MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 03: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Chicago Bulls dribbles the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first quarter at Fiserv Forum on February 03, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For better or for worse, it seems as though the Minnesota Timberwolves have pivoted their focus from the Giannis Antetokuonmpo sweepstakes and filled an immediate need.
Tim Connelly and company have struck a deal with the Chicago Bulls to bring in Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second round picks.
So here’s the final deal, per sources: Wolves get Ayo Dosunmu, Julian Phillips.
Bulls get: Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, four seconds
A crafty scoring guard that fills a desperate need on Chris Finch’s bench, Dosunmu is averaging 15 points on 51% shooting and 45% from three. He gets to the basketball effectively and collapses defenses, which is something the Wolves desperately need. In last year’s playoffs, Anthony Edwards seemed to be the only player on the team able to do so, causing coach Chris Finch to turn to Dosunmu’s fellow Illinois basketball alum in Terrence Shannon Jr. to try and help Edwards out there.
Dosunmu’s shooting percentage by area | 3 Steps Basket
Another important piece of the trade, and Bobby Marks explains, is getting Dosunmu’s bird rights heading into free agency this offseason. Without them, it would have been extremely difficult to re-sign him.
Pre-free agency strikes again with Minnesota acquiring soon to be free agent Ayo Dosunmu.
Without the trade, it would have been highly unlikely Minnesota could have signed him as a free agent.
Minnesota now inherits his bird rights, allowing them to exceed the cap in a new…
Outside of the Giannis chatter that had been so persistent and was clearly impacting the team on the floor, the Wolves had a glaring hole on the bench for scoring and making a move at the deadline was a must in order to keep its status as a contender.
This also signals a move off of the Rob Dillingham experiment, and allows the former top-10 pick of the Wolves to go to a team where he will get more playing time and more offensive leash.
Dillingham shined in moments during his rookie season, but a clear regression this year and failure to crack the rotation in the minutes he was given signaled that an exit might be imminent.
Also included in the trade is former second round pick Leonard Miller. A promising athlete coming from G League Ignite, Miller too was unable to crack the rotation in his three years in Minnesota. Perhaps a change of scenery more minutes will do both players well on their way out.
Here’s a look at the current roster situation as it stands:
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It has already been an eventful few days leading up to the NBA trade deadline. Will the Boston Celtics be making any additional moves today? What other moves will reshape the landscape across the NBA?
This is an open thread to share your ideas, pass along rumors, and most importantly to react to the news as it happens. There’s nothing quite like the deadline for following along online and reacting in real time to all the changes.
Will Giannis be moved? Are the Celtics making any other moves? What about buyout guys? How do all the moves impact the overall standings for the rest of the year? Are there any future moves you could see happening in the Summer?
You are also welcome to post interesting or significant updates in The Feed and keep the conversation going there as well. Of course if anything big happens with the Celtics, we’ll have a dedicated post up for that.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Anthony Davis #3 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts following a game against the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome on April 05, 2025 in Inglewood, 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. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 NBA trade deadline offers a world of possibilities. The league is no longer as top heavy as it was 10 or 20 years ago. In this era, parity reigns supreme, and repeating as champions is almost impossible. With a big class of both buyers chasing the title and sellers chasing ping-pong balls in the NBA draft lottery, this promises to be an active deadline right up to the buzzer.
Will we get a blockbuster on the level of the Luka Doncic-to-the-Lakers stunner last year? Only if Giannis Antetokounmpo gets traded. There’s a list of front-runners who can all make strong offers to land the Greek Freak, but it would be understandable if Milwaukee wants to do everything in its power to keep him happy as a Buck.
Find the details of every trade at the deadline at our trade tracker. Get an early look at prospect scouting with our latest 2026 mock draft. We’ll be grading every NBA trade at the deadline in this post as they happen. Refresh this post often to see our instant analysis on every deal.
Knicks add Jose Alvarado from Pelicans
Knicks acquire Jose Alvarado from Pelicans for Dalen Terry and two second-round picks
Knicks grade: A
Pelicans grade: B+
Alvarado was one of the better backup guards available at the deadline, and New York did well to pounce on him. He has a player option for next season, and should be a solid depth piece for the Knicks’ playoff run.
Bucks beef up the front court in trade with Suns
Milwaukee Bucks acquire Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis from Suns for Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey
Bucks grade: A-
Suns grade: A
The Suns get under a tax apron without having to include a draft pick. The Bucks use their remaining room beneath the tax to pick up a backup center. I like it for both teams. Milwaukee just needed some more bigs, and while Richards isn’t anything special, he’s at least serviceable.
Lakers add Luke Kennard from Hawks
Lakers acquire Luke Kennard from Hawks for Gabe Vincent and second-round pick
Lakers grade: A-
Hawks grade: B+
Both Kennard and Vincent are expiring deals. Getting a second round pick back for a player you had no use for is nice work by Atlanta, but I like it a little more for the Lakers. Putting shooters around Luka Doncic is always a good move, and there aren’t many better shooters in the league than Kennard. Kennard needs to be insulated defensively, but he’s a 44 percent career shooter from deep, and that always works well next to Luka.
Wolves acquire Ayo Dosunmu from Bulls for Rob Dillingham, second-round picks
Timberwolves acquire Ayo Dosunmu from Bulls for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, four second round picks
Wolves grade: A
Bulls grade: C
The Timberwolves traded an unprotected future first-round pick for Dillingham during the 2024 draft, but he was never able to crack Chris Finch’s rotation. Dosunmu was having a career year for Chicago and fits very well next to Anthony Edwards as a tough on-ball defender who has been on fire as a three-point shooter. Dosunmu is on an expiring contract and it remains to be seen if he’ll be in the Wolves’ future plans, but they didn’t give up much to get him and he could help swing a playoff series in their favor. This is great work by the Wolves.
Celtics-Bulls swap Nikola Vucevic and Anfernee Simons
Boston Celtics acquire Nikola Vucevic from Chicago Bulls for Anfernee Simons and New Orleans Pelicans’ 2026 second-round pick
Celtics grade: B+
Bulls grade: B+
The Bulls seemingly waved the white flag on their play-in chances by trading Nikola Vucevic. Chicago should have been tanking from the start of the season, but I guess “better late than never” applies here. Simons was pretty good in Boston as a super high volume shooter off the bounce (more than 13 threes per 100 possessions at a 40 percent clip), but the Celtics needed an experienced big who spaces the floor and grabs defensive rebounds for their playoff push, and Vuc checks both boxes. Chicago getting a very high second-round pick back for Vuc is nice work.
Blazers acquire Vit Krejci from Hawks
Portland acquires Vít Krejčí from Atlanta for Duop Reath, 2027 second-round pick, 2030 second-round pick
Trail Blazers grade: B+
Hawks grade: B
Krejci is a 6’8 wing who can handle the rock a little bit and shoot it at a high level. The 25-year-old is having his best season as a pro this year by canning 41.6 percent of his three-pointers on 5.2 attempts per game in only 22 minutes. Portland needed more shooting on the wing, and this is a nice buy-low move.
Wizards acquire Anthony Davis from Mavericks for picks and players
Wizards acquire Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum from the Mavericks for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2 first-round picks and 3 second-rounders
On January 21, 2026, Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat were traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. This list, and their place on it, was compiled back in late-November. For continuity’s sake, I decided upon including Williams and Sproat’s profile, but for all intents and purposes, every player on our list below the pair can be considered to have moved up, with the addition of prospects 26 and 27 effectively becoming 24 and 25.
Marco Vargas was signed by the Miami Marlins on May 25, 2022, the day before his 17th birthday, agreeing to terms in exchange for a $17,500 signing bonus. Three weeks later, the Chihuahua, Mexico native was assigned to the Dominican Summer League, where he appeared in 53 games for the DSL Miami squad. Vargas won team MVP honors, hitting .319/.421/.456 with 13 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, 14 stolen bases in 20 attempts, and 35 walks to 32 strikeouts. He was sent stateside for the 2023 season and was assigned to the FCL Marlins, Miami’s Florida Complex League team. Appearing in 33 games for them, the infielder hit .283/.457/.442 with 11 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 8 stolen bases in 10 attempts, and 38 walks to 22 strikeouts.
Overview
Name: Marco Vargas Position: INF Born: 05/14/2005 (Age 21 season in 2026) Height: 5’11” Weight: 170 lbs. Bats/Throws: L/R Acquired: Trade (July 28, 2023: Traded by the Miami Marlins with Ronald Hernandez to the New York Mets for David Robertson)
On July 28, 2023, Florida packaged Vargas along with catcher Ronald Hernandez and traded them the Mets in exchange for veteran reliever David Robertson. Vargas remained in the FCL, now with the FCL Mets, and hit .234/.368/.298 in 15 games with them, knocking 3 more doubles, stealing 2 more bases, and drawing 10 walks to 9 strikeouts. At the end of August, he was promoted to Single-A St. Lucie and appeared in 6 games for them, going 8-26 with no extra base hits, 2 stolen bases in 5 attempts, and drawing 5 walks to 7 strikeouts. All in all, he spent the majority of his season in the Florida Complex League and hit an outstanding .269/.431/.398 in 49 games for the FCL Marlins and FCL Mets, with 14 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts, and 48 walks to 33 strikeouts
That winter, he was ranked 8th on the 2024 Amazin Avenue’ Top 25 Prospect list. He began the year with St. Lucie got only got sporadic playing time in April thanks to an injury. He was placed on the injured list at the end of the month and activated after the minimum seven days. He got into a handful of games and was placed back on the injured list. In total, he was placed on the injured list four different times throughout the year, it later being revealed that he was dealing with wrist tendonitis. All in all, he only played 37 games in 2024, most coming during a stretch of play in May and in August/September and hit.208/.369/.239 with 4 doubles, 0 triples, 0 home runs, 13 stolen bases in 15 attempts, and 34 walks to 38 strikeouts.
That winter, he was ranked 8th on the 2024 Amazin Avenue’ Top 25 Prospect list. He began the year with St. Lucie but only got sporadic playing time in April thanks to an injury. He was placed on the injured list at the end of the month and activated after the minimum seven days. He got into a handful of games and was placed back on the injured list. In total, he was placed on the injured list four different times throughout the year, it later being revealed that he was dealing with wrist tendonitis. All in all, he only played 37 games in 2024, most coming during a stretch of play in May and in August/September and hit.208/.369/.239 with 4 doubles, 0 triples, 0 home runs, 13 stolen bases in 15 attempts, and 34 walks to 38 strikeouts.
The infielder was healthier in 2025, but he was unable to leverage his health into a stand-out season. Things began well for the 20-year-old, as he hit .409/.527/.545 for St. Lucie in 13 games in early-and-mid-April, but his production took a hit when he was promoted to High-A Brooklyn at the end of the month. Playing in a stadium rough on left-handed hitters, Vargas appeared in 95 games for the Cyclones, Vargas hit .239/.328/.296 with 9 doubles, 4 triples, 1 home run, 38 stolen bases in 45 attempts, and drew 48 walks to 82 strikeouts.
The 5’11”, 170-pound Vargas stands tall at the plate, holding his hands high at the eyes and angling his bat head at 10:30. Between 2024 and 2025, the organization had Vargas close up a little bit to eliminate some movement in his load, and raise the angle of his bat, as to not wrap it behind his head too much. He swings with a slight leg kick and has a quick, balanced, compact stroke from the left-side. Highlighted by his 43.0% Swing% and 81.4% Contact%, both better than the MLB average, Vargas is a selective hitter and makes a lot of contact. While not Luis Arraez by any means, his 19.2 K% and 8% SwStr% were both above-average as well.
When Vargas puts a ball in play, he uses the entire field, pulling the ball at a 36.9% rate in 2025, going back up the middle at a 24.2% rate, and going to the opposite field at a 38.9% rate; his pulled ball percentage and opposite field percentage had a change of roughly 10% during his time in Brooklyn as compared to his time in St. Lucie, 45.9%-29.7% to 35.7%-40.1%, highlighting how Maimonides Park can be extremely suboptimal for left-handed hitters.
Vargas does not hit the ball in the air much, posting a 24.9% line drive rate, 43.0% ground ball rate, and 32.0% flyball rate. In limited at-bats in 2024 and 2025 at St. Lucie, where publicly available statcast data exists, he maintained an 88.1 and 90.1 MPH average exit velocity, with a high-water mark of 103.9 MPH in 2024 and 106.5 MPH in 2025. While those averages would put him in the 73th and 87th percentiles in Low-A baseball in 2024 and 2025, respectively, his max exit velocity readings only put him in the 16th percentile for the 2024 season and 31st for the 2025 season.
While the infielder may not excel necessarily at doing damage himself, his greatest strength is setting up others to do damage. His 12.5% cumulative BB% would have placed him in the top in the Florida State League as well as the South Atlantic League. He rarely swings at questionable pitches and may be a bit too passive at times, electing to let potentially hittable pitches pass him by and settling for the ball instead of chancing on putting the ball in play.
While possessing fringe-average speed, Vargas has shown good basestealing instincts over the course of his professional career. In 2024, he stole 13 bases in 1t attempts in 37 games and in 2025, he stole a cumulative total of 40 bases in 48 attempts in 108 games. He reads pitchers well and is an opportunistic runner, shrewdly choosing his spots.
Defensively, Vargas has played defense all over the infield over the course of his young career, splitting second base and shortstop almost equally. In 2024, he played a total of 52.2 innings at third base, 114.2 innings at second base, and 113.1 at shortstop and in 2025, he played 426.2 innings at second base and 387.2 at short.
While on the smaller side, Vargas is not particularly quick-twitch athletic; he does not have a quick first step nor is he particularly rangy or agile. He will make the routine plays and catch most balls hit to him at short but will be pressed to make more difficult plays. Coupled with his fringe-average arm, and the infielder is far better suited at second base than he is at shortstop in the long run.
2026 Mets Top 25 Prospect List
1) Nolan McLean 2) Carson Benge 3) Jonah Tong 4) Jett Williams* 5) Brandon Sproat* 6) A.J. Ewing 7) Jacob Reimer 8) Ryan Clifford 9) Will Watson 10) Jack Wenninger 11) Mitch Voit 12) Jonathan Santucci 13) Elian Peña 14) Zach Thornton 15) Nick Morabito 16) R.J. Gordon 17) Chris Suero 18) Dylan Ross 19) Ryan Lambert 20) Antonio Jimenez 21) Edward Lantigua 22) Eli Serrano III 23) Randy Guzman 24) Daiverson Gutierrez 25) Boston Baro 26) Marco Vargas
CLEARWATER, FL - MARCH 14: A detail photo of the Spring Breakout 2025 patch on the hat of Aroon Escobar #13 of the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark on Friday, March 14, 2025 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Baseball Prospectus was the latest publication to put out their top 100 prospects list yesterday, only they continue to march to their own beat and gave us 101 names. The Phillies figured rather prominently, placing five names in the list this year.
13 – Aidan Miller 51 – Andrew Painter 77 – Gage Wood 78 – Aroon Escobar 98 – Justin Crawford
The writers there have always been down on Crawford, so his ranking that low should be no surprise to people that frequent that site. Seeing Escobar on that list furthers at least my opinion that keeping him around might be more prudent than using him as a major trade piece when further major league reinforcements are needed. Painter dropping that low from his previously lofty perch might be alarming, but maybe shouldn’t. He didn’t have a good 2025.
So, it’s nice that the team has this many prospects that are nationally recognized, but once three of them graduate to the majors this year, things might get a bit dicier.
MINNEAPOLIS – In less than a week, Jeremy Fears Jr. went from Aaron Craft to Grayson Allen – from a plucky pest to a potential problem.
That's something the Michigan State men's basketball team cannot afford. Not when coach Tom Izzo has said all season – and then again after losing Wednesday at Minnesota – that “the margin for error is slim” for his team.
Ultimately, the story in the loss to the Golden Gophers wasn’t about another abysmal start, in which the 10th-ranked Spartans saw their starters combine for just seven of their season-low 21 first-half points. Or the way they roared back in the second half yet again, cutting a 16-point deficit to two with inside 20 seconds remaining. Michigan State couldn’t overcome the hole created by its porous defense and the Gophers’ sizzling shooting in a second consecutive loss, 76-73 at Williams Arena.
“I go out every game, and I play hard. I don’t intentionally try to hurt anyone or play whatever you want to say,” Fears said Wednesday, after being publicly accused Monday of making “dangerous” plays by Michigan coach Dusty May. “I go out and play every game like it’s my last. So I don’t take a game for granted, I don’t take a moment for granted. So I’m gonna go out there and play as hard as I can every possession, every game.
“It is what it is. At one point, I had basketball taken away from me. It’s something I love to do, I couldn’t do it for a whole year. Most people wouldn’t understand that, and you know, that’s on them, I guess. At the end of the day, I don’t change who I am or what I do. I just go out there and play 150[%], no matter what happens.”
Izzo benched Fears twice in the second half following controversial plays. And he assailed how his captain handled himself at times, with an emphasis on May’s comments.
“I sat him for a while. I don’t know. I don’t even know if I’m gonna start him the next game,” Izzo said. “But I stuck up for him, too. Because what happened in the last game – I’ll just say, what happened in the last game, the way that was handled, was poorly, too. And that starts everything.
“But Jeremy’s gotta grow up a little bit.”
Changing opinions
The tightrope for Fears is narrow between being an agitator who plays ferocious defense while standing fearlessly, as Craft did for Ohio State, and being labeled “dirty,” as Allen was for Duke. In two games, the narrative around Fears has started to shift from being a tough-as-nails trash-talker who draws fouls at an elite rate to a player who, if you get under his skin, will react negatively and put opponents – and his own team − in jeopardy.
Wednesday night was a prime example of that book becoming widely read by opposing coaches, particularly in light of May’s allegations and social media-circulated video clips highlighting moments from the Spartans’ loss to No. 2 Michigan on Friday.
Fears, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound third-year sophomore, received a technical foul with 13:28 to play in the second half for a back kick that connected with the groin of Minnesota’s Langston Reynolds, who initially was called for a foul for a hard bump on Fears. The Gophers’ bench signaled for a review, and Fears received a tech. Izzo benched Fears for the next 1:44, replacing him with Denham Wojcik because backup point guard Divine Ugochukwu injured his left foot in the first half and did not return.
Before that call, the Spartans (19-4, 9-3 Big Ten) had shaken off a brutal first half to cut a 12-point deficit to five. Minnesota then scored four points in a row to spark a 22-11 run that gave first-year coach Niko Medved’s team a 67-51 lead on Reynolds’ three-point play with 4:08 to play.
“I’ll say this: He's taken a lot of heat and all that. He's a great player,” Medved said of Fears. “Coach (Armon) Gates on our staff coached his brother, knows the family. I know he's a great kid. He's a competitor, that's who he is. Yeah, he gets a little carried away, and we saw that on film. …
“He's a guy you'd love to have on your team. But you can't do what he did, and I guarantee you he knows that. But he's a great player.”
Izzo said after the game he had yet to see a replay of the play but felt Fears “got pushed” and wanted to know “if he hit somebody.” When told video confirmed Fears’ leg made contact, Izzo quickly responded: “It does hit him? Then he deserved it. Then it was a good call. I didn’t see that.”
He continued by calling Fears’ response “immaturity.”
“You know what? If he plays that way, he deserves it. OK. He ain’t gonna play that way if I bench him the next game,” Izzo said. “Now, he is a physical player. So is No. 6 [Reynolds], so is No. 5 [Jaylen Crocker-Johnson]. You know, they're physical players. And I think things got blown up in the last game that when that stuff goes public, then you gotta really deal with it. If that's private between a coach and a coach or the front office. But once it goes to [the media], then it gets blown up, blown up.
“If he deserves it, good for him. You know, I've had it with that, too. That's not what I teach. That's not what I coach. I've told him about it.”
Asked if he feels opponents are trying to “bait” him into foolish fouls, as he has done the other way, Fears said, “No, not necessarily.”
“You see different stuff, people see different stuff, call different things,” he said. “At the same time, you just gotta play ball.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 11: Luke Kennard #3 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts after making a basket in the second half against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on January 11, 2026 in San Francisco, 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. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Lakers made what will likely be their only move of the trade deadline on Thursday morning by trading Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second round pick to the Hawks for guard Luke Kennard, according to multiple reports.
The Lakers are nearing a trade sending Gabe Vincent to Atlanta, per a source.
Lakers fans are likely familiar with Kennard from his time with the Clippers as well as the playoff series against the Grizzlies a handful of years ago. He is a lights out 3-point shooter, connecting at a 49.7% clip this season. For his career, he’s a 44.2% shooter from range.
Kennard has earned a reputation as one of the league’s very best 3-point shooters. Over the last five seasons, he’s shot 46% from the 3-point line and averaged nearly five attempts per game. For a Lakers team that currently ranks 22nd in 3-point percentage and 23rd in 3-point attempts per game, Kennard is perhaps as good of a player as they could have landed in a deal like this.
Well Lakers need shooting and they might've gotten the best shooter.
Of 145 shooters that have more than 1000 three-point attempts over the last 5 seasons Kenard is miles above at no.1 at 46%.
The Lakers have three players on the roster shooting above 40% on wide open threes this year: Rui Hachimura at 44.9%, Luka Dončić at 41.9% and Austin Reaves at 40.8%. The next closest rotation player is LeBron at 34.1%. Luke Kennard is shooting 51.6% on wide open threes this season.
To say he is an upgrade on the team’s 3-point shooting would be an understatement.
Luke Kennard has shot an eFG% of 79% in spot up situations, 70% in transition, and 66% running off of screens this season.
By trading their 2032 second round pick in this deal, the Lakers are completely out of second round picks. While that will hurt them in potential trade negotiations moving forward, it doesn’t mean they won’t draft anyone in the second round in the future.
They’ve made a habit in recent years of buying second round picks once the draft comes around, which is one of the ways new ownership can flex its financial muscle as well. Last season, they made multiple trades with cash involved to move up and select Adou Thiero. It would not be a surprise if that becomes a trend.
From a salary standpoint, the Lakers also shaved $500,000 off the trade, creating some room under the second apron, which they are hard-capped at. That would likely only matter when signing buyout players or filling their final roster spot, but it gives them much more breathing room, relatively speaking.
The Anaheim Ducks hired Pat Verbeek to take the reins as the franchise’s general manager on Feb. 3, 2022 (just six weeks before the 2022 trade deadline).
The 2025-26 season is his fourth full season in the GM role. He spent the 2022 trade deadline tearing the roster down and his first two full seasons, the two worst in franchise history (2022-23 and 2023-24), stockpiling and laying a new foundation on which his potentially contending teams will one day be built.
The standings suggested the Ducks turned a corner in 2024-25, making a 21-point leap from 59 (27-50-5) to 80 (35-37-10). Today, with 26 games remaining on the 2025-26 schedule, the Ducks have 63 points (30-23-3) through 56 games and seem to be in the process of making another sizable jump, as they’re on pace to eclipse 92 points and make the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of Verbeek's hiring, so let’s take a look at all the notable moves he made in the last calendar year to get his club to where they are today:
2025 Trade Deadline
Ducks acquire goaltender Ville Husso from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for future considerations
This wasn’t a needle-moving move at the time, but Verbeek was able to get a third-string goaltender for free, with John Gibson dealing with various injuries throughout the course of the 2024-25 season. He fit in well down the stretch, both in Anaheim and with the San Diego Gulls in the AHL. Enough so that the Ducks elected to sign him to a two-year contract extension with an AAV of $2.2 million.
Husso has performed at an adequate level for a backup in Anaheim, appearing in a total of 16 games and posting a 7-6-2 record and a .895 SV%.
Grade: C+
Ducks acquire forward Herman Traff and a 2025 second-round pick (Lasse Boelius) from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Brian Dumoulin
Just eight months and 61 games after Dumoulin was acquired for a fourth-round pick, Verbeek flipped the veteran defenseman on an expiring deal for a player taken in the third round of the 2024 draft (Traff) and what became the 60th overall pick in 2025 (Boelius). Both players acquired for Dumoulin seem destined for the NHL in the not-too-distant future.
Traff is a big power forward with a heavy shot that he gets his entire 6-foot-3, 198-pound frame behind, and is having an excellent 2025-26 D+2 season for IK Oskarshamn in HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden’s second-tier professional league), where he’s tallied 38 points (22-16=38) in 42 games.
Boelius is a smooth, puck-moving, yet defensively sound, 6-foot-1 defenseman eating second/third-pairing minutes in his first full season in Liiga (Finland’s top professional division) for Assat, where he has seven points (1-6=7) in 39 games and represented Finland at the 2026 World Junior Championships, where he tallied seven points (2-5=7) in seven games.
Grade: A
2025 Offseason
Ducks Fire Greg Cronin and hire Joel Quenneville
It was somewhat shocking to see Verbeek let go of Greg Cronin just two years after he was hired and following a season in which the Ducks made a 21-point jump in the standings from 2023-24 to 2024-25. However, most metrics, underlying or traditional, indicated the lack of growth from the roster Verbeek was looking for with Cronin behind the bench, and he was the first NHL head coach let go following the end of the season.
Cronin was let go on April 19, and the Ducks found their next head coach on May 8: Joel Quenneville. Quenneville carried with him an impressive resume as a three-time Stanley Cup winner and the second-winningest coach in NHL history, but also a checkered past as the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks during their 2010 sexual assault scandal.
The Ducks under Quenneville have been a roller coaster to this point in the season. After a scorching start, they’ve scored the 15th-most goals per game in the NHL (3.20), and they’ve allowed the fourth most goals per game (3.48). They have the 24th-ranked power play (17.9%) and the 22nd-ranked penalty kill (78.1%).
With him, Quenneville has brought a steady presence on and off the bench and seems to be a good manager of personalities and environment. He’s allowed his youngest and most talented roster players, from Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger to Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Beckett Sennecke, and Cutter Gauthier, to work through their mistakes and learn from failure rather than fear failure.
The system he’s implemented, along with the new coaching staff that includes Jay Woodcroft and Ryan McGill, has shown flashes of how successful it can be when all cylinders are firing. Still, Quenneville’s next step will be to ensure those cylinders fire with greater consistency moving forward.
Grade: B+
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Ducks acquire Chris Kreider and a 2025 fourth-round pick (Elijah Neuenschwandner) from the New York Rangers in exchange for Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick (Artyom Gonchar)
With this trade, Verbeek essentially dropped 15 spots in the draft and parted with a defensively inclined center prospect with a low ceiling (Terrance) to add a talented goalscorer, but a depreciated asset in Kreider, who was coming off of an injury-riddled down year at 34 years old.
Kreider’s been inconsistent for the Ducks so far in his tenure in Anaheim, but he has brought a blend of light-heartedness and professionalism to the Ducks’ locker room, producing 30 points (19-11=30) in 50 games. He has one year remaining on his contract that carries an AAV of $6.5 million.
If there was a nit to pick when evaluating this trade, it would lie in the initial selection of Terrance in the second round of the 2023 draft, when there were several higher-ceiling players on the board in a deep draft. All things considered, this is a positive outcome for the Ducks.
Grade: B
Ducks acquire Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick (Eric Nilson), and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Trevor Zegras
Verbeek acquired a good friend of Zegras in the form of Chris Kreider, but after spending a year and a half swirling in trade speculation, Verbeek finally traded Zegras, and the return was underwhelming. Poehling is a nice fit in the Ducks' bottom six and is the Ducks' best defensive forward by a considerable margin. Nilson projects as something similar down the road, and the fourth may have become a roster player already (more on that later).
However, Zegras was sold when his value was at an all-time low, days before NHL free agency was set to open, which eventually led to a market deficiency in the style of player Zegras represents. It was clear Zegras wasn’t destined to remain in Anaheim long-term, but the ideal option seems like it would have been to play him in the Ducks' new, offense-forward system and under Quenneville, who’d had past success with players like Jonathan Huberdeau and Patrick Kane, to recoup some value.
If that was never going to be an option, the next best route would seemingly have been to wait a week to see how many teams swung and missed on top-six forwards in free agency (it was a lot), as the pool was depleted following a myriad of players re-signing with their previous clubs. Zegras seems to have found a long-term home in Philadelphia, regained his shine, and has produced 48 points (20-28=48) through his first 55 games.
Grade: D
Ducks acquire Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for John Gibson
In another trade felt like a long time coming, Verbeek handed Lukas Dostal sole possession of the keys to the Anaheim crease with this move. Gibson and Dostal were one of the best tandems in the NHL in 2024-25 (if not the best tandem), but each deserved to be a starter for the 2025-26 season.
This seemed like another underwhelming return, especially given Mrazek’s cap hit and, again, how many teams were looking for goaltending help after the free agency period was underway. After a rough start, Gibson re-found his form in Detroit and has posted a 22-12-2 record, a .904 SV%, and 8.1 goals saved above expected. Mrazek has rarely been healthy for Anaheim this season, and when he has, he’s been inconsistent to say the least, posting a 3-5-0 record, a .858 SV%, and -8.0 GSAx.
Grade: D+
Draft
The Ducks selected ten players in the 2025 NHL Draft, highlighted by tenth-overall pick Roger McQueen. McQueen is a towering, 6-foot-5 right-shot center who covers vast amounts of ice, possessing surprising puck skills, a willingness to physically engage, and a scoring touch. He was a top-five talent who dropped to ten due to a fracture in his back, costing him all but 20 total games in 2024-25. The Ducks, having selected at the top of the previous six drafts, allowed them to take a calculated risk on McQueen, who’s tallied 23 points (8-15=23) through his first 25 games in his freshman season at Providence College in the NCAA.
As mentioned, Boelius and Nilson project to play NHL games with their translatable skillsets. The Ducks took a few interesting swings later in the draft, highlighted by talented winger Emile Guite in the fifth round, who, after a down year in 2024-25, has bounced back with 45 points (23-22=45) in 41 games so far in 2025-26.
Grade: A-
Free Agency
Ducks sign Mikael Granlund to a three-year contract, $7 million AAV
A year after striking out on big offers to high-profile free agents Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, Verbeek made his biggest needle-moving free agency signing to date on July 1, 2025. Granlund’s versatility was a major selling point for Verbeek, and has proved useful during his first few months in Anaheim. He’s provided a lot of the clever, high hockey IQ plays the Ducks lost with Zegras’ departure, and picked up much of the offensive slack when the team had lost star players at various points to injury throughout the middle portion of the season. He’s scored 27 points (12-15=27) through his first 38 games with the Ducks.
Grade: B
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Contract Extensions
Ducks sign Lukas Dostal to a five-year contract extension, $6.5 million AAV
Lukas Dostal filed for salary arbitration on July 5, 12 days before he and the Ducks avoided a hearing and agreed to a five-year extension. Dostal had elevated himself into conversations as one of the NHL's top young goaltenders, and this contract made him the 11th highest-paid goaltender for the 2025-26 season.
Early in the season, reflecting the entirety of the 2024-25 season, Dostal was the Ducks' best player and the primary reason they got off to a 11-3-1 record in their first 15 games. As the salary cap ceiling continues to increase for the duration of his contract, it will likely continue to represent a bargain.
Behind another mediocre defensive team this season, Dostal has posted a 21-13-2 record, a .897 SV%, and 3.7 GSAx.
Grade: B+
Ducks sign Mason McTavish to a six-year contract extension, $7 million AAV
Verbeek took another contract extension negotiation with an RFA coming off their ELC well into Ducks’ training camp, after doing the same with Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras in 2023. McTavish was eased back into camp (unlike with Zegras and Drysdale), and didn’t seem affected by the extended negotiations, but was relieved nonetheless that it was in the rearview and he’d remain in Anaheim for the better part of a decade.
He continues to be a streaky 2C for Anaheim and has scored 30 points (13-17=30) through 51 games this season. In a league where every team is seemingly looking to add firepower down the middle, the Ducks are in a good place with Leo Carlsson and McTavish as a one-two for the foreseeable future.
Grade: B-
Ducks sign Jackson LaCombe to an eight-year contract extension, $9 million AAV
In a surprise preseason announcement, Verbeek locked up his top defenseman to the largest dollar value contract in franchise history. The sticker shock with this extension was real, but with the rising salary cap and the role LaCombe has played for the team in the last season and a half, this contract will likely age surprisingly well.
LaCombe is 13th among all NHL skaters in terms of TOI/G (24:30), playing top minutes for the Ducks at 5v5, on the power play, and penalty kill. He’s scored 37 points (6-31=37) through 56 games in 2025-26 and will represent the US at the Olympics in Milan. He’s living up to the extension, and it doesn’t even kick in until the 2026-27 season, when his cap hit will take up an even lower percentage of the Ducks’ overall cap space.
Grade: B+
In Season (2025-26)
Ducks acquire Jeffrey Viel from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick
Verbeek’s most recent move was to acquire a 28-year-old (now 29) winger with just 64 career NHL games under his belt, including ten in 2025-26 as the Boston Bruins’ 14th forward. He’s a no-frills, prototypical bottom-six winger who’s made the most of his elevated shot in his first nine games with the Ducks, scoring three points in his first four games with the club, but nothing since.
Ultimately, the trade doesn’t (and won’t) move needles, and Viel’s performed adequately. However, with the injuries the lineup sustained over the last month, it felt like an opportunity to see how some of the younger players with the Gulls could have fared with some NHL experience, and it opens some eyes regarding how Verbeek feels an NHL bottom six should be built.
The fourth-round pick traded will become whichever ends up better between the picks acquired in the Gibson (Detroit) and Zegras (Philadelphia) deals.
Grade: C
Conclusion
The Ducks currently sit in a playoff position and have taken another step in their journey out of the NHL’s basement. With playoff games representing the stated goal for the 2025-26 season, it seems time for Verbeek to make a more significant needle-moving transaction or two to get his club to that point. Reports indicate he’s aiming to land a “big fish,” but his track record calls his ability to pull that off into question.
This past year may have raised concerns about Verbeek’s reading of various markets, but credit is due when it comes to recognizing that an overhaul behind the bench was needed in order for the Ducks’ youngest, most talented, and most important players to take necessary steps in their development and to get the roster, as a whole, to where they are now: in control of their own destiny, with playoff hockey on the line every night.
The Calgary Flames have reassigned defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz and forward Matvei Gridin to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, the team announced Wednesday, following Calgary’s 4–3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 04: A view of the center court logo is seen prior to the game between the Denver Nuggets and the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 04, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today is not going to be as big as May 10, the date of the NBA Draft Lottery. Nor the draft whose date has yet to be set but somewhere in the last week of July at Barclays Center. Those two days have the potential to be franchise-changing and the days leading up to today have been, at least for the Nets, predictable with only one trade reported as of 10:30 a.m. ET: the Nets fifth salary dump since last summer.
The Nets acquired 6’6” 25-year-old shooting guard Ochai Agbaji; a 2032 second rounder (their fifth pick in that faraway draft) and $3.5 million in cash, likely bound for basketball operations in return for … the draft rights to a 29-year-old Serbian shooting guard, Vanja Marinkovic, essentially draft ballast to help Toronto get its financial books in order. To make Marinkovic even more obscure, he tore his achilles 10 days ago.
Meanwhile, Brian Windhorst, aware of the flexibility Sean Marks & co. have built up, predicted a busyness in the business of Brooklyn basketball. “Brooklyn, I expect to be in multiple deals in the next 24 hours.”
So, here.we.go!
—February 5: NBA Trade Deadline (3:00 pm ET) Nets currently have around $15.5 million in cap space, most in the NBA. Trades must all be completed and made official by the afternoon deadline. The Nets must also attend to other issues, like getting down to 15 standard NBA contracts as well. Agbaji, at the moment, would be the 16th standard NBA contract on the roster so someone must go. Cam Thomas didn’t accompany Brooklyn to Orlando Thursday afternoon and rumors continue to swirl about this fate. There are of course other candidates and maybe more permutations as the day wears on.
Meanwhile, In Long Island players are waiting for the trickle-down effect to determine their fate. The deadline is often a team for teams to rethink whether a two-way should be elevated to a standard deal or a G League regular contract be converted to a two-way
—February 8: Les Nets, aka the Long Island Nets, are back in Quebec vs. Noblesville Boom, the Pacers affiliate. It’s the third of four games that the Nets G League affiliate are playing this season in Laval, a Montreal suburb as the team hopes to establish a fanbase in French-speaking Canada 375 miles up up the Thruway and Northway.
—February 10: Les Nets play Noblesville Boom in Quebec. The final game this season in the Great White North (as opposed to the Great White Whatever in New York.) Between the two games, the Nets will be activating a number of community activities.
—February 13: Egor Demin will likely Brooklyn’s lone representative at the Intuit Center, the Clippers home. He’ll play in the Rising Stars game
—February 14: NBA All-Star Saturday at Intuit Dome – 5:00 p.m. ET (NBC & Peacock)
—February 15: 75th NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome –5:00 p.m. ET (NBC & Peacock)
—March 1: Playoff eligibility waiver deadline aka the buyout deadline. Players waived before March 1 can sign with a new team and participate in the NBA playoffs. Players waived after March 1 can still sign with teams, but they will be ineligible for postseason play.
—March 1: Jalen Wilson becomes eligible for a multi-year deal.
—March 4: Last day to sign two-way contracts. Nets currently have no openings with all three two-way deals filled, but two-ways are not guaranteed.
—March 28: G League Regular Season ends
—March 31: G League Playoffs begin
—April 12: NBA regular season ends (All 30 teams play)
—April 13: Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2026 (3:00 p.m. ET)
—April 13: WNBA Draft. Liberty have only one pick at No. 41 in the third round, having previously traded away their first and second round picks. Draft is also big for trades.
—April 14-17: SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
—April 18: NBA Playoffs begin
—April 19: WNBA training camps open. Chris DeMarco, the Liberty’s new coach, gets started.
—April 25: New York Liberty first preseason game at Barclays Center vs. the Indiana Pacers and Caitlin Clark. Game time: 3:00 p.m. ET. It’ll be Clark’s first action since an injured groin ended her season on January 25.
—May 3: New York Liberty’s second preseason game, this one vs. the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville. Another afternoon start at 3:00 p.m. ET.
—May 8-10: NBA G League Combine in Chicago
—May 8: WNBA Regular Season Tip-Off. New York Liberty hosts the Connecticut Sun at Barclays Center. All WNBA dates of course assume that the league and players union have a deal on a new CBA by this date.
—May 10: NBA Draft Lottery. Biggest day in franchise history since … the Clean Sweep back in 2019, KD’s departure in 2023? Nets currently are tied for the fourth best chance at the overall No. 1 at 11.5% and a 45.2% shot at a top four pick.
—May 10-17: NBA Draft Combine in Chicago
—June 1-17: WNBA Commissioner’s Cup tournament
—June 30: WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship
—July 1: Teams can approach free agents at 12:00 p.m. ET. Rumors of deals start to get reported at 12:01 p.m. Nets are currently projected to have $48.8 million in cap space entering free agency.
—July 6: Free agent contracts can be signed, starting at 12:oo p.m. ET.
—July: Michael Porter Jr. eligible for a four-year $243 million extension starting in 2027-28.
—July 24-25: WNBA All-Star Weekend (Chicago)
—August 31 – September 16: FIBA World Cup break for WNBA players, coaches.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 21, 2023: Jackson Cox #95 of the Colorado Rockies throws a pitch during a minor league spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields on March 21, 2023 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Cox was Colorado’s second-round pick in 2022, 50th overall, out of a rural high school in Washington state. To get Cox out of his commitment to Oregon, the Rockies signed the 6’2” righty starter for a $1.85 million bonus — well over the pick’s $1.54 million slot value. Cox’s calling card as a prospect is his 3,000+ RPM curveball, described as a slurve with “deep and late bite” which the now 22-year-old paired with a low- to mid-90s fastball and a developing change-up in a repeatable delivery. When healthy. Which he hasn’t been much, though in 2025 we saw Cox on the mound regularly again.
Mid-season 2025 Rank: 25
High Ballot: 4
Mode Ballot: 13, 16
Future Value: 40, back-end starter
Contract Status: 2022 Second Round, Toutle Lake (WA) HS, Rule 5 Eligible After 2026, three options remaining
MLB ETA: 2027
Cox was assigned to Low-A Fresno in 2023 for his professional debut, where he was 2.9 years younger than league average. The Rockies handled Cox carefully, never allowing him to go past four innings in a start or 65 pitches an outing in his ten games (nine starts). Nonetheless, Cox suffered an injury that required Tommy John surgery in July (as did fellow PuRPs Jordy Vargas and Gabriel Hughes), which ended his 2023 season and caused him to lose all of 2024 as well (he did pitch in fall instructs, just not an affiliated ball game).
It was a long road back to Fresno in 2025 for Cox, who was still 0.8 years younger than league average. He made 23 starts but was handled carefully, not passing the three inning threshold in any of those starts until June and only exceeding five innings his final two appearances. Cox finished on a high note, twirling a Quality Start of six innings, one run on two hits and two walks with six strikeouts on a season-high 92 pitches.
In total, Cox threw 85 innings with a 3.39 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 9.7 K/9 rate, and 2.6 BB/9 rate. The trajectory is good though: since a rough April, in which Cox had a 15.43 ERA, he posted a 84:19 K/BB ratio and a 2.31 ERA in 78 post April innings plus a 0.90 WHIP and .199 BAA in the second half of the season. Given the long lay-off, Rockies fans will take that even if Cox is now behind the developmental curve due to the injury.
Here’s some video of Cox from July striking out 10 batters in just four innings:
Cox was one of the three Rockies pitching prospects who went down with torn UCLs all at once in 2023, with the team announcing the trio all on the same day as if they got a bulk discount on the surgery. Cox has had the best recovery from the surgery, as his velocity and his curveball came all the way back. The Rockies gave him a slider as well, so he’s got a four-pitch mix, although he mostly throws his fastballs and curveball. He made 23 starts last year, working on very tight pitch and innings limits, so it added up to only 85 innings, but he walked just 7.3 percent of batters and struck out 27 percent even though it was his first time on a mound in two years. At worst, he should be a solid two-pitch reliever who can miss bats with the breaking ball, and there’s at least fourth starter upside here.
Cox’s combination of present stuff and a deep arsenal stands out in an organization thin on starting pitching prospects. He attacks hitters with a five-pitch mix that includes a four-seam fastball, curveball, slider, changeup and cutter. His best pitch remains his plus curveball, a hellacious two-plane breaking ball with spin rates between 2,800–3,000 rpm that serves as a legitimate out pitch. Cox’s strike-throwing is below-average but should improve as he gets healthy.
Cox’s combination of velocity, spin and his ability to develop different pitches gives him a chance to develop into a solid mid-rotation starter in an organization that has struggled recently to develop starting pitchers.
Thomas Edward John surgery sidelined Cox for the 2024 campaign as well. That’s put the 50th pick of the 2022 draft on the back foot developmentally, now entering his fourth professional season with just 10 appearances under his belt. Before his injury, Cox boasted better stuff than several pitchers on this list, albeit with some struggles in holding his mechanics together. That inconsistency may have played a role in his injury to begin with, and certainly is the type of thing you’d hope to get sorted out with innings in games. His lengthy rehab places a bigger emphasis on Cox finding and retaining his more imposing fastball/curveball combo.
The early returns on Cox’s stuff coming back have been good, and it’s still his feel for spin that stands out. He has a plus curve with huge spin rates, 1-to-7 shape and sharp bite. He can run his fastball up to 95 mph with good life, and he has feel for what could eventually be an average changeup. Before he got hurt, he had worked on both a slider and a cutter to expand his arsenal.
Cox had added strength before the injury and there could be more in the tank the further removed from surgery he gets. He repeats his delivery well and has shown the ability to throw strikes with all of his offerings. This year will be about getting a full, healthy season in, with plenty of time to reach his mid-rotation ceiling.
[Cox] has a great curveball, but his below-average fastball velocity (he was 92-94 again during instructs), movement, and vulnerable plane aren’t a great fit with that curve. He’s pitched just 31 affiliated innings and struggled with control during those.
Cox seems to have found his mojo back in Low-A this past season. The next step is to do it in the upper minors and with greater length per start. Cox has a foundational breaking ball to build around and that mid 90s fastball (which doesn’t have ideal shape), making him a mid-to-back-end rotation candidate if it comes together. I ranked Cox 16th on my list at the top of my 40 FV tier due to the pedigree, stuff, and a healthy recovery in Low-A.
Cox will be Rule 5 eligible after 2026, so the Rockies no doubt will be looking for those markers next season. I’m guessing a High-A assignment is in order to start the year but I expect at least some exposure to Double-A as well, provided the health remains.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 24: Jacob Lopez #57 of the Athletics pitches during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on August 24, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB News Roundup
On the eve of the Detroit Tigers’ arbitration verdict with star pitcher Tarik Skubal, the team decided to go out and make a splash, further bolstering their rotation by picking up the best free agent pitcher on the market. For three years and $115 million, Framber Valdez is no longer a Houston Astro. He’ll be reuniting with his old manager, AJ Hinch, in Detroit, and joining a Tigers team that was only an inning away from the ALCS last season. History was also made with this deal. According to Jeff Passan, the contract will feature the highest AAV ever given to a lefty handed pitcher. The previous record was held by Blake Snell (or as I like to call him: the American Wei-En Lin)
So what does this all mean for the Skubal situation?
Well, the $13 million difference between him and the Tigers has me anxiously anticipating today’s possible verdict. Will Detroit be forced to pay the man what he’s worth? Or will they get away with lowballing him for yet another season? Time will tell, but this Valdez deal really has me fascinated. I can’t be the only one who sees it as a bit of a slap in the face. Yes, they might be thinking of the looming lockout, but consider everything Skubal has done for the squad. This isn’t Doug Fister holding onto his 2011 second half here, this is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. The man’s been impossible to hit for the majority of his career. There’s a reason this arbitration case has been getting so much media coverage.
Oh what I would do to be present for today’s hearing. Do you think the Tigers will bring up Shea Langelier’s go-ahead grand slam? I can send them the youtube link if it’ll add a little drama to the mix. All jokes aside, I do feel for Skubal. I mean, no, I don’t know what it’s like to feel as if you’ve earned $32 million dollars, but I am familiar with the feeling of being undervalued. On top of that, this all complicates an already fractured relationship. Not only are the Tigers downplaying Skubal’s worth, they’re basically pointing to Framber and saying “You’re just not worth THAT much.”
If this is the domino that eventually leads the Cy Young winner to the Dodgers, I’m going to lose it. I mean, they’ve already picked up Cole Irvin! How many lefties do they need?
Speaking of lefties, I saw this neat little set of spray charts I’d like to share with you all…
The A's are doing something very weird, specifically with their left-handed hitters.
They're very successful but they just… don't pull flyballs.
Once you get past the user’s hurtful handle, you’ll find that they are highlighting one of the strongest qualities of our young core. The A’s are a team that not only hits, but does so to all parts of the field. Watching where Nick Kurtz put the ball during his 4-HR homer game was a microcosm of this. His spray chart here further drives the point home.
And it’s not like we’re really squeezing the lemon wit this one. 86 home runs and 104 extra base hits were collected between just these four players. Can you imagine the guessing game they must have given other teams when it came to defensive positioning?
As someone who attended a grip of games in West Sac, their tendency for the oppo was a trait I noticed early on. My fantasy out of the gate saw A’s lefties swatting taters into the berm by the inning. But as the season unfolded, it became apparent to me, that the opposite field was the more desired place to mash. I wonder if this is something the coaches have been hammering in them? Good on them if they are, because these players are still in the early stages of their careers. Now is the time to be developing good habits, not giving into the low hanging fruit that comes with playing in a little league ballpark. Chances are Las Vegas won’t be subjected to the Yankee Stadium treatment. When you can’t bank on a short porch, you might as well get used to poking the ball the other way.
Thinking back on last season, there was really only one guy on the opening day roster that came off a little berm-crazy. That player was JJ Bleday, and look where he ended up? Him and his torpedo bat swung their way right off the A’s roster. He’s currently getting ready to suit up for Cincinnati (the team I assume @Redsinfour will be cheering for at the start of the 2026 season).
This was in reference to Joe Lacob’s interest in buying the Padres :/ Glad to see that “heard it from a friend” rumors can still make some ground in 2026 haha
Don't shoot the messenger bro…it is known and even Lacob said it after he couldn't buy the A's to keep them in Oakland…his goal is to get an MLB team back to Oakland…I didn't write that shit…just saying it is going around Nor Cal…heads up…
Came across this gem in the feed. What’s even crazier is we only got to see Yoenis Cespedes in THAT A’s jersey for half a season 🙁
There was something so insanely iconic about Yoenis Céspedes in an Oakland A’s jersey. It’s crazy we only got to see it for two and a half seasons. pic.twitter.com/qmzpKIQhv6
President Donald Trump, right, greets Dodgers manager Dave Roberts during a ceremony to honor the team at the White House in April 2025. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)
The Dodgers will make a return trip to the White House in recognition of their latest World Series title.
President Trump is planning to host the team but no date has been set for the ceremony, a White House official confirmed Thursday morning.
Questions swirled around whether players would decline to go ahead of last year's visit. Kiké Hernández said in 2018 he was unsure he would have gone had the Dodgers won the World Series the previous year. Mookie Betts said he was undecided and needed to talk it over with his family first when last year's visit was initially announced. After winning his first World Series with the Red Sox in 2018, Betts skipped their trip to the White House the following year during Trump’s first term.
Both players, along with every returning member of the 2024 team that was with the team during its road trip, participated in the visit. The only notable absence last year was first baseman Freddie Freeman, who remained in Los Angeles to nurse an ankle injury that landed him on the injured list.
Manager Dave Roberts, who indicated in comments to The Times in 2019 he might not go to the White House if Trump was president, also participated in last year's ceremony.
When asked at last weekend's Dodgers' fan festival about the possibility of returning to the White House this year, Roberts told The Times' Bill Shaikin: “For me, I stand by: I’m a baseball manager. That’s my job.
“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country. For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House. I’ve never tried to be political. ... For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”
Though no date has been set for this year's White House visit, the Dodgers will play the Nationals in a three-game series April 3-5, with an off day on April 2 following a six-game homestand to open the season.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - JANUARY 07: A general aerial view of Camelback Ranch on January 07, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. The stadium is the spring training home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Backfield workouts are open to fans, though there are some areas that are more out of reach to the public. A more traditional fan experience begins with the Dodgers’ Cactus League schedule starting on Saturday, February 21 in Tempe against the Angels. The Dodgers’ first game at Camelback Ranch is Monday, February 23 against the Mariners.
With no trip overseas to begin the regular season more than a week early, the Dodgers will have a more traditional spring training this season, with the Arizona portion of their camp running for a little more than five weeks, through March 21.
My first trip to spring training was in 2006, when the Dodgers still trained at Vero Beach. At my old job, we had a conference in Miami, and I flew out a day early to drive to see Holman Stadium for the first time, a great way to spend my 30th birthday. My one regret is that I didn’t take more time to roam the grounds at Vero Beach. I didn’t have a ton of time, and after a red-eye flight and two-plus-hour drive to the stadium I was more tired than I expected.
I’ve been to Camelback Ranch quite a bit, as their first year there coincided with my first season writing about the team, and have quite a few fond memories of going to Arizona.
Today’s question is are you going to spring training this year?
