In Thursday night’s win over the Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane reached another remarkable milestone in his NHL career. With his assist on Connor Bedard’s opening goal, Kane earned his 895th career assist.
This surpassed Phil Housley's record for an American-born player. Kane is already the all-time leading scorer among Americans in the NHL, and now he stands alone in terms of assists.
Kane currently sits 4th in goals with 509. He trails Mike Modano (561), Keith Tkachuk (538), and Jeremy Roenick (513). He will jump into third by passing Roenick this season, and it will be interesting to see how far he can climb.
Brett Hull is Canadian-born but represented Team USA nationally, so that adds confusion to the record book. He had 741 goals, which is out of reach for Kane at this point. The league recognized Kane as the all-time leading scorer when he passed Modano in points, not Hull, so you’d think they'd do the same if he passed Modano in goals.
After the game was over, head coach Jeff Blashill was asked about this milestone for Kane. He answered in a way that may be unexpected: he sounded like a fan more than a coach.
"I’m a huge Patrick Kane fan for what he’s done for the sport and the US - how much it’s meant to so many Americans,” Blashill said. “He’s been a special, special player in this sport and deserves every accolade he gets because of what he’s done, but also who he is."
Both on and off the ice, Kane has impressed his new head coach in a short amount of time. It’s not hard for Kane, who is one of the best players of his generation. Blashill also has ties to USA Hockey, just like Kane.
Later in the game, Kane added career assist 896 with a helper on Artyom Levshunov’s game-winning goal in overtime. Combine that with his 509 goals for 1405 points. The numbers almost don’t feel real, but he has been so great for so long. When you select a player first overall, you think they should become a franchise player, but Kane was so much more than that.
Kane received some high praise from his head coach, who went out of his way to compliment him outside of coach speak. That doesn’t happen often, but the 37-year-old certainly deserves it.
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CLEVELAND — Shawn Armstrong will be the opener for Cleveland and Tampa Bay will start Nick Martinez in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series.
The Guardians have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after Petey Halpin’s two-run homer propelled them to a 3-2 victory in Game 3.
Both teams waited to announce their pitching plans because of the weather. It is supposed to rain in Cleveland, but there is a window between 8-11 p.m. ET that could allow them to get the game played.
The start time also was moved back two hours to 8 p.m. ET after the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series.
An ALCS game has not been postponed since 2019, when the New York Yankees hosted the Houston Astros.
This will be Armstrong’s fifth appearance this postseason in what will be a bullpen game for Cleveland. The right-hander has allowed only one hit in 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts.
Armstrong thought his season was done in late July when he suffered a calf strain, but he returned during the final week of the regular season.
Armstrong was drafted by Cleveland in the 18th round in 2011 and made his big-league debut four years later. He was traded to Seattle in 2017 and spent time with four other organizations, including Tampa Bay, before signing with Cleveland this season.
“I think I said it to (Erik) Sabrowski, whenever we were standing in the outfield in Game 2 in Tampa — obviously I played here, I got drafted here, coming back here and being able to be in this situation is — words can’t describe it,” Armstrong said before Game 3.
Martinez started Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees. He went 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. The right-hander went 15-6 during the regular season and was sixth in the AL with a 3.10 ERA. He was third in the AL with 26 starts where he allowed three runs or fewer.
“It’s just like my starts throughout the year; it’s going to be a dogfight going in, just to see how many outs I can get for this team, it’s important,” he said.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 14: Jake Bauers #9 of the Milwaukee Brewers rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning during Game Three of the National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Milwaukee Brewers are the 2026 National League champions. That’s objectively a neat and fun thing for sports fans. The Brewers only went to the playoffs twice in their first 39 years of existence, and while they have been a playoff staple since 2018, they’ve never made it to the Fall Classic. They’ve never won the World Series, either. They will get a chance to do so soon.
But make no mistake—they’ve earned it. The Brewers won 103 regular season games and swept their NLCS opponents, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were the only other team in baseball to notch 100 victories.
That last part is particularly important. In the last few years, the Dodgers have overtaken the New York Yankees as Major League Baseball’s #1 bad guys. Prior to this season, they had been to five of the previous nine World Series and had come away with three wins, including back-to-back wins in 2024 and 2025. They’ve done so by drafting and developing well, sure, but also by brazenly outspending everybody and becoming the top destination for top-tier Japanese talent. Other teams literally can’t compete the same way.
Fans have noticed, and the grumblings have peaked at the same time as small market team ownership have grumbled. The owners, having sought a salary cap for years, have smelled blood in the water and have pushed hard for a salary cap as the previous collective bargaining agreement comes to a close.
One set of playoff games doesn’t mean everything, and both sides know this. But humans are influenced by the most recent events, and this year’s playoffs kicked off with some heavy hitters. The Dodgers ranked first overall with a $412 million payroll. The Yankees ranked third, with a $310 million payroll. Philadelphia, fourth, spent $290 million. Atlanta, sixth, spent $259 million. The Cubs, seventh, spent $254 million. The Astros, eighth, spent $240 million. The Padres, ninth, spent $219 million. The Red Sox, 11th, were at $203 million. In other words, only three of the top 11 highest MLB payrolls missed the playoffs.
There were a lot of potential matchups that could have heavily contributed to the argument for a salary cap. A Yankees-Dodgers rematch was possible. We could have gotten a Red Sox-Phillies series, or an Astros-Braves series. And yet, we got none of those things—we got the Brewers (19th in overall payroll at $142 million) spiking the Dodgers into oblivion on the National League side, with the Cleveland Guardians (29th, $87 million) and Tampa Bay Rays (28th, $90 million) duking it out in the American League. The Dodgers and New York Mets both spent more in payroll than those three teams combined.
In such a public industry, the CBA negotiations are a public relations battle. If any of the above scenarios had happened, the league could have simply shrugged and said, “Look at these big market teams crowding out the few small market teams. We need a salary cap to stop this from happening.” I think this would have been especially true if the Dodgers had put together a threepeat. None of the player arguments could have cut through those optics.
And yet, the one scenario that could have significantly defused momentum for a salary cap has played out: the Dodgers were sent home in embarrassing fashion, both the ALCS and NLCS featured small-market teams, and the World Series will be a small-market showdown.
This isn’t the perfect outcome for the players, because if, say, the $87 million payroll, 85-win Guardians come out victoriously then that isn’t exactly a great argument that owners should bother trying to spend to their capacity on player salaries. We could still get a salary cap, and it still might even be the right call. But no matter how the World Series ends, the players can point to it all winter and say that the league doesn’t need a salary cap for small market teams to succeed.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 23: Brandon Lowe #5 of the Pittsburgh Pirates watches his hit go for a solo home run during the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on September 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe was a massive boost for the team in his first season with the Bucs. After being acquired in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros in the offseason, Lowe had arguably the best statistical season of his career in 2026.
Lowe had a batting average of .260, with 35 home runs and 96 runs batted in. He posted a career-high 5.4 wins above replacement in 150 games with the team. This makes him one of the top free agents on the open market, and the Pirates are going to have to pay up if they want to keep him.
“He’ll hit the open market as one of the most highly coveted position players available,” Aiden Stepansky of MLB.com wrote. “(Pirates general manager Ben) Cherington described the return of Lowe as a ‘great outcome if he’s a Pirate next year.’ But it will cost a pretty penny, likely a sizable increase from the $11.5 million he earned in 2026, and Lowe, at 32 years old, could find interest in a longer-term deal.”
The Pirates have the money to spend on Lowe, but given their spending habits over the last couple of years, it remains to be seen whether Pittsburgh would invest in him for a long period of time.
BD community, how do you feel about Lowe entering free agency this offseason? How much should the Pirates be willing to pay to keep him in Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments section below.
Sep 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies left fielder Jake McCarthy (31) safely steals second against Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young (2) in the fourth inning at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Over the years, there have been many organizations that have provided a model that Colorado could try to emulate, including small-market teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers. Whether it’s how to thrive with a smaller payroll, how to use data, strategies and technology, or how to build a roster, there are many great ideas out there.
On Oct. 14, The Athletic’s Eno Saris provided more grist for the Colorado mill, going on a deep dive into the Rays and Brewers and laying out some interesting approaches both teams have taken to achieve success over the years to end up deep in the postseason in 2026. In his piece titled “Rays, Brewers always outperform expectations. These ‘Moneyball’-like edges are the key,” Sarris explores numerous factors in detail: types of technology used, data, pitch framing, catcher defense, creative pitching strategies, roster height, outfield route running, pitch design innovation and more.
Sarris’ analysis is loaded with ideas to look at throughout the offseason, especially considering the Rockies are led by the Moneyballer himself — president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta.
The Rockies are trying to implement, have yet to try, or aren’t succeeding at many of Sarris’ points; however, there are also some areas in which the Rockies are showing growth. Opting for a positive take in this first analysis — knowing there will also be lots of areas for improvement — I figured I’d start with one of Sarris’ points on the value of emphasizing contact and speed.
Sarris starts this section out by saying,
Everything old is new again. As the league’s strikeout rate has climbed and teams have focused on power, the speedy slap hitter has largely gone out of style. Well, the Rays had the best strikeout rate in baseball this year, and were also second in steals, while the Brewers were fourth in steals and featured five or six important hitters with great contact rates, depending on how you count.
Let’s bring the numbers and the Rockies into that.
Team
2026 K% (Rank)
2025 K% (Rank)
2026 SB (Rank)
2025 SB (Rank)
2026 SB Success (Rank)
2025 SB Success (Rank)
Rays
18.8% (No. 1)
23.1% (No. 22)
164 (No. 2)
194 (No. 1)
75.8% (No. 18)
80.2% (No. 7)
Brewers
22% (No. 17)
20.3% (No. 5)
162 (No. 5)
164 (No. 2)
75.1% (No. 19)
75.6% (No. 23)
Rockies
22.8% (No. 21)
25.9% (No. 29)
109 (No. 13)
87 (No. 23)
72.7% (No. 25)
68.5% (No. 30)
The Rays are the best at not striking out. The Brewers? No so much. The Rockies? They’re getting better.
Colorado went from striking out 25.9% of the time in 2025, which was the second-worst in MLB, to striking out 22.8% of the time this season. The better plate discipline bumped the Rockies from No. 29 to No. 21, showing that they are on the right track.
The Brewers rank No. 17 in strikeout rate, just four spots ahead of Colorado, but they also have significantly better pitching than the Rockies. Colorado has to bank on putting the ball in play more, having more runners and getting them to score by any means necessary to help combat the runs we know the pitching staff will surrender.
That’s where base running came in.
The Rockies went from being atrocious at stealing bases in 2025 to a little above average in 2026. While the numbers aren’t high, Colorado did jump from No. 23 in stolen bases with 87 in 2025 to No. 13 with 109 in 2026. That’s largely due to Jake McCarthy’s 32 steals, which were the most by a single Rockie in a season since 2015 when Charlie Blackmon swiped 43 bags. While still far behind the Rays (164) and Brewers (162), that’s a big jump in one season.
Sarris explains a key stolen base success rate that each team should be aiming for:
The numbers say that every team should be stealing more. Depending on how many outs there are, the break-even point in terms of the value of that extra base put against the value of the out is around a 70-75 percent success rate. If you are successful less often, you’re costing your team too many outs for the value of getting to second. If you are successful more often than that, you’re leaving potential extra bases on the table and being too careful.
The Rockies were 72.7% effective when trying to steal bases in 2026, which is more than 4% better than in 2025. Both the Rays and Brewers are above 75%. Considering again that the Rockies need to score more than the average team to win games, they need another jump in their success rates in 2027 to keep trending in the right direction. They will also need to steal a lot more often to ever grow their totals to the likes of the Rays and Brewers, which stole 55 and 53 more bases, respectively, than the Rockies last season.
The takeaways — at least in these two areas — are simple: Put the ball in play more and get caught stealing less, while trying to steal more. It’s easier said than done, but at least the Rockies are making progress.
Oct 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) is helped off the ice after being injured against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Geoff Burke/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
NEWARK, N.J. — Following an opening night blip, the first week-plus of the New York Rangers was a party at Madison Square Garden and beyond.
The home woes from a year ago felt like a distant memory, franchise goaltender Igor Shesterkin scored into an empty net and it was a dream start. It became a nightmare at Washington when Shesterkin went down with a season-ending injury.
Losing that night and getting blown out 7-1 on the road by New Jersey were speed bumps along the way for a team that has won six of its first nine games. Life after Igor will not be easy, though coach Mike Sullivan, captain J.T. Miller and the Rangers believe they have come up with a recipe to succeed even after losing their most important player at hockey’s most important position.
“We’re trying to build a certain identity in how we’re going to play, a style of play,” Sullivan said. “And then, inside of that, every player has a role, making a contribution to that identity to build what we would consider Rangers hockey and what it looks like when we’re at our best.”
The Devils game certainly was not that. As good as Miller was for the first 19 minutes of the first period, his turnover before intermission was the start of a snowball effect that led to Shesterkin’s unlikely successor, Dylan Garand, getting pulled for allowing four goals on 13 shots.
Garand ended training camp third on the organizational depth chart, and the 24-year-old is only still around because none of the NHL’s other 31 teams claimed him off waivers prior to opening night. In his first three appearances before New Jersey, Garand had a league-best 1.15 goals-against average and .951 save percentage and is expected to remain the choice in net until he shows he cannot handle it.
“G knows we’re going to need him here a lot, and he’s a pretty mentally tough guy,” No. 1 defenseman Adam Fox said. “I know he can bounce back. Just kind of said to him forget about it. He knows how important he is to us as a team and what we’re trying to do.”
What the Rangers are trying to do is get back to the playoffs after missing the past two years since a trip to the 2024 Eastern Conference final. Shesterkin’s absence made that a much steeper hill to climb.
“That’s a tough blow for our group,” Sullivan said. “But it doesn’t change what the goal is every day, and I think our guys have done a real good job at just keeping the focus where it needs to be and controlling what we can.”
Sullivan credited the team’s leadership group for not letting the morale dip last too long. Even New York’s youngest player didn’t dwell too long over Shesterkin getting sidelined.
“Injuries are going to happen,” said Alberts Smits, the 18-year-old from Latvia who was the fifth pick in the draft. “I wish all the best for him and for him to recover as fast as he can. But that’s just sports. There’s going to be injuries. We’ve just got to go through them, and we can’t stop right now when something like that happens.”
Alexis Lafrenière has seven goals, Fox nine assists and Mika Zibanejad eight points. But the biggest reason why players believe they can keep this going is defending and keeping the puck out of their own net.
“It’s winning hockey, so if you want to win games, you’re going to give yourself a better chance most nights if you don’t give the other team easy offense,” Miller said. “We get better as the games go on. There’s a commitment 200 feet. It’s a contagious feeling around here coming together as a team, so it’s a nice feeling.”
JACKSONVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 24: Youngstown State Penguins forward Cris Carroll (15) shoots during the Jacksonville Classic game between Georgia Southern Eagles and Youngstown State Penguins on November 24, 2025 at Adams-Jenkins Gym in Jacksonville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Philadelphia 76ers made a series of moves on Thursday that will likely impact the Delaware Blue Coats’ roster more than the main club. Saint Thomas and Duke Miles were both waived, with Cris Carroll and Taye Fields then signed to similar Exhibit 10 contracts.
The Sixers have signed Cris Carroll and Taye Fields to Exhibit-10 contracts, a team source told ESPN. Saint Thomas and Duke Miles were waived earlier today in a corresponding move. Carroll, a 6-6 forward, averaged 17.4 points on 39.6% from 3 last season for Youngstown State.
Thomas appeared in all three preseason games for the Sixers, with Miles taking the floor twice. The highlight for Thomas was an 11-point, 10-rebound performance in the win over New York. Per Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice, both players are still expected to join the Blue Coats.
Taye Fields is a 6-foot-4 guard out of North Alabama who spent last season with the Hefte Helfen Bulls in Austria’s Basketball Superliga. He participated in NBA Summer League with the Sixers a few months ago, averaging 2.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 14.7 minutes across the five games. As Dave McMenamin notes above, Cris Carroll is a 6-foot-6 forward out of Youngstown State who could project as a good shooting option from the wing after shooting 39.6 percent from three. We’ll see if either player appears for the Sixers in their preseason finale, before presumably being waived and joining the squad in Delaware.
The only mild surprise to any of these moves is the Sixers not mining for a potential backup center option. However, our Bryan Toporek just sifted through some reports about a couple names the team could be looking to add in December. They might also be hoping Tacko Fall can heal up and fill a two-way contract spot.
We’ll see what other moves Mike Gansey and the front office make with the beginning of the regular season just a few days away.
PHILADELPHIA — Trea Turner has seven years left on his $300 million contract with the Phillies.
He has through about spring training to get his defense together and remain Philadelphia’s starting shortstop.
A year after Dave Dombrowski put Bryce Harper on blast, the top Phillies executive turned his biting criticism toward Turner.
The 33-year-old Turner had perhaps the worst season of his career — he hit .242 with a .675 OPS with a league-worst 21 errors at shortstop — and Dombrowski warned a position change could be on deck if Turner fails to regain his form as even an average fielding shortstop.
No manufactured standing ovation could save Turner from the outfield.
“From a defensive perspective we were very clear. He knows he has to be better at shortstop,” said Dombrowski, the longtime president of baseball operations. “I told him it’s really mandatory that it’s like that.”
Turner and Dombrowski met at Citizens Bank Park to discuss the shortstop’s fate — well, shortstop for now — and the changes Turner needed to make in the field and at the plate if he wanted to remain at his favorite position and near the top of the order in 2027.
“He’s determined to show us he can play it,” Dombrowski said. “I said, you have to show it. You cannot play shortstop like you did defensively in ’26 going to ’27.”
Turner went 1 for 10 in the playoffs when the Phillies lost in three games to the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card Series.
To paraphrase Dombrowski, Turner no longer is elite.
The Phillies’ core starters of Harper, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola have made five straight playoff appearances — including a loss to the Houston Astros in the 2022 World Series — and averaged 91 wins per year during that stretch.
Turner joined the Phillies in 2023.
The Phillies just haven’t won the World Series over that span.
Turner took the blame for the Phillies’ latest postseason failure and conceded his season-long struggles played a factor in another early October exit for the franchise.
“I’ve got a lot of work to do,” Turner said after Game 3. “Kind of go over everything and just figure out as much as I can. Find answers. See what I did bad. But I feel like this year is the biggest question mark for me offensively in a long time. I’ve got to figure that out. So I definitely have a lot of work to do there.”
The Phillies have three potential question marks in the outfield.
Harper has been the regular first baseman and will return to first base next season after he played the final two months in right field when the Phillies acquired three-time batting champion Luis Arraez. Arraez is a free agent and unlikely to return.
Brandon Marsh actually started for the NL All-Star team before a second-half collapse that included a .183 batting average (155th out of 156 qualified hitters) and a .490 OPS (156th). His on-base percentage after July 1 was an anemic .250 and he’s destined to revert to a platoon player.
Justin Crawford had a solid rookie season, and Derek Hill and Bryan De La Cruz weren’t horrible but aren’t everyday players in Philadelphia.
Turner might end up in the outfield whether he wants to play there or not.
“He prefers the infield,” Dombrowski said. “He’s a good athlete. I think he can adjust appropriately and we’ll see what happens.”
The Phillies clearly expect Turner to regain the form he had in 2025, when he led the NL in hitting and only made eight errors.
“It’s up to him to show us that he can do it,” Dombrowski said. “We’ll see what happens. But we’ll have fallback opportunities, and some of them may come from the young players that we have.”
Options. The Phillies have them in the infield, especially if they let slugging third baseman Alec Bohm walk in free agency.
Bryson Stott, a stout second baseman who played at third base following the Phillies’ trade deadline defensive shuffle, could move to shortstop.
Dombrowski did not hold back from praising top minor league infield prospects Aidan Miller and Bryan Rincon. Miller is cleared to play and ready to compete for a spot on the roster after he missed most of 2026 with a back injury. He is the Phillies’ No. 2 and MLB’s No. 59 overall prospect.
Turner has $190 million left on his contract and a no-trade clause which makes him all but immovable in the trade market. With a work stoppage almost certain in December, Turner should have many months ahead to work on defensive drills. Work on his swing. Work on any small detail he thinks will help him regain his All-Star form in 2027.
Or else.
“The reason we signed him in the beginning compared to some others, not only was he a good player, but we thought he had the ability to continue to be a good player for a long time here,” Dombrowski said.
Rangers right wing Taylor Raddysh (14) takes a shot against the Blackhawks.
The Rangers continued shaking up their roster Friday, recalling veteran Taylor Raddysh from AHL Hartford and assigning Jaroslav Chmelar one day after Chmelar skated just 8:35 in their 7-1 loss to the Devils at Prudential Center.
Raddysh, who skated in 68 games with the Rangers last year and has logged 373 NHL games across his five-year career, has recorded five points — including a team-best three goals — in five games to start the Wolf Pack’s season after clearing waivers.
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He finished with nine goals and 19 points in 2025-26 for the Blueshirts, even getting time in the top six and with the power play.
In this stint, he could add a veteran presence to a fourth line that has struggled to earn ice time under head coach Mike Sullivan, with the potential to bounce around the lineup as well.
The Rangers have relied mostly on three lines in the aftermath of Joe Veleno’s lower-body injury, which will keep him out for about another three months. Cole Beaudoin, a 20-year-old prospect acquired in the Vincent Trocheck trade, got the first chance and skated in four games as the fourth-line center, but he averaged just 8:47 of ice time and ended up going back to Hartford for more ice time. Justin Dowling was recalled Wednesday and got the next chance during the Rangers’ game against the Devils, but he was on the ice for just 7:41. Veleno, before his injury, had averaged 11:37 of ice time and was part of their penalty-kill unit.
Rangers right wing Taylor Raddysh (14) takes a shot against the Blackhawks. Robert Sabo for NY Post
The disappearance of the fourth line has forced Sullivan to get creative in trying to find shifts for Oliver Bjorkstrand, who opened the season in the top six but was demoted to the fourth line in favor of Tye Kartye. Bjorkstrand, though, has demonstrated that he can contribute on offense as he scored a pair of goals against the Islanders while adding an assist in the home opener on Pavel Dorofeyev’s goal and carving out a role on the second power-play unit.
“It’s gonna play itself out,” Sullivan said pregame Thursday of finding shifts for Bjorkstrand. “It’s a long season, and that’s a conversation that I’ve had with him. He’s a great kid. I think he understands it. I’m trying to communicate with him what my intentions are as the coach and how to try to best utilize him within the group of 12 forwards that we have in the lineup.
“We acknowledge what [Bjorkstrand’s] strengths are and how he can help us. He has good offensive instincts. He’s shown mobility to score in this league.”
Chmelar, 23, impressed Sullivan in his 28-game cameo last season, earned a roster spot out of training camp over the veteran Raddysh and has rotated with Matt Rempe on the right side of the fourth line to start the 2026-27 campaign. Though Rempe would’ve needed to clear waivers before getting assigned to Hartford, Chmelar is waiver-exempt.
Rangers defensemen have recorded 18 assists this season after Adam Fox picked up the primary assist on Dorofeyev’s goal Thursday, which ranks third in the NHL.
Bjorkstrand and Vladislav Gavrikov were drafted by the Blue Jackets in 2013 and 2015, respectively, and they overlapped for three years in Columbus from 2019-22.
Carson Soucy, who was traded from the Rangers to the Islanders last season, is minus-3 with an assist through five games for the Blue Jackets.
But it wasn’t enough to propel Los Angeles to a win, nor did it erase the brutal performance Ohtani produced not just during this NLCS sweep but throughout the postseason.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani walks to the dugout after striking out during the seventh inning of Game 4 of baseball’s National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
“The Brewers were overall strong, and a very good team. And [they] really exposed parts of me as a player, and got to give some credit to that,” Ohtani said in translated English, per SportsNet LA.
Ohtani certainly looked exposed throughout the series, aside from that one swing in the second inning on Thursday night.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani addressed the media after being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. (X/@SportsNetLA).
He had three hits and six strikeouts during the four-game series, producing a .231 batting average and a .795 OPS.
Throughout the postseason, Ohtani produced a .192 average, a .631 OPS, and 10 strikeouts compared to five hits. He also didn’t pitch during the postseason, so he wasn’t able to negate his mediocre hitting with success on the mound.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani plays during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. CHRIS TORRES/EPA/Shutterstock
Ohtani is the world’s best baseball player. And even the world’s best baseball player is liable to face a slump sometimes.
It just came at the worst possible time for Los Angeles. His ailments likely did not help the situation, either.
But Ohtani’s comment convey that the Brewers managed to make matters even worse.
LOS ANGELES — Jake Bauers went home to Southern California and walked away with an MVP trophy.
Bauers hit a two-run double in the fourth inning of Game 4 to begin Milwaukee’s comeback, and the Brewers rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers that completed a four-game sweep in the National League Championship Series.
The 31-year-old first baseman also drew a walk that forced home the tying run in the fifth to help Milwaukee advance to the World Series for the first time in 44 years.
“There was never a doubt,” Bauers said. “There was never a doubt in that dugout what was going to happen tonight. We knew we were going to win that game.”
Bauers was selected the NLCS MVP after going 4 for 14 (.286) with a home run and six RBIs in the series. He worked three walks and finished with a .983 OPS.
Bauers was born in Newport Beach and went to Marina High School in Huntington Beach about 40 miles south of Dodger Stadium.
If performing at his best in front of family and friends was rewarding, seeing Los Angeles in the playoffs for the second consecutive season heightened his senses. Bauers learned something from how the Dodgers reacted when they wiped out Milwaukee in the 2025 NLCS on the way to their second straight World Series title.
“Watching the way they carried themselves on the field after sweeping us last year was a little bit eye-opening,” Bauers said. “We won the (NLDS) against the Cubs, and I think we kind of celebrated like that was something.
“Those guys swept us, they sent us home, and you would have thought it was a handshake line at a spring training game. That’s something that I carried with me. That’s something that I remembered. Yeah, it was a little bit of motivation to just say, we’ve got to keep going until there’s not another game left to play.”
It’s not just in the playoffs that Bauers has shined. Earning consistent playing time from Brewers manager Pat Murphy in his seventh major league season, Bauers set career highs across the board with a .266 batting average, .874 OPS, 26 home runs and 86 RBIs.
The left-handed-hitting Bauers also made his mark in Games 2 and 3 of the NLCS with long plate appearances. His 12-pitch walk against Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 came just before a two-run single by Christian Yelich that gave Milwaukee the lead in a back-and-forth 7-4 win.
Bauers also hit a go-ahead homer off two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to end an 11-pitch at-bat in a 6-2 victory in Game 3 at Los Angeles.
“Just trying to be ready for the moment, man,” Bauers said. “Murph has been talking about it all year. You have to meet the game halfway and be ready, and whatever happens after that is whatever happens.”
NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 15: Will Cuylle #50 of the New York Rangers and Johnathan Kovacevic #8 of the New Jersey Devils drop the gloves during a game between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on October 15, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
Nico Hischier responds to becoming the third all-time goal scorer in Devils franchise history:
Nico Hischier on becoming No. 3 in franchise goal scoring:
“These things obviously make me a little proud, but I’d rather get a fourth Stanley Cup for this franchise.”
JP Gambatese responded to some early-season knocks on analytics after the Devils started the season without any finish to their game. [Devils Advocates]
Last night was historic on a few levels:
Devils beat the Rangers by 6 goals or more for the first time since March 25th 1987 #NJDevils#NYR
Greg Wyshynski interviewed Sunny Mehta for ESPN, and Mehta took him to task before diving into a mix of fan nostalgia and current team-building philosophy. [ESPN]
The Red Wings scored late in the third period to drop the Flyers to a whopping 0-6-3. The usual from Rick Tocchet: “I liked our start, but they came on a little bit. There are moments in a game when you have to come through, and we’ve been having a tough time of that.” [NHL.com]
Prior to the Red Wings—Flyers matchup, Detroit celebrated the life of Jenny Baumann, the wife of Red Wings trainer Russ Baumann, who passed away after a battle with cancer last weekend:
After Dave Hakstol left the Colorado bench to take the reigns of the Arizona State hockey program, the Avalanche hired Brett McLean as an assistant coach. [NHL.com]
Patrick Kane makes history:
and with that assist, Patrick Kane takes the top spot for 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻-𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 in the NHL ‼️ pic.twitter.com/Y8LyB8OJ9Q
While he was just an outcast from Vancouver a few seasons ago, Vasily Podkolzin has turned into a top-line goal scorer for the Edmonton Oilers this season. [The Hockey Writers]
The NHL has been discussing the future of Frozen Frenzy, as they consider it a success in the United States with room to improve and grow. Cam Neely: “It’s a great concept to have all teams play the same day, although tough for an East Coast team’s fanbase to have an 11:15 p.m. Eastern puck drop. I heard plenty of complaints, for example, from our fans in New England. Maybe think of doing it all day on a Saturday after college football?” [NYT/The Athletic]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
After losing his WBO heavyweight title in a brutal first bout in May, the Briton insists he can ‘right those wrongs’ on Saturday night
Five months ago, watching a likely Fight of the Year between Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley in Manchester, a ringside seat offered an initially thrilling insight into the raw brutality of heavyweight boxing. It was easy to be swept up in the drama as Wardley, defending his WBO title, dropped his more seasoned and favoured rival in the first and third rounds. But Dubois, whose courage had been questioned before, got up both times and fought back with admirable resolve.
Dubois soon took control of the contest and administered a punishing beating, round after round, as concern for Wardley intensified. It was a worrying sight as the reeling champion refused to go down amid the damage being done to him by the bludgeoning power by Dubois. A terrible gash opened up across the bridge of Wardley’s nose and his face looked swollen. The end was finally confirmed in the 11th round, after the referee rescued Wardley from his own bravery, but it was the kind of heavy loss which takes years off a fighter’s career.
SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 02: Luke Raley #20 of the Seattle Mariners takes batting practice prior to the game between the New York Mets and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Eric Hiller/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Mariners have some decisions to make.
MLB Trade Rumors released its arbitration projections earlier this month. The Mariners have 15 players eligible for arbitration. If the Mariners offered contracts to each arbitration-eligible player, they would add an estimated $58.3 million to their payroll in 2027. They could also release some of these players and avoid paying their salary, freeing up room in the budget to pursue other players in trades or free agency. That dynamic makes arbitration a notable task each offseason, as it can provide a glimpse into how the Mariners view their players and roster.
A player begins their career on a rookie contract that pays the league minimum, roughly $780,000 per year. They become eligible for arbitration once they reach three years of service time. They maintain that eligibility until reaching free agency after six years of service time. (There are, of course, exceptions.) The structure gives established players a chance to earn more money for good performance — Tarik Skubal earned a record $32 million in arbitration in 2026 — and it allows teams to maintain significant control over both their player and their budget.
Arbitration tends to be the best bang for a team’s buck, as John Stanton alluded to in a recent interview with the Seattle Times. A player has to literally earn a higher wage in the preceding season, reducing risk to teams in comparison to free agency, where contracts are guaranteed. Arbitration-eligible players also don’t have the ability to negotiate their wage on the open market, effectively capping their earning potential. Teams can also release these players without recourse, or trade these players to earn value back. That’s why some teams, like the Rays and Brewers, tend to operate with a ruthless, actuarial approach to their arbitration-eligible players, hoping to exploit inefficiencies in the market and accumulate value at the margins. Basically, arbitration is one of the key drivers in the baseball economy, ensuring low-budget teams can compete and turn a profit while doing so.
Teams have until some time in January to reach an agreement with their arbitration-eligible players. If they don’t, both sides go to, you know, arbitration, where a bunch of lawyers fist fight over that players value until another lawyer decides their salary. How that process will work this year is unclear with the Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire in December. Who knows, maybe everyone will get paid in v-bucks come March.
This is as good a time as any to check in on the Mariners payroll. At the moment, it’s about $60 million in guaranteed contracts, according to Darren Gossler’s payroll spreadsheet. If they were to give the estimated contact to each of their arbitration eligible players, that would put their payroll at about $120 million for 2027. That’s roughly where it’s been at the beginning of the last few offseasons.
The $120M figure doesn’t include team options for Andrés Muñoz or Victor Robles. Assuming they opt for the former and opt against the latter, that brings their payroll closer to $130M. We can see last year, they had a payroll of about $173 million on Opening Day (though $9 million of that was a signing bonus for Colt Emerson). That’s to say, the Mariners, barring massive upheaval in the final CBA, will likely start the season with a payroll between $150 million and $170 million, giving them something close to $20-40 million to spend this offseason.
That’s… not a lot, given how many holes existed on this roster at the end of last year. They need to find a third baseman and an outfielder and some help in the bullpen. It’s possible they will cut salary by releasing arbitration-eligible players, but as I discuss below, there aren’t a lot of obvious choices.
The Locks
Logan Gilbert (5.144): $15.4MM George Kirby (4.151): $9.8MM Bryan Woo (3.121): $5.2MM Dominic Canzone (3.014): $3MM
The Mariners aren’t going to cut any of these players. Sure, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby struggled in 2026, but as far as contracts go, these are quite friendly for starting pitchers with tip-top potential. It’s more likely either or both exceed their “value” on the $/WAR scale by two or three times than fall short.
Also, note how little Bryan Woo is expected to make in 2027. He was the eighth best pitcher in the majors by fWAR the last two seasons. Jacob deGrom was ninth, and is set to make $37 million next year (about seven times more than Woo).
The Former Locks
Bryce Miller (3.153): $3.9MM (Mariners hold a $6.075MM option with $15K buyout) Gabe Speier (5.000): $3.3MM Matt Brash (4.121): $1.8MM
There was a time when it would have been unconscionable for the Mariners to willingly let these players go. Perhaps that time is still now… yeah, it’s probably still now. The Mariners simply don’t have enough pitching to give up on any talented but flawed arms, is probably the correct framing for this group.
Gabe Speier regressed in every way in 2026, and he’s set to make kind of a lot for a reliever in a Low Budget Org — if they’re going to cut one of these three, I think it’s Speier. But he got a lot better in the second half, and it’s probably worth seeing what’s left in the tank in his age-32 season. Matt Brash would normally be an obvious choice to cut, given he’s only thrown 64 innings the last three seasons, but he’s been dominant during his rare, healthy stretches.
Had Bryce Miller pitched better in 2026, I would have bothered to figure out how his contract works. But I don’t care about to think any more about Miller at the moment. I assume the Mariners will hold on to him, and I assume they’ll try to pay him as little as possible.
Too New To Cut
Brendan Donovan (5.000): $6.1MM Jose A. Ferrer (3.094): $1.6MM
Neither of these players had good years, but cutting them now would be admitting defeat, and there is no greater sin.
The Meat
Luke Raley (4.106): $3.1MM Eduard Bazardo (3.118): $1.5MM Michael Rucker (3.069): $800K Cooper Criswell (2.143): $900K Carlos Vargas (2.140): $800K
These are the fellas the team is discussing as you are reading this.
Luke Raley I think is the most interesting name on the entire list. He’s a 32-year-old corner outfielder — one of the worst defenders in the league — who’s spent more time on the injured list the last two years than on the field. He’s redundant on the roster, and has posted a total of 0.5 fWAR since 2025. Generally, I would say this seems like an obvious cut, and that’s probably still the case. But Raley happened to post a 215 wRC+ in May, as one of the 10 best months for a Mariner this century. The ceiling for Raley when healthy is very, very, high, and it’s unlikely they can find that ceiling elsewhere on the market. Whether the Mariners think his ceiling is worth the lack of versatility (and availability), well, that’s why Arb Watch is a fun offseason chore.
Then there’s the relievers. I could see the Mariners cutting all four of them. I could see them holding onto all four of them. I really don’t know. Again, I don’t think the org is really in a position to be picky about pitching at this point, and each of these relievers has something to offer.
Eduard Bazardo I think is the easiest cut. He’s set to make the most of the group, and he posted a 6.58 ERA and 7.29 FIP in the second half. The Mariners really wore him down the last two years, and I’m not sure I expect much in his age-32 season. But there’s a reason they called his number so often the last two seasons, and it’s hard to imagine this bullpen without Everyday Eddie.
Michael Rucker might be new Bazardo in that sense. The team seemed to view him as Mr. Whoopsies Somebody Has To Pitch this year, sticking him in the fifth-to-seventh inning cleanup role. Rucker got a bad rap because a lot of runs scored while he was pitching, and some of those runs came at times when fans wanted a different reliever in the game — he was an unwitting political football in The Dan Wilson Conspiracy. But Rucker also posted a 3.90 FIP, 3.91 xERA, and struck out 27% of batters faced. He has a big lively fastball with great shape, and a big sweeping curveball that misses bats. He scores well on the all the Pitching models. And for essentially the league minimum? Yeah, I don’t think the Mariners are going to do much better in the pile.
Cooper Criswell is interesting because he also looks pretty good by FIP and xERA (and even regular ERA). He was a solid low leverage guy, though missed a couple months with a pectoral strain that limited his usefulness. Criswell doesn’t strikeout batters and his stuff isn’t impressive, but he has a funky arm slot and hits his spots and manages contact well enough. Criswell’s greatest asset in the past was his ability cover a swingman role, which the Mariners generally don’t need, so I could see being easier to cut than someone like Rucker, who could conceivably develop into a high-leverage arm. But again, at the league minimum, Criswell seems like a decent option for a team not really in the position to be choosy in the bullpen.
Carlos Vargas… I have no idea. He was one of the worst pitchers in the majors in 2025, largely because he ran a minuscule strikeout rate and a 56% groundball rate in front of an awful infield defense. He then spent most of 2026 on the injured list with a lat strain. His numbers were a little more encouraging after the return, but he’s yet to turn his big-time stuff into whiffs and success. If the Mariners keep him, it’s because the league minimum is a bargain for a reliever with infinite potential. If they cut him, well, it’s because he’s Carlos Vargas.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 05: Jericho Sims #00 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the preseason NBA game at Fiserv Forum on October 05, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As it currently stands, the Los Angeles Lakers’ center room features Walker Kessler, Kevon Looney and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Kessler, of course, is a locked-in starter while Looney and Mamukelashvili will split time as the reserves depending on matchups and game flow, given Mamukelashvili is a small-ball 5 and Looney is the traditional option.
But according to Jake Fischer, it doesn’t sound like the Lakers are content to enter the season with just those three as their big man rotation. Fischer reports they’ve been linked to a bouncy Eastern Conference center in an aim to also trim down the roster.
“The Lakers, meanwhile, have been engaged in trade talks to try to get their roster down from 16 to 15 standard contracts and perhaps even acquire some additional frontcourt help in the process,” Fischer wrote.
“League sources say that the Lakers and Bucks have held exploratory trade discussions on a framework that would ship former first-round selection Dalton Knecht to Milwaukee (along with second-round draft capital) in exchange for big man Jericho Sims,” Fischer continued. “Yet it must be said that I’ve also heard some pessimism from sources briefed on those talks that such a trade will actually go through.”
Now entering year six, Sims has spent time with both the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks but hardly entrenched himself as a rotation player at either spot. He did, however, appear in a career-high 67 games last season en route to a career-high 1,318 minutes. He’s a sprightly, athletic, undersized center whose offensive arsenal is very limited beyond dunks and plagued by turnovers (career 24.1% turnover rate).
It should not be undersold how dominant of a dunker he is, though. According to Basketball Reference, nearly 60% of all his made field goals (59.5%) have been dunks; he’s totaled 250 of them across five seasons, averaging just under one per game and one every 15.6 minutes.
Furthermore, 82.1% of his career shots have come between 0-3 feet and he’s converted 80.3% of them. Alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, his above-the-rim play-finishing could have value in a small role, and he’s a pretty lively mover whose defensive imprint is often undone by poor positioning and underwhelming size at 6 feet 10 inches.
Acquiring Sims wouldn’t likely be much of a needle-mover for Los Angeles. But it would diversify the center room a bit, bring in an efficient play-finisher who helps generate a good deal of offensive rebounds and offer Sims the most favorable offensive environment of his career. That could help on the margins.
