WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 18: Jason Alexander #54 of the Houston Astros throws a bullpen session during spring training workouts at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 18, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Astros will return from an off day Monday to take on the New York Mets in another Grapefruit League matchup. The Astros dropped their first two spring matchups, falling to the Nationals and the Cardinals. Right-hander Jason Alexander will make his spring debut for Houston in Tuesday’s matchup. Righty Jack Wenninger will get the start for the Mets.
Alexander is a 32-year old right-hander who saw action with the Athletics and Astros last season. The Astros claimed him off waivers in May from the Athletics and he went on to make 14 appearances for Houston where he posted a 3.66 ERA and a 4.65 FIP in 71.1 innings. He’s in camp competing for an Opening Day roster spot.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, February 24, 12:10 p.m. CST
Of note, Cam Smith will play centerfield today, with Joey Loperfido in right field. Shay Whitcomb will play 2B and Nick Allen will play 3B. 2B has been Whitcomb’s best position thus far, and Nick Allen has only played 5 career games at 3B. It would appear Astros giving Allen a look at 3B to see how well he can handle the position.
Everyone starting today at least has a realistic shot of being on the Opening Day roster except 1B CJ Alexander. Alexander is a 29-year old career minor leaguer with 25 MLB ABs. In seven minor league seasons, he is a .254 hitter with a .321 OBP and .776 OPS. Last season, he hit a combined .254 with a .335 OBP and .783 OPS across stints with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders (IL – NYY), Las Vegas Aviators (PCL – ATH) and Oklahoma City Comets (PCL – LAD).
Ryan Waldschmidt running in the outfield. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) | John E. Moore III/Getty Images
What are the expectations?
FanGraph Depth Chart projections show two Diamondback outfielders with above average power: Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (proj-SLG>.404 and proj-HR/PA>.031). Because they are injured, their above-average power is not assumed. What is assumed is they will play on the outfield corners when they return from the injured list. The biggest question is who will play center field.
Ryan Waldschmidt and Jordan Lawlar are probably not ready to play full-time center field due to youth (each is 23 years old) and lack of experience in center field (Waldschmidt had 38 games at the AA level, and Lawlar had 3 games in the offseason).
On the other end of the age spectrum, this season may be the last chance for Jorge Barrosa and Alek Thomas to have a breakthrough performance.
Jorge Barrosa has good plate discipline but hits below his potential, especially last season. His defense at center field is above average (2 OAA last season).
In the last four seasons, Alek Thomas had below average batting except for 2024 (when he had only 103 PAs). His defense at center field was great in 2022 and 2023, then average and terrible in the last two seasons.
The expectation is that Tim Tawa’s most valuable role is as a utility player off the bench. Last season, he played 20 games at first base, 23 games at second base, 3 games at third base, 14 games at left field, 18 games at center field, and 3 games at right field.
The following table shows FanGraphs Depth Chart projections for these outfielders.
What could exceeding expectations look like?
Corbin Carroll. The foundation of exceeding expectations is that his defense continues to be exceptional (10 OAA last season).
Three projections predicted regression for Corbin Carroll’s batting. They each projected his homers and hits to drop (the one exception expected him to have 5 more hits than last season).
My 2026 Outlook was more optimistic. One reason was that Carroll, at 25 years old, was younger than the typical peak in batter performance, which occurs between age 27 and 29. My projection was 34 homers and 160 hits. See this player review.
Then Corbin Carroll broke his hamate bone. He may not be ready by opening day. Also, his injury could possibly lower his batting power for months after his return. If he exceeds his projection AND reaches my optimistic outlook, then he will have definitely have exceeded expectations. If he again wins a Silver Slugger (like he did last season), he will have been truly extraordinary.
Ryan Waldschmidt.
Among the six players, his batting projection is second best. Especially noteworthy is his projected on-base-percent. Despite an unorthodox swing, if his batting in the Majors reaches his high potential, that will be the foundation of exceeding expectations. Building on that foundation, if despite his very limited experience in center field, his defense in center field is at least average (and perhaps above average), that will be the capstone in his exceeding expectations.
“Along with assigning him a 50 FV, our prospect team wrote that the 23-year-old outfielder in the Arizona Diamondbacks system “does just about everything you want at the plate and he looks the part of a bat-first future regular in the box.” — David Laurila
Jordan Lawlar.
Last season, he injured his hamstring. In the last couple seasons, he played fewer games than most prospects, which raised doubts about his ceiling. Can he avoid injury? Avoiding injury will be a third of him exceeding expectations.
Last season in the Majors, in 28 games his batting was poor (OPS+ of 51). If his batting in the Majors reaches above average, that will be a third of him exceeding expectations.
He has near-zero playing time in center field. If he can quickly learn the new position if he can almost reach average defense, while showing progress, that will be a third of him exceeding expectations.
“I’ve heard Lawlar described as prospect bust, but I vehemently disagree with calling any player a bust based on a 108 game sample spread out over 2¼ seasons , especially a player with Jordan Lawlar’s prospect pedigree and strong track record in the Minor Leagues.” — C Wesley Baier
Jorge Barrosa. The foundation of exceeding expectations is that his defense continues to be great (2 OAA last season).
Last season, he made an adjustment to his swing. His FanGraphs projection for batting is the lowest of the outfielders that we are considering. If he gets his swing right, and his batting reaches league average, that would be the main part of exceeding expectations.
“In Reno, Barrosa is a borderline full-time starter with a high walk rate (11.8%) and a serviceable strikeout rate (20.8%). This sort of plate discipline and Barrosa’s acuity with the glove will almost certainly get him another look in the Majors in 2026.” — James Attwood
Alek Thomas.
He does not have a trend of improving every season. If Alex Thomas bats like he did in 2024, and if he defends center field like he did in 2022 and 2023, then he will have exceeded expectations.
“At this point, expecting Thomas to anchor center field for a competitive Diamondbacks club feels optimistic. His tools suggest upside, but four seasons of stasis on offense and regression on defense tell a different story.” — Jeff Irving
“While his [Thomas] OPS+ of 82 was a personal high, it still ranked Thomas 163rd of the 177 players to receive 450+ PA in 2025. With his defense also less impressive – there was no Gold Glove nomination for Thomas this season -he ended up basically at replacement level.” — Jim McLennan
Tim Tawa. If he can bat so far above average that the Diamondbacks need him as an everyday player, he will have exceeded the expectation that he is most valuable as a utility player off the bench.
Summary.
As an everyday outfielder, any of these six players could most exceed expectations.
Corbin Carroll seems the most likely to most exceed expectations. And I’d be thrilled if Ryan Waldschmidt was promoted this season and exceeded exectations. With good fortune, maybe two of these players could most exceed expectations.
The Buffalo Sabres are traveling to snowy Newark and will resume their pursuit of a playoff spot against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, but they may have to begin that pursuit without leading scorer Tage Thompson. Thompson and his gold medal-winning Team USA teammates were diverted from New York City to Miami because of the snowstorm that is hitting the East Coast on Monday, and celebrated their victory in Florida.
The Sabres forward is traveling with Team USA to Washington DC to attend tonight’s State of the Union address at the invitation of President Donald Trump, and will be attending a White House ceremony on Wednesday. The possibility of him making it to Newark in time and being inserted into the lineup without practicing is unlikely.
“We don't have anything mapped out right now. I think it just depends on how things go,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said on Monday. “(Tage has) had an unbelievable experience, and it's going to be a tough two or three days for all those guys. Really busy and to be expected."
It is likely that Thompson will travel to Florida to join the Sabres prior to their important back-to-back matches with the Panthers on Friday and Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. With the availability of Thompson in question, the Sabres have called up reinforcements in the form of forward Anton Wahlberg.
This is the 20-year-old's first NHL call-up after playing 119 games over three seasons with the AHL Rochester Americans. Wahlberg has 25 points (6 goals, 19 assists) in 47 games this season, but based on Ruff's usual modus operandi with call-ups, the big Swede will only be inserted as a last resort.
Ruff indicated on Monday that some players injured prior to the Olympic break will be available, including center Josh Norris and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Norris skated at practice between Noah Ostlund and Josh Doan, and has not played since January 14th against Philadelphia. Luukkonen was injured just before the break in Toronto on January 27, which prevented him for playing for Finland in Milano Cortina, but he has participated in three practices. The Sabres are still awaiting test results on winger Zach Benson’s upper-body injury. Ruff indicated that it was unlikely that the 20-year-old would play during their three-game road trip. Benson and forward Jiri Kulich were seen skating on another rink at Harborcenter before practice on Monday. Kulich has been out since early November with a blood clot issue, and last week, Ruff indicated that the youngster is still in protocol for the issue, but that there is still hope of getting him back before the end of the regular season.
Buffalo begins the final stretch in the top Eastern Conference wildcard spot, one point ahead of Boston, five points ahead of the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets, and seven points ahead of the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Alex Freeland #76 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws to first base for an out during the second inning of a spring training game against the Seattle Mariners at Camelback Ranch on February 23, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There are still four weeks of exhibition games to determine things, but thus far Hyeseong Kim has started at second base twice, and Alex Freeland starts there on Tuesday after a pair of starts at shortstop. If the Dodgers run a platoon at second with Edman out, Kim or the switch-hitting Freeland could take the bulk of at-bats against right-handed pitchers, with Miguel Rojas at the ready against lefties. Kim has the disadvantage of having a potential early runway of spring playing time cut short by his pending departure for the World Baseball Classic.
Non-roster invitees Santiago Espinal (started at third base twice so far this spring) and Ryan Fitzgerald (two games, one start at second so far; Tuesday is his second game and first start at third base) are also in the mix.
Again, this is way too early, but let’s take the pulse of where we are at right now. Who will win the second base job in Dodgers camp? We’ll check back later in spring
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have informed quarterback Kirk Cousins they plan to release the 14-year veteran when NFL free agency opens next month, new general manager Ian Cunningham said Tuesday.
“What he’s done in his career, we owe that to him just to allow him some clarity going into free agency,” Cunningham said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Cousins played two seasons with the Falcons with mixed-at-best results, signing a $180 million contract about six weeks before they drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in 2024. Penix won the job in 2025, before a season-ending knee injury made Cousins the starter again down the stretch.
Cousins still started 22 of 34 games over the past two seasons, but he was just 12-10 as a starter. He threw a league-most 16 interceptions in just 14 games in 2024. The 37-year-old is 88-77-2 as a starter with Washington, Minnesota and Atlanta.
With his recently reworked deal, Cousins would have his 2027 salary ($67.9 million) fully guaranteed if he were to remain on the roster by the third day of the new league year.
The Falcons also plan to place their franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts and keep him from becoming a free agent, Cunningham confirmed.
Pitts, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, had a career-high 88 receptions and five touchdowns last season. His 928 receiving yards were the second most among all NFL tight ends. The franchise tag value for tight ends this year is expected to be about $16 million.
DUNEDIN, FLORIDA - MARCH 11: Andrew Morris #78 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch during the first inning of a spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark on March 11, 2025 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Mark Taylor/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game 1: Twins vs Orioles
First Pitch (CT):12:05 TV: NA Radio: Audacy App Know Yo’ Foe: Camden Chat
What to watch: Arcia, Gray, and Kreidler are battling it out for the backup SS/utility role. All three are in action this afternoon.
Twins
Orioles
SP: Andrew Morris
SP: Albert Suarez
1. Byron Buxton, CF
1. Leody Taveras, CF
2. Kody Clemens, 2B
2. Samuel Basallo, C
3. Josh Bell, 1B
3. Jeremiah Jackson, 2B
4. Trevor Larnach, LF
4. Coby Mayo, 3B
5. Victor Caratini, C
5. Heston Kjerstad, DH
6. James Outman, RF
6. Luis Vazquez, SS
7. Gio Urshela, DH
7. Ryan Noda, 1B
8. Orlando Arcia, SS
8. Will Robertson, RF
9. Tristan Gray, 3B
9. Reed Trimble, LF
Game 2: Twins vs Rays
First Pitch (CT):12:05 TV: NA Radio: Rays – TB Audio Know Yo’ Foe:DRaysBay
What to watch: Culpepper’s path to immediate MLB impact will be positional versatility, like Brooks Lee showed in his debut in 2024. This is his first professional start at a non-SS position.
Spring training marches on, and I'm eyeing three games on Tuesday, February 24.
The St. Louis Cardinals moneyline headlines my MLB picks alongside a pair of totals from today's slate.
Spring Training predictions for February 24
Picks
/ Over 11
-105
Cardinals moneyline
+102
/ Under 10.5
-102
Pick #1: White Sox vs. Mariners - Over 11
-105 at DraftKings
George Kirby could still be an ace, but an uneven 2025 brought on by a delayed start due to injuries may linger a bit. At the very least, it may limit his exposure today.
With Anthony Kay on the bump for the Chicago White Sox in his return from overseas, I expect the Seattle Mariners' bats to come alive.
Given both scenarios, that has me eyeing the Over on a lofty total.
Pick #2: Cardinals moneyline
+102 at DraftKings
The St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals may compete with the Rockies for the worst record in the National League during the regular season, but that doesn't mean squat in preseason.
The St. Louis youth movement will be on full display, and I like the Cardinals at slight plus money opposite right-hander Cade Cavalli, who has yet to live up to his prospect hype for a variety of reasons.
I'm interested to see if Jordan Walker can finally play up to his potential, and if J.J. Wetherholt is as polished as he's touted to be.
Pick #3: Guardians vs. Dodgers - Under 10.5
-102 at DraftKings
The Los Angeles Dodgers clearly have enough thump in the lineup to clear this total on their own, but I am bullish on Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams and the bullpen behind him this season.
Beyond Jose Ramirez, Cleveland's offense is still a shambles, and until it can prove otherwise, I'll happily fade it.
DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 23: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrates during the game against the Detroit Pistons on February 23, 2026 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 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Regular season basketball is a funny thing because there was a moment near the end of the first quarter when Tobias Harris threw down a hellacious dunk in traffic and I thought to myself, dramatically, “This is it. This is how the dream dies.”
The Pistons had not only erased a massive early deficit, but had now moved out in front by six. They were suffocating the Spurs, holding them to 4-17 shooting during that stretch, and everything felt like it was unraveling. The moment was too big. The opponent was too tough. The boys were too young. We were going to lose this game and we were going to lose it badly.
Or not!
In a massive twist that I’m sure no one could have seen coming, your guy over here was overreacting just a smidge to a moment that felt bad. Shock! The cool thing though is that I’m allowed to do that. You are too! All of us are allowed to roll around on the floor and wring our hands and shout to the heavens. We can scream about biased officials and annoying announcers and the cruel villains like Tobias Harris throwing down rude dunks that hurt our feelings. Not only is it allowed, it’s encouraged! Get in the mix, my friends. Feel something! Live a little! Viva la vida!
The important thing is that this Spurs team doesn’t do that. They get fired up and they express themselves, but they never seem to let the moment get the best of them. It’s a real “next play” mentality that I aspire to and consistently fall short of.
The Pistons very clearly wanted to rattle the Spurs in this one. It’s a playbook we’ve seen a lot this year and will likely see even more as the stakes get higher. Teams are increasingly realizing that the best way to beat the Spurs is to throw them off their game with, let’s call it, “physicality.” They don’t want to let the Spurs run. They don’t want the ball whipping around. They don’t want them comfortable, getting easy looks. They want the Spurs looking at the officials after every play and thinking about everything happening on the court except what actually matters.
I get it! It would absolutely work on me. Hand up, the Pistons would very likely beat me in a basketball game.
Lucky for us, the Spurs are built of sterner stuff than I am. They surfed the wave instead of getting swallowed by it. They matched the rougher play where they could and didn’t get distracted from their own game plan. Once it became clear they could absorb that physicality, it never really felt like the Pistons had a Plan B. They basically fell back on “we’re going to dare you to shoot,” and the Spurs were like, “deal.” That was that. It was a pretty even game in a lot of ways, but San Antonio kept knocking down shots and Detroit couldn’t match that kind of firepower. Fun game! Nice to see you! On to the next!
It was a mature performance from the team. They all count the same, but this one felt like it carried a little extra weight. National TV. Best team in the East. A group we don’t get to see very often. I don’t know. It just felt like more than “another road game.”
If there’s one thing that’s becoming a consistent trademark of the Wembanyama era of Spurs basketball, it’s that this team likes a test. They get up for it. They seem eager to prove themselves when the lights are on. They hear people saying, “The Spurs are close,” and you can almost feel them wanting to shout back, “We’re not close, we’re HERE.” I don’t even know if that’s fully true yet, but the fact that they believe it says a lot.
And that belief speaks directly to the character of their talisman. This urge to prove something feels baked into the team because it’s baked into Victor Wembanyama. He’s wired to show people. To show he’s the best. To show he cares. I was absolutely one of the people rolling my eyes at his whole, “I’m going to try hard at the All-Star game” thing, and now I’m one of the people sitting here with egg on my face. Victor’s career is going to be defined by the way he relentlessly turns doubt into belief. It’s what he lives for. It’s what he spends every day chasing.
Honestly, it’s breathtaking to watch.
I’m as prone to histrionics as I am to hyperbole, so the one thing you should absolutely not do is get too wrapped up in whatever nonsense I start spitting out once things escalate into playoff mode. But what I do want to say right now, in this brief moment of clarity and calm, is this: I don’t think this team is going to lose in the playoffs because the moment gets too big. Maybe their opponent will have a little more talent. Maybe a little more experience. Maybe a few of the breaks you need to win a championship won’t go their way. Impossible to say, obviously.
But the thing we can say with absolute certainty is that these guys are going to get tested, and they are chomping at the bit to take it. I’m just excited to be along for the ride.
Takeaways
Really fun game from Stephon Castle. Nothing in the box score super jumps off the page, but it felt like he met the moment in his matchup with Cade Cunningham and basically played Detroit’s star to a draw. He was picking him up near half court, fighting through absurd screens, and staying attached possession after possession. Wembanyama obviously played a huge role in making life uncomfortable for Cade, but the fact that he had to deal with Steph in his ear all night mattered a lot.
And if that’s all he was doing it would be enough, but he also quietly orchestrated a really steady offensive night. The Spurs shot well, sure, but Steph was the one pushing tempo, finding open guys, and acting like a metronome in the middle of what Detroit was trying very hard to turn into chaos.
Last Steph note here, but, he has this habit of catching it on the wing and loading up for a Manu-style skip pass across the court. I clock it every time because it’s one of my favorite plays in basketball, but last night, after like the second one, I had this thought of like, “Man, if I’m noticing this, probably safe to say the other team definitely is too.” Sure enough, at one point in the third quarter he got the ball out there and started pushing into the paint and winding up like he was going to sling it to Keldon in the corner. A Pistons defender was ready to jump it, and as I was having a full meltdown about it, Steph just calmly dumped it over the top to Kornet for an easy alley-oop instead. Fun times all around!
Always cool to watch Devin Vassell go off like he did tonight. He’s so smooth with the ball, and you can see how frustrating it is for opposing teams when they realize that the Spurs, like, fourth option is suddenly torching them and forcing an adjustment. Imagine spending all day figuring out how to slow down the giant French guy, kind of pulling it off, and then everything falling apart because you forgot about Young Dev. Tragic.
I’m not smart enough to expound upon the exact impact that assistant coach Sean Sweeney has had on the Spurs defense this year other than to say something like, “Hey! We hired this defensive wizard and we seem to be really good at defense this year! Cool!” However, I will say that I do consistently notice him getting super fired up on the bench when the Spurs do something good defensively and every time I do I think about “Oh yeah, that wizard we hired!” and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
WWL Post Game Press Conference
– Did you realize the Spurs were on their Rodeo Road Trip right now?
– You know what, I’m glad you asked that because I just really didn’t. Completely slipped my mind.
– Feels like it snuck up on us this year, right?
– Little bit! RRT, in the past, felt like one of those big looming milestones in the season that was always a big deal and caused lots of chatter. It was sort of legendarily when the team would bond and come together as a group and it all felt very romanticized and cool. Maybe I’m just seeing it through my rose tinted nostalgia glasses, but it just doesn’t seem like a big deal anymore.
– Well, they a little bit cheating by having two of the games before the All-Star break and then two “home” Austin games as a part of avoiding the rodeo.
– True. Maybe I don’t hear about it as much because I’m not in San Antonio and the Rodeo isn’t actually, like, consuming any of my day-to-day attention like it did growing up.
– Yea, maybe.
– Mmm hmm.
– Pretty civil conversation today, everything ok?
– Yea I mean, I can pick a fight if you want, just felt like after watching the Pistons fall on their faces all night doing that it just seems a little silly.
– For sure, would hate for us to embarrass ourselves like that.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 29: Bobby McMann #74 of the Toronto Maple Leafs reacts after scoring a goal past Arturs Silovs #37 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second period during the game at PPG PAINTS Arena on November 29, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Penguins find themselves in an interesting and surprising position coming out of the Olympic break. They’ve banked 70 points in the standings after 56 games and are firmly in the hunt for a playoff position, currently sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference in points percentage. Perhaps more importantly, the Pens are second in the Metropolitan Division. To the world, it looks like a four-team race between Pittsburgh, the Islanders, Columbus and Washington for the two guaranteed playoff spots in the Metropolitan, with perhaps a chance for the third team to earn a Wild Card playoff spot if the Atlantic Division teams in the mix like Buffalo or Boston slow down a bit.
As such, the Penguins are in a solid spot, yet not one where they’re likely to steer away from their overall plan to prioritize the future. The team has already made some moves to improve the team, bringing in Egor Chinakhov and Brett Kulak (plus Stuart Skinner) has worked out well. Amazingly, the overall net of those transactions amounts to one third round pick plus Tristan Jarry leaving the organization. That’s probably the type of moves that will be considered in the future, GM Kyle Dubas has a glut of future draft picks to work with but won’t be in a hurry to bring in older players on expiring deals that will only have a short-term impact on the team.
That desire has to also be weighed against the areas for opportunity to improve. Chinakhov’s addition has really solidified the depth and talent level of the forward group to the point where the cost of improvements might not be worth disrupting the chemistry or pushing out players who have put Pittsburgh in the current position in the first place. Same thought applies in net, where changes have been addressed by swapping Skinner for Jarry.
This leaves the blueline as a key area to monitor, where the Pens could dip their toes in the trade waters to seek an upgrade and add more quality depth to their group. The Athletic paired together some teams and likely tradeable players, while Pittsburgh wasn’t highlighted there was some utility in seeing what some proposed prices could be and where the Pens might try to insert themselves in negotiations.
NEW with @harmandayal2, we matched 5 NHL playoff hopefuls with their perfect fit this trade deadline, plus what it could take to land them:https://t.co/UeBlLUB8CM
The perfect fit: Justin Faulk, RHD, St. Louis Blues
The trade: Faulk for Detroit’s 2026 first-round pick, 2028 second-round pick, LHD prospect William Wallinder and G prospect Landon Miller
We start out with a doozy. Justin Faulk is an impending free agent and projects to have a huge price based on this. The Pittsburgh equivalent might mean including Owen Pickering and Joel Blomqvist as the prospects involved, to go along with a first and second round draft pick. If something like that ends up being the price, it’s extremely difficult to see the Pens as being terrible interested in shopping down this aisle. Faulk is a quality player, but he plays the right side and has played big minutes on the power play. That’s not a great fit for a team that already has Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang for that role.
Buffalo Sabres
The perfect fit: Connor Murphy, RHD, Chicago Blackhawks
The trade: Murphy for the Sabres’ 2027 second-round pick
A player like Murphy could be more in tune for Pittsburgh’s needs. The 32-year old has great size (6’4”, 212 pounds) and plays more of a stay-at-home defensive type of game from the right side, adding excellent defensive impacts, though it may be concerning his even strength ice time and role with Chicago has been limited this season.
The price is one where the Pens could get into as well. Pittsburgh owns two picks in the second rounds in all of the 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029 drafts. They have two third round picks in 2026, 2027 and 2028, positioning them exceptionally strongly for a potential trade like this. Murphy is also an impending free agent, Pittsburgh would have to think about if burning some of their excess was worth it, or even if they wanted to keep Murphy in the fold for the future with a contract extension.
Murphy isn’t a complete necessity but adding him to the group would make a lot of sense if that was the direction they wanted to go to attempt to shore things up defensively and add a veteran to the penalty kill.
Dallas Stars
The perfect fit: Zach Whitecloud, RHD, Calgary Flames
The trade: Whitecloud for the Stars’ 2026 second-round pick and 2027 fourth-round pick
Whitecloud has been a popular name on the ol’ wishlist for potential adds for the Pens and for very good reason. There’s a lot to like, at 29-years old he’s younger than many of the names in the rumor mill. Whitecloud also carries a reasonable $2.75 million cap hit for two seasons after this year. He’s got 78 career games of playoff experience and had a role in Vegas’s 2023 Stanley Cup win. That fits nicely in the mold of what the Penguins would want to do about acquiring players who would be more than a short-term add.
And again, the draft pick excess portions from the Murphy paragraph all dovetail in nicely here as well. The Pens are in a position to easily afford dropping a couple of mid-round picks for an NHL caliber defenseman if they are so inclined to do it, and this proposed price looks very reasonable.
You never know what teams are thinking (including Calgary, who needs some NHL caliber players of their own and might not feel urgency to move Whitecloud at this juncture) but this fit, price and situation all sounds like a very good match. That doesn’t guarantee a transaction will get made, but you’d have to think a lot of the variables align in this case.
Edmonton Oilers
The perfect fit: Bobby McMann, LW/RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
The trade: McMann for the Oilers’ 2026 second-round pick and RW prospect Tommy Lafrenière
We’ve been focusing on defensemen, yet one thing to remember about Dubas is that he often tends to zig when you might expect a zag. He also has a penchant for bringing in players that he is familiar with, to which Bobby McMann certainly fits as a Dubas/Wes Clark project they took on with Toronto in 2020 and watched grow into a very nice player.
Perhaps the Pens like someone like Justin Brazeau too much to acquire another player for a similar mid-line role. Perhaps McMann (who has scored 15 and 20 goals in the last two seasons, plus 19 in 56 games this year so far) has too high of a profile to justify burning futures on for what could be a short-term reunion. It would be easier to hold tight and do nothing.
But doing nothing hasn’t been Dubas’s M.O. He’s swapped players (even ones he likes like Conor Timmins) in and out of the team with frequency. Would it be shocking to see the Pens go so far as to send out Brazeau in a deal and use that return to partially or completely offset what it would take to acquire McMann? Or just grab McMann and make an already stocked forward group that much more loaded? It couldn’t or perhaps shouldn’t be too surprising, those are the types of moves Dubas has been making non-stop in the past couple of years to shuffle pieces of the board around in rapid succession while looking for incremental improvements.
The best bet for a realistic scenario might be to hold on or spend the time looking in other areas, but the one thing that Dubas has shown so far is a willingness to make unexpected moves out of the blue. His approach to the 2026 deadline will be instrumental in positioning the team down the stretch as they look to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 17: Wyatt Langford #36, Evan Carter #32 and Josh Smith #8 of the Texas Rangers celebrate at the end of their MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on August 17, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for February 24, 2025 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
We have a lineup that looks like what we might see on Opening Day, save for Alejandro Osuna playing in place of Brandon Nimmo, who is still doing his ramp-up, and Jacob Latz, who hopefully isn’t the Opening Day starters, as that would give me 2014 Tanner Scheppers, Opening Day starter vibes. Oh, and the 1B/DH spots would probably be switched.
Behind Latz, the Rangers are planning on having Carter Baumler, Austin Gomber, Alexis Diaz, Luis Curvelo and Patrick Murphy pitch.
HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 23: Jabari Smith Jr. #10 of the Houston Rockets dunks the ball during the game against the Utah Jazz on February 23, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, 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 Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Well, if any burner-account related insecurities are seeping into this team, they’ve yet to reveal themselves yet.
The Houston Rockets have played their first games since LB started tracking their 2026 first-round pick that is owed to the Sixers, going 2-1 in their first three games post-All Star break. That features wins over the Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz with a fourth-quarter collapse to the New York Knicks sandwiched in between.
The quality of opponent is what it is, but the team has been able to follow Kevin Durant’s lead in not getting into any of that Twitter nonsense. Jabari Smith Jr. was one of the Rockets roasted the most in those supposed leaks, and he was Houston’s leading scorer against Utah with 31 points on 17 shots.
Those two wins, along with a Cleveland loss, were enough to bump the Rockets from 24th. where they were last week, to the 25th pick in the draft if the season ended today. Unfortunately for the Sixers, they have the chance to pile up some wins with their upcoming schedule as well. In the next week they’ll be taking on the Kings, Magic, Heat and Wizards.
So with the 25th pick in the draft, Tankathon has the Sixers taking forward Amari Allen out of Alabama. Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson has also been mocked to the Sixers quite a bit as well. Anyone who wants to dive into Jefferson or other prospects that could be available in the mid-to-late 20s can now do so on this very blog as well.
Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong jokes with a fan after being hit by a pitch during game in August against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Chicago. (Paul Beaty / Associated Press)
What's not to love about Pete Crow-Armstrong? The young, talented Chicago Cubs center fielder is somehow simultaneously super cool and fiery. Nicknamed simply PCA, he should be an entertaining and accomplished player to watch for many years.
And he's Southern California born and bred, the product of esteemed diamond factory Harvard-Westlake High.
So why oh why did these words come out of his mouth during an interview for a 4,500-word article published Monday in Chicago Magazine?
“I love Chicago more and more,” he said. “It’s just an incredible city. The people are great. They give a [crap]. They aren’t just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures and whatever. They are paying attention. They care.”
The love of Chicago and Cubs fans? Understood.
The dissing of all Dodgers fans as photo-obsessed, uncaring whatevers? Laughable.
The Dodgers became the first team to draw four million fans in 2025 and have exceeded 3.7 million paying customers every non-COVID season since 2013.
And it's a false narrative to suggest the devotion is merely a byproduct of back-to-back World Series titles and a star-studded lineup. Remember, the Dodgers didn't win a title from 1989 through 2019, a 31-year drought during which their attendance exceeded 3 million 25 times.
So, where did a baseball-loving future MLB star growing up in Sherman Oaks come to such a contorted conclusion?
Blame it on dad.
PCA penned a first-person article for the Player's Tribune in September that spelled it out:
"Growing up in L.A., my dad gave me a couple of rules. 1) I couldn’t root for the Dodgers. 2) I couldn’t root for the Cardinals.
"He’s from Naperville, just outside Chicago. He didn’t force me to be a Cubs fan, but let’s just say it was heavily encouraged."
The Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years in 2016. PCA was 14, and he and his dad, actor Matthew John Armstrong, watched Game 7 together on television. Dad cried.
"I don’t think I fully got it in the moment, you know?" PCA wrote. "I was like, Dad, don’t be weird … stop crying. But I’m sure almost every Cub fan of a certain age had tears in their eyes that night. And now, a bit older, I get it."
PCA signed with the New York Mets after being drafted 19th overall out of high school in 2020. He was traded to the Cubs a year later for Javier Báez, Trevor Williams and cash and swiftly rose through the minor leagues, making his Cubs debut in 2023.
Last season he broke out as a bona fide star, becoming the first MLB player to accumulate 25 home runs, 25 stolen bases and 70 runs batted in during the first half of a season. He also cemented himself as the top center fielder in the game.
PCA slumped during the second half and finished with 31 homers and 35 stolen bases to go with a .247 batting average. Although the fans might not have noticed with all the picture-taking and whatever, he has done well in six games at Dodger Stadium, batting .333 with a home run and five RBIs.
But according to his teammate and close friend Nico Hoerner, PCA feels at home in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.
“That’s one thing that is very cool about him that not a lot of younger players get,” Hoerner said. “He couldn’t have more of an appreciation for the history of the game and playing in Wrigley Field. He’s excited to be a part of the city of Chicago in a way a lot of guys don’t really understand.”
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Boston Red Sox looking to grab a win.
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Feb 19, 2026; PortCharlotte, FL, USA; Associated Press photographer Chris O’Meara takes photos of Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen (57) during media day at Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
No TV covereage today, but the game can be heard through the radio.
First pitch is 1:05 against the Minnesota Twins at Charlotte Sports Park.
Feb 22, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Adolis Garcia (53) celebrates after hitting a double against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Over 11
Cardinals moneyline
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Under 10.5
