LeBron James is an unrestricted free agent after coming off an expiring contract. NBAE via Getty Images
Add in Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes and the Lakers have several unrestricted free agents who’ll draw interest from other teams.
That’s before getting to Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, both of whom have player options for next season.
The Lakers have made it clear they aren’t satisfied with how the 2025-26 season went after falling short of their ultimate goal of competing for an NBA title. And they need roster upgrades to achieve the championship roster they’re looking to surround superstar guard Luka Doncic with going into the 2026-27 season.
Unrestricted free agency is one of the many tools to make those upgrades.
Top teams have signed unrestricted free agents in their quest for a championship — from role players such as Spurs big man Luke Kornet during the 2025 offseason to stars such as Knicks guard Jalen Brunson during the 2022 offseason.
Besides James and Reaves, there won’t be any realistic star-level players available for the Lakers to potentially land.
But there are impactful ones.
Which unrestricted free agents who weren’t already on their roster should the Lakers target this summer?
One of the Lakers’ biggest offseason priorities should be acquiring a center — or multiple big men — who better fit alongside Doncic.
A rim runner and lob threat who’s efficient with finishing at the basket.
A shot blocker and rim protector.
Someone who can make an impact on the offensive and defensive boards.
A center who’ll still make an impact with their energy and effort even if they’re not consistently getting touches offensively.
Williams checks many of these boxes as an ideal big man target for the Lakers.
The biggest concern is his availability after several injury-riddled seasons, primarily to his knees.
Williams’ 59 regular-season games played for the Trail Blazers last season are his most since 2021-22 and the second most of his career (behind the 61 he played as a full-time starter for the Celtics in 2021-22) since being the No. 27 pick in the 2018 draft.
And he’s averaged just 17.4 minutes in 85 games (four starts) over the last three regular seasons with the Trail Blazers — far from a workload expected of a starting center.
But in a limited role and for the right salary, Williams could make an impact for the Lakers in the ways they need.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has had some durability issues. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Similar to Williams, Robinson comes with his own durability concerns.
His 60 regular-season games played are his most since 2021-22, when he played a career-high 72 games including 62 starts.
He also played 59 games (58 starts) in 2022-23 before back-to-back injury-truncated seasons in 2023-24 (31 games played) and 2024-25 (17 games played).
But Robinson is a rebounding machine on both ends of the floor, a reliable rim protector and a strong finisher who remains a vertical threat near the basket.
And he has more experience with a higher workload compared to Williams, averaging 24.5 minutes from 2019-24 before coming off the bench regularly the last two seasons (19 minutes per game).
Robinson, the Knicks’ second-round pick in 2018, may be difficult to pry from New York after his contributions to its postseason success over the last few years, including this dominant run to the NBA Finals against the Spurs.
The Lakers know as well as any team the kind of impact Goodwin provides.
He was a key part of the Lakers’ rotation to close the 2024-25 season, showcasing his offensive rebounding talent, disruptive perimeter defense and improved 3-point shooting.
But the Lakers waived Goodwin last summer to make financial room to sign Smart, with Goodwin showing the improvements he made last season were here to stay.
Goodwin’s in line to receive a more lucrative contract this offseason after making $2.3 million in 2025-26.
Cavaliers guard Keon Ellis is one of the better young 3-and-D guards in the league. NBAE via Getty Images
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JANUARY 09: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks handles the ball against Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of the NBA game at Mortgage Matchup Center on January 09, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Knicks 112-107. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Phoenix Suns already built one Finals team around Devin Booker back in 2021. Chris Paul was next to him in the backcourt, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson on the wings, Deandre Ayton looked like a budding star, and Cam Johnson and Cam Payne brought the energy, shooting, and defense off the bench. They’re looking to build another.
That Suns team is a distant memory, and team building is drastically different from what it was five years ago when Phoenix was just two games from hoisting the franchise’s first Larry O’Brien trophy.
Game 1 of the NBA finals was a reminder of this reality. Whether Mat Ishbia and Brian Gregory’s plan is for Booker to be the team’s best player for the future or to pair him with someone better, Phoenix needs to start building like the Spurs and Knicks have. There is more to a team than its best players.
There OBVIOUSLY is no Victor Wembanyama (they already tried that with Bol Bol, haha) walking through the door, but both teams have created rosters around their best players not just by strong drafting, but with strong asset management, being financially responsible, and focusing on player development.
As New York continued to demonstrate to the league that they were a formidable opponent, back in 2023, the Knicks traded RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for OG Anunoby. If New York had jumped on offers to send either of them to the Jazz more than a year earlier for Donovan Mitchell, it would’ve been much harder for them to acquire the all-defensive guard. Months before the trade, New York had the opportunity to extend Quickley before the season and did not. If they did, it would have changed the financials of the trade and made it harder to acquire Anunoby
Signings like Landry Shamet and Julian Champagnie have given both teams not only shooting, but also another player whom they can rely on off the bench that provides spacing for the team’s ball handlers. Development projects Keldon Johnson and Deuce McBride are examples of how San Antonio and New York can help non-lottery draft picks progress into key pieces. Johnson just won Sixth Man of the Year this season, and McBride shot over 40% from three this year.
This is not to say the Suns have not made drastic improvements since they traded Kevin Durant and bought out Bradley Beal. Collin Gillespie’s development is an example of how the team can develop young players into strong contributors. Dillon Brooks could be the team’s version of Anunoby with his defensive tenacity and improved scoring, but the Suns are nowhere near either of the NBA’s finalists, despite the fact that they went 4-2 against both of them in the regular season.
Down the stretch of the year, the team showed its lack of athleticism, depth, and offensive punch. They went 6-10 in their final ten games as they hobbled into the playoffs.
The West looks to be even better and deeper next season. Not only will the Thunder and Spurs both be back and be a year more experienced, the Rockets’ young players will be even better, Cooper Flagg will be a year better and even the Jazz, after years of being at the bottom of the standings, could be a formidable opponent next season after acquiring former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. and adding whoever they select with the second pick in this month’s draft.
Whether it’s acquiring more assets or staying patient, Phoenix can take a page out of San Antonio and New York’s playbooks on how to build an elite roster around its top-end talent.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA - MARCH 20, 2026: Joseph Dzierwa #67 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches during the seventh inning of a Spring Breakout game against the Boston Red Sox at Ed Smith Stadium on March 20, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Trey Gibson did well on the mound, and was supported by a solid showing from the lineup to get Norfolk it’s first win of June.
Gibson delivered 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, a walk, and six strikeouts. It’s possible that his next start comes in an Orioles uniform since Chris Bassitt is now dealing with back tightness. The pair’s rotation spots line up perfect if Gibson is needed. Dietrich Enns took the win, although it wasn’t because he pitched well. In 1.2 innings, the lefty allowed two runs on three hits and a strikeout. Nick Raquet snagged his first save of the season with a shutout ninth inning.
It was an active night for the Tides offense. They had 10 hits and six walks. All six runs were scored by the first three hitters in the lineup. Christian Encarnacion-Strand led the way. He had three hits in the game, including two home runs. Heston Kjerstad added two hits, a double, and two runs scored. His Triple-A OPS is up to .757. Creed Willems had two hits and two walks. Johnathan Rodríguez doubled as a pinch hitter. Tommy Pham went 0-for-3 with two walks and two strikeouts.
It was a great night of pitching for Chesapeake until a ninth inning collapse cost them the game.
Joseph Dzierwa made his third start at Double-A, and this was his best one yet. Over 6.2 innings, the southpaw gave up just one run on three hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. His ERA is down to 3.24 with the Baysox. Micah Ashman followed with 1.1 shutout frames, which included two strikeouts. Ryan Long, unfortunately, was unable to lock things down in the ninth. He allowed singles to the first three hitters of the inning. Then, he managed to strike out the next two, nearly sneaking out of the jam altogether. But he wouldn’t quite get there as he served up a two-RBI double to put the Baysox in the hole.
All of the Chesapeake runs came in on home runs. Anderson De Los Santos hit a solo shot in the second inning, and Ethan Anderson drove in a pair with his eighth inning bomb. They didn’t have many opportunities outside of that, going 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Tavian Josenberger did have two hits and a stolen base, his 18th of the season. But there were very few other highlights.
High-A: Frederick Keys 10, Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees) 3
The Keys scored their runs in bunches, putting up five in the third and four more in the eighth. That was plenty to support a trio of pitchers that, as a group, had a solid night.
Every member of the Frederick lineup reached base at least once, and all but one of them had a hit. Ryan Stafford, a fifth round pick in 2024, is not one of the names that usually leads these recaps, but he had a big game on Wednesday. His three hits led the team, and he hit his fourth double of the season. Wehiwa Aloy drove in three runs as part of his 2-for-3 night that included two walks. Ike Irish doubled, walked, and drove in two runs. A pair of rehabbing outfielders made contributions as well. Enrique Bradfield Jr. went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored while Douglas Hodo hit a home run.
Boston Bateman started on the mound, but would last just three innings. In those three innings he allowed three runs on four walks and six strikeouts. He was likely pulled due to pitch count because it took him 79 pitches to get those nine outs. It was smooth sailing from there. Keagan Gillies worked a scoreless fourth inning, and then Twine Palmer worked five shutout frames to close out the win.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 10, Augusta GreenJackets (Braves) 5
A rare offensive outburst for the Shorebirds gave them their first win in more than a week, beating the Braves affiliate on Wednesday night.
Delamarva had oodles of opportunities to score runs. They went 5-for-19 with runners in scoring position. Jordan Sanchez may have been the star of the night, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, three runs scored, three RBI, and a stolen base. Edwin Amparo was right behind him, hitting a double, a home run, and driving in two runs. Jaiden Lo Re, a 2025 draft pick making his Low-A debut, drove in three runs and had two hits. Stiven Martinez and Braylon Whitaker added a stolen base each.
Shorebirds starter Brayan Orrantia was responsible for all four runs (three earned) that the team allowed. All four runs scored in the fourth inning after Orrantia had navigated the first three frames unscathed. In the fourth he retired the first two batters before giving up, in order, a single, a home run, a walk, a single, and another single. That forced them to turn to Michael Caldon. He recorded four outs and allowed one run. Then it was up to Dalton Neuschwander, who was great. He worked four shutout innings and gave up just one hit while striking out four.
There may be others than myself, but I was sure the Cubs were going to have to slaughter the ball to keep the game close while the A’s batters were aiming bombs out onto Waveland and Sheffield off of Jameson Taillon. This is a perfect example why I don’t gamble. As it turns out, Taillon was more than just good or solid — he offered up just one mistake while the Cubs’ offense was a giant mistake all night long.
Hence, part 47 of Trade MumblingsTM .
There is some good action going on in the minors, Boyd (who protects his kids’ reputation) and Cabrera are due back in the rotation. Maybe my concerns of how are the Cubs going to remove Taillon from the rotation have subsided and will stay that way.
We can laugh at Kyle Tucker, and we can try out another pitcher in the bullpen. We can hope PCA is on his way back (toward) his first half 2025 performance. And continue to wonder will that final piece will fall into place for Alex Bregman.
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Field Level Media (Deadspin): Cubs continue search for offense against Athletics. “The Chicago Cubs continue to be stuck in an offensive slump that has seen the club score three or fewer runs in 10 of its past 16 games.”
Tyler Courtney (LastWordOnSports.com): Are the Cubs Still Built to Win the NL Central This Season? “Much of the blame has been on the hitters and pitchers, who, besides the top players, have been inconsistent this season. Now, the Cubs’ division race has become far more complicated.”
Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Sun-Times): Chicago Cubs manage just 4 hits — all singles — in 2-1 loss to Athletics: ‘This has been a wake-up call’. “Going six innings between hits isn’t a recipe for offensive success. Two costly outs on the bases don’t help either. Failing to record an extra-base hit while being limited to just four total won’t result in many wins. The Chicago Cubs hit the trifecta in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Athletics, squandering right-hander Jameson Taillon’s quality start in the process.“
Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): A conversation with Alex Bregman on bat speed, mechanics and his power search. “Over his last 19 games, he’s hitting .300 with a 122 wRC+. If he did that the rest of the year, it’d probably be fine. Still, there’s one aspect of his game that’s largely been lacking: Bregman hasn’t hit for much power.”
Otis Rush Jr. (April 29, 1934 – September 29, 2018) was an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. His distinctive guitar style featured a slow-burning sound and long bent notes. With qualities similar to the styles of other 1950s artists Magic Sam and Buddy Guy, his sound became known as West Side Chicago blues and was an influence on many musicians, including Michael Bloomfield, Peter Green and Eric Clapton.
Rush was left-handed and played as such; however, his guitars were strung with the low E string at the bottom, upside-down from typical guitarists. He often played with the little finger of his pick hand curled under the low E for positioning. It is widely believed that this contributed to his distinctive sound. He had a wide-ranging, powerful tenor voice.
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ST. LOUIS, MO - MAY 13: Reliever Marc Rzepczynski #34 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Atlanta Braves at Busch Stadium on May 13, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On March 20, 1993, Octavio Dotel signed as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic at 19-years-old. Nearly a decade later, Mark Teahan was selected with the 39th pick of the MLB draft by the Oakland Athletics in 2002. On July 2nd, 2005, Abraham Almonte had recently turned 16 and signed with the New York Yankees out of the Dominican Republic. A few years later, Yonder Alonso was drafted 7th overall by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2008 MLB Draft. In the 2010 MLB Draft, Jabari Blash was drafted in the 8th round by the Seattle Mariners. And in June of 2015, Max Schrock was drafted in the 13th round of the MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals.
What do all these events have to do with each other?
I can connect them all with trades. More specifically, I can connect them to the famous Colby Rasmus trade that ultimately resulted in the Cardinals winning the World Series. It’s like six degrees of Kevin Bacon, but with trades.
It started with me noticing that Marc Rzepczynski changed teams a lot. And I thought it was somewhat strange, because I thought he was a decent reliever. Do you guys remember Rzepczynski pitching like a genuinely good reliever for Cleveland when the Cardinals traded him for nothing, because I sure don’t. I guess there weren’t reasons to constantly point out the success of former players back in 2013. Anyway, he usually had good advanced stats, but his ERA tended to fluctuate a lot.
I thought it would be a fun idea to keep following players in trades until you reached a dead end. The idea of team control is valuable for the success they can give you on the field, but it’s also about getting value from players via trades. Edwin Jackson was traded six times before he was eligible for free agency. He had no agency on where he could go. He wasn’t traded once after he reached free agency. Rzepczynski was traded five times before he reached free agency. He wasn’t traded once after that.
Believe it or not, Dotel’s connection to this trade is not because he was in the 2011 trade. I don’t count that for these purposes. Dotel had reached free agency many times by 2011 and was signed in January of 2011 by the Blue Jays. A good current example of this is Dustin May. His trade tree restarted when he reached free agency. If we trade May at the deadline, we cannot connect the players we return to James Tibb. Now if May is traded somewhere, and somehow the mutual option is agreed to on both sides, and then he’s traded in July of next season, then those players can be connected to the players the Cardinals got at this year’s deadline. Understand?
Edwin Jackson’s trade tree starts with two free agents signed by the Devil Rays. Lance Carter signed with the Devil Rays in January of 2002 and Danys Baez signed with the Rays in January of 2004. This trade would never ever ever ever be made today. Jackson was a highly touted prospect who lost some of his sheen because of underwhelming results in limited time in his first three seasons. And yet he was 22 at the time of the trade. Carter was a bad reliever and Baez was nothing special, but was coming off a 2.86 ERA. The Dodgers gave up on Jackson for two nothing to write home about relievers.
Shrewd move by the Rays, but they jumped ship almost as soon as Jackson showed any type of competency, which happened to be for Matt Joyce, drafted in the 12th round by the Tigers a few years prior. He had turned 25 the previous September. Almost a calendar year later, the Tigers traded Jackson when he took a big leap forward in a rather complicated three-team trade. None of the principal players had a previous trade history besides Jackson.
Ian Kennedy went from the Yankees to the Diamondbacks. He was later traded to the Padres for Matt Stites and Joe Thatcher. Stites was a Mizzou grad drafted by the Padres, whose career ended when he was released by the DBacks a few years later. Thatcher had previously been in a trade for Scott Linebrink, who himself was traded for 35-year-old Doug Henry seven years prior, but thankfully the tree ends here. Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth and Phil Coke all reached free agency as Tigers. Curtis Granderson reached free agency as a Yankee.
Austin Jackson however was involved in another three-team trade five years later. David Price went to the Tigers, and Price was traded a year later for Matthew Boyd, Jairo Labourt, and Daniel Norris. Boyd and Labourt were not subsequently traded, but Norris was for current Tiger Reese Olson. Nick Franklin went to the Rays, ended up being selected off waivers and then traded for cash before being granted free agency. The Rays also got Willy Adames, seven years before they traded him for JP Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen. Rasmussen is still a Ray, Feyereisen was traded for a guy who hasn’t made the majors.
The Rays also received Drew Smyly, who was later traded for Mallex Smith and Ryan Yarbrough. Mallex Smith is the relevant one because we just found ourselves another heavily traded player. Three years prior, Smith was traded by the Padres with Jace Peterson and Max Fried to the Braves for…. Justin Upton. He was traded for five players the year before, so this might be a longer diversion than I hoped.
We’re just going to ignore Brandon Drury, who five years later was involved in a 3-team, seven player trade but all the players are inconsequential and we’re too deep into this to waste time on that. Nick Ahmed stayed on the Diamondbacks forever, ending in his release a decade later. The relevant player is Martin Prado. He was traded at the 2014 deadline for someone we don’t care about to the Yankees, and then the Yankees traded him that December for three players, including Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi was of course a return for Hanley Ramirez, who never technically reached free agency yet in 2012 and that means we’re dealing with the Josh Beckett, Anibal Sanchez, Mike Lowell and yeah I’m not digging any deeper, because I don’t think this thread is going to end with my sanity intact.
Where was I? Oh yeah Mallex Smith. The other relevant trade is that he’s traded with Jake Fraley, and Fraley is later traded to the Reds for Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez. In addition to Fraley, the Reds got Brandon Williamson. Winker was later traded for Chad Patrick, so Mallex Smith is indirectly responsible for two starting pitchers of NL Central teams.
We still somehow have three trades of Edwin Jackson to go. In trade #4, he was traded for David Holmberg and Daniel Hudson. Hudson is not the guy who is involved in any trades, but Holmberg sure is. Holmberg is in a three-team trade which includes Heath Bell and Ryan Hanigan. Inexplicably 35-year-old Heath Bell was involved in a three-team trade the year before on the same contract, because of course he was.
In that three-team trade, it’s three “Hey remember that guy?!” One team gets outfielder Chris Young, who was involved in a trade seven years prior for Javier Vasquez, who as it turns out is another Edwin Jackson! YEAH THIS GUY GOT TRADED A BUNCH TOO. I CAN’T FIND THE END. Unfortunately, lot of fun names here, so I can’t ignore Javier Vazquez trades.
In the first trade (December 2003), we have Randy Choate, Nick Johnson, and Juan Rivera. They all have closed loops, but fun fact, Rivera was later in the Mike Napoli-Vernon Wells trade. He had already hit free agency so it doesn’t count for this, but that’s interesting. A little over a year later, Vazquez was in a trade for Randy Johnson. Vazquez was a very good pitcher, but if I’m him, “traded for Randy Johnson” is going on every shirt on I own. He was in a trade with Dioner Navarro, who a year later was traded for Shawn Green. Green was traded for Raul Mondesi about six years prior. Both Mondesi and somehow Randy Johnson got traded before hitting free agency again after these aforementioned trades, but I could not care less about the names involved in those trades. Fun names only at this point.
We’ve already covered Vazquez’s third trade. The most interesting thing about his fourth trade is how incredibly high Tyler Flowers looks on his Baseball-Reference photo. Otherwise, SKIP. His fifth trade involves Melky Cabrera, who I thought for sure was traded a bunch, and Arodyz Vizcaino, who I thought wasn’t. Of course, Cabrera wasn’t and Vizcaino was. None of those trades are that interesting, thankfully. I didn’t know he was ever a Cub or that he was traded for Tommy La Stella so there’s a fun fact.
Oh my god I haven’t even gotten to the Ryan Hanigan part of David Holmberg trade tree. You’d think David Holmberg and his -2.5 career fWAR played for the Cardinals with how much I hate his guts right now. Okay, so…. Ryan Hanigan was involved in a three-team, ten player trade. It actually involves Steven Souza Jr., who was later in that huge trade involving Brandon Drury that I chose to ignore, so we’ve achieved… something. It also involves Trea Turner, Wil Myers and HOW THE HELL DID DAVID HOLMBERG LEAD ME TO TREA TURNER? Anyway, he was in a trade with Max Scherzer, also featured in this, and woo buddy this was not a good trade for the Nats.
I don’t think I have it in me to go through the other eight players. Let’s just say that Jake Odorizzi was previously in the Lorenzo Cain/Zack Greinke trade, and Greinke was involved in a different trade for Jean Segura, who was in five trades before he hit free agency, and I’m sure I’ll want to off myself if I attempt to dig into that thread.
Right before the Cardinals traded for Edwin Jackson, the Blue Jays made a trade understanding they would trade Jackson to the Cardinals. In that trade, he was traded with Mark Teahan for Jason Frasor and Zach Stewart. Frasor signed with the Jays as a free agent. Stewart was inexplicably in the Scott Rolen trade two years prior, because sure. Rolen kept signing extensions so now we’re connected to Troy Glaus, who connects us to another member of the 2011 team and another “HEY THAT GUY!” in Orlando Hudson and Miguel Batista. Did you know Troy Glaus was traded for Batista and Hudson because I didn’t. It also connects us to Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin and Bud Smith, and Timlin strangely has his own rabbit hole of trades I am happy to ignore.
Meanwhile, the guy Jackson was traded with, Teahan, himself has his own trade history. Somehow, he was also in a three-team trade. How is every player in this at some point involved in a three-team trade? Anyway, it was the Carlos Beltran trade when he went from the Royals to the Astros. The Royals got John Buck and Mike Wood for Beltran. Not great Royals. Buck had the decency to wait until he reached free agency before getting traded in weirdly big trades (a 12-player trade and a 7-player trade)
Oh yeah and Octavio Dotel went from the Astros to the Athletics in the Beltran trade. That’s the Dotel connection. Five years prior, Dotel was in a trade with Roger Cedeno for Mike Hampton and Derek Bell. Bell himself was traded five years prior to that in a 12-player trade, so you just know I could go far with this trade. It involves Steve Finley (previously in a trade for Curt Schilling), Doug Bracail (later in a different trade for Roger Cedeno), and Pedro Martinez. No, not that Pedro Martinez. Hilariously, Bracail was in a later trade for Nelson Cruz, but not that Nelson Cruz.
And we come back to the 2011 trade. The whole reason I wrote this was for Marc Rzepczynski’s trade history and he’s barely in this thing. The Cardinals traded him for Juan Herrera, who made it all the way to AA, where he had an 8 wRC+ in 160 PAs. Two deadlines later, he was traded for Abraham Almonte. Almonte was previously traded for Chris Denorfia and Shawn Kelley in two different trades.
Scrabble’s fourth trade does bring some further connections. He was paired with Yonder Alonso. Alonso four years prior was traded with Brad Boxberger, Yasmani Grandal, and Edinson Volquez for Matt Latos. Volquez was swapped with none other than Josh Hamilton in 2007, and there’s another connection to 2011. Latos was how the Reds got Anthony Desclafani. And for the third time, we again hit a trade I chose to ignore, because Desclafani was involved in a massive trade involving John Buck. Of course it was really the Jose Reyes trade (later traded for Troy Tulowitzki). Yunel Escobar was in this trade too and that dude sure got traded a lot, hitting six trades in his team control years, which aside from this trade, the most relevant name in one of his trades was Ben Zobrist from the Rays to the A’s.
Grandal was later in the Matt Kemp trade, and that dude has a ridiculous number of trades too. One of the players Kemp was traded for was Alex Wood, who… was in a previous trade involving Matt Latos. Kemp was also traded for Adrian Gonzalez, who I guess never reached free agency either before he got his big deal. So you can throw Ugueth Urbina, Adam Eaton (the pitcher), Chris Young (the pitcher), Anthony Rizzo (and thus Andrew Cashner, who has his own rabbit hole), and Josh Beckett, and now we’re back to a previous trade I’ve referenced, a Hanley Ramirez trade.
And I got to stop. Drew Pomeranz, Jose Torres and Jabari Blash were all in the Alonso-Rzepczynski trade. Pomeranz had previously been traded for Ubaldo Jimenez and Brett Anderson. Anderson himself was in a Dan Haren trade, which included Carlos Gonzalez, who was later traded for Matt Holliday. And that leads me to Brett Wallace, which leads me to Anthony Gose, and then that leads me to the Roy Oswalt trade and more misery. Scrabble’s last trade was for Max Schrock, which set the stage for the trade for Stephen Piscotty. Piscotty was not traded again and Shrock was DFA’d by the Cardinals.
I thought I could do it. I thought I could close a trade loop. I didn’t realize I was attempting to climb Mount Everest. I had the hubris to think I could tackle two highly traded players and think I would find an end in sight. I didn’t come close. It never ended. There were just more trades. I am Sisyphus. I am Charlie smoking a cigarette with a wall full of names and my mind in another reality. I hope this was enjoyable because I feel like I just listed a bunch of random players and gave myself a headache.
It wasn't hard to spot the pair of viral Spurs fans, who've made their presence known at Frost Bank Center throughout San Antonio's playoff run, at Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals.
The female fans, who made waves online when they were seen on the broadcast for Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference finals, stood out once again when they were spotted behind the Spurs’ bench.
One wore a bright body-con dress, and the other had on a plunging top and white capri pants while standing in a crowd of San Antonio fans, all wearing the same bright yellow shirt.
The team gave away shirts to fans in the arena — but the two women opted not to wear them.
“Can someone tell those chicks to wear their shirts! You know who you are,” one fan wrote on X.
The pair of viral Spurs fans returned to Frost Bank Center for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 3, 2026. X/@MarGOSFFL
“He said he takes back what he said about San Antonio women,” @bluebeari3 shared in an X post, referring to the Barkley’s remarks when he said that San Antonio is the home of “some big ol’ women” while on-air in 2014, along with other digs at San Antonio women over the years.
The ladies first captured the public’s attention when the were spotted sitting behind the Spurs bench during the Western Conference finals against the Thunder.
The pair of viral Spurs fans, (L) @juliejswan and (R) @bluebeari3, at Game 1 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio on June 3, 2026. Instagram/juliejswanThe pair of viral Spurs fans, (L) @bluebeari3 and (R) @juliejswan at Game 1 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio on June 3, 2026. TikTok/juliejswan
SAN ANTONIO, TX - JUNE 2: Mason Plumlee #45 of the San Antonio Spurs passes the ball during 2026 NBA Finals Practice and Media Availability on June 2, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, New York basically out-toughed San Antonio late in the game to pull out a 105-95 win.
As we’ve seen during the rest of the playoffs, former Blue Devil Mason Plumlee rarely gets off the bench, and Wednesday was no exception, as he got another DNP.
In general, you could argue that this game was a great example of the value of experience.
The average age of the Knicks starters is about 29. The average age of San Antonio’s are closer to 22. The overall average age of the Knicks is 27.2; for the Spurs, it’s 25.2.
The Spurs, and particularly Victor Wembanyama, are the future of the league, but it may not happen this year. Wembanyama, for example, shot just 6-21 Wednesday night, and said bluntly that he had a bad game.
Game 2 is on Friday, and is again in San Antonio. If the Spurs lose twice at home, they’ll have a major problem.
He had just finished playing his first career NBA Finals game – an achievement that, when realized just four days prior, had brought him to tears – and he sat at the podium and calmly took questions.
The Spurs had lost, 105-95 Wednesday, June 3, and it wasn’t emotion Wembanyama was showing. This time, it was poise.
"Nothing," Wembanyama said after the game when asked if he was kicking himself over anything. "We’ve been down in a series before. Never in the Finals, obviously, but I'm not kicking myself about anything, really. I'm not worried in the slightest."
It was, by basically any significant metric, a flop.
The Spurs blew an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter, lost by 10 and ceded homecourt advantage. Historically, teams that lose Game 1 of the Finals have gone on to lose the series 69.6% of the time (24-55).
Wembanyama finished with 26 points, but he shot just 6-of-21 from the field. He committed six turnovers and forced shots down the stretch when Knicks centers Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson clamped him up on defense.
"I was bad tonight," Wembanyama said. "It's not more complicated than that."
Perhaps Wembanyama’s calm and measured approach is merely posturing. Perhaps he understands that the rest of the Spurs take his lead.
The more likely scenario is that Wembanyama, who has proven time and again this season to own competitive maturity well beyond his 22 years, understands that the Spurs can still win these NBA Finals.
How Wembanyama and his teammates respond to this Game 1 loss will merely be another opportunity for him to express his greatness.
Because that’s one of the indelible marks of the all-time greats, the ability to adjust and bounce back from defeats. The reality is Wembanyama is still learning, and how he comes responds in Game 2 will be indicative whether the Spurs can legitimately threaten the Knicks, who have won 12 consecutive playoff games in historic fashion.
Wembanyama did try to set the tone early; he was heavily involved in San Antonio’s actions in the first minutes of the game and appeared intent on establishing urgency. But the Knicks responded with physicality, using the extra heft that Towns and Robinson wield, to put their hands on him and body him every time he tried to establish position in the paint.
Wembanyama started to back out of the paint and settle for outside shots; he’d convert just four field goals in the paint. He never appeared comfortable, and some of his shots late in the game, as New York carried a lead midway through the fourth, were wild and off-target.
Victor Wembanyama hits the side of the backboard on the driving attempt, and shortly after, hits the top of the backboard on the corner 3 attempt pic.twitter.com/beBasVXUgo
Step one for Wembanyama in Game 2 should be to aggressively attack Towns, who is prone to falling into foul trouble, at the rim.
"It felt like he missed a few shots early," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game. "We got to get him moving in space and toward the rim, whether that’s on rolls or running in transition. But we need the pressure on the rim and the force in the paint. They did a good job of obviously being physical and showing crowds. We need to do a better job of establishing that early on, for sure."
San Antonio’s response to New York’s physicality manifested itself in other ways, too. The Knicks were able to scoop up timely offensive rebounds that led to debilitating second-chance points, a statistic the Knicks led, 23-14.
The Spurs, inside the final minute of the game, committed a pair of turnovers.
It’s why Wembanyama said, of Game 1, that he thought the Spurs "let that one go."
It’s also why, as Wembanyama has said previously this postseason following defeats, it’s all about adhering San Antonio’s system and identity.
"It’s almost not like I have anything to figure out," Wembanyama said. "It’s almost like I have to play normal – not even good. It’s, like, just doing the right things is enough. When we play bad, when I play bad, is when we shoot ourselves in the foot. This is why I’m not worried. We’re going to be so much better. I’m going to be so much better."
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 15: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees throws to first for an out in the third inning during the game between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday, May 15, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Evan Yu/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The month of May has only added more intrigue when it comes to the Yankees. With two full pages of the calendar behind us, the Bombers are still fighting to reclaim first place, with the Rays playing some good baseball to wrap up the spring.
Regardless of any team success or struggle, another month in the book means a new slate of defensive highlights to look back on. New York ranks as a roughly league-average defensive unit up to this point based on Outs Above Average, but that doesn’t mean they can’t flash the leather now and then. Here’s a look at May’s best.
In a tied game in the third inning, the Orioles began to threaten when Taylor Ward slashed a ball towards the wall in right field. With the ball tailing and carrying all the way to the wall, Aaron Judge raced back and used every bit of his 6-foot-7 frame to reach and snag the ball. His jump took him into the wall fairly hard, but he held onto the ball, and secured the second out of the inning.
Despite his flaws, which can grow tiring, Ryan McMahon’s calling card has always been his glove. Since his arrival, almost every edition of this series has featured some spectacular play by the Yankees’ third baseman, and May of ‘26 was no different. Later in the O’s series, with the Yankees leading in the seventh, Tim Hill induced a chopper down the line, which McMahon was fairly far from. This didn’t stop him from stabbing the grounder in a fully-extended dive toward foul territory planting his feet and firing a laser over to first base.
In the very first at-bat in a game against the Rangers, Brandon Nimmo swatted a ball deep into left-center, destined for extra-bases. That was before Jasson Domínguez charged all the way back to the wall, and snagged the fly ball just a beat before crashing into the fence. It was a spectacular play to kick off the game, but certainly came at a cost, as he has not seen the field since then, with a fairly significant sprain of his AC joint on this play.
This is a bit of a two-for-one from the mid-May Subway Series. First, with one out in the third inning, Cam Schlittler took a low liner off the shoe, before Anthony Volpe redirected to collect the ball and make a slick play to record the out at first. An inning later, Schlittler showed his athleticism, when he pounced off the mound to barehand a soft chopper before making a terrific fadeaway throw over to first for the out. It was an eventful few innings for the righty, but was certainly a defensive highlight of the month.
May 20th: Bellinger uses every inch of the leather
Later in the month, in a 0-0 ballgame with a the Blue Jays, the Yankees once again benefitted from some fancy glovework. With Schlittler on the mound once again, the righty induced a slicing fly ball toward the left field wall off the bat of a lefty. Cody Bellinger got a good jump and was immediately headed toward the wall, and was forced to used all of his lengthy wingspan to bring in the second out of the inning. Like some of his teammates, a month of Yankees baseball is not complete without a highlight from Bellinger.
Nepal’s cricket association has apologised for going against the spirit of the game after its women’s team successfully appealed for a timed out wicket against Bhutan.
Barring something unforeseen, the Philadelphia Flyers should be entering the next season fully healthy and recovered from a long year.
The Flyers came out of their 2026 Stanley Cup playoff run with bumps, bruises, and broken bones... and internal bleeding, if you're Owen Tippett.
Tippett, 27, was held out of the entire second round of the playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes due to that bleeding issue, though he had also been playing through a sports hernia long before that arose.
At his exit interview last month, the speedy Flyers forward was unsure about needing, and hopeful he wouldn't need, a surgery to address the hernia, though that has since taken place and been completed successfully.
According to Adam Kimelman of NHL.com, Flyers GM Danny Briere shared at the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo, New York, that Tippett had the surgery about two weeks ago.
As for the internal bleeding, "Everything's cleared on that front. Everything is going well there. Nobody was worried about it affecting his training or affecting next season," Briere told Kimelman.
Playing through the hernia, Tippett scored a goal, an assist, and two points in six playoff games in Round 1 against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins.
In the regular season, Tippett put together one of his most productive and complete campaigns to date, matching his career-high 28 goals, adding 23 assists, and putting together 51 total points in 81 games.
The former No. 10 overall pick also developed as a two-way player, scoring the first three short-handed goals of his NHL career, taking up penalty killing while Tyson Foerster missed swathes of time due to injuries of his own.
The obvious good news for the Flyers is that Tippett, who has scored no fewer than 20 goals in each of his last four seasons in Philadelphia, will still be able to train this offseason while being ready for the 2026-27 regular season.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 05: Chris Bassitt #40 of the Baltimore Orioles sits in the dugout during the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 05, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
The short-lived winning streak is over. The Orioles have a remarkable talent this year of really putting up a crushing loss right after putting something positive together for a few days. They’ve yet to win more than three games in a row this season. That will continue to be the case for at best several days more. The latest three-gamer came to an end with last night’s 8-1 loss to the Red Sox. Check out Alex Church’s recap of the game for more of the not-so-lovely totals.
The game was a return to some of the rougher parts of this season. Starting pitcher Chris Bassitt labored through three innings; there was clear concern about something to do with his health. After the game, manager Craig Albernaz indicated that Bassitt was dealing with lower back tightness. I’m sure trying to pitch through that was tough. There have also been plenty of games this year where Bassitt pitched badly and there was no indication of any kind of injury.
There was no immediate sign from the team whether that might be an ongoing concern for Bassitt. If they think he needs the injured list, they’ll probably pull the trigger on that immediately, so they can get an extra reliever for the next few days and bring up somebody who might be within the window where they can’t come back to MLB except if replacing an injured player.
Another unfortunately familiar thing about last night’s game was the downsides of playing the infielder Blaze Alexander in center field. There was at least one supremely botched play from Alexander that led to further Red Sox offense within an inning. Stop putting infielders in the outfield! It shouldn’t be hard. But the apparent fanatical devotion to trying to press the platoon advantage has continuing downsides. At least Alexander is hitting a little better lately, so he’s not a total lost cause out there, only most of one.
All of this came while the offense was facing a left-handed starting pitcher in young Red Sox starter Payton Tolle. The Orioles broke the winless curse against lefty starters a while ago, but they haven’t gotten themselves back to a good place just yet. It doesn’t feel a whole lot better with the knowledge that, unlike many of the lefties who’ve worked the O’s over this year, Tolle has actually been good. He has a 2.28 ERA following last night’s outing. Must be nice to just draft a guy like that in the second round and have him turn into a solid major leaguer within two years.
After last night’s loss, the team is 7-14 when facing a lefty starter. This is another enduring challenge for the team, represented most dramatically in the person of Tyler O’Neill. The right-handed batting O’Neill is hitting .106 against lefties this year. It’s unreal. He sits at -1.1 bWAR through 92 games as an Oriole.
As with any other loss, last night’s setback was just one game. The Orioles have a chance to make us feel better as soon as today if they can play a better game. Taking a road series by winning today in Boston would ease the sting of what happened on Wednesday. The problem with hoping for this outcome is Trevor Rogers, who has spent the 2026 season getting punished for every bit of good fortune he had in 2025. Or, more likely, he just hasn’t been pitching well. The recent improvement from much of the starting rotation has left him behind.
Don’t show up at 7 o’clock for the game. It’s a 1:35 start time in the getaway day. As of this writing, there’s no listed Red Sox starting pitcher. They may use an opener or something. I don’t know. I try not to spend unnecessary time thinking about the Red Sox.
Next step for the Orioles: Play better on the road (Steve on Baseball) The Orioles are 19-15 at home, and after last night, are 10-18. If they were .500 on the road, they’d be 33-29 instead. Things would probably feel better if they’d managed four more road wins.
In their 62nd game last year, the Orioles lost to the Athletics, 5-4, leaving their record at 25-37 for the season. Dean Kremer gave up five runs in 5.1 innings, which meant home runs by Dylan Carlson and Jackson Holliday weren’t enough. The 2026 Orioles are currently 29-33. They continue to remain four wins better than last year’s team. They’re going to need more improvement eventually or this thing will end up at 79 wins.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2009-10 pitcher Cla Meredith, 2012 pitcher J.C. Romero, 1986 infielder Ricky Jones, and 1954 infielder Billy Hunter. Hunter passed away in Lutherville last year at age 97.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: revolutionary war loser George III (1738), actor Keith David (1956), and actress Angelina Jolie (1975).
On this day in history…
In 1411, French king Charles IV granted a monopoly to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon for the process of ripening cheese in nearby caves. The legally distinct Roquefort cheese continues to exist in European Union law today.
In 1745, Prussian monarch Frederick II led his forces to victory over the Austrians in the Battle of Hohenfriedberg, part of the War of the Austrian Succession. This decisive victory was one of those that led to Frederick getting “the Great” appended to his name.
In 1919, Congress approved the Nineteenth Amendment, which would guarantee suffrage to women. The amendment was then sent to the states for approval.
In 1942, Japanese carriers began to attack an American base at Midway Island, the start of a four-day battle where the American navy sunk all four Japanese carriers.
In 1989, protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square were violently suppressed by the Chinese army, leaving as many as 10,000 dead.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on June 4. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 03: Michael Massey #19 of the Kansas City Royals watches his single during the second inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on June 03, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Nick Loftin chose a really good time to hit his first home run on the season.
The Royals found their resilience to go with a few desperately needed bullpen answers Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park.
Nick Loftin belted his first home run of the season in a three-run ninth as the Royals claimed the rubber game of the three-game series with a 5-2 win over the Reds.
It was just the sixth series-finale win in 20 tries this season for the Royals, who won their first road series since sweeping the Mariners in Seattle from May 1-3.
Loftin’s home run came after Michael Massey’s 10-pitch at-bat that ended with a tiebreaking single to right, scoring pinch-runner Tyler Tolbert – who was attempting to steal third on the pitch – to make it 3-2. All three runs in the ninth came off Cincinnati fill-in closer Tony Santillan (1-3), who took the loss.
Lucas Erceg is finally being moved out of the 9th inning… somewhat
As a result, Royals skipper Matt Quatraro announced before the series finale Wednesday that he will be making a change to the closer’s role.
“I think there’s two separate answers to that. In the short term, we’re going to match up, just based on who’s available that night and where we think the best avenue for us to get the win is,” Quatraro said. “But in the long term, I do think Erceg is a guy that we’re going to use in the ninth.”
Quatraro was careful to frame Wednesday’s announcement, making it clear that he won’t hesitate using the right-hander in higher-leverage situations. It just likely won’t be in the ninth if he feels he can use him earlier in the game. Erceg is 3-3 with a 6.45 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP in 24 appearances covering 22 1/3 innings this season.
Yandel Ricardo is tearing it up in Columbia currently.
It’s telling when a player goes 1-for-23 over a seven-game stretch and still has undeniably an impressive month. That’s what happened for Ricardo with Single-A Columbia, where he ran hot from May 2-13 (.325/.372/.675) and picked up a full head of steam of late (.455/.520/.864, two homers in eight games since May 24). The switch-hitting shortstop has already doubled his career home run high with four through 45 games for the Fireflies and is gaining plenty of momentum in his age-19 season.
Also in Columbia, Kendry Chourio continues to dominate as well.
The Royals’ No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 77 overall, Chourio turned in 5 1/3 scoreless innings on Tuesday in a 3-1 win over Fayetteville at Segra Stadium. The stellar outing lowered his season ERA to 1.46.
It’s well known the Royals need to change it up in the bullpen, Kevin O’Brien of Royals Keep spoke on it.
Luinder Avila had his best MLB start on Monday, O’Brien also talked about how he may be vital for KC
The Royals got outfielder Matthew Lugo, Caleb Moody of Kings of Kauffman talked about the acquisition.
MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand talked about the Royals trade deadline intentions after the slow start
Jun 3, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
What else is there to say about Cristopher Sánchez at this point? The streak may have ended at 50.2 innings, but he’s still the record holder for the longest streak as a left handed pitcher and is one of five pitchers ever to have a scoreless streak of at least 50 innings. We will likely never see something like this again in our lifetimes.
Brooklyn Cyclone's JT Schwartz (3) rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam home run during game against the Hudson Valley Renegades at Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls July 27, 2022. Renegades Vs Cyclones Baseball
GAME ONE: SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 6, SYRACUSE 3 / 7 (BOX)
Syracuse surrendered three in the third and three in the seventh, which put them in a tough 6-0 hole for the bottom of the seventh (and final) inning. They scored three — two on a Ben Rortvedt home run and one on a Matt Rudick single — but the six run deficit was too much to make up.
The big story of this one is that of Kodai Senga, who is continuing his rehab assignment. He was not particularly good, surrendering three runs and six hits over five. He struggled with his command, walking two, hitting two, and throwing two wild pitches. Jorge Polanco also continued his rehab, which may be coming to an end soon.
RHP Danis Correa: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
GAME TWO: SYRACUSE 13, SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 2 / 7 (BOX)
Well, this game went much better for the Mets. They scratched a run home in the first on a throwing error by the RailRiders’s. Nick Morabito stole third and scored on the aforementioned throwing error. They made it 5-0 in the third, with Christian Arroyo and Andy Ibáñez drove in runs, and Ryan Clifford stole home on a double steal with runners on first and second.
The game broke open even moreso in the sixth, as they scored eight runs en route to a split double header.
CF Nick Morabito: 1-3, 2 R, BB, 2 K, SB (16)
LF Ji Hwan Bae: 1-4, 2 R, BB, K
2B Christian Arroyo: 2-3, 2 R, 2B, 4 RBI, BB, K
1B Ryan Clifford: 2-3, 2 R, BB, SB (5)
3B Andy Ibáñez: 1-3, 2 RBI, K
DH Yonny Hernández: 0-2, R, 2 BB, K, SB (6)
SS Jackson Cluff: 0-2, R, 2 BB, K
C Kevin Parada: 1-3, R, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, 2 K, E (2)
RF Matt Rudick: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, BB
RHP Zach Peek: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Matt Turner: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Daniel Duarte: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Nate Lavender: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Jonathan Pintaro: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Binghamton came out firing after surrendering a run in the top of the first, going up 4-1 on RBI singles by JT Schwartz, Vincent Perozo and Wyatt Young, with a Jaylen Palmer RBI ground out for good measure. They kept in going in the second, as Schwartz, Perozo and Palmer combined to drive in five runs in the inning, making it 9-1 after two. Reading would actually come back, scoring seven over the third and fourth innings, and even took a 10-9 lead after seven.
Chris Suero would tie it at ten in the seventh, and a JT Schwartz grand slam made it 14-10. Reading would add one more in the eighth, but a two run TT Bowens home run would put the game out of reach.
DH Chris Suero: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, BB, 3 K
CF Jose Ramos: 0-5, 2 R, BB, 2 K, E (5)
3B Nick Lorusso: 2-4, 3 R, K
1B JT Schwartz: 3-4, 3 R, HR (6), 7 RBI, BB, K
C Vincent Perozo: 2-5, R, 2B, 3 RBI, K
LF Jaylen Palmer: 2-5, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, K, SB (5)
SS Wyatt Young: 1-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, K
RF TT Bowens: 2-5, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 K
2B Kevin Villavicencio: 2-5, R
RHP R.J. Gordon: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP, E (1, 2)
RHP Douglas Orellana: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, H (1)
Brooklyn struck first, as Colin Houck and Trace Willhoite drove in runs with a single and double respectively, making it 2-0 Cyclones. Jersey Shore would get one back, but a Diego Mosquera sacrifice fly and Grae Kessinger double made it 4-1 in the fifth. It would fall apart from there for Brooklyn, as they surrendered three runs in the seventh to tie it, and a walk off single in the tenth to lose it.
SS Mitch Voit: 1-5
DH Grae Kessinger: 1-5, 2B, RBI, 3 K
1B Corey Collins: 0-3, BB, 2 K
C Daiverson Gutierrez: 2-4, R, 3B, K
CF John Bay: 0-4, 4 K
3B Colin Houck: 1-4, R, RBI, 2 K
LF Trace Willhoite: 2-3, R, 2 2B, RBI, BB
RF Sam Biller: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 K
2B Diego Mosquera: 0-2, RBI, BB, K
RHP Jose Chirinos: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP
RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, H (4)
St. Lucie got no-hit. Clearwater used three pitchers, who surrendered two walks, no hits, and struck out 12. That about sums it all up. Oh, and Cam Tilly was pretty good and the bullpen gave up both runs.
If a no-hitter in game one was frustrating in one way, game two’s loss was frustrating in a different direction. St. Lucie took a lead after trailing 1-0 going into the fifth, with Elian Pena doubling home a run and Antonio Jimenez singling home a run. That 2-1 lead would hold until the seventh, where Clearwater put four runs on Josh Blum, handing the Mets a double header sweep.
You know who you are,” one fan wrote on X.
(@bluebeari3) 
