Sean Burke looks to keep his hot streak going. | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a fairly successful road trip to the West Coast, the Chicago White Sox welcome the Seattle Mariners to kick off a nine-game homestand. Although two straight losses have soured the taste a bit, Chicago is still 6-4 over their last 10 and still very much in the slow AL Central race.
While it hasn’t always been pretty, the White Sox are playing surprisingly complimentary ball as of late, outscoring their opponents 43-31 over their last 10 games. With two huge series against the Kansas City Royals and the dirty Chicago Cubs on deck, the White Sox could use some positive momentum again moving forward.
On the hill for the Sox is Sean Burke, who has found a new gear lately. Over his last three starts, he has pitched more than 19 innings while just allowing 11 hits and two earned runs. He gets a great opportunity to build on his dominant streak against a Seattle Mariners offense that ranks 24th in baseball in runs scored.
On the other side, Emerson Hancock gets the nod for the Mariners. While he has allowed six home runs over his last four starts, he still sports a 2.59 ERA on the season and will look to capture his third win of the season. Hancock has not been known as a big strikeout pitcher so far in his young career, but sat down 14 Kansas City batters in his last outing. Hancock has excelled at making batters miss and not giving free passes, so the Sox will have to put out good at bats to put up some runs.
Here’s how the Good Guys will line up to start the homestand:
Here is the lineup Dan Wilson submitted for the Seattle Mariners:
Tonight’s matchup starts at 6:40 p.m. CT. You can watch on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 21, 2026: Spencer Jones #68 of the New York Yankees looks on prior to a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Atlanta Braves at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 21, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
On the scoreboard, Thursday’s series finale against the Rangers went quite well, as the Yankes won fairly comfortably, clinching another series win. However, the victory did include an injury to Jasson Domínguez, who has hit the IL after hurting his shoulder crashing into the left field while making a catch.
Domínguez’s IL trip has led to something fairly fascinating, as the Yankees’ have called up Spencer Jones in his place. The former first-round draft pick is an intresting case, as he has otherworldly power, but also some flaws that could hinder his progress in the majors. Either way, we’ll start to find out the answer tonight. Tonight, the Yankees are headed back out on the road, as they head to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers.
Jones is the big story, but tonight’s Yankee lineup does feature Ben Rice making his return. The first baseman sat out a couple days after taking a weird hop to the wrist while fielding a throw. Meanwhile, lefty ace Max Fried will get the start on the mound for the Bombers. He didn’t have his best stuff against the Orioles but left with 5.1 innings and three runs allowed, enough of an effort to keep the Yankees in it during a game they won 11-3. This will be Fried’s first appearance in Milwaukee since his Braves days in 2022.
As for Milwaukee, young star Jacob Misiorowski will take the ball. Misiorowski appears to be one of the best young starters in baseball, and he boasts a wild 59 strikeouts in 38 innings on the season. He was no-hitting the Nationals for 5.1 innings during his last time out a week ago before leaving early with cramping. Now he’s back and ready to go. The Yankees’ lineup is good, but this will be a real challenge, especially for the strikeout-prone Jones in his MLB debut.
There will be interesting things to watch all over the field in this one, and we hope you’ll come join us in the game thread!
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 10: Kris Bubic #50 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium on April 10, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I know the Guardians series didn’t end how any of us wanted it to, but the Royals still split a four-game series against a tough team. That’s a win. Especially if the Royals can win the series starting tonight, against the Tigers.
By all rights, the Tigers should be in a bit of freefall right now. Tarik Skubal is on the IL for a couple of months, Framber Valdez is suspended. Gleyber Torres joined multiple of the Tigers’ key contributors on the IL. With the series being played in Kansas City, the Royals really should at least take this series, and ideally, they’ll sweep it. As of this moment, the Tigers still haven’t announced the starters for the next two games, so if they can defeat Keider Montero tonight, they should be in good shape to take advantage of a division rival in disarray.
Montero is no slouch, of course, so the Royals won’t have an easy time of it tonight, but the offense has been clicking for a couple of weeks now. So hopefully they can do at least as well as they did back on April 16 when they roughed him up for four runs in six innings. That was the gut-punch game that saw the Royals lose 10-9 after a huge comeback and the rain delay, and made fans wonder if the team would ever win again. But the Royals have won a lot since then. So don’t panic.
Montero likes his fastballs – leading with his four-seamer against lefties and sinker against righties. Righties pretty much only get sliders after that, while lefties will see a mix of changeups and knuckle curves. He doesn’t get much chase or whiff, but he’s in the zone a lot and doesn’t give up a ton of hard contact. The Royals will need to hunt their pitches in order to succeed.
Kris Bubic will go for KC. He hasn’t been quite as phenomenal early this year as he was last season, but he’s still been plenty good. That said, the worst start of his season was against Montero and these Tigers. So he’s going to need to tighten things up if the team is going to succeed. Checking his TJStats page, it looks like he really couldn’t rely on his sweeper at all in that game, and it made him far too hittable. Hopefully that won’t be an issue tonight.
Lineups
Q is using the same lineup he’s used for most of May, one that has averaged five runs a game. You’d hope that would be enough to win, most nights. There are several hitters here who are probably doing better than you think, thanks to the lackluster April bringing down their overall numbers. Maikel Garcia had a really rough first four games in the month of May, but he was 4-for-8 in the final two games of that Cleveland series with a double and a walk. Bobby Witt Jr. was 7-for-16 with a walk, a pair of homers, and a double in the series against Cleveland. If those two guys are going to get magma hot, the Royals should be able to keep scoring runs. It will come down to preventing them by the pitchers.
Australian defeated 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 by Matteo Arnaldi in second round
World No 8 has now lost four of his past five matches on clay
Alex de Minaur has been reduced to racket-smashing frustration as his alarming slump in form continued with another early clay-court tournament exit at the Italian Open.
Australia’s world No 8 was downed 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 by home favourite Matteo Arnaldi, who was cheered to the rafters at the Foro Italico by the excited Rome crowd on Friday morning.
Apr 24, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas shortstop Corey Seager (5) wearing the Rangers’ new City Connect 2.0, which celebrates the Mexican influences across the entire state of Texas during a game against the Athletics at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Joel Embiid pleaded with 76ers fans to keep their home playoff tickets against the Knicks.
One diehard 76ers fan named Matt, as uncovered by the Philadelphia Inquirer, is taking extreme measures to keep Knicks fans from making Xfinity Mobile Arena a de facto Madison Square Garden South, or at least make New Yorkers pay more.
His plan?
Get Sixers fans to buy fully refundable Amtrak tickets ahead of Sunday’s Game 4 before canceling the train trip shortly before the 3:30 p.m. ET tip-off in order to increase the prices for New Yorkers. According to the Inquirer, he posted his idea to Reddit on r/Sixers to get fans to join in on his ploy.
For curious Knicks fans, the estimated cost — as per a search conducted by The Post on the Amtrak website on Friday evening — is just shy of $300 for a round-trip ticket.
New York Knicks fans reacting to plays during game 2 of the New York Knicks vs. the Philadelphia 76ers Conference Semi-Finals outside of Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on May 6, 2026. Christopher Sadowski for NY Post
But compared to the $500-plus tickets for potential Games 5 and 7 at the Garden — according to the resaler TickPick — New Yorkers who want to trek to Philly won’t be breaking the bank for game tickets, or at least have to give an arm and a leg, comparatively.
TickPick has prices as low as $159 for Friday night’s Game 3 and $170 for Game 4. As The Post’s Zach Braziller reported as of Thursday night, 59 percent of tickets sold on TickPick for Game 3 came from accounts linked from New York and New Jersey.
Embiid, after the 76ers beat the Celtics in the first round, wanted to make sure Philly fans were doing their part to make Xfinity feel like a home.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Dominick Barlow defended by New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson in the fourth quarter of Game 2. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like [Philadelphia] was Madison Square Garden East. We’re going to need the support,” Embiid said then. “Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys.
“Knicks fans travel, they buy tickets. There’s going to be people who will sell the tickets because they need the money. Don’t do it, we need you guys. We need the support, and we need them to be extremely loud. If you need money, I’ve got you.”
The Diamondbacks are calling up their top prospect in their minor league system.
But that means they’re dumping one of their former highly regarded farmhands.
Arizona called up outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt from Triple-A, and to make room for their No. 1 prospect on MLB Pipeline, designated fellow outfielder Alek Thomas for assignment on Friday ahead of a matchup with the Mets.
Less than two years after he was taken with the No. 31 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Waldschmidt reached the top level of the minor leagues and has thrived.
Alek Thomas hits a solo home run against the San Diego Padres during the second inning of the MLB Mexico City Series on April 25, 2026. Getty Images
He has a .289/.400/.477 slash line with 15 extra-base hits in 128 at-bats with Triple-A Reno. It follows a sterling 2025 season in which Waldschmidt hit 18 home runs with 78 RBIs and a .892 with in High-A and Double-A. His year-end performance got him a Double-A All-Star nod from Baseball America.
Thomas, meanwhile, has hit .181 with two homers across 94 at-bats this season. After back-to-back hitless games, he was 1-for-9 with four strikeouts in May.
The DFA is a surprising fall for Thomas, who was Arizona’s top-ranked prospect ahead of the 2022 season and was twice a Futures Game selection (2019, 2021).
Ryan Waldschmidt bats during the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Scottsdale, Arizona. MLB Photos via Getty Images
And while he’s provided solid outfield defense (two outs above average this season) and speed on the bases, his bat has never translated to the big league level with a career .634 OPS.
Waldschmidt is not in the starting lineup for Friday’s game against the Mets.
The Yankees suffered a tough blow just one batter into Thursday's game, as they lost Jasson Dominguez for at least a couple of weeks with a left shoulder injury after a scary collision with the left field fence.
While it’s unfortunate to see Dominguez go down during his shot back with the big league team, it does present an opportunity for another youngster to come up and get his chance.
Jones has joined the Yanks for Friday’s series opener with the Brewers, and he won’t have to wait long to debut, as he’s been inserted right into the lineup batting sixth as the DH.
“He fits in really well with the guys,” Aaron Boone told reporters pregame, via YES Network. “He’s gotten off to a really nice start this year down in Triple-A, has been really productive with the bat, and earned the opportunity to be here.
“I think we’re all very excited for him -- obviously, being a first-round pick and working his way through our system, him being here today, it’s well-deserved.”
Jones still has some swing-and-miss in his game, but his at-bats certainly have improved to start this season, as he's reached an impressive .336 rate and has a .958 OPS over Scranton's first 33 games of the season.
Of his 31 hits, 18 have gone for extra bases, and he's driven in 31 runs thus far.
The slugger will have a tall task ahead of him facing Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski in his big-league debut, but Boone is looking for him to keep his same approach at the plate.
“Tonight he's DHing, so I just want him to focus on having good at-bats,” he said. “Obviously, we’re going up against a great pitcher here tonight, but just as much as you can, you take what you've been doing and apply it up here.
“Obviously, he has the ability to impact games, but it’s just about keeping things small and focusing on the at-bat.”
While Jones is handling DH duties out of the gate, he won't strictly be relegated there, as Boone feels comfortable throwing him out in the field and will pick and choose his spots to do so.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 04: Ozzie Albies #1 celebrates with Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves after their back-to-back solo home runs during the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on May 04, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves are starting their most hyped series of the year as they face the loaded Los Angeles Dodgers team. Few probably thought before the season started that the Braves would be the team with a better record going into this series.
There have been several reasons why the Braves have been successful, but the offensive rebounds of key players has played a huge role in the early season success. Players like Michael Harris, Ozzie Albies, and Dominic Smith have had surprising rebounds, and the steady players like Matt Olson and reigning ROY Drake Baldwin have chipped in like they hoped they would.
The Braves will be facing Emmet Sheehan on the mound, and believe it or not he debuted back in 2023 and that was the only season he faced the Braves in. No player on the Braves roster in 2023 has faced Sheehan in more than two at-bats so it is hard to make a conclusion on how well they will do against him. The one player that draws the eye is that Ozzie Albies got a hit both times he faced Sheehan.
With the day off the other question was if Michael Harris’ quad will allow him to play CF or not. With him back in CF it allows Walt Weiss to put together the optimal lineup that would include Dominic Smith or Sean Murphy. We did see Harris play LF to give his quad some rest, but ideally we don’t want to see anyone other than him defensively if he is actually healthy. With Sean Murphy back it also brings the question of what the standard lineup will be versus both LHP and RHP starter. Tonight’s lineup may shine a light on that question.
Michael Harris will be in CF after all in a really fun lineup that has him in the cleanup spot with Baldwin hi and Dominic Smith getting the DH nod.
Chris Sale is on the mound for the Braves, and even though he is one of the more seasoned veterans of the league the Dodgers’ players shockingly don’t have many at-bats against him. Teoscar Hernández leads the team with eighteen at-bats, but then it drops all the way down to nine at-bats, which old friend Freddie Freeman has against Sale. Freddie Freeman has had success in those nine at-bats with an OPS of 1.222, and Hernández has a .818, but no one else is better than .708.
Shohei Ohtani has an OPS of .708 in eight at-bats. Even with this solid Dodgers lineup, the edge appears to go to Chris Sale here.
Finn Allen unleashed a blistering maiden IPL century to power a resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders to a fourth win on the bounce with an eight-wicket rout of Delhi Capitals on Friday.
The Carolina Hurricanes are one game away from advancing to a second straight Eastern Conference Final thanks to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Here are 10 takeaways from the win:
1. 4 Goals, 4 Ways
The Carolina Hurricanes scored four goals in their Game 3 win and interestingly, all four goals came at different player configurations.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring on a 5v4 power play as Jordan Staal got a good bounce off of a deflected shot by Andrei Svechnikov.
Then the Canes scored a 4v5 shorthanded goal as Jalen Chatfield finished off a 2-on-1 rush.
Next, the team scored on a 4v3 power play with Svechnikov blasting home a power play one-timer and then Nikolaj Ehlers scored a 5v5 breakaway goal in the third period for the fourth different type of the game.
"You have to find different ways to win in this league," Staal said. "There has been a lot of different guys that have stepped up. That just kind of goes to show the depth of our team and how it's been built. There's been certain guys every other game stepping up and making plays and helping us win."
And if you want to go even a step further, the Flyers' one goal came on a 6v5 pulled goalie, extra attacker situation as a delayed penalty had been called on Carolina.
As colleague Cory Lavalette said to me at the game, it was like the Mario Lemieux of hockey games in a sense.
2. Three More Postseason Firsts
In Game 2, the Hurricanes' first two goals came from players who scored their first of the postseason in Nikolaj Ehlers and Seth Jarvis.
In Game 3, the Canes got three more players to break the ice as Staal, Chatfield and Svechnikov's goals were all their first of the playoffs.
"Obviously it gives you a little bit of confidence and it feels a little bit lighter on the ice and all those stuff," Svechnikov said.
That's now 10 different players who have scored at least one goal in these playoffs for Carolina and 16 different players have collected at least a point, which is pretty impressive given that the Canes have only played in seven games total so far.
3. Another Day, Another Great Showing For The Penalty Kill
I mean, how many more games are we gonna have to talk about how great the Hurricanes' penalty kill has been?
"It's been good," Brind'Amour said. "Certainly in the playoffs here. I think it's just sacrifice. Guys are obviously working extremely hard and I think we've been in sync. And we have good players. They know what they're doing out there. That helps."
The Canes went another 5-for-5 Thursday night and outscored the Flyers 1-0 while shorthanded.
For once, Philadelphia actually did manage to have more shots on goal than Carolina on their own power plays this time (3-1), but that one shot on goal they gave up was obviously the shorthanded dagger.
The Flyers even had over a minute of a 5v3 opportunity and just did nothing with it as the Hurricanes thwarted them at the blueline multiple times and just generally kept everything to the outside.
"When we step over the boards, no matter if it's 5v3, 5v4, bad call or not, we're looking to kill it and we have no excuses," Chatfield said. "We're holding each other accountable and everyday we're watching video and getting better. Working on the small details that maybe not the average person would see. It could be two feet that way, a stick position that way and I think we've dialed that in a lot and I think that's been huge and showing off."
4. The Power Play Is Starting To Heat Up
On the other side of the special teams coin, the Hurricanes are starting to get the ball rolling on the power play.
Last night was the first time the top unit has found the back of the net and they did it twice, now giving the team five power play goals in the postseason and back-to-back games with power play tallies might I add too.
"We got two goals today and that's big for our unit," Svechnikov said. "Just have to continue working, watching video and hopefully we're gonna do that [again] next game."
Obviously it helps having a plethora of opportunities as the Flyers were so gracious to hand out, but I really liked the way that the power play was moving the puck and putting shots on goal.
"I think for us, it's just about sticking with it and taking what they give us," said Shayne Gostisbehere, who collected his first two points of the postseason in the win. "Not forcing anything. We know when the seams are going to be available. We don't have to fit it through or anything. Just back to basics. When you're struggling a little bit, just put pucks on the net and get some good bounces."
5. Not Backing Down
In both of the Canes' series now, we've seen teams trying to raise the physicality and engage the Hurricanes in post-whistle antics.
However, Carolina hasn't backed down one bit from any of it and have shown to be as feisty as anyone that has challenged them.
Two of the Flyers' biggest guys in Nick Seeler (6-foot-3) and Rasmus Ristolainen (6-foot-4) both went after Logan Stankoven toward the end of the game, but he didn't back down one inch.
And as he stood his ground, all of the Hurricanes' skaters rushed over to help him out too.
In years past, we've seen the Hurricanes getting pushed around a bit without a response, but that hasn't been the case at all this year.
6. Discipline
Having said that, discipline is going to be vital for Game 4.
The Flyers are obviously an extremely frustrated group and that's starting to spill over into the scrums that have been popping up.
I'm sure Philadelphia won't want to go quietly, but the Canes' best course of action will be to just to play between the whistles and take care of business.
Obviously you can't let them take liberties, but if they want to take dumb penalties, let them. The best response would be to score on the power play and potentially end their season at the same time.
7. A Couple Of Milestones
With his two-point night, Svechnikov became just the second player in franchise history to record 50 playoff points (Sebastian Aho was the first).
The Russian winger has really elevated his game the past few playoffs and he now has 24 goals and 51 points in 73 games.
Jordan Staal's two-point night also moved him into fifth all-time in for playoff points with 41 in 96 games.
According to Hurricanes team reporter Walt Ruff, Jordan and Eric Staal both rank in the franchise's top five for both playoff and regular season points.
The only other pair of brothers to do that with one franchise are Henrik and Daniel Sedin with Vancouver.
8. Andersen Continuing To Stack Wins
In a win where his save percentage actually went down despite allowing just one goal, Frederik Andersen reached a few milestones of his own.
The Danish veteran is now 7-0 to start the playoffs, becoming just the 12th goaltender in NHL history to do that.
That seven-game winning streak also matches a franchise record set by Cam Ward.
In that span, Andersen has a 0.957 save percentage, a 1.02 goals against average and two shutouts.
"To have goaltending like that, it can win you games and you need goaltending like that," Chatfield said. "He's been nothing short of excellent and we know he's gonna keep going like that and we have to play hard in front of him to do our best job."
9. Alexander Nikishin Back In The Lineup
After missing the last two games due to a concussion, the rookie defenseman was back in the lineup for Carolina and it looked the team wanted to ease him back a bit.
Nikishin played just 13:55 in the win and while he didn't start the game with the second power play unit, he did end up there when K'Andre Miller wound up in the box.
It was a fine game for the Russian blueliner, which is pretty good to say about a defenseman as that normally means nothing went wrong with him on the ice, but I do want to compliment his work on the PK.
Coming out of the 5v3 into the 5v4 kill, Nikishin did a tremendous job of killing a play three separate times. At that point in the game, it was still a fairly close contest, so those plays he made ended up mattering a lot.
It was good to see him back in the lineup and hopefully he can start making more of an impact as he readjusts.
10. Job's Not Done
Despite the 3-0 series lead and dominant 7-0 start to the postseason, you won't see too much celebrating in the Hurricanes' locker room.
This is a team with big goals and they know that this series is just a step on the path.
Everyone in the room echoed the same sentiment when asked about the approach to Game 4, that being coming in with the exact same mindset as every other game this postseason.
Carolina's built a winning culture and it starts with nobody being satisfied with anything they've accomplished so far.
"Just the same approach that it's been," said Jordan Martinook. "We've been taking it one game at a time and every game is so different. We just have to be ready for their best and show what we can do in a close out game."
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Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer reacts after allowing a solo homerun to San Diego's Victor Caratini at Petco Park in 2021. (Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
Trevor Bauer wants to pitch in the majors again — so much so that he's willing to start over in the lowest levels of the minor leagues and work his way up.
And he's willing to do it without being paid.
That's the hypothetical Bauer proposed Friday on X: A talented former Cy Young Award winner signs a minor league deal with an MLB team for a "$0 salary" and can be cut at any time at no financial risk to the organization.
Since his last MLB start on June 28, 2021, as a member of the Dodgers with a $102-million, three-year contract, Bauer has been accused of sexual assault by four women. He served a 194-game suspension for violating the league’s sexual assault and domestic violence policy. He has denied all the allegations and has never been charged with a crime.
While some might think signing Bauer might be a risky move for an MLB organization, Bauer feels his plan is foolproof in that regard.
"Hypothetical: You’re the owner of an MLB team," Bauer wrote. "I offer to take $0 salary and sign a minor league contract and go to Low A. If the 'he sucks now' crowd is right and I get lit up, you cut me, lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club.
Hypothetical: You’re the owner of an MLB team. I offer to take $0 salary and sign a minor league contract and go to Low A.
If the “he sucks now” crowd is right and I get lit up, you cut me, lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club.
If the “clubhouse cancer” crowd is…
— Trevor Bauer (トレバー・バウアー) (@BauerOutage) May 8, 2026
"If the 'clubhouse cancer' crowd is right, you see it immediately at Low A and cut me. You lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club. If there’s massive negative PR, which we already know there won’t be, you just cut me and move on. The story is dead in a couple days, you lose $0, and there’s no risk to the big league club."
In the comments on Bauer's post, someone challenged him on the notion that "we already know there won't be" any negative PR if he is signed. In response, Bauer pointed to his current stint with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League to support his argument.
"Where has the negative PR been?" wrote Bauer, who is 3-1 this season and pitched a no-hitter for the Ducks late last month. "I’m playing in America. In New York of all places. Most 'hostile' media market in the United States. Stadiums are sold out when I pitch. There’s no boycotts. No media frenzy. Where is it?"
Bauer wrote in his proposal that if none of the negatives he laid out earlier happen, then the organization can promote their cost-free pitcher through the ranks, re-evaluating him every step of the way, until he reaches the big leagues — "if I earn it," he wrote, "which you'd be 100% in control of deciding."
"If you don’t think I’m good enough, you lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club," Bauer wrote. "You could take away my 'antics'. You could take away my social media. You could ask anything of me. If I don’t comply, you cut me, lose $0, and there’s no risk to the big league club."
One X user asked why Bauer doesn't just take away his "antics" on his own.
"Because no teams actually care about that," Bauer responded. "They enjoy the content. And I’m not going to rob baseball fans of great baseball entertainment just to solve a problem that only exists in the minds of x bots."
Informed that the MLB Players Assn. might have an issue with him playing for free, Bauer replied, "Who gives a crap about what mlbpa does or doesn’t want?"
This isn't the first time Bauer has made what he considers to be a low-risk proposal for an organization to bring him back into the league. In 2024, Bauer spoke with The Times' Bill Shaikin about an offer he made to play for the league minimum.
"The reason for that was, I want to go back to work, and I am trying to find any way that I possibly can to limit the risk and exposure for a team," Bauer said. "I realize there are a lot of other things, outside of the on-field stuff, that go into whether to sign me. So I figured that, if I could limit the on-field risk as much as possible, perhaps that offsets some of the other perceived risks."
It remains to be seen whether any club is willing to take up Bauer on his current offer.
"What logical reason is there to not do this?" Bauer wrote. "At worst, you cut me and there’s no risk to the big league club. At best, you get a Cy Young winner for $0 who you know can still pitch and could help the big league team if and when you see fit."
Former Miami Marlins president David Samson weighed in on Bauer's proposal in a post on X.
"This will never happen," Samson wrote. "First of all, no team wants to sign him. Secondly, no player is allowed to play for $0. And finally, no team wants to sign him."
May 6, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and fiancee Jordyn Woods during game five of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Here are the NBA playoff games for Friday, May 8, 2026:
New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers — 7 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves — 9:30 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
In addition, the Washington Mystics are playing tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on ion when they take on the Toronto Tempo. Enjoy the basketball tonight!
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 07: José Tena #8 of the Washington Nationals is showered with ice water after defeating the Minnesota Twins at Nationals Park on Thursday, May 7, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alyssa McDaniel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After their first home series win of the season, the Nats hit the road looking to keep up the momentum. The Nats have been road warriors, with a 12-7 record away from home. However, series openers have been an issue for them lately. They will do battle with the Marlins for the first time this season.
With a lefty on the mound, Blake Butera made a few alterations. James Wood will be off his feet today, getting the start at the DH spot. That means Joey Wiemer will be out in right field. Curtis Mead will remain the first baseman and hit second. After his fantastic game yesterday, Keibert Ruiz will get another start behind the plate. Foster Griffin will toe the slab for the Nats.
it was revealed to us in an email we get from our comms team
The Marlins have a highly touted prospect making his MLB debut tonight. Robby Snelling, the number 32 prospect in baseball, will be pitching tonight. The lefty has been outstanding in AAA, possessing big time swing and miss stuff. He will be throwing to a rookie catcher as well in Joe Mack. The Marlins middle infield duo of Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards have been outstanding this year, and are at the top of the Marlins lineup.
The Nats come into this series with some good vibes after finally exorcizing their home demons. Now they hit the road to play a divisional foe. This will be a good test for the boys, as the Marlins are a team that will punish you if you are not up for the fight. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
Pope Leo XIV (C) reacts wearing a Chicago White Sox baseball team cap as he meets newly wedded couples during the weekly general audience in St Peter's Square at the Vatican on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP) (Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
The Mariners take their talents to the South Side of Chicago tonight, where temperatures will be in the high 50s, with winds under 10 mph and no rain in the forecast. Could the Mariners possibly play a normal game at Guaranteed Rate Field?
Emerson Hancock will take the ball for the sailors, fresh off one of the great games of recent Mariners history in which he struck out 14 and walked none over seven innings against the Royals. It brought his K%-BB% up to 25.2%, good for fourth among qualified starters, ahead of names such as Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal.
Sean Burke will pitch for Chicago, hoping to continue the improvements he’s shown this season, thanks in no small part to the devlopment of his sinker into a real weapon.
Lineups
That sound you hear is the collective sigh of relief across the Northwest upon seeing the most normal starting lineup since the season’s early days. Brendan Donovan has been activated off the IL, and Cal Raleigh will get the start at catcher.
This is their best collection of nine hitters, and they’ve only used it five prior times, and not since April 17th.
The White Sox’ main attraction right now is power hitter Munetaka Murakami, who will play first base and bat second. But I’m curious to get a look at this Jarred Kelenic kid in right field. His stats pages don’t indicate a strong record of production, but he’s apparently a former #6 overall pick.
Game Info
First pitch: 4:40 PDT TV: Mariners TV Radio: Old reliable
