SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Justin Verlander #35 of the San Francisco Giants reacts after the Giants made a great play to end the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park on September 12, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Holy freaking cow, folks. JV is coming home. Eight and a half years since the Detroit Tigers traded franchise legend Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros on August 31, 2017, the three-time Cy Young award winner returns to the Tigers on a one-year deal.
We absolutely did not see this coming. First reaction is that Reese Olson or another starter must be bound to miss part of the season. It really did not seem like they had a need for a veteran starter otherwise. Instead, they have inked Verlander to a $13 million deal for 2026 with $11 million of it deferred in payments to begin in 2030, according to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic Detroit.
Jeff Passan of ESPN also notes in his post on the Verlander signing that the long-time Tigers ace will wear their hat when he’s ultimately inducted into the Hall of Fame. Suddenly there appears to be a concern with franchise legacy from ownership, and we’re here for it. The deal offers the Tigers a lot of flexibility since they won’t be paying much of it for several years to come. It really feels like the club needed starting depth, and decided to lock up Verlander as an all-time Tiger for one more go-around, without putting themselves in too much of a jam if things don’t go well.
Right-hander Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers are in agreement on a one-year contract. Verlander, 43 next week, returns to the team with which he spent his first 13 seasons and whose hat he'll wear in the Hall of Fame.
Verlander will rejoin both A.J. Hinch as well as Framber Valdez, so there’s plenty of familiarity beyond the obvious fact that he’s arguably the greatest pitcher in the franchise’s history.
After a tough first half with the San Francisco Giants in 2025, few teams came calling for his services at the trade deadline. That was a mistake, as he put up a 2.99 ERA and 3.47 FIP in the second half, pitching pretty well despite the strikeout touch remaining lighter than in his prime. Even so, the last of the true workhorse aces averaged 93.9 mph with his fourseamer last year, and still has a plus slider and good curveball to work with, while learning to mix in a changeup a bit more to lefties as a change of pace. He also developed a slurve last year that became a pretty good pitch for him and was taking over from the more standard 12-6 curve down the stretch.
Verlander was famously drafted second overall in the 2004 amateur draft after the San Diego Padres drafted Matt Bush. He would go on to win the 2006 Rookie of the Year award, before sweeping the Cy and the American League MVP award in 2011. Since leaving for Houston, Verlander won a World Series in 2017, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, and then returned from surgery at age 39 to win his third AL Cy Young in 2022, along with his second World Series ring with the Astros.
He’s lived a whole career for most players since leaving Detroit. While we can argue about who is the best pitcher of the last two decades, Verlander stands above the rest as the most valuable, with 3553 strikeouts to his credit and a career 266-158 record over 20 full seasons as a major leaguer. Now, 10 days shy of his 43rd birthday, he’ll return to the place it all began.
As NBA All-Star Weekend approaches, sportsbooks have set the stage with favorites and underdogs in the 3-Point Contest, Slam Dunk contest, and other festivities.
Key Takeaways
Lillard has a 54.5% implied chance to reach the 3-Point Contest final.
Three of the four Slam Dunk contest participants are rookies.
The NBA will host the first ever three-team All-Star Game tournament.
After an estimated $1.76 billion was wagered on Super Bowl LX, the NBA world heads into its celebratory midyear pause.
This time of year is known for high-flying acts in the Slam Dunk contest, precision sharpshooting in the 3-Point Contest, the craftsmanship of the Skills Challenge, and, for the first time ever, a three-team All-Star Game tournament.
Kicking it off with the Slam Dunk contest, the top online sportsbooks can’t decide on a consensus favorite.
Slam Dunk contest odds
Player
FanDuel
DraftKings
Carter Bryant
+200
+175
Jaxson Hayes
+220
+175
Keshad Johnson
+280
+450
Jase Richardson
+450
+500
Gone are the days of the NBA’s biggest and brightest stars competing in the contest. Bryant, Johnson, and Richardson are all rookies, leaving 25-year-old and seven-year veteran Hayes as the group’s senior.
Hayes is also the most productive of the quartet, averaging a modest 6.5 points per game. However, he’s thrown down several highlight-worthy dunks in his career, including an Eastbay on Jan. 26.
The 3-Point Contest, meanwhile, is headlined by a player who could provide one of the best All-Star Weekend storylines in recent memory.
3-Point Contest odds
Player
FanDuel
DraftKings
Damian Lillard
+360
+400
Kon Knueppel
+440
+400
Jamal Murray
+500
+450
Tyrese Maxey
+550
+600
Donovan Mitchell
+650
+600
Devin Booker
+700
+650
Norman Powell
+800
+750
Bobby Portis
+1,600
+1,000
Lillard hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since he tore his Achilles in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals April 27. Despite that, he finds himself as the favorite or co-favorite at the two top sportsbooks and the only player with minus-money odds (-120) at FanDuel to qualify for the final round.
The longtime Portland Trail Blazers stalwart won the event in 2023 and 2024.
Notably, Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel is second. A win would make him the first player in franchise history to hoist the trophy.
Shooting Stars odds
Team
DraftKings
Team Knicks
+150
Team Cameron
+250
Team All-Stars
+400
Team Harper
+450
The Skills Challenge is being replaced by the Shooting Stars competition, which has not been seen at All-Star Weekend since 2015.
The competition will see three-person teams compete to score points by nailing jumpers from designated areas on the court. The last team to win was Team Bosh, which consisted of Chris Bosh, Dominique Wilkins, and Swin Cash.
Teams competing in this year’s event include:
Team Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Allan Houston Team Cameron: Kon Kneuppel, Jalen Johnson, Corey Maggette Team All-Stars: Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren, Richard Hamilton Team Harper: Dylan Harper, Ron Harper, Ron Harper Jr.
NBA All-Star Game odds
Team
FanDuel
DraftKings
USA Stripes
+155
+180
World
+160
+155
USA Stars
+200
+200
The new All-Star Game round-robin tournament will see three teams compete in four 12-minute games. The top two teams based on the aggregate score of their matchups will advance to the championship round, where they will play a final 12-minute contest.
While FanDuel and DraftKings are split on which team will win the mini-tournament, they agree that USA Stars are the long shot.
The teams and individuals who will take the floor include:
USA Stars: Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Johnson, Tyrese Maxey USA Stripes: Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Brandon Ingram, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Norman Powell World: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Deni Avdija, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Alperen Sengun, Pascal Siakam, Karl-Anthony Towns, Victor Wembanyama
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
Ingram has been selected by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace the injured Stephen Curry on the USA Stripes team at the 2026 All-Star Game on Sunday in Los Angeles at the Intuit Dome (more on this year's format below).
Stephen Curry was voted an All-Star starter by the fans, but will sit out the game due to a case of "runner's knee," Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced Monday, as reported by Dalton Johnson at NBC Sports Bay Area.
This is Ingram's second All-Star appearance. He also played in the Chicago All-Star Game in 2020, when he was with the Pelicans, the year he won Most Improved Player.
This year, Ingram finished 10th in the Eastern Conference fan voting and eighth in the player voting. The only players who got more fan votes but are not in the game are Brooklyn's Michael Porter Jr. (day-to-day with a knee issue) and James Harden, who was recently traded from the Clippers — who are hosting this All-Star Game — to the Cavaliers.
Ingram earned this spot as the leading scorer on the No. 5-seeded Raptors, averaging 22 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, with 33 games in which he scored 20 or more points.
All-Star Game format
This year, the NBA All-Star Game returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock — and it falls right in the middle of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. That was a perfect setup for the first-of-its-kind All-Star Game format, a USA vs. World showdown that fans and players have been asking for.
The 24 All-Star players have been divided into three teams, two USA teams — USA Stripes and USA Stars — and one World Team. Those three teams will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games, each team playing at least two games.
At the end of the round-robin, the two top teams will play a championship game (the fourth 12-minute game of the day) for the title. (If there is a tie it comes down to point differential.)
The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, an earlier time than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Every moment of All-Star Weekend — the Rising Stars challenge on Friday. (Feb. 13), All-Star Saturday Night with the 3-Point Contest and Dunk Contest (Feb. 14), as well as the All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15 — will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, a time earlier than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones.
Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
How to sign up for Peacock:
Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. You'll also get tons of hit movies and TV shows, Originals, news, 24/7 channels, and current NBC & Bravo hits—Peacock is here for whatever you're in the mood for.
In a major blow to the Atlanta Braves' starting rotation, right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach will open the regular season on the 60-day injured list as he deals with inflammation in his pitching elbow, MLB.com reported Tuesday, Feb. 10.
Schwellenbach, 25, was a breakout candidate last season after posting a 3.35 ERA in 21 starts as a rookie in 2024. However, he was sidelined in late June with a season-ending elbow fracture. He was expected to be ready for spring training, but the inflammation he experienced over the offseason derailed those plans.
With his placement on the 60-day IL, Schwellenbach will miss at least the first two months of the regular season. The move will create an open spot on the 40-man roster for backup catcher Jonah Heim, who agreed to a one-year deal earlier in the day.
With Schwellenbach out of action to start the season, and several other starters returning from injuries of their own, the Braves rotation seems a bit murky as they open camp in North Port, Florida.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 01: Dalen Terry #7 of the Chicago Bulls looks on against the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter of the game at Kaseya Center on February 01, 2026 in Miami, Florida. 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 Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Philadelphia 76ers are starting to see the dust settle after the 2026 NBA trade deadline. During that span, the team converted Dominick Barlow from a two-way deal to a standard contract. That move clarified the direction of the Sixers’ now-vacant two-way spot, as they’ll bring in former first-round pick Dalen Terry. The Philly Voice’s Adam Aaronson was the first to report:
NEWS: The Sixers are signing Dalen Terry to a two-way contract, source tells @thephillyvoice. The Sixers opened up this spot once they signed Dominick Barlow to a standard contract hours after the trade deadline passed.
NBA fans should be at least semi-familiar with Terry’s name, as he landed in the range where the Sixers were picking in the 2022 NBA Draft. Chicago selected Terry just five picks ahead of Philadelphia, which held the No. 22 pick and later used it in the De’Anthony Melton trade. Terry spent parts of three seasons with the Bulls, appearing in just over 200 regular-season games. He averaged 3.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 11.1 minutes per game, shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from three.
Terry never put it together in Chicago, as his career numbers reflect. This season marked the fourth and final year of his rookie-scale contract, and the Bulls moved him at the deadline, first sending him to the Knicks in a deal that brought back Guerschon Yabusele. New York then rerouted Terry to the New Orleans Pelicans in the José Alvarado trade, where he was eventually waived outright. Now, he’ll join the Sixers on a two-way contract.
It’s also worth noting that this season marked the best shooting stretch of Terry’s career, as he knocked down 41.3 percent of his three-point attempts across 34 games.
For those unfamiliar with Terry, he fits the mold of a classic Swiss-army-knife player. He brings a legitimate frame at 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, along with solid vision for his size and the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways offensively. The swing skills to monitor will be his shooting and his handle. In Chicago, his handle lacked the tightness needed to consistently pressure defenders off the dribble, and his shooting struggles early in his career often led defenses to ignore him off the ball entirely.
Still, Terry is just 23 years old with limited NBA reps, and this season offered some real encouragement. If that improved shooting is any indication, his offensive game may finally be rounding into form.
Terry also checks a lot of boxes as a “Nick Nurse” type of player, someone who can switch defensively and contribute in a variety of utility roles. The Sixers badly need guard help as well, with nearly 40-year-old Kyle Lowry currently logging real rotation minutes.
Terry slides into the two-way slot vacated by Barlow, leaving Philadelphia with two open standard roster spots to use either on the buyout market or via another conversion, such as Jabari Walker. For now, the Sixers add a much-needed guard and take a low-risk swing on a recent first-round draftee.
The Mets are adding more depth to their bullpen, acquiring left-handed reliever Bryan Hudson from the White Sox in exchange for cash considerations.
In a corresponding move, Reed Garrett -- who is recovering from Tommy John surgery -- has been placed on the 60-day IL.
Hudson, 28, had a 4.80 ERA (5.34 FIP) and 1.86 WHIP in 15.0 innings last season for the Brewers and White Sox. Chicago had designated him for assignment last week.
He was tremendous in 2024 for Milwaukee, during what was his first full big league season.
In 62.1 innings over 43 games, Hudson had a 1.73 ERA (3.60 FIP) and 0.72 WHIP while striking out 62.
Standing at 6'8", Hudson gets elite extension from a low-angle delivery (he was in the 99th percentile last season). He featured mainly a four-seam fastball and sweeper in 2025. In 2024, he also relied heavily on a cutter, which he threw 24 percent of the time (Hudson threw the cutter just three percent of the time last season).
Hudson is out of minor league options, which means the Mets cannot send him to the minors without exposing him to waivers.
Brooks Raley is the only left-hander viewed as a lock to make the Opening Day bullpen.
A.J. Minter is already throwing and should factor in by the end of April, but is not expected to break camp with the team as he recovers from season-ending lat surgery.
Contenders for the final three or four spots in the bullpen could include Tobias Myers (who is currently stretching out as a starter), Huascar Brazoban, and Adbert Alzolay. The slider-heavyAlzolay expected to be fully healthy after missing last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Meanwhile, Craig Kimbrel is a wild card of sorts after signing a minor league deal.
Other options include hard-throwing prospects Dylan Ross and Ryan Lambert, as well as Jonathan Pintaro, Alex Carrillo, and Joey Gerber.
TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 13: Tomoyuki Sugano #19 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the first inning of their MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 13, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After signing Michael Lorenzen to their rotation earlier this off-season, the Colorado Rockies indicated that they were still in the market for another veteran starting pitcher. It would appear that starting pitcher has been selected, as the Rockies have reportedly signed Japanese right-handed pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano to a one-year deal worth $5.1 million for the 2026 season.
Sugano, 36, hails from the coastal prefecture of Kanagawa in Japan and put together a strong 12-year body of work with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Tokyo Yomiuri Giants.
He is the first Japanese player to play for the Rockies organization since Kazuo Matsui in 2007, and the first Japanese pitcher since Mac Suzuki in 2001.
Working both as a starter and reliever, Sugano has a career 2.43 ERA across 276 NPB appearances. He attempted to enter the posting system following the 2020 season, but went unsigned.
The Baltimore Orioles signed Sugano to a one-year, $13 million deal for the 2025 season. During his “rookie” campaign, he worked exclusively as a starter and posted a 4.64 ERA over 30 starts and 157 innings while tallying 106 strikeouts. It is also worth noting that Sugano led the American League in home runs given up at 33—the third-most in Major League Baseball—but also had one of the better walk rates in the league.
Sugano’s primary pitch is a split finger that averaged 87.3 MPH last season, backed up with a sweeping slider. He throws two fastballs, a four-seam and a “shuuto” that is sometimes identified as a sinker. Both pitches averaged close to 93 MPH last season. Sugano also throws a curveball, a cutter, and has worked with a forkball during his time in NPB.
In a corresponding roster move, the Rockies have placed Kris Bryant (degenerative disc disease) on the 60-day injured list.
Sugano will report to the Rockies’ spring training facility in Scottsdale with the rest of the team’s pitchers and catchers on Thursday. He is also expected to pitch for Samurai Japan in this year’s World Baseball Classic.
The Associated Press national player of the week in women’s basketball for Week 14 of the season:
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
The sophomore guard scored 37 points to go with four steals and four assists to help Vanderbilt edge then-No. 16 Kentucky 84-83. It was her second straight 30-plus point game and the NCAA-leading seventh time she's had over 30 points this season. She shot 52% from the field and hit six 3-pointers.
Runner-up
Shay Ciezki, Indiana. The senior guard averaged 30 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists to go along with three steals in wins over Wisconsin and Purdue. She shot 63.2% in the win over the Badgers with three 3-pointers. In the win over Purdue, she led Indiana with 29 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Her team-high eight assists left her just shy of a triple-double.
Davidson senior forward Charlise Dunn averaged 24.5 points, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks to go along with eight rebounds in two games last week. Dunn got the Wildcats back into the win column with a 31-point performance at home against George Washington. She also led the team at St. Bonaventure with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
This time, he made a little bit of history in the process.
The No. 17 Red Storm’s 87-82 overtime victory against the Musketeers at Madison Square Garden in New York on Monday, Feb. 9 was the 904th of the elder Pitino’s lengthy head-coaching career, breaking a tie with Roy Williams for the third-most all-time wins in Division I.
The 73-year-old Pitino now trails only Mike Krzyzewski (1,202 wins) and Jim Boeheim (1,116).
It’s the second time Pitino has earned a landmark victory at the expense of his son. St. John’s’ 88-83 win at Xavier on Jan. 24 was the 900th of his career.
"I think my son's brilliant,” Pitino said after the win Monday. “I'm proud of him. I hate getting any milestone against him – but I go away tonight saying my son's a hell of a coach. ... To say my son's a great coach is much more pleasing to me than any number of victories."
Richard Pitino, who previously coached under his father at Louisville, is in his first season at Xavier, which fell to 12-12 after Monday's loss.
Many of Rick Pitino’s wins came at a pair of college basketball powerhouses (and archrivals), Kentucky and Louisville. He went 219-50 in seven seasons with the Wildcats and 416-143 in 16 seasons with the Cardinals, with an ill-fated stint as the Boston Celtics’ head coach and president wedged in between. He won a national championship at both Kentucky and Louisville, making him the only men’s college basketball head coach to win titles at multiple schools.
Pitino was fired by Louisville in 2017 after the Cardinals were implicated in the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball. After a brief exile from the sport, he returned as Iona’s head coach in 2020 and is currently in his third season at St. John’s, where he has gone 70-23. Last season, the Red Storm won the Big East regular season and tournament championships, earning them a No. 2 seed to the NCAA Tournament.
Pitino has also coached at Hawaii (as an interim head coach), Boston University and Providence, the last of which he led to a Final Four in 1987.
After a difficult start to the season, Pitino’s St. John’s team has won 10 consecutive games, improving its record to 19-5 and putting it atop the Big East standings.
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 28: Spencer Schwellenbach #56 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on June 28, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Heading into this season, the Braves were anticipating that Spencer Schwellenbach would be healthy and ready to go after he had his 2025 season cut short due to a fractured elbow. Unfortunately, here on the first day of pitchers and catchers being at spring training, it’s become clear that Schwellenbach’s elbow is still bothering him.
Braves beat writer Mark Bowman of MLB.com is reporting that Spencer Schwellenbach is experiencing elbow inflammation in his throwing arm and as such, he’ll be starting the year on the 60-Day IL.
Spencer Schwellenbach is dealing with right elbow inflammation. The Braves are hoping he’s just dealing with bone spurs. But he’ll miss significant time. He’ll begin the year on the 60-day IL
The only good news about this is that because we’re so early on in things, if all goes well then he could start ramping up to return starting in April since recovery from having bone spurs removed via surgery is usually 10-12 weeks. Still, you never want to see pitchers miss this much time early on since they’ll be behind the proverbial 8-ball once the regular season rolls around and Schwellenbach starting the season on the 60-Day IL means we’re not going to see him pitch for a couple of months as a result — smooth recovery or not. You also definitely don’t want to see elbow issues of this magnitude coming from a young pitcher of Schwellenbach’s caliber — especially considering that elbow issues are what ended up costing him the majority of his 2025 campaign.
The only thing the Braves can do now is just hope that the inflammation is being caused by the bone spurs, since that’d be pretty straight-forward in terms of treatment and recovery. If anything gets more complicated then that’ll certainly be concerning and then he could very well miss a ton of time once the regular season rolls around. We’ve just got to hope for the best when it comes to this and have also got to hope that between this and Ha-Seong Kim’s stroke of bad luck that the Braves are getting their bad injury luck out of the way early on. Atlanta has some pretty high expectations for this upcoming season and just about the only way that this could be derailed is if they end up going through another injury-plagued season.
The good news is that Atlanta’s offseason dealings have insured that they will at least have a lot better depth than they did during the 2025 season but it’s certainly kind of lame to see that depth being put to the test right from the jump.
Also in other news, Bowman is also reporting that Robert Suarez will be late reporting to camp because he’s dealing with visa issues. Fortunately, that’s not an injury but it’s still just another frustrating thing for the Braves to deal with this early on in the campaign.
The return of Texas Ranger pitcher Cody Bradford from internal brace surgery has been both eagerly awaited and a topic of much discussion among Rangers fans over the winter. Jeff Wilson talked to Bradford this morning in Surprise, and we have good news in regards to an update.
Per Wilson, Bradford is throwing his seventh bullpen session today, and after the first six featured all fastballs, Bradford will be looking to throw “8-10” changeups today. Bradford also said he is “[s]till aiming for a May return.”
This is one of those situations where no news — or at least, no change in the news — is good news. May has been what has been suggested as a target date for Bradford’s return for some time, and the fact that he is still on track to do that is a positive. And while I will note that a “May return” is kind of vague and could be interpreted different ways — does that mean a return to the big leagues in May, for example, or a return to pitching in competitive games in May, which would mean starting a rehab assignment then — Bradford has previously indicated that he was hopeful to be close to being ready to go out on a rehab assignment soon after the season starts, which would seem to mean that May is when he would potentially be ready to return to the big club.
Bradford followed up an up-and-down rookie season in 2023 with a 2024 campaign that saw him perform well when he was healthy enough to be on the mound. Bradford put up a 3.54 ERA and 3.44 xERA for Texas in 2024, making 13 starts and a relief appearance and throwing 76 innings. It was hoped that Bradford would be able to step up and claim a rotation spot in 2025, establishing himself as a member of the rotation, before his elbow issues ended up costing him the season.
The Rangers currently have a front four in the rotation you have to feel good about, with Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore and Jack Leiter. Kumar Rocker and Jacob Latz appear to be the favorites to claim the fifth spot in the rotation to start the season, with Jose Corniell also a possibility to contribute to the rotation at some point in 2026, and non-roster invitees Cal Quantrill, Pat Murphy and Austin Gomber in camp.
If Bradford can return on schedule and perform like he did in 2024, the Rangers would have a very solid 1 through 5 on paper, and allow them the luxury of using Latz in the bullpen as a swingman, having Rocker in AAA as depth along with any veterans who don’t opt out, and allowing Corniell, along with the likes of David Davalillo and Winston Santos, to get regular starts in the minors.
Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
There arguably is nobody more important to his team than Macklin Celebrini is to the San Jose Sharks.
Celebrini has 42 more points than his teammate in second, Will Smith (39). To put that in perspective, that’s the largest canyon between the No. 1 and No. 2 scorer on a team, followed by MacKinnon’s 31-point gap over Martin Necas (62) on the Colorado Avalanche and Kucherov’s same differential over Jake Guentzel (60) on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Safe to say, he’s the focus of any game plan against San Jose.
So, how have the Sharks and Macklin Celebrini adjusted to all the defensive attention this season?
First things first, Celebrini is simply better this year.
“Bigger, stronger, faster, more experienced,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice summarized in November.
Celebrini and the Sharks coaching staff have also put the franchise center in positions to succeed.
“It’s about putting [him] in situations where we can kind of get away from that,” Warsofsky said of the defensive attention, “get to his skill-set of being able to play when playing in space. That’s usually when players are at their best, is when they have time and space.”
Warsofsky will typically use Celebrini to close periods, basically get him an extra shift at a key time in the game, and not necessarily with his line.
Celebrini (71) steals it from Granlund (64), Wennberg (21) sets up Celebrini at end of period (on 12/29/25) pic.twitter.com/ekNi7pmCM1
Off the Alex Wennberg (21) draw, Celebrini (71) is “disguised” at wing, surprising Mikael Granlund (64) from behind on the backcheck. That turnover puts the Ducks in scramble mode, and Celebrini exploits that with his speed.
This time, on the fly, Warsofsky puts his best player with third-line center Ty Dellandrea (10) and fourth-line winger Barclay Goodrow (23).
Dellandrea and Goodrow do the grunt work on the forecheck, Celebrini sets up for a scoring chance, and Goodrow cleans up the garbage.
“We try to do some different things that can get him away from [the defensive attention], whether it’s a matchup-based challenge or flow of the game, momentum in the game situations,” Warsofsky said.
Celebrini has also been given license, both at 5-on-5 and on the power play, to stay on the ice longer, if warranted.
Here’s an example, down 5-1 at the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 23, of Celebrini taking a double shift, Sharks lines scrambled after a penalty kill.
That was a 2:11 shift by Celebrini, a sensitive topic, because no player wants to be seen as hogging another player’s ice-time.
But Celebrini isn’t doing that, he’s been empowered to make decisions on the fly for the betterment of his team.
“He’s earned some rope. He has, by the way he’s played,” Warsofsky said. “I get it, we were down, 2, 3, 4-nothing. He’s taken some long shifts because he wants to fix the problem.”
He added: “There’s a balance to that, for sure, but that’s an extreme competitor that’s frustrated with what’s going on in the hockey game and he wants to make a difference. I’d much rather have that than a guy that’s out there for 15 seconds that doesn’t want to be on the ice because something bad is going to happen.”
“Some of it’s situational. I don’t really want to be out there for too long,” Celebrini said. “Sometimes, you just get caught out there, and it’s better just stay out there and take a [defensive] lane away, instead of screwing over your teammates and putting them in a bad spot.”
“Of course, we don’t want him out there two minutes, right?” Warsofsky said. “Mack and I talked about it. We had a conversation about that, and he understands that, but I also understand the flipside of it, of that competitiveness. That’s what we want around here.”
Trust me, this isn’t a normal conversation between a second-year player and a head coach (see Matvei Michkov and Rick Tocchet).
Celebrini staying on the ice a little longer often benefits the Sharks, creating mismatches and more offense.
Here’s an example against the Lightning on Jan. 3: Celebrini’s linemates, William Eklund (72) and Igor Chernyshov (92), change, but Celebrini stays on to provide defensive support.
Of course, a dynamic player like Celebrini is more than a defensive security blanket, beating pinching defenseman Erik Cernak (81) to the puck, then evading forechecker Yanni Gourde (37), to spring Pavol Regenda (84) and Jeff Skinner (53) for a 2-on-1.
At the end of Celebrini’s 1:21 shift, Regenda scores right as the superstar center reaches the bench to change.
Here’s another example at the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 16, Celebrini staying on, as he should, as the first forechecker as Will Smith (2) and Collin Graf (51) change. It’s what Celebrini does from this point on, which is why you want him on the ice as much as possible.
F1 Celebrini harasses Ben Chiarot (8) into a turnover, staying on because the Sharks have full OZ possession. Then, Adam Gaudette (81) and Celebrini work a nifty give-and-go for a Grade-A scoring chance.
Celebrini is commonly double-shifted on the power play, too, playing most or all of the two minutes, and has been part of plenty of second-unit PP goals, Gaudette on Dec. 20 against the Seattle Kraken, Regenda on Jan. 3 against the Lightning, and Gaudette on Jan. 7 against the Los Angeles Kings, for example.
“That’s all you need. You need the trust of your teammates and your coaches,” Celebrini said. “That’s what’s important, is they trust you to do your job and get that result. As long as they trust me to do that, then that’s a good thing.”
But in the end, Celebrini’s adjustment to all the defensive attention is simply being a better player than he was as a rookie. He wouldn’t be double-shifted or relied upon late in the periods if not for his evolutionary leap.
It’s not just physical, it’s mental growth.
“He plays a more of a give-and-go game at times, reads gaps, reads who’s in front of him. That’s the most that I’ve seen him grow,” Warsofsky said.
Last season, Celebrini was more of a one-trick pony offensively, a speed demon always trying to push play “vertical”, often as fast as possible.
He’s still that, but he’s also slowed his game down, too, when it matters.
Celebrini (71) dumps it in for Smith (2), Klingberg (3) finds Graf (51) on 12/9/25 pic.twitter.com/RybzbMAhqD
Celebrini does something counterintuitive to his most obvious skill, his skating, dumping it in for Smith to claim. All the Flyers are watching Celebrini, which gives Smith a headstart to jump on the puck. Smith, an offensive prodigy in his own right, makes the most of it.
Celebrini (71) sees Chernyshov (92) and Graf (51) for down-low 2-on-1 strike on 12/18/25 pic.twitter.com/zTLNJmJ12S
Chernyshov pushes back the Stars’ defense, allowing Celebrini to get open high. But instead of attacking defenseman Esa Lindell (23) with his customary pace, Celebrini slows it down, seeing a developing 2-on-1 down-low, for Chernyshov and Graf, which his linemates execute flawlessly.
“It’s kind of part of learning, trying to add parts to my game,” Celebrini said.
The Sharks will also add around Celebrini.
Celebrini, with all the defensive attention that he gets, can become more dangerous when the Sharks put another puck transporter and protector with him. This allows Celebrini to play off the puck more and get open.
Chernyshov has done that for Celebrini when they’ve played together, as has Eklund.
Eklund is probably the Sharks’ second-most effective player, after Celebrini, carrying the puck from blueline to blueline.
William Eklund (72) attacks Flames defense & finds an open Macklin Celebrini (71), which leads to Adam Gaudette (81) chance on 11/13/25 pic.twitter.com/yZLxgULiQe
Eklund is also crafty with the puck along the wall, attracting Thomas Harley (55) and Colin Blackwell (15), before finding Celebrini and Chernyshov for a down-low 2-on-1.
There’s another way to think about Celebrini’s dominance this season.
As the Sharks surround him with better players, and the youngsters around him, such as Smith, Eklund, Chernyshov, Graf and Co. get better, Celebrini, carrying a little less of the load, should become even more dominant.
Imagine that.
Right now, defenses can key in against Celebrini, and he’s still beating them consistently. He’s going to overpower them even more, with the help that’s coming.
It’s a light night in the NBA, with just four games on the board, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of value to be found in the player props market.
I’ve found my three favorite plays for the day, which include a Pacers player lighting up the scoreboard at Madison Square Garden, and De’Aaron Fox keeps dishing out the dimes against the Lakers in La La Land.
Find those and more NBA picks for Tuesday, February 10, below.
Last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, where the Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 4-2, feels like a different timeline.
Injuries and trades have made the Pacers roster mostly unrecognizable, while the Knicks look ready to return to the dance after winning nine of their last 10.
But the Knicks still have some flaws, including a perimeter defense that ranks 21st in opponent 3-point makes and 23rd in opponent 3-point attempts per game.
Aaron Nesmith has been hot shooting the 3-ball, shooting 51.4% from deep and draining three or more treys in five of his last seven.
Fox has averaged 7.7 assists per game over his last seven games, and he’s recorded at least seven in six of those. Now, he gets a great matchup against the Lakers.
L.A. is playing the second half of a back-to-back, and defense hasn’t been the Lakers' calling card. L.A. ranks 22nd in defensive rating and 25th in opponent assists per possession.
Fox shouldn’t have a problem topping 5.5 assists in this one.
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.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 08: Rookie Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates after scoring during the Monday evening MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs on September 8, 2025 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Do y’all remember the time when Baseball Prospectus would drop their annual PECOTA projections and there would be gnashing of teeth and rending of garments on the Braves Country corner of the internet? That was because for years, if there was any team that represented the whole “PECOTA hates your team” belief, it was the Braves because they’d routinely come in somewhat underrated compared to how the fanbase or even other projection models felt about the team.
Well, those days appear to be over because PECOTA has actually been quite fond of the Braves in recent seasons. Baseball Prospectus has just released their annual PECOTA projections for the 2026 season (and I highly recommend that y’all go over there and subscribe so you can get even more high-quality baseball analysis and data concerning these projections) and just like FanGraphs, PECOTA figures that the Braves are going to bounce back in 2026.
As of right now, PECOTA has the Braves winning 92 games and losing 70 — it’s actually 69.8 but I’m rounding up, as usual. They’re currently projected to win the division with a 57 percent shot at doing that and they’ve also been given a 34 percent shot at making the Wild Card, which has sent them up to a 90 percent shot of making the Postseason. Additionally, PECOTA is giving the Braves a 72 percent shot at making the Divisional Round and a nine percent chance at winning the World Series altogether. That’s once again good for the second-best odds in the National League and they only trail the Dodgers. If PECOTA could actually be infatuated with a team then I’d imagine that it would be singing the words to OutKast’s “Prototype” to the Los Angeles roster.
Here’s a look at one of the graphs that comes associated with the standings, which shows the simulated win percentage for each team in the NL East. I like this because I’m definitely a visual learner and also it gives you a better idea of how the divisional race is projected to shake out.
Once again, it’s looking like this’ll be a three-way dance between the Braves, Mets and Phillies for the NL East crown. PECOTA is actually pretty low on the Phillies but then again, they were also low on them heading into last season and look how that turned out. The point is that once again, we’re not going to know how any of this shakes out until the games actually get played but for now and that there’s always a chance that this could look very different once October rolls around.
With that being said, I think everybody here on the Braves corner of the internet is hoping that these projections actually stick for once. The Braves have had some rosy projections for a couple of seasons now and none of it really came to pass. Here’s hoping that this season actually does go how the projection models figure it will (well, outside of the Dodgers sauntering to another World Series crown) and that the Braves are once again mixing it up with baseball’s elite clubs.
We’re not too far removed from this team spending two-and-a-half years across 2021 through 2021 as one of the most dominant teams in the regular season and hopefully these projections from both PECOTA and FanGraphs signal a return to that level of form for the Braves.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 13: Angel Chivilli #57 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Petco Park on September 13, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Heading into the 2026 season, the New York Yankees have some kinks to work out and some roles to be filled by those who are able to step up to the plate (for lack of a better phrase) and take advantage. The pitching staff is dealing with injuries—primarily to the starters—and the bullpen lost a couple of weapons who, despite both having down years in their careers, did eat up innings for them last season.
There are plenty of arguments to go around about which pitchers in the bullpen should take which spots. The Yankees brought back some familiar faces and acquired hurlers on multi-year contracts at last year’s trade deadline to help themselves out, but there are a few new faces in the clubhouse as well, including Angel Chivilli, who was acquired on January 28th from the Colorado Rockies.
An offseason critique of the decision-making from this Yankees’ front office is that they didn’t bring in any names to bolster the bullpen. Instead, they brought in a handful of reclamation projects that need lots of coaching before they’re able to trim their ERAs down to a respectable level. Chivilli, while a young pitcher with some promise, is one of the projects for pitching coach Matt Blake and his staff.
At just 23 years old heading into this season, Chivilli has some traits that could be highly useful and, more importantly, refinable for his second full season at the major league level (as my colleague Josh cited in his feature on the Chivilli trade). Between 2024 and 2025, his average fastball velocity jumped from 96.2 to 97.1 mph. In fact, his fastball sat in the 88th percentile among all major league pitchers after the 2025 season, according to Baseball Savant.
Chivilli also throws a changeup and a slider, which have proven to be decent secondary and tertiary pitches, as he tosses his slider at almost 91 mph on average and a whiff rate of over 45 percent, while his changeup comes in with a .225 batting average against and a 42.6-percent whiff rate.
However, his fastball and slider were hit a lot last season. Opposing batters hit .366 against the fastball and .302 against the slider, but the difference between the pitches comes in what batters were expected to do against them. The fastball—while an impressive velocity—wasn’t as lethal as it could have been, coming in with an expected batting average of .338 with very spotty command. On the other hand, the slider finished with an expected batting average of .202.
All those numbers are a bit concerning, considering everything at stake here for the Yankees. If they are unable to work through Chivilli’s troubles with his two main pitches, then that’s another option in the bullpen down the drain, and it makes the workload much harder for everyone who is already being relied upon to produce outs. However, there is reason to believe that the fastball can be figured out. For such a young pitcher to have that velocity relative to his peers is exciting, and getting him out of the Colorado altitude—and the taxing travel that comes with flying back and forth from Denver—should immediately give him at least a minor boost anyway. It’ll be the job for Blake and the Yankees to figure out why he’s been hit so hard and how to address it. It would be a project worth pursuing regardless; the pressure will just be higher given the bullpen’s other needs.
If Chivilli is going to work out with the Yankees, there needs to be some serious work on his ability to control the ball and find a strikeout touch (or even just a “get outs” touch). Clearly, Chivilli has the kind of arm that should be able to get outs at the highest level. He has a chance to be another helpful reclamation project out of the bullpen, following the likes of Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, Ian Hamilton, and Lucas Luetge. Whether the Yankees are able to hit on someone like Chivilli and find a diamond in the rough could go a long way toward determining the bullpen’s fate in 2026.
Aaron Nesmith
Mark Williams
De'Aaron Fox
