Say what you may about Vancouver Canucks prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki’s 2025–26 season, but you can’t deny that the forward has stepped things up offensively at the AHL level. The forward has bounced up and down from the NHL to AHL, but currently remains with the Abbotsford Canucks as Vancouver remains on break during the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Lekkerimäki continued flexing his offensive talents with a two-goal performance during Abbotsford’s 5–3 win against the Ontario Reign on Monday afternoon, keeping his overall stats on the season to a point-per-game at the AHL level. Through 20 games with Abbotsford this season, Lekkerimäki has scored a grand total of 13 goals.
Lekkerimäki’s two goals from Monday afternoon’s performance have propelled him up to 10th all-time in Abbotsford Canucks history in goals-scored, tying him with Sheldon Rempal with 33 total. Aside from Rempal, no other member of this list has played less than 100 games when logging this stat.
With two more goals, Lekkerimäki can leapfrog his way to ninth in franchise history, passing Max Sasson’s 34 total goals-scored. The current franchise leader in goals scored is Linus Karlsson, who has scored 70 in 164 games. If he is able to score five more goals in the AHL this season — which will depend on whether he rejoins the Canucks after the Olympic break or not — Lekkerimäki could finish the season with the eighth-most, surpassing Aatu Räty’s 38.
Abbotsford embarks on a five-game road trip beginning on February 18 with a rematch against the Reign in Ontario. From there, they will face the Henderson Silver Knights on February 20 and 21, before taking on the Calgary Wranglers on February 27 and March 1.
Jan 27, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki (23) handles the puck against the San Jose Sharks in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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INGLEWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 24: A generic basketball photo of the Official Wilson basketball before the game between the Phoenix Suns and the LA Clippers on October 24, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Oh? Is that a soapbox over there? Well, it would be rude of me not to step upon it for a few moments, so step I shall…
I have some news that I’m not sure everybody knows to be true. This may come as a shock. This may come as a surprise. Or you may have already navigated to this level of philosophical understanding as it pertains to NBA roster construction. We’ll see shortly. That news? The perfect roster in the NBA sounds great in theory, but it does not actually exist.
Did you drop your tea? Is that blood boiling, making your face red, or were you out in the sun too long at the Goldfield Mine Ghost Town this past Saturday? Sunblock. You should use it.
It’s true. The perfect roster? Not a thing. One team wins the championship every year, and even that fan base can rattle off a list of things they wish were better. A little more shooting here, a little more size there, another defender they trust when things get tight. That is the reality of the league, and quite honestly, sport in general. There is always room to improve. Perfection is the pursuit, but it is not attainable. The goal is to be as perfect as possible, knowing perfection cannot be reached.
Even if you somehow checked every box on paper, size, speed, rim pressure, shooting, defense, and versatility, there is still a hard truth waiting for you. A basketball game only has 48 minutes. There are only so many possessions, only so many lineups, only so many moments where the right five can be on the floor together. You can build the cleanest roster imaginable, but if the wrong guys are playing at the wrong time against the wrong opponent, you can still walk off the floor with a loss.
That is the part that never shows up in roster diagrams or trade deadline grades. Talent matters, construction matters, but timing, trust, and deployment matter just as much. The league is littered with great rosters that never quite figured that part out.
This is the time of year when a few predictable things happen, and for whatever reason, a lot of people still struggle to grasp how the machinery actually works. One of them is the tension between chasing short term improvement and protecting long term viability as a franchise. Every team has needs. That part is obvious. And every time a player hits the buyout market after the trade deadline, the cycle begins all over again.
We have entered the “Every Guy Who Gets Waived Should Be a Sun” part of the season 🤦♂️
Fans rush to their phones, hit the message boards, and start building the case. This is the guy! This is the piece! This is the move that fixes everything that has been bothering us since November! Positional need solved! Fate altered! Season saved!
Rotations, chemistry, and fit are treated like minor details that will sort themselves out later, because the idea of the player is doing a lot more work than the reality ever could.
I never knew so many people thought, nay, BELIEVED that Jeremy Sochan was the answer to every Suns question. Ultimately, he signed with the Knicks. And just you wait for the monstrous impact he’ll have with New York this season. And wait. And wait…
What gets lost in all of the noise is the basic math of where this Suns’ season actually is. This team is already two-thirds of the way through the year. Roles have been defined. Minutes have been carved out. Trust has been built, or not built, over months of reps. There are only so many minutes to go around, and dropping a new player into the middle of that ecosystem, even one who checks a positional or archetypal box, does not automatically translate to success.
Basketball is not a plug-and-play sport at this stage of the calendar. Fit matters. Timing matters. Chemistry matters. And the idea that a buyout addition is going to swoop in and change the trajectory of a team without disrupting the balance that already exists is more wishcasting than strategy. It feels productive, it feels proactive, but more often than not, it ignores the reality of how late in the process we actually are.
The other piece that tends to get forgotten during buyout season is the simplest one, and it gets ignored every single year. The player who is available is available for a reason. He was bought out. Teams do not walk away from impact players for fun.
There are plenty of reasons why a buyout happens. Maybe the player does not match the team’s timeline. Maybe there was a quiet agreement to let him go so the organization could prioritize youth or pivot in a different direction. Maybe the situation simply ran its course. All of that can be true at the same time.
But the reality still holds. If that player was truly moving the needle, he would still be on a roster. What you are most often talking about with buyout additions is the fourteenth or fifteenth man, someone filling depth, insurance, or situational minutes. Year after year, we go through this cycle, and year after year, the results look the same. Buyout players rarely decide a game. They rarely swing a playoff series. They almost never change a championship path.
It is not impossible, but it is incredibly uncommon. The buyout market is not where seasons are saved or transformed. It is where margins are adjusted, bodies are added, and options are created. Expecting anything more than that is setting yourself up to be disappointed by something that was never designed to carry that kind of weight in the first place.
I do get a kick out of it, honestly. The Suns move some size in Nick Richards, even if it is at a different position, and suddenly everyone is begging for size like there is a mythical power forward wandering the buyout market who can step in, play 25 minutes a night, and magically solve every structural issue on the roster.
Suns fans: Oso can’t shoot, Royce O’Neal is too small to play the 4, Ryan Dunn can’t shoot, Play Rasheer Fleming!!!
Also Suns fans: Sign Sohan now!! (He’s a worse 3 point shooter than Ryan Dunn, he’s maybe an inch taller at most and shoots free throws with 1 hand)
It shows up in the reaction to the Haywood Highsmith signing. Why not a power forward? It is a fair question on the surface. But in the same breath, who exactly are we talking about? There is no player sitting out there waiting to be signed who checks every box and slides cleanly into a real rotation role this late in the season. That is not how the NBA works.
Whoever you bring in right now, Highsmith included, is living at the end of the bench. He is not walking in and claiming steady minutes. The Suns took a swing on Highsmith because they want to see what he can be as a wing option looking ahead, not because he is some immediate fix. That is long-term thinking. That is roster management with the offseason in mind, where other decisions can open pathways for a player like him to matter more.
But so much of the conversation is trapped in short-term panic. We need a power forward. We need size. And in that urgency, people miss the bigger picture. This is not an argument that the Suns do not need one. It is an argument that the player people are dreaming about does not exist. Size, speed, rim pressure, shooting, lockdown defense. If you find someone with two of those traits, that is a win. And even then, he is still competing for minutes in a rotation that already has priorities baked in.
Development is still a priority for this organization. Chemistry is still the oil to their engine. The Suns did not get to this point by accident, and the idea that the fifteenth man on the bench is going to swing the season continues to amaze me every year. I guess that is sports. Everyone chasing the idea of a perfect roster with no flaws, even though it has never existed.
And for a Suns team that is exceeding expectations, it is still surprising how quickly that context gets lost in the noise.
That is fandom, though. It lives in conversation, in debate, in the constant search for how things could be better, because there is always room to get better. That part is healthy. That part is fun. Where it goes sideways is when those conversations turn into calling each other idiots instead of actually engaging with the ideas.
The truth is, armchair GMs — myself very much included — would benefit from stepping back and seeing the whole picture more often, rather than locking onto one perceived flaw and treating it like the root of all evil. Every roster has holes. Every night presents a different problem. Every matchup exposes something. That is the NBA. That is the season. That is the sport.
Focusing on a single deficiency without context ignores how teams actually function, how minutes are distributed, how chemistry develops, and how progress is rarely linear. Improvement is usually incremental, sometimes invisible, and almost never solved by one name scribbled onto the end of the bench.
So argue. Debate. Dream about upgrades. That is part of the joy. But maybe do it with a little more curiosity and a little less certainty, because the picture is always bigger than the one weakness staring us in the face.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 13: Jose Contreras #52 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch during the game against the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park on May 13, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 3-2. (Photo by Brian Garfinkel/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’ll begin the quarterfinal round with a pair of matchups:
4. Jeff Hoffman, 2023
Jeff Hoffman became an out of nowhere success story for the Phillies, so I understand why Phillies fans liked the guy, but I’m still confused as to why there was so much angst over him leaving. I hold him most responsible for the Phillies loss in the 2024 NLDS, but I guess because the entire bullpen was so bad, that gets overlooked.
RIP Jeff Hoffman in the NL East you will always be a great in my eyes after your 2024 playoff performance pic.twitter.com/jvXNYPDAHe
He had a chance at personal redemption with the Blue Jays last season, and ended up blowing a save in game seven of the World Series.
5. Jose Contreras, 2010
On the other hand, Jose Contreras never gave up a run in four postseason appearances for the Phillies. The Phillies may have lost the 2010 NLCS to the Giants, but it’s hard to blame Contreras who pitched in three games and only allowed one baserunner.
Who should advance? Vote now!
3. Jake Arrieta, 2018
I wrote before that Arrieta wasn’t close to his Cy Young past with the Phillies, but we never should have expected him to be. He was fine as a mid-rotation starter, at least for the first year and a half of his deal. (The last year was a bit ugly.)
Maybe I just defend him, because he allowed me to use this headline which I’m still proud of.
6. Brad Miller, 2021
I’ve called Miller a “Poor Man’s Kyle Schwarber” in that they’re both bad on defense, and when they get into slumps, they’ll sometimes have long cold streaks sporadically broken up by multi-home run games. (The biggest difference being that Schwarber hits over 50 home runs in a season.)
Lakers fans have come to accept this team for what it is: Good but flawed, the No. 5 seed in the West, not built to maximize Luka Dončić's talents, a playoff team but not a title threat. You can trust me on this. As a SoCal-based NBA writer, friends ask me about the Lakers all the time, and right now it's all about plans for this summer to upgrade and get back to the top of the mountain, not about whether they can get a good first-round matchup and advance in the coming playoffs.
What are those offseason plans? Many of them have been reported before — going after two-way wings, re-signing Austin Reaves, beefing up the scouting and basketball operations sides — but Dave McMenamin did an excellent deep dive into the Lakers’ plans at ESPN. Let's use that as a jumping-off point to discuss the future of this team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Yes, the Lakers would love to pair Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Here is how McMenamin put it at ESPN.
The Lakers, team sources told ESPN, obviously see the appeal in Antetokounmpo and believe they would be one of the teams on a very short list if the Bucks star asks for a trade out of Milwaukee.
If Antetokounmpo pushes his way out of Milwaukee — and despite some of the national narratives, that is not certain — the Lakers likely would still need Antetokounmpo to put his thumb on the scale to make that happen. This summer, the Lakers could offer three first-round picks (including whoever they draft this year) as well as Austin Reaves in a sign-and-trade (plus matching salary), but if the Bucks go to the marketplace there will be better offers on the table. Antetokounmpo has a player option in the summer of 2027, so he has leverage in any trade scenario because he can say he won't re-sign with a team, but does he want to force his way to the stacked Western Conference?
If Antetokounmpo pushes for a trade and the Lakers are one of a handful of teams on his short list, they have a chance — but not the kind of chance where you want to bet the rent money. The Lakers need to have other, more likely plans.
Re-sign Reaves, go get wings
Dallas has already shown the Lakers the model on how to build a Finals team around Doncic: Have a high-level secondary ball handler to take some of the load off, have a bouncy two-way center who sets a big pick and rolls to the rim hard, and get 3&D wings. Surround Doncic with defense and shooting, then let him cook.
Austin Reaves has shown this year that he can be that secondary playmaker, and he and Doncic have a good relationship. Reaves will opt out of his team-friendly contract this summer, but both sides want to continue the partnership, and the only question is how much the Lakers will pay. Reaves' max with the Lakers would be five years, $241 million (other teams could offer four years, $178.5 million max), but the number likely comes in under that, maybe in the $40 million a year range.
Doncic and Reaves give the Lakers a dynamic offense, but both are minus defenders, which means the Lakers need to surround them with quality defenders and a high-level rim protector. The Lakers could have up to $51 million in cap space (assuming LeBron James does not return, more on that below). Here is what McMenamin wrote at ESPN.
An unrestricted free agent who has been discussed internally, sources told ESPN, is Andrew Wiggins, but he has a player option with Miami he could exercise. Tobias Harris, Quentin Grimes and Dean Wade are other players who fit that profile. The Lakers have also privately discussed restricted free agents Tari Eason and Peyton Watson, sources told ESPN, and could land the latter if Denver, which already has $215 million in salary committed to returning players for next season, doesn't match the offer sheet.
There may be other guys in play this summer, but the mold is clear: The Lakers want long defenders who can shoot to go around Doncic. The challenge is that 29 other teams are looking for those kinds of wings, too.
LeBron James
LeBron James just "wants to live" and has not decided if he will play next season, he said during All-Star weekend. That's someone keeping their options open, but also someone who may have a lean but does not know for sure what his plans are after this season.
LeBron will be an unrestricted free agent this summer at age 41 and entering his unprecedented 24th NBA season. He can still play at a high level — coaches picked him to be an All-Star — but he would be the third offensive option on the Lakers and he is no longer the plus defender he once was.
The Lakers would welcome LeBron back, McMenamin reports, but the question is at what price? LeBron isn't going to get offered the $52 million he is making this season, but every dollar he takes cuts into the $51 million in cap space the Lakers could spend on other players.
The hot rumor in league circles is a LeBron return to Cleveland (for a third time), but there are a lot of questions there: That team is already over the second apron of the luxury tax and just added James Harden (who wants an extension), the Cavs are not going to be able to offer much money. And how they do in the playoffs will impact what moves the Cavaliers make next offseason. In the end, a return to the Lakers might be the call, but again at what price?
Growing scouting, basketball operations
One thing seems certain with the Lakers this season: New owner Mark Walter is going to spend to beef up the Lakers' basketball infrastructure.
There are things Walter did when he bought the Los Angeles Dodgers to turn them into back-to-back World Series champions that do not translate to the NBA — team building is very different with the tax apron penalties in the NBA CBA, you can't just buy every big free agent — but there are things that do translate. The Dodgers invested in their scouting and farm system, and as a result have one of the strongest minor league systems in the league.
The Lakers have long had a very lean scouting department, analytics staff and the rest of it (although the analytics side has grown in recent years) — that is about to change. The Lakers are going to start spending like the biggest brand in basketball, and with that will come a flood of information and changes, not all of which will be visible.
As McMenamin noted, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka said he would be in charge of the Lakers' offseason, and there is no reason to doubt that. It's also fair to think he will be under the microscope and will have to continue to earn his place at the top of basketball operations long term.
One way or another, there will be big changes coming to the Lakers this summer.
When a future Baseball Hall of Fame manager such as Bruce Bochy gives a player his endorsement, it should not be taken lightly.
President of baseball operations Buster Posey took his former manager’s word, and the Giants signed pitcher Tyler Mahle to a one-year, $10 million contract this offseason in MLB free agency.
Mahle, who played for Bochy’s Texas Rangers in the previous two seasons, had high praise for the four-time World Series champion manager in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic in Scottsdale, Arizona, for “Giants Talk.”
“It was great,” Mahle said of playing for Bochy. “He’s obviously a legend of the game; not just in San Francisco, a legend in baseball.”
Mahle dealt with injuries over the last two seasons and only made 19 starts for the Rangers in that time frame. But, in 2025, the starting pitcher finished with a 6-4 record and an impressive 2.18 ERA.
Bochy, a former catcher, is known for getting the best out of his pitching staff. But a career-best ERA in a season in which Mahle battled a rotator cuff strain is no fluke.
“So, playing for a guy like that, it gives you a little bit more confidence and I think makes you a little bit better,” Mahle told Pavlovic. “It’s surreal to say that I’ve played for a guy like that and for him to say kind words about me, that’s pretty surreal to me too.
“I’m super grateful that I got to be around him.”
Mahle now, with Bochy’s blessing, has a chance to build on a successful 2025 as a member of the Giants.
He, along with fellow free-agent signee Adrian Houser, will help shore up San Francisco’s starting rotation behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray.
With the 61st overall pick at the 1991 NHL draft, the Montreal Canadiens drafted left wing Yves Sarault. The Valleyfield, Quebec native wouldn’t make his NHL debut until the 1994-95 season, and he would have very limited success. He played 22 games with the Canadiens across two seasons, and he only managed to pick up one point before he was traded to the Calgary Flames alongside Craig Ferguson for a 1997 eight-round pick who would become Petr Kubos, a right-shot defenseman who played junior hockey in the WHL before returning to Czechia and never coming back.
Meanwhile, Sarault played only 106 NHL games, spent time in the AHL and IHL, and played several seasons overseas in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria before wrapping it up in the LNAH. When he played for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the IHL in 1999, his better half gave birth to a little girl, whom they named Courtney. In 2022, she competed in her first Olympic Games in Beijing but finished 11th in both individual races and lost two ranks while skating for the relay team, which led to Canada failing to make the podium—a heartbreaking experience.
Four years later, while most hockey fans have forgotten Sarault’s name, his daughter has put the family name in the headlines in Milano-Cortina, winning three medals in speed skating. She was part of the mixed team relay, which claimed silver. She then won a bronze medal in the women’s 500m and added a silver medal in the women’s 1000m on Monday.
With three medals, the Moncton, New Brunswick resident may have done enough to be on the country’s shortlist of flagbearers for the closing ceremonies as the Olympics will come to a close on Sunday, February 22.
ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 26: Mason Peters #26 of the DBU Patriots pitches against the LSU Tigers during the 2025 Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field on February 26, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Gunnar Word/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When Mason Peters was selected out of Dallas Baptist in last year’s draft, the young left-hander was (perhaps fairly) overshadowed by several players capable of headlining a draft class by themselves. Kade Anderson, Nick Becker, and Luke Stevenson were all given first round grades last season, so Seattle managing to land all three was a rather remarkable feat that had fans understandably excited. This, however, did force the Mariners to save a bit of cash with their subsequent picks, and at first glance, Peters looked like little more than a lower-round guy who the M’s cut a deal with. However, upon discovering he only received a minor pay cut from his allotted slot value (saving the team roughly $67,000), it became apparent the Mariners see something in this kid. Far from merely an afterthought in a loaded 2025 draft class, Mason Peters is a name you need to know for the 2026 season.
Mason Peters (@DBU_Baseball) intriguing stuff out of the pen last night. Fastball 90-94 (2574 RPM) and jumps. 🔨 Curve 75-78 (3020 RPM) sharp/depth and lands it. Deceptive delivery/hides ball well. Jr. ‘25 Elig. pic.twitter.com/cY6oPFAY3n
Kicking off Day 2 of the draft with a 5’11 college reliever looks strange on the surface, but what separates Peters as a pitcher is his excellent feel for spin. Featuring a fastball, slider, cutter, and curveball, his entire arsenal gets well above-average spin that helps his offerings play up immensely. Additionally, with a 5.6ft release height, Peters launches the ball several inches below the average MLB pitcher, yet still manages to get solid carry on his heater from the left side. The curveball and slider already look like potential plus offerings and had college hitters baffled more often than not, though some additional velocity progression would help both pitches play to their peak potential in the professional ranks.
The concerns here are relatively straightforward. Under the assumption they view him as a potential starter, the precedent for pitchers his size is not great. Very few pitchers under six feet tall can last in the rotation, let alone pitch a high volume of innings while doing it. He got some starts in college toward the back half of last season, but even then he only had one start go beyond four innings (a remarkable 6IP, 10K, no-hitter). There’s legitimate relief risk in the profile, and the spin-centric approach may or may not run into issues with opposite-handed hitters down the line. Certainly not a flawless profile, but there’s plenty to get excited about for a player that lands in the latter half of the organizational top thirty.
If everything works out for Peters, the 93 mph heater he had last year ticks up with added weight (he was just 175 lbs last season) and he’s able to get closer to his peak of 97 mph more consistently, even if it’s just for shorter stints. A low-launch lefty with solid extension, mid-90’s heat, and big time spin is a valuable asset to invest in, and if there’s an organization that’s proven they can get the most out of those guys, it’s the Seattle Mariners. A good athlete that’s already proven he can throw strikes, the M’s are calculating that they can help get Peters up a level in the “stuff” department. Should that be the case, Peters will follow just behind his classmate Kade Anderson atop the organization’s left-handed starting pitching depth chart, potentially filling an area of relative weakness that’s gone underaddressed for years.
The Minnesota Twins' series of miserable events seemingly has no end.
Staff ace Pablo López suffered a "significant tearing to the UCL" of his right elbow, general manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters in Florida on Feb. 17. Should Lopez, as expected, opt for reconstructive surgery soon, he will miss the entire season and likely a portion of the 2027 campaign.
It's yet another blow to a Twins club that underwent a massive teardown at the 2025 trade deadline, took the team off the market before taking on several more investors, and parted ways with longtime president of baseball operations Derek Falvey last month.
What was left: A stripped-down roster featuring a pair of elite arms - López and fellow right-handed starter Joe Ryan. At the least, the club could entertain trade offers on them at the 2026 deadline and deepen the expected rebuild.
Instead, López won't pitch at all - for the Twins or anybody - and the club will remain further in limbo.
López is entering the third year of a four-year, $73.5 million contract. He's posted a 3.68 ERA in three seasons with the Twins, and in 2023 earned an All-Star berth and finished seventh in Cy Young Award voting.
Now, he faces a significant career hurdle.
"You keep going," he told USA TODAY Sports in 2025. "If you do something, try to do it at your very best."
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The Minnesota Twins suffered a major setback during their first full-squad workout, an elbow injury that likely will sideline ace Pablo López for the entire season.
General manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters at the club's spring training facility on Tuesday that López has a “significant tear” in his right ulnar collateral ligament. He was seeking a second medical opinion but expected to need Tommy John surgery, Zoll said. López ended his bullpen session early on Monday after experiencing soreness in his throwing elbow.
The team's opening day starter in each of the last three years, López was grappling with a double disappointment with the probable loss of not only the upcoming major league season but the World Baseball Classic next month, when he was scheduled to pitch for his native Venezuela.
“I already feel I’m letting a lot of people down,” said López, who was limited to 75 2/3 innings last year because of injuries. "I’m letting myself down. I’m letting the Twins down. I’m letting my family down.”
López, who turns 30 on March 7, is making $21.75 million this season. He is signed through next year.
“We know injuries are part of the game. You're always trying to get through spring training as healthy as possible,” Zoll said. “It's definitely a blow, but we're going to just do the best we can to push forward.”
López made his major league debut with the Miami Marlins in 2018 and spent five seasons with them before being traded to the Twins. López made the All-Star team in his first year with the Twins and helped the franchise end an all-time record 18-game postseason losing streak for North American professional sports, going 2-0 with an 0.71 ERA in two starts in the 2023 playoffs.
When López was in the Seattle Mariners organization, he had Tommy John surgery that kept him out of the 2014 minor league season.
“We’re not designed to throw things that hard for an extended time,” López told reporters at the Lee Health Sports Complex. “Having done it once, I can do it again. Doesn’t mean I want to, but I’m going to have to and I know I can.”
López missed about three months last season with a shoulder injury. As the Twins were slashing payroll, he was mentioned often as a prime trade candidate, but the front office opted to keep him and right-hander Joe Ryan at the front of what was expected to be a strong rotation.
Now the Twins are missing their most important piece, with Ryan, an All-Star in 2025, now the ace and right-hander Bailey Ober under pressure to bounce back and be a reliable No. 2 starter.
Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews and David Festa are all 25-year-old right-handers who have combined to make 98 starts over the past two seasons, with at least one or two of them likely to make the opening rotation. Taj Bradley and Mick Abel were acquired in the flurry of trades during the week leading up to the deadline last summer and also are firmly in the mix.
“In a lot of ways, we view this as a real opportunity for someone to step up and take advantage of that,” Zoll said. “We’ll pick up the pieces once we have a better handle on things.”
The Bruins were reportedly in on now Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson, but the deal fell through. The Bruins were uninterested in making a deal without an extension, and although they believed Andersson would sign an extension after completing a trade, things changed within a 24-hour span.
Without Andersson, the Bruins have to pivot, and now their sights seem to be set on Faulk.
Similar to the situation with the Red Wings, Faulk would join the Bruins and serve as a top-four defenseman, playing behind Charlie McAvoy as the second-best right-handed defenseman.
Faulk could also quarterback either the first or second power play unit and provide two-way versatility. With 11 goals and 30 points in 57 games, the 33-year-old defenseman would rank second in points and first in goals among Bruins defenseman.
“They have been talking for a while now,” an NHL source close to the situation told RG Media. “Sweeney and Armstrong have been together a lot, and I’m told they’ve talked a lot on Faulk. He fits that void Sweeney’s been trying to fill, and you saw that with the way he went after Andersson before he was traded to Vegas.”
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The Associated Press national player of the week in men’s college basketball for Week 15 of the season:
Mikel Brown Jr., No. 21 Louisville
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound freshman regarded as a high-end NBA prospect had been struggling with his shot after returning from a lengthy injury absence. That was before he broke out with two huge performances in wins against N.C. State and Baylor.
The first was an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman single-game record of 45 points in a rout of N.C. State. Brown made 14 of 23 shots and 10 of 16 3-pointers to go with nine rebounds and three steals in that performance while tying the program's single-game scoring record set by Wes Unseld in December 1967. He followed with 29 points, six assists and five steals in a win against Baylor.
For the week, Brown made 22 of 37 shots (.595) and 14 of 21 3-pointers (.667) while being named ACC player and rookie of the week.
Runner-up
Nick Boyd, No. 24 Wisconsin. The 6-3 senior was Big Ten player of the week after posting 54 points in wins against then-No. 8 Illinois and then-No. 10 Michigan State. Boyd, who was AP national player of the week on Jan. 13, had 25 points and five assists in 39 minutes of the overtime road win against the Illini. He followed with 29 points against the Spartans. Those wins propelled the Badgers to No. 24 in Monday's new AP Top 25 poll after receiving no votes a week earlier.
Dontae Horne, Prairie View A&M. The 6-4, 190-pound senior has been on a monthlong tear. He had 46 points on 14-for-25 shooting in a loss to Southern that stood as the highest output in Division I last week and tied for the fifth best of the season. That followed a 27-point showing in a loss to Florida A&M. Going back to a 38-point effort in a loss to Jackson State, Horne entered this week averaging a national-best 28.1 points since Jan. 17, according to SportRadar.
The two-time NHL All-Star is set to become an unrestricted free agent, which gives him the opportunity to sign with any team.
The Sharks signed Skinner to a one-year, $3 million contract in July, but ultimately, things did not work out for the 16-year NHL veteran in San Jose.
The 33-year-old Skinner played in 32 games this season with the Sharks, tallying six total goals and 13 points with a career-low ice time average of 12:21 per game.
San Jose will look to push for a playoff spot for the remaining 27 games of the 2025-26 NHL season, with the younger forwards such as Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith leading the charge.
The players still have to vote on Clark’s successor, but with less than 10 months remaining before the collective bargaining agreement expires, it would only make sense that Bruce Meyer, Clark’s right-hand man and the union’s lead negotiator since 2018, will be at least the interim successor.
“There’s just not enough time for it to be anyone else," one prominent baseball agent told USA TODAY Sports.
And Meyer, who was promoted to the union’s deputy executive director in 2022, just so happens to be Public Enemy No. 1 for MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and his executive staff.
It’s not as if Clark was golfing buddies with Manfred or grabbing drinks with team owners, but they considered him reasonable, and as a former 15-year All-Star first baseman, certainly had their respect.
Meyer is a tenacious, hard-nosed labor lawyer who MLB labor officials despise. They called him unreasonable during their last negotiations, frequently clashing, accusing him of being bad for baseball. And now MLB could be dealing directly with Meyer, who will spearhead the labor negotiations without Clark’s involvement.
“This," one club executive said, “is going to be a bloodbath."
Still, as another high-ranking agent pointed out, Meyer was going to be the lead negotiator even if Clark stayed aboard. The union’s bargaining committee remains the same, as does the union’s position on matters.
One agent was adamant in his belief that Meyer would not be the successor, and the MLBPA instead would promote another lawyer from the union office, retaining Meyer as their chief negotiator.
The agents and executive spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of upcoming negotiations.
But no matter how anyone wants to spin it, the timing of Clark’s resignation, who has been under investigation into alleged financial improprieties at the union, couldn’t be much worse.
This is the time that Clark and union officials meet with every team in spring training to disseminate information and provide some cliff notes on their upcoming labor strategy, stressing the importance of being unified.
They were going to tell everyone that they won’t even discuss a salary cap, believe that the Dodgers’ $400 million payroll is good for baseball and that the sport has never been healthier. The message they wanted players to convey to the media and fans is that the owners, and not the players, who would be responsible for shutting down the game with a lockout.
The message was scheduled to be first delivered Tuesday at the Cleveland Guardians' and Chicago White Sox's camps. The meetings were postponed Monday evening, and have yet to be re-scheduled. The union had scheduled a tour visiting every team in Arizona in February and in Florida in March.
Now, everything is up in the air as players and team union representatives scrambled searching for answers.
“We’re going to have an interim [executive director] and keep everything as stable as we can here," Los Angeles reliever Brent Suter, who’s on the subcommittee, told reporters.
What does Tony Clark's exit mean for MLBPA?
San Francisco Giants player representative Logan Webb said Tuesday that he wasn’t aware of Clark’s resignation until he saw reports, while New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien, one of eight members of the union’s subcommittee, wasn’t informed until Tuesday morning.
Semien said he wasn’t overly surprised because of the federal investigation, telling reporters in the Mets clubhouse: “You definitely don’t want things to be a distraction going into December."
It’s now up to the union to prevent the perception that it’s in disarray at a critical time when negotiations were expected to begin in early April, while also trying to determine whether Meyer should be the natural successor.
Remember, it was two years ago in spring training that player representatives expressed their frustration during a three-hour videoconference call that advocated for Meyer’s ouster. There were 21 player representatives who wanted to replace Meyer with Harry Marino, the lawyer who led the efforts of minor league players being unionized. Clark vehemently supported Meyer, and the coup failed.
Meyer was criticized by several agents and players at the time for deferring to the interests of powerful agent Scott Boras during the negotiations, which Meyer vehemently denied in an open letter to players, saying he had never met Boras before being hired.
“From the moment I was hired, if not before, MLB began demonizing me both privately and publicly," Meyer wrote. “Among other things, one of their strategies was to spread the lie that I had been somehow hired at the behest of Scott Boras and was therefore beholden to him. This lie, which has taken many forms over the years, was a calculated (and time-honored) management strategy.’’
Meyer oversaw the negotiations during the height of the pandemic in 2020, and during the 99-day lockout that began in December 2021. The eight-player executive council voted unanimously to reject MLB’s final proposal during negotiations on a new CBA in March, 2022, that included an increase in minimum salaries, a $50 million pre-arbitration pool and anti-tanking mechanisms. Yet, the rank-and-file overruled them and accepted the proposal, allowing the season to be played without any games or paychecks missed.
Now, it will be up to the players to decide whether Meyer will become the union’s seventh executive director, replacing Clark, who was in charge since 2013 after the death of Michael Weiner.
MLB would love for the union chief to be anyone but Meyer, fearing that the rancor between the two sides will only accelerate without Clark’s involvement, but they have no choice.
So buckle up, and prepare for a plethora of hostility and acrimony coming to a bargaining table near you.
Blake Snell suffered his first L of the season on Monday, courtesy of one of his Dodgers teammates.
During a Q and A Instagram video with Los Angeles’ social media team about the strength of Dodgers players, Miguel Rojas didn’t hesitate to say he believed Snell could do the least amount of pushups on the roster.
Blake Snell has been accused by a teammate of being able to do the least amount of pushups on the Dodgers’ roster. JASON SZENES FOR CA POST
“Least pushups?” the 2025 World Series Game 7 hero said. “Blake Snell. Hundred percent. The weakest guy in camp.”
While Rojas did admit Snell is “athletic” and a great pitcher, two-time Cy Young award-winner Snell was nonetheless clearly bothered by the remarks.
Snell hit the comments section of the vid and wrote in a playful message to Rojas, “Weakest guy in camp is crazy .”
Rojas tried to backtrack on his stance by explaining he “made that comment base on our conversation earlier about grip strength,” but Snell was still not having it.
“Grip strength forsure bottom 5 but pushups I’m not the weakest ,” he said.
Miguel Rojas and Snell jokingly traded barbs in the comments section of the LA Dodgers video. X/@DodgersRojas said the strongest player on the Dodgers was Hyeseong Kim. X/@Dodgers
Rojas then completely backpedaled — and changed his answer to another one of his pitching teammates.
“This one is on me,” he wrote. “I def think you can be @rokisasaki my bad. I apologize my brother .”
Feb 11, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Cam Thomas (24) is fouled by Orlando Magic guard Jase Richardson (11) during the second half at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images
The Bucks’ final two games before the break were a coming-out party for their only deadline trade acquisition, Ousmane Dieng. A combined 13/22 from the floor—with 8/14 from deep—resulting in 36 points over 59 minutes, plus 14 boards, 4 blocks, 6 assists, and 0 turnovers. A career-best three-point performance in the second Orlando game. Certainly something to dream on in the years ahead.
Those two weren’t a coming-out party for Cam Thomas, not because he was a meh 5/13 (12 points) in the OKC win, nor because he took over with a game-high 34 in Orlando the night before. It’s because that’s what the dude does—he apparently introduces himself as “a bucket,” after all. Well, this Bucket also appears to be the spark Milwaukee desperately needs in non-Giannis minutes, and he might be a long-term fit with the team moving forward.
But both guys are free agents this summer. Dieng will be a restricted free agent if the Bucks extend an $8.8m qualifying offer, meaning they can match any contract another team presents him with in the offseason. If they decline that QO (like they did with Ryan Rollins in summer 2025), he’ll be unrestricted and can sign anywhere. But in either case, Milwaukee owns his Bird rights, so they can pay him any amount up to the max without worrying about the salary cap, whether it’s their own contract offer or another team’s.
With Thomas, however, the Bucks only have Non-Bird rights, since he just changed teams in free agency. That means they’d have to use an exception to give him a new deal in July (since they don’t project to have cap room), and here are their options…
The full (non-taxpayer) midlevel exception: starting salary between $6.1m and $15.1m, up to four years
The taxpayer midlevel exception: starting salary of $6.1m at most, up to two years
The biannual exception: starting salary of $5.5m at most, up to two years
The Non-Bird exception: starting salary of $3.6m, up to four years
In this week’s Tuesday Tracker, let’s look ahead to the summer and pick the Bucks’ best option with these two: should they re-sign them or not? If yes, how? We also have a bonus question about the All-Star game format, and of course, the debate between tanking and going for the playoffs.
As always, this poll will be open until midnight Central on Friday, and we’ll post the results later that day. Thanks for voting!
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