup is a good pitch, I’ll again caution against using plate appearance level stats such as batting average against as your barometer. Take Jojo Romero, for example. He throws his changeup 22.3% of the time, and opponents hit just .167 against it. At the same time, it was never in the zone and only returned a 14% swinging strike rate and 50% called strike rate. While the pitch wasn’t getting punished, it also wasn’t doing its job by generating whiffs; batters were just letting it go for a ball. A .167 batting average might make you think it’s one of the best changeups in baseball, but it’s wildly inefficient.
So now that we’ve looked at all three of his pitches against lefties, what I see is a pitcher with a good putaway pitch, but one who needs to find a way to get ahead in counts. While his four-seam returns strikes, it gets hit too hard for him to throw it 50% of the time. His 2025 cutter shows some promise in its swinging and called strike numbers, but it doesn’t get enough chase to support a 38% zone rate.
He was very successful against lefties in 2025, so there isn’t necessarily a need to make changes, but there’s room for improvement early in counts. I’m speculating at this point, but a return to his 2024 cutter, which featured more vertical lift and was slightly harder, could pay dividends. He used the pitch more often, and while it wasn’t returning strikes at a high rate, the contact against it was poor. High cutters can often drop back into the zone for called strikes, which would play well off his four-seam fastball. Again, Beeks was great against lefties in 2025, but the contact stats against his fastball suggest some regression there if he doesn’t make changes.
I’ve written 1,500 words about Jalen Beeks so far, so I won’t repeat the process, but you should. Use Pitcher List and Baseball Savant, and tell me what you think about Beeks against righties. It’s fun. I promise.
There’s one more part I haven’t mentioned, and it’s arguably the most important. Watch the pitcher pitch. While a huge swinging strike rate can’t be faked, you might see a pitcher who’s missing spots over and over again and posit that they won’t have the same success consistently. In the case of Beeks, you’ll find an unorthodox delivery that looks to be deceptive. It reminds me of Kutter Crawford, but the ball is hidden at his hip rather than his ear. Nerds (like myself) run baseball (not me), but the game is still played on the field. There’s a lot to learn by watching.
Familiar face, Erick Fedde, is returning to the White Sox for another stint on the South Side. | Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn Images
White Sox pitchers and catchers officially reported to camp yesterday, beginning their Spring Training preparations for the 2026 season at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. There, they’ll ease into throwing routines and conditioning ahead of full-squad workouts later this month with their first Cactus League game scheduled on Feb. 20 against the Chicago Cubs.
For South Side fans, camp is more than just formality. It’s the first chance to see how the pitching staff comes together, with both new and returning faces. Veterans like Erick Fedde, who just signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract to compete for a rotation spot, and Anthony Kay, looking to make his MLB comeback, will join young arm prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith. Don’t forget about some of last year’s most consistent performers in Shane Smith, Davis Martin and Mike Vasil. Meanwhile, there are injury recovery stories to follow for hurlers Prelander Berroa, Mason Adams and Drew Thorpe as they work back from Tommy John surgery. Lastly, there are two Rule 5 Draft picks, Jedixson Paez and Alexander Alberto, in the mix. All will build up their innings and look to prove themselves to new pitching coach Zach Bove and his staff.
From the backstop perspective, there’s a plethora of depth at the position. Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero are one of the most fascinating young catching duos in baseball. Teel flashed plenty of bat with plus hit tools during his rookie campaign. He hit .273 with eight home runs and 35 RBI at just 23 years old and is considered a high ceiling OBP bat behind the dish. Teaming him up with fellow-year catching prospect Quero has allowed Chicago to have one of the deepest young tandems in the league. The 22-year-old Cuban rookie also stood his ground at the MLB level in 2025. Having posted a .268 batting average with five home runs and 36 RBI as a switch-hitter in his first year, Quero provides Chicago with a nice complementary catching profile. While having two solid catchers is a good problem to have, juggling playing time will be a significant challenge for second-year manager Will Venable.
Then there’s also still the issue of Korey Lee, and it’s doubtful that the Sox head into the season carrying three catchers. Lee is out of minor league options, so while three catchers certainly allows for flexibility, it just doesn’t seem like a very sensible roster move. It’s possible that GM Chris Getz is waiting to showcase Lee’s ability in Spring Training and working behind the scenes to get a trade done before the season starts.
Overall, Spring Training feels a bit more significant this year. There’s real arm competition in the starting rotation and meaningful decisions to be made behind the plate. These first few weeks in Glendale won’t just be about loosening up those arms and knocking off the rust. They’ll be about answering questions about who fits where, what players can be expected to do, and which guys will be factors as we look to upgrade on last year’s squad. Of course, these things will start to sort themselves out as camp progresses and games start getting put on the schedule. But for now, pitchers and catchers reporting gets us one step closer to baseball and Opening Day!
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 15: A general view of the Coca Cola bottle and glove at Oracle Park before a MLB game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the San Francisco Giants on August 15, 2025 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
As we approach Spring Training and the beginning of the season, we’re going to be doing some questions for y’all about your thoughts about the San Francisco Giants and baseball in general!
Today’s question: How would you rank the 2026 NL West?
The Giants have the misfortune of being in one of the most difficult divisions in baseball at the moment. Aside from the outlier that was the 2021 season, they have not taken the division since 2012 and the last time they even managed second place was 2016.
So let’s do our best to see if we can rank the NL West teams for the 2026 season. You can rank them in a way that makes sense, or not. I’m not the boss of you, and I’m pro-manifesting success through sheer delusion.
Here’s my ranking:
5. Colorado Rockies
This is an obvious ranking, of course. The Rockies have not been competitive in the division or otherwise since 2018 and at this point I’m not sure if they’re even still an actual team, or a group of LARP-ers who show up to take the field when the Giants are in town.
4. San Francisco Giants
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. But this feels realistic to me. The only reason they didn’t end up in fourth place last season, in my opinion, is the hot start to the season that they had. And while I think the 2026 team might be slightly better than the 2025 team, I don’t think it’s significant enough. Though I’d love to be wrong! I often am.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
I struggled with this one, because I think the Diamondbacks are basically the Giants at this point so it could go either way. The Diamondbacks have been trending downward over the last couple of seasons after their World Series loss in 2023. However, I’m giving them an edge over the Giants because their ballpark is hitter friendly, and the Giants’ is where offense goes to die a slow painful death.
2.) San Diego Padres
The Padres are tough to predict, but they’ve been pretty consistent over the last few years, cementing themselves as the given second place team in the division after having done so in four of the last six seasons. So I think this one is a fairly safe bet as well.
1.) Los Angeles Dodgers
I hate typing this. I know you hate reading it. But it’s the reality we live in. Unless something catastrophic happens, I think it’s a very safe bet that the Dodgers will take the division once again. Just like they’ve done for 11 of the last 12 seasons. What a joy.
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 05: Avery Hayes #85 of the Pittsburgh Penguins, playing in his first NHL game, is congratulated by Rutger McGroarty #2 after scoring his first goal during a game against the Buffalo Sabres on February 05, 2026 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The Olympic break gives a chance to pause and look at the top prospects within the Penguins’ organization. Here’s a quick refresher based off last summer’s rankings for how things are going for the prospects.
Tier 7: #22 – honorable mentions; Long-term prospects with some upside
The biggest story in this group is the great season that Lucius is off to at Arizona State. The Penguins have a decision coming up to sign him, being as this is his last year of NCAA eligibility. As of now he’s definitely looking like a player that should be brought in on an AHL PTO and eventually signed to a pro contract. Otherwise this list about is what it is for some longer-term prospects, including honorable mention and 2025 fifth round pick Ryan Miller who is playing as well as anyone in this tier (53 points in 49 games for WHL Portland).
Tier 6: #15 – 21; Slightly more developed prospects still a ways away
This has been one of the more interesting tiers, albeit dogged by injuries. Tanner Howe has made an early splash in his debut in the AHL following a lengthy rehab from a torn ACL in 2025. Unfortunately Joona Vaisanen, one of the top players on last year’s Western Michigan NCAA championship team, was lost for the season early on with an injury. Emil Pieniniemi balked at going to the ECHL, eventually relented and got his season off to a delayed start (with a few AHL callups along the way). Broz and Hayes have been chugging along as some of the team’s best AHL players but still looking for traction at making the leap to the NHL. Hayes with two goals in an almost accidental one-game cameo (that only happened due to an illness, a childbirth and an injury) will put him on the radar for more as it opens.
Tier 5: #12 – 14; Intrigue, but patience required
Patience was required and patience will be tested here. Kettles, a 2025 second round pick, was lost early in the season with a shoulder injury, in what could be a tough obstacle to overcome for a young player and career. Fernstrom struggled in Sweden, getting demoted a league before the Penguins decided they wanted him to work in the minor leagues. To his credit, he’s made the most of the chance with a strong opening impression. Ilyin remains a very productive player in Russia. The picture, overall, in this tier is remains muddled, but still with some hope and promise.
Tier 4: #9 -11; The wildcards
Wildcards indeed. Tomasino quickly went bust, surprising since he had a few very nice moments in Pittsburgh last season before falling out of grace quickly and getting moved on (the Flyers have yet to recall him to the NHL after the trade). Other wildcards have been more promising, Silovs’s play has been a bit all over the map — sometimes it’s worth remembering he technically is an NHL rookie. At time he’s been pretty good for the Penguins, at other times it’s been a struggle. Overall for a first time goalie, he’s having a pretty nice year. The other player in this tier, Sergei Murashov, didn’t have as many skill or pressing age-related questions, and still looks like he’s handling every challenge thrown his way. The future remains bright and promising there.
Tier 3: #7-8; Older, near ready players
Pickering, as a draft+4 first round pick, hasn’t managed a call-up to the NHL this season putting him at risk of going into troubling territory historically for this stage of his career. Blomqvist was unfortunately hurt when Pittsburgh needed an NHL replacement the most earlier in the season but has been strong in the AHL again (8-4-3 record, .916 save%, 2.43 GAA). It can be strange to think of either as ‘older’ as far as anything but for NHL prospect time the clock is starting to tick loudly in both of these cases.
Tier 2: #4-6; Recent first round picks
What a haul the first round the 2025 draft is turning out to be for the Penguins. Zonnon came back from a pair of injuries to recently look like one of the top forwards in the QMJHL, Horcoff exploded to become one of the NCAA’s top goal scorers and Kindel is off to a history-making season for a player to produce in the NHL despite not even being a top-10 pick. There’s still a lot of time to go in all of these cases, so far the Penguins must be thrilled at the talent they’ve gotten out of that draft.
Tier 1: #1 -3; Cream of the crop
Progress not being a straight line is a lesson in all of these cases. Brunicke, especially, had to endure some bumps along the way – but joins a select club of teenaged NHL defensemen. Kouvinen has been unable to gain a lot of traction in the NHL this season but continues to be one of the top players at the AHL level and inspire some hope, though his 0.38 P/60 and skating deficiencies have taken a lot of the wind out of the sails for a possible long-term future. McGroarty has been in and out with injuries and up and down between the NHL and AHL. His NHL boxcars (2G+3A in 20 games, 1.14 P/60) suggest a less impressive impact than he’s been able to make at times with his energy and ability to get to the net.
There could be some questions for all at this midway point between the 2025 T25U25 and 2026 list about the ceilings for all — could Brunicke now come into focus as a more likely a 4/5 defender instead of a 2 or 3? Maybe McGroarty is more bottom-six than mid-six and Koivunen’s end point a lot more variable and troubling in terms of improvements needed to become an NHL regular. The good news is the talent involved makes the targets fluid and potentially prone to positive progressions in the near future with stronger second halves to the season than to this point.
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Overall on this list, Kindel would rise with his showing this season. Impressive doesn’t sound like a strong word, but at this point I’m not sure there is one. There’s good reason to be excited about the futures of Murashov and Hayes, the latter in a smaller role but both getting close to making good on NHL futures. Silovs has become an NHL caliber goalie. Down range, Zonnon, Horcoff, Brunicke and Lucius have done well in their respective leagues and unfortunately injury concerns have popped up for others like Kettles and Vaisanen. The next few months will potentially be big proving grounds for players like McGroarty, Koivunen, Broz, Hayes, Pickering and Blomqvist to pick up momentum heading into next year — all of those players getting into a range where you’d really like to see progress sooner than later given their age and the typical developmental curves.
The best news of all is the team’s system is improving and only getting better. Egor Chinakhov (who turned 25 earlier this month) will not be T25U25 eligible but is still adding youth, speed and skill to the NHL team. The Penguins, as of the moment anyways, still possess three of the first 57 and five of the top 89 picks in the draft and figure to add even more talent by the time the 2026 Pensburgh list comes out over the summer. The 2025 list was incredibly young (only Silovs will age out, though Tomasino and Sam Poulin have departed the organization), making this list something of a starting point and base for the years that follow to build upon.
The movement that the team has underwent in the past two years to stock the system and organization with the next wave of talent is just starting and figures to have the opportunity to swell the talent pool much further in the coming months and years.
Down South, one big conspiracy theory has nothing to do with the moon or JFK.
Instead, the yearslong whopper that ran rampant within SEC terrain centered on conference commissioner Greg Sankey being an “Alabama homer.” A native New Yorker turned elephant backer. Secretly wrote all of his “A’s” in script handwriting.
Professional provocateur James Carville once alleged “collusion” between the SEC office and Alabama. Some might say the Ragin’ Cajun, an LSU alumnus, was the one suffering from bias, but I digress.
Here lately, Sankey sure is acting funny for a supposed “Alabama homer.” He must have forgotten his SEC office in Birmingham, aka East Tuscaloosa, operates as a Roll Tide cabal.
Or, maybe Sankey was just never the full-fledged Alabama homer some fans of rival teams made him out to be. Like most conspiracy theories, this one lacked sufficient proof.
Those old Alabama-SEC collusion claims shriveled last week. Sankey turned heel on Alabama and sided with the NCAA in a lawsuit to determine whether the Tide could continue playing former pro basketball player Charles Bediako in their march toward March.
Days after Sankey filed an affidavit supporting the NCAA, a judge in Alabama ruled against Bediako and in favor of the NCAA. This halted the NBA G League dropout’s days of dunking on college dudes.
Judge Daniel Pruet used legalese to explain his decision, language like Bediako “failed to establish that he would suffer irreparable harm” if he did not receive his desired ruling. He also cited NCAA bylaws.
NCAA “rules do not permit a student-athlete to participate in collegiate basketball, leave for the NBA, and return to the collegiate arena,” Pruet wrote. “All the evidence in the record indicates that the (NCAA) has consistently applied this specific rule.”
Left unwritten: The SEC commish casting his lot with the NCAA surely didn’t help Bediako.
Greg Sankey as 'Alabama homer' theory loses steam
So, what gives? Is Sankey an Alabama homer or a hater?
Neither.
He’s an SEC homer. That comes with the job. If Sankey and his office seemed like an Alabama homer before, maybe that’s because Nick Saban ruled college football. Saban’s high tides (and bountiful trophies) lifted the SEC’s boats.
If Sankey had to stump and maneuver a bit on behalf of Saban’s Alabama, well, that’s just good business.
Three years ago, Sankey summoned every ounce of propaganda he could muster while campaigning for the SEC’s champion, which wound up being Alabama, to get the final College Football Playoff spot, at the expense of undefeated Florida State.
Playoff rejection would have been costly to the SEC’s brand, ego, prestige and earnings. Anyway, what was good for Alabama also was good for the SEC, and it wasn’t particularly bad for college sports. It was just bad for Florida State and the ACC.
What Greg Sankey wrote in Charles Bediako affidavit
In this case, Bediako playing was fine for Alabama, but not especially beneficial to the SEC, on the whole. He didn’t even transform Alabama into a top national championship contender. He just made Alabama better than it was without him.
Bediako playing wasn’t ideal for Auburn when the former pro scored 12 points in Alabama’s 96-92 rivalry win, his final game before the judge’s ruling.
Other SEC teams aren’t playing guys who left college, declared for the NBA draft, played in the G League, and returned to college hoops years later, in violation of NCAA bylaws. As other teams follow the rules, Bediako and Alabama tried to sidestep them in court.
“Permitting former professional athletes to return to (college) competition creates a competitive disadvantage and fundamental unfairness for current student-athletes,” Sankey wrote in his affidavit in support of the NCAA.
Sankey has spent his career working within college sports. He worked in compliance on his way up the ladder. I suspect, at his core, he believes rules are good, a lack of rules is bad, rule-by-lawsuit is messy, and an ability to enforce eligibility rules is key to successful operation of any league.
Alabama coach Nate Oats and Bediako’s lawyer will point to the duplicity of the NCAA restricting Bediako from playing while permitting international players who previously played in foreign pro leagues or in the NBA G League, before later enrolling in college.
Hypocritical? Maybe.
Muddy? Absolutely.
Grounds for an injunction? Not according to an Alabama judge.
When Bediako left Alabama, declared for the draft and signed an NBA contract, NCAA rules said he wouldn’t be allowed to return to college ball. The rules still say that.
A healthy debate can be had about what it really means to be a pro athlete, when an NBA G Leaguer sues to get back in a college uniform, where he can earn more money. Amateurism is dead. Bediako wanted to leave one paycheck from the NBA G League for a better paycheck in college.
An Alabama homer would say, what’s the problem with that?
Sankey saw a problem. He’s no Alabama homer, after all.
NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 18: New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes #86 celebrates with New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes #43 after scoring a goal during a game between the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on October 18, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The New Jersey Devils season has not gone according to plan. They’re unlikely to make the playoffs when they return from the Olympic break. And because this is supposedly a “win now” team, missing the playoffs entirely is an unacceptable result. People are looking for someone to point the finger at and blame for the shortcomings of the team.
We can all agree that there are issues with this team. Where we don’t necessarily agree is where the biggest issues lie and the way to go about fixing it. I think I’ve made my viewpoint perfectly clear where I blame Tom Fitzgerald more than anyone, and I don’t think any of this changes until the Devils clean house with their front office and scouting departments. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I don’t think Sheldon Keefe is a big part of the problem (he is) or that the players are blameless (they’re not), but much like when weeds pop up in your front lawn, you’re not going to get rid of them until you literally get to the root of the issue. To me, that’s Fitzgerald.
Where I struggle to get on the same page as some of my Devils fan brethren is when it comes to blaming the players. I would agree that there are very few players, if any, on the Devils that have had a good year. My list would probably be Cody Glass and maybe Arseny Gritsyuk and that’s about it. I would also agree that when it comes to the “core players”, they haven’t been anywhere near good enough this season. And with all due respect to the supporting cast, its the Devils “core players” that would significantly move the needle one way or the other in regards to how good this team actually is. It’s not surprising with them all having bad years that the team is bad.
Where I disagree is wanting to cut bait with said players.
For reasons that I don’t quite understand, there are Devils fans who don’t like Jack and Luke Hughes. There are Devils fans who suggest that Nico Hischier is a “bad captain”, whatever that means. Depending upon how wide-ranging you want your “core” to be, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton, and others have had their flaws as hockey players picked apart as much as anybody else on the roster, because that’s what we do as fans when the team underperforms. It has to be someone’s fault, after all. And with the core of this team being together for several seasons now and only have one (1) second round appearance to show for it, fans get restless, throw their arms up in disgust, declare that you can’t win with these guys, and it’s time to trade them.
Never mind the fact that if the player(s) is as bad as you’re telling me he is, why would any other team want them?
Never mind the fact that you’re telling me that the player(s) is bad and needs to be traded while also simultaneously trying to tell me this other team will definitely give up their superstar player in exchange for him.
I’m not saying that the Devils should continue what they’re doing indefinitely when it hasn’t worked. But it also doesn’t take a genius to suggest that trading away good players isn’t the answer either. So this week, I’m going to take a brief historical look at trades where a team gave away a star player for one reason or another, why it hasn’t worked out for them, and why it also won’t work out for the Devils if they were foolish enough to go down that road.
For purposes of this exercise, I’m only going to include deals in the salary cap era. I’m not really all that interested in going back to when the Oilers traded away Wayne Gretzky or Mark Messier, but spoiler alert, the Oilers didn’t win those deals when they got rid of future first-ballot Hall of Famers. Shocking, I know.
Maple Leafs Trade Mitch Marner to the Golden Knights for Nic Roy
This one feels a little bit like cheating since Marner was technically a free agent who was clearly leaving, but the circumstances leading up to it actually share a lot of parallels to what the Devils are currently going through.
The Maple Leafs went through season after season of being unable to to reach a Conference Final, let alone a Stanley Cup Final. They changed the coach several times. They changed the GM. They changed the supporting cast on the roster time and time again. But the core was essentially the same throughout with Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Morgan Reilly as the constants for the Leafs from the late 2010s up until last season.
The Leafs had yet another season where they came up short and “something simply had to change because you can’t keep running it back” in regards to the core. After all, they’ve already changed the GM, the coach, and the supporting cast several times over. Matthews is the new captain and he recently re-signed so he’s not going anywhere. Nylander is signed long-term so neither was he. Same goes for Reilly. So the only pieces that could theoretically change were pending UFAs Tavares (who took a discount to stay) and Marner. Marner was deemed the whipping boy or scapegoat or however you want to phrase it, and he was as ready to move on from the Leafs as the Leafs were ready to move on from him.
How’s that working out for Toronto this season? Not great.
There are other reasons why Toronto will likely miss the playoffs this season….Anthony Stolarz has been injured and hasn’t been very good when he has played, and the Leafs supporting cast is still average. But perhaps no reason is bigger than Toronto essentially letting a player who was a consistent 25-30 goal scorer and chipped in 60+ assists leave for essentially nothing but a bottom six center.
I like Nic Roy. He’s a solid option to have further down in your lineup. But he’s no Mitch Marner, who is having a typical Mitch Marner season in Vegas for a team that is likely playoff-bound. And while it remains to be seen what Marner and the Knights do once they get there, I doubt he’s all that upset about getting out of the Toronto pressure cooker. Especially given where he wound up.
Toronto failed to replace the production that a departing Marner provided, and it’s a big part of the reason why they’re going to miss the playoffs. That’s not to say that they still can’t eventually replace Marner’s production going forward, but as we already know, there’s no player with Marner’s level of production that is hitting the UFA or trade market this summer, and even if there were, there’s no guarantee Toronto gets them.
Maple Leafs Trade Phil Kessel (And Stuff) to the Penguins for Mostly Spare Parts
Long before Marner was the scapegoat for Toronto’s failures, there was Phil Kessel.
Toronto missed the playoffs during Kessel’s last few years there. “It was time to move on” from a player like Kessel, who has a mercurial personality to begin with. Add in the fact that the Toronto media did everything they could to run Kessel out of town and Leafs management finally obliged with this doozy of a trade.
Toronto sent Kessel, Tyler Biggs, Tim Erixon, and a conditional 2nd round pick to the Penguins for Kasperi Kapanen, one-time almost a Devil Scott Harrington (who was later in the Timo Meier trade), Nick Spaling, a conditional first round pick (later flipped for Frederik Andersen), and a third round pick (James Greenway).
Kapanen was the most notable piece that the Leafs got back, and he was ok with 90 points over 202 games for Toronto before being later dealt back to Pittsburgh. Harrington was later dealt to Columbus and was a journeyman defenseman. Spaling was a checking line forward who was flipped at the deadline later that year. Greenway never played in the NHL, and the first round pick was flipped for Frederik Andersen who was mostly good for Toronto before he too was eventually run out of town for Toronto’s failures as a team. Toronto hasn’t gotten past the second round of the playoffs since making this trade, and actually tanked for a couple seasons in the immediate aftermath of said deal, which did land them Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
Is a handful of good seasons by the goaltender and a handful of ok seasons by Kapanen enough of a return for a top line scoring winger in his prime who fit the Penguins like a glove and was a key part of two Stanley Cup winning teams there (and three if we count his final season in Vegas?). Especially when the Leafs wound up accomplishing nothing of significance for the period that Andersen and Kapanen were there before they were eventually moved? Who’s to say?
Sabres Trade Jack Eichel to Golden Knights for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, and Picks
The backstory with Eichel’s falling out with the Sabres is well documented. The Sabres were a perennial loser with him. Eichel got injured and needed neck surgery. Both sides disagreed on how to proceed with the specific neck surgery that Eichel would get. Eichel, who was already annoyed with the organization given the state of the team throughout his tenure there, got fed up and requested a trade. The Sabres eventually obliged once the situation became untenable, sending him (along with a 3rd rd pick) to Vegas for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a first round pick (eventually used on Noah Ostlund) and a second round pick (later flipped to Minnesota for Jordan Greenway).
Eichel eventually got the surgery he wanted, returned to the lineup for the Golden Knights, and has been been better than a PPG #1 center for the Golden Knights since. Eichel was a key member of their championship team in 2022-23 and had a legitimate case for the Conn Smythe award that eventually went to Jonathan Marchessault.
Buffalo got an excellent player on a good contract in Tuch, although he is a pending UFA so it remains to be seen where his future lies. But Krebs hasn’t really developed into anything more than a fourth line center. Ostlund has been ok in his first full NHL season and Greenway has been an average at best bottom six winger. That’s not exactly the type of return you’re looking for when you’re trading away a borderline Top 5 center in the entire league.
Needless to say, Buffalo has mostly struggled since trading Eichel. Their playoff drought will probably come to an end this season, as they’ve been white hot since firing the GM who made that trade. Which is weird, because I’ve been told time and time again that you can’t possibly expect the team to play better after making a change like that.
Generally speaking though, I would disagree with anyone who suggests that Buffalo has been better off without Eichel. They’ll probably make the playoffs this year, but the Eichel trade isn’t the reason why. That’s not to say that Tuch hasn’t been good, because he certainly has been. But Vegas winning a Cup almost immediately with Eichel and Eichel remaining an elite level center for them for the remainder of his prime trumps anything Buffalo has accomplished post-trade.
Bruins Trade Joe Thornton to the Sharks for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau, and Brad Stuart
People in Boston might retroactively try to claim that trading away Joe Thornton was the catalyst for the Stanley Cup championship team they would eventually build that won in 2011.
They’re entitled to their opinion, but that would be revisionist history.
Thornton, who was Boston’s captain when traded and had just signed a 3-year deal the previous offseason, became a punching bag in Boston due to his leadership style and Boston’s failures in the playoffs. The two sides had a contentious contract negotiation the previous summer with each side unhappy with the other, but Thornton eventually put pen to paper on a new three year deal.
With the Bruins struggling in the first season post-lockout, they traded Thornton to the Sharks for three players and no draft picks. Sturm was ok as a Bruin, with 193 points in 302 games over parts of five seasons. But Primeau and Stuart were depth pieces who ultimately left Boston as free agents.
Meanwhile, Thornton immediately turned the Sharks season around with a Hart Trophy season and a playoff appearance. Including the split season between Boston and San Jose, Thornton totaled 970 points over his next 937 games, which is a Hall of Fame-caliber career in and of itself. The Sharks never won a Stanley Cup while Thornton was there….call it a byproduct of playing in the same era as Chicago and Los Angeles when they were winning championships if you want….but the Sharks were a consistent playoff team throughout his 15 years in Northern California. Meanwhile, Boston got nothing of note in return for a future first ballot Hall of Famer in his prime.
None of us have a crystal ball to tell us whether or not Boston eventually wins a Cup had they kept Thornton. We know they won one in 2011 without him, but that team was also significantly better than the ones Thornton was on. Tim Thomas won a Vezina that year. They had Hall of Famers up and down their lineup with a young Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand playing alongside Zdeno Chara and Mark Recchi. Guys like Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and Nathan Horton were young and in their primes. Blake Wheeler and Tyler Seguin would go on to become stars in the league themselves. That Boston team was loaded.
If the argument is that trading Thornton allowed Boston to sink to the bottom of the standings and allocate resources elsewhere, I would disagree with that. Boston was really only bad for a two year stretch in the mid 00s. Bergeron and Thomas were already on the roster when Thornton was dealt. Marchand was drafted in the third round the following season. They did wind up signing Chara that following offseason. While it would be foolish to suggest Chara wasn’t a big part of why the Bruins turned things around, who Boston later acquired after the fact doesn’t exactly make up for what has been universally accepted as one of the worst trades in modern NHL history.
Flames Trade Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and a 2025 first round pick (Cullen Potter)
Of course, I fully expect the one trade everyone in the comments section who wants to trade Jack and Luke Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt to point to would be this one.
Context matters however.
The Flames didn’t necessarily want to trade Matthew Tkachuk. They knew how good he is. But the Flames found themselves in that position where they didn’t have much of a choice after Johnny Gaudreau left in free agency and Tkachuk made it clear that he wasn’t going to re-sign in Calgary when his contract was up in a year. Tkachuk had a fairly limited list of teams he was willing to sign a contract extension with (side note, New Jersey wasn’t one of those teams on his list even though his cousin is Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald). And even with that, Calgary probably did better than most of the other teams on this list in terms of getting quality NHL players in return.
That’s not to necessarily say they did great though. Huberdeau has been unable to replicate the 115 point season he had in his final season in South Florida and is in the middle of a long-term deal that Calgary handed him which pays him $10.5M AAV. Weegar has been a top pairing defenseman for the Flames but has struggled this year and is also in the middle of a long-term deal that Calgary handed him. Schwindt hasn’t really taken off as an NHL player and is now back with Florida while the jury is out on what Potter will be. But in the bigger picture, Calgary has been doing their own retool or rebuild or whatever one wants to call it since Tkachuk and Gaudreau left. They haven’t made the playoffs since this trade, and probably aren’t heading there anytime soon as they continue to shop veteran players like Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman, among others.
Of course, all of that pales in comparison to Tkachuk, who was a key member of a Florida Panthers team that reached the Stanley Cup Final in three consecutive seasons since he arrived and won twice.
I don’t know if in an alternate universe if Bill Zito and the Panthers wind up winning a Stanley Cup had Tkachuk gone to St. Louis or Vegas or Tampa Bay instead. Saying they might have won anyways diminishes Tkachuk’s contributions when he was a key piece of that team. But it’s not like Florida didn’t have a good team prior to that trade. A lot of key players like Sasha Barkov, Sam Bennett, Sergei Bobrovsky, Aaron Ekblad, Gus Forsling, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Brandon Montour, Sam Reinhart, and Carter Verhaeghe were already there. Huberdeau and Weegar were the odd men out, but it’s also in a trade to get Matthew Tkachuk.
Zito had an opportunity to make a franchise-defining trade and certainly has no regrets after the fact. Nor should he. But this is also a particularly perfect set of circumstances that played out in his favor and Calgary still wound up doing better than most teams in terms of getting an actual return for trading away a star player. I don’t think this is one that is easily duplicated, in part because most teams aren’t looking to trade away a “Tkachuk-type” if they have one. And even if a team is trading that type away, its usually because they know they’re going to lose the player if they don’t trade him, and the list of destinations is fairly limited.
How Does This Pertain To the Devils?
I could keep going on bad trades that sent a star player out of town, such as the deal that sent Jeff Carter to Los Angeles (helping spur two championship runs for the Kings) or the Roberto Luongo trade that sent him from Florida to Vancouver (where he was runner up for the Hart and Vezina in his first year and helped lead Vancouver to a Cup Final appearance), but I think you get the point.
The purpose of this article isn’t to say the Devils should definitely not trade (insert player name here). When you’ve been as mediocre as the Devils have been for the last several years, I do think you should approach this situation with an open mind.
That said, there’s quite a few things that need to be said.
It’s hard to get talented players in this league. The Devils have never historically been a premiere free agent destination, and as we’re seeing with the Devils the last few years, building a team through free agency is tough to do. You’re paying market rate for said players who are more of the supporting cast types than franchise players, you’re in a position where you probably have to get a little uncomfortable by giving them an extra year and/or no-trade protection, and we’re dealing with players in their 30s when their best years might already be behind them. The superstar players that actually move the needle rarely make it to free agency in their prime, and in the rare cases they do, they’re not picking New Jersey. That includes Dougie Hamilton, who is closer to being a really good supporting cast member than a true #1 defenseman.
Teams that have star players aren’t going to easily give them up. There’s usually extenuating circumstances that lead to the “why” the trade is happening. The team wants to cut costs, or they know the player is going to be a free agent and they’re unlikely to keep them. Maybe there’s bad blood between management and the player for whatever reason, such as the one I pointed out with Eichel. Maybe its a situation where in a hockey-crazy market, the team listens to their fanbase in regards to who not to bring back because its easier to run a smear campaign after the player left town than it is to build a winner around said player. Giving up on talent should be viewed as a last resort, and should only be considered once other options have been exhausted.
And even when you do decide to give up on said player? You’re probably not going to come close to winning said trade. You’re probably going to get a late first round pick back. Maybe two if you’re lucky because one of the picks may have a “if the team wins the Stanley Cup, you get a first round pick” condition attached to it. You’ll likely get a prospect back, but it probably won’t be THE prospect you want from said team because that player has been deemed untouchable by his current team. And you might get a young player back, but that player won’t be nearly as good as the one you’re trading away.
While all this is going on, you’ll continue to lose hockey games because it turns out said player you’re giving up on wasn’t actually part of the problem in the first place. To make matters worse, you’ll probably see said player celebrate newfound success with their new team because their management team and/or coaching staff actually knows what they’re doing and knows how to put players like that in a position to succeed. Tom Fitzgerald has made plenty of mistakes in his time as Devils general manager, but how much worse would things be if he had given up on difference makers like, say, Sam Bennett or Carter Verhaeghe too early instead of Jesper Boqvist and Vitek Vanecek. But hey, maybe those prospects and magic beans you’re getting back will pan out someday.
Nobody is saying that Jack or Luke Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton, or whoever else you want to consider to be a “core” piece of the Devils moving forward is as good as the players listed in the historical examples above. But when you start giving up on players, you better be right about that because the consequences if you are wrong are more significant than giving up on a coach, or a GM, or changing around the supporting cast. Especially when there’s been zero inclination of said players actually wanting out of this situation. The Devils shouldn’t be looking to push their so-called core pieces out the door. Those are the types of unforced errors that can set the franchise back half a decade or longer.
This isn’t the NHL video game where you can propose trading the Hughes brothers to Minnesota to complete the Hughes triforce there, or try pawning off Jesper Bratt on Ottawa for Brady Tkachuk because “we need a Tkachuk-type”. Star player for star player trades aren’t commonplace for a reason. And no, I’m not interested in trading Jack Hughes for some draft picks and a B-level prospect because “you gotta shake up the core” or because he’s “always hurt” or you don’t like the answers he gives to the media. I’d rather have Jack Hughes, who we all know can be a game-breaking talent, flaws and all. If Luke Hughes is as bad as everyone has told me he was this year (and he’s not nearly that bad, to be clear), who is giving you anything worthwhile that’s worth accepting when he’s making $9M AAV for six more years? I’d rather bet on the player and that he’ll ultimately be the player the Devils projected him to be when they drafted him than sell on the player for 30 cents on the dollar.
Nico Hischier might be different in that he’ll be entering his contract year next year. I would expect that he ultimately signs a contract extension, but its not a lock that he does. If, and only if, he decides not to sign would I even entertain a trade pertaining to the Devils captain. But what I’m not doing is trading a guy that people tell me is a bad captain when those people have no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to dynamics in the room when they’re not actually in said room.
I’m not drawing a definitive line in the sand when it comes to everybody else in the Devils roster because I do think there’s something to the idea that the mix itself isn’t working and hasn’t worked. But I also believe the Devils have good players on this roster who are having bad years. I don’t know what the reason for that necessarily is, whether its injury-related, a coaching structure that is way too conservative, bad luck, or some combination of the above. But we’ve seen enough good hockey from Jesper Bratt, for example, over the years to where I don’t think he just forgot how to play hockey in his age-27 season.
I’m not saying the Devils shouldn’t consider trading Bratt, or Hamilton, or Meier, or Dawson Mercer, or Simon Nemec, or whoever. I’m not even saying any or all of them are “core players”. I’m saying that it’s easier to change everything else around the players. It’s easier to find a new GM who actually does think skill is important and isn’t just loading up on grinders who play “playoff style hockey”. It’s easier to find a coach who strikes the right balance where maybe you’re not always selling out for offense like they did under Lindy Ruff, but you’re also not suppressing offense for the sake of defense either like they are under Sheldon Keefe. It’s easier to swap out your supporting cast until you find a better mix of players to compliment the skill players you do have.
At the end of the day, you need talented players in order to win in this league. You’re not winning without good players. One shouldn’t be so quick to discard said players because you don’t think they don’t fit the mold of what you think a winning hockey player looks like.
But with that said, if you want to go ahead and trust the regime that whiffed on the Alex Holtz and Chase Stillman picks with more draft capital that they’ll get it right this time, by all means. If you want to trust the regime that can’t figure out how to build a winning team at the AHL level or develop that favorite prospect of yours that definitely would’ve made it if he only got a chance, go for it.
I’d rather keep the bird in the hand than take my chances with the two in the bush.
Final Thoughts
It’s true that the Devils best players need to be better than what we’ve seen this year. You’re only going to go as far as your best players take you. But the reality of the situation is that almost across the board, the majority of the team is having a bad year. Nobody has been good enough.
It’s also true that the Devils need to do a better job of building a team around the handful of good players they do have instead of kicking those players to the curb because you’re sick of them like a petulant child would be with a toy he got on Christmas that he didn’t like. If it means a GM change and bringing in somebody who has a better vision of what a winning team looks like than the crew currently in charge, so be it. If it means bringing in a coach who knows how to allow the team’s best players to be their best players, so be it.
Maybe the Devils ultimately don’t wind up winning anything with this particular “core”, regardless of who is in it, when its all said and done years from now. But they haven’t exhausted all of their options yet trying to build around said core either. Selling low on good players who are all having a bad year isn’t the answer. The Devils shouldn’t consider trading any core player until it’s absolutely necessary.
As bad as things are, we’re not even close to that point yet.
TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Senior vice president and general manager Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees speaks during the 2024 Grapefruit League Spring Training Media Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Thursday, February 15, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, all! It’s a welcome day in Yankeeland, as pitchers and catchers officially report to spring training today. Of course, that oft-cited countdown following the last out of the World Series only means so much since plenty were already in camp a little early and dudes jogging around and lifting weights hardly feels like the true siren sound of baseball on the horizon. But it is a milestone nonetheless! Exhibition games will begin the Friday after next, and Opening Day on March 25th in San Francisco will be here in a blink.
On to today’s question. The offseason isn’t fully in the books since some notable players like Zac Gallen, Rhys Hoskins, Lucas Giolito, and Zack Littell remain available. But for the Yankees’ sake, it probably is; they don’t seem likely to make any further additions, barring a surprise trade or an end-of-spring swap to supplement the bench/back of the bullpen. So we can start to look in the rearview mirror with more confidence.
The Yankees made a number of different decisions this offseason that run the gamut on roster spots from “passive acceptance” to “active choice.” So which one makes you most nervous for the sake of the 2026 season? Is it not adding to the rotation depth beyond Ryan Weathers? Rolling the dice on outfielders Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham to remain as good as they were in 2025 while sitting out the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes? Losing two key relievers from the already-shaky 2025 bullpen and declining to make any obvious impact moves out there? Retaining Aaron Boone as manager?
There’s no shortage of options. I think leaving the rotation in such a dodgy place is the winner for me, given that all of Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole, and Clarke Schmidt will begin 2026 on the IL, and both Weathers and Luis Gil absolutely qualify as injury risks on their own.
Today on the site, Matt will remember a minor-but-infamous Yankees reliever from the early 2010s as part of our Yankees Birthdays series, Josh will critique The Shredder’s list of top MLB first basemen, and Peter will welcome back Cole in his 2026 Yankees preview post.
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 18: A general view outside the stadium prior to Game 5 of the NLCS presented by loanDepot between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday, October 18, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
This post is part of a series of daily questions that we’ll ask the community here at Amazin’ Avenue throughout the month of February. We hope you find the questions engaging and that our prompts can spark some fun conversations in the comments. We’ll see you there and plan to have staff chiming in, too.
If you could only attend one regular season Mets game this year, which one would it be?
Captain sidelined out by testicular injury in the nets
Champion batter rushed to Sri Lanka as squad cover
Steve Smith has answered a last-minute SOS and could make a shock appearance at the T20 World Cup following a testicular injury to skipper Mitch Marsh.
Marsh has been ruled out of Australia’s T20 World Cup opener against Ireland in Colombo after sustaining a direct hit to the box at training earlier this week.
Former Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez is greeted by Justin Verlander after he threw out the first pitch before the game against the Red Sox on Friday, April 7, 2017, at Comerica Park. Tigers 040717 Kd 9 | Kirthmon F. Dozier via Imagn Content Services, LLC
On Tuesday, it was announced that pitcher Justin Verlander had signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers, reuniting him with the team that drafted him a mere 22 years ago. Verlander was traded from Detroit to Houston in 2017, where he won a pair of World Series, before joining the San Francisco Giants last year. Now he returns to Detroit after nine years away in the hopes of winning one more World Series for a franchise that hasn’t won a title since 1984.
The Detroit Lions are similarly trying to make a jump from playoff contender to champion. And while the league isn’t rife with former Lions players who could help the team get over the hump in a reunion, there are certainly some familiar faces who could help.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Which former Lions player would you welcome back for a one-year re-signing?
My answer: I won’t give a comprehensive list, because that would take away all the fun from you guys, but here are three that jump to mind for me, all of whom are unrestricted free agents in 2026:
G Kevin Zeitler
S Ifeatu Melifonwu
DL Da’Shawn Hand
Do I expect any of those players to re-sign with Detroit? Seems unlikely, although Melifonwu would certainly make sense given Detroit’s uncertainty at safety.
Let me hear which former Lions you’d love to see the Lions reunite with. Doesn’t matter if they’re free agents or not! Scroll down to the comment section and share your answer!
Both Balinskis and Vilmanis appear poised to see plenty of ice time with Latvia.
During early practices, Balinskis was seen skating on the top Latvian defensive pairing with Kristians Rubins while Vilmanis was placed on the left side of the top forward line, along with winger Eduards Tralmaks and Girgensons at center.
Formace Lotyšska na dnešním tréninkovém zápasu proti Švýcarsku! 🇱🇻
Latvia opens their Olympic schedule on Thursday against the United States at 3:10 p.m. ET, followed by a matchup with Germany on Saturday at 6:10 a.m. ET and then a battle with Denmark on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. ET.
Photo caption: Jan 16, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis (26) celebrates his goal with left wing Sandis Vilmanis (95) against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan is set to receive some new bling on Wednesday from his junior club, the OHL's London Knights.
The 20-year-old, along with former London teammates Denver Barkey, Sam Dickinson, and Kasper Halttunen, will be given their 2025 Championship rings before the Knights' game against the OHL's Guelph Storm.
Welcoming back some London legends on Wednesday night 🌟
Prior to puck drop we'll present Denver, Easton, Kasper and Sam with their 2025 Championship rings! pic.twitter.com/8fQjS6nLOe
London won both the OHL Championship and the Memorial Cup last spring.
The Knights unveiled both rings on Jan. 15. One sported the Knights' logo surrounded by what looks to be diamonds, and the other was engraved with the player's number in the centre.
Cowan tallied three goals and seven points in five games at the Memorial Cup, earning the tournament's MVP honor.
Cowan played parts of four seasons with the Knights from 2022 to 2025. In 175 games with London, Cowan tallied 84 goals and 220 points. He holds the Knights' record for playoff points, tallying 32 goals and 64 assists for 96 points in 60 postseason games.
The Mount Brydges, Ontario, native also had a historic (unofficial) point streak in his final season with London, scoring points in 65 consecutive games. The OHL deemed the streak unofficial because it spanned across two seasons.
Now in the NHL with the Maple Leafs, Cowan's debut season has had its ups and downs.
The rookie has seven goals and 10 assists through 43 games this season, while averaging 13:31 of ice time. He's played on every forward line with the Maple Leafs and also gets power play time.
However, the forward was a healthy scratch in Toronto's final three games before the Olympic break.
"As we talked about, (Cowan) needed a little bit of a reset. I think the break will do him well. Nothing changes there," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said ahead of Toronto's final game before the break against the Edmonton Oilers.
"There are young guys in the league who don't play all the time. There are times they do, but there are times when they don't, and they have little breaks here and there. They benefit from it."
Nevertheless, Wednesday will be a night Cowan will remember for a long time as he caps off a historic junior career with the Knights.
As the NBA has evolved, so too has its midseason showcase.
The league’s 75th All-Star Game takes place Sunday at Intuit Dome and Kelly Flatow, executive vice president and head of the events group at the NBA noted how things have changed since the last time the event was in Los Angeles.
“This will be my 20th All-Star and I joined the events group in 2016, so I was responsible for All-Star when it was here at Staples Center in 2018,” she said. “So it’s great to be back in L.A.”
There is plenty in store for the public this year — both in Inglewood and the downtown area.
One key component of the All-Star spectacle is NBA Crossover — a chance for fans to experience the sport through pop culture, fashion, technology, music and entertainment.
“Every year All-Star grows in different shapes and forms,” Flatow said. “What we used to call a weekend is now an entire week. In fact, the Clippers have done an incredible job making All-Star an entire season long celebration of the game.”
Ludacris, performing at One Musicfest at Piedmont Park in Atlanta in October, will be the featured artist at NBA Crossover on Friday at the Convention Center. (Paul R. Giunta / invision / via Associated Press)
In November, the organization launched a three-on-three tournament, 75 days ahead of what will be the 75th game. It initiated “Homecourt Hoops,” a program which has given away 75 outdoor hoops every day. At the Rising Stars mini-tournament Friday, Clippers chairman Steve Ballmer and NBA commissioner Adam Silver will give out the final set of hoops to deserving families.
“We look at this as a global celebration of the game and given the unique geography of this city it’s important to cover as much of the greater Los Angeles area as possible,” Flatow said. “You’ll see that with our key venues.
"Obviously we’re showcasing Intuit Dome and also the Kia Forum where we’ve held two All-Star Games in the past and this coming weekend we’re going to hold a series of events there. On Friday night we have the celebrity game, which has always been a mainstay of our All-Star festivities, but one of the things we didn’t have when we were here eight years ago is the NBA HBCU Classic. This will be the fifth time for that.”
The All-Star Celebrity Gametips off at 4 p.m. and aims to please as Mookie Betts from the World Series champion Dodgers will coach one of the teams and actor/comedian Anthony Anderson will coach the other. Betts’ squad includes rapper GloRilla, Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and retired Brazilian soccer star Cafu while Anderson’s roster features Canadian actor Simu Liu, Chargers wideout Keenan Allen and former NBA player Jason “White Chocolate” Williams. At halftime the K-pop group Cortis will perform.
The Celebrity Game will be followed by the HBCU Classic between Coastal Athletic Assn. rivals North Carolina A&T and Hampton.
“NBA Crossover is offering even more ways for fans to get in on the action,” said Flatow, who vividly recalls her first All-Star Game as an NBA employee in Las Vegas in 2007. “The Convention Center will be transformed into a fan destination with live performers, customized experiences, retail offerings, NBA partner activations, player [and] talent appearances, panel discussions, memorabilia displays and more. There will be concerts Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This is about putting Los Angeles and our game on the global stage.”
Flatow cited 27 different marketing partners and brands teaming up with the NBA. The All-Star Game on Sunday will be broadcast in 200 countries and territories. She also lauded the biggest merchandise village in the history of the event and ticket data confirms there will be fans from all 50 states and from 44 countries.
The Clippers are hosting with their All-Star City of Stars Alliance the DJ Cassidy Pass the Mic Live! event Saturday night at Kia Forum — an ensemble of hip-hop and R&B royalty that will feature Ashanti, Busta Rhymes, Ja Rule, Lil Kim and others.
Three concerts will highlight the Crossover extravaganza — the hip-hop band Cortis on Thursday, rapper Ludacris on Friday and the country, Americana and hip-hop singer Shaboozey on Saturday. A beats & brunch event with DJ Pauly D will follow on Sunday.
“When we were we here in 2018, I don’t know if the phenomenon of influencers even existed yet but certainly now in 2026 creators are such a big part of pop culture so we’ve got some amazing creators,” Flatow said. “State Farm is doing a three-point contest with comedian Druski and we’ve added a Creator Court along with what we’ll call Hardcourt Central, a festival-like area where they’ll be food trucks, musical performances and more. There’ll be lots of opportunities to shoot hoops and meet your favorite players and legends like Oscar Robertson, Dr. J, Robert Horry and Mitch Richmond.”
Late Sunday morning, 24 of the NBA G League’s most dynamic players, 10 of whom were selected by fan vote, will show off their skills in the Next Up Game, part of the Crossover spectacle at the Convention Center. Seats will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
“The G League wasn’t part of the All-Star experience last time we were here in 2018,” Flatow said. “We created a G League Park with an NBA Crossover, so on Saturday one of the things people can do is watch the G League dunk contest, always a fan favorite, then on Sunday at G League Park will be the G League Next Up Game and that’s included in the Crossover entry cost.
"Because there are so many things we’re adding and that we’ll be announcing in the next few days I encourage everyone to go to the NBA events app and see the full schedule, which will be updated in real time.”
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 19: Starting pitcher Phillippe Aumont #48 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the third inning during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park on June 19, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Man, yesterday was a bad day to report to spring training. Injuries, injuries, injuries. Guess we’re all officially holding our breath for when Rob Thomson actually gives an in-person interview next week in Clearwater.
Oct 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) reacts in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game three of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
We’re back with another daily question, and today’s may be one of the more polarizing topics: would you rather watch a pitchers’ duel or a slugfest?
Pitchers’ duels are entertaining in that you’re watching to see who will break first. Slugfests are entertaining in that you’re watching to see who gets the last laugh at the plate.
In my opinion, a slugfest is more entertaining, but that isn’t to say I’d rather watch a slugfest. Slugfests are fun because odds are, you’re going to see a lot of homers and a lot of runs, which, as we’ve come to learn over the last couple of decades, MLB loves.
But I think I’d rather watch a pitchers’ duel.
Maybe I’m biased because of the long string of great pitchers we’ve seen come through Milwaukee, but I think there’s just something about two star pitchers going head-to-head and waiting for somebody to crack. Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta have all had their share of ace-esque performances in recent years, and it isn’t uncommon to see the pitcher on the other side do the same.
Just think about the Paul Skenes-Jacob Misiorowski matchup from last summer, a game that turned into a Wednesday afternoon sellout at American Family Field and lived up to the hype — Miz went five shutout frames with eight strikeouts while Skenes scuffled a bit, allowing four runs over four innings in what ended up one of his worst outings of an NL Cy Young-winning year.
So, imagine this: You’re headed to Am Fam Field for a game. Would you rather see a pitchers’ duel or a slugfest?
Weigh in in the comments, and join us throughout the month as we keep these conversations rolling into spring training. Have a question you’d like to ask in a future BCB Daily Question? Drop one in the comments, and we may use it later this month.
