He also claims the club is ‘not guilty’ despite verdict
Roberto Mancini appeared to admit having “a double contract” while managing Manchester City, but insisted the club are not guilty after being found to have breached Premier League financial rules.
Mancini led City to their first Premier League title in 2012 during his four-year spell in Manchester. Now in charge of the Italy national team, he described the scandal surrounding the club as “not a problem that concerns me”.
Head coach Mike Sullivan’s arrival did little to help the reeling club, as they found themselves on the outside looking in at the playoff picture once again. The Rangers underperformed and battled injuries to key pieces throughout the season, finishing in the basement of the Eastern Conference with a 34-39-9 record.
GM Chris Drury continued his retool ahead of the deadline and carried it into the offseason, making some intriguing additions along the way. None was more notable than new top scorer Pavel Dorofeyev, who was inked to a seven-year contract extension shortly after being acquired from the Golden Knights.
Drury bulked up the depth to try to survive any injuries and revamped the d-core with hopes of getting things trending back in the right direction -- whether it will be enough remains to be seen.
What the Rangers have going for them…
They return an offensive core that showed some positives down the stretch in what was an otherwise very disappointing season from top-to-bottom. The trio of Gabe Perreault, Mika Zibanejad, and Alexis Lafreniere showed a tremendous connection over the closing weeks and they will be back together to start the year.
You also have to hope that captain J.T. Miller will be able to put together a bounce back showing after he dealt with injuries throughout last season. Sliding in next to Dorofeyev should go a long way towards helping him, too.
On top of that, Drury made some low-risk forward additions to lengthen the lineup and bolster the wing depth.
Oliver Bjorkstrand was a consistent 20-goal scorer until his production dropped off last season with the Lightning, he’ll look to rebound alongside Miller and Dorofeyev on the second line. Eeli Tolvanen is an interesting add with Will Cuylle and Noah Laba as both look to take another step forward on the third line, as well.
Then you have the defense, which returns a steady top pair of a healthy Adam Fox and last year’s big free agent addition, Vladislav Gavrikov. They also brought in a new second unit with veteran Marcus Petterson and the puck-moving Sean Durzi, both of whom Drury hand picked in offseason trades.
Braden Schneider is bumped down to the third pairing, back on a one-year prove-it deal, and he’ll skate with this year’s first-round pick Alberts Smits, who proved that he is NHL-ready in camp.
Then you add in the rest of the up-and-coming young talent in the system up front and on the back end such as Scott Morrow, Drew Fortescue, Liam Greentree, and Cole Beaudoin among others. Depth, depth, depth is the big thing for this group -- they have the makings of a team ready to take some steps forward this season.
The Rangers will make the playoffs if…
Everything comes together as planned.
As both Drury and Sullivan mentioned during their pre-camp news conference, one of the biggest things that hurt them last season was losing Fox and Shesterkin for long periods to injury. The Blueshirts bulked up their depth so they could potentially withstand another absence, but they absolutely need a fully healthy season from both of their stars.
They also need to get off to a better start this season, especially on home ice.
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) celebrates with left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) and center Mika Zibanejad (93) after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden / Vincent Carchietta - Imagn Images
New York struggled mightily at MSG last season, losing 15 of their first 25 games at the arena, putting them in a deep hole they were unable to recover from. Playing better hockey in front of the NYC faithful is an absolute must, especially with 10 of their first 17 games this year being on home ice.
Dorofeyev carrying over his goal-scoring ways would go a long way towards that, with him having found the back of the net 35+ times each of the last two seasons with the Golden Knights.
On top of that, they need the complimentary pieces to step up around him, particularly Miller, who is coming off an injury-plagued and unproductive first year as Rangers captain. Getting him back to a 70-80 point player would be huge.
The new defensive core will also need to click on the back end, tightening things up and putting together much more consistent efforts right off the bat in front of Shesterkin.
While the Metropolitan Division is getting more and more competitive, Drury seemingly has raised the floor on this squad. If all of these things come together, the Blueshirts should be able to climb their way right back into the playoff picture.
The Rangers will miss the playoffs if…
They can’t make up the production left behind after moving top scorer Artemi Panarin (deadline) and do it all center Vincent Trocheck (offseason).
Panarin hurts in the goal-scoring department, an area New York struggled with even while he was still on Broadway, and Trocheck stings on both ends of the ice. If their new-look top-six can’t step up and put the puck in the net on a nightly basis, this team isn’t going to go very far for the third straight season.
Nov 18, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) warms up before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
One of the biggest keys is also for Shesterkin to stay on the ice and return to the Vezina-winning form that carried them deep into their past postseason runs. Everything can come together in front of Shesterkin, but if he isn’t leading the way between the pipes it’s hard to see them crawling out of the cellar any time soon.
Drury made aggressive moves to try to quickly work through this retool. Whether it will be enough remains to be seen.
Prediction
Fifth place in Metropolitan Division, miss playoffs
This team has the pieces to take a step forward this season. The floor has been raised, but it’s hard to tell exactly what their ceiling is. The Rangers should be able to work their way back into playoff contention, but a lot has to go right for them to go much further than that.
I do expect that they’ll be playing meaningful hockey and fighting for a spot down the stretch, but with the Wild Card race expected to be tight once again, I don’t think it’ll be enough to snap the two-year playoff drought.
Drury’s seat would figure to only get hotter after parting ways with legit assets in this quick retool if the team doesn't get over the hump.
The start of the 2026-27 NHL regular season has nearly arrived, with the Toronto Maple Leafs' season opener coming on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena.
With that, the team's NHL roster is essentially set, with the latest move being defenseman Nick Blankenburg signing a one-year contract with the Leafs for $1.4 million. The 28-year-old earned that contract after joining Toronto's training camp on a PTO.
The Maple Leafs now have eight NHL defensemen in their system. It will be a challenge for the team to distribute ice time for that depth, especially for blueliners like Troy Stecher, Emil Andrae and Blankenburg, who all float around the mix for the sixth or seventh defenseman role.
However, Chayka sees that depth as a real plus for his squad.
"I've never had an NHL head coach say we have too many good quality defensemen," Chayka said after Monday's practice at Scotiabank Arena. "So, just any time we got a chance to get a defenseman that we thought could skate, move the puck, defend, join the rush, facilitate offense.
"We wanted to get as many of those guys as we could. So just more kind of circumstantial in what was available. But whether it's through injuries or performance or, you know, different variables, you know, these things seem to sort themselves out. So we're happy we're not in the other position, looking for guys," he added.
There is a little less of a cluster for Toronto's forward group in terms of extra forwards on the NHL roster. But that doesn't mean the Leafs don't have depth in that position either.
Steven Lorentz, who has played 80 and 71 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs in the past two seasons, respectively, was waived and sent down to the AHL's Toronto Marlies just before the team left for their team-bonding trip to Arizona.
So whatever happens - injuries or players being unavailable - there are options for head coach Jim Hiller.
Center Bo Groulx, who played 13 games for the Maple Leafs in the NHL last season, appears to be locked in as an extra forward. He's practiced with the team consistently leading up to the start of the coming season.
"Bo obviously had a good season last season, came up, but I played well," Chayka said. "Throughout the playoffs, I thought he was a key member of that team. I think we're blessed with a lot of good depth. Credit to Ryan Hardy and John Gruden, and really the leadership group down there.
Chayka and the Maple Leafs' management's trust in some of their depth players doesn't end with Groulx.
"There's a number of guys that are in the system who, you know, we feel completely comfortable with playing NHL games, and Bo at this time is going to get a sample size, hopefully, to show what he can do, but hard-earned, happy for him," he said.
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Despite the smashing success that was the 2025-26 season, the Philadelphia Flyers are not favored to repeat as a playoff team heading into 2026-27.
Popular NHL analytics site MoneyPuck released its first predictions of the 2026-27 season, outlining each NHL team's chance to make the playoffs, reach the Stanley Cup Final, win their division, the number of points they are expected to reach, and more.
For now, the Flyers are starting off in the bottom half of the NHL with their 43.1% chance of making the playoffs, which notably ranks below teams like the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, and Utah Mammoth.
Those odds put the Flyers in the same tier as teams like the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets, who have 42.2% and 41.9% chances of making the playoffs, respectively.
MoneyPuck also projects the Flyers to have a 20.1% chance of reaching the second round of the playoffs, as they did last year; a 9.2% chance of reaching the third round; a 4.3% chance of reaching the Stanley Cup Final; a 2% chance of winning the Cup, and 6% chance of winning the Metropolitan Division.
As for points, MoneyPuck has the Flyers sitting at 93.4 points, which would be a five-point regression from the 98 they amassed last season.
Should the Flyers be underdogs?
At first glance, it does make some sense that the Flyers are not exactly expected to repeat as a playoff team for the second year in a row.
Goalie Joseph Woll was the Flyers' biggest addition this offseason. (Photo: Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)
Outside of the addition of backup goalie Joseph Woll and the attempt to bring in superstar center Leo Carlsson on an offer sheet, the Flyers bumbled through a mostly nondescript offseason where their only other noteworthy addition was veteran center Noel Acciari, who came over from the slightly more favored Pittsburgh.
Plus, teams that missed the playoffs last season, like Washington and New Jersey, made considerable upgrades in contrast, adding players like Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner, Luke Evangelista, Anthony Mantha, and Evan Rodrigues.
The Flyers can look at full seasons of Porter Martone and Tyson Foerster as new additions of their own, while David Jiricek and Simon Benoit should be able to contribute more than Emil Andrae and Noah Juulsen did last year.
Woll, too, is a considerable upgrade on the departed Sam Ersson, who went 14-11-5 with a .870 save percentage in his final season with the Flyers last year.
Comparatively, Pittsburgh's best players aren't getting any younger, and they'll be rocking an unproven tandem in goal with Sergei Murashov and Arturs Silovs.
Columbus has dealt with some major distractions between Zach Werenski, Adam Fantilli, and now Kirill Marchenko, and defenseman Dante Fabbro will begin the year on injured reserve.
With a fast start, the Flyers should quickly overtake some of their peers in the eyes of the public.
With a little more than a week to go in the season, they were comfortably in a wild card spot, having gotten there with multiple long winning streaks. Then… they just stopped scoring runs. They went on the road at the end of the season and could barely muster anything crossing the plate. The team’s fans were beside themselves. What would happen to this club that at times seemed so dominant?
Oh, you think I’m talking about this year’s Cubs.
Nope, I’m talking about the 2022 Phillies, who with 12 games to go were 83-67 (psst… so were this year’s Cubs after 150 games). Then those Phillies lost five in a row. That streak included coming into Wrigley Field and being swept by a bad Cubs team and scoring just three runs in that series. I vividly remember talking to a couple of Phillies fans at Wrigley after that series was over and, well, I can’t post the language they used referring to their team.
Those Phillies then righted their ship, a little, winning four of five. Then they got shut out 10-0 by the Astros on the season’s penultimate day (in fact, they nearly got no-hit by Justin Verlander and two Houston relievers, including old friend Hector Neris, finally breaking up that effort in the ninth). They lost the next day, too, backing into the postseason when the Brewers lost.
Those Phillies then traveled to St. Louis for a Wild Card series and were losing 2-0 with one out in the ninth in the first game when seven of their next eight hitters reached base. They scored six runs in that inning and won 6-3.
That was the first of 10 wins in 12 games for Philadelphia, which included winning Game 1 of the World Series in Houston, against that same team that had nearly knocked them out entirely a few weeks earlier.
Ultimately the Astros won the World Series that year. (Incidentally, Alex Bregman batted .294/.379/.569 with three home runs in 12 postseason games for Houston in 2022; his solid postseason performance is one of the reasons the Cubs signed him.)
Now the Cubs are in a similar situation to those Phillies. Not identical, of course, but the clubs are quite similar. The 2022 Phillies were a slugging team near the top of MLB in offensive categories. They had a mediocre pitching staff that ranked 23rd in reliever ERA and had 22 blown saves, and their save leader — Corey Knebel, remember him from his Brewers days? — had just 12, with four of those blown saves.
This pretty much describes the 2026 Cubs, no? In fact, this year’s Cubs rank even higher than the 2022 Phillies in almost every offensive category. They were first this year in runs, SLG, OPS, OPS+, total bases and walks (a franchise record 674), and rank third in home runs. They also rank first in runners left on base, and I could cite RISP numbers but leaving a lot of runners also means that, well, you have a lot of runners in the first place. That’s what happens when you lead the league in walks and are sixth in hits.
This sort of offense shows in the Cubs’ record in “blowout” games (defined at baseball-reference.com as games won by five or more runs). They are 35-16 in those games, which is excellent. But they’re just 23-21 in one-run games, and that’s on the pitching staff, which has been horrific most of the year. How bad? This bad:
The Cubs pitching staff is one of the worst in MLB (only four teams, then Nationals, Royals, A’s and Rockies had as bad or worse pitching WAR), and if they didn’t lead the league in hitting WAR by a significant margin — 11 WAR over the Dodgers! — they’d be down near the bottom of the list. Instead, they rank third overall, behind only the Dodgers and Brewers.
Injuries are a big part of that. Only Shōta Imanaga, of all the starters, didn’t have a single day on the injured list, making 31 starts and throwing 173.1 innings, producing 2.0 bWAR. Even at that, the Cubs’ leader in bWAR (2.2) was Ben Brown, who threw only 68 innings and didn’t throw a single pitch after June 19. Brown’s injury was one of the major factors in making this pitching staff so awful. This Cubs team had a franchise-record 14 different pitchers record saves this year, including Corbin Martin (!), who posted a 10.80 ERA in seven games for the team in 2026.
Many of you will rightly criticize Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer for this patchwork bullpen that posted just 35 saves, with 23 blown saves. Granted and stipulated, the signings of Phil Maton (who was awful thanks to a knee injury, which he pitched through instead of having it taken care of) and Hunter Harvey (who threw only four innings for the team this year) were both wasted money.
But you know what, relievers are fickle and fungible. Last year Hoyer was praised for putting together a solid relief corps that included castoffs like Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz and Caleb Thielbar, all of whom were very good in 2025 (total 3.6 bWAR, which is half of what the entire Cubs staff put together this year). Hoyer tried a reunion with Thielbar this year; that didn’t work. Neither did six games of Pomeranz in 2026 after the Angels released him.
The larger issue is pitching development for the Cubs. Other teams seem to crank out endless lines of guys from their minor league systems throwing 98+. The Cubs don’t.
That’s a topic for another day, though. Today’s is: Why not the Cubs this year? We saw them run off a pair of 10-game winning streaks early in the year. (And then a 10-game losing streak.) We have seen them dominate games with their offense. They scored in double figures 21 times in 2026, the sixth-most such games for any Cubs team in the Modern Era (they also did it 22 times last year, and two of those years, 1929 and 1930, were juiced-ball offensive seasons). This sort of offense might, just might, be enough to overcome the shortcomings of this mediocre pitching staff.
When the postseason starts, things tend to reset from the regular season. Last year’s Brewers, for example, scored a bunch of runs in their first two Division Series games against the Cubs, then stopped hitting, scoring only 10 total runs in the next seven games, squeaking by the Cubs in that series, then getting swept in the NLCS by the Dodgers. There are tons of postseason examples just like this. In recent years, the 2024 Mets won a Division Series over a better Phillies team because Philly stopped hitting. The 84-78 Diamondbacks did it to the 100-62 Dodgers in 2023, outscoring them in a Division Series sweep 19-6.
Circling back to that 2022 Phillies team, they won two of the first three World Series games from the Astros and then… well, just stopped hitting, scoring only three total runs in the next three games as Houston won the Series. The point here is — at least the Phillies got to the World Series. I think this Cubs team can do that too, or even win the whole thing, if they hit like they are capable of. Let’s hope they start that tomorrow against the Padres. Go Cubs.
Tyrese Haliburton sat down for Indiana Pacers media day and made sure to every reporter in the room knew his latest injury update.
"Before you ask a question, I am healthy. I'm 100%. There will be no restrictions," Haliburton declared on Monday, Sept. 28. "That is not news. There's no source. I am the source. I'm good. I'm ready to go for the year."
That is most certainly good news for the Pacers, who enter the 2026-27 NBA season coming off a rough campaign in which Haliburton didn't play at all while rehabbing from the torn Achilles he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Haliburton also endured a frustrating case of shingles that slowed his recovery.
During the 15 months he hasn't played, Haliburton kept tabs on all the doubts that formed about his ability to regain his All-Star form and the Pacers' viability as a contender. He already expressed shock last month upon learning his first game back from injury for Indiana's regular season opener won't be on national television.
"You guys know the type of person I am. You know that I search for any type of negativity at all times," Haliburton said on Monday. "My screenshots folder, my bookmarks folder on Twitter is pretty crazy. That's just who I am. That's always going to be who I am. The last 16 months have allowed for a lot, a lot of material for me and that's fun. That's going to make the year fun for us ... As a team, we have a lot of bulletin board material."
Haliburton said he expects Indiana to compete for an NBA title again with center Ivica Zubac joining the team's core at last year's trade deadline.
How Haliburton looks with him remains an unknown until it actually happens. The 26-year-old point guard has been playing 5-on-5 against team personnel and teammates in recent weeks and posted a video on social media completing a between-the-legs dunk to demonstrate his progress.
Haliburton mentioned having to "rebuild who I am" during this rehabilitation process and noted, "the first time that I fell and the gym didn't gasp, that's when I felt normal again."
"I feel great. I can only say it so many times," Haliburton said. "I'm looking forward to getting back on the floor and you guys being able to see it for yourself."
When the Jazz made the blockbuster trade for Jaren Jackson Jr. last February, a vision was put into place. A vision of a healthy Walker Kessler pairing up with JJJ to create the most daunting defensive rim presence in the NBA.
Everyone was on board. Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen, Will Hardy, Danny Ainge, Austin Ainge, the Jazz fanbase. Everybody bought in but Kessler, who apparently wanted to do everything in his power to not play in a purple mountain jersey ever again.
According to Marc Stein in his latest post of “The Stein Line” substack, Kessler’s camp told Jazz officials that he was “determined” to go the qualifying offer route this summer, and hit unrestricted free agency in 2027.
Kessler was set to leave Utah no matter what. Nothing could have convinced him to stay.
Walker Kessler's camp successfully convinced Jazz officials that he was absolutely determined to go the qualifying offer route this summer had he stayed in Utah and then proceed to unrestricted free agency next summer, per @TheSteinLine
This alleged sentiment contradicts an instagram post that Kessler made to Utah Jazz fans in the midst of free agency rumors in June.
“I’ve seen what’s being said, and I want it to be clear that I have always wanted to be here — I love this city, these fans, my teammates, my coaches — that’s real to me. You don’t grow roots where you don’t want to be,” Kessler wrote to Jazz fans via Instagram on June 17, 2026.
The entire Kessler-Utah saga is a perplexing one. Why did Kessler have so much reported animosity towards the idea of playing for the Jazz? Even before Utah acquired JJJ, Kessler and the Jazz could not agree to terms on his rookie extension, failing to come to an agreement before the September deadline last season.
Kessler only played five games before succumbing to a season-ending shoulder injury, and even then, the Jazz showed confidence in the big man. In a recent interview with team reporters Eric Spryopolous and JP Chunga, Austin Ainge claimed that he wanted to bring Kessler back for another season.
“ We really valued Walker. Walker’s a good player,” Austin Ainge said. “We were planning on keeping him. But that offer got high enough that we thought it was the right move to make for the Jazz for building a championship team.”
Austin Ainge on the Walker Kessler trade:
“ We really valued Walker. Walker's a good player. We were planning on keeping him. But that offer got high enough that we thought it was the right move to make for the Jazz for building a championship team." pic.twitter.com/6wTuRYeaGY
Austin Ainge was diplomatic in that interview, and while he was mostly truthful about the Kessler situation, what wasn’t mentioned was that Kessler ultimately did not want to play in Utah. Had Kessler been really committed to play for the Jazz, it looks like the Jazz would have happily had the fifth-year center back in 2026-27.
Kessler in L.A. hurts the Jazz for 2026-27. It is a noticeable falloff from Kessler as your starting center to Jusuf Nurkic — assuming that they are still trying to run a three-big lineup with Markkanen and Jackson at the three and four. But getting four first-round picks for a league-average center who has had an injury history already in his first four seasons in the NBA, is a fantastic deal.
It’s still weird to think about how the Kessler era in Utah ended. In his rookie season, it seemed that Utah had found its Rudy Gobert replacement for a fraction of the price. The Jazz were set to have another all-NBA defender for the next decade. He finished third behind Paolo Banchero and Jalen Williams, both of whom are all stars now.
To think that he would only play four years for Utah after how great the marriage started is disappointing.
Expect some boos to rain down at the Delta Center when the Lakers visit Salt Lake City on Oct. 25.
James slightly deflected that question at media day on Monday at the 76ers training facility when asked about the structure of his two-year, $8 million contract with the 76ers, which includes a player option for the 2027-28 season, and whether he's looking at it as his last stop.
Instead, the four-time NBA champion said he is approaching his 24th season in the NBA, and his first back in the Eastern Conference in nearly a decade, by being in the "present."
"I'm just looking at it every single day on how I can be the best version of myself for this franchise while I'm here. I can't speak into the future right now. I think that would be doing a disservice to myself, just living in the moment, especially knowing that I am where I am in my career," James said.
James chose the 76ers over the reported interest of the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. The 76ers become the fourth franchise James will play for, marking the first time he will play in a new uniform since the start of the 2018-19 season.
In joining the 76ers, who were swept by the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA playoffs last season, James will be teamed up with his close friend Tyrese Maxey, who served as a "major factor" in his decision to return to the East Coast.
After announcing his free-agent signing with the 76ers, James posted on social media that it was his "last decision" and that he wasn't "going for money."
The NBA All-Time Leading Scorer noted on Monday that while he'll not have a Year 24 season again next season, he will see "what happens" regarding a 25th season.
"Me trying to focus on what my future looks like, I wouldn’t be giving myself grace. I’m more in the present now, understanding that I’m in Year 24," James said. "... I just like being in the moment, and we’ll see what happens."
TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 28: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors speaks to media during the Toronto Raptors media day at Hotel X on September 28, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Early during Kawhi Leonard’s highly anticipated 2026-27 Toronto Raptors Media Day availability, he fielded a question from The Toronto Star’s Doug Smith on what he learned about himself in the past year.
His response hit the Los Angeles Clippers fanbase like a wall more daunting than the one in their home arena:
“I need pressure or I need a winning situation.”
TORONTO, CANADA – SEPTEMBER 28: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors speaks to media during the Toronto Raptors media day at Hotel X on September 28, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
During Leonard’s seven-year stint with the Clippers, they accumulated a 325-229 record (.586). His tenure had a promising start, with a second-round appearance and a trip to the Western Conference Finals in his first two seasons. Leonard then missed the 2021-22 season with an ACL injury and the Clippers never recovered. Los Angeles eventually added three first-round exits to their resume in the ensuing years.
During his lone campaign in Toronto, the team went 58-24 (.707) and ultimately captured the city’s first NBA championship.
“The city took a liking to me, even before we won the championship,” said Leonard. “People were thanking me for how well I was playing and leading the Raptors to a historic playoff run.”
In addition to highlighting the energy and the people, Leonard is excited for his son to experience Toronto.
“My son was born here, now he’s back home, and he seems happier,” added Leonard.
While any worries about his off-court life can be cast aside, it’ll undoubtedly be what happens on the court that determines whether or not Toronto ultimately provides Leonard with his ‘winning situation’. While there are many fascinating pieces on the team, no one is more important to determining this team’s ceiling than Scottie Barnes. As brilliant as Leonard is, he has often required dominant on-ball players next to him, specifically during his Clippers run.
In his final season with the Clippers, Leonard finished with a 33.4 usage rate, good for the third-highest in the league. He played with James Harden (until he was shipped off to the Cleveland Cavaliers) and Darius Garland, who finished with usage rates of 33.1 and 29.9. Both would have finished higher than anyone on the Raptors last season:
Brandon Ingram: 26.9
RJ Barrett: 25.7
Scottie Barnes: 23.4
Despite that, Leonard has seemingly bought into what Head Coach Darko Rajakovic has planned schematically.
“I can play off anybody…I can catch and shoot,” said Leonard. “I’ve played with limited shots before.”
While it’s admirable of Leonard to publicly concede touches, the Raptors desperately need him to be the type of bucket-getter that they had hoped Ingram would be, especially in the post-season. Still, as defences load up on Leonard, it’ll be important for Barnes to meet those on-ball expectations.
Barnes is excited for the responsibility:
“Just trying to work on my offensive game in those iso and late-game situations is where I can take that next level,” said Barnes.
Before the Q&A started, Leonard quickly set the tone. He wasn’t going to address the cap circumvention situation. Instead, he proceeded to show off a charm and charisma that previously eluded him. From joking about K’wine & Dine to addressing his viral laugh, Leonard seemed loose and willing to be vulnerable.
“I’m not going to stop laughing because people thought it was funny,” said Leonard.
The pressure and expectations won’t stop building in Toronto either, but it seems like this version of Leonard is built for it and more.
The Florida Panthers hit the ice for a final practice in Fort Lauderdale on Monday morning before embarking on their season-opening road trip.
It’s the first time we received a look at what could very well be head coach Paul Maurice’s Opening Night roster.
There were 21 players on the ice, including 12 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders.
Among them was new Panthers forward Brady Tkachuk.
His last action came during Florida’s second preseason game on Tuesday night in Sunrise, when he played the first two periods but not the third.
Afterwards, Maurice downplayed any sort of injury, instead saying something that tightened up on Tkachuk and that he was expected back on the ice in the short term.
After sitting out a few practices, Tkachuk is good to go for Opening Night.
“He’s ready to roll,” Maurice said Monday.
Now it appears that the Cats will enter the season with only one regular player – Brad Marchand – missing from the lineup.
Marchand has been skating and working his way back from offseason surgery, with the expectation that he will be able to jump into the Panthers’ lineup sometime in November.
Florida rolling without many healthy scratches is something we’ve seen in the past from healthy Panthers squads, so it’s not terribly surprising to see the Cats apparently heading down that route again.
"Hey, everyone, thanks for coming," Leonard said Monday, Sept. 28. "I’m excited to be here. I know why some of you guys came – you want to hear about the investigation – but in talking with the NBA and (National Basketball Players Association), I think the best decision is to move forward and focus on my time being a Toronto Raptor."
Leonard, who had previously played one season for the Raptors in 2018-19 and helped deliver the franchise’s only NBA championship, agreed to a two-year, $115 million contract extension with the Raptors on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
After his one season with the Raptors, Leonard became an unrestricted free agent and opted to sign with the Clippers, where he played six seasons.
"I don’t really go back and think too about it too much about it," Leonard said when asked to reflect on his departure from the Raptors. "Cause when you think, the next year was COVID, and I kind of made my decision to go to LA based off my family. I’m a big family guy, had a lot of older people in my family that I was able to spend time with that passed away.
"And just seeing babies be born and their cousins and nieces – that was all great for me, and I can’t take that back. Those times, cherished, and being able to see family and hug them before they passed, it doesn’t make me think about the basketball aspect of it too much."
The seven-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP will lead Toronto alongside forward Scottie Barnes and guard RJ Barrett. Although Leonard said he didn’t want to take questions about the Clippers and the investigation, he did say he felt the Clippers "weren’t too competitive last year," as they struggled to a 42-40 record. Los Angeles qualified for the play-in game but lost to the Warriors and missed out on the playoffs.
"I need pressure," Leonard said. "I need a winning situation. I want to try to win."
Toronto, which made the postseason last year without Leonard and was eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, should be competitive in a deep Eastern Conference.
"I already was a distraction for the past 70 days and wasn’t able to meet my teammates and do any of that minicamp stuff with them," Leonard said. "So moving forward, I just want to talk about the Toronto Raptors today. I did release a statement that you can go back to. So, yeah, like I said, I just want to focus on basketball and being a Toronto Raptor. Like I said, I’m excited to play and be in the city."
USA TODAY Sports' NHL experts believe the Hurricanes will win the Metropolitan Division again, but none expect the team to reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2026-27.
Two of the three picked a Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993, going with the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens. The third picked a more recent champion, the Florida Panthers, who won back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025 and have Aleksander Barkov back from an ACL injury.
Here are USA TODAY's predictions for division winners, Stanley Cup Final and champion, plus four major awards winners:
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 27: Jo Adell #7 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates with Nathaniel Lowe #46 after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on September 27, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Guardians have made it to the American League Division series – how can they use this position to break the longest World Series championship drought in the sport?
The Guardians enter MLB’s playoffs as an underdog, as usual. They spent most of the season struggling to stay over .500, and then turned it on from the end of the August through September for the third year in a row. Their flaws are easy to see: they lack a 20-home run hitter (Jo Adell hit 23 this season but most of those were with the Angels), they are missing a strong third starter, and the loss of Emmanuel Clase due to a gambling scandal has winnowed the depth of their bullpen. With that said, the Guardians have some important assets baseball fans shouldn’t overlook when considering potential contenders for baseball’s biggest prize. Let’s take a look at some things that will likely have to happen for the Guardians to end their 78-year title drought:
Playoff Experience Buoys the Team:
This is now Stephen Vogt’s third time managing a playoff team. Growing edge mistakes he has made in the past – failing to intentionally walk an en fuego Giancarlo Stanton, going one to many times to the same relievers in a short series, and putting the worst defender you have ever seen in the field while facing Tarik Skubal – should be lessons learned for one of the best managers in the game. Additionally, Carl Willis’s steady hand will guide a playoff pitching staff for the umpteenth time.
On the field, World Series winners Austin Hedges and Nathaniel Lowe will provide needed voices of experience, and, because of the playoff runs of the past two years, Jose Ramirez’s vast amount of playoff experience is not the only source of familiarity with baseball’s biggest stage on the team. David Fry, Chase DeLauter, Brayan Rocchio, Angel Martinez, and almost the entire pitching staff have postseason memories to draw upon to anchor them for the current run. Vogt has the pieces in place to position his guys to last.
Gavin Williams, Parker Messick and Daniel Espino/Joey Cantillo Dominate:
The success or failure of the Guardians in these playoffs will ride on the top of their rotation asserting their abilities on their opponents. Williams has a 2.85 xFIP this season, Messick has a 2.56 ERA, and Espino (2.69 xFIP) and Cantillo (3.62 ERA) have allowed a total of three runs in their three appearances together as opener and bulk guy. All four pitchers are capable of missing a lot of bats, something that is crucial for playoff success.
Rest Gives Jose Ramirez’s Hand a Chance to Regain Some Strength:
The Guardians only winning 85 games this season may seem like a disappointment coming off of two-straight division-title-winning years, but it stands as an amazing accomplishment because the Guardians’ perennial MVP-candidate only managed a 92 wRC+ and a .235/.320/.368 slashline, while accumulating only 2.2 fWAR (his lowest of any season since 2015). The lower numbers seem almost entirely attributable to Ramirez getting hamate surgery in June and trying to get his hand/wrist strength back while playing major league baseball games instead of receiving extended rest. Well, counting Sunday, Jose will now get a full week’s worth of rest. Can that enable his hand to regain enough strength to make him something closer to his career norms? His contact rates and plate discipline numbers have remained strong, so if he can find some of his missing power with the rest he gets this coming week… watch out, American League.
Tanner Bibee and Foster Griffin Help in Middle Innings:
The back-end of the Guardians’ rotation has not been great, however, both Tanner Bibee and Foster Griffin are talented enough pitchers to be dangerous in two-inning stints if needed in the middle of a game. After a bad start against the Mets (about which the Athletic’s Zack Meisel recently revealed that the Mets were able to hear his pitches on Lowe’s PitchCom device at first base), Griffin has had a 3.08 FIP with the Guardians. He’s able to get a groundball when needed, which can be immensely helpful in a mid-game situation. Meanwhile, Bibee is far too prone to the longball and unable to reliably get whiffs when needed, but, as demonstrated on Saturday, he is able to pull himself together to get outs when needed. If placed mid-game and told to let loose and not worry about going through a lineup more than once (at the most), he’s a pitcher with the playoff experience and moxie to make a huge impact.
The Volatility of Hunter Gaddis Swings Back to the Guardians’ Favor:
The Guardians should feel good about Cade Smith (more on him later) and Erik Sabrowski at the end of games, but Hunter Gaddis has been shaky down the stretch. In Gaddis’s last six innings, he has an FIP over 7. He is giving up too much contact and it’s LOUD contact. However, in Gaddis’s prior 15 innings, he had a 1.17 ERA and a 1.99 FIP. Was Gaddis tiring down the stretch? Can a week off spent in the warm embrace of Carl Willis and the restorative cocoon of talking through his pitch mix with Patrick Bailey and Austin Hedges get him back to the 9.39/2.93 K/BB/9 and near 50% groundball rate he flashed in his recent hot stretch? Gaddis has had huge splits in FIP this season, as well, with a 2.74 FIP vs. RHP and a 5.74 FIP vs. LHP. Leveraging Gaddis’s appearance in a game to ensure he faces two right-handed batters, if possible, will be key for Vogt to use him effectively.
The Guardians really have to hope there is an answer for Gaddis’s struggles, or that could prove their fatal flaw. It is possible that Colin Holderman, who has been treating a wrist injury, may get healthy enough to make the playoff roster this week, and that would be a huge boon if he can be something like the 2.73 ERA/3.16 FIP he put up in the Guardians’ pen this season, and if Vogt is willing to let Holderman be the primary 7th inning guy instead of Gaddis.
Chase DeLauter and Steven Kwan Perform Like Top 20 Hitters in MLB:
It is virtually impossible to win a World Series without a top 20 hitter in MLB performing as such. The Guardians’ Chase DeLauter is 19th in MLB with a 131 wRC+. DeLauter is more than capable of getting hot and carrying a lineup in a short series, or two. As mentioned before in this article, Jose Ramirez is, of course, still capable of putting up top 20-hitter numbers IF that wrist/hand manages to recover in a significant fashion during this period of rest. However, in looking at potential hitting heroes, it’s important not to forget about what Steven Kwan has done since the All-Star break; few midseason turnaround compare to Kwan’s pre-All-Star break slashline of .225/.332/.282 becoming a .353/.443/.438 slashline to end the season. Kwan’s 155 wRC+ after the all-star break is the eighth best performance among all qualified MLB hitters. Kwan has also put up a very good 129 wRC+ in 92 playoff plate appearances for his career. Kwan and DeLauter at the top of the Guardians’ lineup should be a difficult assignment for any playoff opponents.
I would be remiss if I left this section about “best hitters” on the Guardians without mentioning Angel Martinez’s run to end the season. Since returning from a broken foot, after the MLB trade deadline, Martinez put up a 151 wRC+. Will he see a single strike from the best pitchers in MLB during the playoffs due to his first percentile chase rate? I don’t know. Will he be able to resist chasing those pitches? I really don’t know. But, he has been a wildly valuable hitter under the radar to everyone except Cleveland fans.
Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio Display that Clutch is Real:
I’m not saying that “being clutch” is real… but I am saying that if it IS real, Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio are probably clutch. Rocchio has a career 131 wRC+ and Bailey a career 114 wRC+ in high leverage situations. Neither have been quite an average hitter this season (or even close to average for their careers), yet both provide excellent defensive value at the most important positions on the field (shortstop and catcher, respectively) and have consistently found a way to come through with the bat when it really matters. Shoutout, also, to Austin Hedges for somehow being a 100 wRC+ hitter this season, which may come in crucial at some point this playoffs, as well.
Nathaniel Lowe and Jo Adell Perform:
The Guardians added reliever Craig Yoho, starter Foster Griffin, and hitters Nathaniel Lowe and Jo Adell to shore up their roster at this year’s MLB trade deadline. Yoho may or may not make the playoff roster, and Griffin can potentially help in middle relief or as the fourth starter in a potential ALCS, but it is Lowe and Adell who have the greatest chance to impact the Guardians’ playoff run of this bunch. Lowe has been unlucky at the plate since coming to the Guardians (.280 wOBA compared to .307 xwOBA), but can he still be the hitter who had a 123 wRC+ and a .351 xwOBA for the Reds prior to the trade deadline? If he can, that will immensely strengthen the Guardians’ lineup. Adell has struggled mightily against right-handed pitching this year (67 wRC+) BUT he has an insane 168 wRC+ against lefties. Teams love to try to neutralize the Guardians with southpaws; Adell and past-postseason hero David Fry are here to try to make sure that’s not an easy task.
Travis Bazzana Gets Hot:
It’s not unusual for rookie hitters to be hot and cold but Bazzana demonstrated this tendency in a fairly stark fashion this season. For example, from May 1st to June 3rd, Bazzana put up a 138 wRC+ and from June 4th-July 17th he had an 81 wRC+. From July 18th-August 2nd, Bazzana put up a 137 wRC+, and from August 3rd-August 31st he had a 45 wRC+. From September 1st-September 18th, Bazzana had a 244 wRC+ and from September 19th through the final game, Bazzana had a 35 wRC+. Bottom line, if former 1.1 pick Bazzana is on a heater, he can be one of those top 20 MLB hitters for this team and carry them through a playoff series or two.
Cade Smith Pitches Like the Best Reliever in MLB:
Smith’s dominance is well-known in the game. He has a 1.95 ERA and a 13/2.8 K/BB/9. I am almost 100% confident he is not betting on the results of his pitches. Vogt has repeatedly shown the willingness to let him pitch two innings to close out a game and may very well allow that multiple times in a short series. If Smith performs at the level to which he is capable, he and Erik Sabrowski have the potential to make at least three games each series 6-inning affairs.
There are never any sure things when it comes to the playoffs in MLB. We can say for certainty that not every of the plausible scenarios listed above will come into play for the Guardians, as much as I might wish they would. However, this list of ten ways that would make a World Series title-runs for Cleveland demonstrates that this team has a number of potential ways to beat oppponents that should not be underestimated. With the #2 seed in hand and a bye through the wildcard, the Guardians would also have homefield advantage should they advance to the ALCS if either the Yankees or Red Sox manage to beat the Tampa Bay Rays. Time to watch and see if these Guardians can continue another legendary September run into late October.
Quick Glossary: 100 wRC+ is league average offensive production, wOBA and xwOBA look are similar metrics with solid offensive production being .320 woBA or above, and xwOBA looking at expected results based on quality of contact. FIP, xFIP and xERA look at ERA numbers without the influence of fielding differences and with the factors of quality of contact allowed.
Sep 27, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
They are in the playoffs. Let’s not dwell too much on the how; let’s just focus on the fact that they are in. That’s all they need to make some noise in the playoffs.
Three up
Zack Wheeler – Imagine this season without an Ace level Wheeler. He was always going to come back from the injury he had, if only because the trainers and medical staff of the Phillies were never really worried that it would end his career. How he would perform was an altogether different question. Would he be the Ace the team had relied on for many years, or something of a shell of himself? No one really knew until he actually started pitching….and then we knew. He was the one that the team would depend on each and every time. Many people outside of the organization point to the firing of Rob Thomson as the turning point of this season, but the real ones know: once Wheeler returned, that’s when it all changed.
Aaron Nola – I’m not going to get down on a guy that asked for the ball on short rest when the team needed someone to step up. Nola may have gotten blitzed in that start Saturday night, but good on him for wanting to do something to help the team. His resurgence this season was one of the reasons they are still playing baseball. Imagine if he was the bad version of Nola. Does this team make the playoffs at all?
Bryson Stott – The only bat worthy of this tier, Stott was good this week, boosted by his 3 for 3 performance on Sunday. While it will be how the stars fare against the Braves that determines if they are able to advance to meet the Dodgers, the complimentary bats like Stott and Alec Bohm also have to show something of a pulse if they expect to do anything.
Three down
Jose Alvarado – Let’s ask the true question when it comes to Alvarado: was Saturday night the final time we see him in a Phillies uniform? One can argue that there really is no reason to pitch him in the playoffs outside of a mop up appearance. Tanner Banks and Tim Mayza are more than likely ahead of him on the left handed pecking order if a southpaw is needed in the next week, so there really is no reason to call on him when the game is on the line. He might still have decent stuff (I’d argue he doesn’t), but the absolute loss of knowing where that stuff is going means he cannot be put into leverage situations, situations that abound in the playoffs. He was good when they needed him to be, but his time here is at an end.
J.T. Realmuto – Yes he had the big hit Sunday, arguably the biggest one, but boy is he bad right now. One could spin it in a positive direction and say he had bad luck, but that would be strictly looking at data and not watching with your eyes. He is not right at the plate.
Alec Bohm – Another that really isn’t swinging a good bat either, Bohm might be the key to the lineup outside of the big three. Hitting behind that trio, especially against Chris Sale, Bohm is going to have to have a key hit or two if they have a chance to steal Game 1.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 23: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves takes the field before the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park on September 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In September’s latter half, the Braves did a big thing: they clinched their first NL East title in three seasons (but seventh in nine seasons under the current Front Office). They did so with a sweep of the Astros in Houston, while dropping every other series they played. Of course, that sounds more woeful than it was, as it was really one series win against a contender, one series loss to a contender, and then six meaningless games where the Braves largely played their regulars but goofed around on the pitching end, and didn’t really do anything that well in the process.
So, as a result, the stats from their 5-5 end to the month (after a 7-7 start) are kind of meaningless. The Braves didn’t end their 2026 regular season on a high note, but… no one’s gonna remember that either way, given that the season’s story was pretty much written before these last few weeks, anyway. If the Braves have a postseason run, or if they don’t, these last two weeks won’t really matter to anyone either way.
Probably the biggest thing to note is that the Braves didn’t collapse. Collapsing is kind of hard to do when you win a bunch of games you shouldn’t in aggregate, but there was no karmic payback or anything. The 2026 Braves started with division odds of about 1-in-3, which shot up to 3-in-4 and higher in mid-April and stayed there until late June. They were coin flip-y with a slight edge around the All-Star Break, were up to nearly unity in mid-August, and then bounced around some more in the 70-95 percent range until becoming basically a sure thing once they fended off the Phillies. The clinch was just a formality, really.
How did the Braves do recently?
Keeping in mind that these stats don’t really tell a useful story given that the Braves largely mailed it in for six of ten games in this span, they were:
23rd in position player value — 21st in wRC+, 17th in xwOBA, 11th defensively
24th in pitching value (inclusive of goofing off, as noted) — 17th in ERA-, 26th in FIP-, and 11th in xFIP-, with no real difference between the rotation and bullpen.
So, what can you say, really? Of the four games that mattered, the Braves were favored in one but won three; if the remaining six, they were favored in five and won two. Eh.
How are the Braves doing on the season?
Well, they won 94 games and clinched the NL East with six games to go. They finished those same six games ahead of the Phillies, whom they’ll play in the Wild Card round best-of-three. 94 wins is good for MLB’s fourth-best record, and they also had MLB’s fifth-best run differential, but just the tenth-best BaseRuns-based record. (Only the Reds, Rays, and Phillies outperformed BaseRuns by more this season.) My own personal amusement is that if you went solely off BaseRuns, the NL playoff field would feature the Dodgers, Brewers, and Marlins as the division winners, and the Cubs, Pirates, and Braves as the Wild Card teams. (Of course, some of that would need to be rejiggered given that the Braves probably don’t goof off for six games if they trail the Marlins by a game.)
The overall team ranks are not kind to the Braves as far as the 2026 season goes.
21st in position player fWAR
20th in wOBA and wRC+; 14th in xwOBA
Sixth in defensive value (yay)
13th in pitching fWAR (17th rotation, 12th bullpen)
Fifth in ERA- (seventh, fourth)
15th in FIP- (17th, 12th)
11th in xFIP- (14th, 11th)
Yeah, this is not really a good team. While anything can happen in a short series, it’s easy to say that when the Braves lost those sets to the Phillies in 2022 and 2023, it was baseball being baseball, and the Braves were a better team. In 2026… sure, one or the other is better by some specific paradigm, but neither seems particularly good at all.
By the way, the 21st finish in position player fWAR was the team’s lowest since it also did so in 2017. The same goes for its hitting outputs (25th in 2017); hitting inputs had their lowest rank since the 2018 team finished 18th. I don’t know what’s going to happen this offseason, but this team needs a clear reinvention of its offensive wheel, with whatever strategic and personnel moves are needed to get there. Changes weren’t warranted from 2024 to 2025, and things somehow got worse this year, which I would never have guessed given how 2025 transpired.
How are the hitters doing?
Yeesh.
Three of the team’s good bats picked it up over these last two weeks. Mauricio Dubon decided to add some wild xwOBA overperformance for fun. Matt Olson could’ve had a better run, but whatever — he ended up with a really rough September in the end. But all the guys that struggled? Well, they pretty much struggled, except for seven PAs of Dominic Smith. Ozzie Albies absolutely collapsed. Austin Riley, Sean Murphy, and Ha-Seong Kim remained mired in their doldrums. Put this all together, and the seasonal lines look kinda nasty for a lot of these ten guys who crossed the 200 PA threshold.
Michael Harris II, Matt Olson, and Drake Baldwin were legit. No complaints about Ronald Acuña Jr. or Mauricio Dubon. I won’t even touch Murphy and Kim, who maybe could’ve solved things with enough time (Murphy’s bat speed is a real problem). But, the inability to do much to help Riley, to play Smith for 300 PAs despite obvious backsliding in his offensive approach that led to him hitting poorly, Mike Yastrzemski running into a career-worst year… like I said, there are a lot of issues to address.
At least almost everyone basically ended up where expected but for Dubon, and no one fell into some kind of horrendous xwOBA underperformance trap.
How are the pitchers doing?
Let’s also include the relievers, I guess.
Everyone got kinda shelled HR/FB-wise these last two weeks, but whatever. Chris Sale was still awesome, everyone else was meh or worse, especially when including the homers.
On the season, this was a team with Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle, and a bunch of standout relief performances… and that’s about it. Martin Perez was surprisingly helpful, even if he got there in an annoying way. Some guys were pretty awful; the Braves had the latitude to part ways with Tyler Kinley before he could do even more damage, but JR Ritchie and AJ Smith-Shawver really didn’t take any huge steps forward. Smith-Shawver only had like 30 innings, so not a huge deal, but it was kind of a bummer to not see more from Ritchie despite repeated chances.
If I had to give special shoutouts this season, I’d go:
Michael Harris II — led the team in both fWAR thanks to his defense, but also WPA despite not having the best overall batting line. Harris had a weird year where he had an insane .442 xwOBA in April but then it declined every month afterwards, dipping under .300 in August… but he bounced back with a pretty big September (.337) despite some underperformance.
Chris Sale – duh. While WPA does not really “accrue” to the pitcher because it includes defensive plays made behind the pitcher, it’s telling that Sale and the defense had a “shutdown” in 15 of his 27 outings, while only posting any negative WPA in seven outings, and a “meltdown”-level WPA in just three of them.
Didier Fuentes, who finished second in actual shutdowns and meltdowns, but nonetheless tied Dylan Lee with 2.1 fWAR, which ranks second on the team overall behind Sale.
All that said, with all the various struggles, I do think this was basically the Season of Chris Sale for the Braves, as he was consistently, unequivocally good.
