Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May celebrates the team’s NCAA men's basketball tournament national championship victory Monday, April 6, 2026, after defeating the UConn Huskies 69-63 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Dallas Mavericks hired Dusty May! It’s a busy week around these parts but I asked the staff to react!
Matt: Yes. The move feels ahead of the curve, not painfully behind it. It will be great to have an X’s and O’s man on the Mavericks’ sideline. May is certainly not “watching, just like you guys.” He develops young talent, and the Mavs are likely to get younger in the immediate future. I’m all the way in and stand ready to be laughed out of the room if it goes wrong.
Bryan: If Dusty could handle Yaxel’s annoying ass and still make a team of transfers look like one of the best title teams in the last decade, I’ll gladly take him here. Spreadsheets Fan Club won the war, and the Dallas Mavericks should reap the benefits with May at the helm for Cooper’s early career.
Michael: I love this. It had become apparent we were targeting an NBA assistant or the top two college coaches. The latter (Jon Scheyer and Dusty May) were ironically, the “bigger” names of the bunch despite not being in the NBA. May demonstrated a keen ability to pull a team together to win a National Championship, and while time will tell how successful he will be at the NBA level, there are positive signs he’s going to be just fine. Worst case, we should have every confidence he can capably manage young guys, which the Mavs will hopefully be overflowing with before long. Even if he only sticks around a few years for something of a rebuild, there could still be huge benefits. Simply put, there isn’t much I’m questioning or doubting. This feels like a great hire for what we need, with the potential for big upside and a real chance May could be at the helm for years to come.
Chris: I’m normally a little skeptical about college to NBA hires, but I love this for the Mavs. May is fresh off a National Championship with Michigan so he’s proven he can win and do it a lot. He completely turned around the FAU program and then delivered Michigan its second championship. He’s a genius basketball mind with a knack for X’s and O’s. He’ll be great for helping recognize young talent, developing talent, and (hopefully) leading the Mavs back to eventual contention.
Jeremy: The Mavs needed to hit a home run with this hire, so why not go out and get one of the brightest minds in the sport? May’s evolution from Florida Atlantic to winning the National Championship at Michigan proves that his system travels and he knows how to win in multiple places. Granted, the NBA is a completely different animal, but the Mavs are going younger, so adding a college coach to grow alongside them isn’t a bad decision. If they select any of his players in the draft (Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson), I’ll like this hire for the Mavs even more.
Gracie: I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’m even happier that the search is over heading into the draft and free agency. Hearing his name in the mix, I was skeptical on hiring a college guy, but his record speaks for itself. The fact that he has three of his guys in the mix for the draft combined with their championship run shows that he can coach and get his guys to where they need to be. I am excited to see what he can do with Flagg and whoever they draft on Tuesday.
Ben: I’m more skeptical than most about hiring a coach with no experience in the NBA. May might be worth the risk considering his résumé, but the college and NBA basketball ecosystems are just so different.
That being said, the college basketball world is changing, and maybe the two experiences overlap more than they have in the past. If the Mavs front office is thinking this, May is a great choice to take a chance on.
Kirk: Since I had essentially ruled this hire out due to various reports around the hiring process, I am thrilled that they were wrong. I don’t know enough about May. Michigan fans are upset, so that must mean something. Here’s hoping he’s awesome.
DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 1: Ronald Holland II #5 and Isaiah Stewart #28 of the Detroit Pistons celebrate during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on December 1, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The most important player on the Detroit Pistons is undeniably Cade Cunningham. He is now a multitime All-Star, All-NBA player, and a true superstar. It is also clear that Trajan Langdon considers the core players alongside Cade to be Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren. Ausar for his all-world defense and Duren for his rim pressure, inside-scoring, and growing offensive repertoire.
But if you asked me which two players most defined the Detroit Pistons these last two seasons, I’m not sure I’d say any of the above. When I think about how this team went from the league’s cellar to a 6o-win team, I think about the energy, passion, grit, and voracious defense it took to get there. That is what the Detroit Pistons are to me.
And that is most exemplified by two bench players — Isaiah Stewart and Ron Holland. Those are also two players almost certainly being sent out in a deal for Tyler Herro, based on people I have spoken with within league circles and close to the franchise.
It’s clear to Trajan Langdon and everyone else what this team was missing in the playoffs — secondary playmaking, ball handling, and shot making. Those are not things you will find on the resume of either Stewart or Holland. You’d also find that in abundance with Herro, who has his flaws but is undeniably an extremely dangerous scorer at multiple levels and in multiple ways.
The Pistons, however, risk losing the very identity that got them to this point. Holland hasn’t broken out, and he still has a long way to go as a reliable offensive threat, especially from the perimeter. But he’s also the player I most associate with Making Things Happen™ when the Pistons needed a spark.
I wish Stewart would bomb away more from deep, but he’s one of the most impactful interior defenders in the NBA. He was one of only three players who held opponents to sub-50% shooting within 3 feet of the rim on three or more attempts per game.
It might seem like you’re sacrificing your fifth- and ninth-leading scorers to obtain a true No. 2 option on team desperate for it. Swapping out 18 points and low-usage minutes for a 20-25 point-per-game scorer. That’s all true. But you’re losing so much more than that.
You’re losing the heart and soul of the Pistons, and other players will need to step up to provide that juice, or the Pistons could find themselves stumbling backward instead of hurtling forward toward title contention.
Jalen Duren will need to learn how to not just defend the paint but also make people a little scared of bringing the ball inside. Ausar Thompson will need to be at least as willing a shooter as Holland was, while also taking every opportunity to dive on the ball, create chaos, and score in transition.
It’s unclear whether this deal is even possible if the Pistons send out the No. 21 pick instead of Holland. It depends on what Miami and/or Milwaukee values. But trend lines are pointing to Detroit keeping the pick and losing Holland.
For Trajan Langdon to send out the first draft pick he ever made for this franchise is significant. He needs to ensure that the player they select at No. 21 hits.
This is one of the few all-in adjacent moves Detroit is going to be able to make with this core. He can’t afford to make mistakes.
St. Louis native Brady Tkachuk was dealt to the Florida Panthers in a blockbuster deal on Sunday, joining his brother Matthew on the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup champions.
The trade came as a shock, as most rumors surrounding the former Ottawa Senators captain had gone quiet.
What might come as an even bigger shock to St. Louis Blues fans is that Tkachuk was unwilling to be traded to St. Louis.
According to a post by The Athletic’s Jim Rutherford, GM Doug Armstrong said the Blues inquired about Tkachuk’s availability, but were told that they were not one of the teams the 26-year-old was willing to be traded to.
That’s a punch in the gut for the Blues, as Keith Tkachuk, the father of Brady, played nine seasons with the Blues, scoring 208 goals and 427 points in 543 games. The Tkachuk brothers have spoken highly about their time growing up in St. Louis, but clearly not enough to play for the franchise.
While it must hurt for Blues fans to hear this, it’s not hard to understand why. Tkachuk is looking to play meaningful hockey and play in the post-season. While nothing is guaranteed, the Panthers are far closer to being a playoff team next year than the Blues are.
Their roster is built to win Stanley Cups, while the Blues are in the middle ground, not knowing whether to rebuild or go all in.
Tkachuk was in a situation with Ottawa where they were stagnant, unable to get over the hump. They made the playoffs just twice in his eight-year NHL career and were unable to go beyond the first round. They were swept in the 2025-26 playoffs, and although they won two games in the 2024-25 playoffs, they found themselves down 3-0 in the series.
Coming to St. Louis would have been a linear move, or even possibly a backwards move for Tkachuk. Going to Florida opens a Stanley Cup window for the Olympic gold medalist.
The Blues have once again struck out when chasing a big-name trade option, which only adds to the fuel of uncertainty about which direction this team is heading.
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After Dusty May's stunning exit from the Michigan men's basketball program, the Wolverines will be looking within for the immediate replacement.
Michigan is expected to promote assistant coach Mike Boynton Jr. as the interim head coach, according to multiple reports. The decision comes less than a few hours after May's departure to take the job with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks on Monday, June 22.
Boynton joined May's staff when he arrived in Ann Arbor in 2024, after spending seven seasons in charge of Oklahoma State. His time with the Cowboys was up-and-down, with one NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021 with a team that featured eventually NBA draft No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham. In addition to the one March Madness trip, Oklahoma State had two NIT bids under Boynton.
At Michigan, Boynton has been in charge of the team's defense, which was among the best in the country in the past season, giving up just 69.5 points per game with a nation's best 38.2% defensive field goal percentage.
It's a move that makes sense given Boynton was the only staff member with head coaching experience. The Wolverines previously had an assistant in Justin Joyner, who left to take the Oregon State job.
May's departure this late in the summer also makes it rough for Michigan to find a permanent replacement option when nearly all coaching positions are filled. Boynton will likely be in charge of Michigan for the entirety of the 2026-27 season as the Wolverines searched for a permanent replacement, which Boynton could end up filling.
Can Michigan basketball players transfer with Dusty May leaving?
Yes, NCAA rules allow for the creation of a special transfer portal window following a head coaching change. At that time, players can enter the portal and potentially sign with another team.
When can Michigan players enter the portal?
According to the NCAA on Jan. 14, 2026, the Division I Cabinet enacted immediate rules changes for the transfer portal, including those for a team going through a coaching change.
Per the NCAA:
When a head coaching change occurs, a 15-day period will open five days after the new head coach is hired or publicly announced. If a new head coach is not announced within 30 days of the previous head coach's departure — and the 31st day after the head coach's departure is after the championship game — a 15-day window will open. The additional head coach departure window is available only after the basketball transfer window opens through Jan. 2.
Five days after Michigan hires or publicly announces its hire, the 15-day transfer portal will open, allowing players to enter and potentially sign with a team. The 15-day window will open if the Wolverines are unable to make a hire within 30 days of May's departure for the NBA.
That is separate from a 15-day transfer window that opens the day following the championship game, which in 2026 was on April 4.
Mike Boynton coaching record
Boynton joined May's staff in 2024 after serving seven years as Oklahoma State's head coach. Boynton was on Brad Underwood's staff for a year at OSU before Underwood left for Illinois. Boynton was elevated to head coach and posted a 119-109 (.522) record, which included two NIT quarterfinals appearances and a trip to the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - JANUARY 3: Jayden Quaintance #21 of the Kentucky Wildcats comes away with a loose ball during the second half at Coleman Coliseum on January 3, 2026 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s the desire of every NBA team to find athleticism on the wings and at the center position. The surest way teams can find that, then, is in the NBA Draft.
With just over a day left before the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, the projected Lakers’ picks are mostly either lob threats or wings with athleticism, which shouldn’t be a surprise. There is also one name that is coming up with increasing regularity as well.
On paper, Evans looks like he fits the mold of an athletic wing at 6’5” with a wingspan of nearly 6’9”. However, he instead fits the mold of a sharpshooter, which certainly could fill a need as well.
Here’s Jeremy Woo’s breakdown on the pick:
Evans’ long-range shotmaking has kept first-round interest high, and he appears likely to come off the board in the 20s. He has nice size for a wing shooter, measuring 6-5½ barefoot at the combine, and has a pathway to becoming a valuable role player if he can continue to flesh out his game, particularly on defense. Though he is more of a play finisher and spacer than a creator, his ability to hit shots off movement is rare and perpetually coveted by NBA teams.
This should be a best-available pick for the Lakers, who should be focused on the bigger picture of building around Luka Doncic but are also dealing with new contracts for LeBron James and Austin Reaves. Evans’ shooting could be a useful addition and a strong fit for him playing off L.A.’s stars.
Over the last week, Quaintance has been linked more and more to the Lakers. There’s certainly logic to it. He’s a great defender who can rebound at a high level, two things the Lakers could use.
Here’s what The Ringer had to say about him and his fit in LA:
Life with Luka Doncic can be tricky for guys who have grand aspirations or ideas about who they are as players. But for some, life gets simpler in a glorious way around Doncic, and Quaintance fits that bill to a T. If you’re focusing on Quaintance’s choppy and ridiculously brief tenure at Kentucky due to his injury recovery, you’re not going to come away with a clear picture of who this guy could become. Watching his tape from Arizona State a season prior is the way to go. I think he’s an All-Defense-level prospect on one end and the type of powerhouse who can punctuate Luka pick-and-rolls 10 to 15 times a game on the other. It comes down to health for Quaintance, but at pick no. 25, he is more than worth the risk.
Drafting Quaintance would certainly be a bet on both his medicals being clear and that the Lakers could develop him into a more refined player. If both of those things check out, then the team could pull off a steal by taking a player with injury concerns with the focus on the long term.
Here’s Cameron Salerno’s thoughts on the Lakers taking him:
The Lakers biggest need heading into the offseason should be finding a center. If Quaintance is still on the board, that should be the pick. He is one of the most unique prospects in this class. After playing in just four games at Kentucky last season, his stock has taken a hit. Still, when healthy, he is one of the best defenders in the class.
Lastly, there’s someone who fits the more traditional role of athletic wing in Swain. He has an ability to get to the rim and finish and has a jumper that needs work, which sounds a lot like the last player drafted by the Lakers.
Here’s what Kevin O’Connor said about the selection:
What type of support does Luka Dončić need by his side? Versatile wing defenders who can serve as connectors on offense. Swain is relentless getting to the rim, creative as a finisher, and active enough defensively to project as a switchable wing. But the reason he lives at the rim is because his jump shot is genuinely terrible. He has stiff mechanics, bad percentages, and a reluctance to even attempt it that goes all the way back to high school. He made improvements at Texas, though, so there’s hope his soft touch at the line and from the paint will eventually translate.
Washington (40-38) and Philadelphia (42-35) meet for a four-game series. The Phillies have the season edge, 2-1, but were outscored by the Nationals, 20-11.
Philadelphia has won five out of six series in June as they are rolling. The Phillies are 12-6 in June and won four of the last six games. Philadelphia has scored 21 runs in the last two games as they throttled the Mets behind four Kyle Schwarber home runs, including three in one game. The Phillies are 4-5 in their last nine road games.
Washington has lost three of the last four games to follow up a four-game winning streak. The Nationals are 9-9 in June as they've rose above .500 for the season. Washington's offense has struggled lately, but luckily, the Nationals have Foster Griffin on the mound. Washington has won five of the last six starts by Griffin.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Phillies at Nationals
Date: Monday, June 22, 2026
Time: 6:45 PM EST
Site: Nationals Park
City: Washington, DC
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
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Odds for the Phillies at the Nationals
The latest odds as of Monday:
Moneyline: Philadelphia Phillies (+102), Washington Nationals -123)
The Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber is hitting .255 with 72 hits, 29 home runs and 52 RBI over 282 at-bats
The Phillies’ Adolis Garcia is hitting .195 with 45 hits and 84 strikeouts over 231 at-bats
The Nationals’ James Wood is hitting .270 with 80 hits, 20 home runs, and 49 RBI over 296 at-bats
The Nationals’ Jacob Young is hitting .228 with 53 hits and 46 strikeouts over 232 at-bats
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Phillies at Nationals
Philadelphia is an MLB-worst 28-49 ATS
Washington is an MLB-best 48-30 ATS
Philadelphia is 39-33-5 to the Under, ranking third-best
Washington is 47-28-3 to the Over, ranking second-best
Philadelphia is 14-21 ATS on the road, ranking third-worst
Washington is 19-19 ATS at home
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Phillies
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Nationals and the Phillies:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Nationals on the Moneyline.
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Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 10.0
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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 23: Aaron Wiggins #21 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dribbles during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 23, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At this year’s trade deadline, the Sixers made a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder that we don’t need to rehash for the sake of everyone’s mental health.
Their reported trade target from that deal is now on the move.
In mid-May, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice reported that Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins was the “primary target” for the Sixers. He added “there was hope” that The Trade That Shall Not Be Named “could lead to a deal also involving Wiggins,” but that didn’t materialize at the time.
Four months later, Wiggins is heading to Atlanta for two distant second-round picks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. From OKC’s standpoint, it was a purely financially motivated move.
The Sixers have changed front offices since the trade deadline, so perhaps new team president Mike Gansey and vice president of basketball operations Jameer Nelson didn’t value Wiggins the same way that former president Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand did. But even if they did, money was the big obstacle in their way, which made Atlanta a far more logical trade partner for OKC.
Why the Sixers couldn’t get Wiggins
The Hawks had an $11 million trade exception after sending Luke Kennard to the Los Angeles Lakers for Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick at the trade deadline. They wound up sending the better of their own second-rounder and the Lakers’ second-rounder in 2032 along with their own in 2030 to acquire Wiggins.
More importantly, they were able to absorb Wiggins into that trade exception without sending salary back to OKC.
The Thunder appear to be in full payroll-trimming mode before having to decide whether to exercise their team options on Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5 million), Lu Dort ($17.7 million) and Kenrich Williams ($7.2 million). It wouldn’t be a surprise if former Sixer Isaiah Joe and his $11.3 million salary is the next one out the door.
The Sixers have two small trade exceptions, but neither Wiggins ($9.0 million) nor Joe could fit into either of them. They could technically take either one into the $15.0 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception since it can now be used as a trade exception, but doing so would hard-cap them at the first apron. That should be a non-starter at this stage of the offseason.
The first apron is projected to land around $209 million. The Sixers already have more than $172.7 million on their books for next season, and that’s for only seven players. If they used $9 million of their non-taxpayer MLE to absorb Wiggins, they’d be up to $181.7 million in salary with seven open roster spots. That would leave them less than $27.5 million below their first-apron hard cap.
If the Sixers filled five of their remaining spots with players on minimum contracts, that would add $12.25 million to their books. That’d leave them about $15 million to spend on either Oubre or Grimes, or they could bring back one for around $10 million and spend the remainder of their non-taxpayer MLE on another free agent.
Either way, they presumably wouldn’t want to head into free agency hard-capped at the first apron, particularly not for a player like Wiggins. He’d be a solid addition off the bench, but he’d have minimal chance of cracking the Sixers’ starting lineup thanks to Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
If the Sixers are going to hard-cap themselves at the first apron before the new league year even begins, it needs to be a home run move. Otherwise, they have incentive to see how the Oubre and/or Grimes situations play out in free agency before imposing those kinds of handcuffs on themselves.
The Wiggins deal isn’t likely to be the only trade that goes down this week. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the headliner, while Ja Morant could follow in short succession. Unless the Sixers are trading one of Maxey, Joel Embiid or Paul George, they don’t have the salary-matching contracts to get involved for either one.
In fact, they don’t have the contracts to get involved for hardly anyone on the trade market.
The Sixers’ top-heavy salary structure
Embiid ($58.0 million), George ($54.1 million) and Maxey ($40.7 million) are the only Sixers players who are currently set to earn more than $12 million next year. Edgecombe is next at $11.7 million. Whomever they select with the No. 22 overall pick will temporarily be their fifth-highest-paid player at a whopping $3.6 million.
Despite having so few players under contract, the Sixers are already projected to be over the 2026-27 salary cap. They can’t swing a trade that’s unbalanced salary-wise unless they’re willing to hard-cap themselves at the first apron. (Which, again, should be a non-starter this early in the offseason.)
That top-heavy salary structure is going to limit the Sixers’ options on the trade market this offseason. Salary dumps of productive players should only become more common as teams look to trim their payroll, but the Sixers likely won’t be able to capitalize this offseason.
That shouldn’t be held against Gansey and Co. They’re just playing the hand they were dealt.
They didn’t choose to not outbid Atlanta for Wiggins. They didn’t have a choice in the matter since they couldn’t absorb Wiggins’ contract without sending salary back.
That would have defeated the purpose for OKC, and the same will go for any other team looking to cut costs.
According to multiple reports, May wasn't the only prominent college basketball coach to have interest in the Mavericks' job, which comes with coaching 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. Per the Field of 68's Jeff Goodman, Flagg's college coach, Jon Scheyer, had "major interest" in the position but elected to stay with the Blue Devils.
Shortly after news broke May was leaving the Wolverines after two seasons, Duke’s social media team posted a photo of a young Scheyer in a Duke T‑Shirt — perhaps a Bat‑signal–style nod meant to signal his commitment to his alma mater.
Scheyer and Flagg were awfully successful in their lone season together in Durham, which included a 35-4 overall record and the program's first Final Four appearance in the post-Mike Krzyzewski era.
Named the Naismith and Associated Press Player of the Year, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in the 2024-25 season under Scheyer. In the Blue Devils' Final Four loss to Houston, Flagg scored 27 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals, making him the first player since defensive stats became official in 1986 to lead a team in all five categories in a Final Four game.
He was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Mavericks.
Duke is expected to be one of the top teams in the country once again under Scheyer this season. The Blue Devils return guard Caleb Foster and center Patrick Ngongba II, while they added Wisconsin guard John Blackwell and Belmont forward Drew Scharnowski to the roster through the transfer portal.
BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 26: The Milwaukee Bucks round 1 pick 23 during the 2024 NBA Draft - Round One on June 26, 2024 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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 2024 NBAE (Photo by Kostas Lymperopoulos/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
In last week’s Reacts survey, we asked you one more—final?—time about the ongoing Giannis trade saga, which may or may not be headed for a resolution by tomorrow evening’s NBA Draft. Pretty simple questions here, but we wanted to see how opinions have or have not changed since the season ended. First off: do you want to trade Giannis or not?
In our final Tuesday Tracker of the season, a similar 53% of fans polled wanted the trade to happen regardless of what Giannis wants. But if you go back to our Tuesday Tracker before the trade deadline, 57% didn’t want the Bucks to trade him. That was before his knee injury, and Milwaukee’s late-season slide took them out of the play-in picture completely, of course.
Next up, if a trade does indeed occur, will fans feel betrayed by the Bucks, especially given all that’s happened over the last year?
Taken together, these two results paint a picture of an increasingly over-it fanbase. The publicly self-imposed deadline of tomorrow’s draft for an answer on Giannis’ future, one way or another, might elicit something by tomorrow. Or it might not. Either way, people are tired of the media cycle and wish either party—the Bucks or Giannis—would do something about it.
Check out FanDuel, the official sportsbook of SB Nation.
As recently as last week, league sources talking to NBC Sports were playing down the idea of Boston as a serious suitor for Giannis Antetokounmpo, saying they weren't really all-in on their pursuit.
"One league source, after this story was published, told The Stein Line that the Celtics managed to emerge from the weekend 'with a real shot' to win this race with a Jaylen Brown-centric offer, adding that Milwaukee has considered going ahead with a Boston swap even without a third-team facilitator."
Monday morning, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Get Up, "I was really skeptical that the Boston Celtics were going to go all-in on this, but from what I understand, they have."
The expectation remains that this trade will be completed before Tuesday night's NBA Draft. Miami is still near the front of the line and may yet win this sweepstakes with an offer reportedly involving Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jamie Jaquez Jr. and draft picks. However, it's clear Milwaukee doesn't love that offer, or this trade would already be done.
ESPN's Shams Charania added this on the network’s Get Up show: "It's going to consist of Milwaukee and likely one of these two teams. There's no third team, fourth team in any construct right now."
Boston's offer would be based around All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown, coming off the best season of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists, leading the Celtics to 56 wins and the No. 2 seed in the East despite Jayson Tatum being out for most of the season. The talk in league circles had been that Boston didn't firmly put Brown in an offer, that Milwaukee had been using the situation more as leverage to get more out of Miami, but that appears not to have changed.
What other players (if any) and draft compensation would be in a Boston trade are the real questions. There have been rumors about Payton Pritchard being in the offer, but he would be a player the Celtics would want to keep because of how well he would fit playing off Antetokounmpo. Stein suggests it would be a young player, such as Hugo Gonzalez, plus draft picks. Boston has the No. 27 pick in Tuesday's NBA Draft, which likely would be part of the package.
Would Milwaukee keep Brown and try to build around him, or flip him to another team in a second trade? The argument for a second trade is that the Bucks are rebuilding and a 27-year-old player in his prime does not fit that timeline. Does Milwaukee believe that what it could get in return from Boston, plus a second Brown trade, outweighs what Miami has on the table?
Or, does the new lottery system, which punishes the teams with the three worst records in the league, change the calculus for Milwaukee, which now does not want to go into rebuild mode? Windhorst reported Brown is open to the idea of having "his own team," suggesting he is open to the idea.
Is it worth it for Boston?
Trading for Antetokounmpo would be a huge gamble for the Celtics.
We know that Brown and Tatum work together — they have won a title as a lead duo. If Boston spends this offseason filling out the roster around them — specifically upgrading along the front line — it enters next season as one of the true contenders to come out of the East, along with New York, Detroit and a healthy Indiana.
Antetokounmpo, at his best, is a two-time MVP and a better player than Brown, giving the team an elite dowhill attacker. Celtics president Brad Stevens talked in his postseason press conference about the need for the team to put more pressure on the rim, and nobody does that better than Antetokounmpo. He also is a two-way force. The risks are that he is also older (31) and has a growing injury history that has sidelined him or slowed him in each of the last three playoffs. On top of that, he will demand a new max contract after the trade, and it's likely that as he ages, that will be an anchor in the last season or two.
That risk is countered by the vision of just how good Boston could be with Antetokounmpo and Tatum. (Plus, Antetokounmpo becomes valuable looking ahead to a potential matchup with Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, not many people have the size, strength and athleticism to bother Wemby.)
If this trade falls apart and Antetokounmpo heads to South Beach, it leads to another issue: Has Boston crossed the Rubicon with Brown and now has to trade him? Has it gone so far down that road that the relationship has soured and the two sides need to part ways? There will be a lot of speculation about that, but it's a question only Brown and Stevens can really answer, and both are intelligent men who can at least talk it out. If they choose to.
Dusty May was the hottest name on the NBA radar for months, yet every time his name came up, he had a policy.
May wasn't going to talk about other jobs — at least, not specifically.
I sat down with the now-former Michigan basketball coach on June 17 for an overarching conversation about U-M's program. We discussed his frontcourt trio that's expected to be lottery selections, his returning guards that could be as good as any backcourt in the country, a pair of McDonald's All American incoming freshmen, the five-in-five rule and other players who could step up this season.
The sit-down concluded with probes about his current job and any potential for a new one. While he acknowledged he had yet to sign his extension with Michigan, he implied it was moving forward without a hitch. Also, given when he signed an extension last year it came in July, this didn't seem exceedingly out of the ordinary.
"Two days ago, I had a discussion about a couple details, and a week before that had a couple discussions about details," said May, to which I asked if the plan is still to go forward. "Yeah. I mean ... I don't even understand the issues with contracts because it's like the contracts are only as good as the buyout.
"But there's active negotiations, minor details. ... I don't spend much time thinking about it and talking about it."
May's name was floated for just about every position that came open this past cycle — the Magic, Pelicans, Bulls, Bucks, Trail Blazers and most recently Mavericks. I asked him about what it's like hearing his name for all these openings.
"What's the saying, peacock today, feather duster tomorrow?" he responded. "Yeah, you feel appreciated, but I think every job that's been open this year, I've heard my name. ... I think that's more media-driven than anything else."
When asked if some teams had actually reached out to him, he said "very few." I probed back and specifically mentioned the Mavericks.
"I'm not talking about other jobs, right?," he said. "I've said it before. If I spend time talking about every job, that becomes the Brad Stevens joke where, a Division II, JUCO comes open and they say they 'gotta make Brad Stevens say no.'
"There's no reason to talk about jobs because there's going to be 10 jobs next year — 10 in the NBA and 10 in college. I'm just not talking about it. I think I've been pretty clear. I'm not talking about jobs."
In hindsight, this reads differently than it felt in the moment. At the time, it felt similar to some of the conversations he and I had in Indianapolis last spring, where the rumors were swirling North Carolina was going to pounce as a true blueblood of the sport and steal him away from Ann Arbor.
He doubled down and told me he was happy in Ann Arbor and didn't plan on leaving.
That same weekend, athletic director Warde Manuel shot down the reports and told the Free Press the two had agreed in principle to a new deal. Just more than a week later, after U-M won the national title, Manuel said it in Crisler Center in front of thousands of people — with May's approval — that "[May] will be the leader of this basketball team for many years to come," eliciting a roar and standing ovation from the crowd.
May's previous deal featured a $4.6 million base salary for this year. He earned another $500,000 in bonuses for winning the Big Ten ($50,000), being named Big Ten Coach of the Year ($50,000), winning a Final Four game ($200,000) and the national championship ($200,000) for a total of $5.1 million.
One could only figure it will be much larger than that in Dallas, with a future star player already on the roster, a top-10 pick in this week's NBA Draft, plus a major media market with an organization that's not afraid to spend money.
It fits a lot of the criteria May needed in order to be pulled away from the Wolverines.
There's no sugarcoating this: It's a detrimental blow for Michigan. In two years, May took a last-place Big Ten team and turned it into the best team in the country and appeared to have the program poised to become a powerhouse for years to come.
He was a master in the transfer portal. After the NBA Draft on June 23, it's likely his five transfer portal big men he landed in two years in Danny Wolf, Vlad Goldin, Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. will all be on NBA rosters, and four of them will have gone as first-round selections.
U-M appeared to have real staff continuity going into the 2026-27 season, with only Justin Joyner (who took over as Oregon State head coach) seemingly on the way out. Now, the leader of the entire operation is off to lead the Mavericks along with Cooper Flagg.
Oh, don't forget, the Mavericks have the No. 9 pick in the draft. Flagg is a big, versatile forward who can handle the ball and create for others. May likes that. What else does he like? Pairing another big man with him.
Keep an eye out for a Mara-May reunion on Tuesday night.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
TEMPE, ARIZONA - MARCH 19, 2026: Cooper Ingle #12 of the Cleveland Guardians bats during the third inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium on March 19, 2026 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
It’s getting late early for the Cleveland Guardians.
June 13th was a terrible day for the Cleveland baseball team. You have to expect some major injuries in a baseball season, but you hope (1) they don’t take out three of your top five hitters when your offense is not especially good in the first place, (2) they are spread out over the whole season and not all at once, and (3) it doesn’t effect your future Hall of Famer. Instead, the Guardians lost Jose Ramirez, Angel Martinez and Chase DeLauter all to broken bones in one game. Bummer. That stinks.
But, the Guardians ten days later are still in first place in a weak AL Central in a weak AL West. This grip on the division is, obviously, very tenuous. The Guardians just lost their most interesting starting pitching prospect in the “Near the Big Leagues” category when Khal Stephen underwent Tommy John surgery. If they sustain one starting pitcher injury… this train will absolutely plummet off the tracks. Should they lose – God forbid – one of Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis or Collin Holderman – I don’t think the train can avoid derailment either. But, if we can assume unsually good pitching health to hold – and assume the Guardians are going to give Franco Aleman a chance to provide more than what Matt Festa can provide AT SOME POINT – it’s the Guardians’ offense that is the panic point when we are evaluating their chances at hanging around until some of the Ramirez/Martinez/DeLauter group can make their return.
Since June 13th, the Guardians offense has a 70 wRC+ in six games. Clearly, this is a small sample size. No argument. However, the six starting pitchers the Guardians faced in that time period had a combined 4.83 ERA. Not managing to get at least 3 of those 6 games should raise some alarm bells, especially when they scored only 1 run twice and 2 runs once during that stretch.
In the Guardians’ defense, they did the right thing in calling up Kahlil Watson and giving him a shot. It isn’t terribly surprising that Watson has struggled. He had clear contact red flags in Columbus that have been exposed. He deserves a chance to see if he can work through some of those issues and reduce his whiff and chase enough to get to his power. So, buckle down and brace yourself for a rough stretch while this young player works on making adjustments. That make sense.
I am here to tell you that the Guardians need to make the same move they made with Watson with some other players. Take a look at some of these eye-watering hitting stats for players that are infesting Cleveland’s lineup, currently:
Petey Halpin – 15 wRC+, .265 xwOBA, 27.9/2.3 K/BB%. Steven Kwan – 67 wRC+, .300 xwOBA, 10.4/12.8 K/BB% Patrick Bailey – 71 wRC+, .293 xwOBA, 26.9/6 K/BB% Gabriel Arias – 71 wRC+, .266 xwOBA, 40.8/4.1 K/BB% Daniel Schneemann – 79 wRC+, .290 xwOBA, 30.4/9.2 K/BB% Rhys Hoskins – 91 wRC+, .288 xwOBA, 30.6/16 K/BB% (61 wRC+, .243 xwOBA over the past months’ worth of games).
Wow, ok, where to begin. Halpin, Arias and Hoskins appear to just be bad. Not really surprising in any of these cases. Hoskins may just be going through a prolonged slump and need a chance to get back to his career norms. But, Halpin and Arias are here to provide defense. That’s it. And, that’s simply not enough. Daniel Schneemann has not been good… but he has been better than Arias has been. I think the team should install Schneemann as their everyday third baseman against RHP’s and mix Arias in against LHP’s (if they MUST).
Kwan is an interesting problem because his .300 xwOBA is not good, but would be enough to help this lineup if he was able to get close to it (around an 85 wRC+). However, it feels like defenses have simply adjusted to playing exactly where Kwan will ALWAYS hit the ball and so his insanely low .220 batting average on balls in play feels entirely justified instead of unlucky. If Cooper Ingle is capable of playing left field (certainly a legitimate question), it would make complete sense to bring him up, move Kwan to Halpin’s bench role and demote Halpin. CJ Kayfus has struggled to find his footing in Columbus, but he might also make sense as a temporary promotion in the future Ingle spot while Ingle continues to get reps in the outfield.
Kody Huff has a 141 wRC+ with a 17.1/15 K/BB% in what looks like a legitimate breakout as a catcher. His OPS is .979 at Columbus which is clearly inflated, but it’s still .875 in road games. He’s going to force the team into a very uncomfortable decision at some point should this breakout continue. As a right-handed hitter with a 1.012 OPS against LHP this yeaar, he makes a perfect pairing with Patrick Bailey, who appears to be the team’s choice for someone they want as part of their catching tandem in the future. But, they simply are not going to cut Hedges (who, as seen below, is having a decent hitting season!). Will they be willing to run with Huff getting some DH at-bats and either cut Hoskins or demote Fry? I am here to tell you that it is probably the right decision, given where they are currently with the disastrous injury runs, they should probably DFA Hoskins and see if he’ll accept a Columbus assignment for a bit if not claimed and run a Bailey/Huff platoon with Hedges providing third catcher help and his clubhouse magic. Will they do that? Probably not. But, I don’t see how they can continue to deny what Huff is doing and how he could potentially help.
Before looking at Ingle a bit more, let’s briefly discuss Austin Hedges and David Fry. Hedges is actually a remarkable story this year. He has a 91 wRC+ and a 16.7/8.9 K/BB% with a .303 xwOBA that makes something like that seem kind of sustainable??!! But, we cannot forget that Hedges has a career 52 wRC+. Chances are, given too many more plate appearances, that’s more the kind of hitter he will averae out to be. Meanwhile, Fry has a 104 wRC+. Above average, nice. But, that comes with outperforming his xwOBA of .268 by .060. He’s striking out a third of the time, has displayed very little power, and is propping this up with an elevated walk rate that seems remarkably unsustainable given that good pitchers are going to realize they simply don’t need to worry about throwing him pitches in the zone at some point (perhaps that point has begun since Fry has a 45 wRC+ in June). So, Hedges and Fry are fine for now and I’d be cool with both getting more opportunities (especially if they aren’t going to promote Huff); I would also not be at all surprised if both see their current solid numbers absolutely collapse if given those additional chances.
All right, now, for Cooper Ingle has a 155 wRC+ with a 22.7/18.5 K/BB%, a .333 BABIP, a .380 xwOBA, and a .274 ISO. He has a 1.112 OPS in Columbus, but still a great .892 OPS on the road. He has a little more whiff in him than you might want, but I see no reason to doubt that Ingle is, right now, a top five hitter in the Guardians organization. I would postulate that he is only not currently in Cleveland because the organization has yet to solidify his defensive footing in the outfield. Understandably, they are not ready to pause his potential development as a catcher and so he is still going between catcher and left field.
I am here to say that it is time to bite the bullet and pause the Ingle Catcher Project and make him the left fielder every night until he has enough reps under his belt to not embarrass himself. Once that happens, he needs to be in Cleveland to replace Petey Halpin and move Kwan to the bench. Ingle has some pretty pronounced splits so he isn’t going to help much vs LHP – who cares? This lineup just needs someone who can actually hit the ball. As many someones as they can find, in fact.
George Valera is back, having got through waivers. See if he can get himself on track and pop him in for Watson in a week or so if Kahlil continues to struggle. Ralphy Velazquez seems to be finding his footing in Columbus with a 125 wRC+ in his past seven games. If he can maintain some sort of breakout, it will be officially time to move on from either Hoskins or Fry and give the team’s one potential middle of the order bat a chance to take his lumps.
As a brief aside, I know many fans are hopeful help will come via the August 3rd trade deadline. The issue is that the vast majority of trades are simply not going to happen until the last week of July as teams wait for all buyers and sellers to line up. Finally, the team might be able to land a coveted right-handed hitter (every team in MLB needs one), but their bigger needs are still likely a starting pitcher (because an injury is very likely to arise there) and a left-handed reliever because they don’t have any potential help for those positions immediately available in their system. With hitters like Ingle, Huff and Velazquez nearing the bigs and Ramirez, Martinez and DeLauter due to return, don’t be surprised to see the team focus on pitching. I’m just warning you. I support adding a right-handed bopper! Absolutely. Just want to make sure we are aware of the likely moves ahead.
I don’t know if the Guardians will survive June 13’s massacre. They could even end up some sort of sellers by the trade deadline. However, I hope the front office will continue to be aggressive in trying to give them all the chances in the world to survive by promoting Cooper Ingle and Kody Huff as soon as possible, and Ralphy Velazquez should the opportunity become clear.
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Logan Gilbert is probably two starts away from recording his 1,000th career strikeout. After adding another eight in yesterday’s win over the Red Sox, he now sits at 984 since he made his debut. Yesterday’s outing, in which he walked just two and allowed only a smattering of good contact, marked the sixth solid start in a row for Gilbert, a streak that might just mark a turning point for the skyscraping Stetson.
Gilbert has been a good pitcher since his very first strikeout, a three-pitch manhandling of Cleveland’s César Hernández on May 13, 2021. But he’s never been satisfied with being good and so has been constantly tinkering and tailoring throughout his five-plus years in the show. The most remarked upon change has probably been that he has drastically cut down on his fastball usage.
In his first MLB season, he threw his fastball 60.8% of the time, 10th most in the league. Historically, it was his best pitch, appearing even faster than its actual velocity thanks to how close his hand is to home plate by the time he releases it. But after refining his slider and developing a nasty splitter, that number plummeted to 41.8% in 2023 and has held steady in the low thirties over the past few seasons. That may be changing again.
Over the past six starts, Gilbert has bumped up his four-seamer use to 45.2%, including a whopping 68% yesterday, his high-water mark in a game since his rookie season. It’s not the best velo he’s ever had, but he’s back up to 96.0 mph on it. The velo spike was particularly dramatic yesterday, when he averaged a season-high 96.8, bested 98 nine times, and even hit 99.9 mph. (In an exceedingly rare joke, Dan Wilson noted, “I’m sure we’ll be hearing about that all week.”)
The increased presence of his heater has corresponded with a bounceback in his effectiveness. Over that six-game stretch, his K%-BB% has spiked to 24.1% from 19.5% in his first ten starts. And he’s picking up whiffs on an elite 16.2% of his pitches. His 18 yesterday were somehow just the third most this month; he had 21 on June 2nd and June 16th.
Where are those extra fastballs coming from? Mostly, they’re replacing his terrible cutter, a pitch that couldn’t elicit either whiffs or weak contact. It’s a pitch he’s tried before, to try to make his arsenal a little more east-west than the strictly north-south profile on his other pitches. But he’d abandoned it halfway through last year for a reason. Hitters were not fooled by it and the in-between velocity and movement just ended up making all his pitches blend together a little too much. Now, after bringing it back to start the year, he’s abandoning it again, down from 11.5% of his pitches through his first ten starts to just 4.5% over his last six. Not only is he throwing more fastballs, he’s using them to replace his worst pitch.
Gilbert’s curveball is also down, but he used it a bunch yesterday with two strikes. And I’m expecting him to continue that trend. As Gilbert said after the game, “[Cal Raleigh] went to curveball a few times with two strikes. I think that was smart, looking back afterwards. Like if guys are kind of in-between bat speed you don’t really want to give them a gift, something at 90 or whatever. So the curveball at 81, if you’re keeping the same hand speed and everything. I think it does a good job fooling them.”
Importantly for a team that’s running with a seven-man bullpen, this stretch has also seen Gilbert work deeper into games. After being one of the game’s true workhorses, leading the league in innings pitched in 2024, he averaged just 5.1 innings per start in 2025. In his first ten starts of this season, he increased that by an additional out per game (no small thing), and now, over this six-game span, he’s averaging more than six innings per game, which is the kind of pace we want to see him on.
To recap all that: Since May 22, Logan Gilbert has averaged an extra half a tick on his fastball, he’s using it more, and pitching deeper into games.
To be sure, not all indicators are pointing in the same direction. Gilbert’s been inducing more foul balls, and not coincidentally, needing about 0.23 more pitches per plate appearance (which doesn’t sound like a lot, but is). That wouldn’t prevent him from pitching deeper into games as long as he wasn’t allowing too much traffic. But the quality of contact he’s allowing, long his greatest weakness, has deteriorated a little too. It’s possible he’s just been a little lucky lately. His BABIP is down and his strand rate is up as well.
I don’t think it’s that simple, though. The logic behind his change in approach is too sound. Throw the fastball more and guys will get fewer looks at the slider, splitter, and curveball. So Gilbert can use those to actually put guys away. All those extra strikeouts will leave runners stranded too. And his BABIP is only down within the margin of error, with “error” being the operative word for the Mariners defense—nobody should be making too much of BABIP changes one way or the other in front of this defense.
Dan also credits Gilbert’s recent success to the fastball: “It’s the velo, but it’s also the combination of that with being in the zone. You’ve got to get the hitter in swing mode, and it makes the splitter and the slider work so much better. That was the key [yesterday], getting ahead of a lot of guys. I think the first nine out of 10 he was ahead in the count with the heater, and when you’re throwing 98 to 100, getting ahead, that’s going to speed the bat up and leave them susceptible to the off-speed stuff.”
Gilbert tried a lot of different ideas to get out of the funk he’d been in for the past year and a half. He tried new pitches, he changed the shape of others. But the one thing he’d had yet to try was reversion. I get why. If you moved away from something and started improving, it can be scary to try to go back to it. But it might be just what the doctor ordered. That very first strikeout of Hernández was set up by a first-pitch fastball on the top rail. Then he went after him with a curveball on the bottom rail. And finally, he threw an ankle-high slider that Hernández swung right over the top of. How poetic would it be to set up his 1,000th strikeout with a fastball too?
NEW YORK - 1903. The 1903 New York Highlanders pose for portraits made into this team photo collage by the Sporting Life newspaper in 1903. Willie Keeler, second row down, far right, Herman Long, third row, second from right, plus Clark Griffith, manager and second baseman, center, and Jack Chesbro, bottom row, far right, are the stars of the team. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the consensus best baseball movies to ever hit the silver screen is Field of Dreams. And while the story isn’t solely focused on him, one of the most appealing characters through a key part of it is Archie “Moonlight” Graham, whose entire dream was to take one major league at-bat. I won’t spoil anything about the film in this article, and it’s important to remember that, yes, he’s just a character in a movie (albeit one based on a real person), but there are tons of real ballplayers out there whose dreams look similar to Graham’s. Some achieve it, and some don’t. However, there are stories surrounding players who took the field only a handful of times and eventually returned to the minor leagues, never to grace that dirt again.
Jack Zalusky—like Graham, another fellow with ties to Minnesota—was one of those players, who got to realize a dream, but just for a short while.
John Francis Zalusky Born: June 22, 1879 (Minneapolis, MN) Died: August 11, 1935 (Minneapolis, MN) Yankees Tenure: 1903
Born to Frank and Barbara Zalusky, John, who was called “Jack” all his life, grew up in Twin Cities area. He began playing semi-pro baseball at the age of 20 and bounced around in the early stages of his career simply due to the nature of the sport at the time. A right-handed hitter and thrower, he initially played for the amateur Pabst Brewing Company team in 1898. He received the position on the team because he also worked for Pabst as a packer.
The next year he continued to play in the semi-pro leagues. The team he played for, though, required him to travel a bit to Rock Rapids, Iowa, in 1899. And in 1900, he played for Minneapolis Brewing Company while also playing in a few college games. The University of Minnesota said they needed someone to catch a few games, and Zalusky was up to the task.
After 1900, Zalusky was able to make his way into the pro baseball season. He was signed by Louisville Colonels, which eventually turned into the Grand Rapids Furniture Makers (how could you not love minor-league team names?). He played 129 games for them through the season and finished with a batting average of .198 on the way to a minor league, Western Association pennant.
In 1902, Zalusky was signed by the Chicago Orphans (the team that would eventually turn into the Cubs) and played in spring training for them. However, not only did the team have three other veteran catchers, but Jack also sustained an injury before the season began, stacking the odds very much against him to make the cut.
So following 36 games with the Tacoma Tigers where he hit just .165, he was released and sent back to his hometown of Minneapolis to play for the Millers in the American Association, an independent league. He played 56 games with them that season and hit .185 with a slugging percentage of .233. However, he was released from his club in Minneapolis and moved on to Sioux Falls, where he was on the roster of a semipro squad in South Dakota.
Zalusky would find his luck buried in the year 1903, though. At the age of 24, he was traded by Tacoma to Spokane in Washington state with the Pacific National League. And in 89 games at Class-A, he was excellent. He hit .296, which, to that point was a career-high, and it drew some attention from other clubs that had an important mark on his tenure playing professional and semipro baseball.
Despite his impeccable batting average, Zalusky was cut from the team, but that gave the New York Highlanders (now the Yankees) of the recently-established American League a chance to pick him up. Player/manager Clark Griffith thought that there might be something there with the 24-year-old from Minnesota. And after signing with the team, Zalusky joined New York for the rest of the big-league season — the first in the great history of the team that would soon be the Yankees.
The rest of the season at that point was only seven games, but he made the most of it. Zalusky made his debut on September 2nd against the Washington Senators, and not only did he debut, but he also caught a complete game, hurled by the spitballing right-handed Hall-of-Fame pitcher Jack Chesbro, who was in his first season with the Yankees following a move from the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is worth mentioning that complete games were far more common in that day-and-age, as Chesbro finished the season with 33 to his name and in the next season tossed 48, but for a kid making his MLB debut, it’s still something to write home about.
In 17 plate appearances, Zalusky tallied five hits (all of which were singles) and two runs scored. He walked once and tallied a singular RBI as well while also striking out five times. He finished those seven games with a slashline of .313/.353/.313. His best single-game performance came when he went 3-for-4 in a 7-6 win against the Detroit Tigers, which ended up being his penultimate game in Major League Baseball. In Zalusky’s final game, he went 1-for-4, but he scored one of the two runs in his career and the only RBI he ever tallied at the highest level. The Highlanders won, 10-4.
Following his short seven-game stint in the major leagues that finished off in exciting fashion, Zalusky was returned to the minors and would stay there to live out the rest of his playing days. He was first with the Altoona Mountaineers in the Tri-State League in 1904 before going back to the American Association and playing 73 games between the St. Paul (before he was let go due to the team signing another catcher) and Indianapolis. Then, in 1906, his contract was purchased by the Denver Grizzlies in the Western League, where he would play out the next four seasons. He played 295 total games there over four seasons, the most coming in his debut year for the club. He played 114 games that season and batted .308, the highest of his minor league career.
In 1907, Zalusky played only 57 games due to blood poisoning from an accident that he sustained, and as a result, he only hit .222 in the games he did play. However, he returned to the field for the Grizzlies the next season and bounced back, playing 112 games and hitting .255. The 1909 season came around, and Zalusky had dealt with another issue — a knee injury — that took him out of comission for most of the season. He played only 12 games and still hit above .250, but he wasn’t the same player, and his time playing baseball would soon come to and end. Not only that, but he and a teammate were suspended from the Grizzles club until they were healthy to play again, but both believed they were on the wrong end of the injuries due to playing in harsh conditions. They wound up in a court of law and sued the team and won, recieving a settlement of $250 each, which is equivalent to just over $9,000 today.
The final year of baseball for Zalusky came in 1910 with La Crosse Outcasts in the Minnesota-Wisconsin League. There are conflicting reports with how many games he played, with Baseball Reference saying he appeared in 87 games and the Society for American Baseball Research saying he played in 110. Regardless, he hit .265, and eventually hung up his spikes in an official manner.
Zalusky reportedly still played baseball through the 1910s (and was even considered for managing jobs) before last being seen in catcher’s gear in 1920. From then on, he worked a security guard for a bank in his hometown of Minneapolis, where he passed away at the age of 56 due to a heart ailment.
A baseball traditionalist in every sense of the word, Zalusky spent most of his time in the minor leagues. But for just a moment, he held the title of a Major League Baseball player, one that not many can say they held at any point in their lives. His career ended where it started, but a single RBI and an impactful showing in his brief time is worth all the work to get there. Happy birthday, Jack!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is on a tremendous batting run. Since May 14, when facing left-hander Chris Sale in Atlanta, PCA made an adjustment in his batting stance and since then, in 34 games he’s batting .346/.426/.699 (46-for-133) with seven doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, 23 RBI, 23 runs scored, 15 walks and eight stolen bases.
I noticed this about PCA when I was in San Francisco last week — check out the photo at the top of this post to see just how close he’s standing to the plate. It does, apparently, make a difference. Incidentally, I took that Sunday, June 14 in the first inning, when PCA was facing Logan Webb, who is definitely not a left-hander. So he’s standing there not necessarily exclusively against LHP. Here, though, is a screenshot from the game against the Dodgers April 26 in Los Angeles, showing PCA standing in against left-hander Jack Dreyer. You can see how much farther he’s standing from the plate:
“It was just to give them less room to go,” Crow-Armstrong said. “The visual of seeing somebody standing right on top of the plate may change things. In turn, it’s helped me know where I need [pitches] to start. It’s helped me lay off stuff inside and cover the outer half of the plate.”
As the article notes, PCA’s walk rate is also up, and this new stance might be helping that. He’s just one walk short of matching his total for all of 2025, and in 22 games batting in the leadoff spot he’s posted a .462 OBP, which is just outstanding.
We are watching Pete Crow-Armstrong become a superstar right in front of us. As I noted earlier this morning, he very well might win a second consecutive NL Player of the Week award, he’s a strong candidate for NL Player of the Month, and he’ll almost certainly make a second straight NL All-Star team.
And if he continues to produce like this, the trade that brought PCA to the Cubs from the Mets for Javier Báez and Trevor Williams might go down as one of the best in franchise history.
