Kirill Marchenko has made some noise in the NHL rumor mill this off-season, and that hasn't changed in the lead-up to the 2026-27 season.
The Russian right winger doesn't appear to be all in on being with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and so naturally, teams are interested in acquiring his services.
To that point, several teams are reportedly in the mix, and on Friday's episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Toronto Maple Leafs are involved one way or another.
"Toronto has really tried to keep their interest secret, but it's kind of seeped out," Friedman reported.
His cap hit is not only attractive based on the increase of the NHL's salary cap, but also the type of player he's been for Columbus since signing that deal.
In 2024-25, Marchenko set career-highs across the board with 31 goals, 43 assists and 74 points in 79 games. Last season, his production dipped slightly, but he still had a good campaign, putting up 27 goals and 67 points for the Blue Jackets.
Marchenko is a big, 6-foot-3, 201-pound player who can play on either wing. He would immediately be a top-six player on the Maple Leafs, but of course, to make a deal happen, roster players would have to go Columbus' way if Toronto wanted ot acquire Marchenko.
Friedman added that the Blue Jackets aren't looking for futures in exchange for Marchenko, and they want to remain a competitive team.
He also added that there are a number of other teams linked to Marchenko. Teams that were mentioned include the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, the Winnipeg Jets were in it at one point, the Boston Bruins made an offer, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Seattle Kraken, possibly based on their recent attempts at bringing in big-name talents.
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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 17: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates a 110-108 win over the LA Clippers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on November 17, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s exciting to think what’s in store for Tyrese Maxey next season. Fresh off making an All-NBA team for the first time, and recording career-highs in points (28.3), rebounds (4.1), assists (6.6), steals (1.9) and blocks (0.8) per game, he found ways to level up yet again. Just as he has every year.
Now, it’s time to see how Maxey can improve his game even more. Because while his basic production will inevitably drop as the Sixers welcome new stars to Philadelphia, it’s easy to picture him being more effective than ever.
Maxey led the league in minutes last season with a massive 38.0 per game, and had the second-highest usage rate of his career at 29.4 percent. It’s only a pinch below his career-high of 29.8 from 2024-25, when he frequently carried the team as Joel Embiid played just 19 games and Paul George missed half the season. To make life even harder for Maxey in 2024-25, hewas assisted on by far the lowest percentage of his two-pointers (30.7) and three-point attempts of his career (49.1 — way under the second-lowest mark of his career last season at 59.5). Unsurprisingly, it was the least efficient season he’s had apart from his rookie year, finishing with a 56.2 true shooting percentage.
Maxey didn’t have to do quite so much by himself last season. Embiid’s games increased a bit and VJ Edgecombe arrived, but Maxey’s usage was still higher than ideal. While he’s continually evolved his on-ball creation to be able to do so much when leading an offense, he’s still always been at his best when he’s able to thrive as one of the NBA’s top off-ball scorers.
Maxey has always been a menace when attacking off the catch and driving past scrambling defenses. His off-ball shooting has only become more impressive throughout his career. Apart from an off year from three in 2024-25 when his usage soared, Maxey has routinely been an elite three-point shooter on catch-and-shoot attempts: 45.5 percent on 3.5 attempts per game in 2022-23, 44.4 percent on 3.1 attempts in 2023-24, and 41.7 percent on 3.4 attempts per game in 2025-26.
Spot-ups from way beyond the arc, trailing into long threes in transition, shooting off screens, catching at speed and shooting off whatever awkward angles a defense will give him — Maxey can do it all at this point. He just hasn’t always had as much opportunity to show it the last two seasons.
Now, Maxey can lean into that skill.
Even if Embiid struggles to stay healthy yet again, the Sixers have a new near 30-point-per-game level scorer in Jaylen Brown, who’s also highly durable. They have the one and only LeBron James (that still doesn’t feel real to type), who can orchestrate the team with his passing on a level way above what they’re used to. Anfernee Simons shouldn’t be overlooked either. He’ll bring much-needed creation and high-volume three-point gunning to the second unit. Edgecombe will undoubtedly improve, too. The new array of talent can lighten the load for Maxey, allow him to adjust his usage and enhance what he does best off the ball.
LeBron is at the heart of this. As I wrote in early August, LeBron’s arrival can help Maxey be better than ever.
I won’t repeat all of that article, so you can give it a read for more on LeBron, but here’s the gist of the thinking with how he in particular is good for Maxey:
James can operate anywhere. He can lead pick-and-rolls, be a passing hub from the top of the floor in slower possessions, still run out and orchestrate transition play alongside the speed of the Sixers’ guards, play from the post and elbows, be a screener and short roller. LeBron’s a brilliant passer in all these situations. He can manipulate defenses in any scenario, and Maxey will be there to take advantage. Whether he’s attacking off the catch, flying off pin-downs and flare screens, or simply darting around as a cutter or relocating for threes, LeBron will be able to find him at just the right time, with just the right pass placement. …
Last season, LeBron calmly averaged 7.2 assists per game alongside Luka Dončić and assisted on 34.1 percent of the Lakers’ made field goals when was on the floor. He’s even the NBA’s all-time leader in three-point assists, with 23 years of perfecting the craft of setting up others for easier looks at the arc.
LeBron still scored 11.1 points per game in the paint last season, ranking him 20th in the league, and can force his way inside to break down a defense and pick apart the gaps as a passer at a level we’ve rarely seen. Then there’s Brown, who ranked second in the NBA in drives per game last season at 19.1. With Maxey being able to capitalize off LeBron’s passing and the interior gravity of his new teammates, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to shoot around 45 percent on catch-and-shoot threes. And even if he doesn’t quite surpass his overall career-high of 43.4 percent from three in 2022-23 (on a lower 6.2 attempts), his balance of volume and efficiency could easily be better than ever.
It would be fair to expect growth from Maxey as is. He’s always been a tireless worker, seeking new ways to get 1% better every day. He’ll benefit from any offseason of work. But on top of that, he has the new co-stars to lighten his usage to a level that suits him, and someone in LeBron that is perfect for creating easier opportunities for him. Watching how they build on their existing Klutch relationship and gel as teammates should be one of the best storylines to follow with these Sixers.
Even if Maxey’s scoring drops to the low to mid 20s per game, he should be set to be more efficient than ever and thrive with the kind of usage and shot diet that suits him best. Not everything needs to be about big point totals on a team this stacked. And of course, when he needs to, he’ll be able to dial things up as a bonafide No. 1 option. Just as we saw last season.
With Maxey, being able to focus more on where he thrives as an off-ball scorer should do nothing but scare opponents as they try to tackle these new-look Sixers.
ISTANBUL, TURKIYE - AUGUST 13: Turkish national basketball player Tarik Biberovic, who recently transferred to NBA franchise the Dallas Mavericks, during an exclusive interview with Anadolu in Istanbul, Turkiye, on August 13, 2026. Biberovic discussed his move to the NBA, his career with Fenerbahce, future career goals, and his role in the national team. (Photo by Agit Erdi Ulukaya/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images
We are finally inching back towards NBA basketball. Today’s Media Day and I should’ve published this earlier but my life is chaos at the moment.
There will finally be things to talk about past speculation and wishcasting. Dallas players and coaches will be talking to media regularly, thus giving us things to actually talk about.
As usual if you need me, I’m not too hard to find. Thanks for spending your time here and don’t argue with the mods! 🙂
Five days after sustaining facial fractures after getting struck in his left eye by a foul ball, Alex Bregman is back in the Chicago Cubs lineup.
Bregman will be the designated hitter and bat third in the Cubs' first game of a doubleheader Friday, Sep. 25 at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox.
His return completes a remarkable recovery after a Michael Busch foul ball took one hop and struck him in the face near the on-deck circle in the Cubs' game at Cincinnati Sunday. Bregman sat out three games and by Wednesday was already lightly working out and tracking pitches from a machine.
And depending on the results, it certainly stokes hopes that Bregman will be good to go once the Cubs begin their National League wild-card series on Tuesday.
Bregman has hit 26 home runs in his first season with Chicago after signing a five-year, $175 million contract; he'll be facing the Red Sox, his old team with whom he reached the playoffs a year ago. Bregman has now gone to the postseason 10 consecutive seasons with three teams.
Matt Shaw is playing third base in Game 1 against Red Sox starter Alec Gamboa.
The Chicago Cubs today placed right-handed pitcher Edward Cabrera on the Family Medical Emergency List and reinstated right-handed pitcher Gavin Hollowell from the 15-day injured list.
Hollowell has a 2.51 ERA (4 ER/14.1 IP) with 13 strikeouts and eight walks in 14 games, all in relief with the Cubs this season. He was placed on the injured list on August 31 with right shoulder inflammation.
Cabrera is 5-5 with a 5.96 (53 ER/80.0) in 18 appearances/three starts this season with the Cubs.
Players can spend from three to seven days on the Family Medical Emergency Leave List, so that puts Cabrera out for the rest of the regular season. It would seem doubtful at this point that Cabrera would be on any postseason roster, so most likely the next time we see him would be next year.
As always, we await developments. Today’s game preview will post at 10:30 a.m. CT.
For many, the 2026 offseason for the Anaheim Ducks was considered “disastrous” due to franchise center Leo Carlsson’s $18 million AAV offer sheet, the roster players they didn’t/couldn’t retain, and the lack of flexibility to replace them.
However, in the months since the OS was signed, players from around the league have used Carlsson’s new deal as a template, and what was once an outlier is now the new normal.
Though there are now question marks when it comes to how the Ducks will perform in the upcoming 2026-27 season, beyond this year, the Ducks cap situation is much more encouraging, especially considering star forward Cutter Gauthier’s six-year, $13.5 million AAV deal, signed days before the opening of training camp, can be viewed as a relative discount.
Another piece of encouragement came in the form of a report from premier NHL insider Elliotte Friedman on Friday morning, who reported that the projected salary cap ceiling for the 2028-29 season is estimated to come in at $127.5 million. The cap is set at $104 million in 2026-27 and is projected at $113.5 million in 2027-28.
As the cap continues to increase by astronomical percentages over the next few seasons, the percentage of the cap being taken up by every player currently under contract will continue to decrease and, in theory, the Ducks’ cap structure will become increasingly flexible over time.
The 2026-27 season will be the first year in the new contracts for core roster players like Carlsson, Gauthier, Jackson LaCombe (8 years, $9 million AAV), and Pavel Mintyukov (5 years, $7.2 million). While those four players will eat up 45.8% of the 2026-27 salary cap, that percentage is projected to drop to 37.4% by 2028-29.
The 2028-29 Ducks currently have ten players (per puckpedia.com) under contract (Carlsson, Gauthier, Troy Terry, AJ Greer, Ryan Poehling, Jeff Mallot, Tim Washe, LaCombe, Mintyukov, and Lukas Dostal) and a now-projected $54.2 million in cap space (excluding players on ELCs like Nikita Klepov and Roger McQueen).
When the puck drops on the 2028-29 season, Ducks’ current significant veteran roster players Mikael Granlund ($7 million AAV), Alex Killorn ($6.25 million AAV), Frank Vatrano ($4.57 million AAV), and Nick Jensen ($2.2 million AAV) will have seen their current contracts expire.
Barring substantial growth in the next two seasons from younger players like Nathan Gaucher, Sam Colangelo, Nikita Nesterenko, Ian Moore, Drew Helleson, and Tyson Hinds, the only players projected to play top roles in the lineup by the 2028-29 season who will then require significant new contracts are Beckett Sennecke and Tristan Luneau.
Sennecke, the 2026 Calder Trophy finalist, scored 60 points (23-37=60) in 82 games during his rookie year. He’s already established himself as one of the NHL’s top young players, a point producer, a playoff performer, a difficult player to play against, and a foundational piece to the Ducks’ current build toward contention.
If/when Sennecke continues to grow his game at his current rate, he’ll be eligible for a big-money contract starting July 1, 2027, in the realm of Carlsson, Gauthier, and other young stars throughout the league like Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and Adam Fantilli.
Luneau is set for his first complete NHL season in 2026-27, following two successful development years with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, where he totaled 95 points (19-76=95) in 135 games over the past three years. He’s grown tremendously in every facet and is primed to step into an everyday NHL role where he can have a 200-foot, all-three-zone impact, highlighted by his deceptive breakouts, aggressive activations, and dynamic offensive blueline navigation. Luneau’s ELC will expire following this upcoming season, and if it’s as successful as many think it can be, it could lead to a sizable second NHL contract.
When the 2028 offseason arrives, the Ducks hope to be firmly in their cup-contending window, and their core, as a whole, will be in the early years of their primes. Now that the combined cap hit of said core will be drastically lower than projected, the front office will have some unexpected flexibility. Managing the second and third layers of the depth chart will be what ultimately makes or breaks whether they can bring a second Stanley Cup to Orange County.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 6 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #6.
Let's take a look at who wore 6, and where they are now.
Jamie Heward - 2001-2002 - Drafted by Pittsburgh in 1989.
Heward played 97 games with Columbus and had 30 points. 69 of his games came during the inaugural season for Columbus.
After several years in Europe, he returned to the NHL and retired with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009. Heward has been an Asst. Coach for the Henderson Silver Knights since 2020. Former Monsters captain Ryan Craig is the head coach for Henderson.
Jamie Pushor - 2004 - Drafted by Detroit in 1991.
Pushor played 147 games with the Jackets and had 22 points. After three different stints with the CBJ, he retired in 2007 while playing for the Syracuse Crunch.
He is now the Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel for the Tampa Bay Lightning with former CBJ Mathieu Darche.
Ron Hainsey - 2006-2008 - Drafted by the Montréal Canadiens in 2000.
Hainsey played 213 games with the Jackets and totaled 83 points.
After retiring in 2021, having played 1,132 games, he now works for the NHLPA as Assistant Executive Director.
Hainsey is Actor Michael Madsen's doppelgänger.
Anton Strålman - 2010-2011 - Drafted by Toronto in 2005.
He played 124 games with Columbus and totaled 52 points over two seasons. He left Columbus for the New York Rangers in 2011.
After 16 seasons and 938 NHL games, he retired in 2024 and became a coach for Skultorps IF, a professional women's soccer team in Sweden. In January 2025, he returned to play for Tibro IK, a Division Three team in his hometown in Sweden.
Nikita Nikitin - 2012-2014 - Drafted by St. Louis in 2004.
Nikitin played in 158 games for the Jackets and had 56 points. He only played 101 more NHL games after his time with Columbus.
He left for the KHL in 2016 and retired in 2019. He's currently an assistant coach for Omsk Krylga in Russia's VHL.
Elite prospects said of Nikitin, "Nikitin has a terrific combination of size and mobility. He handles the puck nicely and can rush it up the ice. Can unleash a hard point shot, too. Could stand to play a more physical game, given his frame."
Adam Clendening - 2019 - Drafted by Chicago in 2011.
Clendening played four games for the Jackets in 18-19. He has never played another NHL game and left for Europe in 2023. He also spent a couple of years playing for the Cleveland Monsters.
He currently plays for the Shanghai Dragons of the KHL and was just named an assistant Captain. His head coach is former CBJ bench boss Gerard Gallant.
Elite prospects said this about the former second-round pick: "A smooth-skating two-way defenseman that can read the game like a forward. Possesses slick hands, a good stick, and a sharp shot that jumps off his stick. All in all, a productive two-way defenseman who has a high offensive ceiling and is responsible defensively."
Clendening signed a PTO with the Cleveland Monsters yesterday.
Billy Sweezey - 2023 - Undrafted out of
Hanson, Massachusetts.
Sweezey played 9 games with Columbus and had a single point. He spent most of his time with Cleveland in the AHL, playing three seasons and totaling 26 points.
He signed with his hometown Boston Bruins in 2024 and will play for the Boston organization again this season.
Egor Zamula - 2025-26 - Undrafted out of Chelyabinsk, RUS
Zamula played 20 games for Columbus last season after coming over from Philadelphia. he totaled 2 points before leaving for Russia. He will play for CSKA Moskva this season.
There are six days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Who was your favorite #6?
Excellence has not waned under Chris Fagan and while this is their fourth grand final in a row, it is the first they have gone into as favourites
“Give me 80,000 people at the MCG and I was Hercules,” Brent Crosswell once said. “Give me a grey day at the Western Oval and I wasn’t worth a cracker.” Crosswell, who probably would have won two Norm Smith medals if there was such a thing back then, would have been right at home in this Brisbane Lions team. They need a big occasion. They need the game to have weight. When it’s a sleepy shift in western Sydney or Tasmania, they drift. They drive their coach spare. When it’s all chips in, they are peerless.
This is Brisbane’s fourth grand final in a row. But it’s been seven years at the pointy end of the ladder. In that time, the competition has completely changed. The rules have changed. The way the game is played has changed. Their grand final opponents have all dipped in and out of contention. But the Lions have remained football’s great constant. They too have lost players. They too have shifted the way they play. But their excellence hasn’t waned.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 24: Luis Arraez #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, September 24, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Another night. Another loss. Another lackluster performance from the offense.
It all could lead to another early-round postseason exit, IF the Phillies are even able to get there.
On Thursday night in front of a disgruntled Citizens Bank Park crowd, the lineup continued its September-long snooze in a 5-1 loss to the Brewers that featured four Phillies hits, only one of them for extra bases. It was their 12th loss in their last 20 games and, perhaps a bit coincidentally, the 12th time in 20 games this month they’ve scored 3 runs or fewer, including 7 of their last 9.
On Wednesday night they fell 4-1, piling up just six hits while going 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position, and are 1-for-16 in those situations over the last two nights. Oddly, hitting with runners in scoring position hasn’t really been a problem for the Phils this year. In fact, their .271 average with RISP is actually 3rd-best in baseball and their .798 OPS is 2nd.
But both losses had all the notes of recent October failures, and the fans in attendance recognized it.
And now, they may have also lost their star second baseman and primary trade deadline acquisition for the rest of the season.
Talk about Jesus Luzardo and his potential return all you want. This offense, as currently constituted, cannot win the World Series.
Arraez’ ankle injury trying to evade the tag of first baseman Jake Bauers last night just might be the death blow to an already underachieving lineup.
Luis Arráez went down in pain after running to 1st base on this play. He has left the game. pic.twitter.com/nbKPlGanAg
Even though Arraez was hitting only .278/.309/.369 with just 12 extra-base hits in 46 games with the Phillies, his arrival gave the offense a different dynamic as the No. 4 hitter. But in September, even with Arraez (who also wasn’t hitting great) an already struggling offense is having its toughest month yet.
September: .655 OPS, 79 wRC+
May: .667 OPS, 79 wRC+
April: .678 OPS, 85 wRC+
July: .686 OPS, 85 wRC+
August: .763 OPS, 108 wRC+
June: .778 OPS, 110 wRC+
Their 81 runs scored in September are tied for 5th-fewest in MLB, their .225 batting average is 4th-lowest, .302 OBP is 7th-worst and only the Angels have a worse slugging percentage than the Phils (.352) in September. They have hit just 15 home runs as a team this month, tied with Washington for the fewest in baseball, and their .655 OPS is also last.
The struggle bus has pulled up and welcomed all comers.
Kyle Schwarber leads the team with 5 HRs (one of only three players with more than one), but is hitting .171/.236/.395 with a .721 OPS. That’s second-best among the regulars. Bryce Harper’s .278 average and .348 OBP are fine, but his .367 slugging percentage, one homer and 7 RBIs aren’t getting it done in the No. 3 hole.
It’s pretty simple. If Schwarber and Harper don’t provide the power, no one will.
There is simply no way the Phillies can win a title with players hitting like this (in September):
Trea Turner: .226/.301/.269, wRC+ 83
Bryson Stott: .182/.286/.258, wRC+ 53
Justin Crawford: .239/.265/.391, wRC+ 72
J.T. Realmuto: .113/.214/.177, wRC+ 11
Brandon Marsh: .156/.174/.267, wRC+ 12
Only Alec Bohm is hitting well among the everyday starters, with a .319/.405/.464 slash line and 12 RBIs this month.
But much of these issues aren’t exclusive to September. It’s been a feature of the 2026 Phillies, not a bug. The Phils are 17th in runs scored this season, 22nd in average, 23rd in OBP, 21st in slugging, and 28th in wRC+.
If you judge this team’s position players by fWAR, they have the 5th-worst collection of non-pitchers in the sport. Only the A’s, Reds, Angels and Rockies have less WAR from their position players. As bad as his season has been, Turner actually has the 4th-highest fWAR (1.0) among Phils’ non-pitchers.
How exactly can anyone expect the Phillies to go on a deep playoff run with a roster like this, especially when going up against 100-win teams like the Brewers and Dodgers, and facing a brutal road wild card series against the Braves in Atlanta, provided they can even hold off the hard-charging D-Backs?
And now, the Phillies face some major decisions with Arraez out. Do they move Harper back to first base, second Stott to second and play Bohm at third? Do they insert Bryan de la Cruz and/or Derek Hill into right field? Or, do they simply play Stott at second and Sosa at third the rest of the way?
At this point, it hardly matters if Luzardo is going to be available for the wild card round. It would be nice if the high-priced offense could give their struggling relievers a little breathing room, but that doesn’t seem likely.
We’ve seen these Phillies lose playoff series when the pitching has been incredible. It doesn’t matter.
The lineup stinks. They can’t hit. It isn’t getting better.
Unless something drastic and unforeseen happens, there is no way they are winning a World Series like this.
Make sure to check out an all new Hittin’ Season podcast featuring a plethora of conversation about the Phillies’ offense and its chances in the MLB playoffs.
Make sure to follow Hittin’ Season on social media!
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 23: Walt Weiss #22 of the Atlanta Braves hugs Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park on September 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the division having been locked up last weekend and the seeding essentially being locked in as well, this was pretty much a dead-rubber series for the Atlanta BRaves as they took on a struggling Cincinnati Reds squad that is also playing out the string.
As such, the main thing that everybody was looking for was simply quality of performance and health rather than actual results. The Braves have gotten the results that they needed for the 2026 regular season and all they need now is to gear up for the Postseason and the long road that awaits them. So, did the Braves escape from this series unscathed and looking fine? I’ll leave that up to you to decide. Let’s hop into it.
The only thing to take away from this is that Ronald Acuña Jr. avoided a serious injury scare after fouling one off of the one part of his lower leg that wasn’t covered in armor. Needless to say, the Braves could ill afford to lose Acuña (or anybody else in the core, for that matter) so it was certainly a relief to hear that both the X-ray and the CT scan were negative and that Acuña ended up just needing a night of rest to bounce back from the shin contusion.
Anyways, JR Ritchie got the ball to start this one and for what it’s worth, he pitched a mighty-fine five innings during this contest. If the only mistake is giving up a homer to Elly De La Cruz, you’re doing fine. Ritchie has certainly earned an opportunity to pitch his way onto the Postseason roster and if all goes well in Miami, he’ll be there.
Other than that, the offense had nothing to write home about in this one. This was the tenth time that Atlanta had been shut out this season and hopefully it’ll be the last time — both in the regular season and in the Postseason!
Chris Sale went into this one needing 10 strikeouts to reach 200 on the season for the ninth time in what is likely going to end up being a Hall-of-Fame career. Walt Weiss mentioned in the pregame press conference on Thursday that he definitely would’ve preferred to not have Sale out there for 97 pitches but ultimately, I think he was going to stay in as long as it took if he was close and sure enough, Sale was close near the end of his start. Also, shout-out to Sal Stewart for being a homie and not challenging the strikeout pitch for No. 200 because that, um, was a bit outside.
On the other side of things, Andrew Abbott largely kept Atlanta in check for the most part as the Braves once again found runs very hard to come by against this Reds pitching staff. Fortunately, they actually did score on this particular night — Matt Olson hit his 41st dinger of the season in the sixth inning to tie the game up at one run apiece and then Austin Riley hit a homer of his own to knot things up at two in the seventh inning. There weren’t any fireworks after that in regulation, so it was time for the ghost runners to get involved in extra innings.
The tenth ended up being pretty straightforward — Brent Suter sat down the Reds in order in their half of the tenth and then Mauricio Dubón came through with a short dribbler that was as good as a line drive to center that brought home the speedy DaShawn Keirsey Jr. from third base and earned Dubón the Dubble Bubble helmet of honor for the night. Sweet.
Carlos Jorge, Héctor Rodríguez and Elly De La Cruz all homered in this game for the Cincinnati Reds as they continued to find their power stroke during this series at the expense of Atlanta’s pitching staff. Those three Reds players have a combined 37 home runs so far this season and 30 of those have come from Elly, so that tells you how much of a shock it was to see some of those balls get out for Cincinnati on this particular night.
Fortunately, the Braves were able to keep pace for the most part as their offense continued to ramp up a bit. Atlanta got this one started on the right foot with four runs in the first inning off of Brady Singer but instead of it turning into a walkover for the Braves, it turned into a serious baseball battle as Tyler Mahle had his first rough start for the Braves since arriving at the Trade Deadline. Austin Riley added on a home run in the fifth inning in order to bring the game to a 5-5 deadlock.
Mike Yastrzemski’s go-ahead single in the fifth inning ended up being the final run that the Braves put on the board in this one, as the aforementioned Rodríguez dinger off of AJ Smith-Shawver ended up being the one that turned the game around in favor for the Reds as it was a go-ahead, two-run shot of his own. The offense for Atlanta was certainly active and the fielding display on defense was very solid as well but sometimes it’s hard to still win a game when the pitching has a rough night. That was the case here as the Braves ended up dropping their final home series of the season.
So, the most important development to come from this series is that the Braves will have to go without Martín Pérez until the NLCS (if they get that far). Also, Mauricio Dubón finally got a walkoff hit, Chris Sale hit 200 strikeouts on the season and Ronald Acuña Jr. cane out of it healthy. Outside of that, it’s hard to really glean too much from this series since the Braves don’t really have a ton to play for and the Reds are certainly playing out the string, themselves.
With that in mind, it’ll certainly be interesting to see how JR Ritchie’s next start goes. That’s likely going to be his final audition for a Postseason roster spot and considering how Atlanta’s starting pitching depth has suddenly been tested, it’ll be crucial to see if he can perform. It is going to be very, very fascinating (and t o t a l l y not nerve-wracking at all) to see how everything works out for the rotation and the rest of the pitching staff going forward.
Anyways, the Braves are officially locked into the three-seed and set for the Wild Card Series beginning on September 29. While Atlanta was still able to do enough to win the division, it’s not lost upon me that Atlanta dropped 13 games against the Reds, Giants and Mets this season. Turning over even half of those games would’ve probably gotten the Braves the bye but also, I hate looking at “what-if’s” since it comes to that sort of thing since Walt Weiss has always been adamant that it’s not about who you’re playing but when you’re playing them. Either way, it’s still a tiny bit frustrating to think about so many winnable games against struggling teams that could’ve had a big impact on the Postseason seeding. Again, I’m not super upset about it since ultimately the goal is to get into the bracket no matter what and the Braves did that (and have a divisional flag to show for it) but boy oh boy, having that bye sure would’ve been nice!
So yeah, there’s the takeaways. It stinks to lose Martín Pérez, it’s good that they didn’t lose Ronald Acuña Jr. and let’s make sure that nobody else goes down as they wrap this season up in Miami.
Los Angeles, California - September 24: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 and Ethan Salas #8 of the San Diego Padres celebrate with teammates in the clubhouse after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers to secure a playoff spot on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
With a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night, the Padres won the series and more importantly secured a postseason berth. It is the first time in franchise history the team has reached the postseason in three consecutive seasons. San Diego is in, but with three games remaining against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park, there is still plenty to play for.
The Padres hold a one-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the top Wild Card spot and if they can maintain that position they would host the Wild Card Series. The Philadelphia Phillies dropped another game back with a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers which means the Diamondbacks still have a chance to reach the postseason if they can get some wins to end the regular season and the Phillies continue to struggle.
San Diego was held hitless against Los Angeles until the top of the sixth inning. Ethan Salas broke up the no-hitter by Tyler Glasgow with a one-out grounder to left field that seemed to wake the slumbering Padres offense. Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with another single on a grounder ball to right field that allowed Salas to move to third base. With runners on the corners, contact man Dustin Harris hit a sacrifice fly to right-center field that was caught by Andy Pages. He did not even attempt to throw home and Salas tagged up and scored to give San Diego a 1-0 lead. Tatis later stole second base, but the inning ended when Manny Machado struck out.
The Padres kept the Dodgers off the scoreboard and returned to the plate in the top of the seventh looking to add on. Jackson Merrill hit a one-out double to right field and Xander Bogaerts drew a walk to put runners at first and second base. Glasgow was removed from the game and Austin Hays was called on to pinch-hit against Justin Wrobleski. Hays hit a sharp ground ball that kicked off the glove of Max Muncy and rolled into shallow left field, that allowed Merrill to score to give the Padres a 2-0 lead. Samad Taylor struck out for the second out of the inning, but Salas impacted the game once again with his second single which allowed Bogaerts to score from second to push the San Diego lead to 3-0. Tatis again followed Salas with a single to drive in the fourth run of the game and Harris grounded out to end the inning. The three-run inning allowed the Padres to take control of their playoff destiny.
The Dodgers were able to score a run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Adrian Morejon was called for a balk, which allowed Mookie Betts to score. Morejon ended the inning one batter later when he got Miguel Rojas to fly out to end that Los Angeles scoring threat.
The Dodgers were able to add a run in the bottom of the ninth, but they should have never had the opportunity. Mason Miller struck out Pages, got Hunter Feduccia to fly out and then struck out Tommy Edman, but the strikeout pitch bounced and got through Salas allowing Edman to reach first base. Shohei Ohtani who was limited throughout the game hit an RBI-double to left-center field to score Edman who advanced to second base on a defensive indifference and the Padres’ lead was cut to 4-2. Miller finally closed the game and earned the playoff-clinching save when he got Betts to ground out to Ty France at first base.
It is important to note that Nick Pivetta pitched very well in the game. He did not stay in long enough to earn the win, but that was not because he was ineffective. He needed 87 pitches to get through 4.2 scoreless innings, which was his most pitches thrown since his return from injury. Pivetta allowed just four hits and one walk to the Dodgers and he had seven strikeouts. He was in a little trouble when manager Craig Stammen removed him from the game, but Pivetta put together a solid night. Yuki Matsui and Jason Adam each completed scoreless inning. Morejon pitched 1.1 one innings with one run allowed on a balk and Miller allowed the one run in his inning of work.
Salas finished the night 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI and Tatis followed with a 2-for-3 night with a walk and RBI. Merrill and Hays had the only other hits in the game and despite San Diego being outhit 7-6, the Padres were able to end the night with a champagne celebration in the visitor’s clubhouse before returning to San Diego.
The Padres will look to maintain and perhaps improve their playoff position when they host the Diamondbacks tonight at 6:40 p.m.
BOSTON, MA - JUNE 5: Steven Wright #35 of the Boston Red Sox delivers as storm clouds roll in during the first inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers on June 5, 2018 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Another series, another run of silent bats. But Ceddanne Rafaela returned and played in two-of-three against the Cleveland Guardians.
The Cubs did clinch their playoff berth Thursday. So they are looking for seeding. Likewise, while the Red Sox are probably the second Wild Card, though there is a scenario where they fall to the third Wild Card due to losing some tiebreakers.
The action kicks off with a doubleheader: Sunday’s game was moved to Friday afternoon at 1:05 and Friday’s game was moved up to 6:05. Saturday remains scheduled as normal, but it is expected to be rained out. In that case (and maybe sometime Friday we’ll hear) the game will be moved to Sunday. And with the aforementioned rain, it’s believed the teams may fly to Tampa and play at Tropicana Field as a neutral site. As Joe Castiglione would say “can you believe it?”
Will Willson Contreras play this weekend? Don’t count on it, per the man himself. He may not feel ready by Tuesday. He does recognize how hard his teammates are playing every day and wants to help. Thanks again, Rangers!
The Red Sox have announced Alex Gamboa and Brayan Bello as the starters for Games 1 an2 2, respectively. Gamboa could be filling in as an opener for Jake Bennett to get some innings out of him before the postseason, but that hasn’t been announced. It would be weird to do a strict bullpen game in the first part of the doubleheader in case something goes wrong in the evening. Bello, of course, is coming off one of the best starts of his entire career. Hopefully the Sox can score enough runs to win this time for him.
Chad Tracy said in Thursday’s postgame interview that Patrick Sandoval was willing to volunteer for a bit of bullpen work and the one inning he tossed Thursday evening doesn’t remove him from consideration to pitch against the Cubs.
The Cubs will be sending two-fifths of the Mets 2026 Opening Day rotation the Sox. Clay Holmes has given up 17 runs over his last three starts and last 15.1 innings. He didn’t face the Red Sox when he was with the Mets in the first half.
David Peterson had and ERA over 6.00 with the Mets (3.85 FIP) and now has an ERA of 3.94 (4.20 FIP) with the Cubs. Unlike Holmes, Peterson has been on a roll allowing just a since run in each of his last three starts. One start before he did give up 6 in 3.2 innings. So it’s not that long a run of success.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is officially a 40-40 guy.
Alex Bregman suffered a foul ball to the face while in the on deck circle a few days ago. He’s questionable to play, but like Willson might try to get in a game to tune up for the playoffs if he’s not in pain.
Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki have 24 and 25 home runs, respectively.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday, September 25 (1) (Fenway): Clay Holmes (3.25 ERA / 3.62 FIP) vs. Alex Gamboa (1.16 ERA / 3.16 FIP)
Friday, September 25 (2) (Fenway) : David Peterson (4.96 / 4.03 FIP) vs. Brayan Bello (4.49 ERA / 4.00 FIP)
Saturday, September 26 / Sunday 27 in Tampa?: TBD (— ERA / — FIP) vs. TBD (— ERA / — FIP)
The World Champion Knicks begin training camp on Monday.
Here are three things to keep an eye on while the team prepares to defend its title...
EXTENSION TENSION?
Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and Miles McBride are all eligible for extensions.
As noted earlier this week, Towns’ side and the Knicks have been in regular contact throughout the offseason about the extension. Per a league source familiar with the matter, the talks have been positive. And the Knicks have made it known that they want Towns in New York for a long time.
Towns has also previously said that he wants to be a Knick for a long time, yet no deal has come to fruition.
ESPN reports that negotiations have become stagnant and an agreement ahead of camp is unlikely. I’m not refuting that reporting, but I’d be surprised if the situation hung over the team like a cloud during camp, as ESPN suggested.
Towns, per SNY sources familiar with the matter, has been at the Knicks facility ahead of the start of camp.
Based on recent history, I think any issue like this will generate much more noise outside of the Knick locker room than inside of it. The team is just coming off of a timeless championship run. Towns and the Knicks have until June 30 to come to an agreement, but it’s also worth pointing out Towns’ negotiations may impact extension talks for Hart and McBride.
Towns is making $57 million this season, he has a $61 million player option for next year, and is eligible for a four-year extension worth as much as $276 million.
At one point in offseason discussions, the Knicks made offers to Towns that started between $45 million and $50 million per season, per league sources. The length of those offers is unknown. Clearly, those offers were rejected. If Towns and the Knicks don’t find common ground on an extension, he won’t opt out of his $61 million player option for 2027-28.
Towns opting out would give the Knicks much more flexibility under the second apron to extend Hart, and possibly, McBride. But if he opts in for 2027-28, the Knicks will have much less financial flexibility under the second apron for other extensions.
To get more perspective on potential extensions for Towns, Hart, and McBride, I reached out to my friend and salary cap guru Yossi Gozlan, founder of The Third Apron.
For our hypothetical, Gozlan uses $75 million as a combined annual salary for the first year of Towns and Hart extensions. With this number, the Knicks would have roughly $13-$14 million in second apron space to offer McBride.
Feb 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) is greeted by guard Josh Hart (3) during a timeout in the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Let’s say the first year of Towns and Hart extensions are a combined $65 million (**not realistic, in my view but we'll use it for purposes of the exercise). The Knicks in this scenario would have roughly $23 million in space under the second apron. This, as Gozlan notes, should be enough to sign McBride and a good backup big man.
The Knicks have to project these extensions out further than next season, obviously. And when you look ahead to 2028-29, the numbers look a bit different, since Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby are eligible for extensions during the 2027 offseason.
Let’s say Brunson signs a max extension. If you take Brunson’s deal and combine it with a total $75-$80 million in extensions for Towns and Hart, the Knicks would have around $10 million under the second apron for either McBride or another player. In this example, Anunoby does not sign an extension. That $10 million is certainly below McBride’s market value. So that’s where the situation gets tricky.
A couple of things can change here -- the salary cap numbers for future seasons can come in higher than current projections, which would give the Knicks more room under the second apron. Or the Knicks could change course and decide to spend above the second apron in team salary, but owner James Dolan has said that the organization will not spend above the second apron this season.
If the cap projections are accurate and the Knicks want to stay below the second apron, it will be difficult to extend Towns, Hart, and McBride under current configurations.
In that case, it will be interesting to see how the organization approaches McBride’s future. There are pathways to retain McBride via extension or via free agency -- but each pathway requires additional decisions/moves. I assume teams have -- and will continue to -- ask the Knicks about the possibility of trading for McBride.
CAMP CONFRONTATIONS?
As of Friday morning, the Knicks have 18 players under contract -- teams can have a maximum of 21 players under contract during training camp. I expect that rookie Tyler Nickel will take up one of the remaining spots, and I expect versatile third-year wing Kevin McCullar will eventually have a roster spot, as well.
Will the Knicks add another veteran ahead of camp?
Earlier this month, they signed veterans Bruce Brown Jr., John Konchar, and Ochai Agbaji to compete for a wing position. They also signed big men Drew Eubanks and James Wiseman to compete for a center position.
Mar 20, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Ochai Agbaji (30) runs up court after a basket against the New York Knicks during the first half at Barclays Center. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
It will be interesting to watch those veterans during training camp and preseason games (you can expect Knicks regulars to play fewer minutes this preseason, so the team will have a chance to get an extended look at other players).
If the Knicks decide that they need a veteran center and wing on the roster, they will need to make a trade to shed salary.
As things currently stand, the Knicks only have room for one veteran minimum contract if they want to remain under the second apron in team salary. So, for example, if they wanted to keep Eubanks and Konchar, they would need to shed salary via trade.
They were in this situation last year with Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon, and Garrison Mathews.
They only had room to keep one of those veterans, but were considering keeping two of them. Brogdon decided to retire (at the time of his retirement, there was no guarantee he was going to make the roster, despite reports to the contrary). So the Knicks kept Shamet and the veteran responded with a great season, making pivotal plays throughout the title run.
ROTATION ALTERATION?
Speaking of Shamet, I’ll be interested to see how Mike Brown deploys his bench this season -- maybe we get some clues about his bench approach during preseason games.
The defending champs (it still feels a bit foreign to type that phrase) have a deep bench with Shamet, McBride, Jose Alvarado, and Andre Drummond. They also have a pair of young players in Tyler Kolek and Mohamed Diawara who showed that they can contribute last season.
The Knicks showed their commitment to Shamet (four years, $24 million), Alvarado (three years, $14.3 million), Diawara (four years, $11.2 million) and Clarkson (one year, $3.8 million) by re-signing them in the offseason. Kolek is under contact this season with a team option for next season (deadline to decide is June 29, 2027).
But Brown last season made it clear that he doesn’t play favorites/politics with his rotation minutes. He’s not going to play someone who isn’t producing just because they have a strong financial commitment from the Knicks.
He benched Clarkson early in the 2025-26 season and went back to him later in the year and in the postseason. Same goes for Alvarado. He benched free agent signee Guerschon Yabusele early in the 2025-26 season, as well. So the players who start the season in Brown’s rotation will not necessarily be the players who finish the season in it.
Former Rangers captain and interim manager has spoken about the "true leader" he believes Dan Neil can be for the Ibrox club.
Ferguson spoke to the former Sunderland captain and his father as part of his role as Rangers ambassador when the Glasgow club were looked to bring in the 24-year-old.
Neil has been a recent standout for Rangers, particularly in the back-to-back wins over Celtic.
"I had a good chat with him and his old man when Rangers were interested in him," said Ferguson, who will manage Rangers in the upcoming Tennent's Sixes.
"I came away so impressed by him. He was so eager to come to Rangers. I know there were a number of clubs after him, and Rangers did brilliantly to get him.
"It's always difficult when you don't have a good start, but it shows you how strong a character he is. He's come through that period and over the last couple of weeks, I think he became a real leader for the Rangers team."
On this date 25 years ago, a 38-year-old Michael Jordan announced his return as a player with the Wizards. “I’m doing it for the love of the game,” he said at the time. “Nothing else. For the love of the game.” The Wizards sold out every home game in his two seasons there but never made the playoffs.
I asked a few of my colleagues to share some thoughts about Jordan’s final un-retirement.
Sam Amick: As a kid who was a maniacal MJ fan despite growing up in the San Francisco Bay during the Warriors’ Run TMC era, his choice to put that Wizards jersey on hurt almost as bad as those Golden State years before Timmy, Mitch and Mully arrived. He had some good moments, but you just knew that nothing would compare to the (last) Bulls chapter that should have been his swan song.
Mirin Fader: I can’t get over that he was still a pretty productive player. That was truly remarkable, all things considered. But him in that blue jersey just looked wrong to me.
Jason Jones: I’m glad he eventually had his farewell tour, even as a Wizard. Things ended so abruptly in 1998 for someone of his stature; it was good the NBA could thank Jordan properly.
Law Murray: I still have mixed feelings about this comeback. I’m focusing on how it started, not how it ended. I know, hindsight is 50-50. But it is certainly one of the greatest flexes ever by a GOAT candidate. The man was the part owner and basketball president and decided to wear THAT uniform, for the love of the game!
Marcus Thompson II: All I even remember about the Michael Jordan era with the Wizards was Mariah Carey’s Wizards dress at the All-Star Game.
Joe Vardon: It was April 8, 2003. I was a young reporter covering Cleveland sports. The now-Guardians had their home opener during the day, and MJ and the Wizards were in town that night. I was late to the basketball game. I walked through the tunnel and behind the hoop close to the Wizards’ basket, on my way to my media seat.
There was a stoppage in play. Michael was at the elbow, with his hands on his shorts. He glanced up and looked right at me, right into my eyes, and held his gaze for a few seconds. It felt like an eternity. It was the only time I ever saw Michael play in person. He scored 26 points that night, and the Wizards won.
It was one of the few times in my career I was actually star-struck — the greatest player ever stared directly into my soul.
The last 24
📈 Upside. Which teams will exceed their projected win totals this season? John Hollinger has his picks — including the rebuilt Bucks.
⏰ Dame Time again? Damian Lillard is back for the Trail Blazers this season after sitting out with a torn Achilles tendon. Early reports are that he’s looking like his old self.
Mariah Carey’s famous jersey dress was actually more of a jersey gown, and man, was it glorious!
Carey wore the floor-length, fitted, blue Wizards jersey to honor Jordan at his final All-Star Game in Atlanta in 2003.The diva’s dress — OK, maybe it was her performance — made the GOAT emotional; Jordan looked like he was holding back tears.
But Carey’s isn’t the only iconic jersey dress. Singer Mya actually wore a powder blue North Carolina Tar Heels jersey dress (No. 23, of course!) in her video for “Best of Me, Part 2” with Jay-Z three years earlier, and it is the earliest instance of the dresses that I remember. Stylist June Ambrose tailored the dress, and it remains one of the style’s greatest moments. (The video was also considered really fly for that era.)
Here’s a little history: Jersey dresses were the result of one of the (in hindsight!) funniest eras of fashion. During the early 2000s, the trend for men was to wear oversized clothing. And I mean, extremely oversized. People were buying the largest sizes possible!
According to the New York Times in 2003, the dress style was created when Mitchell & Ness, the sporting goods brand, decided to use smaller jerseys that were sitting in the warehouse and turn them into dresses. And of course, due to its lack of sleeves and lower neckline, the basketball jersey is the best option of all sports for something like this.
So while Joe Vardon may have a moment where Michael Jordan looked into his eyes to remember the early 2000s, I’ve got the jersey dress.
WNBA playoffs
The field is set
It’s one of the best times of the sports calendar! (Yes, I will say this multiple times a year, and I am always right.)
The WNBA playoffs start Sunday, and I’ve got to be honest, y’all: I’m pretty pumped. This season has been so interesting, and the games have been good. There’s something for everyone. You’ve got young players — generational talents! — helping turn organizations into winners. A former soccer player turned basketball player putting on a show. (They don’t call her The Spectacle for nothing.) A team and an M’VP trying to repeat. A really tough expansion team (Golden State) in the playoffs for the second time in just their second season. Two bona fide MVP candidates who can give you 30 apiece on a good night, and 20-plus on a normal one. I couldn’t hit everybody, but this is all really riveting stuff!
And yet, everybody can’t win.
The first round starts Monday. Here are the matchups:
The spots are locked and the teams are ready to go 🚨
Check out the official bracket for the 2026 WNBA Playoffs presented by @madebygoogle.
The best-of-five semifinals begin Oct. 4, and the best-of-seven WNBA finals start on Oct. 17.
The same way fans have been arguing incessantly online about end-of- season awards, I think there’s a case for so many teams.
And finally, Sunset: Last night’s game between Connecticut and the Toronto Tempo was the final game for the Sun franchise. The team was sold to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta in May for $300 million and will relocate to Houston. The Sun beat the Tempo 95-81 before a sellout crowd of 8,911.
Thanks for following along as I filled in for Zach. He’ll be back Monday — when The Bounce returns to five days a week.
How Zack MacEwen’s ‘Statement Game’ Helped Pushed Steven Lorentz Off The Maple Leafs’ RosterFresh off a goal, a fight, and a dominant preseason statement against Ottawa, Zack MacEwen has skated into the Maple Leafs’ opening-night picture while pushing Steven Lorentz to the waiver wire.
