SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY - MAY 05: Detailed view of the draft board is shown following the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery at the NHL Network Studio on May 5, 2026 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The 2026 NHL Draft begins tonight. Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
The preseason schedule is out:
The preseason schedule is out. Please schedule the rest of your life accordingly.
“Even if Nemec has more to give, the Devils don’t have the ability to put him in situations to squeeze that juice out of him. It was time to move on.” [Infernal Access ($)]
Hockey Links
One last mock draft ahead of the start of the draft tonight: [ESPN]
“Sources indicate the Carolina Hurricanes made a pitch this week for United States Olympic gold medalist and three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. The offer was believed to include a first-round pick along with pending RFA defenseman Alexander Nikishin, a player swirling in trade winds this week. Nikishin, 24, scored 11 goals in his freshman season as a blue liner and was selected to the All-Rookie team alongside Matthew Schaefer.” [Hockey 24/7]
“The Minnesota Wild will sign Quinn Hughes to a new contract and would like to make it a long-term deal, owner Craig Leipold said. The defenseman is entering the final season of a six-year, $47.1 million contract ($7.85 million average annual value) he signed with the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 3, 2021. He would be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after next season.” [NHL.com]
“According to multiple sources, the Seattle Kraken were given permission by Dallas to talk to Jason Robertson, and offered him approximately $15 million per year on a eight-year deal — but the offer was declined.” [Sportsnet]
Colorado clears some space:
We have acquired a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick in the NHL Draft from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for forward Valeri Nichushkin. pic.twitter.com/wjNxpsZscA
“The Washington Capitals completed a sign-and-trade for Alex Tuch from the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday that saw Tuch sign an eight-year extension with the Capitals averaging $10.5 million a year, and the Sabres getting a third-round draft pick in 2026 and forward David Kampf in return.” [ESPN]
Zach Benson gets a seven-year deal:
SEVEN MORE YEARS OF BENNY ⚔️
We have signed Zach Benson to a seven-year contract with an AAV of $7.5 million.
DURHAM, NC - JUNE 24: Russian NHL draft prospects Evgeni Malkin (L), and Alexander Ovechkin watch the action prior to the start of the USA vs. Canada baseball game at the Durham Bulls Park during the NHL Entry Draft on June 24, 2004 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) | Getty Images
22 years ago today, Evgeni Malkin was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
Before he was drafted by the Penguins, Malkin made his professional debut in Russia, playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk when he was 17 years old.
The 2004 NHL Draft was held in Raleigh, North Carolina and the Penguins held the second pick after finishing the previous season with a league-worst 58 points, but were jumped in the draft lottery by the Washington Capitals, who landed the top pick and selected Alex Ovechkin.
Malkin’s arrival to Pittsburgh after being drafted with the second pick in 2004 would be delayed for some time due to both a transfer dispute and the NHL lockout.
In 2006, Malkin became the subject of what could be referred to as an international incident as the young Russian had to leave his team’s training camp in Finland, in some ways escaping for America and Pittsburgh.
Malkin was ultimately able to sign his entry-level deal with the Penguins in September 2006, making his NHL debut a short time later.
In his first preseason game with Pittsburgh, Malkin was injured when he collided with teammate John LeClair, meaning his first regular season game with the Penguins would have to wait.
In his debut game against the New Jersey Devils, Malkin scored one of his most memorable goals, being legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur.
Now 22 years, 533 goals, 874 assists, and three Stanley Cups later after being drafted, Malkin could be heading into his final season with the Penguins.
On Thursday, the San Antonio Spurs held a press conference to introduce the four newest members of the team. Jayden Quaintance, Tarris Reed, Jr., Ja’Kobi Gillespie, and Maliq Brown received their Spurs jerseys.
They met with the press briefly and shared their aspirations as the newest members of the franchise.
From Jayden Quaintance saying that Tim Duncan is his favorite Spur,
Jayden Quaintance, on if he asked the Spurs about No. 21 after wearing it in college: “Nah, they cut that off pretty quickly, I'm not going to lie. As soon as I got drafted they were like, ‘Here’s a couple number options that you’ll have.’ They killed that dream pretty fast.” pic.twitter.com/7c0iGEfRQK
to Tarris Reed, Jr.’s realization that he was drafted by San Antonio.
Spurs draft pick Tarris Reed, on being surprised when he was selected: “I was like, ‘Oh, man. I’m probably not going to San Antonio. Something might have messed up.’ So, when they called my name, when I saw my name on the screen, that was my pure, genuine, raw reaction. I’m going… pic.twitter.com/HG4rMqGQL6
It seems the guys are right at home in front of the mic. And they are excited about the prospect of playing for the San Antonio Spurs.
You can watch the full interviews and see for yourself.
Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.
Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.
The Post’s Mollie Walker and Ethan Sears predict who the Rangers and Islanders will select Friday in the first round of the NHL draft:
Rangers
No. 5
With Chase Reid unavailable, the Rangers will take Keaton Verhoeff out of the University of North Dakota.
Keaton Verhoeff attends the 2026 NHL Draft Top Prospects Media Availability on June 25, 2026 at the New Era Cap World Headquarters in Buffalo. NHLI via Getty Images
No. 26
If a big-bodied center like Brooks Rogowski is still on the board, the Rangers will pounce.
— Mollie Walker
Islanders
No. 13
6-foot-5 winger Ethan Belchetz isn’t the best skater in the draft, but has the shot, the hockey sense and the physicality to suggest the Islanders won’t pass him up if he’s still on the board.
Ethan Belchetz plays a shot at the 2026 NHL Draft Top Prospects Golf Outing on June 25, 2026 in Buffalo NHLI via Getty Images
A Michigan State commit who played last year with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, Belchetz has the sort of profile the Islanders could use in their system.
That said, it wouldn’t be a shock if Mathieu Darche chose to move his pick, should the chance arise.
The Detroit Tigers officially reached the halfway mark of the 2026 regular-season schedule on Thursday night after dropping the opener of a four-game home series with the Houston Astros, 2-1. Troy Melton looked sharp, recording a career high six strikeouts, but the offense went AWOL until a solo homer in the ninth by Dillon Dingler.
AJ Hinch’s squad looks to even things up on Friday night behind right-hander Keider Montero, who continues to be a steady presence in the rotation for the Olde English D. The 25-year-old’s last outing against the Chicago White Sox was no exception, allowing three runs on six hits (one home run) while issuing zero walks for the second straight game and striking out three over seven innings in what eventually resulted in a 5-4 win in extras.
Montero saw the Astros a couple of outings ago in his only relief appearance of the season. It did not go well, though, as he surrendered a pair of runs (one earned) on two hits and no walks while striking out two over 1 1/3 innings to earn his fifth loss of the 2026 campaign.
Up against him for Houston is fellow righty Spencer Arrighetti, who has also been an important presence on the Astros’ pitching staff this year. However, the 26-year-old has struggled in June to the tune of a 6.95 ERA but a less offensive 4.42 FIP stretching across his last four games and 22 innings of work. He missed the Tigers when they were in town last week, so this will be his first appearance against them this year.
Here is how those two righties match up on Friday night at Comerica Park.
Detroit Tigers (34-47) vs. Houston Astros (40-43)
Time (ET): 6:40 p.m. Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:The Crawfish Boxes Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 82: RHP Keider Montero (3-5, 3.68 ERA) vs. RHP Spencer Arrighetti (7-3, 3.13 ERA)
Happy birthday to Rodney Myers, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1960 – At Forbes Field, Cubs rookie Ron Santo, making his major league debut, leads Chicago to a sweep of the first-place Pirates. Santo is 3 for 7 and drives in five runs as the Cubs win, 7-5 and 7-6, and other stories as well.
Today in baseball history:
1938 – Carl Hubbell wins his 200th game, as the Giants beat the visiting Cubs, 5-1, and stretch their lead over the second-place Reds to two games.
1961 – At Los Angeles’s Wrigley Field, Yogi Berra collects his 2,000th career hit, all as a Bronx Bomber. To celebrate the achievement a huge cake is rolled out.
1966 – Ron Santo singles in the first and his next time up is struck in the face by a Jack Fisher pitch that fractures his cheek. Before Santo’s at bat, the Mets’Ron Hunt and the Cubs’ Adolfo Phillips had both been hit by pitches. Santo will be operated on the following day but will return to action in a week. The injury ends his consecutive game streak at 390, but his hitting streak continues.
1970 – Frank Robinson belts two successive grand slams during a 12-2 Oriole romp over the Senators, just the seventh major leaguer to ever accomplish the feat. They will be Robby’s only grand slams for the O’s.
1977 – On Jersey Day in Minnesota, every fan receives a jersey with #29 on it, Rod Carew‘s number. Carew responds by going 4 for 5, scoring four runs, and raising his average to .403. One of the hits is a grand slam and he will hit another slam on July 4th.
1987 – You gotta give him credit for trying. Paul Noce of the Cubs ties a major-league record (tied 11 days ago) in the third inning by twice being thrown out trying to steal. A dropped ball leaves him safe at second base after he is caught, then he is thrown out trying to steal third. Pittsburgh beats Greg Maddux and the Cubs, 5-2. Maddux will finish 6-14, his last losing season until 2005.
1994Kirby Puckett passes Rod Carew with his 2,088 hit as the Twins’ top hit leader.
2003 – Edgar Martinez, who already holds the Mariners’ all-time records for games played, at-bats, hits, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits, walks and runs scored, passes Ken Griffey Jr.‘s mark for team career RBIs. His two-run homer in the Mariners’ 10-6 victory over the Angels gives the All-Stardesignated hitter 1,153 RBIs – one more than Junior.
1894 – Karl Benz of Germany receives US patent for gasoline-driven auto.
1927 – The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Coney Island.
1959 – Ingemar Johansson of Sweden floors Floyd Patterson seven times in the third round in NYC to win the world heavyweight boxing title.
1963 – US President John F. Kennedy gives his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” (intended to mean “I am a Berliner”, but may actually mean “I am a doughnut”) speech in West Berlin.
1974 – The Universal Product Code (UPC) is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley’s chewing gum at Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
1977 – Elvis Presley appears in concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana; unknowingly the last performance of his career.
2018 – Hello Kitty bullet train unveiled by the West Japan Railway.
2024 – European Space Agency creates Lego ‘space bricks’ by 3D printing Lego out of meteorite dust, part of a project to learn how to build a base on the Moon.
Sep 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; General view of the helmet used by the Milwaukee Brewers before the start of the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. The Brewers dropped their first two games in Atlanta over the weekend, but they bounced back nicely to win the series finale before sweeping the Reds in Cincinnati to extend their division lead. After a well-deserved off day yesterday, they’re now set to begin an 18-game gauntlet over the next 17 days leading into the All-Star break, including series against all four of their division rivals. This could very well be the most important stretch of the season when we look back in late September.
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 1: Justin Crawford #2 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with Bryce Harper #3 after hitting a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on April 1, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Nationals 6-5. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Phillies are heading to Queens for the first time this season. There, they will find a reeling Mets squad that would surely love to rattle off a few victories over their hated foe as a mood-lifter. They will also find some really, really good Chinese food. I had a plate of rice rolls there that I’m still thinking about. Anyway, onto the links.
Jose Ramos of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies is present before a Minor League Baseball game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, United States, on June 13, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Big offensive day for the Rumble Ponies. Homers for Jose Ramos and Nick Lorusso carried the day, and a four-hit day from the aptly named Nick Lucky at the bottom of the lineup helped out. The pitching was poor, but take the wins you can get.
Homers from Mitch Voit and Davierson Gutierrez weren’t enough to overcome a disastrous pitching performance from Noah Hall. Brooklyn is off to a second half start unfortunately reminiscent of the first half.
St. Lucie staged a late comeback, scoring one in the eighth and two in the ninth to tie the game at six. Branny De Oleo had the game tying hit, driving in two with a single. Unfortunately, Miguel Mejias served up a home run to Quentin Young in the bottom half, and St. Lucie lost in walkoff fashion.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 24: Colton Cowser #17 and Samuel Basallo #29 of the Baltimore Orioles talk during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 24, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
The grind resumes. The Orioles are back at it tonight. Anything could happen. That’s the frustrating thing about these guys. They are really, genuinely capable of playing some good baseball. They have won quite a few games that could be real, signature wins, if only they had won a few more non-signature wins too. Just ordinary, relatively uninteresting wins, like Wednesday’s series finale could have been, if not for, you know, everything that happened late in the game.
Instead, just past the halfway point of the season, just about a month and a week until the trade deadline, they find themselves towards the back end of the muddled pack of AL Wild Card contenders. The third wild card spot is still held by a below-.500 team this deep into the season. The Orioles are not out of it, no matter how much games like the ones they played against the Angels can make it feel that way. It’s just that changing their fortunes is going to require doing something we haven’t seen them do: Playing sustained good baseball. For a whole lot of reasons, they have proven incapable of this.
I think that for a number of those reasons, the cake was baked over the offseason with the decisions that Mike Elias made in constructing the roster. He thought this group of relievers would be good enough to get by. He thought that the defense would be good enough to get by. Each of these things is proving to not be the case and there’s not much he can do about them now. That spray can of potpourri can only affect so much square footage at a time.
Should Elias lose his job for these errors? If this thing doesn’t improve by season’s end, I think that he should. He has not been able to sustain a good baseball team. After the 2024 season ended with another postseason disappointment, there were obvious problems to address. The team didn’t address them sufficiently heading into 2025, and it hasn’t sufficiently addressed 2025’s problems heading into 2026 either.
Although the baseball way is “three strikes and you’re out,” I don’t think that applies to general managers or presidents of baseball operations. Two strikes and you’re out is good enough by my reckoning there. We are looking at Elias’s second strike. If I was the billionaire with authority to make the decisions, I wouldn’t give him another chance, if he doesn’t pull off the mid-season pivot here.
One thing I would be quite interested to know about the Orioles is how they spent their off day yesterday. There’s stuff it sure seems like they could use some work on! We’ve probably all at some point in our lives encountered something spiritually similar to a punitive “one person on the team screwed up, so the whole team runs laps.” I don’t need the Orioles to run laps or wind sprints as punishment. I just want to know if they’re doing useful drills to reinforce the correct response to situations that they have recently screwed up.
If they are doing this, we sure aren’t seeing the results yet. I don’t think that’s totally because of guys playing out of position. Some of it is. But stuff like “cover first base on a ground ball” ought to be basic for pitchers and first basemen and Keegan Akin and Pete Alonso between the two of them couldn’t manage it during one of Wednesday’s crucial plays. Alonso took more firm post-game ownership of his mistake there than Akin did. I don’t know what they should do about that. I guess they don’t know either.
The Nationals await for three games starting tonight. Hopefully the version of Trevor Rogers who most recently pitched seven shutout innings against the Dodgers is the one who takes the field tonight. It’s a 7:05 start for the Friday night game.
Magic in the booth: Kevin Brown makes mark with Orioles (Press Box Online) An excellent feature profile on Kevin Brown, my honorary cousin, who is genuinely one of the game’s great broadcasters. He is a delight every night he is on the call.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1970, Frank Robinson hit two grand slams during a 12-2 win over the then-Senators. He was just the seventh major league player to ever accomplish this in the same game. These turned out to be his only grand slams for the team.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2022-23 pitcher Austin Voth, 2007-08 infielder Luis Hernández, 1987 pitcher Mike Griffin, and 1960 outfielder Gene Green.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Civil War general and probably-not-inventor of baseball Abner Doubleday (1819), WW2 Marine Corps legend Chesty Puller (1898), pro football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe (1968), actors Chris O’Donnell and Nick Offerman (1970), actress Aubrey Plaza (1984), and singer-songwriter Ariana Grande (1993).
On this day in history…
In 1917, the first American soldiers arrived in France to join the conflict we now know as World War I. They would see combat within two weeks.
In 1945, the 50 Allied nations signed the charter for the United Nations in San Francisco.
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered the famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech. The remarks, made shortly after East Germany had put up the Berlin Wall, reinforced American support for the democratic West Germany.
In 1974, the first barcode was scanned at a grocery store in Ohio. This first use of a Universal Product Code sold a package of Wrigley gum.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on June 26. Have a safe Friday. Go O’s!
The 2026 NBA Draft has concluded, and the free agency period serves as the next phase of the league’s offseason.
Rumors across the league have continued to appear, including the reports in the moments following the draft that California native LaMelo Ball could have been on the move.
Trade rumors continue to develop, involving some of the league’s most notable players, including Kawhi Leonard and Jaylen Brown.
Will Kawhi Leonard be traded?
Leonard remains a focal point for team owner Steve Ballmer and the Clippers, but that hasn’t stopped the reported trade interest from other teams from happening.
A few teams, including the Golden State Warriors, might be closely monitoring Leonard’s status and could be interested in trading for him, according to ESPN.
The Warriors reportedly checked in with the Clippers about Leonard leading up to the trade deadline in February, but Ballmer did not want to move Leonard, in contrast to what the team did with Ivica Zubac and James Harden during that same time period.
With the Boston Celtics clearly having some interest in acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, Brown was rumored to be at the center of the return package.
Brown, who spent time with the Cal Golden Bears before the NBA, took on a starring role on his own in Boston for a good chunk of the season while Jayson Tatum was rehabbing a ruptured right Achilles tendon.
Brown still has three years left on a five-year, $285.4 million extension he signed with Boston back in 2023. The All-Star is eligible to sign a two-year, $141.9 million extension on July 26.
"My speculation is that there is another list with other teams that they'll be talking to and I would believe that there's a very good chance Jaylen Brown is elsewhere to start the season," Brian Windhorst said during ESPN’s draft coverage.
Will Lakers find a center?
The Los Angeles Lakers would greatly benefit from acquiring a highly talented center to complement Luka Doncic on the roster.
Doncic had reportedly requested an "A-List" center, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Deandre Ayton joined the Lakers on July 6, 2025, signing a two-year deal. He does have a player option for the upcoming season.
The former No. 1 overall pick averaged 12.5 points and eight rebounds in 72 games for Los Angeles this past season.
The Lakers would need an athletic and defensive-minded big man to help alleviate some of the team’s struggles defensively, especially with Doncic and Austin Reaves still being considered liabilities on defense.
JUPITER, FLORIDA - MARCH 09: Joshua Baez #22 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases after hitting a home run during a spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles at Roger Dean Stadium on March 09, 2026 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cardinals are in the midst of a fascinating rebuild. Unlike most rebuilds, this one does not involve tanking. Quite the opposite, the 2026 Cardinals find themselves in the #1 wild card slot at the time of writing. Some of you might rightfully argue that the rebuild really began at the trading deadline late in the 2023 season, had a brief lull when they tried to compete on the “pitching, pitching, pitching” premise of 2024 and then restarted the rebuild in 2025 when it had become painfully obvious that the now dismantled 2022 offensive juggernaut was no more.
So here we are in mid-2026 and one of the most vexing challenges in major league baseball continues to … vex. When is the right time and what is the right approach to incorporate a young prospect onto the major league roster?
First, I want to discriminate between a “prospect” and a depth (or role) player. The depth player promotion decisions, while also not easy, involves some attributes not found in the prospect player promotion decision.
Depth/role players often don’t come with service time calculation concerns. They are often a bit on the older side (see: Velazquez, Torres) and many have a non-zero clock already. For prospects, whom teams can see the possibility of significant future value, when to start their service clock in a not uncommon consideration. I’m not suggesting the Cardinal’s practice service time manipulation (they do not appear to, ever), but they are not blind to such situations like waiting until Aug 15 to promote Baez would preserve the potential of a PPI pick in future years if he emerges as hoped for. I think of this similarly to how they handled Masyn Winn’s original promotion in late 2023.
While all players need a 40-man spot to get promoted, teams can be more sensitive about pushing aside talent to add a depth/role player. On the flip side, when ready, prospects pretty easily push aside someone at the tail end of the 40-man.
Depth/role players who get promoted are just that … role players. They will fit in certain role and with that will not come a team commitment to a minimum amount of playing time. Prospects, on the other hand, often don’t get promoted until the team is certain (and willing) they can allocate a significant amount of playing to said prospect. Generally, teams view it as preferable that a “prospect” play every day at AAA and not sit on the bench in MLB, unlike the role players such as Fermin, Saggese, Velazques, Torres.
While everyone goes through an adjustment period when promoted, depth/role players don’t get a lot of luxury in this regard. There won’t be a lot of tolerance for the ups-and-downs that come with adjusting to MLB competition. If you are a RH hitter, you will be expected to hit the lefties and the opportunities may not come in bunches, so take advantage of them when you get them. If you are prospect, the team will be prepared to adopt a “develop at the MLB level” approach and will live with the ups-and-downs, ala. Walker, Gorman. To a point.
Exposure is a key issue. Every player has strengths and flaws and how they will get exposed and leveraged at the MLB level is somewhat projectable, but this is not an exact science and sometimes teams just have to jump in the pool and hope it’s not too cold. Depth/role players have an advantage here, because their exposure will be tuned to leverage their strengths and avoid their weaknesses. Prospects are anticipated to emerge as everyday contributors, so they will not get such protection. Are they ready to handle this and the struggles that may come with it?
This is not an exhaustive list, but I felt the need to draw the distinctions. I will address Joshua Baez’s case as a prospect, and I won’t be comparing him to a Nelson Velazquez or Bryan Torres who are role players. Baez, when brought up, will not be brought up to replace their role. He may displace one of them on the 26-man roster, but he will also displace at least one other player who gets significantly more playing time now than they will when Baez arrives.
This is crucial to embrace, because it is easy for fans to look at a player like Velazquez and wonder why they don’t bring up Baez. Baez is probably already the superior player, both offensively and defensively, so why not bring him up? Why? Because of the considerations listed above. Baez vs. Velazques is a red herring, or perhaps more appropriately, an apples-to-oranges discussion that misses the key considerations management thinks about and tries to balance as they seek to introduce a prospect into the major leagues.
The Cardinals want Baez to succeed. He brings a mix of talents that begin to approach the coveted 5-tool player label. 4-tool players aint bad, either. The potential and value are obvious to all. But the success is not guaranteed and so the risk is equally obvious. For every supporter that sees a future star, there is a detracter that sees a future less than Joey Gallo. Will he hit? What about the K-rate and BB-rate? How do they translate?
A Cardinal executive recently described Baez’ promotion as inevitable and after that, time will tell on the strikeouts and the walks and the power output he will bring. I do think there are a couple of key questions to answer before the “inevitable” promotion occurs, though.
Where would he play?
Some will say let him play all 3 outfield positions rotationally, and DH some. Mathematically, it is possible to envision such a rotation providing enough PAs to allow him to adjust, grow, develop. Practically, the burdens of adjusting defensively to three positions simultaneously is not a strategy conducive to facilitating his success. Throw in the DH penalty and the adjustments of that role, and they’d be essentially putting challenges in his way on top of the one main one he will encounter – can he hit MLB pitching like his does MiLB pitching? Why put obstacles out in front of him? Won’t he have enough?
So, where? Some will say LF, displacing Nootbaar, who is nearing the end of his time in the Lou anyways, with his own service time and contract status. Fair point. Quite possible that is the decision that getsmade, either that the trade deadline or the off-season. But take a look at Baez’ story and see how many times he has played LF. Not many. While he is unlikely to struggle the way Jordan Walker struggled with the third-to-outfield position change, there would still be a new hurdle to cross for him. Are you ready to introduce that into a pennant race?
Well, then how about CF? He has played there a lot recently but does not have a long history there. Defensively, it is a position where instincts, reads, routes and jumps are crucial. Is he ready for that? His offensive profile could be fascinating in that position and tolerance for ups-and-downs would be higher, since that position hasn’t really been a fountain of offensive production since …. Bader? Offensively, the bar is lower, ostensibly facilitating an easier pathway to success. But can he it handle defensively? I have no clue. My experience is that the defensive features players bring to MLB are often significantly different than what is described in scouting reports. Bader himself was such an example – a guy with question marks about his D turned out to be Gold Glove caliber (or near it, anyway). We are also watching Blaze Jordan make plays at third base that seem to surprise everyone. So who knows until we see it? But are they willing to commit Baez to CF? This would push Church to a 4th OF role, which may be best suited for him (or may not).
How about RF? Oh, there is another guy there. Someone named Jordan Walker.
Another key question…
How will his profile influence the overall line-up construction?
To-date, the strength of the Cardinals has been their somewhat tenacious offense. It is not a juggernaut, but strong enough that they are top ten in MLB in several key categories (not power) and that is without Nootbaar for much of the season. Strong enough to overcome some poor pitching. Key attributes of that offense are low K-rate and pretty good OBP. So, they get on base, and they have more productive at bats than most other teams. They have good hitters but could use some more HR pop.
But where does he hit? To start with, if he displaces either Church or Nootbaar he will upset the L-R-L algorithm and make this a more right leaning line-up. Seems likely he would get the 6th spot behind Nootbaar. We know from his history that he tends to K a lot as he adjusts to a new level, so expect that to continue into MLB. He isn’t terribly selective, running O-swing % in the same neighborhood as Alec Burleson but without the plate coverage Burly gets, running an O-contacts% about half of Burleson. He doesn’t walk a ton, but he doesn’t refuse the walk with a BB% of ~8%. His likely contribution to the line-up will be to increase the K-rate of the line-up, lower the OBP but raise the S part of OPS. The HR park factor for Busch III for RH hitters could bite him, as it runs a 78 (100 is average). In other words Busch suppresses RH power by 22%. That is a stiff premium. How does that affect the recipe as a whole? Will this offense remain tenacious and benefit from extra pop, or will there now be too many guys that strike out with runners in scoring position?
Introducing a new hitter to the everyday line-up changes the nature of said line-up. I am curious the impact Baez will have on the overall output of the group. If I had to guess, this is a mystery enough that they’d prefer to see the answer come later in the season when the playoff position is more clear.
The Boston Bruins have been searching for a No. 1 and No. 2 center since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired after the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
They tried to find one in free agency in 2024 by signing Elias Lindholm to a seven-year contract worth $54.25 million. The B’s also have tried to acquire one of these players through the draft. They’ve tried pretty hard, actually.
The Bruins drafted four centers in 2025, including their first-round pick James Hagens and second-round pick Will Moore. Two of their four picks in 2024, including Dean Letourneau in Round 1, were centers. Boston also drafted two centers in 2023 and three in 2022.
It remains to be seen whether any of these players will become top-six centers. Hagens, Letourneau and Moore have the best chance.
There’s another position the Bruins need to start investing heavily in, especially in the draft.
Defensemen.
If you look at the Bruins’ top prospects, none of them are defensemen. In fact, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked Boston’s top 14 prospects back in April and Frederic Brunet (No. 9) was the only defenseman to make the list.
There is a severe lack of high-end blue line talent in the Bruins’ prospect pool. Specifically, there is a lack of puck-moving defensemen with high offensive upside who can quarterback a power play.
This is a problem because one of the Bruins’ most glaring roster weaknesses at the NHL level right now is the need for another top-four defenseman, preferably a right shot. The solution to that problem is not going to come from within, at least not any time soon. Brunet is nowhere near ready for that role. Mason Lohrei has impressive offensive talent, but his defensive liabilities are impossible to ignore. Henri Jokiharju played well at the Olympics for Finland, but he was a healthy scratch multiple times in the playoffs. Jordan Harris and Jonathan Aspirot are not top-four defensemen on a true contender.
If the Bruins want to acquire a top-four defenseman in the near term, the free agent and trade markets are the only options. Should they pursue Rasmus Andersson in free agency? He is the top defensemen who could hit the market this summer. Andersson is 29 years old, and even though he is a very good player, he isn’t a game-changer. An expensive, long-term contract for Andersson could end up being a huge mistake.
A trade for a defenseman player like Owen Zellweger of the Ducks is a risk worth taking. But the price to make that kind of move could be quite high.
Regardless of what the Bruins do to upgrade their blue line for next season, they need to start investing more valuable draft capital in defensemen.
The 2026 draft class is actually pretty deep at the position, and there are a couple of intriguing options for the Bruins with the No. 23 overall pick.
One of them is Adam Goljer, a right-shot defenseman who currently plays in his home country of Slovakia. Corey Pronman of The Athletic predicted the B’s would take Goljer in a recent 2026 NHL mock draft.
“Goljer is trending up with teams after a strong U18 worlds,” Pronman wrote. “He skates well, breaks up plays effectively and makes a good first pass, even if he doesn’t project as a major offensive driver. He projects as a two-way defenseman of whom the Bruins have very little of in their system.”
Ryan Lin of the Vancouver Giants (WHL), Tommy Bleyl of the Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL), Maksim Sokolovskii of the London Knights (OHL), Sweden’s William Hakansson and Finland’s Juho Piiparinen are other potential options for the Bruins in the first or second rounds if they target a defenseman. Xavier Villeneuve of Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL) is a tremendous skater with exciting offensive talent who might still be available at No. 23.
Yeah, you're going to want to remember the name Xavier Villeneuve 🤩
He was just the third 17-year-old to win Defenseman of the Year in QMJHL history! #NHLDraft
The last time the Bruins selected a defenseman in the first round was Urho Vaakanainen at No. 17 overall in 2017. He was eventually traded to the Ducks as part of the deal that brough Hampus Lindholm to Boston.
The Bruins have a No. 1 defenseman on the NHL roster in Charlie McAvoy. He’s 28 years old and should have several more excellent seasons ahead of him. But he was the only Bruins defenseman who tallied more than 26 points last season. There’s not enough offensive firepower on Boston’s blue line. McAvoy can’t shoulder that burden alone.
Lindholm is 32 years old. Nikita Zadorov is 31 years old. Andrew Peeke could leave in free agency. The Bruins need an influx of impressive young talent on the blue line, and they need it very soon. It’s one reason why accelerating that process by taking a defenseman in Round 1 of the upcoming draft is a great idea.
The Hens scored in the top of the tenth after a well pitched game, and reliever Jack Little slammed the door, striking out the side in the bottom half to win in Worcester on Thursday.
Sawyer Gipson-Long has pitched better of late, and he turned in a solid start on Thursday. The right-hander’s outing ended after he allowed a two-run homer to Tyler McGonough in the fifth, but he was nearly perfect otherwise, racking up seven strikeouts on the night. Ricky Vanasco and Woo-Suk Go each gave the Hens two scoreless innings of relief.
The Hens opened the scoring in the third when Andrew Navigato and Max Clark led off with singles. Trei Cruz struck out, but a fly out from Gage Workman was enough to get Navigato to third, and Clark then stole second. An infield single that pitcher Brayan Bello couldn’t handle scored Navigato for a 1-0 lead.
Brett Callahan singled with one out in the sixth and stole second and third, but Tyler Gentry and Jace Jung struck out. Finally in the eighth, Max Anderson tripled the opposite way off Kristian Campbell’s glove in the right field corner, and a blooper over the shortstop from Callahan was enough to get the run home and tie the game.
In the top of the ninth, with Cruz starting at second, Gage Workman walked, and a Max Anderson single to center scored Cruz to make it 3-2. Unfortunately, Callahan popped out and Gentry grounded into an inning ending double play.
So, Jack Little took over in the bottom of the 10th looking to hold the lead and wrap this up. He quickly punched out the first hitter on a bunt attempt, and then punched the second one out as well. A 95 mph heater above the zone blew away Micky Romero, and that was good work from Little to earn the save.
Anderson: 3-5, R, 2 RBI, 3B
Clark: 2-5, SB
Callahan: 2-5, RBI, 2 SB
Gipson-Long: 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K
Coming Up Next: The Hens will look to make it five straight on Friday at 6:45 p.m. ET.
It was a pretty good night for the offense, but Max Alba and the pitching staff were not good in this one.
Peyton Graham reached on a force in the first and then stole second, scoring on a Chris Meyers single for an eraly 1-0 lead. It didn’t last as the Ponies got to Alba for five runs in the second and third innings combined.
In the bottom of the third, Seth Stephenson singled and scored on a Peyton Graham triple to left that should’ve been caught, but wasn’t. Thayron Liranzo walked, and Graham scored on a wild pitch that got Liranzo to second. He scored on a Meyers single to make it a 5-4 game, but that was as close as they’d get.
Catchers doing work. Luke Shliger and Thayron Liranzo both throw inning-ending darts to second base. pic.twitter.com/vKLYEwCkfh
Eric Silva allowed a run in the fourth, but the SeaWolves got that one back in the bottom of the fifth on an Andrwe Jenkins sacrifice fly that scored Meyers. Again it was 6-5 and a one run game, but the bullpen couldn’t shut the Ponies down. Johan Simon allowed two runs in the top of the seventh with aid from a Graham error at shortstop. Max Burt got those runs back with his first Double-A home run, a two-run shot, after taking over for Izaac Pacheco, who left with a leg injury.
Max Burt entered tonight’s game for Izaac Pacheco and promptly hit a 2-run blast to left to pull Erie within one run. @ZachSurdenik on the call. pic.twitter.com/YBYhDmAr39
Luke Taggart allowed two runs in the top of the ninth as the Ponies put this one to bed.
Graham: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, 3B, BB, SB
Meyers: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, BB
Bigbie: 2-3, R, BB
Alba (L, 1-3): 2.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, BB, K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Friday with the SeaWolves up 2-1 in the series.
West Michigan Whitecaps 11, Dayton Dragons 4 (box)
Lucas Elissalt was pulled after a long first inning, allowing just one run but topping the 30 pitch mark that triggers the insta-hook. It mattered little as the offense raked and the bullpen did a solid job holding things down the rest of the game.
The Dragons led 2-0 early, but the ‘Caps seized control in the third. Singles from Caleb Shpur and Woody Hadeen were followed by walks to Andrew Sojka and Ricardo Hurtado, plating a run. A sac fly from Luke Shliger scored Hadeen, and then Clayton Campbell got a mistake pitch and pumped a three-run jack to left to make it 5-2 Whitecaps.
Clayton Campbell crushes a 3-run homer to left and the Whitecaps go up 5-2. It’s his 5th home run of the year. pic.twitter.com/DCLhFDfAno
In the fourth, Stephen Hrustich singled and scored on a Sojka single later in the inning. In the seventh, Sojka led off with a triple and scored on a Hurtado single. Shliger singled as well, and after Campbell flew out, Samuel Gil singled to shortstop to load the bases. Juan Hernandez plated two with a single, and Shpur and Hadeen came up with RBI singles to make it 11-4.
Preston Howey tossed three innings of one-run ball to pace the bullpen, while Ryan Harvey earned the win despite allowing a pair of runs in 2.1 innings of work.
Bryce Rainer had the day off.
Hadeen: 2-4, R, RBI, BB, K
Sojka: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, 3B, BB
Campbell: 1-3, R, 3 RBI, HR, BB
Harvey (W, 2-2): 2.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Friday with the Whitecaps down 2-1 in the series.
Malachi Witherspoon got wild after a good start to his outing, but it didn’t matter to this game as the Flying Tigers cranked out 14 hits and drew 7 walks to crush the Tortugas with ease.
Jordan Yost opened the game with a single but was erased on an Edian Espinal double play ball. That was too bad, as Beau Ankeney smoked his 11th home run for a 1-0 lead.
Beau Ankeney crushes a solo homer 414 feet to left to give Lakeland an early lead. It’s his 11th home run of the season. pic.twitter.com/VFf7YIc3C5
In the second, Zach MacDonald reached on a bunt single with one out and then stole second for his 20th steal on the season. Anibal Salas reached on an error and a wild pitched scored MacDonald. Hunter Robbins doubled in Salas, and Jack Goodman was hit by a pitch. An Espinal two-run single made it 5-0, and then Ankeney doubled in Espinal and scored on a Carson Rucker single to make it 7-0 through two innings.
Witherspoon gave up a solo shot in the third. In the fourth, he issued three walks and allowed three runs, with a Rucker error extending the inning and making them unearned.
An RBI double from Dobbins that initially looked like a homer scored MacDonald in the fifth. Ankeney singled in two runs later on in the inning to make it 10-4.
Xiomer Guacache got into a huge two-out, bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth, but MacDonald made a spectacular diving catch in center field to rob an extra base hit and probably save three runs.
Dobbins and Yost walked in the top of the seventh and advanced 90 feet on a passed ball. An Espinal two-run single made it 12-4. The bullpen leaked a run each in the seventh and eighth, but this was out of reach by then.
Ankeney: 3-6, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR, K
Espinal: 2-5, R, 4 RBI, BB, K
Dobbins: 2-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, 2 BB, K
Yost: 2-3, R, 3 BB
Witherspoon: 4.0 IP, 4 R, 1 ER, H, 4 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Friday with the Flying Tigers down 2-1 in the series.
Alemain Cruz gave the Tigers a pretty good outing and the bullpen was alright, but they couldn’t put any runs up on the board. Michael Oliveto had a double for his first extra base hit in pro ball, and shortstop Angel de los Santos continues to hit and get on base, but otherwise it was a pretty weak effort in this one from the offense.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 25: Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees signs autographs before a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees dropped their series opener against the Red Sox in a rather sloppy effort, with several errors culminating in Cam Schlittler allowing a four-run fifth inning capitalized by a big two-run home run off the bat of former Yankee prospect Caleb Durbin. That blew what was a 2-0 New York lead up until that point, but despite clawing one of those runs back the Sox added some big insurance with two runs in the eighth and then survived an Aroldis Chapman jam in the ninth. A rough one to be sure, but there’s still three more games to be played out in Fenway before heading back to the Bronx.
We’ve got a loaded schedule on deck before the Yankees take the field again later tonight. Nick starts us off with a look at the rotation depth as June comes to a close, and then Sam has the Rivalry Roundup featuring the Rays gaining a game back in the standings after a dominating win. Josh takes the opportunity to regard Derek Jeter’s illustrious career in relation to his baseball fandom on the captain’s birthday, Peter examines Ryan Weathers’ latest start in the Sequence of the Week, Michael takes the June Swoon narrative under the microscope, and finally I’ll be back to open up the mailbag and answer more of your questions.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
Time: 7:10 p.m. EST
TV: YES, NESN
Venue: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Questions/Prompts:
1. Tonight will be the Yankees’ 81st game played. Will their second-half record eclipse the 48-49 wins they’ll have from the first half?
2. Did you believe that the old Aroldis Chapman was going to emerge in that ninth inning and blow it last night?
