Texas Rangers lineup for May 30, 2026 against the Kansas City Royals: starting pitchers are Kumar Rocker for the Rangers and Seth Lugo for the Royals.
Texas scored a lot of runs yesterday and won a game. They will try to do that again today.
The lineup:
Pederson — DH
Jung — 3B
Nimmo — RF
Burger — 1B
Duran — SS
Osuna — LF
Jansen — C
Lopez — 2B
Helman — CF
3:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -119 favorites.
Looking to bring in a fresh bullpen arm prior to Saturday afternoon's game against the Marlins, the Mets decided to option right-hander Tobias Myers down to the minors.
The decision was a tough one with Myers being such a valuable piece for this pitching staff, but having an option remaining made him the odd man out this time around.
“Not an easy decision given how important he’s been,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Opener, multi-inning guy, high-leverage, can get the last three outs -- it’s just the situation we were in pitching-wise heading into today’s game.
“He’s one of the guys with an option, the other two are available today -- we told him you’re going to be back here soon and he understood, obviously not happy about it, but it’s the situation we’re in and he’ll be back here.”
The versatile reliever has hit a bit of a rough patch on the mound of late as well, giving up runs in five of his last seven appearances to bring his ERA to 4.05 for the season.
Myers will look to turn things around in Triple-A, though, on more of a regulated program.
“It’s just going to be more scripted,” Mendoza said. “Where if you’re going to go and throw 35-45 pitches, then he’s able to get the three or four days after that, something that at this level with the competition you aren’t able to do.
“Then once his 15 days are up and we have to make that decision, he can either go and continue to get stretched out or go back into the role we’ve been using him in -- he’s very versatile and an important player for our team.”
The Braves have a chance to win their series against a solid Reds team in Cincy with a win tonight and give them a chance for another Sunday sweep.
Martin Perez takes the mound for Atlanta and he is posting near-career-best numbers through 46.2 innings, with strikeout and walk rates that near his career highs and a 3.80 xFIP to pair nicely with his 3.83 FIP at the age of 35. He’s chucking a 5 pitch mix of relatively slow pitches that generally have decent movement and it’s getting the job done for that fifth starter spot. This is a dangerous ballpark for pitchers though, ranking as a top 5 offense-friendly ballpark and especially susceptible to home runs.
The Reds will start veteran Brady Singer, who is having his worst major league season so far this year, with a 6.52 FIP and 4.46 xFIP on 46.0 innings. Given his home ballpark, I would trust xFIP to be more accurately representative than FIP, but that would still be a career-worst xFIP. It’s not hard to see why, as his fastball velocity is down nearly a full MPH from last season and his strikeouts have cratered to by far a career low rate of 6.65 per 9 innings. At only 29, Singer may be hitting the cliff early or this may be a blip on an overall solid mid-rotation starter career. Let’s hope this swoon lasts at least one more game and Atlanta can take advantage. Singer relies heavily on his sinker and slider, with a sweeper, cutter, and four-seamer sprinkled in. All of his pitches have been hit varying degrees of hard this year, but he does still have good extension and historically his slider has been fairly effective. What he is doing well this season is limiting walks, so the Braves should look for all of those pitches he’s throwing in the strike zone and look to hit them hard, particularly the sinkers. If they can do that, they should find success against Singer in this small ballpark.
Game Time: Saturday, May 30th, 7:15 pm EDT
Location: Great American Ball Park, , Cincinnati, OH
Watch: FOX
Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
Time/Place: 2:10 p.m., Rate Field
SB Nation Site: South Side Sox
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup:Game 59: LHP Framber Valdez (2-3, 4.28 ERA) vs. LHP Anthony Kay (4-1, 3.96 ERA)
| Player | G | IP | K% | BB% | GB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valdez | 11 | 61.0 | 18.7 | 8.6 | 49.5 | 4.08 | 0.6 |
| Kay | 11 | 52.1 | 16.5 | 9.7 | 42.6 | 5.21 | 0.2 |
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Yesterday was an annoying baseball day. The Cubs lost to the Cardinals after hitting a three-run homer in the first inning. They were one run short of tying the game in the ninth, because the BABIP gods were apparently a little annoyed at Nico Hoerner and Phil Maton keeps throwing in relatively close games for #reasons. Shōta Imanaga decided to keep pace with Jameson Taillon on the home run front, surrendering two of his own today. Including a long fly ball to former Cub Nelson Velázquez in his first MLB at bat since 2024 and you know what? Good for Nelson [VIDEO]:
But the loss was maybe the least annoying Cubs adjacent thing Friday because we also learned that Brewers pitcher Abner Uribe would be suspended a game after a… shall we say, colorful, celebration in the direction of the Cardinals dugout:
I really went back and forth on whether I should show that celebration. Ultimately, I decided I should not. It’s easily searchable, most of you have probably already seen it. I don’t have a huge problem with it, but I know enough people do that I am not going to thrust that onto people without warning. In fact, it’s very similar to an editorial decision I made on this very site last week when I opted not to share video of the incident between Pete Crow-Armstrong and a White Sox fan in the outfield at the recent Crosstown Classic. As I said at the time:
The video of the exchange is uncomfortable viewing and it seemed like an ill-advised engagement with a fan from my vantage point. The full picture matters here: a female White Sox fan began booing Crow-Armstrong and yelling “you suck” when he was just feet away after he missed a potential highlight-reel catch, and PCA responded with a profane and frankly crude verbal comeback that he acknowledged immediately was indefensible in terms of word choice. Crow-Armstrong apologized Monday for his language, saying he didn’t think “any of the women in my life would think I would say those kinds of words regularly” and adding that he was bothered by the idea of young kids seeing the exchange on social media. That’s a start, but honestly, it’s pretty clear he does use those words to at least some women who aren’t in his life, and that’s a double standard that is more than a little troubling.
In that piece, I noted that the line between what PCA did towards the fan wasn’t that far away from other fan interactions that have resulted in suspensions. I also shared, cautiously, that I thought MLB had probably gotten it right. What PCA did was distasteful and indefensible, but a fine rather than a suspension seemed appropriate, although reasonable people clearly may disagree. In the poll attached to that earlier article, the vote was split about 50/50 between suspension and not for PCA.
I’m just not sure how whatever governing body that made the decision to fine PCA looked at what Uribe did towards another team (not the fans) and finds that to be worthy of a suspension rather than a fine. If anything, Uribe’s gesture, while crude, seems squarely within behavior that is also actively being celebrated in the game when the Giants outfield does it.
I’m sure there is some explanation forthcoming, but honestly, even the potential explanations feel a big cringy as I consider them. For example, it was widely reported that Brewers manager Pat Murphy was visibly annoyed with Uribe and called the situation unacceptable. That’s a different public-facing reaction than what Cubs manager Craig Counsell said regarding PCA.
I’m sure some fans will read this and groan internally. I’ll be honest, I wish we weren’t talking about this even anymore too. But I also think it’s important to call out decisions that seem unfair on their face, even when my favorite team got the better end of the deal.
Regardless of any explanation that might be forthcoming, the discrepancy in punishment here is honestly not a great look for a league that presumably would like the punishments they mete out to players appear to be equitable, measured and fair.
Last night’s victory for the Sox was certainly exciting, what with tying the game in the ninth on a misplayed squeeze bunt and then winning on a walk-off homer in the 10th. But it was also pyrrhic, since Munetaka Murakami injured a hammie trying to beat out a double play throw in the third inning and wound up on the IL.
Murakami is expected to be out four to six weeks, so the Sox called up Jacob Gonzalez, who seems to have remembered how to hit and has been smashing the ball in Charlotte. With Murakami out, Gonzalez is expected to take over at short, with Colson Montgomery moving to third and last night’s hero, Miguel Vargas, shifting to first. That will wait at least a day, because Gonzalez isn’t in today’s starting lineup.
The pitching matchup is a battle of veteran lefties, with Anthony Kay going for the Sox and Framber Valdez for the Tigers. Valdez is having by far his worst season since 2019, with a 4.28 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, but he was sharp last time out, holding the Orioles to two hits and one run over six innings. He’ll face a Sox lineup that has historically hit him well, especially Edgar Quero (5-for-6 with four RBIs).
Kay faces a Detroit team with an injured list that is probably the best team in the AL Central, but an active list that is the worst, with four of today’s starters hitting worse than .200 and two more barely better. Kay has had an excellent May, giving up only six earned runs in 27 1/3 innings over five starts.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Central on a perfect baseball day, with partly sunny skies, temps in the mid-sixties, and wind blowing left to right with gusts to 21 mph to keep things interesting. Usual broadcast suspects.
There are nights where a player goes off and you spend the next morning explaining it away like, the opponent was tired, the shots were lucky, or the defense missed a rotation. Then there are nights where the performance arrives attached to a story that earns its own weight, and March 25th was completely, unmistakably the second kind.
On Latino Heritage Night at Chase Center, with the Warriors dragging themselves through the seventh game of an 11-day road stretch across seven cities, Gui Santos delivered the best game of his NBA career, scoring 31 points in a 109-106 comeback win over the Brooklyn Nets. The box score is glowing but it isn’t the point.
Steve Kerr described his team afterward as looking like they were “running in mud,” and if anything that undersells how lost Golden State looked for three quarters. They turned the ball over 26 times, matched a season high, trailed by as many as 13 points, and spent most of the night looking like a group of professionals who desperately needed sleep, a home-cooked meal, and maybe a long conversation with a therapist.
Santos looked like the only person in the building who didn’t get that memo. While the offense was discovering new and creative ways to give the ball away, he was quietly assembling something complete: catch-and-shoot threes, post work against bigger defenders, free throws drawn in traffic. He touched every part of the offensive toolkit and used all of it correctly, which is the difference between a hot streak and a replicable performance. Hot streaks are accidental while what Santos put together that night had a structure to it.
Fifteen of his 31 points came in the third quarter alone, on 5-of-7 shooting with three threes knocked down, and the Warriors were still trailing when it was over. He was just out there working, cashing every opportunity the defense handed him with the calm focus of someone who had decided, somewhere between warmups and tip-off, that this night belonged to him.
The coaches watched it happening in real time and responded accordingly. When Santos caught the ball in the post, the sideline was already on its feet calling out to him: go to work Gui, go to work, do what you do. He said afterward that hearing that changed something. “When you listen to that, you say ‘ok now I can go.'” And that is exactly what he did, finishing the night 11-of-16 from the field, 4-of-6 from three, and 5-of-8 from the line against a defense that had no answer for a version of Gui Santos nobody had quite seen before.
After the game, Santos called his family, and that is where this story becomes something bigger than a career high. He became the fourth Brazilian after Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejão, Nenê Hilário to score 30 or more points in a game.
How cool for it to come on Latino Heritage Night in front of a sellout crowd at Chase Center, while coaches screamed encouragement from the sideline and an exhausted Warriors team quietly rode his shoulders through a comeback they probably had no business completing. Gui Santos, the Brazilian wing who spent the better part of his Warriors career as a project and a promise, had walked into a piece of basketball history he didn’t even know existed until he was already standing inside it. That is bigger than a career high!
Esmerlyn Valdez may have had a short first stint in the Major Leagues, but he showed signs of what could be to come for the Pirates outfield.
Valdez made his MLB debut on May 22 against the Toronto Blue Jays and reached base on a walk.
He didn’t record his first career hit until two days later, notching it in style.
The 22-year-old power hitter smashed his first-career home run on Sunday, a two-run shot off Chase Lee. Valdez displayed opposite field power and helped the Bucs to a 4-1 victory and salvaged one game in the three-game set.
Valdez homered again two days later against the Chicago Cubs, his first long ball at PNC Park.
That home run was even more impressive, taking Jordan Wicks deep to the Cubs’ bullpen in the first inning.
Valdez became the seventh Pirate in the Modern Era (since 1901) to hit two home runs in their first four career games.
The last to do so? Former first-rounder and top prospect Austin Meadows in 2018, who was dealt at the trade deadline to Tampa Bay in a package for pitcher Chris Archer.
Meadows was the first to achieve the feat since Dick Stuart in 1958. Valdez joined Meadows, Stuart, RC Stevens (1958), Dino Restelli (1949), Wally Westlake (1947), and Walter Mueller (1922), per Luke Henne of Pirates PR.
Valdez was sent back to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday. With Konnor Griffin dealing with a low-grade muscle strain in his forearm, the Pirates recalled infielder Tyler Callihan and demoted Valdez to create room on the roster.
In 16 at-bats, Valdez only hit .125. He earned two home runs and five RBIs in a small sample and displayed the immense power he has in his frame.
Valdez hit 10 doubles and 10 home runs in the minor leagues before being recalled.
The No. 9 overall prospect in the Pirates system also has pro experience playing at first base.
This is likely not the last we hear of Valdez this season, and his rapid rise through the minors.
Pittsburgh continues to fight through a tough NL Central race, with all five teams over .500 on Saturday.
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As the series shifts back to Oklahoma City, the Thunder return home with a Game 7 on their hands against the San Antonio Spurs, with our NBA player prop projections identifying several strong value spots on the board for tonight's thriller.
By breaking down the data and comparing it to the latest market lines, we’ve uncovered where the strongest betting edges lie for this pivotal matchup.
These Spurs vs. Thunder predictions are driven by numbers instead of guesswork.
If you’re building your card, here are the model’s top NBA picks for Saturday, May 30.
 Spurs |  Thunder |
|---|---|
| Wembanyama u26.5 points -125 | Gilgeous-Alexander o30.5 points -112 |
| Castle o6.5 assists -135 | Holmgren o8.5 rebounds +105 |
| Vassell u2.5 3-pointers -120 | Caruso o1.5 3-pointers -165 |
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Projection: 25.79 points
The Oklahoma City Thunder have slowed things down to the seventh-lowest pace in the league over their last 25 home games.
This sluggish tempo should limit overall possessions for the San Antonio Spurs and put a dent in Victor Wembanyama's offensive production. It's a style that plays right into OKC's hands, as they've dominated at Paycom Center with a stellar 6-1 home record during this postseason run.
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Projection: 6.59 assists
Stephon Castle has been an absolute assist machine throughout this series against the Thunder. Castle has cleared this line in four of the six games against OKC, while narrowly missing the mark in the other two.
With San Antonio's season on the line and a ticket to the NBA Finals within reach, expect Castle to be locked in as a primary facilitator.
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Projection: 2.44 3-pointers
The Thunder have been absolutely brutal on opposing small forwards this year, holding them to a mere 25.5% shooting from beyond the arc—the second-lowest mark in the league.
While Devin Vassell has defied this difficult matchup by sinking two or more 3-pointers in every single game this series, OKC will undoubtedly sell out to run him off the perimeter tonight.
Expect a heavy defensive focus as the Thunder look to snap Vassell's streak and keep him from clearing a prop line he has already cashed in four of the six games.
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Projection: 31.61 points
The Thunder check in as the league's third-highest scoring offense over their last 20 games. They are also projected to see an uptick in total possessions tonight by sharing the floor with a fast-paced Spurs squad that ranks 10th in tempo on the road this year.
Furthermore, this matchup offers an excellent opportunity to get to the free-throw line — something Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has done masterfully all series. San Antonio has been highly generous in that department lately, allowing opposing starting point guards to attempt a whopping 4.4 foul shots per game over the last 10 contests, the 10th-highest mark in the NBA.
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Projection: 8.55 rebounds
It's time for Chet Holmgren to step up in a major way. While he has looked more like himself on the glass over the last two games against the Spurs, it is non-negotiable for him to hold his own against Wemby if Oklahoma City wants to return to the NBA Finals.
Holmgren has managed to clear this rebounding prop in three consecutive games, and the Thunder will need that momentum to continue if they hope to secure a Game 7 victory.
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Projection: 1.56 3-pointers
The Thunder have been highly aggressive from deep over their last 25 home games, ranking 10th in the league in 3-point attempts.
Alex Caruso has been as reliable as they come on both ends of the floor especially from the perimeter, where he has knocked down three or more triples in four of the six matchups in this series.
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| Location | Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK |
| Date | Saturday, May 30, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBC/Peacock |
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If you enjoy playing Immaculate Grid, well, the Mets really are the team for you. The Mets have optioned right-handed pitcher Tobias Myers, who’s worked out of the bullpen and as an opener for them since joining the team alongside Freddy Peralta, to Triple-A Syracuse. And they’ve called up left-handed pitcher Cionel Pérez, yet another fringe major league arm, to take his place on the active roster.
To call up Pérez, the Mets had to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, and they’ve designated fellow left-handed reliever Anderson Severino for assignment.
As has been the case with plenty of other relievers in the David Stearns era, you figure Pérez isn’t long for the major league roster. In 16.0 innings with the Nationals this year, he has a 6.19 ERA with an awful 15.1 percent walk rate and more walks than strikeouts. Having spent most of this season with the Washington organization, he’s put up a 2.57 ERA in six appearances with Syracuse since joining the Mets, but his 16.1 percent walk rate in that limited sample in the minors is even worse than what he had done in the big leagues.
Myers, meanwhile, has been highlighted as a significant addition in the aforementioned trade with the Brewers that was headlined by Peralta. But it’s been a relatively rough go of it for him in his first 20 appearances as a Met, as he has a 4.05 ERA and a 4.47 FIP, both of which are worse than his career norms.
Last but not least, Severino has a 1.31 ERA and a 3.31 FIP in 20.2 innings with Syracuse this season. His only major league experience came in 2022 with the White Sox, and before this season, the 31-year-old has spent the entirety of his professional career in the Yankees and White Sox organizations.
Kyrie Irving is looking forward to the NBA Finals.
The former Nets guard said in a Friday Twitch stream that he was “excited” to watch the Knicks in their return to the NBA’s biggest stage, and gave a shoutout to the orange and blue faithful as well.
“The Knicks making the Finals is OD… a lot of those Knicks fans in New York are gonna go bonkers, man,” he said.
“It’s gonna be one of those ones. You just gotta gear up for it if you’re on the East Coast, man. They done made it to the NBA Finals, they done earned their ticket, they did everything that they could in the regular season to prepare.”
The 34-year-old Irving, who was with the Nets from 2019-23 until he was traded to the Mavericks, also praised Jalen Brunson as a “great” point guard who has “great pieces around him.” The Knicks are in the Finals for the first time since 1999.
Irving, who missed all of this season following an ACL tear in March 2025, also gave a positive update on his injury status.
“I am definitely close to being over at 100 percent in terms of my ACL recovery,” he said on the Twitch stream.
“It’s been a while now…I’m so grateful that I’ve had the time to heal and just experiment with my body more on the court and off the court in the weight room and just pushing myself to the limit.”
Irving will team up with reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg and veterans Klay Thompson and Khris Middleton once he is able to get back on the court.
The Knicks, meanwhile, are waiting to learn their Finals opponent after sweeping the Cavs in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Thunder and Spurs will face off in the West’s Game 7 on Saturday night with a spot in the NBA Finals on the line.
Kevin Bieksa is a three-time Canadian Screen Award winner.
The former Vancouver Canucks defenceman-turned broadcaster won his third consecutive Canadian Screen Award for best Sports Analyst on Friday, May 29.
Bieksa, who also won in 2024 and 2025, was first nominated for the award back in 2021 but lost out to fellow former hockey player and then-Sportsnet analyst Cassie Campbell-Pascall. He was also nominated in 2022, though Toronto Blue Jays analyst Joe Siddall took home the award instead.
A 10-year veteran of the Canucks organization, Bieksa spent the bulk of his NHL career in Vancouver, during five of which he wore an ‘A’ for the team. While known for many moments throughout his career with the Canucks, his most notable moment came during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he scored ‘the Stanchion goal’ to send Vancouver to the Finals.
Other nominees for this year’s Best Sports Analyst award include Brian Stemmle of CBC Sports Presents, Kia Nurse of Raptors on TSN, and Luke Wilson of SC with Jay Onrait. Blue Jays on Sportsnet’s Dan Shulman also won the award for Best Sports Play-By-Play Announcer, while Hazel Mae was awarded the Gordon Sinclair Award for Broadcast Journalism.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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This week, the MLB Player’s Association and the league submitted their preliminary proposals to formally kick off the much-anticipated (much-dreaded?) collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Not surprisingly, this has sparked a lot of discussion, as fans dissect not only the proposals themselves, but the statements issued by both sides in response to the other’s proposal.
Already, a lot of digital ink has been spilled about the two proposals, highlighting the vast distance between the two sides. What I want to do instead, though, is not to talk about these pitches themselves, but rather how they compare to the original proposals that kickstarted the negotiations five years ago.
In both years, the Player’s Association began the negotiations. Five years ago, in May 2021, the MLBPA submitted their initial proposal to the league. While the exact proposal was never published, Evan Drellich reported the following later that year:
But the union has proposed that players become eligible for arbitration after two years, instead of three. It also has again proposed a change to draft order, increases in the minimum salary, raises in the CBT, changes to revenue sharing, changes to the way service time is calculated, and bonuses for players who have yet to reach arbitration. Under certain circumstances, some players would be able to reach free agency sooner than six years, as well.
This time around, we have a bit more specifics (this list has been compiled from The Athletic’s and MLB Trade Rumors’ posts on the subject):
Conceptually, nothing has changed from the last go-round — which shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, considering the fact that the last round of CBA negotiations ended up primarily making minor tweaks to the system.
On the other hand, the league has, for the second round of negotiations in a row, proposed to completely overhaul the league’s financial system. In the same article from September 2021 posted quoted above, Drellich outlined the league’s initial proposal, which was never formally published, but whose details were leaked to the press:
The league proposed to effectively send the luxury-tax threshold in the other direction, to $180 million; to increase the penalties for exceeding it as well; but to also implement a soft floor, a penalty for teams who do not spend at least $100 million. The league also proposed to eliminate salary arbitration in favor of a predetermined pool of money to be distributed to players. Under MLB’s proposal, players would become free agents once they hit age 29 1/2, which might help some players who would otherwise have become free agents later, but hurt the best players who presumably would, under the current system, become free agents younger. (Players would also be walking out into a market where teams might be less inclined to spend than they are now, because the CBT threshold would be lower and the penalties for exceeding it would be higher.) The league this year also proposed that a team could not pick in the top five of the draft three years in a row, and has again has proposed an international draft.
Unlike the players’ union, the league did not publish their initial proposal, but according to The Athletic and MLB Trade Rumors, it looks something like this:
The details may differ, but in the end, the league is fighting for the exact same thing they were five years ago: the elimination of the free market and the lowering of salaries, using competitive balance as a cover. There are two big differences, though. First of all, the league is dropping the charade and asking for a hard cap, instead of proposing prohibitively intense luxury tax penalties designed to let it serve as a de facto hard cap while technically being a soft cap. Second, and arguably more interesting, is the fact that the owners made a proposal at all.
Five years ago, the players submitted their initial proposal in May, while the league waited until August. The MLBA then followed up after the World Series, and while the two sides did meet a few times over the month of November, the league not only never budged from its initial proposal, but inserted last-minute demands designed to guarantee that the CBA would expire without a deal. Ultimately, the details didn’t really matter: the league wanted a lockout, and so they engaged in delaying tactics, because they thought they could break the power of the union. This time around, though, the league has taken more of the initiative, which tells me that they would like to avoid a lockout.
Over the next six months, we’re certainly going to have more detailed analyses of the CBA negotiations as they go on. For now, though, we’re pretty much back to where we started in May 2021 — just with a tiny bit more urgency from the owners. Where will we end up? Only time will tell.
In desperate need of power play help and a top-four caliber veteran defenseman, the Philadelphia Flyers will be seeking intermediate-term reinforcements in free agency this offseason.
They can knock out two birds with one stone by signing longtime rival and Washington Capitals legend John Carlson, though he's widely expected to have many suitors around the NHL, including Stanley Cup contenders.
Fortunately for the Flyers, though, the latest from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman tells us Philadelphia should have a legitimate chance at the 36-year-old Stanley Cup champ.
According to Friedman, via the May 22nd episode of his "32 Thoughts" podcast, "there's some thought [Carlson] might want to go back East."
This would make the chances of a reunion with the Anaheim Ducks slim, and virtually rule out a contract anywhere else in the Western Conference given his familiarity with Anaheim compared to those teams.
By extension, the Flyers should be among the favorites to sign Carlson in free agency this summer, especially due to suggestions a return to the Capitals isn't in the cards.
Carlson, 36, scored 14 points in 16 games for the Ducks after being traded, and added another six assists in 12 playoff games.
Precedent Says Now is Flyers' Time to Trade for Shane WrightBased on past precedent, a Philadelphia Flyers trade for Shane Wright makes too much sense.The 2025-26 season was actually one of Carlson's most productive overall, as the Natick, Mass., native finished with 60 points, including 14 on the power play, in just 71 regular season games.
Just those 14 points alone would have placed Carlson third in scoring amongst Flyers defensemen, behind only Cam York, Travis Sanheim, and Jamie Drysdale, and tied with Rasmus Ristolainen.
Carlson's 14 power play points also would have tied Travis Konecny for second-most among all Flyers, behind only Trevor Zegras's 23.
So, it goes almost without saying that Carlson's 60-point ability and power play prowess are two things the Flyers need and are in the market for.
As long as the Flyers can move Ristolainen at peak value and don't want to rush David Jiricek and Oliver Bonk along, Carlson is certainly the best fit for them, and they have a legitimate chance of getting him now.
On a one- or two-year deal, Carlson is certainly worth an overpay from the Flyers in the region of $9- or $10 million, especially with all the cap space they'll have heading into the offseason.
Eberechi Eze and Gabriel missed from the spot to give PSG victory in a gruelling final
“They’ve got a wonderful group of players and a great manager in Mikel Arteta but having come so close three times on the bounce I felt these guys needed it,” Sol Campbell says of Arsenal winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years since, in 2004, he was the cornerstone of their defence for the Invincibles. His team remained unbeaten throughout that historic league season, but the pressure on his successors has been immense.
“The wait has been so heavy and it was all pent up, building year after year, always coming so close but never getting over the line,” he says. “That’s why you saw such an outpouring of joy and togetherness. It’s been incredible because we’ve been waiting such a long time.”
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