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Mariners News: Matt Brash, Max Scherzer, and OG Anunoby

Jun 10, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer (31) celebrates his career 3500th strike out against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Good morning and happy Thursday everybody. Ders is still out of town so you get a double-dose of Nick links this week. The Mariners got trounced 7-2 by the Orioles yesterday but have a chance to bounce back in the series finale with Bryan Woo on the mound at 4:05 PST on ESPN.

I know it is maybe a little main-charactery of me to say this, but I really feel like every time I put together the links there’s always more injuries to report on than normal. Spoiler alert but there’s SIX (6) links today about various players either getting hurt or getting placed on IL yesterday. Do I actually believe that my reporting on the news and notes is leading to more injuries in the league? I’m not confident enough to answer that question right now. Anybody else tangentially convinced they’re cursed in a hyper specific way?

In Mariners news…

  • The Mariners greeted us all with a litany of roster moves yesterday, with the headline being reliever Matt Brash is going back to the IL with a lat strain. Miles Mastrobuoni is returning to the M’s and taking Ryan Bliss’ spot, while Domingo González is coming up to fill in for Brash.
  • Don’t forget to vote for your favorite Mariners to go to the All-Star game this year in Philadelphia! It’s your civic duty to vote. Don’t make me come over to your house to make you vote. I’ll do it. I know where you live. I’ll march right in. Won’t even knock. You might not like it, but if that’s what it takes to get you to vote then so be it.

Around the league…

  • Max Scherzer was activated by the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday morning to make his first start since April and got his 3,500th career strikeout against the first batter he saw. Scherzer is the eleventh man in MLB history to reach 3,500 strikeouts, and is now just twelve away from tying Walter Johnson at 10th all-time.

Nick’s pick…

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Detroit Tigers take on Minnesota Twins in series rubber match on Thursday

The Detroit Tigers have been on fire this month, but on Wednesday night they cooled off a bit, taking their second loss of June against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park, 6-4. Framber Valdez struggled, surrendering a pair of home runs, while the offense just did not have enough juice to keep up.

However, Kevin McGonigle had a great performance in the field to go with his three-walk, two-run effort at the plate — the kid did everything he could with the glove and the bat.

With a third-straight series win still in reach, right-hander Keider Montero will get the start on Thursday afternoon looking to continue his solid efforts on the mound. The 25-year-old’s last outing was lackluster, however, giving up four runs on six hits (one home run) and a walk over five frames in a 4-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

Montero has not seen Minnesota since 2024, when he faced the American League Central rival twice, with vastly differing results. One was a 6-plus inning quality start that resulted in his first win of that season; the other was a five-inning effort that saw him contribute six runs to a 9-6 loss.

Fellow righty Zebby Matthews will toe the rubber for the Twins in his sixth start of the season after opening the campaign in Triple-A. The 26-year-old has been solid since his mid-May call-up, including his most recent outing against the Kansas City Royals, in which he gave up two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out a pair over seven innings to earn the win.

He faced the Tigers twice last year, allowing three runs on 10 hits (one home run) and five walks while striking out 12 over nine innings of work, earning a win along the way.

Here is a look at how the two starters match up in Thursday’s afternoon matinee.

Detroit Tigers (28-40) vs. Minnesota Twins (31-38)

Time (ET): 1:10 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 69: RHP Keider Montero (2-4, 3.95 ERA) vs. RHP Zebby Matthews (2-3, 4.15 ERA)

PlayerGIPK%BB%GB%FIPfWAR
Montero1266.016.76.134.54.161.0
Matthews530.121.36.638.84.520.3

MONTERO

MATTHEWS

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Mavs YouTube RoundUp Spotlight: When the right trade went completely wrong

Mar 22, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (left) talks with head coach Rick Carlisle in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 98-92. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Your favorite Trade Machine has approved thousands of deals and never once flagged one for personality incompatibility. It checks the salaries, blesses the math, and leaves the human beings to sort themselves out. Three months ago, Secret Base’s Beef History series revisited the most instructive case of humans failing to sort themselves out in Mavericks history: the brief, loud cohabitation of Rajon Rondo and Rick Carlisle.

On paper, the December 2014 trade was exactly right. Dallas was a contender missing a point guard. Rondo was a championship point guard, a basketball savant who saw the floor like a chessboard. Carlisle was an offensive mastermind with a ring of his own. Two geniuses, one goal. The video lays out how seductive the logic was, and the logic came with a precedent: Jason Kidd. Kidd and Carlisle butted heads over pace early in their partnership, Carlisle loosened his grip, and the compromise ended with a parade in 2011. Mark Cuban openly compared Rondo to Kidd. Dallas believed it had a road map.

The problem, as Secret Base details, is that the warning labels were public record. Carlisle had worn out welcomes in Detroit and Indiana with a my-way-or-the-highway approach and a compulsion to call plays on nearly every possession. Jamaal Tinsley had already lived the experience of being a point guard ordered to slow down for him. Rondo, meanwhile, spent years clashing with Doc Rivers in Boston while quarterbacking a roster full of Hall of Famers. Two men with documented allergies to surrendering control were now expected to share a steering wheel. League whispers, per the video, suggested Carlisle was never sold on the deal in the first place.

It unraveled on schedule. Seventeen games in, Carlisle benched Rondo for the final five minutes against Chicago and called it a coach’s decision. After an ugly loss in Oklahoma City, Rondo told reporters that Carlisle calls the plays and he just follows orders, which is the point guard equivalent of “per my last email.” Then came February in Toronto: Rondo walking the ball up the floor while Carlisle erupted at half court, an exchange that carried into the locker room and ended in a one-game suspension over play-calling responsibilities. The whole fight, beginning to end, was about who decides what happens next.

Then the playoffs arrived, and so did the part I will never need a documentary to remember. Game 2 against Houston: Rondo played 34 seconds after halftime and spent the rest of the night looking like a man waiting on a delayed flight. He ducked the media. The next day, Dallas issued a press release about a back injury, and reporters called cap in unison. Rondo has since offered the revisionist version, telling Chandler Parsons in 2023 that he never quit, that he was told Carlisle didn’t want to coach him, and that the injury was a mutually agreed cover story. Revisionist history is the chief occupation of the retired athlete. I watched those games. A championship veteran gave a playoff series 34 seconds of second-half effort. Call it whatever you want. I know what I saw.

Carlisle’s own autopsy, recounted in the video, is the sharpest part. Kidd and Rondo looked similar and were fundamentally different. Kidd had developed into a legitimate three-point threat by the time he reached Dallas; defenses happily ignored Rondo. Above all, pace: Kidd taught Carlisle to let go and play fast, while Rondo wanted to walk it up. Asking Rondo to change his tempo in the middle of a season was, by Carlisle’s own admission, impossible. The Kidd precedent that justified the trade was the exact thing that doomed it. Dallas pattern-matched the résumé and missed the person.

The mercy is that it was a fireball. Rondo was a Maverick for barely half a season, and fireballs burn out fast. It’s the slow corrosion that reshapes a franchise. But the lesson travels. The new brain trust is about to run the two highest-stakes chemistry experiments in basketball: hiring a head coach and remaking a roster around a 19-year-old franchise player. Every candidate and every trade target will look right on paper. Paper is undefeated that way. The Rondo half season is a reminder that fit is also temperament, ego allocation, pace preference, and the unglamorous question of who decides what happens next. The résumé tells you whether a man can do the job. It cannot tell you whether two men can do it together.

The Trade Machine will keep saying yes all summer. Someone in the room needs to ask the other question.

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2026 NBA Draft scouting report: Cameron Carr

Mar 7, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard Cameron Carr (43) scores a layup as Utah Utes guard Terrence Brown (2) defends during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Cameron Carr may have been one of the more talked-about players coming out of the NBA combine after dropping 30 points in the scrimmage. It felt reminiscent of his year with Baylor, as he took the program by storm, averaging a school record 18.9 points per game. The 6’5 wing showed a little bit of everything, and he could be an exciting player coming out of the draft.

The first thing that may pop out when watching Carr is his athleticism, and he uses that to get to the rim to get easy points. He has a quick first step, and once he gets to his spot, he’ll leave it up to you to find out if it’ll be a crafty layup or a dunk. He might be one of the best dunkers in the class, and he had a lot of opportunities to show off his vertical at Baylor.

With that athleticism, Carr also has the ability to rebound better than most players at his position, in which he averaged 5.6 per game. On top of that, he was a solid shot blocker, averaging 1.3 per game. It’s obvious that he has the intangibles that can change a game on either side of the ball, and that goes a long way for teams looking for a winner.

Outside of the athleticism, Carr’s other strength is his shooting, specifically from the 3-point line. He shot 37% from the perimeter, and he’s probably never taken a shot he doesn’t like. His mechanics are smooth, and he can raise up for a shot that can be hard to defend. What makes it even better is that he can go beyond the 3-point line, and that’s a plus in a league that is all about spacing.

Not only has Carr shown the catch-and-shoot ability, but he has flashes of being able to shoot off the ball and as a pick-and-roll handler.

In all, his 3-point shooting is probably what teams will enjoy about him the most, and if he can continue to show consistency in that area, he’ll be a player who can see a lot of time on the court.

Just as much as Carr’s shooting can be a plus, it can also turn into a negative depending on his shot selection. This was Carr’s first time as a true No. 1 option, and he probably felt like he had to do everything in order for the team to succeed. He won’t have the problem early into his NBA career, but teams will definitely want him to be smart about the types of shots he takes.

Defensively, Carr has the tools to be serviceable at the next level, and his length allows him to get in the passing lanes. He still has to get stronger and smarter on that side of the ball, which is where teams have taken advantage of him when he’s on the ball. Again, his frame and athleticism show promise for him to improve, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Carr is a player who could be drafted in the lottery range to the early 20s, and that could be a spot where, if the Hawks like him, they can take him. He offers 3-point shooting that would be an instant plus on the team, and his defense is solid enough that he can make an impact. It’s hard to know if the Hawks would want to add another guard, especially when they have needs at guard and center, but Onsi Saleh is all about drafting the best player available.

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Open Thread: 60 hours in New York City end with a mix of heartache and hope

Let’s start with this — I STILL BELIEVE!

That said, I ended Wednesday night completed deflated. Did the Spurs play the first half as if they were sending Knicks fans home in disbelief? Yes. Did they blow the biggest Finals lead in NBA history and go down 3-1? Absolutely. Should they have won this game? Most definitely. Are Spurs fans now the ones in disbelief?

Well, are you?

I recently posted an article regarding Wembanyama’s demeanor after losing Game 1. He sat upright with no hint of regret, clearly stated there were adjustments to come. He admitted he had to figure some things out. He did not get sullen or too introspective in front of the cameras. He owned the moment, showed leadership, and gave hope to his teammates and fans.

Last night, Wemby was stoic. His answers were short, filled with uncertainty. He was being asked his take on plays that he had not yet reviewed or seen film of. His involvement in the moments limited his ability to speak about them confidently. That said, he showcased the disappointment he was internalizing in real time.

For 46 minutes and 38 seconds it looked as if the Spurs were going to even the series. In fact, for the entire first half, it looked to be a foregone conclusion. But no lead is safe in basketball. And twice now in the postseason, the Knicks have come back from over 20 point deficits to win. They took back Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals from the Cleveland Cavaliers and then swept the series. Last night they took back home court advantage just in time to send the Spurs home with their backs against the wall.

I reiterate what I said at the start. I still believe.

I believe that all four of these games could have gone either way. One missed shot. One foul call. One tipped ball goes the other way. One pass lands in possession of the intended receiver.

All four of these games were winnable by both teams. Well, the first three for sure could have gone either way. Last night’s game shouldn’t have, but the Knicks proved that any game — ANY GAME — is in play as long as you keep fighting.

The Spurs have shown the same sort of resilience throughout the season. Fighting back from 25 down against the Clippers. Wemby’s buzzer-beater against the Suns. Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.

This series isn’t over. We all need to relax. Trust the process. Trust the team. Trust the Spurs Way.

Until then, shower yourself off, crank up Frank Stallone’s “Far From Over,” and put on the 2016 NBA Finals.

Oh, and if you’re in San Antonio on Thursday night, join Bill Schoening, Jacob Tobey, and me at Sam’s Burger Joint for a night of music, Spurs stories, and fellowship.

60 hours in New York. I am not leaving empty handed, and neither are the Spurs. They won one with the relentlessness that carried them through the season. They need to regroup and pull off another complete wire-to-wire game. Remind themselves what got them here and why they deserve another game.

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.

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Blackhawks Have Their Top Free Agent Target In This Defender

The Chicago Blackhawks should be looking to add a veteran defenseman to the left side of their blueline this summer. While this year's free agent market is not the strongest, San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro is one pending UFA who would make a lot of sense for Chicago to target if he hits the market on July 1. 

Ferraro is the NHL's top pending UFA left-shot defenseman and would have the potential to be a strong addition to the Blackhawks' roster if signed. This is because he is a steady top-four defenseman who plays a heavy game, blocks shots, and contributes a bit of offense from the point. With this, he would have the potential to be a nice pickup for the Blackhawks as they look to be more competitive in 2026-27. 

Ferraro's age also adds to his appeal, as he is only 27 years old. With this, he has multiple years left in his prime and would be a good fit on a Blackhawks club that is focused on the future. 

Ferraro is coming off a solid season with the Sharks, too. In 82 games this campaign with the Pacific Division club, he posted seven goals, 23 points, 137 hits, and 150 blocks. With numbers like these, he provides a bit of everything from the point.

Ultimately, with the Blackhawks' blueline needing a boost, Ferraro is a player who they should strongly consider pursuing. Let's see if they do just that from here. 

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Wimbledon announces record 20% prize money increase but players’ dispute continues

  • All England Club announces 20% rise from last year

  • Increase unlikely to appease tennis player group

Wimbledon has announced the biggest prize money increase in the history of the Championships, but this significant rise still may not be enough to appease the demands of the top tennis players in dispute with the grand slam tournaments.

The All England Club revealed a prize-money purse of £64.2m, a 20% increase from last year and a £10.7m rise. There have been rises across all rounds, with the men’s and women’s champions receiving £3.6m prize money this year while players who lose in the first round will receive £80,000.

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Colorado’s Bednar Debate Looks Small Compared To What’s Brewing In Edmonton

Colorado Avalanche fans have spent weeks debating whether Jared Bednar should stay or go, but the conversation could always be worse.

Just ask the Edmonton Oilers, whose reported interest in Mike Babcock has prompted the NHL Players' Association to push for the league to revisit the coach's controversial past before he lands another job.

The Debate Around Bednar Suddenly Looks Different

According to multiple reports, the NHLPA has asked the league to examine Babcock's brief and turbulent tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets before Edmonton—or any other franchise—is allowed to make him its next head coach.

The request surfaced after reports connected Babcock to the Oilers' coaching vacancy, with two people familiar with the discussions telling The Associated Press that the union wants the NHL to take another look at the circumstances that ended his last opportunity before it truly began. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because the conversations remain private.

Babcock returning to the NHL would be one of the more shocking news stories of the season. Credit: Kyle Robertson - Imagn Images
Babcock returning to the NHL would be one of the more shocking news stories of the season. Credit: Kyle Robertson - Imagn Images

Whether the league has officially reopened its previous investigation is unclear, but any coaching hire must ultimately receive NHL approval.

Babcock's stint in Columbus lasted less than three months.

Hired in July 2023 with hopes of restoring a struggling franchise, he resigned before coaching a single regular-season game after reports emerged that he had asked players to share personal photos from their phones as a way of getting to know them. What was intended as a team-building exercise quickly became a league-wide controversy, with players questioning professional boundaries and the union stepping in.

"Our players deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace," NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said then. "Unfortunately, that was not the case in Columbus. The club’s decision to move forward with a new head coach is the appropriate course of action."

The players' association conducted its own review of the situation, while the NHL chose not to continue its planned investigation once Babcock resigned.

Now, nearly three years later, his name is once again circulating in coaching rumors.

The Oilers are searching for a replacement after surprisingly moving on from Kris Knoblauch following a first-round playoff exit, despite reaching the Stanley Cup Final in each of the previous two seasons. If Edmonton ultimately decides Babcock deserves another chance, it appears the NHLPA wants every question from his Columbus departure answered first.

A Second Chance Comes With Plenty Of Questions

It isn't the first time Babcock's methods have drawn criticism.

After the Toronto Maple Leafs fired him early in the 2019-20 season, reports surfaced that he asked a player to rank teammates from hardest-working to least-hardest-working before sharing those rankings with the locker room. The story became another example cited by former players who described an environment built on intimidation rather than motivation.

Former Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen was among Babcock's harshest critics, telling a Swedish publication that Babcock was "the worst person" he had ever met and revealing there were times he was terrified to go to the rink.

Those accounts have dramatically reshaped the public perception of a coach who once stood among hockey's most respected figures.

Babcock's résumé remains difficult to ignore. The 63-year-old led the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup in 2008, reached another Final in 2009, guided the Anaheim Ducks to the championship series in 2003, and coached Canada to consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014.

Edmonton has already explored other options during its coaching search. The organization requested permission to speak with Bruce Cassidy, but the Vegas Golden Knights denied that request because Cassidy remains under contract through next season.

The decision frustrated the NHL Coaches' Association, although Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly defended Vegas' position.

"We don’t find it unreasonable because we’re allowing it to happen," he said. "I do think Vegas is clearly within their contractual rights to do what they’re doing."

For Avalanche fans frustrated by another playoff disappointment, the debate surrounding Bednar isn't likely to disappear anytime soon. But as Edmonton weighs the possibility of bringing one of hockey's most polarizing figures back behind an NHL bench, Colorado's coaching conversation suddenly feels far less chaotic.

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YouTube Gold: Connie Hawkins With A Rucker Park/Wilt Chamberlain Story

02/27/1971--Connie Hawkins (42), Phoenix Suns, scores against Philadelphia. Seen in this photograph in the air, ball leaving his hand on a lay up.

Connie Hawkins was an immense talent who missed some of his best years professionally after being falsely implicated in the notorious 1961 point shaving scandal. He signed with Iowa, but was kicked out of school in his freshman year. The NBA warned teams not to draft him, so he played for a year with the old ABL before it folded, then with the Harlem Globetrotters, and then the ABA, before the NBA, under public and legal pressure, finally allowed him to play in 1969.

Few fans got to see him in those pre-NBA years, but he played a lot of ball and had a lot of stories.

This story involves Rucker Park, the Mecca of New York / Harlem basketball, Wilt Chamberlain, and a freakishly athletic street player named Jackie Jackson.

Just 6-4, Jackson blocked a Chamberlain shot, which kind of set Wilt off. Keep in mind that Chamberlain reportedly had a 50” vertical. It’s a great story.

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Wolves sack Rob Edwards and close on Portuguese manager César Peixoto

  • Head coach failed to save club from relegation

  • Peixoto led Gil Vicente to sixth in Primera Liga

Wolves have sacked Rob Edwards and are poised to appoint the Portuguese head coach César Peixoto as his replacement. The 46-year-old Peixoto was most recently in charge of Gil Vicente, who finished sixth in the Portuguese top flight last season.

The news came as a huge shock to Edwards, who was alerted to rumours on social media of a deal for Peixito. Edwards, who is abroad on holiday, was informed in a phone call that his tenure was over after seven months, leaving even senior club staff stunned.

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MLB mock draft 2026: Who will White Sox pick? Top prospects entering College World Series

The high school season has wrapped up, almost every college team has packed and punched out and portaled, and now Major League Baseball’s draft evaluation period quiets just a bit – even as some of the most important work remains.

As the men’s College World Series arrives, pitting the final eight teams against each other (and this year’s group is, relatively speaking, not bursting with potential high-round draftees) the next phase has begun. MLB’s draft combine begins June 22 in Phoenix, where skills will be measured but perhaps more important interviews and personal evaluations will occur, a key time for clubs and players alike to determine how well they match up.

And while it won’t really affect the first round, the MLB draft league is up and running, giving prospects of all ages a Statcast-able platform to buoy their stock or at least get on the 2027 radar.

With that, USA TODAY Sports takes another stab at projecting the first 30 picks when the draft commences July 11 from Philadelphia:

1. Chicago White Sox: SS Roch Cholowsky, UCLA

Roch Cholowsky playing for the Bruins.

We’re rolling with consistency here. While much has and can and will change over the next five weeks, Cholowsky still represents the best fusion of current value and impact. While Cholowsky’s season ended as quietly as his team’s – two singles in 12 at-bats in the No. 1 Bruins’ stunning regional elimination - he still did nothing to betray the notion he’s not the best option atop this draft.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: SS Grady Emerson, Fort Worth Christian HS

Now the consensus national high school player of the year, Emerson’s also the lone prep player named a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist; he batted .532 during his regular season with seven homers and 31 stolen bases.

3. Minnesota Twins: RHP Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara

Easily the nation’s leader with a 1.06 ERA (No. 2 was 1.98), Flora ran through the tape in his junior season, winning his last seven starts and posting a 30-4 strikeout-walk ratio in his final three. Lots of positional temptations but Flora represents a slam dunk foundational piece.

4. San Francisco Giants: C Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech

We’ll see how far north Lackey’s arrow points. It’s just gotten harder to see him slip this low, where Buster Posey can sell a building block catcher for an organization that needs one. Lackey finished his season with 20 homers and a 1.291 OPS in 61 games.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates: SS Jacob Lombard, Gulliver Prep (Fla.) HS

Still a chance he goes higher, and hard to conceive this isn’t his floor. Lombard’s speed-power profile nearly matches Emerson’s and his 6-3 frame and athleticism is perfect to play shortstop a long time in the big leagues.

6. Kansas City Royals: CF Eric Booth Jr., Oak Grove (Miss.) HS

Lots of college impact bats still available but the Royals go prep outfielder for the second year in a row, opting for Booth’s power-speed potential.

7. Baltimore Orioles: OF Drew Burress, Georgia Tech

Produced a .358/.473/.657 slash with 16 home runs, not an effusive platform year but one that will keep him near the top of the round, where the Orioles never met an SEC/ACC outfielder they didn’t like.

8. Athletics: SS Justin Lebron, Alabama

With Burress gone the A’s go with the more dynamic skill set while brushing off Lebron’s suboptimal platform season, especially in SEC play. Yet the 6-2 shortstop should benefit from the advanced college players who have already beat a quick path to Yolo County.

9. Atlanta Braves: LHP Gio Rojas, Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) HS

A perfect match between an organization that excels at nudging prep pitchers toward the majors and a 6-4 lefty who pairs a fastball that touches 98 mph with a devastating sweeper.

10. Colorado Rockies: RHP Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina

The Rockies’ semi-successful Coors pitching project will get a readymade Patient One to mold from the start of a professional career. Flukey’s 6-6 frame and bat-missing ability (11.6 strikeouts per nine in three seasons) give them a lot to work with.

11. Washington Nationals: OF Derek Curiel, LSU

After revamping their offensive apparatus, the Nationals do themselves a favor and draft a guy already gifted with excellent swing decisions. Curiel struck out 43 times and drew 34 walks in 58 games and had a .452 OBP across two seasons in Baton Rouge.

12. Los Angeles Angels: RHP Liam Peterson, Florida

He has a lot to clean up, and the Angels usually like their rush-to-the-big-leagues guys close to finished products when they draft them. But Peterson’s big stuff will be too much to ignore for a regime that will already ponder how soon the 6-5 prospect can get to Anaheim.

13. St. Louis Cardinals: INF Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M

Not really sure what his future position will be but the Cardinals know what to do with another plug-and-play guy who can keep the line moving and perhaps grow into more power. If not, no biggie.

14. Miami Marlins: OF Sawyer Strosnider, TCU

Three years into Peter Bendix’s tenure should give us a better idea this innovative club’s draft approach. In this scenario, a potentially elite bat from the college ranks falls to them.

15. Arizona Diamondbacks: Arizona Diamondbacks: C Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas

The Diamondbacks haven’t used their top pick on a catcher since 2012 (where art thou, Stryker Trahan?) but Helfrick is too good a value to pass on here after his 18-homer, .979-OPS final season in Fayetteville.

16. Texas Rangers: OF AJ Gracia, Virginia

A steady left-handed collegiate bat with excellent bat-to-ball skills, Gracia could move quickly toward Arlington.

17. Houston Astros: INF Ace Reese, Mississippi State

We’re now at the point where every pick can go in so many different directions, but the Astros opt for the former Houston Cougar with power to all fields; Reese smacked 24 home runs in his final year in Starkville.

18. Cincinnati Reds: SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky

A switch-hitting sophomore-eligible shortstop who may require shoulder surgery, Bell may eventually develop an elite offensive profile but for now is a steady player with excellent plate discipline, drawing 30 walks to just 36 strikeouts in earning first-team All-SEC honors.

19. Cleveland Guardians: LHP Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan (Mass.) HS

An excellent senior season and the lure of a lefty topping 100 mph with the athleticism that comes with being an elite basketball player, Bumila will puncture the top 20. While the Guardians prefer college arms, they did OK in 2024 with prep lefty Braylon Doughty, now in high Class A.

20. Boston Red Sox: LHP Hunter Dietz, Arkansas

At 6-6, 235 pounds, Dietz can stand eye-to-eye with Garrett Crochet and also touches 98 mph with his fastball. Still in need of polish but struck out more batters than anyone in the SEC, punching out 13.76 per nine innings.

21. San Diego Padres: LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS

He doesn’t turn 18 until April 2027 and Grindlinger’s drafting team has the luxury of workshopping him as a pitcher or hitter. Here’s guessing the mound wins out, especially as Grindlinger’s frame fills out.

22. Detroit Tigers: RHP Cade Townsend, Mississippi

Cade Townsend celebrates a strikeout against Tennessee.

The Tigers generally prefer higher-ceiling prep players but go for a little more certainty with Townsend, a draft-eligible sophomore with a powerful profile in his repertoire.

23. Chicago Cubs: SS Eric Becker, Virginia

A steady choice, Becker is a technically sound player with gap-to-gap power who should move methodically through a minor league system.

24. Seattle Mariners: OF Trevor Condon, Etowah (Ga.) HS

Condon brings high energy and elite speed, along with the profile to stick in center field. A long-term investment for a club with the luxury to wait.

25. Milwaukee Brewers: OF Aiden Robbins, Texas

Now slashing .342/.435/.720 for the Omaha-bound Longhorns, Robbins boosted his homers from six to 24 in transferring from Seton Hall to Austin.

26. Atlanta Braves: RHP Jensen Hirschkorn, Kingsburg (Calif.) HS

A 6-7 frame that already produces a mid-90s fastball, Hirschkorn is another pitcher with basketball athleticism and tons of projectability. Two picks in the top 26 should help Atlanta keep Hirschkorn away from LSU.

27. New York Mets: OF Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M

Quite a skill set, as Sorrell produced 23 homers, 11 steals and a 1.177 OPS – all in a center fielder’s package - in his final year in College Station.

28. Houston Astros: OF Zion Rose, Louisville

A career 1.023 OPS at Louisville, Rose stole 24 bases in 27 attempts and had a .491 OBP in his final season. Strong 205-pound frame could produce more power than he’s shown.

29. San Francisco Giants: Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia

We’re just going to assign Buster Posey catchers with Georgia connections until he’s had his fill. Jackson transferred from Wofford to become a Bulldogs legend, ripping 31 homers to key their CWS run.

30. Kansas City Royals: RHP Logan Reddemann, UCLA

They’re buying low on Reddemann after arm issues slowed a platform year that seemed to push him closer to the top 10. Reddemann hasn’t pitched since April 17 but posted a 0.97 WHIP and 12.7 strikeouts per nine before he was idled.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 MLB mock draft, top prospects entering College World Series

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Justin Verlander shelled in Toledo, Jordan Yost hits first homer in Lakeland victory

St. Paul Saints 12, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)

Justin Verlander was shelled for four home runs, and the Hens couldn’t put much together at the plate against Twins’ starter Mick Abel and the Saints’ bullpen on Wednesday.

Well, Justin Verlander appears healthy, so I don’t know how much longer the Tigers can keep him on the injured list. He also looks incapable of starting successfully in the major leagues right now. Enjoy that dilemma, Scott Harris.

The right-hander allowed four solo shots in 5.2 innings of work, and there were several other very sharply hit balls in play in this outing. What there was not, was much swing and miss. Verlander threw 86 pitches, recording six whiffs, four of them on the fourseam fastball, which averaging 92.9 mph with below average extension. The riding action is still good, and he topped out at 95.5 mph, but we would’ve liked to see him sitting more comfortably around 94 mph. He worked on his slider for much of the outing but it wasn’t very sharp.

Aaron Sabato and Kyler Fedko recorded the first two homers in the second and third innings, respectively. Verlander settled in for a couple of innings, but in the sixth, Matt Wallner crushed a slider and Gabriel Gonzalez a fastball back-to-back to finish Verlander’s outing on a pretty sour note.

Ben Malgeri hit a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth for the Hens only run.

Things got even rougher for the future Hall of Fame set when Kenley Jansen took over the in the seventh. He quickly gave up three runs on a walk and two hits, striking out one, and Yoniel Curet had to take over with two outs. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up three more runs of his own, and Konnor Pilkington gave up two more before this came to an end.

Cruz: 3-4, 2B, 3B

Malgeri: 2-4, R, RBI, HR, 2 K

Verlander (L, 1-1): 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K

Jansen: 0.2 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, B, K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start time on Thursday with the series tied at a game apiece.

Erie SeaWolves 8, Akron RubberDucks 6 (box)

Carlos Peña was hit hard in this one, but the SeaWolves fought back and then seized control in the middle innings to win on Wednesday.

Justice Bigbie cracked a solo shot in the bottom of the second to open the scoring, but Peña was knocked around for four runs in the third, and another in the fourth.

So it was 5-1 in the bottom of the fourth when the SeaWolves started turning this game around. Thayron Liranzo led off with a walk and was wild pitched to second. Bigbie singled home Liranzo, and Chris Meyers singled as well. After a pair of strikeouts, E.J. Exposito finally cashed in the runners with a double to left, and it was 5-4 Akron.

Unfortunately, Peña wild pitched a run home in the fifth, and so the task was again more difficult down 6-4.

Brett Callahan kicked started the final push with a solo shot to right field for his 11th home run of the year in the bottom of the fifth. That was Callahan’s fourth homer in five games, and the well rounded outfielder is starting to make a serious push toward Toledo.

In the sixth, Meyers led off with a single and stole second base. He eventually scored on throwing error, while Exposito walked and Seth Stephenson singled. Stephenson stole second base, and a swinging bunt toward third from John Peck scored Exposito as Peck beat out the throw to first. Stephenson never stopped running and tore around third base and home under a tag at the plate for an 8-6 lead.

Dariel Fregio and Tyler Owens were each excellent in relief, throwing a pair of scoreless innings apiece.

Callahan: 1-3, R, RBI, HR, BB, K (.913 OPS on the year)

Bigbie: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, K

Stephenson: 3-5, R, 2B, SB

Peña: 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start on Thursday with the SeaWolves up 2-0 in the series.

West Michigan Whitecaps 8, Lake County Captains 4 (box)

Ben Jacobs was a little wild in this one, which made for another relatively short outing, but he allowed just one run while his teammates went off at the plate.

Jacobs struck out the side in the bottom of the first, and in the top of the second, Clayton Campbell singled with one out and took second on a wild pitch. Luke Shliger flew out, but Cristian Santana drew a walk to keep the inning alive. Juan Hernandez singled in Campbell, and Caleb Shpur singled in Santana for a 2-0 lead.

Jackson Strong, Garrett Pennington, and Bryce Rainer all walked in the third, but Pennington was thrown out in a double steal attempt with Strong taking third, and they couldn’t push across a run.

Jacobs walked the first two hitters in the fourth, and wild pitched a runner to third. A single scored the run before Jacobs dug in for a strikeout, pop up, and a ground out to escape the inning.

So it was 2-1 Whitecaps, and it was quickly 3-1 when Woody Hadeen and Strong doubled back-to-back to start the fifth. In the seventh, Shpur singled, and Strong walked before Pennington mashed a three-run shot to left center field for a 6-1 lead.

Logan Berrier gave up a run to the Captains in the seventh to make it 6-2. he gave up a two-run shot in the eighth as well.

However, Strong launched a two-run shot to right in the top of the ninth to make it 8-4 and put this one away. After a solid but unspectacular first two months, Strong is suddenly scorching hot. The strikeout rate is still way too high, but he’s homered four times in five games and may be turning the corner a bit.

Strong: 2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, 2 BB, K, SB

Campbell: 2-5, R, K

Pennington; 1-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, BB, 2 K

Jacobs: 4.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: The series is tied heading into a 7:00 p.m. ET start on Thursday.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 10, Clearwater Threshers 1 (box)

Cash Kuiper put together a solid start and the bats were hot as the Flying Tigers built an early lead and then poured it on to take a 2-0 lead in the series on Wednesday.

Kuiper wasn’t getting a ton of whiffs, but he spun five innings of one run ball.

The offense took over in the top of the second as Carson Rucker walked with two outs. Singles from Nick Dumesnil and Jack Goodman followed for a 1-0 lead. Anibal Salas doubled in both runs, and then scored on a Jordan Yost double for a 4-0 lead.

In the fifth, Jesus Pinto, Beau Ankeney, and Edian Espinal all singled with one-out. That scored one run, and Rucker drew a two out walk to load the bases. Dumesnil was hit by a pitch to make it 6-1, but that was all they’d get.

However, in the top of the sixth, Salas was hit by a pitch to leadoff the inning, and Yost then went deep to right field with a 102.3 mph shot for his first home run of the season. 8-1 Lakeland.

Later in the inning, Espinal doubled and scored on a Jude Warwick single. Yost was walked with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth to make it 10-1.

Win Scott, Andrew Pogue, and Eliseo Mota were all solid in relief, allowing just two baserunners over the final four innings.

Yost: 2-5, R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, BB, K

Espinal: 2-3, R, RBI, 2B, 2 BB

Salas: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, K

Kuiper (W, 1-2): 5.0 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start on Thursday as the Flying Tigers look to run their winning streak to four.

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Which Yankees reliever do you have the highest hopes for?

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 09: New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) makes the call to the bullpen during the eighth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians on June 9, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It’s less a question of “if” than “when” as it pertains to whether the Yankees will add to their bullpen this year. Though the consternation over the club’s relief unit has been overblown (the bullpen does have the third-best ERA and best expected ERA in the American League right now), it’s clear the Yankees plan to make some sort of alterations to a group that contains a few question marks.

As of now, there’s probably only two guys out there that fans would pencil in with relative confidence as late-inning guys, in David Bednar and Fernando Cruz. That pair, barring injury, will almost certainly factor into the Yankees’ high-leverage plans throughout the year. After that, it’s anyone’s guess how the hierarchy will shake out.

Outside of Cruz and Bednar, which Yankees reliever are you most optimistic about? As shaky as the group has felt at times, there are some decent choices to pick from. Maybe the most obvious choice is Camilo Doval, whose 100-mph cutters and sinkers force one to wonder how it’s even possible that he’s not a dominant reliever. Doval has looked better lately after a terrible first couple of weeks of the season, but he’s still got an unimpressive 5.47 ERA and 3.99 FIP for the year.

Perhaps you’ve bought into Brent Headrick, who actually leads the Yankee bullpen in fWAR and narrowly trails Cruz in rWAR. Though he won’t run a 2.03 ERA all year, Headrick has done an admirable job missing bats and limiting homers, sitting 94-95 mph from the left side. There’s also Paul Blackburn, whose quietly been excellent at managing contact this year, and has seen his fastball velo tick up toward 95 mph, the hardest of his career.

There’s of course Tim Hill, the early-season hero who’s numbers have taken a hit after a few bad outings lately, but still has the look of a good contact-manager. There could ostensibly be some Jake Bird believers out there, with the right-hander posting totally cogent fielding-independent numbers. One could even cape for the flame-throwing Yovanny Cruz, who impressed in a cup of coffee with the Yankees, but whose control problems (he walks 4.5 per nine in the minors) have likely kept the team from committing to him.

Look up and down the bullpen, and the Yankees really have managed to coax fine production from most of their relievers this year, but there just aren’t many that inspire iron-clad confidence. If you had to choose one, which of the Yankees’ relievers that aren’t fully in the Circle of Trust now would you bet on to ascend there by season’s end?

It’ll be a relatively light day, as we all catch a breather while the Yankees travel back from Cleveland. In the morning, John wonders whether Paul Blackburn can take the Luke Weaver route to a high-leverage relief role, and Andrew recaps Wednesday’s American League action. Later, Matt’s entry in our Yankee Birthday series highlights Dan Topping, and Andres analyzes the dismal production the Yankees have gotten from their catchers at the plate the last few weeks.

Today’s Matchup

Offday.

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What would the Penguins have looked like if they could have kept Jordan Staal?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 09: Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his power-play goal against Carter Hart #79 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of Game Four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 09, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

In hockey, as in life, the game of what if’s can go just about any direction possible.

By now the story about the end of Jordan Staal’s stint with the Penguins is fairly famous since it gets repeated just about nightly on national hockey telecasts. Which, hey, why not, since it is such a colorful story to tell. News that the Pens traded Staal to Carolina broke on his wedding night in the summer of 2012, while he was surrounded by many teammates in what understandably had to be a crazy and surreal scene. What is often left out of the story for brevity before moving onto other subjects is that Staal decided to reject a 10-year contract offer from Pittsburgh earlier that week and would have been an unrestricted free agent in 2013, so it wasn’t like a major trade on NHL draft night was a true bolt out of nowhere, it just happened to have bad timing since it was when his wedding was scheduled. (Interestingly enough, Staal would soon sign a 10-year contract once traded to the Hurricanes with a $6.0 million cap hit, the exact offer that was on the table from the Pens).

So, in that sense, what was done was about the only result that could have happened, pragmatically-speaking. Pittsburgh made their best shot to keep Staal, and at the time he felt it in his best interests to decline. The only real ‘what if’ has to start based around changing Staal’s answer in the first place.

Which leads to the great hypothetical: what if Staal would have signed with the Penguins in 2012?

The first issue to confront and address would be the NHL’s salary cap in 2013-14, when the new contract would have kicked in. It was set at $64.3 million. Adding Staal at a $6 million cap would have been 9.3% of the salary cap, which to put into today’s dollars on a $104 million cap would be the equivalent of a $10.1 million cap hit.

Add Staal to Crosby and Malkin (each at 13.5% of the cap, $8.7m hits, with Malkin increasing to $9.5m in 2014-15) plus Marc-Andre Fleury and Paul Martin’s matching $5m hits would have taken up 52% of the total space in 2013-14 for just those five players. A massive problem in the latter part of the Ray Shero era was finding enough talent to create a quality team around their star players, retaining Staal would have compounded that issue even further, likely to negative results for the club’s overall success in that 2013-18 range (did anything good end up happening then for the Pens?).

Had Staal stayed, the shape of the Penguins would have had to morph drastically as a result. That might start with Chris Kunitz, Pittsburgh had Kunitz re-sign in 2013 for a $3.85 million cap hit for 2014-15 (at the time the Malkin+Letang increases kicked in). Jam Staal into the Pens’ structure and that would have made for a sticky situation to keep Kunitz. A $3.85 million contract might not sound like a lot from the 2026 perspective, but back then that was 5.6% of the cap, comparable to $5.8 million in today’s cap dollars. (And, let’s not forget both Crosby+Malkin would be at $13.5m each in today’s dollars. Throw Staal’s $10 in there and suddenly we can understand the math isn’t adding up for someone like Kunitz).

Going down that rabbit hole, beyond just someone like Kunitz – the possibility can’t be dismissed that Pittsburgh keeping Staal would directly tie to having to shed one of Malkin or Kris Letang in the 2013 or 2014 range prior to their next contracts in 2014-15. Letang’s 10.5% of the cap contract in 2014-15 is almost an $11 million contract in 2026-27 dollars. At some point it was fated to become an inevitability that the core of high picks of Fleury-Malkin-Crosby-Staal couldn’t be retained indefinitely in those early days of a restrictive salary cap once they got into their high-earning days. The way the timing and contract lengths worked out it ended up being be Staal as the first to go due to his unrestricted free agency coming up the soonest.

There’s more possibilities for change in every area you look. Staal staying with the Pens could have altered whether or not the Pens acquired Brendan Morrow the following spring in 2013. That proved significant since of the pick Dallas sent to Pittsburgh ended up being used on Jake Guentzel, and Pittsburgh wouldn’t have been in position to select Guentzel without having that pick. Therefore, it’s conceivable that keeping Staal could have changed the course of the franchise in ways both obvious and under the surface. Changing any one decision can have a cascading effect down the line for everything else that is to come in ways large and small. That’s deep into the butterfly flapping its wings causing a tornado on the other side of the continent, but the direct line can be traced just the same.

The other glaring result without requiring a deep dive is that Brian Dumoulin and Nick Bonino were added to the organization via the Staal trade (Dumoulin coming directly from Carolina, Bonino traded for Brandon Sutter, a piece Pittsburgh got for Staal) and those two were instrumental in the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cups. Dropping Staal meant increasing the team’s depth, eventually leading to success. It’s possible there’s a path that includes keeping Staal leads to championships in the mid-2010’s, but it would be difficult to do the same or better than how the reality played out – with the Staal trade leaving no small lasting effect on the Pens.

In the end, without the benefit of viewing a parallel universe to see how it all played out under slightly different circumstances, we ultimately couldn’t say for sure what would have happened if Jordan Staal agreed to a contract with the Penguins. Maybe the Pens don’t have Malkin and never drafted Guentzel. It also doesn’t have to be negative, maybe the Pens would have traded for some excellent players that we can’t even fathom now because their focus was changed. Literally any potential scenario is possible once getting into that realm, without any one clear path.

Regardless of exactly how the Pens with Staal post-2012 would have panned out, it is indisputable that a large number of team construction decisions would have been different to make it all work with the salary cap. Without going too off the rails, we can take comfort that fate generally worked out the best for all parties- especially now that Staal has seen his 14 years in Carolina pay off by helping get them within reach of a Stanley Cup. In the end, Staal’s choice not to sign with the Pens and Pittsburgh’s use of the resources they got from him helped to bring two more Stanley Cups to Western Pennsylvania, while also sending out what would have been a very successful and popular player away from the team that drafted him, allowing him to get onto his next chapter that’s still being written.

But we can always stop to wonder how it might have gone if that decision was different..

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Cavs final report card: Tyrese Proctor

Apr 6, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Tyrese Proctor (24) drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward (23) defends during the third quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Being selected 49th overall, Tyrese Proctor faced an uphill battle for relevance in his rookie season. Even though his playing time was uneven, he showed that there’s a pathway to battle for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ backup point guard spot as early as next season.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Regular Season Stats

  • 5.4 points
  • 1.3 rebounds
  • 1.5 assists
  • 41.3% FG
  • 35% 3PT FG
  • 88.9% FT

It’s tough to break into the rotation on a playoff team as a rookie, never mind a second-round pick on a team with a dearth of guards. Proctor was always going to have to flash in his limited meaningful minutes with the Cavaliers this past season. For the most part, he showed that he could be up to the task with more development.

Proctor’s bread and butter is his jumper. In college, Proctor shot the three-ball around 40%. While that number dipped down to around 35% in the NBA, it could climb back up with more stable minutes in the future.

The majority of the opportunities Proctor was presented with came either in garbage time or in short bursts. The Cavaliers have done this before, most recently with Jaylon Tyson, sprinkling in some quality runs to get the young guy familiar with the system in meaningful moments.

Proctor has a lot physically going for him, he is 6’5” and has a good frame for showing combo guard potential. The Duke product isn’t a defensive hound by any means, but the instincts shown this past season give hope that there is potential for two-way play. The size gives him a huge advantage, while the athleticism is enough to create havoc in passing lanes and make smaller guards’ lives harder.

Where Proctor really struggled with was playmaking for others. It felt like sometimes the game was a little too fast. Proctor was forcing passes to make the perfect read, which while showing that he can see the floor, he didn’t necessarily have the ability yet to convert on those reads.

Proctor had 40 turnovers compared to 74 assists. A 1.85 assist-to-turnover ratio is not great, however, it is fair to note that going forward it is likely that this primary facilitator role will be held by either Donovan Mitchell or James Harden. It will be imperative that Proctor can alleviate either for possessions at a time rather than for entire games. Proctor will rarely, if ever, be the point guard of the Cavaliers’ offensive ecosystem.

Proctor’s road map is definitely there for next season. The Cavaliers have Dennis Schroeder and Craig Porter Jr. on the books vying for that backup point guard spot. Neither really offers much upside, so it’ll be a perfect opportunity for Proctor to flash his offensive skills and make use of his frame on defense.

The rookie laid a decent foundation for his role with the Cavaliers. With increased reps, Proctor could rise to become a valuable contributor sooner rather than later.

Grade: B