It’s no secret that the Vancouver Canucks have not had a great season — but how would they stack up against the 2026 Winter Olympic men’s hockey teams?
That’s a question that NHL Hall-of-Famer and former first-overall pick Mike Modano answered while on TSN’s OverDrive, claiming that Team Switzerland would beat the Canucks “maybe seven” times in a 10-game series.
“I’ve always thought the Swiss play a real good team game, but that’s the only thing that saves them and keeps these games going, but they don’t really have anybody to break open any games,” he explained on the show. “They always seem to play real tight defensively, and play good, and just kind of wear you down and hope you make a mistake. I don’t know if Vancouver has that type of patience in their game anymore.”
Vancouver, which currently sits at 32nd in the NHL, has seven members of the organization currently at the 2026 Winter Olympics: Elias Pettersson (Sweden), Kevin Lankinen (Finland), Teddy Blueger and Anri Ravinskis (Latvia), Filip Hronek and David Kämpf (Czechia), and Lukas Reichel (Germany). Only five of these players play with their NHL club regularly.
Switzerland’s roster, while only sporting 10 active NHL players, is still filled with high-end talent. Standout players include three New Jersey Devils — captain Nico Hischier, forward Timo Meier, and defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler; Kevin Fiala of the Los Angeles Kings (who suffered an unfortunate injury that will keep him out of the remainder of the Olympics); and former Canucks centre Pius Suter. As well, Nashville Predators star and former James Norris Memorial Trophy winner Roman Josi leads the way from their blueline.
Switzerland, which is in Group A during the 2026 Winter Olympics, faced Hronek and Kämpf in ther matchup with Czechia earlier today, taking a surprising 4–3 win in overtime. Their only loss of the preliminary round came against Canada, which they dropped by a score of 5–1. Switzerland finishes the preliminary round in second place in Group A with a record of 1–1–0–1.
Feb 15, 2026; Milan, Italy; Dean Kukan of Switzerland celebrates scoring their fourth goal with teammates against Czechia in men's ice hockey group A play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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The San Jose Sharks will be a team to watch closely once the NHL Olympic roster freeze lifts later this month. With the Sharks being in the Western Conference playoff race, there is certainly a chance that they will continue to look to add to their roster.
One of the Sharks' biggest needs right now is to add another defenseman. Their right side, in particular, could use a boost. When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, Calgary Flames defenseman Zach Whitecloud stands out as an interesting option for the Sharks to consider.
While Whitecloud was recently acquired by the Flames, he is being viewed as a trade candidate on Calgary. It is understandable, as the Flames are rebuilding, and the 29-year-old defenseman has the potential to get them a nice return.
If the Sharks landed Whitecloud, he could slot very nicely in their top four and on their penalty kill. This is because he plays a smart defensive game and is not afraid to throw the body.
Whitecloud would also give the Sharks a player with plenty of playoff experience and a Stanley Cup on their resume. This would not be a bad thing at all for a young Sharks club on the rise.
Whitecloud would also be more than a rental for the Sharks if they acquired him, as he has a $2.75 million cap hit until the end of the 2027-28 season. This certainly adds to his appeal.
Ultimately, with the Sharks' blueline needing a boost, Whitecloud stands out as a player who could fit well on their roster.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Tariq Francis scored 21 points, Harun Zrno added 13, and Rutgers defeated Maryland 68-57 on Sunday, lifting the Scarlet Knights out of the Big Ten cellar.
Zrno hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 of Rutgers' first 15 second-half points as the Scarlet Knights built a 42-34 lead through the first seven minutes after halftime. The lead reached 13 points with 8 1/2 minutes remaining.
Maryland cut the deficit to five points a couple of times and the Terrapins were still within 60-54 with two minutes left. Rutgers (10-15, 3-11 Big Ten) then closed it out at the free-throw line with Francis making 6 of 6 and Jamichael Davis going 2 for 2.
For the game, Francis made 12 of 13 free throws and the Scarlet Knights were 19 of 24.
Solomon Washington had 11 points and 14 rebounds for Maryland (10-15, 3-11), which had won two in a row. Darius Adams scored 13 points and David Coit had 12.
Rutgers led 18-13 with seven minutes remaining in the first half before Washington had a layup and a dunk in an 8-2 run that put Maryland on top 21-20 with four minutes left. Rutgers quickly went back ahead and held the lead until Washington's free throw in the final second made it 27-all going into halftime.
All three of Rutgers' conference wins have come at Jersey Mike's Arena, the previous two in overtime against Northwestern and Oregon.
Rutgers and Maryland are one win clear of last place in the conference, ahead of Oregon, Northwestern and Penn State which all have two wins.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Moustapha Thiam had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, Day Day Thomas scored 16 points, and Cincinnati beat Utah 69-65 on Sunday to extend the Utes skid to seven consecutive games.
Thiam, a 7-foot-2 sophomore, had his fifth career double-double and his third this season.
Baba Miller had 13 points and eight rebounds for Cincinnati (14-12, 6-7 Big 12) and Keyshuan Tillery scored 10 points. The Bearcats have won three straight for the first time since they started the season 4-0.
Keanu Dawes made a spinning fadeaway in the lane that gave the Utes a five-point lead with 1:56 to play. Thomas answered with a jumper before Miller hit two free throws and then threw down a two-hand dunk that gave Cincinnati a 66-65 lead with 40 seconds left.
Don McHenry led Utah (9-17, 1-11) with 18 points and Dawes had 16 points and 14 rebounds, his eighth double-double this season. Terrence Brown added 11 points and Seydou Traore 10. Dawes, a 6-9 junior, is averaging 15.8 points and 10.2 rebounds over the last six games.
The Utes have lost 12 of their last 13 overall and 15 straight on the road — tied with Binghamton and Gardner-Webb for the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.
Cincinnati leads the series with the Utes 5-2, 4-0 at home.
Sunday, the team officially announced the deal, which includes a team option for 2028. To make room for Miller on the 40-man roster, the Cubs designated infielder Ben Cowles for assignment. (Which begs the question, why did they add Cowles to the 40-man in the first place? He’ll likely clear waivers and remain in spring camp.)
Miller’s not expected to pitch this year as he recovers from his second Tommy John surgery, so this is a “let’s have a reliever in hand for 2027” move. The team does not announce contract terms, but it has been reported that this deal is for $2.5 million, so it’ll likely cost $1.25 million to the Cubs’ CBT level for 2026.
The Cubs now have two players — Miller and left-hander Justin Steele — who can be placed on the 60-day injured list at the time the team needs a 40-man roster spot. That likely won’t be until closer to Opening Day, when they might need a spot or two for one or more of the non-roster guys in camp. Notably, that includes Dylan Carlson, who has a reasonable chance of making the Opening Day roster as a backup outfielder.
The first Cubs full-squad workout is tomorrow (Monday) and the Spring Training opener is this Friday, Feb. 20 at Sloan Park against the White Sox at 2:05 p.m. CT.
Hearts manager Derek McInnes: "Obviously disappointed because we came here to get a positive result. Regardless of how the game plays out, we still feel there's so much optimism for the season ahead.
"We showed good courage in the game. Our biggest downfall was losing three goals out the four when we had possession of the ball in their half.
"When we were set and in our shape, Rangers didn't cause us too many problems. Where we were susceptible and looked like losing goals was exactly when we had good possession of the ball and we had too many bodies forward.
"The crowd helped the Rangers team. The longer we stay in front then that becomes more difficult and challenging for the Rangers player. We didn't allow that. We allowed the crowd to get behind the team.
"Rangers have spent £40m-50m in two windows trying to put this squad together so there's no shame for us losing this game, there's just disappointment that we put so much into it.
"Credit to Rangers, they've won a big game. I still think there's a big fight ahead of us for us all. We're not too despondent because I see enough courage, I see enough in the performance and I still feel with the fixtures we've got between now and the split, particularly so many at home, that we can win games that can keep the whole thing moving along for us.
"These lads give everything for the shirt. We're not going to go along away quietly. We're top of the league. It takes a lot of good things for a team to be here where we are in the league and hopefully there's a bit more in it. I do think there'll be a lot of twists and turns yet. We've just got to manage our performances now and try and make some hay."
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 07: Michael Porter Jr. #17 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Barclays Center on February 07, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jordan Bank/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Michael Porter is relaxing this weekend somewhere in the tropics. One might think that he’s toning down the anxiety from all those trade reports concerning him at the deadline…
Probably not. It become quite obvious during the weeks leading up to the trade deadline that Michael Porter Jr. was not going anywhere, indeed not available. Brian Windhorst said it. Michael Scotto said it. Shams Charania said it and Jake Fischer said it, all one way or another. While some fans wanted the Nets to trade MPJ for more draft assets — Brooklyn already has 13 firsts and 20 seconds — and/or to deepen the tank.
That was not the way ownership and management looked at the 27-year-old who may not have made the All-Star Game tonight but is having all-Star caliber season: averaging 25.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists while providing leadership to a young team. He has even become a fan favorite after some weird podcast performances last summer. Virtually all his numbers are at career highs. Despite the rumors, it has become more than apparent that while the Nets aren’t going to build around him, they want him around for the good times.
This week, Porter himself in a conversation with Tommy Alter and Cam Johnson of Old Man and the Three, indicated in the strongest terms yet that he wants the same thing and despite enduring something he’s been unfamiliar with — losing — he’s ready for the challenge, happy in Brooklyn:
“I think that we are on the right path to being a good team,” Porter said in one of the lesser quoted lines in the hour-long back-and-fourth. “We’re the youngest team in the league. They got a lot of money over there to spend, and they got the most picks. We’re looking at a high draft pick this next season. So I understand the vision of the organization.”
Porter also told the podcast how he wants to see things through to what he calls “a really dope thing” in Brooklyn.
“Sometimes I have to remind myself of that, because I’ve just won a lot of basketball games, and it can be tough because I wanna play winning basketball and compete. If I’m putting my body through all this recovery, all this work, I wanna see the W at the end of the day. But we are building something, and we’re developing really good young players. It’s not far off from being a really dope thing in Brooklyn.”
It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. He and Jordi Fernandez have re-bonded after spending five years together in Denver, just before the Nuggets won it all. Fernandez made it clear from the moment the Nets got him — and an unprotected first rounder in 2032 — that he was going to be a big piece going forward for his team.
Now, of course, the Nets are approaching some big decisions. The pundits listed above also shared the belief that Sean Marks & co. plan on making big moves this summer, without details other than MPJ is likely part of them. The first component of those plans has been taking shape since last June’s historic, five first round picks. The trade deadline brought minor adjustments, but with the Draft Lottery on May 10 and the Draft itself six weeks beyond that, things will likely go into high gear including a decision on MPJ’s contract extension.
Porter makes $38.3 million this year. The Nets are also on the hook for $40.8 million next season. But on July 6, the mutual love affair will face a milestone. How much will Joe Tsai be willing to spend to extend MPJ beyond 2026-27. The Nets do have time to decide: through June 30, 2027.
Yossi Gozlan, the free lance capologist who runs capsheets.com and the “Third Apron” podcast, recently laid out the extent of the extension to NetsDaily: four years and max salary projected at four years, $234 million, beginning in 2027-28 when he’ll still be only 29 years old.
“In reality I think he’s looking at something in the 20-25% of the salary cap range.” Gozlan told ND, citing the lack of competition. “As great as he’s been, he’s not going to replicate this production elsewhere since any good team that acquires him probably makes him their second or third option. I could see him getting something closer to four years, $160 million, but it’s way too early to project his next contract.“
For the record, the projected salary cap for 2027-28, is $174.3 million, meaning a starting salary around $44 million.
This is also where the Nets strategy of rebuilding from within comes into play. Next season, the Nets will likely have seven players on rookie deals: Noah Clowney who’ll be on the last year of his rookie deal (and also eligible for an extension starting in 2026-27), the Flatbush Five of Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf in their second or four years, plus whoever they take in the Draft in June. Depending on how high they draft, the total for the seven players, roughly half the team, will be around $40 million, a quarter of the salary cap.
So they’ll have an ability to sign or trade for players AND keep their payroll within reason. (And yes, a lot depends on those seven players, perhaps none more so than the draft pick.)
MPJ of course alluded to that when talking with Alter and Johnson, saying, “we’re developing really good young players.” As for what would make things “really dope in Brooklyn” that no doubt will have to be a superstar who will either develop from all those draft picks or have to be convinced Brooklyn will have enough good players to produce the W’s needed to lure him.
The Nets have kept Porter out of the line-up in recent days, but in discussing his injury, they expressed no real concern about his health which is a long-term issue. He’s been troubled by tendinitis in the same right knee in which he suffered an MCL sprain earlier this season.
“It’s the same knee, but it’s unrelated. Tendonitis is something athletes deal with in different parts of the body,” said Fernández. “It’s good for him to take this game, see how he feels and get him back feeling great. That’s the most important thing. Nothing to be concerned about. A lot of guys deal with it, but it’s good that Mike can focus on his body right now.”
In the meantime, he’s taking time off with the family…
Sep 23, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep (64) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
That Atlanta Braves have taken another blow to their potential starting rotation with news this afternoon that starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep had an MRI after experiencing discomfort in his elbow while throwing batting practice. The MRI showed “loose bodies” but no ligament damage.
Hurston Waldrep had some elbow discomfort this week. A MRI showed loose bodies, but the ligament seemed fine. He will see Dr. Meister this week. The Braves don’t know how long he might be out.
Braves manager Walt Weiss met with the media and gave some additional details on Waldrep’s status. Weiss said Waldrep will be meeting with doctors on Monday. The assumption is that some type of procedure will be needed.
BREAKING: After Hurston Waldrep through live BP the other day he had some pain. MRI revealed loose bodies in his elbow. It’s likely he will need some type of a procedure to clean things up. Waldrep is meeting with doctors in the next couple days to decide next steps. pic.twitter.com/ECvWfK9U1L
Waldrep had a strong showing after joining Atlanta’s starting rotation in August 2025. Because he had options available, and other starting pitching options like Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Joey Wentz do not, it would have been possible Waldrep would have started the season at Triple-A to preserve the organization’s roster flexibility even if he would have otherwise been part of the Opening Day rotation.
Now is seems likely Waldrep will not be an option for the Opening Day rotation regardless.
A day of no handshakes, and for Pakistan many head shakes. India coasted to victory in what became global cricket’s most lucrative mismatch after a superlative innings from the opener Ishan Kishanskewed it definitively in their favour.
In its second half a game that was dramatically off and then on again became one where a parade of Pakistan batters were dramatically in and then out again. Chasing a target of 176 they were seven down before they even got halfway, and were eventually skittled for 114 to lose by 61 runs.
Arsenal had scored all four goals by the 27th minute before the manager-less League One side stemmed the flow
Breaking: Riccardo Calafiori got hurt in the warmup so Bukayo Saka is a starter, and captain. MLS in midfield looks like it will be an experiment for another day.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 14: A detailed shot of NBA All-Star Los Angeles signage during All Star Saturday Night as part of the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 14, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
This year’s All-Star weekend main event, the All-Star Game, will take place on Sunday. The selected All-Stars will be divided into three teams: Team World, Team Stars and Team Stripes.
Start time and TV schedule
What: NBA All-Star Game
When: 2 p.m. PT, Feb. 15
Where: Intuit Dome
Watch: NBC, Peacock
This year’s All-Star Game will feature a format that many have been clamoring for over the years: a game between American and international superstars. It’s one way the league is attempting to revive the All-Star Game, which has frankly been a brutal watch over the last couple of years. Even Adam Silver admitted it.
So this year, the All-Star Game will see a three-team round-robin tournament. There will be four games, each 12 minutes long. Each team will play each other at least once and the top two that prevail will advance to the championship round. Note that Team World’s roster is stacked with international All-Stars while 16 American All-Stars are spread between Team Stripes and Team Stars.
🇺🇸 USA STARS. USA STRIPES. WORLD. 🌍
The updated 2026 NBA All-Star Game Rosters!
The three teams will compete in a round-robin tournament with the top two teams advancing to the championship game.
The Lakers superstars, LeBron James (Team Stripes) and Luka Dončić (Team World), will be on different teams, so it’ll be fun to watch them go at it. It would also be nice to witness one of them bring home the All-Star Game MVP, which hasn’t been awarded to a Laker since Kobe Bryant won it back in 2011.
But more importantly, it would be ideal to see an entertaining All-Star Game, especially with this new format. This year’s All-Star weekend could use a little more excitement and frankly, it’s about time the main event becomes one that’s worth watching.
Notes and Updates:
James — who didn’t address the media during player media availability on Saturday — will do so prior to tip-off on Sunday. Given how he’s approached the All-Star Game over the past few years, there could be a chance that he doesn’t suit up.
Luka is expected to suit up, but only play for a short stint after missing the last four games for the Lakers.
Here’s a preview of what each team’s jersey kits look like for the All-Star Game:
The NBA today unveiled the uniforms for the 75th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., home of the LA Clippers.
Drawing inspiration from the city of Los Angeles and the new USA vs. World format, the NBA All-Star uniforms celebrate the city’s… pic.twitter.com/B3IFzjt9LU
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, talk to pitcher Justin Verlander at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Many of the Tigers position players have already been in camp since Wednesday, but Sunday marks the first official full squad workout where everyone has reported. Now baseball is really back. The Tigers beat writers on hand picked up some interesting notes over the past two days, so let’s run through a few things.
A.J. Hinch mentioned on Sunday that Colt Keith will be focused on third base, while getting some reps at first base as well. The Tigers had him prepping for first base last year with Spencer Torkelson still not fully established as the everyday first baseman. Looks like they’re keeping a few left-handed hitters involved at the position anyway just in case. Hinch mentioned that they don’t expect Keith to play second base at all except in a pinch.
Meanwhile, former prospect Jace Jung, who has stalled out the past two seasons in a few looks at the major leagues, is also preparing to play first base. Of course, he’ll have to finally start hitting. Jung did make some swing adjustments, lowering his hands and trying to be shorter and quicker to the baseball. He came out of the All-Star break hot, cooled in August, but finished September with a 1.162 OPS and three home runs for the month in 14 games. Still only 25 years old, Jung’s story may not be written just yet, but Triple-A pitching does tend to get pretty thin down the stretch as well. He needs to do something big this season.
Hinch addresses the full squad
As always, the first full gathering of everyone in major league camp is an opportunity for manager A.J. Hinch to set the tone for the season. The only player not in attendance was Justin Verlander, who got a week of work in with the club before bowing out for a few days for a family commitment. Hinch expressed his enthusiasm for the club, but as always cautioned everyone that what they’ve done before is now in the past, and they have to lean back into the day-to-day grind to get better. He’s made a consistent habit of emphazing the need to stacking success bit by bit over the course of a the long season to reach their goals, and the message didn’t change on Sunday.
A.J. Hinch's message to the 2026 #Tigers on Day 1 of full-squad workouts in spring training:
Riley Greene spoke to reporters on Saturday, talking about his monster first half of the 2025 season and the deep slump that followed him down the stretch and into the playoffs. His take on it was that he’s was swinging the bat so well and running so hot that he started feeling like he could crush anything near the zone. That was true for a while, but once pitchers started staying away from him, recognizing that he was swinging a ton, Greene’s confidence got the best of him as his plate disicpline fell apart. His take on this, which is also A.J. Hinch’s take, is that he just needs to take a breath and be more conscious of situations, recognizing when a single will do and when pitchers are just going to stay out of the zone against him out of concern for his power.
The key quote from Cody Stavenhagen’s piece on Greene for The Athletic Detroit sums it up. “If you have two strikes and a runner on second base, maybe try not to hit a ball 5,000 feet.”
This checks out to me. Greene is one of the game’s more dangerous hitters, ranking 25th in wRC+ across 2024-2025. Excessive tinkering may screw up everything that turned him into that hitter. Modest adjustments to his approach and better situational awareness may be all that’s required to get him into that top tier. He was already there until crumbling for long stretches after the All-Star break. Taking his rips early in counts is a must, but so is settling down and just putting the bat on the ball deeper in counts and with runners in scoring position. Now 25 years old, hopefully the Tigers slugger can just mature that approach somewhat. He’s in for a huge year if he can.
Odds and ends
Evan Woodbery with MLive has the story of Jack Flaherty’s decision to opt-in for 2026. Sounds like he had more guaranteed money available to him in free agency, as you’d expect. But he’s comfortable in Detroit and knows they have a chance to win. That was apparently worth more than another uncertain look at free agency, and Flaherty is perhaps one good season from finally getting the type of offers he was expecting last offseason.
Evan Petzold of the Freep has a story on Reese Olson explaining his shoulder injury and why they tried to rehab it again before finally acquiescing to surgery. Essentially, he was going to miss all of 2026 whenever he had the surgery, so it was worth trying to rehab it fully and avoid going under the knife.
Minimal injury news
Everyone is rehabbing their hips and elbows, everyone is advancing on their return to play progressions
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 04: Russell Martin waves before throwing the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game One of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Saturday, October 4, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Russell Martin turns 43 today.
Drafted by the Dodgers in the 17th round in 2002, Martin reached the majors in 2006. By 2014, he’d already played for three MLB teams and made the playoffs seven times—enough to earn any player, but especially a catcher, a reputation as a winner.
In 2014, the Blue Jays already had a perfectly adequate catcher in Dioner Navarro, who hit .274/.317/.395 with a 2.5 bWAR and was under contract for 2015. Most of us expected the team’s off-season focus to be elsewhere. Yet, true to his reputation as a ‘ninja’ GM, Alex Anthopoulos surprised us all by signing Martin.
Martin signed a five-year, $82 million contract, which was back-loaded. He was to get $7 in 2015, then $15 million and $20 million a year for the next three seasons (I see in a post I suggested Max Pentecost would be “looking for playing time” by the third year of the contract. It wasn’t the first time I was wrong). The press conference announcing his signing was peppered with the words leadership, chemistry, and ‘changing the culture.’ About ten days later, Alex would trade for Josh Donaldson. There were several moves that winter. Adam Lind was traded for Marco Estrada. We picked up Justin Smoak. Anthony Gose was traded for Devon Travis. And J.A. Happ was shipped to Seattle for Michael Saunders.
Martin’s signing drew plenty of debate. Committing five years to a 32-year-old catcher is always a risk, but most fans were happy to have a good Canadian boy leading the team. Our poll: 66% liked the deal, 15% disliked it, and 20% were neutral.
That spring, Minor Leaguer, some friends, and I went to Montreal for the Jays’ exhibition games at Olympic Stadium. It was a love-in for Russell. He got a standing ovation every time he came to the plate, and his dad played the national anthem on saxophone before the first game..
In 2015, Martin hit .240/.329/.458 with a career-high 23 home runs in 129 games, good for a 3.2 bWAR (FanGraphs was even higher at 4.5). He made his fourth (and final) All-Star appearance, threw out 44% of base stealers, and looked athletic behind the plate. His pitch framing didn’t look as good as in the past, but, to be fair, he was sometimes catching pitchers with little idea where their pitches were going. It’s easier to frame a pitch that hits its target.
Trivia: On April 19th, Martin caught Jeff Francis to form the first All-Canadian battery in team history.
Whether due to leadership, play, or both, the Jays made the playoffs for the first time in ages. Martin struggled at the plate—3-for-15 in the five-game win over Texas, 1-for-11 (with 3 walks) in the six-game loss to Kansas City—but he was at the center of the most bizarre play I’ve ever seen: In Game 5 of the ALDS, his throw back to the mound hit Shin-Soo Choo’s bat, allowing Rougned Odor to score. The umps initially called it a dead ball, but by rule, it wasn’t. Chaos ensued, but the Jays prevailed.
Martin’s 2016 season at the plate wasn’t as strong: .231/.335/.398 with 20 homers in 137 games (2.0 bWAR). His strikeout rate jumped to 27.7% (from 20.9% the year before). He started the year with a sore neck and finished in a slump—catcher’s aches and pains, most likely. His caught-stealing rate plummeted from 44% to 15%, yet he remained a steady presence defensively. Offensively, he again struggled in October: 3 hits (1 homer) in 33 postseason at-bats.
In 2017, Martin played just 91 games, hitting .221/.343/.388 with 13 home runs. He threw out 20% of would-be base stealers and played 77 innings at third base.
Again, he could have had a better time with the bat in the playoffs. Counting the Wild Card game, he had 3 hits (with 1 home run) in 33 playoff at-bats.
2018 saw Martin step back from full-time catching: just 71 games behind the plate (Luke Maile caught 66, Danny Jansen 29, Reese McGuire 11), plus stints at third (21 games), short (3), and even left field (1). He hit .194/.338/.325 with 10 home runs—a career-low 1.3 bWAR. At 35, he looked every bit the veteran catcher. As I’ve said, smart GMs back-load big contracts, knowing the odds are the player won’t finish as a regular (sometimes I get it right).
It is also Álex González’s 49th birthday.
To clarify, this is the Álex González who played half a season at shortstop for the Jays—nicknamed “Sea Bass” for reasons unknown—not the other Alex Gonzalez who spent eight seasons as a shortstop for the Jays.
This Álex signed with Toronto as a free agent before the 2010 season and surprised us by hitting .259/.296/.497 with 17 home runs in just 85 games. Midseason, the Jays traded him, Tim Collins, and Tyler Pastornicky to the Braves for Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes. The less said about Jo-Jo, the better. Escobar went on to spend three seasons with the Jays, batting .272/.335/.373 in 338 games before departing as part of the Marlins megadeal.
González played 16 years in the majors, eight of them with the Marlins, and finished with a career .245/.290/.395 line and 157 home runs.
Happy Birthday, Álex.
Elvis Luciano turns 26 today.
You’ll remember Elvis as the Jays’ Rule 5 pick before the 2019 season. That meant he had to stick with the big-league club all year, and he did, appearing in 25 games with a 5.35 ERA.
He spent 2021 and the start of 2022 with New Hampshire. He’s played in Japan the last couple of years.
There have been seasons in White Sox history so dire that this question couldn’t be asked with a straight face. Arguably, 2024 or 2025 could be among them.
But now, hey, there’s a rebuild in apparent motion and a young core of players who are ready to step forward into possible stardom. Will everyone in that core, among them Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel, improve in 2026? Perhaps not, but the law of averages (and 2025’s promise) would indicate someone on the roster will move into star status.
Or perhaps you think someone among the veterans (Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, Austin Hayes, Andrew Benintendi among them) is going to break out. And if you’re really dour on the current roster (or high on a prospect), perhaps your pick is Braden Montgomery, Noah Schultz or Hagen Smith breaking camp with the White Sox or making a stirring leap into the majors early in the season.
So, who’s your pick for the White Sox player with the brightest 2026 ahead?
Cavan Biggio is following in his father's footsteps.
The son of Astros legend Craig Biggio signed a minor league deal with Houston on Sunday.
The contract includes an invitation to spring training as a non-roster player.
Biggio spent 2025 with the Kansas City Royals, though he only played in 37 games and made just 83 plate appearances. His best season came during his rookie year with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019, when he recorded 16 home runs and 48 RBIs over 100 games.
The 30-year-old Biggio has a career average of .223 to go along with 52 homers and 190 RBIs across seven seasons with the Royals, Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.
Biggio's main asset during his big-league career has been his defensive versatility. He's played at every position except pitcher and catcher, including 219 starts at second base and 104 combined starts at all three outfield positions.
Craig Biggio, 60, spent 20 years with the Astros during his Hall of Fame career.
The Astros will play their first spring training game Feb. 21 against the Washington Nationals.
