The Toronto Maple Leafs do not have their own first-round picks for the 2027 and 2028 NHL Drafts after the club traded them both away on the same day in March of 2025 in two separate deals with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers.
In one deal, the Leafs sent their 2026 first-round pick to the Bruins, along with Fraser Minten, in exchange for defenseman Brandon Carlo. The other deal saw the Leafs pick up Scott Laughton from the Flyers in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick and Nikita Grebenkin. Both of those picks had trade protection: the Boston deal was top-5 protected, while the 2027 draft pick was top-10 protected.
However, a very fortunate bounce of the lottery balls in May saw the Leafs win the No. 1 overall selection for 2026, punting what the Leafs owed to the Bruins. But what about that 2027 pick?
Well, what we did know was that the Leafs were only going to be able to keep one of their first-round draft picks over the course of that three-year span. Once the Leafs landed the 2026 top selection, it negated the original protection conditions for the 2027 and 2028 picks.
But who gets what? There was a difference of opinion between the Flyers and Bruins as to who should have which pick, and in what year.
When I attended the lottery, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said they were still going over the terms of both trades to make a official ruling. But according to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, the Flyers will get the 2027 pick and the Bruins will get the 2028 pick. However, the wrinkle here is that if Toronto’s pick falls in the top 10 next year, Toronto will actually get to choose which team gets which pick, due to the top-10 protection language in the Flyers trade.
Per a league source, the NHL has informed the Flyers that while they own the Maple Leafs' 2027 first round pick (Laughton trade), the Leafs still have the option to transfer it to Boston if it's in the top 10. In that event, the Flyers would receive Toronto's 2028 first rounder.
It’s really bizarre. If the Leafs' own pick falls in the top 10, they could be strategic and give it to the Flyers instead of helping their divisional rival, the Bruins, assuming, of course, that it matters to Toronto. Still, it is highly unusual that the Leafs would get to choose.
Can you image if the Leafs win the lottery, they’d have to commiserate on that while also deciding which of Philly or Boston gets it? It would be weird, if not entertaining.
I could have seen a world where Boston would have laid claim to a top-10 pick, given that they were bumped out of their 2026 selection, forcing the Flyers to wait an additional year. But a ruling is a ruling. And for the Leafs sake, they have to hope the most hilarious thing doesn’t happen here.
Of course, this is not to be confused with the 2027 first-round selection Toronto acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Nic Roy. That deal, too, is top-10 protected.
Jan 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots the ball against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
There’s a debate brewing online and in the Reddit threads as the NBA Finals roll along, and it’s one that forces fans to decide whether they want to approach it logically or emotionally. Because once emotion enters the conversation, things tend to get flustered, frustrated, and disappointing in a hurry.
The debate? Who is better, Jalen Brunson or Devin Booker?
This is meant to be a fun debate, and since I saw it on Reddit, it got the juices flowing a bit. It’s the offseason, we’re bored, so why not spice up our lives a little bit with some comparative Suns-based convo? I will say that once I took the Reddit argument to Twitter, the internet reminded me that barstool-esque topics, especially when it involves Devin Booker, get into people’s feelings. And quick. They begin projecting intent and assuming that if you are critical of a player in any capacity, you must hate them.
So I’m stating that on the front in. Don’t hate Devin Booker. Love ‘em. Love having him on this team in this city. My intent is to have a basketball conversation. All right, with the Booker Stan Clause addressed, let’s talk about it.
I understand this is an inherently speculative and subjective argument, although you can certainly point to objective statistical analysis to support your side. But there’s no real reason for the debate to exist outside of the fact that Jalen Brunson is currently playing in the NBA Finals. And because Brunson is only 60 days older than Devin Booker, the comparison becomes unavoidable.
You start looking at the players on the Suns and measuring them against the players still competing at the highest level, in the biggest games, at the end of the season. This isn’t supposed to be some grand architectural discussion about whether you would trade Devin Booker for Jalen Brunson. We know neither the Phoenix Suns nor the New York Knicks would entertain that idea. And when you consider the $19.3 million gap in what they’re paid, it doesn’t make much sense anyway.
These are offseason barroom conversations. They’re not designed to tear down one player or elevate another. They’re conversations about skill sets, styles of play, financial implications, strengths, weaknesses, and how different players impact winning. These are the debates we used to have sitting at the bar before smartphones could provide an answer in five seconds. We couldn’t instantly pull up statistics. We had to talk about what we saw. That being said, feel free to pull up this article at a bar to make your case, one way or the other.
What I see when I watch these two players is something completely different. On one side, you have Devin Booker. He’s smooth. He’s methodical. He’s a jump shooter with what is arguably the best jumper in the NBA. He’s a bigger player who, when he’s at his best, is a shooting guard.
The problem is that traditional point guards have largely disappeared from the league. And the few true facilitators who still exist aren’t exactly available. As a result, Point Book has become a permanent part of the Devin Booker experience. Had he played 20 years ago, there’s a strong argument he would have been the best shooting guard in basketball. Instead, he exists in an era dominated by combo guards, where primary ball-handling responsibilities are often shared. In that sense, Booker is a product of the times.
On the other side is Jalen Brunson. He’s one of those smaller combo guards, but he’s a true three-level scorer. He can get to the rim, operate in the midrange, and knock down the three-point shot. And when the game gets tight, I believe he’s the better clutch player.
That’s what my eyes tell me. And when I started digging into the numbers, they backed up what I was seeing.
Devin Booker vs. Jalen Brunson Career Clutch Statistics
Based on career clutch statistics, Jalen Brunson comes out ahead of Devin Booker in just about every metric that matters. And that’s where this conversation becomes uncomfortable for Suns fans. That’s where the debate takes a turn.
Because if you’re carrying the flag for Devin Booker in this argument, there isn’t a lot of statistical ground to stand on. You can point to the double teams Booker faces. You can argue that there are plenty of possessions where he makes the correct pass, only to have a teammate miss the shot, costing him a potential assist. That’s fair. But Brunson sees those same coverages. He sees doubles. He sees traps. He sees defenses loading up to stop him. He’s simply quicker at navigating them.
When you compare assist-to-turnover ratios, Brunson comes out ahead there as well.
You can also point to the talent around each player and argue that Brunson has had better teammates throughout his career. There’s probably some truth to that. But the statistics we’re discussing encompass the entirety of their careers, the good years and the bad years alike. And when viewed through that lens, Booker has spent significant portions of his career playing alongside players like Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Chris Paul. Those are All-Star-caliber teammates who should, and did, make life easier.
That’s where the challenge lies. If the argument becomes that Booker needs elite talent around him to maximize his effectiveness, what does that ultimately say about Booker?
Meanwhile, Brunson spent his early years playing next to Luka Doncic. Once he arrived in New York, the only All-Star teammates he’s shared the court with have been Julius Randle and Karl Anthony Towns. Yet his impact late in games remains undeniable. The numbers support it. The eye test supports it. And that’s what makes this debate more difficult than many Suns fans would probably like to admit.
I’ll pause here and say this: I want my answer to be Devin Booker. As a Phoenix Suns fan and a Devin Booker fan, I want him to be the better player in this comparison. But sometimes reality points you in a different direction. Sometimes the eye test tells you one thing, and the statistics back it up. That’s where this conversation becomes frustrating for the fan base. Because Booker makes $19.3 million more than Jalen Brunson.
When you’re making $57.1 million a season, the expectation is that when the moments are brightest and the games get tightest, you’re the guy who comes through. That doesn’t always mean scoring. It can mean making the right pass, creating for teammates, controlling the pace, or making winning plays. But when you look at a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.7, a career 25.4% shooting mark from three in clutch situations, and overall negative clutch metrics, those numbers become difficult to ignore. And unfortunately, that’s the fuel for the fire for those who believe moving on from Devin Booker is the right decision.
This is where I reset the conversation.
This is where I step away from the barstool debate and remind everyone that even if he isn’t Jalen Brunson, he’s still Devin Booker. Even if he isn’t a superstar, he’s still a star. That matters, especially when you consider the position the Phoenix Suns currently occupy.
The Suns are in a transitional era. They’re in what I like to call their Dead Cap Era, one we’ll look back at someday and share memories much akin to The Timeline Era. They’re trying to run a race with an anvil tied to their ankle. That anvil is $23.2 million in dead money, and there are limits to what you can accomplish when you’re carrying that kind of weight.
What else is weighing them down? The fact that they don’t control their own first-round draft picks until 2032. That’s six summers away.
So while the cap limits their ceiling and the lack of draft capital limits their floor, the smartest path forward is to remain competitive, continue building the culture, establish an identity, and focus on continuity and internal development as the primary means of improvement.
Because while Booker may not be as effective in clutch moments as Brunson, he’s still a top 20 player in the NBA. He’s still someone capable of helping you win basketball games during this stretch of organizational uncertainty.
And if you decide to trade him? You’re trading him to a team that immediately becomes better because of his presence. That, in turn, lowers the value of the draft capital you’re receiving back. And since the Suns don’t control their own picks, there’s very little benefit to the losing that would almost certainly follow.
That’s why, even if the Brunson comparison doesn’t land in Booker’s favor, it doesn’t automatically mean moving on from him is the right answer.
Perhaps that’s the real takeaway from all of this. The Brunson versus Booker debate doesn’t have to end with a winner and a loser. It’s a reminder that not every star carries a franchise the same way, and not every path to winning looks identical. Brunson may have the edge in the moments that matter most, but Booker remains the player Phoenix has, the player Phoenix needs, and the player who gives this organization its best chance to navigate an uncertain future without losing its direction along the way.
Now pass me another Four Peaks Kilt Lifter. And where are my wings?
NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 11: Patric Hornqvist #72 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after scoring a goal against Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators during the third period in Game Six of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Bridgestone Arena on June 11, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Nine years ago today, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the franchise’s fifth Stanley Cup title in team history, beating the Nashville Predators 2-0 in Game 6 of the 2017 Cup Final.
The Penguins won Game 1 and Game 2 at home before Nashville held serve, winning Game 3 and Game 4 to tie the series and send things back to Pittsburgh tied 2-2.
A blowout win in Game 5 put the Predators on the brink of elimination for Game 6 back in Nashville and the Penguins came out on top during a tightly-contested game.
It was a scoreless affair through two periods after a whistle stopped play before Colton Sissons tapped in a puck that would’ve given Nashville a 1-0 lead.
The third period started ticking down as the game remained scoreless until former Predators player Patric Hornqvist scored with just over 90 seconds remaining in the game and suddenly, the Cup appeared to be poised to be handed to the Penguins.
An empty net goal from Carl Hagelin put the game, series, and season on ice — and for the first time in nearly 20 years, the Stanley Cup was staying with the previous year’s winner and the Penguins had gone back-to-back as champions.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 25: A general view inside the stadium during the game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning baseball fans!
The San Francisco Giants are off today, with the Chicago Cubs coming to town tomorrow to begin a weekend series.
In the meantime, I thought we could have some fun with a creative writing prompt. Because sometimes, reality just doesn’t make a lot of sense and it’s more fun to make up silly reasons for things. You know, things like the Giants’ inconsistent offensive capabilities.
So today’s creative writing prompt (which you are all encouraged to participate in down in the comments) is to come up with an explanation for this, but wrong answers only.
I’ll go first. My theory is that Buster Posey attended a farmer’s market with his family during the offseason, and this is what happened.
While his wife and children peruse the produce, Posey’s eye catches on a stand advertising rare and unique treasures. A wisp of an elderly woman sits behind the tables laden with strange and somewhat unnerving items.
She catches his eye and beckons him over, where she begins to pull out a dusty velvet box from underneath the tables.
“I know what you’re looking for, young man,” she insists, nodding to herself, as she pushes the box towards Posey. “Take a look.”
He gives her an appraising look, then carefully opens the box to reveal an amulet. The amulet looks suspiciously like one of his World Series Championship rings, but wrong somehow.
“This grants the wearer the power to make one wish and have it come true,” she says quietly. “I can see in your eyes that you’re looking for something, something that has eluded you for years. Take it.”
Posey looks at the woman dubiously. But she insists, and he figures that it can’t hurt.
Hours later, his puts the amulet on in the privacy of his own home once his family has gone to bed. He thinks to himself, “I wish my team would score more runs this season.”
There’s a flash of light and a burst of heat where the amulet rests on his chest. He finds the experience unsettling in a way he cannot articulate, but shrugs it off and goes to bed and promptly forgets the entire thing.
Months later, as the Giants teeter between scoring 19 runs and being incapable of overcoming the smallest deficits, he has a jolt of panic as he remembers the encounter and his wish.
He digs out the amulet from his bedside table to take a closer look. Only then does he realize that while he first believed it to hold a resemblance to one of his own World Series rings, it was actually one of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rings.
He gasps, and races to his car, determined to return it to the woman who gave it to him. He scours the farmer’s market, looking for her. He finally spots her in the back and sprints in her direction but she sees him coming and begins cackling. As he approaches, she changes form before his very eyes, transforming into Dave Roberts.
Posey gasps and falls short, giving Roberts the chance to throw a smoke bomb and disappear into the crowd.
End scene.
Your turn! Give me your best, wrong answer to the cause of the Giants’ offensive inconsistencies this season down in the comments.
Tristan Peters has become an unlikely catalyst for the White Sox, providing Gold Glove-caliber defense and steady production atop the lineup. | (MLB Photos/Getty Images)
Man. What a season so far, huh? The Chicago White Sox are 35-31 after Tuesday’s victory over the Atlanta Braves. They’re only a half-game back of first place in the AL Central. They don’t just have a wild card spot, no sir, they have a firm grasp on a wild card spot.
There’s plenty of praise to go around the White Sox locker room. Munetaka Murakami’s power. Miguel Vargas’s All-Star leap. Ditto Davis Martin and his fiendish six-pitch mix. But none of those players is the White Sox MVP through the first third of 2026. The most important man on this roster has been a former Banana Baller who was bought with the change between Jerry Reinsdorf’s couch cushions: center fielder and bunting gremlin extraordinaire, Tristan Peters.
After a prolonged and painful will they/won’t they, Chris Getz executed what he believed would be a simple one-for-one trade. He traded his old center fielder, Luis Robert Jr., and acquired Luisangel Acuña as his replacement. Acuña had never played the position before, but the goal was to bring him up to speed quickly. Getz projected a center fielder’s glove onto Acuña’s range and athleticism. I’ll even admit that I can see his vision whenever Acuña fields his natural shortstop position. Center field is a different beast, however, and the early-season returns were disastrous for Acuña.
I only blame him so much. Acuña’s been on base just 29 times, and yet he’s managed to rack up 11 steals, so you can’t call him lazy. I’m sure he worked hard at it, but he was put in an impossible position. Oneil Cruz struggled with the same transition, and he’s an athletic marvel. Acuña’s failure falls on Getz.
Had it not been for Peters, there’s no telling where the Sox would be in the standings. The Mune/Vargas/Martin Renaissance could have all gone for naught. It’s not a stretch to say that Peters saved the Sox from their opening swoon:
Now, I won’t sugarcoat it; I simply do not believe Peters is an .800 OPS monster. His Savant batting profile ranges from dark blue (bad) to gender reveal blue (respectably bad), except for a 67th percentile strikeout percentage. The one thing he’s shown is a supersized ability to pull the ball when he does launch it, as his pull percentage on fly balls is 8.4% above league average. Beyond that, the real Peters most likely resembles the man we saw in the first six weeks of this season: a respectable .280 average with a few walks, a smattering of extra base hits, plenty of sacrifice bunts, and an OPS+ hovering around the mid-80s.
I’m not mad about that. Peters’ real value comes in two areas that never slump: baserunning and fielding. The Statcast percentiles make that clear enough. As of the end of play on June 9 — henceforth to be known both as Braden Montgomery Day and as the first time Bob Costas got sick of seeing a team bunt — Peters is in the 89th percentile of baserunning value and the 96th percentile of fielding run value.
Peters’ baserunning pops off the screen. He makes smart decisions and commits to them full throttle, a perpetual motion machine fine-tuned for the 180 feet between first base and third. I shouted out a play on Sunday against the Phillies that won’t show up in his stats but exemplifies his baserunning skill. With Peters on first and two out, Drew Romo slashed a sharp grounder up the middle that second baseman Bryson Stott knocked down. He recovered in time to throw out Romo by a step. It was a great play by the Phils’ keystone man.
As Stott was still scrambling at the edge of the grass, Peters briefly appeared at the bottom of the TV screen. Peters hadn’t slowed down. In fact, he made the turn around second as though the ball had reached the right field wall. Had Romo managed to beat the throw, Peters would have gone first-to-third on an infield single.
And yet! If we’re ranking Peters’ skills, baserunning would still be in the A-tier alongside sacrifice bunts, drag bunts, and being your dad’s favorite player to the point where it’s a little uncomfortable. Above them all, in the S-tier, is the Gold Glove-level fielding he brings to baseball’s most important outfield position.
Peters has seven outs above average (OAA), according to Savant, ranking him fourth in all of baseball. I went ahead and checked some of the underlying metrics, something I had never done before. Definitions for reaction, burst, and route were oddly difficult to find on Baseball Savant’s website. Still, thanks to a Samford University abstract posted online in 2020 by a high school senior named Jake, I finally tracked down this handy infographic:
With that out of the way, I’ll now show you the top 10 leaderboard for OAA. Fair warning, these numbers are going to seem very complimentary of Peter Crow-Armstrong. I’ll try my best to twist them into a negative:
These numbers show that a good center fielder can go about their business in one of two ways. In both cases, burst is non-negotiable. The difference is in how you use that burst. Some guys use it, along with quick reaction time, to compensate for less-than-stellar routes. Like Crow-Armstrong. Looks like you’re just a fast dummy, Pete!
The second are the guys who may not react quickly, but they read the ball well off the bat and optimize their route to the baseball. That’s the smarter kind of outfielder. It’s the rarer kind. It’s more likely to age well:
Among the top ten, Peters and Steven Kwan are the best route runners. Unlike Kwan, Peters also has an acceptable (not exceptional) reaction time. I can’t help but feel like Robert Jr. for Peters would have been a pretty fair deal.
Hustle? Defense? The ability to make up for Getz’s worst decisions? That’s your 2026 White Sox MVP.
Seth Lugo was cruising along before taking a comebacker off the forehead in the 4th inning last night
In the fourth inning, Royals starter Seth Lugo was struck in the head by a 106.6 mph line drive off the bat of Rangers star Brandon Nimmo. It was a scary moment as both Nimmo and the Royals training staff raced out to Lugo.
Lugo was alert and able to walk off the field on his own power. The Royals would insert right-handed reliever Mason Black into the game.
Later in the game, the Royals did tweet this out on social media.
Seth Lugo is doing well after exiting tonight's game and will undergo the appropriate protocol and testing.
It wasn’t long after Kyle Isbel exited Tuesday’s game against the Rangers in the seventh inning that the Royals also pulled outfielder Kameron Misner from the Triple-A Omaha game in anticipation of needing their center-field depth.
By Wednesday afternoon, that need was confirmed. Isbel was placed on the 10-day injured list with left plantar fasciitis, and Misner was recalled from Triple-A prior to Kansas City’s 6-4 loss in 10 innings at Kauffman Stadium.
Misner, 28, is slashing .276/.373/.547 in 59 Triple-A games this season and was just named International League Player of the Week after going 10-for-24 during the week of June 1-7. The left-handed batter recorded three doubles, five home runs, two stolen bases and four multi-hit games in the six-game series against Columbus (Guardians).
Jac Caglianone is unstoppable at the plate currently, Kevin O’Brien of Royals Keep talked about it.
Blake Mitchell has been a fascinating case study in Quad Cities this season, Mike Gillespie of Royals Keep wrote about it
Preston Farr wrote about the Royals failure to develop hitters
Kameron Misner pinch ran in the 10th last night; however, Caleb Moody of Kings of Kauffman tells us why we should be excited about him as a whole
The White Sox, (yes really), are in first place in the AL Central after beating the Braves again last night
The Giants hit a walk off grand slam yesterday, and it was cool in a couple of different ways
Shohei Ohtani had a rough night in Pittsburgh last night
The New York Knicks overcame the largest deficit in NBA Finals history to go up 3-1 over the San Antonio Spurs
Patrick Mahomes becomes first half a billion-dollar NFL player
The Brendan Sorsby saga continues, here is a complete timeline of the events
Today’s Reflections have no one to reflect positively on. I mean, PCA won NLPlayer Of The Week, but even he doesn’t want to talk about it (below). So the players listed in the title are SOME of the problem guys mentioned in the articles below.
The story below about Nico Hoerner’s problems is very interesting, with graphs and stuff. Some people drool in happiness when they see graphs; I just think, “Just tell me what it says.” But this time, I’m going to give this a re-read because it was so well presented and informative. Or at least, a very intriguing viewpoint of his situation.
That’s really all I got, other than the news of Matthew Boyd’s setback that dug the Cubs’ hole a little deeper.
Now, I didn’t jinx the Cubs! But I think it was early May when things were really rolling, I thought, “This is a lonnnggg season. Hurry up and get to the playoffs!” A month later, it’s, “The Cubs’ season is almost over.”
Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Cubs take accountability for slump, but bats stay cold against Rockies. “Pete Crow-Armstrong was not in much of a mood to talk about any personal accolades sent his way on Tuesday afternoon — not when the Cubs as a team are trying to pull out of a persistent cold spell.”
Trade Talk:
Matt Sullivan (Sporting News): Cubs trade deadline plans have major Alex Bregman, Ian Happ problem. “….. the Cubs’ offense has three of the worst eight batters in RBIs below expectation, with Happ at minus-8.8, along with the two worst in MLB, with Seiya Suzuki at minus-12.7, and Bregman at minus-13.2. Those marks are a good example of the issue plaguing the Cubs right now, and it’s not only their starting rotation.”
Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Jameson Taillon injury update could lead to shocking end to Cubs’ tenure. “Even if the Cubs aren’t a defined seller, if the rest of the pitching staff is in better shape by then, there’s an argument to make that trading Taillon would still be one of the better moves Jed Hoyer can make this summer.”
Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Nico Hoerner Has to Get Earlier Again. “It’s been a long, horrid stretch for the Cubs’ newly-minted long-term second baseman. To snap out of this funk, he has to stop settling for solid contact.”
Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): How Ben Brown Got Hitters Off the Barrel. “Last season, Ben Brown gave up too much hard contact and way too many home runs. He remade himself this winter, and now, he’s not just a bat-misser. He also limits damage.”
Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Struggles of Cubs’ offseason additions a major reason for their spiral. “Fans have been begging the team for years to be aggressive and complete a full offseason. But 65 games into the campaign, what looked like the Cubs’ desired path for the winter has not turned into success on the field.”
Randy Holt (North Side Baseball): Cubs’ Recent Struggles Have Done Real Damage to Playoff Hopes. “It probably doesn’t come as a shock given the magnitude of their recent woes, but even in early June, the Cubs’ stumbling has their playoff positioning looking quite grim.”
Delbert McClinton (born November 4, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist. From his first professional stage appearance in 1957 to his most recent national tour in 2018, he has recorded albums for several major record labels and singles that have reached the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Rock Tracks, and Hot Country Songs charts.
Four of his albums have been number one on the blues chart, and another reached number two. McClinton has earned four Grammy Awards – 1992 Rock Performance by a Duo with Bonnie Raitt for “Good Man, Good Woman”, 2002 Contemporary Blues Album for Nothing Personal, 2006 Best Contemporary Blues Album for Cost of Living, and 2020 Best Traditional Blues Album for Tall, Dark, & Handsome.
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 09: Wehiwa Aloy, the Baltimore Orioles 2025 3rd pick in the draft, looks on during batting practice prior a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 9, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Baysox got beat down by the Curve on Wednesday in Altoona. It was a quiet night for the affiliate’s offense, scoring all three of their runs in the seventh inning.
Tavian Josenberger was responsible for two-thirds of Chesapeake’s runs. He hit a two-run bomb in the seventh inning, his sixth homer of the season. Johnny Tincher had the other RBI, driving in Douglas Hodo III earlier in the seventh. Griff O’Ferrall had a nice game, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases. Ethan Anderson had a single and a walk.
Four pitchers made their way to the mound for the Baysox. Sebastian Gongora was the starter, and he got ambushed out of the gate, allowing three runs in the first inning. The righty settled in a bit from there, but lasted just four innings and gave up four runs on five hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. Jeisson Cabrera worked a scoreless fifth inning. Ben Vespi coughed up one run across his two frames. And then Daniel Lloyd had a tough outing, serving up five runs in just one inning of work.
High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) 7, Frederick Keys 2
It’s tough to win a game when your lineup goes 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaves 10 runners on base. The Keys learned that in their 7-2 loss to the Cyclones on Wednesday night in Brooklyn.
Wehiwa Aloy and Ike Irish had one RBI each. Aloy homered and struck out four times. Irish doubled and walked once. Vance Honeycutt went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Elis Cuevas tripled for the second time this year, and had three strikeouts. As a team the Keys were punched out 14 times.
Kiefer Lord worked 3.1 innings a a starter, which included a brutal second inning that saw him allow five runs. only three of them were earned because of two errors in the inning by the Frederick defense. Honeycutt and Yasmil Bucce were both charged with throwing errors. Carson Dorsey was charged with the other two runs during his three innings of work. Ryan Cabarcas and Raimon Gomez combined to record five other outs in the game without allowing any runs.
Low-A: Columbia Fireflies (Royals) 8, Delmarva Shorebirds 5
The winless day on the farm was completed when the Shorebirds fell into a 6-1 hole that a late-inning rally was unable to make up for.
Anytime the Shorebirds were on defense, it was a nightmare. The team made four errors, which limited the number of earned runs charged to their pitchers from eight down to six. Even still, allowing six runs in nine innings isn’t good either! Starter Brayan Orrantia tossed four innings and allowed three runs (two earned) while striking out six and walking three. J.D. Hennen was first out of the ‘pen. He recorded three outs and allowed three runs. Kailen Hamson worked the final three innings and gave up two runs (one earned), striking out four in the process.
Delmarva smacked three home runs in this game. Raylin Ramos hit two of them, both solo shots. Andrés Nolaya hit the other (along with a double) as part of his 3-for-4 game. Braylon Whitaker had three hits out of the lead-off spot, scoring once and driving in one run.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 08: William Contreras #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers hits a 3 run home run in the 10th inning during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Athletics at Las Vegas Ballpark on Monday, June 8, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Monday night’s offensive slugfest with the Athletics in Las Vegas was nothing short of wild. From Kyle Harrison’s random blowup, where the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning got taken for a ride, to the 15 overturned pitch challenges, or maybe the fact that despite giving up 14 runs as a pitching staff, the Brewers (who lead all of baseball in strikeouts as a team) still managed to strike out 20 hitters in a 12-inning affair.
If you’re a baseball nerd like myself, you love stats. Specifically, you love records and learning about where they compare to other memorable offensive shootouts or pitching dominations. Monday night’s game didn’t even crack some of the top offensive games in recent years, or even all-time as a franchise, but it sure did feel like it. With that, let’s take a look at some of the weirdest, fun, and most memorable games.
August 28, 1992 – Brewers 22, Blue Jays 2 (Box Score)
The most runs scored by the Milwaukee Brewers ever. With about a month left in the 1992 season, the Brewers were 4.5 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East division standings. The visiting Brewers went into Toronto and had an offensive explosion that hadn’t been seen in two years (when they scored 20 against the California Angels). In their 20-run victory, the Brewers’ eight and nine hole hitters, Kevin Seitzer and Scott Fletcher, both had five hits apiece, not to mention two other players with four hits in a game that featured 31 hits. That 31-hit outburst also set the mark for most hits in a game franchise history.
August 17, 2019 – Brewers 15, Nationals 14 (Box Score)
If you watched the game on Monday night, you most likely heard Jeff Levering and Tim Dillard reference this game a couple of times, for good reason, too. If you thought the 12-inning, 4:14 affair was long (definitely didn’t help with them playing on the West Coast), then let’s remind you of the old times. No, not that old — just before the pitch clock or the extra-inning runner rule was implemented, or even the designated hitter in the National League.
The Crew traveled to the nation’s capital and played a 14-inning, 5:40 game. This game was special for a couple of different reasons; not only was it the longest game ever played by the Brewers in this era, but it was also the most home runs hit by the team in a game (seven), which tied a record that was set by the 1980 squad. In their slugfest with the Nationals, former MVPs Ryan Braun and Christian Yelich had a multi-home run game with two apiece. Trent Grisham, Mike Moustakas, and Eric Thames also homered.
Sticking with the topic of the longest games in Brewers history, this game probably takes the title of craziest game in franchise history, and arguably, MLB history. We’ve heard the stories from Bill Schroeder over time, but it’s still one of those you’re shocked it happened. And quite frankly, the box score is one of my favorites to look back on.
A 25-inning game that took eight hours (across two days) and had two Brewers’ blown leads. Somehow, the Brewers only burned six pitchers in this game, which is fewer than they used in the game on Monday, and in way fewer innings. It featured four players getting at least 10 at-bats and all but three guys getting a base hit. There are a lot of zeros to be shown on the line score, but what I think is the most frustrating part of it all is that the Brewers had a two-run lead on two separate occasions and blew them both times. Most shockingly, a two-run lead was headed into the bottom of the ninth inning with Rollie Fingers as the closer. This game is one of those moments you wish social media was around for to see the reactions of both fan bases.
It was the final year of baseball being played in County Stadium, and it featured the largest comeback in the ninth inning in franchise history. According to Baseball Reference, the Brewers had a 0.13% chance to win the game entering the final inning. But as Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” And that was truly how this game was summed up.
Entering the bottom of the ninth inning, the Crew were down 9-2 before the first seven batters of the inning reached base, bringing the score to 9-6 before recording their first out. Actually, their first two outs, seeing as how it was back-to-back strikeouts from James Mouton and Ronnie Belliard. But the party didn’t end there; the same three guys who began the inning kept it alive to force extra innings. After a scoreless top of the 10th inning, José Hernández walked it off with a home run to left field.
Wrapping up our discussion of some of the wildest, jaw-dropping games in Brewers history, let’s end on the biggest comeback win in franchise history. This one’s a bit different, because the Crew found themselves down 9-0 at the top of the fourth inning, and used the whole rest of the game to complete their comeback.
Following an abysmal start from Matt Kinney and a relief appearance from Adrián Hernández, the pitching staff held its part of the bargain for the remaining six innings by allowing no runs on just two hits. Then, the offense broke into the scoring column with an RBI base hit from Lyle Overbay. After slowly chipping away at their deficit and bringing the game’s score to 9-6, Bill Hall came through, for just the first of two times that day, with a bases-clearing double that tied the game at 9-9. Later in the bottom of the 10th inning, he dropped a walk-off sacrifice bunt to win the game for the Brewers.
It’s only fitting that Pat Murphy wants his team to have the mindset of a woodpecker, because, to be honest, that’s just how the Brewers have been throughout time, despite maybe not being as consistent as they are today.
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 10: Cleveland Guardians pitcher Codi Heuer (50) hands the baseball to Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) as he leaves the game during the seventh inning of the Major League Baseball game between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians on June 10, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Cleveland Guardians were swept by the New York Yankees at home yesterday. Nick has the recap of the frustrating loss. With said loss, the Chicago White Sox have taken first place of the AL Central. The Guards are off today and welcome the Detroit Tigers to Cleveland in a three game weekend series.
Quincy wrote about the state of this team this month. He highlighted a fact that many Guardians fans are keeping an eye on. The notable absence of Cooper Ingle and Kahlil Watson from the Clippers line up yesterday.
Instinct tells me we’re being unrealistic in expect either to get called up, but I’m choosing to continue to hope that the moves the front office has made thus far is a regularity, not a blip.
Luke Hill continues to garner the attention of MLB, being named Cleveland’s top performer from last year’s draft.
Around the League (and Beyond)
Max Scherzer recorded his 3500th career strike out.
The Athletes Unlimited Softball League kicked off its second season this week. MLB released a FAQ about the AUSL. The league can be watched on MLB.tv, ESPN, and MLB Network.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 14: Chase Dollander #32 of the Colorado Rockies leaves the game with medical staff in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on May 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Digging deeper than that and looking at the organization as a whole, however, shows that the injury trend extends beyond the major-league club.
Of the 285 players in the Rockies organization, currently 54 of them are on the injured list. That means almost one-fifth of the entire organization’s entire player populace that is unavailable right now.
With publicly available information, it is impossible to forecast with an accuracy the total number of games these players will miss. But with some rough napkin math, it’s obvious that the Rockies will be much further up the games missed leaderboard this season than they have been the past couple.
Chase Dollander is generally considered the pitcher with highest ceiling in the entire organization, and he appeared to have turned a corner against major-league hitting to start the season.
Ethan Holliday (No. 2 PuRP) is has the most star potential of any player in the organization and was in the midst of a strong start to what would have been his first full season in professional baseball.
There are more injured players, but you get the point: Losing players to injury impacts both the short- and long-term future of the organization even in a season in which there are no real expectations to win.
Since 2024, six of the ten teams that lost the most MLB days to the IL have made the playoffs at least once in that time. Meanwhile, among the teams that had the fewest days missed are the Rockies and other recent poor-performing teams such, as the Los Angeles Angles, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington Nationals.
This is not to say, that teams should be trying to have more injuries, just that the correlation between success and injuries is not simple.
With the Rockies front office turnover this offseason, it’s fair to wonder whether this recent uptick in injuries could be tied to that changing of the guard.
Even if there is not some concerted effort towards more risky behavior, it’s possible that an uptick in injuries is a downstream effect of some innocuous process changes. Another possibility is that the new personnel are more aggressive with monitoring for injuries and officially utilizing the injured list in a way that the previous regime may have just unofficially benched players.
In a game fueled by numbers, it is tantalizing to try and ascribe meaning to them. It is natural to look at trends and formulate an explanation. When zooming in closer to the context of the individual events that those numbers and trends are collating, however, it is sometimes hard to reconcile those big-picture theories with the messiness of the small data.
Mickey Moniak landing awkwardly when making a catch against the outfield wall and hurting his ankle isn’t a the result of any process change. Tyler Freeman getting hit in the head by a fastball certainly wasn’t anything but awful luck.
The signal of an injury spike is messy and complicated both in its potential causes as well as its ramifications for the team. If the recent uptick in Rockies players getting hurt becomes a years-long trend, then we can responsibly try and find a cause. For now, we’re best off just taking the news of each injury in on its own merits and hoping for the best.
The Albuquerque Isotopes struggled to get anything going against the Rainiers (SEA) after the first inning tonight. 2B Vimael Machín singled to score Drew Avans with two outs, and that was it. The Topes were limited to five hits and struck out 11 times. Five players had one hit, but none had more than one. DH Kyle McCann went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.
Pitching wise, Valente Bellozo threw three innings and gave up seven runs, all earned, on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. He also gave up two home runs — a two-run show in the first and a three-run shot in the third. He took the loss, and is 0-6 with an 8.83 ERA on the season. Evan Shawver gave up another run on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts in three innings. Jimmy Herget made his first rehab appearance, and gave up two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout in 0.2 innings. Both runs came on a two-run homer by Hogan Windish in the seventh inning. And TJ Shook made his first appearance since being optioned, pitching the final 1.1 innings and allowing one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Double-A: The Yard Goats had a double header last night!
In Game 1 of the doubleheader, the Yard Goats came out on top. New Hampshire (TOR) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when catcher Aaron Parker hit a two-run homer, but the Yard Goats chipped away with one run in the third and then tacked on three in the sixth. The Fisher Cats scored again in the top of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough.
Dyan Jorge hit a sac fly in the third to score the single run. In the sixth, things got going with a Zach Kokoska RBI groundout, then Benny Montgomery doubled to score Bryant Betancourt and Cole Messina (No. 26 PuRP). All three runs were charged to Konner Eaton (No. 28 PuRP), who came out on top after throwing 6.1 innings and allowing just two hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
The Yard Goats weren’t as lucky in the second game, as they gave up taco’s. New Hampshire put up a four spot in the third — one run on an RBI single by Jay Harry, and the other three on a three-run homer by Victor Arias. Eddie Micheletti hit a two-run homer in the sixth to run up the score 6-0, but then Cole Messina doubled to score the Goats’ first run. Jose Torres then singled to score Jimmy Obertop and Messina, which cut the score in half. In the fifth, Jackson Hornung singled to score Arias, which was the final score for the Cats. Messina hit a two-RBI single in the sixth, but it wasn’t quite enough and the Goats fell 7-5.
Pitching wise, Davison Palermo took the brunt of it. He pitched three innings, allowing four runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Cade Denton came in next, allowing three runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts in two innings. Fidel Ulloa finished with a scoreless inning with a strikeout.
It was a back-and-forth affair in Spokane, but the Indians trounced the Emeralds (SF) 10-9. Spokane struck first when Max Belyeu (No. 15 PuRP) homered. But then Zander Darby singled to tie things in the bottom of the second. Eugene scored again in the fourth and fifth, but then Kevin Fitzer hit a two-run homer in the sixth to put the Indians back on top. Lisbel Díaz homered to put Eugene up 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth, and then Roynier Hernandez singled to tie things up in the seventh. Jack O’Dowd then followed that up with a three-run homer to blow it open 8-5, but then Jakob Christian hit a grand slam to put Eugene up again 9-8. In the eighth, Kelvin Hidalgo doubled to score Juan Castillo and tie it at 9, but then Tommy Hopfe singled to score Hidalgo and end the game.
Austin Strickland took the brunt of it on the pitching side, giving up six runs on seven hits with one strikeout in just two innings of work. But starter Niko Mazza gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits with six strikeouts in his 5.1 innings of work.
Visalia (AZ) jumped out to an early lead in the first three innings and never yielded. Carlos Virahonda homered in the first to put them up 2-0. In the second, JD Dix hit an RBI groundout and then Virahonda was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to put the Rawhide up 4-0. In the third, Pedro Blanco homered.
The Grizzlies scored just once in the fourth, when Roldy Brito (No 11 PuRP) grounded out to score Cameron Nelson.
Grizzlies’ starter Austin Nelson threw just 2.2 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits with four walks and a strikeout. Bryson Van Sickle threw 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out four. And Jhon Medina allowed just one hit over two innings with a walk and two strikeouts.
The most exciting Rockies related news this week has obviously been the call up of No. 4 PuRP Cole Carrigg. On Purple Row, Renee Dechert wrote up excerpts from Carrigg’s pre-debut media availability yesterday and Patrick Lyons follows that up with this piece in which he dives into Carrigg’s debut and the adjustments the team had him working on in the minors before the call up.
The Rockies made a couple of very low profile moves on Monday in order to increase depth at the minor league level. Matt Postins takes a look at the Rockies newest farmhands and digs into what they can reasonably be expected to provide moving forward.
Davy Andrews looked into the connection between locations that catchers are able to frame pitches well and the locations that catchers have had ABS challenge success on. The basic conclusion is that there is potentially an inverse relationship between the zones where a catcher is better at framing vs challenging. It’s a quick, interesting read that I mostly call out because it sheds light on the fact that Hunter Goodman does his best pitch framing at the top and arm sides of the zone.
From left, Detroit Tigers pitchers Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, Framber Valdez, Tarik Skubal and Justin Verlander during Valdez’s introductory press conference at the 34 Club of Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Troy Melton has returned to the fold with three good starts. Tarik Skubal rehabbed in West Michigan successfully on Sunday and may be ready to assume his rightful place atop the Detroit Tigers rotation by this weekend. Casey Mize made a rehab start in Clearwater at the Single-A level on Tuesday with the Lakeland Flying Tigers and seems likely to return either immediately or after one more rehab outing this weekend. And finally, Justin Verlander made a second Triple-A level rehab start in Toledo on Wednesday. At the risk of counting our chickens before they hatch, the club appears set to be back to full strength in the starting rotation over the next two weeks. Deploying all this pitching successfully will be crucial to powering the run they need to go on to get back in the thick of the playoff picture.
Fortunately for the Tigers, not only have they shown signs of life with wins in six of their last eight games, but they’re getting healthy, and apart from the top few teams the American League is still in relative shambles. Only five of the fifteen clubs are over the .500 mark, and even the White Sox, Guardians, and Mariners are only just above that line. Even after one of the worst months in franchise history, the Tigers are only 5.5 games out in the chase for the final AL Wild Card berth. The issue is that they’re only ahead of the Angels in the standings, so they have to outplay quite a few teams by a wide margin to catch up.
The 28-40 Tigers have 45 games left ahead of them until the August 3, 6:00 p.m. ET trade deadline. Sure, there are all sorts of ways this could play out, but fundamentally that 45 game span sets a limit for how long the club has to convincingly get into the playoff picture before they decide to sell, buy, or both at the trade deadline.
So none of this is to suggest that the Tigers are likely to catch fire for a sustained stretch and really get themselves back into contention. More than likely the decisions at the deadline will be pretty difficult with the Tigers not out of it, but still not holding a wild card berth. They’re a longshot now, but a comeback certainly looks less improbable than it did a week ago. They do appear to have both Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize on track to return by the middle of the month. If they’re pitching really well that’s great for their trade value, but it also probably means that the Tigers are making up ground and will having a tougher decision on whether to sell than they do at the moment.
Right now, the focus has to be on resetting this roster. The Tigers could really use an upgrade somewhere on the bench and at the back of their lineup. But first and foremost they need to figure out how to organize their pitching staff.
The first part is extremely simple. You plug Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize back into the rotation at first opportunity. With their top three starters re-established in the rotation, the Tigers are a much more formidable team to deal with, and their presence will finally allow their bullpen to get in some kind of consistent shape and usage patterns again.
The hard part, is deciding who gets the last two spots in the starting rotation, and who goes to the bullpen or down to Toledo. With Kenley Jansen rehabbing and probably only one more outing from returning to the Tigers by the beginning of next week, the spots are a bit limited, and the return of Skubal, Mize, and Verlander is going to push a few arms into the bullpen anyway.
Justin Verlander
This is the really tough call. After missing two months with left hip inflammation, the future Hall of Famer and Tigers’ legend has now made two starts with the Toledo Mud Hens, building up to 86 pitches on Wednesday. Assuming the hip doesn’t flare up in his recovery work on Thursday and Friday, Verlander appears to be healthy and ready to go in that sense, but he also doesn’t look ready to handle major league hitters yet either.
Verlander allowed four solo home runs and some other very hard contact from the St. Paul Saints on Wednesday. His fourseam fastball averaged 92.9 mph, topping out at 95.5 mph, and while it still has above average riding life, Verlander has below average extension these days as well. He struggled a bit with his slider, and perhaps was throwing it in some odd counts just trying to dial it in, but against a Triple-A lineup, he only collected one whiff on it, while getting four on the fastball. Not really what you want to see.
This just isn’t going to cut it in the big leagues, especially considering that one of Melton or Montero will have to move out of the rotation to accomodate him. If they decide to give Verlander a few starts and he struggles, they may be responsible for blowing up their already poor chances of getting into contention by August 3. Putting him in the pen to see if that helps him get it going is the alternate move, but the Tigers may well simply have to cut bait if it’s not going well. That will require some fortitude, because cutting Verlander won’t be an easy conversation, nor will a conversation about moving to the bullpen.
Don’t be surprised if the Tigers aren’t quite convinced that Verlander is back to full strength just yet, despite the pitch count on Wednesday. The obvious move is to schedule one more rehab start to put the decision off a bit longer and see if he can get it going. It’s possible that he just needs another outing or two to get dialed in after two months on the injured list, but he’ll have to show sharper stuff to convince anyone that he should be rejoining the starting rotation and moving one the following pitchers to the bullpen. Skubal and Mize are already on track to push two of this group to the pen anyway.
Jack Flaherty
For a while, it looked like Jack Flaherty was going to have to move to the bullpen as well. It’s certainly an open question as he’s been better of late but still mediocre overall. Going back to May 1, the right-hander has allowed three or more runs in all but two of his eight starts. He’s pulled it together enough to avoid the big blow-ups lately, and he’s gotten the walks well under control over the last five starts, but there’s no telling what might come. If Flaherty strung together eight good starts in a row, it wouldn’t be shocking. It also wouldn’t be shocking if he got shelled out of a starting role in the next few weeks.
Flaherty has probably earned himself a little more leash for now, but if things start falling apart again, a move to the bullpen is indicated. For all his troubles this year, Flaherty still holds a 26.3 percent strikeout rate and a 4.12 FIP. He gets plenty of whiffs and has kept the home runs under control. In the bullpen, he could sit 95 mph, strike a lot of guys out, and if he starts to lose the strikezone you just call in the next reliever up in the pen.
Keider Montero
Between Verlander, Flaherty, and Keider Montero, it is Montero who has the best argument to stay in the rotation. The long-overlooked right-hander has once again emerged as a real godsend when the Tigers needed him, and yet he continues to be treated like a sidenote in their plans.
Montero has been an absolute workhorse since he was in rookie ball. He doesn’t miss starts, and that proven durability and his relentless strike throwing this season are his best arguments for staying in the rotation. The more mature approach he’s featured this season has been noticeable, and you’d hate to see him moved to the bullpen just as he’s navigating lineups more effectively and gaining confidence in his ability to attack hitters and pitch efficiently deep in games.
Montero’s 3.95 ERA and 4.16 FIP both say he’s the best of this group. Sure, we’d like more strikeouts, but Verlander nor Troy Melton are striking out any more than Montero. Unlike those two, Montero also has a very good changeup to help combat platoon splits and keep left-handed hitters in check. He does need to generate more whiffs, and his tendency toward more and more fly balls against him is a concern as the weather heats up, but again, you could say the same for Verlander or Melton. Montero has always been overlooked, and yet he continues to show up for the Tigers and improve. They’d be in even bigger trouble without him and you’d hate to see that rewarded with a move to the bullpen in a season where it feels like he’s putting his complete game together.
Troy Melton
Melton has only made four starts since returning from the injured list after forearm inflammation early in camp saw the Tigers take no chances and immediately put him on the 60-day injured list to make sure he was 100 percent before he returned. The right-hander throws hard, and he has a good cutter/slider combination. His splitter remains too inconsistent to be a factor, and until he conquers that issue, he’s best deployed in the bullpen.
Sure, Melton holds a 2.81 ERA in those four starts, but his relatively meager strikeout rates as a starter in the big league tell a different story. So far, he’s only struck out 13.7 percent of hitters faced. We can expect that to improve as he settles into his routine, but despite good velocity and great extension, his fastball remains fairly hittable in the zone. Combine that issue with the fact that he can’t command his splitter and is vulnerable to left-handed hitters as a result, and you have a pretty good case for putting him in the pen and letting him air out the heater to 98-99 mph, where it is a plus pitch that gets whiffs.
Long-term, Melton probably has to be part of the Tigers’ rotation plans, but it can wait for now. If they end up trading starting pitching at the deadline, Melton will likely stretch out and take over one of those spots anyway. For now, the bullpen could certainly use a killer, and Melton at peak velocity and with his chill demeanor, has some closer vibes.
Ty Madden
After a lost season in 2025 due to a shoulder injury, the 26-year-old Madden has also pitched pretty well for the Tigers in a pinch. He’s striking out 26.8 percent of hitters with a 2.60 ERA and a 3.28 FIP across 17.1 innings of work. Walks have remained an issue for him, and even in Toledo this season they were a problem, but he’s managed to avoid them since his call-up at the beginning of May despite getting sent back down to Toledo for a start late in the month before returning.
Madden is coming off a lost year, and my feeling is that letting him remain a starter might be the best way to help him build back to full strength. He used to sit 95 mph and touch 99-100, but we haven’t seen that since the injuries started to bite him. His fastball shape is very hittable, and that’s also been the issue with him as a prospect. He shows some signs of working on that, occasionally popping 18-19 inches of induced vertical break before losing that release feel again and returning to his usual pedestrian numbers. Maybe that can keep developing if he’s pitching on regular rest every fifth day in Toledo for a while.
On the other hand, Madden has a six-pitch mix and has learned to use that advantage to better handle hitters on either side of the plate. He packs a cutter, slider, curveball to go with the fourseam-sinker combo, and his splitter is a little more reliable than Melton’s at this point. All of this argues that he should be the one to stay stretched out in case of further injury trouble.
These decisions may decide the Tigers fate
The decisions that Scott Harris, GM Jeff Greenberg, and manager A.J. Hinch make about the pitching staff in the next week or two are going to be crucial. The decisions they make at the trade deadline may well be the deciding ones in the current front office’s tenure running the Detroit Tigers. The pressure cooker is real, and in their current circumstances, the room for error is non-existant.
Let’s say the rotation becomes Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty, and Justin Verlander, as initially intended. Those are big decisions to keep Flaherty and Verlander starting, and move Melton and Montero to the pen. They really can’t waste their innings in Toledo.
With Kenley Jansen nearing a return, the rest of the bullpen could look like this.
Will Vest
Kyle Finnegan
Drew Anderson
Tyler Holton
Enmanuel de Jesus
Keider Montero
Troy Melton
If we presume that Skubal and Mize will get back to full strength in relative order, the rotation is going to be better no matter who occupies the final two spots. Moving two starters like Melton and Montero adds up to a much improved bullpen, especially if they get back to a full-on matchup strategy again and don’t just reflexively have Kenley Jansen close games. The Tigers are missing Brant Hurter, but Montero and Anderson’s ability to handle left-handed hitters helps balance things out as well. The length available from former starters with Montero and Melton added to the mix should also help them to cut Flaherty and Verlander’s outings short as needed. Drew Sommers, Beau Brieske, and Brenan Hanifee would then return to Triple-A Toledo. Both Sommers and Brieske need to lock in their command to be effective anyway.
Were the Tigers to keep one of Melton or Montero in the rotation, moving Flaherty or perhaps Verlander to the pen, that’s a pretty interesting debate between the two young starters. I lean toward Montero staying in the rotation, but there are good arguments on both sides. There are also decent reasons to keep Flaherty starting for a while longer to see if a deeper pen and a quicker hook helps get more out him. On the other hand, Flaherty would probably do well in the bullpen, but sometimes that transition is pretty difficult.
The Verlander decisions are not easy because of the circumstance, but the Tigers really cannot afford to give him 4-5 starts just to see if he can get rolling. Whatever they decide, that decision can’t wait through a month of poor starts just because he’s Justin Verlander.
What I think is a must, is that Montero and Melton stay in the major leagues. Wasting either one of them in Triple-A just to stay stretched out in case of an injury is absolutely not the right move. With Madden I think there’s more of a case to let him keep getting starting reps under his belt, especially if they’re adding Montero and Melton to the bullpen. After a year away, Madden could use the reps, and if he can just stay healthy and solidify his progress this year he has plenty of future ahead with the Detroit Tigers.
Of course, we’ve already gotten a crash course in how plans can go awry this season. Further injuries might make some of these decisions for the club by the time everyone is actually healthy and ready to go. Skubal appears to be on track to return this weekend, while Mize, Verlander, and Jansen are still a bit more up in the air. What is perfectly clear, however, is that how they deploy their pitching staff at full strength is going to be crucial to their chances of catching fire and gaining enough ground in the standings to avoid an obvious sell-off situation at the trade deadline.
If they can get into good position, maybe they don’t sell. Mediocre position, a few games out of a playoff spot? Maybe you sell to a degree, but get major league ready pitching and look to sneak into the playoffs with a surge in August and September anyway even if it does come down to trading Tarik Skubal. Bad position? It’s time to commit to trading most of their veterans and start reshaping the club for 2027 and beyond.
Obviously there are still all sorts of different ways this season could play out. Baseball will baseball. The trade deadline just limits how long the club has to turn things around and affect the way management approaches it. Whatever comes, the strange, unfortunate drama of the early 2026 season is now into a crucial stretch that might decide not just this season, but several seasons down the road. Scott Harris and Jeff Greenberg better stack up a lot of smart decisions over the next eight weeks, and some of them are likely to be painful ones.
MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 25: Brycen Mautz #52 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Monday, May 25, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
On Monday, I covered the position player depth. My bad on not including Thomas Saggese at shortstop. Even though I think I’m lower on his defense there than most, the Cardinals do clearly consider him SS depth, so he should have been listed. Today, I want to address the pitching depth. I’ll take a different approach with the pitching.
First, let’s talk about the ideal pitching depth heading into a season. For your #1, you want somebody where there’s not a debate that they’re an ace. This hasn’t been a thing for the Cardinals since the 2nd half of 2019, and then Jack Flaherty got hurt. Before that, it was probably Adam Wainwright once Chris Carpenter retired. It’s been a minute. (Carlos Martinez topped out at 3.3 fWAR, so I think he falls short of this standard)
For your #2, think Tyler Glasnow as the prototype. The unreliable “ace” if you will. I actually think the last month or so of Dustin May is pretty much this. We can’t really trust him, but he’s pitching like an ace. The true ideal is of course having both Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, but one thing at a time here. Your #3 is…. Michael McGreevy honestly. He’s exactly what I imagine a perfect #3 to be. Someone whose numbers will probably be more reflective of a #2 because of the amount of innings they pitch.
And then your #4 is your hotshot prospect who hasn’t quite put it together yet, and your #5 is the 2026 version of an innings eater. I say 2026 version, because this pitcher will get taken out fairly early in the game sometimes just because taking him out helps you win, but if you’re blowing out a team, they’ll probably go 6. If they get roughed up early, they’ll still throw 5 innings. The Cardinals have my ideal #5 too: Andre Pallante. I wish he was more fun to watch, because yeah he’s a perfect #5 starter.
He’s not a hotshot prospect, but Kyle Leahy’s season is kind of like what I’d expect a season from said hotshot prospect looks like. Can’t quite make it through 3rd time through the order, shows flashes. Leahy is 29 so it’s very much not the same and I still expect him to move to the bullpen, but his season is more or less the expectation for a first-time pitcher.
Again, I’m speaking in generalizations and rarely will a starting rotation look like my ideal rotation. Matthew Liberatore doesn’t fit neatly into my categories right now, but I would say the fully realized Liberatore, if it ever comes, looks a lot like my #3. If he manages that, good chance between McGreevy and Liberatore, you still get a #2 production out of one of them. Hunter Dobbins is in the same boat. He might fit my #3 definition, he might fit my #5 definition.
Behind this group is an MLB ready starter who you want in the major leagues, but nobody has gotten hurt yet. Hunter Dobbins this year, Michael McGreevy last year. Unfortunately, a lot of times in this plan, your sixth starter will look better than at least one of your top five, but it’s just kind of a necessary safeguard in today’s game. On Opening Day, I want there to be at least one starting pitcher in Memphis who I really wish was in St. Louis. You’ve crafted good depth if that’s the case.
Your 7th guy on the depth chart has extensive AAA experience and even if you don’t think they’re quite ready, they’ve been in AAA long enough that they’d probably still benefit from MLB starts. You don’t consider it rushing. Think Quinn Mathews. If Mathews had to be added to the 40 man before the season, he’d have probably made his MLB debut already. And lastly, your 8 and 9 guys on the depth chart are legitimate pitching prospects who you hope will be ready by midseason. One of their seasons will go well, the others will not. Think Ixan Henderson and Brycen Mautz.
So, you have your ace, your flawed ace, your bulk inning #3, your struggling prospect, and your innings eater. Your 6th guy is ready right now, and maybe he fits the bulk inning role, maybe he fits the struggling prospect role. You have your experienced AAA starter, and then two pitching prospects at least a half season away (and probably more than that). And I’m not willing to define depth beyond that.
So going forward, let’s try to map out possibilities. You already have my picture of the 2026 depth, so let’s look beyond 2026. For this exercise, we will act like the Cardinals will make no free agent signings or trades. That’s a good way to get a picture of the depth. And then we might know if we need free agents or trades. After the player’s name will be their service time entering that season.
2027
Possible projected rotation: Matthew Liberatore (3.144), Michael McGreevy (1.091), Andre Pallante (4.145), Hunter Dobbins (1.131)*, Quinn Mathews (0.030)*
6th guy: Richard Fitts (0.164)
Yes, I will once again point out I am not a Kyle Leahy in the rotation believer. I’m moving him back to the bullpen for 2027. I’m probably trading Andre Pallante, just because Dobbins and Fitts seem like natural replacements for him. I’m signing and/or trading for a starting pitcher, one who is better than Michael McGreevy. But again this is a depth exercise. If they don’t actually get another starter, I think Pallante would have to come back unless you’re rolling with Liam Doyle on Opening Day.
Other starters to see MLB time: Tekoah Roby, Ixan Henderson, Pete Hansen, Brycen Mautz, Liam Doyle, Cooper Hjerpe
Using purely internal depth is not so great for ceiling in 2027 specifically, but the pitching depth at large looks extremely strong. I’m listing Hjerpe because some of you believe in him, so that was an attempt to leave my bias out of it. But yeah my personal expectation is 100 percent in the bullpen. I feel comfortable not listing Tink Hence as SP depth at the moment unfortunately. I think Mautz has a good opportunity to put himself in the 6th guy role too for 2027. They could make some trades to clear out the clutter a little if they want. Of course injuries usually solves these issues.
*I am speculating on the service time of Dobbins and Mathews. Dobbins would need to not get sent down again to reach that number, but the important info is between 1 and 2 years of service. Same for Mathews: I expect a little MLB service time.
2028
Possible projected rotation: Matthew Liberatore (4.144), Michael McGreevy (2.091), Hunter Dobbins/Richard Fitts, Quinn Mathews (1.030), Liam Doyle (0.030)
6th guy: Jurrangelo Cjintje
Other starters to see MLB time: Brycen Mautz, Braden Davis, Mason Molina, Tanner Franklin, Jacob Odle, Brandon Clarke
And I just realized how impossible this exercise is. I think Tekoah Roby to the bullpen is a safe bet, but between him, Clarke and Hjerpe, I mean one of those dudes will stick at starter. That I happen to believe it will be Roby is almost irrelevant. But I realized crafting this rotation that there’s going to be a prospect I have to ignore. Then there’s the fact that Franklin might be ready by 2028 too. Are we still going to be messing with Hunter Dobbins or Richard Fitts in the rotation if the potential of Franklin, Doyle, Roby, Clarke, and Hjerpe is still starting at this point? Probably not right? But they have a bunch of team control.
Anyway, I definitely don’t think Pallante lasts until 2028. He’s eligible for free agency after the 2028 season. I think the version of Liberatore who pans out is safe until 2028, just because in this version, he’s a stable hand and you want a stable hand in the rotation. Maybe when players like Doyle and Franklin establish themselves more fully, that’s the point where you look for a trade.
2029
Possible projection rotation: Michael McGreevy (3.091), Quinn Mathews (2.030), Liam Doyle (1.030), Jurrangelo Cjintje (1.040), Tanner Franklin (0.050)
6th guy: Yhoiker Fajardo
We’re in pick a name of out of a hat status here, but if the pitching prospects remotely go the way the Cardinals want them to go, I think Liberatore is traded before the 2029 season. I think Liberatore is safe for next season, somewhat in danger after, but I don’t think enough names will be established by the beginning of the 2028 season and then either he has taken a leap forward or he’s in that #3/#5 and is someone you can trade. Or he gets injured like every other pitcher. Who knows? But yeah the names at this point aren’t specifically important, pick whoever your favorite prospects are. The high potential starting pitching prospects are either in the starting rotation or full-time relievers by 2029 though. Or traded honestly.
And I’ll stop there, because there’s just too many directions this could go. But that gives a pretty good picture of how much this depth may stack up in the upcoming years and it’ll be interesting to see who sticks at starter, who moves to the bullpen, who is traded, who flames out. It’s important to remember: no so such thing as too many pitching prospects. Which is a good thing to remind oneself looking at the Cardinals’ system, because there are a lot of them.
Mboko forced out with knee injury after heavy fall
Williams’ focus now shifts to Berlin wildcard spot
Serena Williams’s first tournament since coming out of retirement has ended prematurely after her partner Victoria Mboko was forced to withdraw from the Queen’s Club tournament after injuring her knee when slipping on the grass in her singles match on Wednesday.
Williams made a sensational return to competition at 44 after a four-year absence on Tuesday alongside Mboko as the pair defeated the third seeds Nicole Melichar Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6(2), 6-2. The pair were scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund on Thursday afternoon.
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 19: Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow and Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox look on in the bullpen during a Spring Training workout at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 19, 2025 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Garrett Crochet is not coming to save the Red Sox season. Or at least he isn’t any time soon. After initially saying that his lat strain was so minor that he didn’t even want to call it a setback, the Red Sox ace now says that it “is a lot worse than what we thought” and that “he has “no idea” when he’ll be cleared to pitch. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
But wait! Is his injury actually any worse? After Crochet’s dispiriting comments came out last night, Chad Tracy and Craig Breslow both spoke to the media, providing somewhat contradictory information. “Garrett continues to make good progress with the lat strain,” Breslow said, further stating that there was no new information in terms of the severity in the injury. So no one has any idea what’s going on with the team’s ace and highest paid pitcher. This is what a dysfunctional organization looks like, folks. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Elsewhere in the rotation, you my have noticed that it was Jake Bennett — not Brayan Bello — who got the start for the Red Sox yesterday. But just because Bello’s been relegated to AAA, that doesn’t mean he can’t bounce back. Cliff Lee, for one, once similarly got demoted in the middle of an established bid league career and came back stronger. So what does Bello need to do out in Worcester? “With Bello, the Sox have areas of focus. For much of this year, the arm slot on his foundational sinker had been an average of 6 inches higher than it was last season. From that height, he was losing sink on his sinker and changeup. His locations and pitch shapes became worse.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
But for all the ink spilled about Crochet, Bello, and the rest of the pitching staff, it’s the somnambulant lineup that remains the Red Sox’ biggest problem. “I can’t believe they are content going with so many [Triple-A] players — utility infielders — at the bottom of the lineup,” said one executive from a rival team. “I’m still confused on the Red Sox roster construction and truthfully how they thought it would turn out any different than it has. The holes that were there at the start of the season are still there,” said another. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Notably, none of those rival executives thought that the Red Sox problem was literally with the team’s bats, rather than the players wielding them. But Mickey Gasper isn’t taking any chances — he put in a new order of bats to try to turn his offensive fortunes around. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
Of course the bats probably aren’t to blame for the team’s terrible plate discipline. In the previous four games entering yesterday’s contest, the Sox had walked just four times total. “It marks only the fourth time since 1994, and the fifth since 1981, that Boston has had four or fewer walks in a five-game span.” (Justin Turpin, WEEI)
No word on whether Caleb Durbin was using a new bat yesterday when he had his first career multi-homer game, and hit his first homer off a non-position player this year. “Honestly, the last couple days felt really good,” Durbin said. “Felt like I was really getting good swings on the ball, and when I was going to hit them, it was going to be good results — not just feeling like I’m putting good swings on the ball, but trusting that the result would be good and trending in the right direction. But obviously still a lot of work to be done.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
But despite Durbin’s power surge, the Sox still lost. It’s going to be one of those seasons where we see historical parallels like this all year long:
The last time the Red Sox were this bad, Titanic was still in theaters. https://t.co/OQXv85u3Ue
