MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 10: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives against Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Miami Heat during overtime at Kaseya Center on November 10, 2025 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to push their winning streak to five games as they take on the Miami Heat.
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Dealing with a busted bracket?
The Sweet 16 is almost here – who’s still alive? We’re reviewing the week that was in the first week of the NCAA tournament and turning our focus to remaining teams. How bad (or good!) is your bracket? Join us in the SB Nation March Madness Feed and let’s talk about who’s most likely to make a run to glory.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid will return to the Philadelphia 76ers' lineup on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls after missing 13 consecutive games due to a right oblique strain.
Embiid has been limited to just 33 games this season due to injuries. The latest injury for the 2023 MVP occurred during a 124-117 win over the Miami Heat on Feb. 26.
Philadelphia entered the contest with a 39-33 record and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, which would mean having to play in the NBA's play-in tournament. The 76ers are 1 1/2 games back of fifth-place Toronto.
Napalm, as an incendiary agent, has nothing on the manner president of baseball operations David Stearns approached the roster after the Mets missed the playoffs last year.
Stearns blew up the foundation and rebuilt. The first look at his new vision for the Mets will be on display in Thursday’s season opener against the Pirates at Citi Field, with Paul Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, as part of the resistance.
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Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, Luis Robert Jr., Carson Benge and Freddy Peralta are among those who will get their first exposure to the New York scene as part of the home team.
Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and Edwin Díaz will be scattered across the continent, playing or preparing for Opening Day elsewhere.
In sum, the Mets subtracted the franchise’s all-time home run leader (Alonso), a fan favorite (Nimmo), a former batting champion (McNeil) and the most electric closer in team history (Díaz).
Seldom, if ever, have the Mets looked so different between the final pitch of one season and the start of the next.
Meet the (new) Mets.
New York Mets’ Bo Bichette (l.) walks with Marcus Semien during a workout day before Opening Day at Citi Field, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTNew York Mets Infielder Jorge Polanco throws during a workout day before Opening Day at Citi Field, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“Opening Day, there’s always jitters regardless,” said Semien, who arrived in a November trade that sent Nimmo to Texas. “But go to a new team, and a team like the Mets, so much history, such a good fan base, energy and we are going to have to go out there and calm ourselves down.”
Robert, traded from the White Sox, already understands there’s a difference between playing in Queens and on Chicago’s South Side.
“I am sure that Thursday the stadium is going to be packed, which is something that over the last few years in Chicago I didn’t get to experience that,” Robert said through an interpreter. “It’s going to be a new experience for me.”
Bichette was the headliner, added to a lineup that will be more reliant on putting the ball in play than in recent seasons.
Juan Soto remains the focal point, following a season in which he placed third in the MVP voting.
Bichette, the new third baseman, was asked if there was anything he had come to realize by the end of spring training that he didn’t know about the Mets when camp began.
“I think with the WBC it was kind of go through the motions a bit until everybody got back,” said Bichette, who was signed to a three-year contract worth $126 million. “I knew we were good, but once I saw kind of our first full lineup, I think we’re even better than we thought we were.
“Everybody can hit from top to bottom, obviously great pitching, so we have the potential to do some really cool things. But now we have got to get out there to do it.”
New York Mets outfielder Carson Benge jogs during a workout day before Opening Day at Citi Field, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Skenes, who followed his NL Rookie of the Year season in 2024 with a Cy Young Award last year, will add to the afternoon’s intrigue.
The right-hander posted a 1.97 ERA in 32 starts last season with 216 strikeouts in 187 ²/₃ innings.
If there isn’t enough newness to the Mets, the team will also unveil the rookie Benge, who won the starting right field job in spring training.
“I am seeing five tools,” Semien said of Benge. “Now just comes experience. Experience at this level outweighs everything, but when you have the tools and maturity, it puts you in better position to be ready for your first shot at it.”
The additional new piece on display will be Peralta, the rotation upgrade who arrived from Milwaukee in January for Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. The right-hander gives the Mets a proven ace, removing a weight that otherwise would have rested on stud rookie Nolan McLean’s shoulders after only eight major league starts.
“We are hungry to win and we are going to give everything we have to bring a championship to New York,” Peralta said.
Not necessarily, but the chance did just get a lot better.
With the news Wednesday, March 25 that NBA owners had approved the formal exploration of expansion opportunities in Seattle and Las Vegas, the natural question is whether the SuperSonics, the team that eventually relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 to become the Thunder, would be making a reappearance.
In short: the chance is there for a prospective ownership group to take that step, though it’s not a guarantee. According to language in the contract agreement from the franchise’s move to Oklahoma City, which was obtained by NBC King5 in Seattle, the ownership group for the Thunder became prohibited from using the SuperSonics branding, color scheme, logo or any intellectual property.
According to the contract, should certain conditions be met under the approval of a new team located in Seattle, the Thunder ownership group will transfer intellectual property, including logos, color scheme, branding and even team history and statistics, to the new ownership group in place. In fact, there’s even language in the agreement that banners, retired jerseys and trophies may be transferred to the new team owner in Seattle.
Any prospective ownership group, however, is under no obligation to reestablish the SuperSonics should an expansion franchise be approved in Seattle, and the NBA would leave it up to the prospective ownership group.
It makes logical — if not easy — business sense, though, for new owners to simply reincorporate the SuperSonics back into the NBA. For one, it takes years of trust, marketing outreach, capital investment and performance to build brand loyalty. Compared to a prospective expansion team in Las Vegas, the Sonics already have that.
To that point, it’s not uncommon at NBA games in the Western Conference to occasionally have some fans in attendance with jerseys, flags and gear with the old SuperSonics branding.
And given this rich history — the SuperSonics played 40 seasons in the city and won an NBA Finals in 1979 — it’s a near guarantee that basketball fans will once again embrace the brand in the city, which has been without an NBA outfit since 2008; the Seattle Storm, the city’s WNBA franchise, held its inaugural season in 2000.
All this to say that it would be a missed opportunity, if not a massive blunder, for a new team to not embrace the Sonics brand.
In a brief conversation with USA TODAY Sports following his press conference Wednesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reiterated that any potential decision to reestablish the SuperSonics brand would be up to the prospective owner, though Silver also acknowledged the wide reach and loyalty fans have to the brand.
“I do a great deal of traveling around the country and the world,” Silver said. “And one of the top five, six questions I get, easily, is ‘When are the Sonics coming back?’ ”
The Angels' stadium lease is set to expire in six years. (Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)
At the dawn of the 2025 season, we published a column with the headline, “What’s the future for aging Angel Stadium? It feels like an increasingly uncertain one.”
With opening day 2026 upon us, we’d like to update that: “What’s the future for the Angels? It feels like an increasingly uncertain one.”
I don’t mean to be an alarmist. Nothing is happening today, or tomorrow, or in the very near future.
However, the Angels’ stadium lease expires in six years, so what might happen beyond then is starting to come into focus. Angels owner Arte Moreno turns 80 this summer. Moreno — or a new owner, if Moreno eventually sells the team — could simply exercise options to extend the lease for another six years.
But that would not resolve the larger issue of replacing or renovating Angel Stadium. In the coming months, the city expects to release an assessment of what it would take to keep the stadium up and running for years to come, and that could trigger a debate between the city and the Angels about who should pay for what.
The Angels are frustrated by all of this, and in particular by what they consider the curiously timed skirmishes over their 21-year-old Los Angeles name. They are annoyed that, for the second consecutive season, city issues have detracted from the hope and faith and joy that surrounds opening day. It is the city, after all, that walked away from two deals that would have secured the Angels’ long-term future in Anaheim.
During negotiations for the last deal, city officials made clear that keeping the Angels was the top priority, even if Anaheim could make more money selling the stadium property to a developer that would not need to retain the stadium.
Now, with six years left on the lease and no commitment beyond then, the mayor of Anaheim says it is time to prepare for a future with or without the Angels.
“We need to plan for what we see as a vision for that property when the lease has expired,” Mayor Ashleigh Aitken told me. “That’s going to take time. No matter how that deal goes, we’re not breaking ground on any project next year.
“But what we need to do, whether it includes the Angels — which I hope it does — or not, is come up with a vision that includes everything residents want to see happen on that land. And only then can we truly advocate for a project that makes sense for us.”
On the day of the home opener last season, Aitken issued an open letter inviting Moreno to meet with her for “an open and honest conversation about the future of baseball in Anaheim” and listing eight starting points for negotiations on a new deal, including the Angels’ restoration of the Anaheim name.
“They have not reached out to us about reopening negotiations for potential development around the property,” Aitken said.
Moreno previously explored other potential ballpark sites, including Tustin in 2014 and Long Beach in 2019.
In Tustin, the targeted land is no longer available. In Long Beach, the proposed waterfront lot remains vacant, but the challenge remains too: Over 81 games each season, how would tens of thousands of fans drive into and out of a ballpark primarily accessible by a single freeway?
For the Los Angeles Angels, perhaps the solution could be found in Los Angeles County.
The Dodgers could bar every other major league team from moving into L.A., but not the Angels. Under MLB rules, neither team could stop the other team from moving anywhere within Los Angeles County or Orange County.
The logical landing spot would be Inglewood, where the Rams, Chargers and Clippers have moved since 2020. Inglewood Mayor James Butts said SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome have helped to revitalize the city, with unemployment down, home prices up, and municipal revenue up.
“Before, we were known for gangs and crimes and poverty,” Butts told me.
“Now, we are known as the sports and entertainment capital of the western United States.”
How about a baseball stadium in place of the Forum?
“The Forum parcel is absolutely not large enough for a baseball stadium,” Butts said.
Butts said he believes a baseball stadium there would require about 170 acres for the stadium and surrounding parking. Angel Stadium and its surrounding parking lots cover about 150 acres.
On the other hand, the Athletics are building a ballpark on a nine-acre site in Las Vegas, where nearby parking, entertainment and dining options already exist, with more on the way, and with the A’s not responsible for any of that. The same could be true for the Angels in Inglewood, with Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer developing the land around the sports facilities.
However, Butts said he did not envision baseball coming to Inglewood, at least so long as he remains the mayor. Not enough room in town, he said.
“We’re maxed out when it comes to sports,” Butts said. “We are not going to reduce the housing stock and move residents out to have a baseball team.”
Anaheim has one, plus a 150-acre site perfect for a new stadium surrounded by restaurants and shops and homes. There will be days to be anxious and worried about the Angels’ future in the city they have called home for 60 years. Today is not one of them.
Take it from the mayor of Anaheim, who told me that even after telling me why she wants the city attorney to look into whether the Angels are violating their stadium lease.
“Opening day, to me, is nothing about clauses in a contract,” Aitken said. “It’s about family traditions. It’s about kicking off summer. And it’s about getting so many factions and neighborhoods of Anaheim together for a singular purpose, which is cheering on our hometown boys. That’s the beauty of baseball.”
And, as a lifelong Angels fan, she had one more thing to say.
“Right now,” Aitken said, “we’re tied for first place.”
Among the multiple moves by Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman during the offseason was signing defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to a one-year contract.
Having been satisfied with his performance this season, Yzerman has seen fit to extend the relationship between the two sides.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Red Wings announced that Bernard-Docker had been given a two-year, $3.2 million contract extension.
This now leaves only pending restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson and pending unrestricted free agent Travis Hamonic as the Red Wings' defensemen who are not under contract for next season.
Bernard-Docker, who was originally selected by the Ottawa Senators in the opening round (26th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, has skated in 55 games so far in his first season with the Red Wings.
He's registered four assists and has averaged 14:59 of ice time per game, which is seventh most among all Red Wings defenseman who have appeared in at least 50 games in 2025-26.
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Now, they are chasing history, trying to join the 1972-1974 Athletics and 1998-2000 Yankees as the only franchises in MLB’s expansion era (since 1961) to win three consecutive championships.
Such expectations might sound suffocating. Anything short of another title will be a failure.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Kyle Tucker against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Most important hitter: Kyle Tucker
The Dodgers roster is getting older, with seven of their nine projected starters in the lineup past the age of 30. That’s why the offseason signing of Kyle Tucker was so important. At 29, he still in the prime of his career. And by slotting into the No. 2 spot of the order, he will play a critical role, providing protection for Shohei Ohtani and setting the table for Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts behind him. The Dodgers think he can be an MVP-caliber player. He’s never had a better opportunity to prove it.
Most important pitcher: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Without Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers don’t win last year’s World Series –– and might have even been in danger of missing the playoffs. They’ll have more talent around him this year, thanks to Edwin Díaz’s addition as closer and Shohei Ohtani’s return to full-time pitching duties. But Yamamoto has established himself as the team’s ace, making his performance (and health coming off a burdensome October workload) paramount for a team that struggled on the mound at times last season.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, of Japan, gives a thumbs up after striking out San Diego Padres’ Bryce Johnson during the third inning of a spring training baseball game, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Phoenix. AP
Bigger year than expected: Teoscar Hernandez
After becoming a fan favorite during his debut Dodgers season in 2024, Teoscar Hernández had a frustrating encore last year after signing a three-year extension. His defense was bad. His at-bat quality was lacking. And he wasn’t 100% healthy. However, he transformed his body this offseason, put up huge spring numbers and looks poised for a resurgent campaign; capable of a bounce-back year as an overlooked member of the team’s star-studded lineup.
Most likely to disappoint: Roki Sasaki
In some ways, Roki Sasaki helped save the Dodgers season by returning from a shoulder injury and starring as an emergency closer in the playoffs. However, there remain many questions about his return to starting pitching. Can he command his fastball? Can he find a third pitch? Can he live up to the lofty expectations that accompanied his arrival from Japan? That’s a lot for a 24-year-old with eight career MLB starts. More growing pains could be ahead.
Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the third inning of a spring training baseball game, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. AP
Key call-up: River Ryan
While it won’t technically be his MLB debut, after he appeared in four games in 2024, River Ryan’s return from Tommy John surgery will mark a new beginning in his career. During his brief 2024 debut, the right-hander impressed with a 1.33 ERA. Now, he might be even better, having added 30 pounds during his rehab and improved his six-pitch repertoire. His workload will be limited this year, meaning he is likely to open in triple-A. But at some point, he’ll be counted on in the rotation. Hopes are high for how he’ll perform.
Biggest managerial decision
Already, Dave Roberts has indicated an eagerness to give his biggest, and oldest, stars more days off. The only problem: Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and others have long been loath to days on the bench. Thus, striking that workload balance will be an ongoing challenge for Roberts all year, as he tries to keep guys both fresh for the long haul and happy over the course of a long season.
Roki Sasaki of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Dodger Stadium on March 23, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
Don’t be surprised if…
… The Dodgers are looking for a frontline starting pitcher at the trade deadline. The easiest way for this season to go wrong, after all, is if injuries ravage a rotation that was pushed to its physical limits during last year’s playoffs. And if that happens, the Dodgers have shown a willingness to be aggressive on the trade market for impact players. Having a top-ranked farm system will give them options too.
Sure to make fans grumble
Bullpen usage. One luxury of having a team as good as the Dodgers’ is that they can take the long view, and occasionally punt on winnable games to keep their roster –– and bullpen, specifically –– fresh for the end of the year. That means, some nights, conservative reliever decisions might lead to frustrating losses. But if it means the Dodgers have a healthier pitching staff come October, it’s a trade-off they’re willing to make.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his 50th home run of the season against the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on September 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
Will make playoffs if…
… Everything goes anywhere close to expected, thanks to the vast margin for error their $400-plus million payroll will provide. Even before opening day, a 14th-consecutive postseason trip seems assured.
Will miss playoffs if…
… A meteor crashes into Earth, perhaps? Plenty can go wrong, from pitching injuries to bullpen struggles to underperformance from an aging lineup. But even in a worst-case scenario, the Dodgers should still be playing in October.
Prediction
105-57: Even while winning back-to-back World Series, the Dodgers have somewhat underperformed the past two years by not winning 100 games. That should change this year, with the team looking better equipped to handle the rigors of a 162-game marathon.
How their season will end
Without a third-straight World Series. Right now, it’s difficult to see any team stacking up with the Dodgers. Yet, Fangraphs’ computer model gives them only a 26.7% chance of winning it all. That’s still three times as good as the next closest contender. But it serves as a reminder that, in the crapshoot of a long year and unforgiving postseason format, even the best team is more likely to lose than not. So, while the Dodgers survived a World Series scare last year, odds are they eventually trip up at some point. It’s just hard to see when, or how, right now.
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In the current era of name, image and likeness (NIL) overtaking the sport, transfers have as big an impact as ever on college basketball rosters. Most of the top transfers still alive in March Madness were paid handsomely for a chance at a deep NCAA Tournament run.
Depending on the situation, a Sweet 16 run could be considered "mission accomplished" for a few programs. For others, such as No. 1 seed Michigan, it serves as the potential first stop en route to on a Final Four berth.
Here's a ranking of the top first-year transfers of the Sweet 16 in the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament:
Ranking top first-year transfers of Sweet 16
1. Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
The No. 1-ranked transfer portal prospect from the offseason has lived up to his billing in his first season at Michigan after transferring from UAB. The first-team All-American won Big Ten Player of the Year this season, averaging 14.7 points with 6.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game on 51.5% shooting.
Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz has had a wild college career, starting at Division II Northwest Missouri State before following coach Ben McCollum to Drake and, now, Iowa.
He has blossomed into a potential 2026 NBA Draft lottery pick with the Hawkeyes averaging 19.7 points with 2.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists this season while scoring 30 or more points three times.
Bennett Stirtz with the turnaround 😮💨 #MarchMadness
Nebraska standout Pryce Sandfort left Iowa in the offseason after the Hawkeyes moved on from longtime coach Fran McCaffery. It turned out to be the right move for the 6-foot-7 sharpshooter, as he averaged 17.9 points with 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on 41% shooting from 3-point range.
Ja'Kobi Gillespie starred for Maryland last season while making a Sweet 16 run, and he's doing the same for Tennessee in 2025-26.
Gillespie has 50 combined points in the Vols' two NCAA Tournament wins over Miami (Ohio) and Virginia, racking up nine assists against the RedHawks and six against the Cavaliers. Gillespie, who started his career at Belmont from 2022-24, averaged 18.4 points with 2.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game this season.
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 20, 2026
5. Aday Mara, Michigan
Former UCLA center Aday Mara has been a huge playmaker for the Wolverines alongside Lendeborg in 2025-26.
The 7-foot-3 big man is surprisingly skilled for his size, averaging 2.5 assists per game this season along with 12 points and 6.9 rebounds on 67.5% shooting percentage. Mara mostly came off the bench for UCLA in his two seasons there, showing the transfer was well worth it as he projects to be an NBA first-round pick in 2026.
Georgia transfer Silas Demary Jr. has been UConn's primary ball-handler this season, raising the ceiling of its offense as he averages 6.1 assists per game.
Demary Jr. is fifth on the team in scoring (10.6 points per game), but his impact has been felt more than that. He's also a pesky defender, averaging 1.7 steals per game while helping UConn's defense move up to No. 11 adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Andrej Stojakovic, the son of NBA sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic, has been a spark plug off the bench for Illinois this season.
The 6-foot-7 wing started his career at Stanford before transferring to California and now Illinois, where he averaged 13.5 points with 4.5 rebounds per game this season. He wasn't much of a shooter in 2025-26, shooting 24.1% from 3-point range, but he's coming off a 21-point performance in the Fighting Illini's 75-66 win over VCU.
The 7-foot transfer from Florida Atlantic averaged 15.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season, and is coming off a pair of huge performances against BYU and Gonzaga. Vokietaitis had 23 points with 16 rebounds against the Cougars and 17 points with nine rebounds against the Bulldogs.
Dailyn Swain followed coach Sean Miller from Xavier to Texas in the offseason and has improved each of his top statistic averages. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 17.4 points with 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this season on 54.5% shooting, a step up from his 11.0/5.5/2.6 averages a season ago. Swain is averaging 12.7 points with 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists during Texas' NCAA Tournament run.
Oscar Cluff was one of the most productive centers in college basketball last season at South Dakota State, but opted to take a lesser role to compete for a national title at Purdue.
The 6-foot-10 big man averaged 10.5 points with 7.5 rebounds per game this season as a paint anchor for the Boilermakers. Cluff was at his best in the Big Ten Tournament championship game vs. Michigan, dropping 21 points with five rebounds and a block in the 80-72 win.
Darling isn't a top-five scorer for St. John's and combined for eight points in two March Madness games this offseason.
But the Idaho State transfer is the literal reason St. John's is still dancing: He hit the game-winning, buzzer-beating shot against Kansas in the second round, sending the Red Storm to the Sweet 16 of March Madness for the first time since 1999.
And isn't that part of the beauty of March Madness, after all?
New York, NY - September 30: Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora smiles during a press conference before Game 1 of the Wild Card playoff series at Yankee Stadium on September 30, 2025. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
The Boston Red Sox enter 2026 with the clear expectation of returning to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in eight years.
The 2026 team stands on a foundation of exceptionally deep starting pitching, horses to stabilize the bullpen, and colossal pressure on Roman Anthony to carry a reshuffled offense. In fact, it’s basically the opposite of how they entered the season last year in terms of roster construction. Boston’s 2025 Opening Day lineup in Texas seemed poised to put on a power show all summer long; the pressure was on newly-acquired ace Garrett Crochet to anchor an injury-plagued, inconsistent rotation. But these two completely different roster constructions should land the Red Sox in the exact same place: A playoff berth, likely followed by an early exit in the building block years of a return to contention.
The 2026 team, like last year’s version, should teeter around 90 wins, though playing through the gauntlet that is the American League East says more about Boston’s talent than the win total. What’s probably ahead for the Red Sox is a simple step forward. Host playoff action at Fenway Park and make it to the ALDS. Anything added on is gravy.
You know what this two-year stretch feels like? The building stages we went through in 2016 and 2017.
The Red Sox offense produced like an absolute wagon in 2016. That year featured David Ortiz’s retirement tour, the last healthy season from Dustin Pedroia, 31 homers from Mookie Betts, and the ascension of Xander Bogaerts. The offense told the story of the team. Despite a solid Boston introduction for David Price and a Cy Young award for Rick Porcello, pitching shortcomings led to a first-round sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Indians.
That feels like the 2025 Red Sox.
In 2017, the Red Sox got real with pitching, as Chris Sale racked up over 300 strikeouts and Craig Kimbrel cruised to 35 saves and a microscopic 1.43 ERA. Ultimately, the offense regressed without any real power threat and found the same result: 93 wins followed by an ALDS loss, this time to the Houston Astros.
In shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone in the 2026 Red Sox trend in that direction. Boston structured two totally different rosters for Alex Cora to navigate to October. Understand the direction. Understand the growth. Understand the value of playoff experience.
These may not be the years the duck boats roll through the city. But what Boston should see this year is October baseball and the early chapters of the next true Red Sox contender.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 28: Marcus Smart of Lakers warms up before the NBA game 31 between Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in San Francisco at Chase Center on February 28, 2026 in San Francisco, California, United States. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images
UPDATE: Along with Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton will also be out for LA’s game against Indiana. Ayton was initially listed as questionable to play. He will miss this contest due to back soreness.
Deandre Ayton (back soreness) is out tonight in Indiana, per the Lakers.
The Lakers playing without two starters and a key rotation player in Hachimura makes a win that much harder. This is the final matchup of the team’s six-game road trip.
Original Story follows.
On paper, a contest between the Lakers and Pacers should be an easy win for LA. However, a couple of key injuries have made the path to victory a bit harder.
The Lakers will complete their last extended road trip of the season without Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and Adou Thiero.
Starting center Deandre Ayton’s status is also up in the air. He is listed as questionable on the injury report.
Rui Hachimura (right calf soreness), Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) and Adou Thiero (left knee soreness) are all out, per the Lakers.
Deandre Ayton (back soreness) has been added to the injury report and is questionable for tonight. https://t.co/SS15oIKcaj
This is the second straight game both Hachimura and Smart will miss. Lakers head coach JJ Redick stated that Smart was day-to-day after a right ankle issue occurred due to a collision with Magic player Goga Bitadze.
Redick also said Hachimura is day-to-day with right calf soreness. On the bright side, Redick stated that Hachimura had an MRI, which came back clean.
Thiero played a short shift against the Pistons, but is now out with left knee soreness. Thiero has missed significant time due to left knee surgery recovery, so if he’s feeling anything sore at all on that same knee, he should sit.
Dealing with a busted bracket?
The Sweet 16 is almost here – who’s still alive? We’re reviewing the week that was in the first week of the NCAA tournament and turning our focus to remaining teams. How bad (or good!) is your bracket? Join us in the SB Nation March Madness Feed and let’s talk about who’s most likely to make a run to glory.
On the court, he’s not a player who gets regular playing time, so his absence impacts the Lakers less than the other players out for this contest.
If Ayton misses, that’d be an even bigger challenge to overcome. No one on the team has the size and post talent Ayton provides. Hopefully, he will be cleared to play.
Despite being shorthanded in Indy, the Lakers should still take care of business. The Pacers are tanking and have nothing left to play for and the Lakers are fighting to keep their No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
And, while Smart and Hachimura are valuable players, LA still has its big three of Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and LeBron James ready to go.
So, a win should still be expected as they try to end this road trip strong.
Netflix has previously streamed boxing bouts and NFL games on Christmas Day.
Here’s what you need to know about how to watch Yankees vs. Giants on Netflix for Opening Day.
Do I need Netflix to watch the game?
Yes, Wednesday’s Yankees vs. Giants game is only available to watch on Netflix, which requires a paid subscription. Fans in the tri-state area can also listen to the game on WFAN.
What time does it start?
Yankees vs. Giants starts at 8:05 p.m. ET.
Aaron Judge and the Yankees visit the Giants to open the season. Getty Images
Can I watch it for free?
Netflix does not offer a free trial.
Who are the Netflix broadcasters?
Matt Vasgersian will be the play-by-player, while CC Sabathia and Hunter Pence will be the in-booth analysts. Elle Duncan will be the host on the desk with Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols and Anthony Rizzo.
Lauren Shehadi is the in-game reporter, and Netflix comedic star Bert Kreischer, along with WWE’s The Usos, will be contributing.
Giants quarterback Jameis Winston, a former Texas Rangers draft pick, will also be a special guest.
What about the rest of the Yankees vs. Giants series?
After an off day Thursday, YES will air Game 2 of the series Friday at 4:35 p.m. ET.
Fox will air Saturday’s game at 7:15 p.m. ET.
The Yankees are off Sunday before starting a series Monday against the Mariners in Seattle.
Rafael Devers crushed the Yankees while with the Red Sox. Getty Images
Who are the starting pitchers for the Yankees vs. Giants opener?
Lefty Max Fried will start for the Yankees, while righty Logan Webb gets the ball for the Giants.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 29: Pat Spencer #61 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a basket against Nic Claxton #33 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half at Barclays Center on December 29, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors finally return to the Chase Center after a near two-week road trip as they prepare to host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. The game will be played at 7:00 PM PT in San Francisco and can be watched on NBC Sports Bay Area.
The Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak on Monday with a 137–131 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks. The victory capped off a 2–4 record during their six-game road trip, but it came at a devastating cost. Moses Moody, who had just returned after missing 10 games with a wrist injury, suffered a gruesome knee injury late in overtime. He was later diagnosed with a torn patellar tendon and will miss the remainder of the season.
The timing couldn’t have been worse, as Moody looked sharp in his return, leading the team with 23 points while knocking down four three-pointers. Although the injury was a tough blow for a Golden State team already dealing with a lot of them, head coach Steve Kerr did offer a positive update regarding Moody’s condition and the upcoming surgery he is expected to undergo.
"The MRI was clean. It's the [patellar] tendon. No damage to cartilage or bone, so that's the good news. That allows it to be a pretty basic surgery." 🙏
Wednesday night’s matchup against the Nets does carry some postseason implications for the Warriors. While the team has been trending toward a play-in spot for weeks now, that outcome could become official depending on tonight’s results.
With just 10 games remaining, Golden State sits 9.5 games behind the sixth-seeded Houston Rockets in the Western Conference. A loss would officially lock the Warriors into the Play-In Tournament, while a win would eliminate the Memphis Grizzlies from contention and leave only the New Orleans Pelicans as a distant threat for the final spot.
Though all signs point toward a play-in appearance, the Warriors have continued to compete regardless of the circumstances. That effort should be put on display again as they take on a Brooklyn team dealing with injuries and riding an eight-game losing streak.
Warriors are 12.5-point favorites tonight against the Brooklyn Nets at Chase Center. Stephen Curry/Al Horford/Quinten Post/Seth Curry out for Golden State. Michael Porter Jr. among several inactives for Brooklyn.
Mar 16, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) and forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) react during the game against the Orlando Magic during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Hawks (40-32) try to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Detroit Pistons (52-19) tonight in Motown.
Starting lineup:
G CJ McCollum
G Nickeil Alexander-Walker
F Dyson Daniels
F Jalen Johnson
C Onyeka Okongwu
Please join in the comments below as you follow along.
Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
Start Time: 7:00 PM EDT
TV: ESPN
Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)
Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo (out of market), NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)
American slumps to fifth straight defeat to Kazakhstani
Jessica Pegula had her chances. Midway through the second set of yet another showdown with Elena Rybakina, the American had engineered a flawless start. After bulldozing through the opening set, Pegula’s level at the beginning of set two put her in with a fair shot of snatching a win against her Kazakhstani opponent, who has dominated their recent meetings.
Instead, Pegula departed Miami with another tough lesson to parse through after being shown once again that the best players in the world pounce on even the smallest drops in intensity. Despite her mediocre start, Rybakina produced a brilliant comeback to reach the Miami Open semi-finals with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.
Baseball: Boston Red Sox Garrett Crochet (35) in action, pitching vs New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Bronx NY 8/23/2025 CREDIT: Erick W. Rasco (Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X164756 TK1)
Garrett Crochet came to the Boston Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox in a move that surely made the southsiders groan and throw everything within reach as far as possible. All Crochet did once settling in Beantown was post a 6.3 bWAR season that featured and AL-best 205.1 IP and MLB-best 255 Ks, efforts that were buttressed by a sterling 2.59 ERA, 2.89 FIP, and minuscule 1.03 WHIP.
He finished 2nd in the American League Cy Young Award voting to Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers while making his second consecutive All Star Game and even inked a 6-year, $170 million extension to be Boston’s ace through 2031.
That’s a long-winded way of suggesting that it’s pretty obvious who Boston will roll out to start for them on Opening Day 2026 when they face the Cincinnati Reds, almost as obvious as stating that Crochet is left-handed.
The Reds will immediately get the chance to see how to line up against a southpaw, something they struggled with mightily in 2025. Their collective 79 wRC+ as a team against lefties was the 5th worst in all of baseball with bottom-feeders like the Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, and Pittsburgh Pirates among those few teams who did worse. Compounding that problem is that each of Austin Hays (155 wRC+ vs. LHP) and Miguel Andujar (153) are no longer with the club after being two of the precious few hitters last year who actually could perform against LHP.
In terms of the players we can actually expect to be part of the lineup, let’s walk through what manager Terry Francona has hinted at over the course of the offseason, beginning with the outfield.
Noelvi Marte struggled mightily against LHP in 2025 (55 wRC+ in 104 PA), but it seems as if he’s going to be given another shot this year to prove that was a fluke. It’s something he’s been working on a lot over the winter, and my best guess is that he’ll be in RF to start.
TJ Friedl (88 wRC+ in 198 PA) wasn’t as effective against southpaws last year as he had been in previous seasons, but he’s typically not terrible against them. Where Francona moves him is the wild card here, as Dane Myers (119 wRC+ in 117 PA against LHP in 2025 with Miami) is a plus defender in CF who the Reds brought over specifically because he can hit LHP. Friedl could, in theory, slide over to LF, but that’s likely where Spencer Steer will get some run given the options across the infield. Lefty Will Benson will undoubtedly be on the pine to start this one.
On the infield, it seems a foregone conclusion that the Reds are going to trust that the defense of Ke’Bryan Hayes will continue to be so monumental that it outweighs his abysmal output at the plate. He’ll start at 3B and likely bat 9th. Elly De La Cruz is the team’s lone switch-hitter, and he’ll bat righty and hit 3rd while playing SS. Matt McLain has regained the faith of Francona thanks to his electric spring, and all signs point to him hitting 2nd while playing 2B most everyday, but especially against LHP. At 1B, Sal Stewart appears poised to be the almost-everyday option there, particularly against LHP – and I expect that to be the case on Thursday vs. Crochet.
That leaves the DH spot for Eugenio Suárez, who has typically bashed LHP across his lengthy career (.824 OPS vs. .781 against RHP), while one of Tyler Stephenson or Jose Trevino will catch. In 2025, starter Andrew Abbott pitched to Stephenson in 18 games and Trevino in 10, so odds are it’ll be Ty Steves.
With that spelled out, here’s how I expect things to look on the card Tito hands to the home plate umpire tomorrow afternoon in Great American Ball Park:
Friedl – CF
McLain – 2B
De La Cruz – SS
Stewart – 1B
Suárez – DH
Steer – lf
Stephenson – C
Marte – RF
Hayes – 3B
Given the status of the game in Cincinnati, I think Francona will give Friedl the start, with Myers getting a chance to pinch-hit against Crochet at some point mid-game and remain in as defensive cover for Marte (if the game’s close, or if the Reds have an unexpected lead).
This may seem like a bit of a deep dive for one particular game, but it’s what I expect to be the thought process for Francona each and every time they face a southpaw this year with this particular roster in place.
