Category: Sports News

On Saturday, July 11, Major League Baseball will host its 61st annual Rule 4 draft, better known as the first-year player draft. Thanks to their 83-79 record during the 2025 season, the Mets were lined up to make the 17th overall pick. Since the Mets exceeded the Competitive Balance Tax threshold by more than $40 million, their first-round selection will drop 10 places to 27 instead.

Because the Mets signed Bo Bichette, a free agent who rejected a qualifying offer over the off-season, the team forfeited its second-highest pick in the draft, meaning they will not be making a pick in the second round. Their next pick will instead be in the third round, the 92nd selection overall. Following that, they will be making the 120th overall pick in the fourth round, 152nd pick in the fifth round, 181st pick in the sixth round, 210th pick in the seventh round, 240th pick in the eighth round, 270th pick in the ninth round, 300th pick in the tenth round, and a selection every thirty picks in rounds 11-20.

The Mets have a $6,730,900 bonus pool to work with in the 2026 MLB Draft, the third lowest behind the Blue Jays and their $5,543,100 pool and the Dodgers and their $3,951,900 pool. In entirety, all 30 teams have been allotted $358,662,500 by Major League Baseball, an increase from $350,357,700 last season, as pick values have increased by 2.5 percent, reflecting MLB revenue increases.

The Mets’ first-round selection, the 27th overall pick, has an MLB-assigned slot value of $3,466,500. Their third-round selection, the 92nd overall pick, has an $859,900 slot value. Their fourth-round selection, the 120th overall pick, has a $645,100. Their fifth-round selection, the 152nd overall pick, $472,500 slot value. Their sixth-round selection, the 181st overall pick, has a $364,600 slot value. Their seventh-round selection, the 210th overall pick, has a $287,800 slot value. Their eighth-round selection, the 240th overall pick, has a $232,100 slot value. Their ninth-round selection, the 270th overall pick, has a $207,200 slot value. Their tenth-round selection, the 300th overall pick, has a $195,200 slot value.

In order to be eligible to be selected in the 2026 MLB Draft, a player must meet the criteria applicable to them:

• Be a resident of, or have attended an educational institution in, the United States, Canada, or a U.S. territory such as Puerto Rico. Players from other countries are not subject to the draft and can be signed by any team unless they have attended an educational institution in the aforementioned areas.
• Have never signed a major or minor league contract.
• High school players are eligible only after graduation, and if they have not attended college.
• Players at four-year colleges and universities are eligible three years after first enrolling in such an institution, or after their 21st birthdays (whichever occurs first).
• Junior and community college players are eligible to be drafted at any time.

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The San Diego Padres were blown out by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the series opener of this NL West battle.

My Diamondbacks vs. Padres predictions and MLB picks see value in backing the home team to respond in Game 2.

Who will win Diamondbacks vs Padres today: Padres moneyline (-125)

Neither offense is potent against right-handed pitching, but the San Diego Padres are in better form. They are +1.6 weighted runs above average vs. righties over the last month, while the Arizona Diamondbacks come in at -12.4.

The Padres have potential for a ceiling performance against Zac Gallen, who has posted a 5.85 xERA or worse in seven consecutive starts — and conceded at least four runs in six of them.

If German Marquez can pitch an inning or two, Johnny Brito and his extreme ground-ball profile in the minors should help him survive. Bet this to -135.

COVERS INTEL: Zac Gallen has been one of the league's worst pitchers, ranking in the second percentile in pitcher run value.

Diamondbacks vs Padres Over/Under pick: Over 9 (-105)

These offenses are nothing to write home about, and I’m not sure it matters. The pitching is that poor.

Gallen has posted a 7.24 ERA over his past 12 starts, conceding an average of 4.6 runs when he takes the bump. Only once during that stretch did he allow fewer than three runs.

The Padres are going with Marquez as an opener, a minor leaguer in bulk, then turning to a bullpen that ranks dead last in FIP over the past two weeks.

I like the Over and would play it to -115.

Diamondbacks vs Padres weather

Temperatures are expected to be in the low 70s with winds blowing east. This weather shouldn't be impactful one way or the other. 

Diamondbacks vs Padres odds

• Moneyline: Diamondbacks +105 | Padres -125
• Run line: Diamondbacks +1.5 (-180) | Padres -1.5 (+155)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-120) | Under 8.5 (+100)

Diamondbacks vs Padres trend

The Diamondbacks have only cashed the moneyline in 14 of their last 35 games for -8.45 units and a -21% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Diamondbacks vs. Padres.

How to watch Diamondbacks vs Padres and game info

Diamondbacks vs Padres latest injuries

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For a team in a position where every win matters, continuing to hand away games simply cannot continue.

At some point, every branch will break. The branch carrying Mike Burrows on the Astros broke yesterday.

Staked to a 6-1 lead, Burrows proceeded to hand it all back in the 3rd inning, giving up a 5 spot as fans (and likely teammates) watched in horror as Burrows continues to get banged around the yard. He wasn’t fooling anyone, his manager Joe Espada admitted in the post game, lamenting Burrows inability to get a swing and miss with either his fastball or his changeup.

Burrows fastball has been the stuff of legend this season, for all the wrong reasons. It has been among the worst pitches in baseball this season. The league is batting .309 with an incredible .721 SLG vs Burrows 4-seam. He did not get a single swing and miss on 18 4-seamers yesterday against the Nationals. That is astounding. Astoundingly awful.

After 94.2 IP this season, Burrows is now 4-9 with a 5.99 ERA. That is the highest ERA for any Astros pitcher after 50 innings in the Astros uniform ever. Worse than Colton Gordon (5.95). Worse that Frances Martes (5.80). Worse than the Traitorous Rat Fink who shall not be named (5.22).

This isn’t “early struggles” anymore. This is broken.

That doesn’t mean Burrows cannot be fixed. As Espada so often reminds us, he is a young pitcher, and his stuff is there. The Astros Lab, which has made countless pitchers far more effective in a short period of time, has thus far been unable to solve the riddle of Burrows.

This far into the season, those riddles need to be solved in the minors.

Houston cannot in good conscience continue to send Burrows out every 5th to 6th day, and look the rest of the team in the yes and say they are committed to winning. Burrows is now a reclamation project.

Perhaps if this were not the 3rd straight year in which the Astros pitching staff had been beset by a plethora of injuries, things would be a little different. Maybe he would feel less pressure. Alas, that isn’t the reality in Houston.

To have seen Burrows be so thoroughly dominant in Spring Training and so abjectly awful in the regular season is also a point of frustration.

Yes, there was a point in time where Burrows was grading as an “unlucky” pitcher. The issue with that is he would give up an unlucky hit or two, and then groove one that got blasted into the seats with alarming regularity.

Where is the bulldog? Where is the desire to battle back?

Too often it seems Burrows simply melts down when there are men on base. It happened again yesterday, in the 3rd inning when he surrendered 5 runs without recording an out. He then allowed a leadoff homer in the 5th, and loaded the bases with one out before being lifted.

He put 11 men on base in 4.1 innings, he also committed an error.

By the time the 5th inning was over, Burrows allowed 10 runs, 7 earned. The Astros 6-1 lead had become a 12-6 deficit, one they would not be able to overcome in a 12-11 loss.

6-1 leads should be automatic.

This was the 10th start in which Burrows allowed at least 4 earned runs. He’s made 17 total starts. That is nearly 60% of his starts, the Astros need at least 5 runs to win. Houston is 2-8 is those 10 starts.

The Astros have been patient enough. Espada continues to speak in a coddling manner of him, always mentioning he is a young pitcher, and they need to put him in good situations. Is a 6-1 lead not a good situation?

The time has come and the time is now.

Cristian Javier is on the active roster. Lance McCullers Jr. and Ronel Blanco are both making what could be their final rehab appearances tonight for Sugar Land, in which they could both be looking at 70-75 pitches (they each threw 60 pitches in their last rehab starts). Ethan Pecko was just named PCL pitcher of the month after posting a 2.48 ERA in 29 IP with a 20/6 K/BB ratio.

All of them are better options than Burrows. Considering the Astros have relied on pitchers coming back from injury in the second half each of the past two seasons with suboptimal results, it is likely important to assess what you can expect from McCullers and Blanco (and later Hayden Wesneski, who isn’t far behind either of them) so that they don’t potentially make that mistake again this season. Houston needs to assess it’s needs at starting pitcher over the next few weeks leading to the trade deadline, because it already knows it needs a lefthanded outfield bat.

Houston has shown there is a limit to it’s patience with players they have invested in (time or money) this season when they recently demoted CF Jake Meyers. Meyers has been on the team since 2021, and they have tolerated awful offense from him before. That patience finally wore out, and centerfield has been turned over to the platoon of Taylor Trammell and Brice Matthews.

They need to do the same now with Burrows. Cut your losses. Quarterize the wound. Get him right at Sugar Land.

Maybe he comes back later in the year. Maybe he comes back next year. Maybe the deal winds up being a bust.

Should Mike Burrows be optioned is no longer a maybe. It’s a necessity. Time is up.

On Monday, ahead of their entertaining blowout victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, the San Francisco Giants released a bunch of medical updates for their injured players.

Perhaps most important is that third baseman Matt Chapman, who is dealing with an abdominal strain, was set to re-join the team on Monday, and will be re-evaluated. The Giants aren’t giving a timeline, but it seems likely that his return date will be the first game out of the All-Star break, which is on July 17.

Catcher Daniel Susac, who has a lower back strain, has started his swing progression, and is throwing up to 105 feet. He’ll start running later this week, so he’s still a little ways away, but not too far.

Center fielder Harrison Bader, who has left plantar fasciitis, took batting practice yesterday and will run today. The Giants will take it very carefully with him, but he’s at least trending in the right direction.

Lefty reliever Matt Gage, who left a game over the weekend with an elbow strain, had an MRI yesterday and was set to be re-evaluated. It unfortunately looks likely that Tommy John surgery is in his future.

Righty reliever Joel Peguero, who has been rehabbing his left hamstring strain in Arizona, is set to throw a live batting practice session today. Hopefully he can kick off a rehab assignment soon. Fellow righty reliever José Buttó is throwing four times a week, and up to 75 feet. It seems unlikely that he’ll pitch again this season, though.

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The Athletics visit the Detroit Tigers tonight as they look to take advantage of Tarik Skubal's struggles. 

My Athletics vs. Tigers predictions and MLB picks are expecting the A's to jump on Skubal as they continue to hit the ball hard. 

Who will win A's vs Tigers today: A's moneyline (+158)

Tarik Skubal hasn’t looked like his dominant self lately. The Detroit Tigers lefty owns a 5.04 FIP over the last month while allowing 2.82 HR/9. Although opponents have only a 31.5% hard-hit rate during that span, his 13% barrel rate is concerning.

That could be problematic against an Athletics offense producing a 47.5% hard-hit rate over its last five games while averaging five runs per contest.

J.T. Ginn has been inconsistent, posting a 5.28 FIP over his last two starts, but opponents own just a 33.3% hard-hit rate against him. Ginn doesn’t need to dominate here, but he can keep Detroit within reach.

I'll play this pick down to +110. 

COVERS INTEL: Tarik Skubal has been worse at home, posting a 3.89 FIP compared to a 2.65 mark on the road. 

A's vs Tigers Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+109)

This certainly doesn't profile to be a pitcher's duel. We're looking at two offenses swinging it incredibly well, and both starters have also been vulnerable to the long ball lately. 

Detroit's lineup has a .212 ISO over the last week while carrying a 41% hard-hit rate. The A's offense, as previously mentioned, is also in good form.

This Tigers bullpen is also a concern when Skubal does exit, posting a 5.99 FIP across their last 16.1 innings. As for the Athletics pen, they've been even worse, compiling a horrible 7.32 FIP over their last 22.1 frames. 

We should see runs tonight, and I'd play this pick up to -110. 

A's vs Tigers weather

Conditions should be favorable at Comerica Park tonight, with clear skies and temperatures hovering in the upper 70s throughout the game. Humidity will sit around 68% to 73%, while winds remain light at roughly 6 to 8 mph. With virtually no chance of rain, delays aren't a concern, and the warm conditions could provide a slight boost to ball carry without creating a major weather edge.

A's vs Tigers odds

• Moneyline: A's +163 | Tigers -170
• Run line: A's +1.5 (-127) | Tigers -1.5 (+122)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+113) | Under 8.5 (-117)

A's vs Tigers trend

The Athletics have cashed the moneyline in 22 of their last 40 road games for +7.50 units and a 18% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for A's vs. Tigers.

How to watch A's vs Tigers and game info

A's vs Tigers latest injuries

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