Worldwide Sports News

Texas Rangers pitcher Cody Bradford will begin a rehab assignment with the Round Rock Express tonight, the team has announced.

Bradford spent the entire 2025 season on the injured list due to an elbow injury that ultimately necessitated internal brace surgery. Bradford is currently on the 15 day injured list. Reports have previously indicated that the hope is that he would be able to return to the majors sometime in May.

Bradford had a 3.54 ERA in 13 starts and a relief appearance in 2024, and was anticipated to be a member of the team’s rotation in 2025. Bradford has also pitched out of the bullpen in the past, so if there is not an opening in the rotation when he is ready to return, he could potentially fill a reliever role instead.

Round Rock hosts Gwinnett tonight in a game that starts at 6:45 p.m. Central. I am guessing that Bradford will be on a 2 inning/30 pitch limit in this first appearance.

The Texas Rangers have been slow on the draw so far with the introduction of automated balls and strikes. There’s been plenty to like about how the first week of the season has gone for Texas, as they sit at 4-2 with two road series wins, but taking advantage of the potential competitive advantage afforded by the new ABS replay system seems to be a work in progress.

While I’ve been against a lot of the recent Manfred era rules changes, I’ve been waiting for practically my entire baseball-following life for robot umps and now it’s kind of here albeit with the twist that teams are allowed two failed challenges before they can no longer appeal to the divine intervention of replay on suspected blown ball/strike calls.

Indeed, if I had my druthers, they’d just turn the hawkeye on for every pitch for a fully automated, purely human error-less experience. But there’s no doubt that the challenge system offers degrees of tactics and intrigue and here in the early goings, that’s been a fun new aspect for the baseball enjoyer and a nightmare for some umpires.

Team strategies and philosophies are developing. Do you challenge a close ball you’re fairly sure the ump got wrong in the 2nd inning of a scoreless game and risk being wrong and losing a challenge? Do you have a hierarchy for who can challenge? Do you save challenges for specific hitters or potential run-scoring rallies? Do you keep a challenge in your back pocket for a pitch that could determine the outcome of the game?

Each team likely has their own ideas on the hows and whens and whos and that undeniably adds an extra dimension of strategy to the rollout of this new tech and ruleset. With extra dimensions of strategy comes, frankly, people who are best at it or those who are best at exploiting it.

Right now, the Rangers are not those people.

So far this season Rangers hitters have made seven challenges and have succeed on three of them. The 43% success rate is good for 21st in the league. You know, whatever, it’s early. However, per Statcast’s ABS tracker, the Rangers have had the most opportunities in the league with 38 “reasonable” challenge chances and have only challenged on five of those offerings.

By Statcast’s estimation, the Rangers are about half a run in the hole due to their actual batting challenge decisions, which is third worst in the league. And their expected run value on potential overturns is -2.5 runs, second worst behind Cleveland.

Meanwhile, the Rangers have lost another estimated -0.2 runs on ABS challenges made by opponents against Texas hitters with teams going 5-for-6 on reversing a call.

The Rangers also had the indignity of being the first team to lose on a walk-off challenge in Wednesday’s finale in Baltimore. Though, it’s no surprise seeing the Rangers and Orioles involved in bizarre history.

It’s not any better when the Rangers are out on the field on defense, either. Texas is the only team in the league that has yet to win a challenge while an opponent is up to bat but they’ve also only challenged once overall with Kyle Higashioka losing a challenge on Sunday in Baltimore.

Despite the lack of challenges by Rangers pitchers and catchers, they’ve had 15 reasonable opportunities and challenged zero of them, worst in the league.

Meanwhile, while the Rangers are on defense, teams have gotten six of eight Texas offerings reversed with Baltimore going 5-for-5 on challenge attempts during the recent three-game set.

It’s obviously incredibly early and the technology and rule is brand new for most of the players and coaches, so there will be plenty of adjustments to be made. So far, however, the Rangers have been seeing a lot of chances to impact the game in their favor while being a bit gun-shy to pull the trigger.

Meanwhile, their opponents are taking advantage of the system and earning extra calls which has potentially led to snuffed out rallies that never were for Texas or more chances to add runs to the board for them.

Hopefully the Rangers do adjust and make better use of ABS because it’s not much fun being the team worst at humiliating umpires.

Former Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer is beginning another chapter in his professional baseball career.

Bauer, 35, signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), the team announced Thursday, April 2.

The former MLB All-Star is slated to be the starting pitcher on opening night against the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars on April 21 at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip, New York.

“We are excited to welcome Trevor to Long Island,” Ducks President/CBO Michael Pfaff said in a news release. “His talent and knowledge will be important additions to our ballclub, and we are happy to offer him this opportunity to showcase his talents to MLB clubs while giving fans unprecedented access to Ducks baseball.”

The Ducks also plan to have Bauer provide in-game commentary and access as he will be “mic’d up” for all games and practices to create content for their social media platforms and streaming outlets.

“I’m looking forward to competing in front of U.S. fans again this season,” said Bauer. “The Ducks have had some incredible players come through their organization, and I’m excited to be part of that tradition.”

A look back at Bauer's MLB career

Bauer has spent 15 years playing professional baseball. He previously spent 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, where he played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers.

His career began as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, selected by the Diamondbacks. Bauer made his first MLB appearance in 2012 and pitched for another decade.

While in Cleveland, Bauer was named to the AL All-Star team in 2018. His best season came a couple of years later pitching for the Reds. Bauer recorded a 1.73 ERA in the 2020 season, and allowed just 41 hits while striking out 100 batters in 73 innings of work for Cincinnatti, earning him the National League Cy Young Award.

In 10 MLB seasons, Bauer notched 83 wins in 212 big league starts.

It was a banner week for extensions at the corner of Clark and Addison last week, with news that Nico Hoerner was extended through the 2032 season breaking just days after news of the Pete Crow Armstrong extension. Both of these deals extended two Cubs icons for six more years, but that’s really where the similarities end. While PCA’s deal is a bet that the defensive prodigy in centerfield will continue to improve his plate discipline and value through his age-29 season, the Nico Hoerner extension is a bet on a player with a lower overall ceiling and a much more reliable floor that could make Hoerner a Cub for life.

I have to take a minute to reflect on how amazing it feels to be able to type the words “Cub for Life.” It’s been a minute since I even believed this was a possibility the Cubs would consider with their players, let alone a possibility that could become a reality. Part of the heartbreak with the Blue Friday trade deadline in 2021 was the realization that none of the heroes from the 2016 World Series team would end their careers with the Cubs aside from David Ross, who retired after Game Seven and World Series MVP Ben Zobrist, who saw his career fizzle out amidst personal issues that pulled him away from the field during a 2019 season that ended with a whimper for the Cubs.

Speaking of 2019, that was the year Nico Hoerner debuted for the Cubs. He had just finished his second season in the minors, putting together a solid campaign in Double-A when late season injuries led to him being called up during a playoff race to start at shortstop. He was certainly young for the level with zero Triple-A at bats, but the poise was evident immediately. Hoerner demonstrated his value both defensively and with a plus contact tool almost immediately. That value led to two extensions, the first was a three-year $35 million deal that bought out the end of Hoerner’s arbitration years and tacked on the 2026 season. The second is a six year $141 million that will see him in blue pinstripes until at least 2032.

The defense is elite. Since moving to second base full time in 2023, Nico Hoerner is third in MLB in total outs above average. You can see the top ten players by that metric below:

That defense has allowed the Cubs to roster a pitch-to-contact staff that generates fewer whiffs because balls hit on the ground up the middle or to the right of second have a high probability of being outs with Nico at the keystone.

His hit tool is also elite and has improved over time. You can clearly see this in looking at Nico’s wOBA by year according to FanGraphs:

As a reminder, wOBA is a fancy on-base metric that gives hitters more value for extra base hits than singles or walks. It’s notable that Hoerner has been at or above league average every season since 2021, particularly since this metric punishes him a bit for his lack of power. What it’s taking away from Nico in power it’s rewarding him for in consistent extra base power. It’s a hit tool that honestly reminds me of a 2020’s version of Mark Grace, a player who posted low strikeout rates with doubles power for for the better part of 16 seasons. I use the “2020’s version” caveat because Nico strikes out almost twice as much as Grace and is consistently about 30-50 points lighter in terms of his ability to get on base. The similarities generally derive from both players’ ability to make contact with extra base power that is light on home runs.

Obviously the 2026 spike is something for fans to hope on, but deserves small sample size caveat the size of Texas. Hoerner probably hasn’t added 60 points of wOBA this season, but he is likely to provide slightly above league average on-base and power ability. Combined with an elite glove, it’s worth every penny of the $141 million six-year contract he agreed to with the Cubs.

Konnor Griffin’s promotion to the major leagues is set to come with a massive payday.

The 19-year-old shortstop, who is poised to make his MLB debut during the Pirates’ home opener against the Orioles Friday, is finalizing a nine-year, $140 million deal with Pittsburgh, per ESPN’s Buster Olney, who noted the sides are still at work.

If and when it comes to fruition, it would become the largest guarantee made to a player before their MLB debut.

ESPN reported Wednesday that Griffin and the Pirates began extension talks in spring training, with the teenager’s camp seeking a deal comparable to the $130 million pact Roman Anthony inked with the Red Sox last August.

Griffin could now eclipse Anthony’s post-debut extension, and shatter Mariners prospect Colt Emerson’s historic $95 million deal before reaching the majors – which he signed just this week.

Before this year, Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio held the record for the largest guaranteed deal before debuting in the majors, signing an eight-year, $82 million pact during the 2023 Winter Meetings.

The promotion of Griffin, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the top prospect in baseball entering 2026, provides another boost to Pittsburgh’s lineup after a busy offseason.

The Pirates added ex-Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna, first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and second baseman Brandon Lowe, bolstering a lineup the team hopes can reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.

"I'm fired up that Konnor Griffin is making his debut on Friday..

He's gonna bring a lot of energy and his play speaks for itself" ~ @Paul_Skenes#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/KAtZuRet5k

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 2, 2026

Reigning National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, who rebounded from a rough Opening Day start against the Mets with a strong outing Wednesday against the Reds, is “fired up” to have Griffin in the majors.

“Yeah, I’m fired up,” Skenes said Thursday during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show. “If Bucco fans needed anything else to get excited about for the home opener, they got it. It’s great. He’s super mature, he’s 19 right now, you’d never know it talking to him.

“The most mature 19-year-old you’re ever going to meet in your life. The play speaks for itself, but the way he conducts himself in the locker room and off the field, it’s cool to see. He’s going to bring an energy and obviously a skillset to Pittsburgh that’s exciting.”

Taken ninth overall by Pittsburgh in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Jackson Preparatory School in Mississippi, Griffin enjoyed a meteoric rise through the organization’s system after making his pro debut last year.

Between three different levels in 2025, Griffin slashed an eye-popping .333/.415/.527 with 21 homers, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases over 122 games.

He got off to a torrid start in Spring Training, including a two-homer game in late February, as he made a strong bid to crack the Opening Day roster.

Griffin cooled off the rest of spring and ultimately began 2026 in Triple-A, where he continued to hit well, notching a .438 average in five games before his call-up.

After reading the headline you were probably wondering how long it would take for me to mention Leo De Vries. The answer was, apparently, 18 words. Let’s take a look at two trends that are on collision course unless they aren’t:

1. The A’s have gone wild lately with regard to extensions, inking not one, not two, not three, but four in the past two years — and made a $130M offer to Nick Kurtz that was not accepted. And have reportedly been in discussions with Shea Langeliers even if no agreement is imminent or likely. Clearly these A’s are “extension oriented” as they attempt to build a juggernaut with name recognition in the “approaching Vegas with a strong tailwind” years.

2. There seems to be a movement towards signing extensions for players with enormous potential and exactly zero track record. This past week Colt Emerson set a new record being guaranteed $95M before his first PA and it’s a record that might last for days…Reports have the Pirates and Konnor Griffin “deep in extension talks,” news that was followed by Griffin’s call up today. It’s a race to see which comes first: his (probably) 9 figure extension or his first big league hit.

It’s hard to see these 4 A’s extensions and 2 “pre-MLB debut” extensions and not wonder about De Vries. Would it be prudent for the A’s to bet on the 19 year old before he proves himself in the big leagues and his price tag rockets upwards? Could it be a break, in hindsight, that Kurtz passed up $130M guaranteed and left that purse open for the A’s to put elsewhere, perhaps into a toolsy shortstop who has drawn comps to Francisco Lindor while tearing up spring training after mastering AA as an 18 year old?

Prospects in baseball fail more often than they succeed, by a lot. Even the most promising ones, the “can’t miss” ones, often miss. Injuries can drastically alter a career arc as can issues of maturity or off the field choices around diet or lifestyle.

For this reason I tend to be risk averse with regard to offering unproven prospects appreciable guaranteed money and teams have generally felt the same way — until now. And today I am going to put myself out there by declaring that while usually my recommended answer would be “no,” with De Vries I see an exception. I would love to see the A’s hop on the “pre-debut band wagon” and sign De Vries now to a similar deal to the ones Emerson and Griffin are signing.

First off, Emerson and Griffin are such good prospects that their deals provide a fair barometer for the ceiling of a De Vries extension. That is to say Emerson isn’t going to settle for $95M over 8 years but De Vries gets $150M. In any talks with De Vries, presumably you would be looking at figures comparable to the ones we have seen with his peers. (We will see about the specifics with Griffin, but even if they are a lot more robust one has to factor in that he is the #1 prospect right now on MLB Pipeline, not 4th.)

So with De Vries, presumably, the A’s would be gambling on the efficacy of allotting somewhere around Emerson’s $12M-ish per year over an 8 year period. Given that De Vries is poised to debut as soon as the next couple months, plays a premium position, switch hits effectively from both sides of the plate and has matched stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Bryce Harper in his AA hitting at age 18, it’s hard to imagine where if he stays healthy De Vries won’t be a veritable bargain over the next 8 years averaging around $12M/year (or whatever his extension would look like).

Obviously you don’t want to start a salary clock too far ahead of an MLB clock, since once you are paying a player he is getting paid wherever he plays. So whenever the A’s were to agree to an extension with De Vries they would have to feel a call up was imminent — this was the case with Griffin who is getting called up for tonight’s game.

After the way he dominated the Cactus League (.426/.460/.723, 3 HR in 50 PA), including many hits against quality big league pitchers, it’s fair to think that De Vries might force his way up as soon as June 1st. So the time to talk about an extension is right about now.

Let’s be realistic here: there are finite dollars for the front office to throw around. An extension for a player making his AA season debut tonight might mean backing off on continued talks with Nick Kurtz, or it might mean foregoing a free agent opportunity in 2028. So you have to be sure it’s the right choice of where to allocate “real money” — you can’t just fall back on the cliched “Sure, it’s not my money, why not?”

Should the A’s get knee deep in extension talks with De Vries before he sets foot on a big league diamond for the first time? Suddenly there is precedent that teams are seeing this gamble as a shrewd investment in a long term future and contention window, while in the meantime Jon Singleton is laughing on his way to the bank.

In Leo We Trust?

Major League Baseball on Wednesday unveiled its recommended slot values for the 2026 MLB Draft, which determines the bonus pools that each team has to spend this July. After signing star free agents Edwin Díaz and Kyle Tucker this offseason, the Dodgers in this year’s draft have the lowest bonus pool in MLB and their lowest bonus pool in the 15 years of the slotting system.

Bonus pools are determined by adding up the recommended slot values for every pick through the 10th round. Because both Díaz and Tucker rejected qualifying offers from their former teams in November, and because the Dodgers were a competitive-balance-tax-paying team, Los Angeles lost a pair of 2026 draft picks with each signing. For Díaz, the Dodgers forfeited their second-round and fifth-round picks, and for Tucker they lost their third-round and sixth-round picks.

That leaves only six picks in the first 10 rounds of the 2026 draft, and the Dodgers have a total bonus pool of $3,951,500 to spend. Here are the team’s recommended slot values, per both Carlos Collazo of Baseball America and Joe Doyle of Over-Slot Baseball.

The Dodgers’ previous lowest bonus pool was in 2022 with $4,223,800 to spend.

“The depth of our system put us in a position where, while the cost is still meaningful, it wasn’t as significant. We have a very strong system up top,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in January. “But even more than that, I think the depth of our system allows us this one year to have our food budget for the draft meetings exceed our signing bonuses. It’s not great by any means, but just trying to balance that with doing everything we could to put ourselves in the best position to win a championship in 2026.”

The 2026 MLB Draft place will be held from July 11-13 in Philadelphia, the host city for this year’s All-Star Game.