As a result, Bader’s already disappointing 2026 season is now over. And the Giants are suspending Bader’s pay because of this incident’s non-baseball nature.
Harrison Bader of the San Francisco Giants is seen on deck during a game. Getty Images
Giants players have remained tight-lipped about the situation since it happened. But one player addressed Bader’s situation in a hilarious way during his team’s game on Wednesday.
Giants rookie catcher Daniel Susac hit a double during the second inning. Upon reaching second base, he turned to his team’s dugout and mimicked riding a scooter. He then shot a grin before removing his protective gear.
The camera than flashed to several Giants players in the dugout, including ace Logan Webb, who was laughing out loud at the celebration.
Looks like the Giants are having a little fun with their new scooter celebration pic.twitter.com/UdybmGESrg
There seem to be two options for why Susac and his Giants teammate embraced the celebration. Either they’re paying homage to their fallen comrade, or trolling a teammate who made a selfish mistake that cost both himself and his team.
The latter scenario seems much more likely. Regardless, Susac’s teammates got a kick out of what he did.
Daniel Susac celebrates during a San Francisco Giants game. Getty Images
It would be interesting to hear Susac speak on the celebration, or get a glimpse of how manager Tony Vitello responded to it. Whether this celebration picks up steam among Giants players and becomes their primary extra-base celebration will also speak volumes about the situation.
Don’t expect Bader to comment on the celebration either way.
News broke late Tuesday evening that former UConn star and Milwaukee Bucks wing Andre Jackson Jr. signed a deal with the Toronto Raptors ahead of training camp for the 2026-27 NBA season.
Jackson played three seasons in Storrs from 2020-23 and helped lead UConn to its fifth national championship in 2023, where he stuffed the stat sheet in 36 games with 6.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG & 4.7 APG. The Amsterdam, New York, native played 85 games in a Husky uniform before declaring for the draft after the title run.
Following UConn’s championship, Jackson was scooped up by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 36th pick in the second round in the 2023 NBA Draft. He spent the next three seasons in Milwaukee in all types of roles. His best season came his second year in 2024-25, when he played in 67 games with 43 starts and averaged 3.4 PPG and 2.7 RPG. Last season, he only played 8.5 MPG across 48 appearances, collecting many DNPs from head coach Doc Rivers.
Jackson is looking for a fresh start north of the border, but he is going to have to earn it. Toronto has all but one of its roster spots filled out heading into training camp, so he will be fighting for the final roster spot. The contract itself is an Exhibit 10 contract, meaning it’s a one-year, non-guaranteed contract that gives the Raptors his G-League rights should he not make the opening night roster.
UConn had nine players suit up in the NBA last season and is adding Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban to the list, but losing Tyrese Martin after he signed with FC Barcelona overseas. If Jackson plays any minutes in either Toronto or with another team in the NBA this year, UConn would more likely than not have 10 players record minutes in the association in a single season for the first time since the 2000’s.
Krukow has been battling a degenerative muscle disease called body myositis for the past two decades. It appears this battle is what ultimately forced Krukow to make his retirement decision.
“I don’t want to quit. Unfortunately the rules change, first from year to year, and then month to month and now it’s day to day. It’s becoming unsafe. My home in Reno is much safer, and it really is the determining factor in how I can’t do games anymore,” Krukow told NBC Sports Bay Area.
Mike Krukow will end his Giants broadcast career this season. Getty Images
Krukow released an official statement on Thursday that read, “[His wife] Jennifer and I have been so blessed to be able to stay in the game for as long as we have and it’s really made it impossible to feel sorry for myself that my career is coming to an end.”
It is good to hear that Krukow still feels grateful for his time in the Giants’ booth, even if he is not fully ready to call it a career quite yet.
Krukow also played in the majors with several teams, including the Cubs and Giants. Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
Krukow has become a legend in baseball largely because of his broadcasting partnership with Duane Kuiper. “Kruk and Kuip” are immortal among Giants fans, as their close-knit friendship has sparked countless hilarious moments and camaraderie that is usually found in MLB clubhouses, not broadcast booths.
In this segment, THN - Pittsburgh Penguins' editors Kelsey Surmacz and Hunter Hodies discuss the shifting landscape of roster-building in the NHL and whether or not it's a viable approach for Kyle Dubas and the Penguins to take.
Read about the Penguins' approach to roster-building and the state of their rebuild here:
CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 01: Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees throws to first base during the game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday, August 1, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by George Gaza/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
When Anthony Volpe reports to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, manager Shelley Duncan anticipates the shortstop to see some action at second base and possibly third base.
“There’s a good chance of that,” Duncan said. “We’ll see when he gets here. Us as an organization, we’ll have a plan in place for him. Anthony will be a part of that plan. We’ll move forward accordingly for what’s best for him and what’s best for the organization.”
Volpe, Jasson Domínguez, and Max Schuemann were all sent down by the Yankees on Monday following the fallout of the Trade Deadline and the promotion of top prospect George Lombard Jr. Schuemann arrived and played for the RailRiders on Wednesday night. Duncan expected Volpe and Dominguez to join the team by Friday; they had 72 hours to report.
The trio will be joining an already-good RailRiders squad. Despite having their eight-game winning streak snapped Wednesday with an 8-1 loss to the Rochester Red Wings at PNC Field, the RailRiders are in first place in the International League second-half standings with a 23-10 record, one-half game ahead of the Durham Bulls. Overall, the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate is 60-47. They are one of four teams in the 20-team league with 60 or more wins. Rochester has 64, the St. Paul Saints 63, and first-half champion Memphis Redbirds 62. During the RailRiders’ six-game series sweep at Iowa last week, they batted .343 with 79 hits, including 11 home runs, and outscored the Cubs, 50-18.
Heading into Thursday’s action, the RailRiders rank fourth in the IL in home runs with 152. On the mound, they rank first in ERA (4.14), hits allowed (774), runs allowed (492), earned runs allowed (423), WHIP (1.33), and opponents’ batting average (.227). They’re also tied for first in shutouts (7), rank second in home runs allowed (104), and tied for third in saves (29).
Two big reasons for their pitching success are right-handers Brendan Beck and Elmer Rodríguez.
Beck, the Yankees’ No. 19 prospect, is 9-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 20 starts and 118 strikeouts in 110.1 innings. He is tied for first in the league in wins with Trenton Denholm of the Columbus Clippers, is first in ERA, innings, strikeouts, and WHIP (1.02) and second in opponents’ batting average (.201). He has not lost a game at the Triple-A level since April 26th. In 14 starts since then, he is 7-0 and he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of those outings. Additionally, six of the starts have been scoreless, including Tuesday in the series opener against Rochester, when he tossed six shutout innings with four hits, one walk, and a career-high 12 strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Rodríguez, the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect, is 7-3 with a 2.77 ERA in 16 starts and 81 strikeouts in 81.1 innings. He is coming off a month of July that saw him go 4-0 in five starts with a 2.73 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 26.1 innings with eight runs (eight earned), 26 hits, and 10 walks.
Adding Volpe, Dominguez, and Schuemann makes the RailRiders even better. They potentially could be the team to beat in the International League second half.
“The sky’s the limit,” Beck said. “Those are great players and we’re going to be excited to have them join the team. Everyone wants to be up top; this isn’t anybody’s end goal. It’s nice that we’re playing well right now and hopefully can seamlessly slide them in. Those are guys everyone is going to look to take things away from. They’ve had huge experiences in the big leagues, played in huge games. That’s something I’m interested in taking things away from them and I know the other guys are probably going to do the same.”
Duncan cautions, however, not to think things automatically will be better. He said there could be an adjustment period adding the new players.
“You don’t know honestly,” Duncan said. “The group of guys in that clubhouse over the past two weeks or so have allowed me to sit back and plug and play almost the same lineup every day. They’ve gotten really comfortable together and the chemistry in there is phenomenal. A lot of times when you bring in new players, even when you bring in really good talent, it takes a little bit for everyone to really vibe and get to know each other. The expectation can’t be they’re going to come in and have a sense of comfort. Anytime there’s any movement on a team, there’s always a little time that chemistry builds.
“Over the course of a season, you have a team’s win-loss record. But over the course of that season, you see many different teams. When I talk about that, it’s players learning to play with each other, learning to support each other, learning to sacrifice a little bit of yourself for the guy next to you. The guys in there right now are doing that with each other. When one guy doesn’t come through, the next guy picks him up. They’re able to communicate real well between at-bats and doing the little things right. I don’t think it’s fair to expect the same chemistry right out of the get-go. It takes work. Having a good team takes work. It takes constant effort to pour into that team. We’ll need to do it again. When we do, you let the talent play for itself. It will be interesting, but it will be fun at the same time.”
At various points this season, Volpe, Dominguez, and Schuemann have all played for the RailRiders, so there is some familiarity. But Duncan said when they were here, it was a completely different team. For example, when Schuemann was last here in April, the infield included Paul DeJong, Jonathan Ornelas, Braden Shewmake, and Seth Brown. None of those players are with the team now.
“There’s going to be some level of comfort,” Duncan said. “But when the makeup on teams change, there’s always work that needs to be put in with everyone.”
Despite all that, Beck believes there won’t be any issues.
“Baseball is a hard game. It’s hard to continuously go out there and have success,” Beck said. “When people come and go from the locker room, you rely on the culture of the team and the culture of the clubhouse to keep those things moving along. Luckily, we have a good culture here, so I’m excited to see what we’re able to do.”
It certainly should be quite a wild ride over the final six weeks of the season.
Patrick Damp of Locked On Penguins joins Kelsey Surmacz and Hunter Hodies - editors of THN's Pittsburgh Penguins site - to discuss why the one-year contract extension for Evgeni Malkin makes sense for both the player and the team.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 13: Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors warms up before a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on January 13, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
While the Lakers are oozing with talent at the top of the roster in Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, this team has two things it lacks: veterans and championships.
With a push toward youth, LA has just one player who’s over 30 who also happens to have lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy in Kevon Looney.
“Just filling that backup center role, being a veteran for this team and bringing some championship experience to the team. Just bring that toughness that I always try to bring every time I play. That’s what my role’s going to be and I look forward to getting out there and showing people what I can do.”
Given that Looney was with Golden State for most of their title run, he witnessed firsthand what it takes to dominate the NBA. Those championship habits are something he can share with a player like Kessler, who has never even played in a playoff game and is now on a team with a goal of winning it all.
If Looney is willing to teach Kessler everything he’s learned during his decade in the league, that might make his signing to the Lakers worth it regardless of his performance on the court. However, Looney believes he still has more to contribute than just words of wisdom.
“I got a chip on my shoulder. I want to just show people what I can do. I want to be one of the best offensive rebounders, one of the best rebounders in the league. I want to be one of the best role players in the league. I want to bring a lot of spark to our bench and a lot of leadership.
My goal every year is always to play every game and be consistent. I had a couple injuries so I wasn’t able to meet that goal last year so I want to get back on the right step and prove myself all over again and show them why I’m an ironman, a tough man and one of the best rebounders in the league.”
Throughout his career, Looney has always been a great offensive rebounder. Even last season, playing in just 21 matchups, he averaged 2.3 offensive boards per game. That level of production would’ve made him the second-best offensive rebounder on the Lakers.
If Looney can remain healthy, he is on track to be a star in his role. He understands what the Lakers need from him and has the skill set to provide it.
Former NBA champ Paul Pierce and Princess Santiago, an event director in Los Angeles, still are at odds over a custody agreement for their son, King Rafael, whom they welcomed in February, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.
Former NBA champ Paul Pierce and Princess Santiago, an event director in Los Angeles, still are at odds over a custody agreement for their son, King Rafael, whom they welcomed in February, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.
Santiago — who previously filed a paternity suit in January, claiming Pierce was the father of her son — provided alleged text messages with the NBA Hall of Famer as part of their ongoing case over custody and support.
“I just wanted to let you know that your son is here. He was born today,” Princess wrote to Pierce on Feb. 6, per TMZ. “If you’d like to see him tomorrow, let me know.”
Princess Santiago, an event director in Los Angeles, and her son, King Rafael, born in February 2026. Instagram/Princess Santiago
It does not appear that Santiago received a response from Pierce.
The outlet published an image of another alleged text exchange dated April 13, which showed Paul as saying: “Just found out today officially that’s my son so anyway I can at least see him.”
Paul Pierce talks to the media before the game between the Boston Celtics and the LA Clippers on January 22, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NBAE via Getty Images
Santiago responded two days later and said, “Hello and congratulations, Paul. 99.99%. Anyway, you had the opportunity to take the test I paid for either before or after the birth.
“Instead, you chose not to and ignored my entire pregnancy with him; you prioritized love interests, vacations, other people and things over your son with wanting to know the truth.
“I’d appreciate you having a bit more respect for me as his mother and your son from here forward. Ive never kept you from King before or after his birth and I still won’t. I do appreciate that you’re beginning to step forward and finally acknowledge him.”
The message continued but was cut off in the TMZ image.
Santiago, in another alleged message dated April 30, said, “If you want to be a father to him, cool. If not, I’m not going to beg you.”
Santiago is asking the court for sole legal and physical custody of their child, as well as child support payments.
The amount she is seeking for the payments has been redacted.
Paul Pierce attends a game between the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards during the 2026 NBA Las Vegas Summer League on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NBAE via Getty Images
Santiago, who said she is unable to work because she has to care for her son, claimed Paul refused to turn over all of the relevant financial info to determine how much he had available for support payments.
She alleged Paul has rejected her efforts to co-parent.
At the time, Paul, who said he was willing to provide support to Santiago, explained that his income was steadily decreasing and that his checks from his previous gig with Fox Sports 1 were coming to an end in September 2026.
In January, TMZ reported that Santiago filed a paternity suit claiming Pierce is the father of her son, and requesting genetic testing from Pierce.
Pierce and his ex-wife Julie Landrum have three kids together: daughter Prianna and sons Prince and Adrian.
Pierce played 15 of his 19 NBA seasons with the Celtics and won a championship and Finals MVP with Boston in 2008.
The Celtics retired his No. 34 jersey in February 2018, after her retired the year before.
We’re looking for runs and more runs in tonight's Padres vs. Diamondbacks predictions, as both starting pitchers have struggled this season.
The San Diego Padres visit the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field as slight -107 favorites at Polymarket, looking to split the four-game series.
With two of three games going Over so far, we’ll see much of the same tonight. Let’s get right into my MLB picks for Thursday, Aug. 6.
Who will win Padres vs Diamondbacks tonight: Diamondbacks moneyline (-103)
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ offense has been as potent as they come over the last week, scoring five or more runs in five of their last six games.
Against a wild pitcher like Walker Buehler, who has a 4.45 xERA this season, you can rest assured there will be a lot of traffic on the base paths tonight.
On the other side is the Diamondbacks’ No. 12 prospect Kohl Drake, who’s run into some trouble of his own this season but has shown glimpses of becoming a serviceable pitcher in two of his last three starts.
Over those two games, he’s allowed just three earned runs across nine innings while striking out 11. Against a struggling Padres offense (24th in baseball with a .694 team OPS), I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt tonight.
COVERS INTEL: Buehler has a problem this year, and that's his hard-hit percentage (40.6%) — the second-highest of his career coming into tonight; his .234 xBA against is the third-highest of his nine-year MLB tenure. That should play in our favor over the course of his start.
Padres vs Diamondbacks Over/Under pick: Over 9.5 (+119)
For as bad as Buehler has been, Kohl still gives up the long ball himself, allowing three home runs across his last three starts. His 15% barrel rate and .299 xBA against him should be enough for the Padres to help us get across the line.
Both Ketel Marte and Nolan Arenado have taken Buehler deep in their career, which means the righty’s 40.6% hard-hit rate should come into play tonight.
I’d play this up to -145 and am dropping a full unit here.
Dustin Saracini's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 0-2, -2 units
Over/Under bets: 0-2, -2 units
Padres vs Diamondbacks weather
The Diamondbacks play at Chase Field, which is a dome. The weather will have no impact on the game conditions tonight.
Padres vs Diamondbacks odds
Moneyline: Padres (-107) | Diamondbacks (-103)
Run line: Padres -1.5 (+152) | Diamondbacks +1.5 (-168)
Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+119) | Under 9.5 (-131)
Padres vs Diamondbacks trend
These two teams have exchanged blows this series, scoring 33 runs across three games so far — flying Over the number in two of the three matchups. Find more MLB betting trends for Padres vs. Diamondbacks.
How to watch Padres vs Diamondbacks and game info
Location
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Date
Thursday, August 6, 2026
First pitch
9:40 p.m. ET
TV
Padres.TV, Dbacks.TV
Padres starting pitcher
Walker Buehler (6-5, 5.18 ERA)
Diamondbacks starting pitcher
Kohl Drake (0-0, 4.85 ERA)
Padres vs Diamondbacks latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
OTTAWA, CANADA - MARCH 26: Ville Koivunen #41 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Ottawa Senators on March 26, 2026 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The news reverberated out of no where when the Penguins signed Ville Koivunen for an eight-year contract and a healthy $4.0 million cap hit. No matter how you slice it, there’s been a big bet made on a player prior to proving he truly deserved it, which opens up obvious questions about the reasoning behind making such a move.
Let’s dive in more and gain a new perspective that could help understanding just what this contract really means.
Ville Koivunen has some positive signs under the hood, but an incredibly limited NHL track record. The Penguins are clearly betting on him leveling up to at least middle-six caliber over this contract. pic.twitter.com/VzUKR0g9y4
This projection, if anything, shows that it doesn’t take a lot to get a $4.0 million player in the expanding NHL salary cap world. Koivunen would only need to moderately improve his point production to start getting into justifying the money. It can be a hard pill to swallow given that he’s looked slow and not quite quick enough to be effective in the NHL so far, but there’s some signs that he might be able to get there. Whether or not he will, of course, is another debate.
The comparable players to Koivunen might be the most fascinating part to consider for just where he might end up as a finished product. There are a bunch of similar players with a wide variety of career tracks.
Some of Koivunen's comps add some weight to this — if he can follow the Jack Drury/Jesper Fast track or follow in Viktor Arvidsson's footsteps, this will age well. The best-case scenario is Troy Terry. But there's obviously a pretty wide range outcomes here. pic.twitter.com/iAkDvfhIqn
Locking down a potential Troy Terry, Jack Drury or Jesper Fast would be a big win for the Penguins, let alone if Koivunen had a Viktor Arvidsson future lined up. Up until age-22, Arvidsson was a great AHL scorer with six goals in 64 games – then he popped off for 31 in 2026-17 and has gone onto have a nice career as a mid-line support player.
The trade off, and where the risk comes in, is that this best case scenario is far from guaranteed. If Koivunen trends more to the “just a guy” or worse area of following in the footsteps of Benn Ferriero or Anders Bjork, suddenly the contract looks like a big problem for a long-lasting huge cap hit on a player that isn’t capable of making much of an impact at the NHL level. And that above grouping of player contains more misses than players deserving of a max term contract.
Then again, maybe it shouldn’t look that way to gain a true understanding of the perspective of why an unestablished player signed a massive contract.
There is quietly an off-ramp built in, via a wrinkle in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement. Players under the age of 26 can be bought out for one-third of the contract, unlike the standard 2/3 that an older player gets in a buyout. If the Pens were to buy out Koivunen in the summer of 2028, they’d sidestep almost all of the issues created with this contract. This area probably wasn’t lost under Kyle Dubas, but surely now would have been highlighted by the Pens’ new consultant Brandon Pridham – who was involved in writing the CBA.
Something to note on this contract – if the Pens buy him out in summer 2028, they'll be on the hook for 12 seasons but the cap hit will never exceed $750K
there's essentially a "get out of jail free" baked in if he actually doesn't turn out to be a player in the next two seasons https://t.co/4i2dqxGSKw
Based on the backloaded structure for the salary components on the contract, it is prime for a buyout. Per PuckPedia, here is what it would look like if the Pens bought Koivunen out in 2028.
(Note: screen cutoff, the annual $729,167 penalty continues through the 2039-40 season)
Dead cap money in hockey is usually seen as a plague to be avoided, but the rising cap mitigates the impact in a way where perceptions will need to be updated. The NHL salary cap should be in the $125 million range in 2028-29 and figures to grow beyond that in future years. Taking a $479k penalty would be negligible at best for the Penguins. The whole thing would become more of a footnote and trivia point hanging around the margins than anything else – should things come to that.
Due to the economies of scale it can be difficult to compare the NHL to the NFL in a business sense, but carrying plenty of dead cap hits is a standard operating procedure in the NFL. The Steelers, for instance, are projected at holding $12.2 million in dead space in 2026 (though, of course, the NFL salary cap being over $300 million makes that a drop in the bucket). Such a shift in mindset could wind it’s way into normality in hockey as their caps begin to grow and allow for more tolerance of inefficient penalty cap hits.
Of course, a team isn’t going to be keen to make a bold move in signing an eight-year deal thinking they will have to buy it out in two seasons, yet practically that has to be remembered when thinking about the very essence of this contract. In essence, this could be seen as the Pens giving Koivunen $8 million for two years with a team option for five more in 2028 when they assess whether Koivunen is worth keeping or better off cutting losses for the most marginal of penalties. Such money at $8mx2 is still an excessive amount for Koivunen’s worth and value in the short-term, but one the Penguins can easily afford with all their current cap space to hedge a bet against the possibility that Koivunen justifies showing that he can be a capable NHL player from 2028-33.
Dubas even said he preferred to think of the deal as a ‘bet’, a bit of a departure from the standard signing of a young player to a max-length extension. By that outlook what is a long contract isn’t an eight-year promise to a core player but a risk the team was willing to do to see if it works.
If that happens, Pittsburgh would find themselves in a winning position to have a useful, prime-aged player locked up for what will be an exceedingly reasonable amount should Koivunen trend the way of a Jesper Fast type by 2028. It would be a home run and huge win if somehow Koivunen does even better than that and has Troy Terry or Viktor Arvidsson production at the age of 25 in a couple years. In the event it doesn’t work out and Koivunen’s trajectory falls short, the team has an option to bail and chalk the whole thing up to taking a chance that didn’t pay off with very minimal cost moving forward.
On Wednesday, the Penguins re-signed restricted free agent forward Ville Koivunen to an $32 million, eight-year contract that runs through the 2033-’34 season.
While long-term contracts are common in other professional sports, maximum-length, eight-year contracts in the NHL are typically restricted to players such as Igor Shesterkin, Nathan MacKinnon and Leon Draisaitl who have proven their worth.
Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Ville Koivunen (41) beats Tampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) to the puck. AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
Now, Koivunen joins the list with just 14 points in 47 games across parts of two seasons in the NHL.
The 23-year-old was acquired by the Penguins in the Jake Guentzel trade in 2024, after the Hurricanes drafted him in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
What the Penguins and general manager Kyle Dubas are betting on is that Koivunen starts to live up to his offensive potential.
“With the cap going up significantly they don’t think $4 million is a lot of money, and with the eight-year term they’re betting on his upside”
Now Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas speaks to the media during an end-of-season availability in Toronto. AP
Prior to being drafted the 6-foot, 184-pound forward produced 113 points in 164 career games in Liiga, the top professional league in Sweden, and has added 98 points in 109 career games in the AHL since.
For Pittsburgh fans used to the likes of Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, though, potential isn’t enough
“8 years!?!?” one fan said on X. “This is a crazy gamble for a guy who has been giving multiple opportunities on the big boy team and has been non productive and been sent down.”
Others weren’t as respectful asking ” WHAT THE F–K ARE WE DOING!?” or pointing out that Koivunen “got more years than points last season” under the Penguins post.
Part of the fans’ frustration could stem from their expectation of a big summer after making a return to the playoffs last year.
The Penguins were in trade rumors for some of the NHL’s top stars such as Jason Robertson and were thought to be looking into moving up in the draft, none of which came to fruition.
On this day 43 years ago, Salomé Barojas’ 10th save helped kick-start a historic run to the end of the White Sox season. | Richard Pilling
1936 Twelve years before breaking a major-league record (see below), Luke Appling started a 27-game hit streak with a 2-for-5 game in a 9-6 win over at St. Louis in a doubleheader opener. Appling went 1-for-3 in a nightcap win over the Browns, and wouldn’t stop hitting for the rest of August.
Appling’s streak was snapped on September 3, in a 3-2 win at Boston. He went 0-for-2 with two walks in the game, and was on deck hoping for one more shot at extending the streak when Mule Haas flew out to center field to end the White Sox ninth.
During the streak, Appling hit .350, with 35 hits in 27 games and 18 walks against four Ks. Amazingly, the hit streak lowered Appling’s season average from .376 to .370. Appling would finish 1936 with a batting title, having hit a career-best .388. Appling would go hitless in just five games in September, as he pushed his batting average back up by 18 points.
Appling’s hit streak was the White Sox record for 61 years, until Albert Belle tied it in 1997. Seven years after that, Carlos Lee eclipsed Appling and Belle by one game to set the all-time record on the South Side.
1949 Luke Appling played his 2,154th game at shortstop, passing Rabbit Maranville for most in MLB history. He would play another 42 games there in the 1949 season and 20 in 1950 (at age 43) before retiring. Appling played all but one of his seasons (1948) as a primary shortstop, and 94% of his career games there.
Today, Appling sits at eighth all-time in games played at shortstop, his all-time record broken 20 years later by another White Sox shortstop, Luis Aparicio, on Sept. 25, 1970, his last game played that season. Interestingly, that marked not only the last game Aparicio played that season, it was the last game Aparicio ever played for the White Sox.
1955 From Sept. 11, 1953 through Sept. 4, 1960, Nellie Fox played 1,073 straight games — except for this one, an 8-1 loss in Baltimore. Manager Marty Marion felt his team, losers of three straight games but still tied for first in the AL, needed some rest — and in this game, Fox got it. So, Nellie would have had a streak of 1,073 heading into 1960; and with the momentum of a streak like that driving him, chances are Fox would have muscled through the virus that kept him out of that 1960 game and kept it alive. Worse (for both men), sitting the feisty, frustrated Fox on the bench next to him drove Marion crazy, and the manager vowed never to make that mistake again.
1959 It was the third and final marathon game of the 1959 season.
The White Sox battled the Orioles in Baltimore, and played for 18 innings before midnight curfew stopped the night game tied at 1-1. (Yes, it had only taken four hours to play 18 innings!)
There were two incredible performances on the pitcher’s mound. For Baltimore, Hoyt Wilhelm relieved Billy O’Dell to start the ninth inning and held the White Sox hitless for 8 2⁄3 innings, until Billy Goodman slapped a single with two outs in the 17th. Meanwhile White Sox starter Billy Pierce went 16innings, allowing just one run and recording a 100 game score, before giving way to Turk Lown in the 17th.
Billy faced 61 hitters, struck out seven and gave up 11 hits, 10 of them singles. The 100 game score is the eighth-highest in White Sox history.
The 18 innings still stand tied for the 10th-longest game in team annals.
1983 Before the game, the White Sox were 56-50, up 4 ½ games in a weak AL West. From this day on, however, the club went 43-13 to end the season at 99-63 and a record-breaking 20 games up in the division. The assault on the American League began with a 6-4 win in Baltimore, keyed by Carlton Fisk’s 4-for-5 effort, with a double and a triple. Floyd Bannister pitched seven innings for ninth win, Britt Burns earned a hold out of the bullpen (where he was demoted after losing his command) and Salomé Barojas pocketed his 10th save.
2010 Becoming the first member of the 2o1o draft class to reach the majors (yes, just TWO MONTHS after being drafted No. 13 overall) Chris Sale made his debut in a 2-1, 10-inning loss at Baltimore. It was a inconspicuous start, with a four-pitch walk to Brian Roberts and then an 0-2, jam-shot single from Nick Markakis. Just seven pitches and no outs — but the beginning of an illustrious career.
The 6´5´´, 170-pound lefty spent just 11 games in the minors, burning through High-A Winston-Salem (placed there to work with Dash pitching coach Bobby Thigpen) and Triple-A Charlotte to the tune of a 2.61 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 16.5 K/9. (In Charlotte alone, Sale sported an astronomical 21.3 K/9.)
Coming off his worst month as a major leaguer, Skenes showed slight progress in his first August start on Wednesday.
Skenes allowed three runs on two hits and four walks against six strikeouts, though it wasn’t enough in a 4-2 loss to the Brewers tin Milwaukee.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes throws in the first inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Tannen Maury/UPI/Shutterstock
July was a slog for Skenes, posting a 6.25 ERA over six starts, and the last one was the worst of his career: Seven earned runs in four innings on the 31st.
The poor stanza follows a month-by-month decline that the LSU and Air Force product has seen throughout 2026.
Skenes’ ERA in the month of April was 1.89 and has risen each month since.
After April, his ERA came to a still solid 2.87 in May, then 3.58 in June, before a horrid 6.25 in July, where he allowed 22 earned runs in six starts.
“It’s been an interesting year, a little bit,” Skenes said after his July 31 outing. “But it could be a lot worse. We’ll figure it out. I’m going to figure it out. But it could be a lot worse.”
One reason for this has been a noticeable downtick in velocity. Skenes’ fastball is averaging 97 mph this season, down from 98.2 in 2025 and 98.8 in his rookie season.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes watches game action from the dugout during the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
He also hasn’t thrown a single pitch over 100 mph this season after throwing over 100 of them a season ago.
In fact, prior to Wednesday night’s start, Skenes hadn’t thrown a pitch over 98 mph in five starts, according to Codify Baseball.
“I don’t think velocity is something I need to pitch well,” Skenes said during the All-Star break. “I think it’s probably the first time in my career the velo has kinda dipped. It’s not something that I’m stressed over at all. I’m healthy. I’m feeling good and still pitching at a high level.”
The Pirates ace’s off-speed have also been an issue.
After ranking in the 100th and 98th percentiles for Skene’s off-speed pitch quality and run value ranked in the 100th and 98th percentiles respectively, last season, they have dropped immensely to the 17th percentile in 2026.
According to Fangraphs, hitters are also on time on Skenes’ pitches 45-percent of the time this season, compared to 39% last season.
It doesn’t help that the Pirates’ defense has been below average once again this year, holding a minus-12 record in outs above average and ranking sixth-worst in MLB at turning batted balls into outs.
Fort Myers, FL - February 11: Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow watches batting practice. The Boston Red Sox held their second day of Spring Training at JetBlue Park on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Last summer, the Red Sox made a bold bid to bolster the rotation and acquire Joe Ryan from the Minnesota Twins. But of course, as we now know, they didn’t land their man.
What we didn’t know at the time – or at least didn’t know in detail – is that the Twins balked at an offer including both Payton Tolle and Franklin Arias. On one hand, most Red Sox fans are thrilled that puppy didn’t go through, and for good reason. But you know what? After this week’s deadline that included Adley Rutschman coming in and Marcelo Mayer going out, I’m still kind of fascinated by that potential blockbuster that fell apart the last trip around the sun.
When you couple the 2025 Joe Ryan deadline deal that didn’t happen with the moves this week that did, a pretty clear and wild pattern emerges: Craig Breslow is stunningly aggressive. Over the last year and a half, this trend has consistently manifested itself in two clear ways: One, he’s not afraid to put a haul of prospects on the table to get a player he covets. And two, if you’re not marching in tune of his vision for club, you’re going to be shown the exit, and quickly.
Let’s run through six examples here (three from each category) to underscore the point.
Since December of 2024, Craig Breslow:
Traded Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, Braden Montgomery and Wikelman Gonzalez to the White Sox for Garrett Crochet.
Offered to trade Payton Tolle and Franklin Arias to the Twins for Joe Ryan.
Traded Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar and Carlos Narvaez to the Orioles for Adley Rutschman.
That’s eight top ten prospects (albeit not at the same time) that Breslow’s been willing to part with to acquire established major league pieces.
Secondly, we have the Breslow moves that purged certain guys from the organization. All three of these occurred in just the last 15 months:
The Rafael Devers trade to the Giants last year.
The Alex Cora firing in April.
The Marcelo Mayer trade to San Francisco.
All three of those guys were involved in some level of friction within the organization, and when the front office saw their chance, they parted ways. That’s the complete opposite of how Chaim Bloom ran the show.
Now, to be fair, Bloom was in accumulation mode while he presided over the farm, but stop and ask yourself this: How many of those six moves would Chaim Bloom have made, and how many of those six moves would Dave Dombrowski have made? Regardless of your exact answer, it’s hard to imagine any scenario where Bloom’s number is higher.
The biggest difference between now and ten years ago is the Red Sox aren’t going to lead baseball in payroll anytime soon like they did at the end of the Dombrowski era. But that has nothing to do with Breslow; he’s operating inside the budget granted to him by ownership. What he’s proven in the last 20 months is he’s willing to spend the currency sitting in front of him, and spend it big.
Ideally, there will be more of a balance in the spending of prospects and dollars when everything shakes out, and who knows, perhaps that will come in the form of an Adley Rutschman extension soon. But in the meantime, it’s been quite a ride to watch Craig Breslow get this aggressive.
Looking forward along those lines, I anxiously wonder how much this is sustainable. One of the worst things about the last great core of Red Sox baseball is how little the group accomplished outside of 2018. They followed up that 108-win, World Series season by missing the playoffs in 2019, and then having that unmitigated disaster during the Covid season of 2020. The details of how that fell apart so fast are a topic for another day, but the discussion as to how to make sure that doesn’t happen again is very present.
So with that, I want to bring up another element that’s somewhat specific to Breslow’s vision, and may also be driving his actions.
Namely, all the prize pieces acquired in Breslow’s big deals have been under team control for at least two cracks at a World Series. Crochet was under control for two years (and then they extended him). Erik Miller, whom they got for Mayer, is under team control through the end of 2029. Curtis Mead is here through 2030. And Joe Ryan would have been here for three shots at a World Series. Even Adley Rutschman will be in Boston for at least two more Septembers, and if he ends up signing an extension, it really solidifies Breslow’s long-term vision and trade type.
The broader point here is the guys Breslow goes after are not rentals. He wants multiple bites at the apple, and that’s a big reason why he’s been willing to pay such a high price in terms of prospects. Perhaps the thinking there is that while long-term, expensive free agent contracts often turn sour on the backend, deals that include big payments in prospect hauls leave you time to rebuild the farm as long as what you get in return is under team control for multiple years.
It’s a great idea on paper, but let’s see how it plays out in reality.
Lastly, bringing it all back to the Joe Ryan deal that didn’t go through a year ago, not having Joe Ryan in that Wild Card series again the Yankees absolutely kneecapped this team. Even if you’re thanking whatever God you pray to that Payton Tolle and Franklin Arias are still here, it’s okay to admit that Brayan Bello starting Game 2 in New York completely derailed the Sox in that series. He faced eleven batters, failed to get five of them out, got bailed out by an Anthony Volpe double play, and put the Sox on a track where they had to use six relievers and ultimately stretch the high leverage part of the pen too thin.
Knowing this, I wonder if Breslow and company are still stinging from that experience, because they’ve certainly responded like it. In the last nine months, they’ve aggressively added to the rotation, started their trade deadline moves a week early with Curtis Mead (even though that blew up in their face), and then offered another huge package to land Adley Rutschman and ensure they weren’t left without their man again.
Maybe he’s a nerd, maybe he’s a stiff, maybe he’s still learning on the job, and maybe he still reminds you of Chaim Bloom — but make no mistake, Breslow is acting a whole lot more like the guy who was here ten years ago than the guy who was here five years ago. He just doesn’t have the same sized checkbook at his disposal. Now we’ll see how long he can make this run last.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 14: Dillon Mitchell #1 of the St. John's Red Storm dribbles during the second half of the 2026 Big East Men's Tournament Championship game against the Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 2026 in New York City. The Red Storm won 72-52. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The dream that star St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell would turn down an NBA contract and return to the Red Storm for his fifth season of college basketball was only that: a dream.
Mitchell becomes the second former St. John’s star selected in this year’s NBA draft to sign a professional contract. Zuby Ejiofor inked a four-year rookie-scale contract worth $17.3 million with the Atlanta Hawks not long after he was drafted with the 23rd overall pick. Bryce Hopkins has yet to sign a contract with the Denver Nuggets after getting drafted with the 49th overall pick, but wouldn’t have been eligible to return to college anyway after his five-year eligibility clock expired.
The Celtics rookie stood out amongst his peers during the NBA Summer League, averaging 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and even tripling his senior year three-point output, firing 3-of-8 from long range across three games.
Mitchell can earn only $678,882 on a two-way contract, half the value of a guaranteed rookie minimum deal, and is limited to playing up to 50 NBA games. This means Mitchell is most likely splitting time with the Boston Celtics and developing with their G-League affiliate, the Maine Celtics.
In his only season with the Red Storm, the former McDonald’s All-American posted 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game on 55.9% shooting from the field, securing positions on the All-Big East Third Team and Big East All-Defensive Team.
As Mitchell is now off the board and St. John’s still has one remaining roster spot to fill, the Red Storm will focus on finding a starting-caliber replacement for stellar Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman at power forward.
The Red Storm are reportedly one of the many teams eyeing All-SEC forward Keyshawn Hall, one of the many seniors returning to college basketball for a fifth season. The well-traveled 6-foot-7 swingman never spent more than one season playing for a single team, hopping between UNLV, George Mason, UCF, and Auburn. Hall led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding last season, averaging 19.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest on 45.1% from the field, 37.9% from three, and 85.7% from the free-throw line.
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COVERS INTEL: Buehler has a problem this year, and that's his 
