Good morning, folks…
Joc Pederson is motivated after a career-worst 2025 season.
Kumar Rocker is fighting for the fifth starter spot after a rocky 2025.
Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler provides velocity for a bullpen that is lacking in that regard.
Jordan Montgomery is very happy to be back with the Texas Rangers.
David Laurila has his Sunday Notes column up at Fangraphs.
Here's what happened in Mets Land during spring training workouts on Saturday, in case you missed it...
The Phillies have a ton of storylines this spring. With the players reporting in full tomorrow, we’re going to hear a lot about which players are ITBSOHL, which ones are working on something new, etc. The storylines are endless with so many new things happening around the team (THERE ARE NEW THINGS I PROMISE YOU).
However, some of these storylines will be aging poorly once the games actually start. They might be hot topics now, over these next few weeks, but afterwards we won’t find anything much interesting about them at all.
Which spring training storyline will age the worst? Is it going to be the one surrounding Zack Wheeler and his health? Will it be the effectiveness of the starting rotation? There are many to choose from, maybe even a few that haven’t been hashed out just either.
The St. Louis Cardinals have arrived in Jupiter and the reports about players being in the best shapes of their lives has begun! The newly renovated and almost finished Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is hosting the Cardinals and Miami Marlins for the next six weeks as most of us wait for the days to get longer and the last of the snow to finally disappear.
Over these six Sundays before Opening Day, I will look at each of the position groups for the Cardinals and look at their season projections and compare those expectations to the rest of the league. With the Cardinals either projected 66 wins via PECOTA or 77 wins via FanGraphs, that shows how much variance there could be surrounding the team in 2026. I expect the Cardinals to finish somewhere in the middle of those two numbers, where a 74.5 total line would give me the least confidence one way or another. As things stand, I am in on the Cardinals over 69.5 via FanDuel, but that could still be too optimistic with a lot of hope and expectations surrounding the team’s young players.
I am starting this series by looking at the starting pitching, the group that remained healthy all year, and in most organizations, that would usually mean a successful season. Unfortunately, that health meant Cardinals fans had to suffer through 51 starts by Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde before the team threw in the towel on the latter and allowed the former to finish out his tenure with the organization. By measure of fWAR, the 2025 staff finished 20th in baseball and 10th in the National League. The rotation is arguably the most revamped group on the roster as Chaim Bloom challenges the player development team to create high-level pitching talent that the St. Louis organization was always known for, although this version will feature more firepower than previous iterations of the pitching prospect group.
Recently, I pointed out how RosterResource’s projected depth chart has the entire starting nine for the Cardinals as home grown talent. The same cannot be said for the rotation, and that might not be a bad thing at this point in the rebuild process. On this week’s Cardinals on My Time, I had Josh Jacobs from Dealin’ the Cards come on to look at the rotation competition, one that I view as the most wide open in camp. Rather than rehash that discussion here, I want to look at the guys we put into our rotation, compare that to projections, and then see how they stack up with the NL and the Central.
The Locks: Matthew Liberatore, Dustin May, Michael McGreevy
Potential Opening Day starter and face of the pitching rebuild Matthew Liberatore is now at the front of the rotation. When he was acquired from Tampa Bay, there was intrigue about his potential to be an ace, and while Opening Day starter and ace mean two different things, he is looking to merge those two together in his second year as a full-time rotation piece. He will be supported by 28-year-old veteran Dustin May, who we all felt could be a perfect fit for the staff, as another guy looking to build off of another full workload season. Behind those three sits Michael McGreevy as a stabilizing, mid-rotation innings-eater who could still take a step forward to move past those projections. We were begging for him to make the bigs last. year, but we may have just been to caught up in wanting to see something different on the mound at Busch that we could have put unrealistic expectations on what he truly was at that point in his career.
Looking at those three, ZiPS DC projects that McGreevy will have the lowest ERA of the group at a 3.92. By measure of fWAR, McGreevy and Liberatore lead the group with a 1.8 and May comes in right behind with a 1.7 fWAR. The workload of these three especially will be interesting to follow as they all look to prove something from last year. Libby tailed off after the second half, May pitched his most innings in years, and McGreevy will be entering his first full season in the majors. They are all projected to fall between 141 and 159 innings, but if health allows, they should all surpass that total, which the Cardinals would like to see in a season full of questions.
In the National League, that fWAR would put McGreevy and Libby among the top 40 starters in the league, showing that they are more viewed as rotation depth pieces rather than staff leaders. The top 20 pitchers in the NL all have a projected fWAR of 2.5 or greater. In the NL Central, those numbers would put them as the 12th-best pitchers in the division, falling behind four of the five projected Reds’ starters, three of the Brewers’ pitchers even after trading away Freddy Peralta, three Pirates’ starters with Paul Skenes leading the charge, but those two only fall below one Cubs’ pitcher in Matthew Boyd.
As is true every season, injuries could play a defining role in the postseason picture. While the Reds have high-level talent, those pitchers are young or have a checkered injury history. The Pirates have done a good job adding pieces to their lineup, but the Brewers have traded away more than they have gotten back, and behind Boyd, the Cubs’ rotation does not strike me as intimidating. This is not to say the Cardinals can compete in the division, but goes to show that I believe the 66 win projection by PECOTA could be low due to the gray areas around the Central. If the Cardinals can repeat their health success from last year with this year’s group, that could be an exciting move towards the future for the organization. ZiPS DC projects all three starters to go a combined 29-30 this year.
The competition: Andre Pallante, Kyle Leahy, Richard Fitts, Hunter Dobbins
I think there is going to be little argument for those first three spots, the order may be up for debate, but the names are likely there in most everyone’s depth charts. The fourth and fifth places, though, are pretty much wide open and with the major league-quality depth available, that got me thinking about the six-man rotation I wrote about earlier in the offseason, and that was before they acquired Dobbins. I would still be open to that idea, but the team has not said anything towards leaning that way, so I will look at the rotation as a traditional five-man setup.
Last season, we focused on how poorly Mikolas and Fedde pitched, but Pallante was not much better. He was able to eat 162.2 innings, but did so with a 5.31 ERA and went 1-10 with a 6.64 ERA in the second half of the year. Pallante was a nice stabilizer to the rotation in 2024, but regressed in his first season as a starter after bouncing between long relief, the minors, and starting until 2025. His offspeed stuff was not great last season, which caused his below-average fastball to be touched up at a higher rate, which then forced Pallante to try to nibble around the zone. That unfortunate mix of struggles put him into the competition, rather than a rotation lock for this season, but I think last season was just so bad in the second half, we are bound to see some improvements. Like Josh said on the podcast, a Pallante improvement may not be spectacular still, but he could become valuable to the organization in one way or another if he can become a reliable starting arm. I still have him as a favorite for a rotation spot coming out of Jupiter. ZiPS sees Pallante’s bounce back season ending in an 8-9 season and a 4.30 ERA.
For the last spot, again order irrelevant, I am again sticking with the one the organization is familiar with and seeing if they can make Kyle Leahy become the 2026 version of Matthew Liberatore last year. Leahy’s overall line last season was solid as he settled into that anytime role out of the bullpen, throwing in 62 games, covering 88 innings and putting up a 3.07 ERA and an improved strikeout rate.
I think we see him go from Kyle Everyday-hy to Kyle Every5thday-hy (rolls off the tongue) at least to start the year since Marmol and Bloom have kind of put those expectations on him since he started the last game of the regular season. Leahy has a solid pitch mix, featuring six different offerings, with his offspeed combination being his bread and butter to get a strikeout. Even with his heavy usage all season, Leahy did not experience the same regression that his counterparts did, actually bumping up his peripheral numbers after the break.
In a competitive team, a move to the rotation may not have made much sense because of his effectiveness out of the bullpen, but where the Cardinals are, he could create even more value as a starter if this transition works. Liberatore saw a similar bullpen role in 2024 before being moved to the rotation, and the Cardinals could copy/paste that plan for Leahy moving into the regular season. Interestingly, ZiPS has him penciled into the rotation on RosterResource, but the projection model only has him grabbing 18 starts out of 46 appearances. That would result in a 6-6 record over 135 innings and a 4.03 ERA with some regression in his strikeouts and walks. That regression would make sense as a starter, with less opportunity for digging deep for a big strikeout like he might have to in a jam coming out of the bullpen. That type of progression in 2026 though, could put Leahy in the conversation for a cheaper extension, although he will be turning 29 during this season and is controllable through the 2030 season. Part of the reason I would push for that rotation spot is because of that “advanced” age when compared to the rest of the rotation. If he can prove his value in the rotation, his future outlook could change for the better.
That leaves the major league trade acquisitions of Fitts and Dobbins on the outside looking in. Fitts is probably closer to competing for a 26-man slot than Dobbins, as the latter had ACL surgery last season but said he has progressed well and is throwing aggressively off the mound. Both pitchers are similar to each other when you look at the back of their baseball cards as they both have a traditional starter’s pitch mix, led by a mid-90s fastball, slider, and curveball. They are both a little more pitch-to-contact, with Fitts using a sinker to go off of his other pitches, while Dobbins features a splitter rather than a typical change up. They tend to be around the zone with their offerings and provide positive depth as projectable 26-year-old arms. If all goes to expectations, both could insert themselves into middle rotation arms for the future. ZiPS DC projects both to have similar seasons as well, with each tallying just under 100 innings with five wins and a mid-4 ERA.
It may not be sexy, but it could be an effective rotation, especially in this first year of the rebuild where the offense will have plenty of growing pains of their own. The ability for the starters to go 5-7 innings any given down could be a welcomed boost for the Cardinals as they sort through their arms and see who is the next “dude” or if they are full of “guys”.
What do you think? Who do you see cracking the Opening Day rotation? Is Libby the de facto #1? Is a six-man rotation a possibility? Let me know!
SELF PROMO OF THE WEEK
Thanks as always!
Well, at least you can file this one under “it shouldn’t theoretically affect the Braves in 2026, I guess,” if it makes you feel any better:
This does seem more like a holdover from 2025’s injury woes than a continuation into 2026, but it is what it is. The notable thing here is that once again, per Mark Bowman’s reporting, that another Braves player felt a twinge (or more) of something, but played through it — in a lost season, no less. Sure, you can say that Jurickson Profar was already out of action for the whole season and didn’t want to bail on his teammates further with the offseason coming up so soon, but a version of that logic is part of the problem when it comes to the Braves and injuries as it is.
Profar posted a .294 xwOBA in September after a .396 xwOBA in August. It’s tempting to say that at least part of his dropoff was something related to the aforementioned discomfort, but he also had a .291 xwOBA in July, so… who knows. I guess you could ascribe the July struggles to getting back up to speed after a suspension, and then September to the hey-I-have-a-hernia, but now you’ve got a whole assumption stew going and I mostly just want french fries and a candy bar.
Anyway, this shouldn’t affect Profar in 2026 (even though, if you’ve been following along, of course it will). He’s still penciled in to be a primary starter, though may DH a lot given the presence of Mike Yastrzemski and Profar’s ineptitude in the field. Maybe that makes the had-a-hernia-that-required-surgery situation a bit better.
GAINESVILLE, Florida – The question of whether Florida basketball should have let Denzel Aberdeen leave in the offseason seems to have been answered.
Aberdeen likely would have been a starter for the Gators, who were fresh off a national title. However, failed ‘negotiations’ led to Aberdeen transferring to Kentucky and joining the Wildcats’ reported $22 million roster.
Regardless of the rationale on either side as to whether Aberdeen should have been rewarded a lucrative deal or if the Gators were smart to move on and invest elsewhere, it’s safe to say the latter was the better deal for Florida (19-6, 10-2 SEC).
In Aberdeen’s return to the O’Dome, Xaivian Lee outdueled him and scored a game-high 22 points that fueled Florida’s 92-83 win against Kentucky on Saturday, Feb. 14.
“I mean, he's playing great, right?” said Florida coach Todd Golden of Lee. “I mean, he was fantastic at Georgia, he was great at Vanderbilt. He’s stacked some really good games over the last couple of weeks, and I thought he was fantastic today.”
Aberdeen, who has had a respectable year at Kentucky, went 8-of-21 from the floor, but led Kentucky with 19 points and four assists.
“I think it was a good matchup,” said Florida’s Alex Condon, who scored 14 points. “I knew ‘Zel was going to be aggressive tonight and try to fuel off the crowd a little bit. Credit to him. He played a solid game, was aggressive. I think our guys did a great job making him take tough 2s, running him off the 3-point line. Yeah, as a whole, I was really proud of the team.”
The Gators’ defense also held UK’s leading scorer and the SEC’s Preseason Player of the Year, Otega Oweh, to 13 points as he went 4-of-14 from the floor.
“I thought we did a great job on (Aberdeen),” Golden said. “I thought he’d get some tough shows.
“But if we could cut their water off then we would give ourselves a good chance to win. They’re both really good players, and you’re not going to make them miss every time. But you know to go combined 12-of-35, that’s winning basketball for sure.”
Not to mention, Urban Klavzar, who opted to stay with UF after barely seeing the floor last season, delivered 19 points off the bench. Klavzar and Lee combined for nine 3-pointers, as UF has become slightly more effective beyond the arc in its recent five-game win streak.
“I think the message before was also how good, you know, what our ceiling can be as shots start to fall,” Lee said. “I think we're seeing that a little bit now, for sure. But, honestly, I don't think that's really what we're focusing on, to be honest. I think it's more just controllables, and then when that happens, it makes us that much harder to beat.”
Yes, Aberdeen and Kentucky will get another shot at Florida in the regular-season finale in Rupp Arena, but for now, the answer to move on seems straightforward as the Gators have gotten better.
“I think when we hit 10 3s, I think it was in back-to-back games, I don't think anyone in the country can play with us,” Condon said. “We’re a dangerous team. Inside, especially rebounding is a big emphasis. That's our DNA. Every game we try to win the rebound count by at least 12, and it sucks the guys inside, and then you throw it out, and these guys hit 3s. It's really unbeatable basketball I think.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida basketball gets best of Kentucky, transfer Denzel Aberdeen
The Orioles made a significant effort over the offseason to shore up multiple positions. The team boosted its starting pitching depth by adding Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin. Baltimore added Ryan Helsley and Andrew Kittredge to help in the late innings. The O’s added plenty of power with Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward, and the addition of Blaze Alexander should help the team survive an injury to Jackson Holliday.
All of that being said, there’s always a reason to worry in Birdland. The bullpen is particularly thin on established big leaguers after Helsley and Kittredge. The rotation, while improved, is still banking on Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish to stay healthy at the top.
The Orioles have three power hitters that play the same position in Alonso, Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo. Both catchers will need at bats as the DH, and Mayo could find his way to other positions (yikes). Recently announced injuries to Holliday and Jordan Westburg put a dent in Baltimore’s best unit, while Leody Taveras remains the only back up to Colton Cowser in center field.
Hope springs eternal in spring training, and there’s plenty of reason for optimism right now. That being said, what position makes you the most nervous in the middle of February?
Marcus Semien’s quiet leadership will be key in getting the Mets’ new infield to jell, writes Laura Albanese of Newsday. Semien is looking forward to a reunion with Bo Bichette and playing alongside Francisco Lindor, he said.
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com provided his early spring training observations from Port St. Lucie.
Edwin Díaz responded to Steve Cohen’s quote that Díaz’s decision to join the Dodgers was “perplexing” by saying in part, “I think the Dodgers did a great job recruiting me.”
David Lennon of Newsday wrote about the Mets’ strategy for the debut of the automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system that will debut in the big leagues this season.
This spring, Craig Kimbrel finds himself in unfamiliar territory: he is the most accomplished pitcher in camp with the Mets, but he is not guaranteed a spot on the team.
To help strengthen his resume, MJ Melendez played some innings at center field in winter ball and is hopeful this added versatility will help secure him a spot on the Mets’ Opening Day roster.
Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said the Braves are still looking to add an arm to the top of their rotation.
Battery Power projected what the Braves’ Opening Day roster will look like.
The Miami Marlins won their arbitration hearing against righty Calvin Faucher, who will make the $1.8 million offered by the Marlins rather than the $2.05 million figure he filed at. This was the final salary arbitration case of the year; players won eight cases and clubs won four cases.
The Nationals signed left-hander Cionel Pérez to a minor league deal.
The Padres went on a spree yesterday, adding Nick Castellanos—recently released by the Phillies—former Met Griffin Canning, and lefty Germán Márquez.
The Diamondbacks signed veteran righty Joe Ross to a minor league deal.
Cal Raleigh provided his reflections on coming in second in a hotly contested AL MVP race last year and how he’s looking to build on that in 2026.
Chris McShane previewed what 2026 may hold for Dylan Ross, who will try to compete for a spot in the Mets’ bullpen.
The Mets reunited with Jason Isringhausen on this date in 2011. The deal actually turned out okay from a baseball perspective and Izzy earned his 300th career save with the Mets in August, but unfortunately he faded in the second half overall after a solid first half.
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Federica Brignone wins the gold medal in Olympic women’s giant slalom, Mikaela Shiffrin finishes 11th.
AMES, Iowa – In the attention economy, “What have you done lately?” has been largely replaced by, “What have you done right this second?” There’s no patience nor hardly any memory, but there certainly is an urgency bordering on frantic.
That makes for a tough environment to appreciate what Iowa State basketball has done. The Cyclones (22-3, 9-3 Big 12) are ranked fourth nationally, so it’s not as though they’re being overlooked or undervalued, but they’ve mostly only been in the national college basketball consciousness for their failures since the calendar flipped to 2026.
Getting stomped at Kansas and then no-showing at Cincinnati that same week. Taking an upset just days ago at TCU.
That 3-0 run through the Players Era Festival or that dismantling of Purdue on the road got their due at the time, but, heck, that was all the way back in 2025. That might as well be 1985 for the way we chew up and spit out takes on TikTok these days.
Mowing down five-straight Big 12 teams after those back-to-back losses was nice, sure, but, like, whatever? You can only get so excited about blowouts against the unimpressive middle and bottom of the Big 12.
Not only has it been two months since Iowa State beat the Boilermakers (and Iowa days after that), but it’s been two months since we’ve even seen the Cyclones play well against a high-level team.
You can reset that clock to zero on that front, and put the Cyclones right at the front of the national college basketball conversation.
That happens after outplaying and overwhelming the country’s hottest team, No. 9 Kansas, 74-56, to snap the Jayhawks’ eight-game winning streak, get a measure of revenge for last month’s 21-point loss and reassert themselves as a Final Four contender.
“I’d definitely say we made a statement,” Iowa State freshman Jamarion Batemon said. “This is a huge opportunity to bounce back and show that we’re one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the country.
“It was a great opportunity, and I feel like we definitely made that impact.”
How far the reverberations from that impact travel will no doubt be influenced by what the Cyclones do 48 hours later when No. 3 Houston comes to Hilton Coliseum for Big Monday. But for this weekend, at least, the Cyclones offered up a compelling case for just how damn good they are.
Five days after Kansas became the first team to beat Arizona, the Jayhawks got bullied, beaten and, at times, embarrassed by the Cyclones.
Iowa State’s ball pressure would have had Isaac Hayes singing falsetto.
The Jayhawks were consistently on their heels, playing backward and even had a pair of backcourt violations as the Cyclones allowed them no quarter. Much of Iowa State’s issues in its trio of losses came from an inability to disrupt opponents, but their dialed-up intensity against the Jayhawks kept their visitors uncomfortable and unsuccessful all afternoon.
“Our whole mindset was just to not let them be comfortable,” Tamin Lipsey said after a three-steal day. “We wanted to push them up the floor as much as we could.”
Just as important as the harassment Iowa State doled out defensively was a whole-of-rotation effort that saw all eight Cyclones who played make real contributions to winning.
Batemon, who by any measure is the last man in the rotation, set a tone with a level of aggression we haven’t seen from the freshman. His two 3-pointers and forceful drive and layup in the first half helped lift an offense that was struggling. Reserve center Dom Pleta’s offensive rebounding did much the same. Nate Heise had five boards and a steal in 26 minutes that also saw him provide a defensive presence on the perimeter.
And those are just the reserves.
It’s almost an afterthought that Joshua Jefferson had 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal, or that Lipsey had 11 points, three boards and four assists. Blake Buchanan? A cool 11 and six while going 5 of 6 from the floor.
There was, though, no missing Milan Momcilovic.
The country’s best 3-point shooter had 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-9 from deep. His fading-to-his-left, falling-to-the-floor, over-the-arm-of-6-10-Flory-Bidunga triple might be the best of his career and one of the more incredible makes Hilton Coliseum has seen in its half-century.
“That was probably the craziest shot I’ve seen in person,” Lipsey said.
It, simply, was a great game from a team whose greatness seemed to have been forgotten.
“I’m proud of our guys for how they worked this week,” said Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger, “and for the effort that they sustained for 40 minutes.
“That’s not easy to do, and I felt like that was as complete of a 40 minutes as we’ve had this season.”
If there was concern about the victory poisoning the Cyclones ahead of Monday’s huge matchup with Houston, well, they didn’t sound too impressed with themselves Saturday evening.
“I feel like we could have beat (Kansas) by more,” Momcilovic said after the Cyclones toppled KU by the largest margin of victory ever at Hilton Coliseum in the series. “Our offense got a little stagnant in that little five-minute stretch in the second half.
“I think it shows we’re still really good, and we can beat anyone night in, night out.”
If nothing else, the Cyclones have everyone’s attention.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iowa State basketball win over Kansas a reminder of March Madness potential
If you’re a Guardians fan, you have probably collected some Cleveland baseball memorabilia.
Whether it’s baseball cards, baseballs, bats, gloves, hats, shirts, jerseys or something completely different… we want to hear about it!
Personally, I rank my autographed José Ramírez bat first in my collection. Then, I have an autographed photo of Mike Hargrove from the day he told me I should propose to my girlfriend (now-wife). And an autographed picture of my dog by Bob Wickman whom I named her after. Finally, I pulled an autographed photo of Corey Kluber from a random drawing.
How about you? What is your favorite item?
It’s here! It’s finally here! The Dodgers will be playing baseball in less than a week’s time.
As the team begins to regroup at Camelback Ranch, old faces and new alike make their way into the clubhouse, and among the new faces to the Dodgers is Edwin Díaz.
Díaz was the first major signing this offseason for the Dodgers, as he inked a three-year, $69 million deal to become the new closer during the winter meetings. The Dodgers still have relievers who at one point in their careers have done well closing games, such as Evan Phillips, Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen, but Díaz will now be the guy called upon with a close lead in the ninth inning.
While Dodgers fans anticipate the blaring of trumpets with his first entrance, fans of the New York Mets are left with the memories of Díaz’s tenure, illustrated by both frustration and triumph. With Mets fans wondering why Díaz chose greener pastures in Los Angeles, the right-hander explained his decision to join the Dodgers, noting that their recruitment process played a huge role in him abandoning New York, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
“I was a free agent, so I got the chance to talk with everyone,” Díaz said Saturday from Dodgers camp in Glendale, Ariz. “And I think the Dodgers did a great job recruiting me. At the end of the day, I chose to be here. I have a lot of respect for the Mets organization, players, staff, ownership. They treated me really good. I don’t have anything bad to say about them. But at the end of the day, I’m here. This is a new journey for me and I’m happy to be with the Dodgers, so let’s see how it goes.”
Brusdar Graterol has not thrown off of a big league mound since the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees. After undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum, Graterol, just like many young Dodgers arms, had his 2025 season dashed before it could begin.
Although Graterol has had a full offseason to recover and ramp up, his velocity is not up to par with where the Dodgers want it to be, and that might delay Graterol’s return until after opening day, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“It’s still kind of the velocity’s not near where it’s going to be,” Roberts said. “So I think that it’s a slow progression. I just don’t know where that puts us. But it’s a slow process for Brusdar.”
Last season, Yoshinobu Yamamoto showed baseball fans why he received a 12-year, $325 million deal from the Dodgers without ever throwing a major league pitch, finishing third in NL Cy Young voting and being named the World Series MVP.
Yamamoto’s trophy mantle already boasts some serious hardware from his time in both the NPB and MLB, but his sights are set on a new challenge this upcoming season; winning the Cy Young award, notes Chen.
“He’s just such a good competitor. He takes care of himself, but he wants to be great,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He wants to win a Cy Young. He hasn’t done that yet, so that’s a carrot. But I think he prides himself on being consistent and being really good.”
Team Japan will only get one half of the Shohei Ohtani experience during the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but Dodgers fans will finally get the full experience in his third year with the team. While a Cy Young award is something that Ohtani does dream of receiving, the goal for two-way superstar this season is simply to stay healthy on the mound, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
“Getting a Cy Young means being able to throw more innings and being able to pitch throughout the whole season, so if that’s the end result, that’s a good sign for me. What I’m more focused on is just being healthy the whole year.”
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen could be a player to keep an eye on as we get closer to the 2026 NHL trade deadline. The right-shot defenseman has been a trade candidate for quite some time, and there could be interest in him if he can stay healthy between now and the deadline.
Due to this, let's look at three teams that could make sense as landing spots for Ristolainen if the Flyers shop him.
The Red Wings are in a position to add to their roster, as they have a ton of cap space and currently hold a playoff spot. There is no question that they could use a right-shot defenseman with size, so they could be a nice fit for a veteran blueliner for Ristolainen.
One of the Stars' top objectives ahead of the deadline should be to bring in another right-shot defenseman. Their right side is in clear need of a boost, so it would be understandable if they had Ristolainen on their radar. Ristolainen is also playing for Team Finland with several players on the Stars.
The Maple Leafs have been connected to Ristolainen in the past, so it would not too surprising if they had him on their radar. The Maple Leafs need to improve the right side of their defense, and bringing in Ristolainen would help things on that front.
The NBA is on the brink of something seismic. So when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stepped to the podium Saturday for his annual state of the league address, he wasn’t just talking about the midseason showcase. He was outlining a continental land grab.
The NBA’s proposed “NBA Europe” league, tentatively targeting an October 2027 launch, is no longer a whisper campaign. It’s now a blueprint.
Silver made it clear the league office has moved into what he called a “new phase,” working alongside financial heavyweights JPMorgan Chase and the Raine Group, with dozens of prospective ownership groups already signed to nondisclosure agreements and reviewing projections. The message was unmistakable: This is real money, real infrastructure, real ambition.
The structure being discussed reads like a hybrid between American franchise stability and European meritocracy. A 12- to 16-team model is under serious consideration, with 10 to 12 permanent “A-license” spots reserved for elite clubs, and four to six places earned through qualification from existing European competitions.
“We want to be respectful of the existing teams,” Silver said. “We want to be respectful of a passionate fan base and move as quickly as possible.”
That respect, however, does not mean retreat.
The NBA is targeting some of the most powerful brands in global sport: Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü and Anadolu Efes. These are institutions with soccer empires and basketball pedigrees, clubs that command hundreds of millions of global followers. Silver understands the leverage that comes with attaching NBA intellectual property to those crests.
“If someone is a Real Madrid football fan,” Silver said, “and they also have a great basketball organization, a relaunch league may bring a lot of those historic fans with them.”
The financial threshold will not be for the faint of heart. Expansion fees are projected to range from $500 million to $1 billion. Silver did not sugarcoat the timeline for profitability. “People who are looking for a short return should probably look elsewhere,” he said. This is generational thinking — a decades-long build designed to reshape the basketball map.
The league is also exploring modern arena infrastructure across Europe, acknowledging that world-class competition requires world-class buildings. It’s part sport, part urban development strategy.
“One of the things we’re focused on is building a new arena infrastructure in Europe,” said Silver regarding the need to invest in new structures in which teams can play. “It’s badly needed.”
And then there’s ownership.
Silver confirmed the NBA is in discussions with the Players Association about allowing current NBA players to invest in NBA Europe franchises. Lakers superstar Luka Dončić is already in talks with former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson to purchase Italian basketball team Vanoli Basket Cremona, with plans to relocate it to Rome.
Roughly 15% of the NBA is European-born. Some of its brightest stars — from Serbia, Greece, France and Slovenia — already define the league’s MVP conversation. The idea of global superstars becoming transcontinental stakeholders is not a side plot. It’s the future.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the EuroLeague, the continent’s current top-tier competition. Silver struck a diplomatic tone, citing “constructive discussions” with new EuroLeague CEO Chus Bueno. Still, make no mistake: Coexistence will require compromise. The NBA’s semi-closed model, salary cap principles and revenue-sharing philosophy are foreign concepts in much of European sport. Translating that system overseas will test lawyers and economists as much as coaches.
Silver admitted as much. “Nothing is easy here,” he said. “There are reasons why this hasn’t been done before. But I think we’re up to it.”
Behind the scenes, the league is already contemplating cross-continental competitions — perhaps a basketball version of a Club World Cup — pitting NBA teams against their European counterparts.
As Silver fielded questions about NBA expansion in Las Vegas and Seattle, he joked about the bags under his eyes. But when he spoke about Europe, the fatigue vanished. This is the heavy lift. This is the swing-for-the-fences opportunity to take the game to even higher heights than ever before.
If October 2027 becomes reality, it won’t simply mark the birth of a new league. It will signal the NBA’s transformation from a North American powerhouse with global reach into a truly bicontinental empire.
The commissioner knows the clock is ticking. Europe’s basketball culture is rich, proud and fiercely independent. Silver isn’t asking it to freeze in time. He’s asking it to evolve.
And in typical NBA fashion, he’s betting big that the world will follow.
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Hey now. The players are in camp, except for a couple, who (as far as I know) are still having visa trouble. They’ll actually play a competitive game this week.
I don’t know about you, but I’m studio-tanned, restless, and ready-to-wear. I’m in the best shape of my life (round) except for my hand, which is going to take a month or so to heal, so playing guitar is out, typing is, um, interesting, and my wallet, which is soon to be $150 thinner when MLB.TV renews.
But those are small things. Baseball is back. I’m of the coterie that believes next year is toast so, from my perspective, there’s much more at stake and I shall be especially attentive. That makes the window of contention 2026 unless that toast lands butter-side-up, and I have little faith in Bruce Meyer and no faith whatsoever in Rob Manfred getting that done.
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