When Sergei Bobrovsky decided that he didn’t want to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets any longer, fans were gutted. How could the best goalie to ever wear the Union Blue want to leave? He owns just about every organizational record there is for goalies, including games played, wins, goals-against, saves, shutouts, minutes played, and points scored.
Well, we soon got our answer. GM Jarmo Kekalainen came out publicly and stated that Bobrovsky came to the front office and said he was done with the organization. But why? Was it money? Was it Torts? Was it the city itself? Seems to be a combination of all of the above, and some fans were not happy.
And then, after the CBJ swept the Tampa Bay Lightning, that was it; he was gone. But let’s be honest: the time he spent there was historic in terms of team records, and it was fun to watch.
On June 15, 2013, Sergei Bobrovsky won his first and two Vezina Trophy following the 2012-13 season.
Bobrovsky played in 38 games, compiling a record of 21-11-6. He had 4 shutouts, the first of 33 in his CBJ career. His GAA was 2.00 with a save % of .932. The man played stellar.
But he had shown flashes in the previous two seasons with the Flyers. And with the 2012-13 season being shortened due to a labor dispute, he played for SKA St Petersburg of the KHL. He did really well there too, going 18-3-2 with a sub-2.00 GAA. And with all of that, the Jackets missed the playoffs due to a tiebreaker. They finished with 55 points, tied with the Minnesota Wild. They went 24-17-7 and deserved to be in the playoffs that year, in my opinion.
John Davidson revealed that Bobrovsky refused to waive his no-trade clause leading up to the 2019 NHL trade deadline. Davidson made the following comment about Bobrovsky, who left Columbus to sign a 7-year deal with the Florida Panthers.
"I know that with Bobrovsky, he didn't want to waive his no-trade, so we couldn't trade him. And I get that; he had every right in the world. That's nobody's fault. It's just what it is.
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Fans have always thought that the Jackets just held on to Bobrovsky and Panarin and went "All-In." But it very well could be that since Sergei Bobrovsky refused to waive his no-trade clause, Columbus had no choice but to go for it that year. It worked out, and it didn't.
Sergei Bobrovsky, still a topic of conversation among Jackets fans. Some good. Some bad. But in the long run, he was one of the greatest players ever to wear a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey.
Bob has also cemented himself as one of the NHL's all-time great goalies by winning playing in three straight Stanley Cup Finals, and winning two straight Cups.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 14: Kyle Higashioka #11 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammates after defeating the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 14, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 6, Red Sox 4
And…the Rangers don’t get swept!
Yeah!
(fist pump)
Nathan Eovaldi once again comes to the rescue, giving the Rangers a Quality Start to break a losing streak.
Eovaldi gave the Rangers seven innings, and when it came to Red Sox hitters other than Willson Contreras, things went very well for him.
Contreras hit a pair of solo homers off of Eovaldi, accounting for two of the three runs he gave up in the game.
The first of the two was a Fenway special, a high pop fly to left field that is a fly out just about everywhere else but that the dimensions of the Green Monster turn into a homer.
Per Statcast, the only other stadium it would have been a homer in is whatever they are calling the stadium in Houston nowadays.
I’m just going to go back to calling it Enron Field.
The other one was legit, though.
Nonetheless, Eovaldi’s homer tendencies this year are a bit problematic. He has now allowed 17 homers so far this season, the fourth most he’s allowed in any season in his career. Given we are just halfway through June, that’s not what you really want to see.
His six strikeouts leave him just one behind Bronson Arroyo and Jim Whitney, who are currently tied for 210th on the all time strikeout list. Rick Porcello is right behind Eovaldi.
After uncharacteristically walking three batters his last time out, Our Man Nate issued just a single walk on Sunday, indicating the restoration of balance in the universe.
Jakob Junis was supposed to finish out the eighth but ended up getting just two outs and allowing a run in before being pulled for Jacob Latz with two outs in the inning, though it should be noted that another Jake Burger pop fly misadventure on a foul ball contributed to Junis’s problems.
Latz handled things, though, retiring all four batters he faced, so it was all good.
The Rangers started things off with a bang, in the form of a Wyatt Langford leadoff homer in the first, this of the legit variety. Kyle Higashioka hit a three run shot in the second to give the Rangers all the runs they would need in the game. The final two runs came on a Brandon Nimmo bases loaded double, with Nimmo hopefully dispelling the bases-loaded curse the offense has been laden with.
Everyone’s favorite 2020 Rangers draft pick, Justin Foscue, had a 3 for 3 game before Skip Schumaker opted to use offensive catalyst Nicky Lopez as a pinch hitter for him once a righthander came into the game. Foscue is now slashing .268/.321/.451 on the year. That’s pretty good.
And because the Mariners lost, the Rangers are back within a game of first place in the American League West, despite being a game below .500. The Rangers also remain tied with the A’s for WC3, because the American League as a whole hasn’t been all that.
Nathan Eovaldi’s sinker maxed out at 96.2 mph, averaging 94.0 mph. Jakob Junis hit 94.6 mph with his fastball. Jacob Latz’s fastball touched 97.4 mph.
Wyatt Langford’s home run was 106.8 mph. Brandon Nimmo had a 105.6 mph double and a 100.9 mph groundout. Kyle Higashioka had a 104.4 mph single and a 100.2 mph home run. Jake Burger had a 104.3 mph double. Justin Foscue had a 104.3 mph single.
Back home now, for a six game homestand that features a weird off day on Wednesday because of the World Cup.
Jun 14, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Blake Perkins (16) is dunked buy center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) following the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Welcome to week 12 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!
1. Milwaukee Brewers (43-26); 3-3 this week; 95.7% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)
The Brewers hold their lead atop the division with a 3-3 week that felt both much better and much worse. They dropped two of three to the Athletics in a Las Vegas slugfest before winning two of three against the Phillies in Milwaukee over the weekend.
Jackson Chourio raked this week, leading the team with 13 hits, including five homers, driving in 10, scoring eight runs, and slashing .448/.452/.966. Jake Bauers added a pair of homers, while six other players had a homer apiece. William Contreras, who had one of those homers, added a pair of doubles as part of a nine-hit week. Andrew Vaughn went 6-for-14 with a homer, two doubles, and five walks to one strikeout.
Jacob Misiorowski continues to dominate, as he put together one of the best pitching performances I’ve ever witnessed. In a complete game shutout against the Phillies on Friday night, Miz allowed just one hit and struck out an incredible 15 batters on just 95 pitches. Kyle Harrison, who got roughed up in Las Vegas to begin the week, bounced back to toss six shutout frames against the Phils on Sunday to get the win. Grant Anderson, Coleman Crow, Trevor Megill, and Abner Uribe all had scoreless weeks for the bullpen, totaling nine innings with 10 strikeouts.
The Brewers get the day off on Monday before hosting the Guardians for three games. They’ll then head east to visit the Braves and Reds beginning Friday night in Atlanta.
2. St. Louis Cardinals (38-31); 3-3 this week; 45.8% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals also put together a .500 week, taking two of three in New York against the Mets but dropping two of three to the Twins in Minnesota over the weekend.
Alec Burleson slugged five homers for St. Louis this week, adding a double and driving in eight. Iván Herrera tied with JJ Wetherholt for the team lead with eight hits, and Herrera slugged two homers to go with two steals. Jordan Walker drove in a team-high nine thanks to two homers and two doubles.
Dustin May put together the best start of the week for St. Louis, earning the win as he went six scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Andre Pallante allowed two runs and struck out five over six innings in a winning performance, while Matt Svanson led the bullpen with 4 2/3 perfect innings across three appearances, striking out four.
The Cardinals return home for a quick three-game set with the Padres before heading to Kansas City to take on the Royals over the weekend, with an unconventional off day on Saturday thanks to the World Cup, which will host a game at GEHA Field (formerly Arrowhead Stadium) right across the street from Kauffman Stadium that night.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates (36-36); 2-4 this week; 38.3% chance to make postseason
The Pirates had a rough homestand this week, dropping two of three to both the Dodgers and Marlins as they were outscored 42-26 across the six games.
Tyler Callihan, Brandon Lowe, and Bryan Reynolds all had two homers this week, as Reynolds tied with Jake Mangum for the team lead with eight hits. Overall, Reynolds slashed .333/.407/.708 with three doubles and a pair of walks. Spencer Horwitz, Ryan O’Hearn, Nick Gonzales, and Jared Triolo each added five hits on the week.
It was a rough week for the Pittsburgh pitching staff, including ace Paul Skenes, who allowed two runs across six innings in both of his starts, though he still struck out 17 to bring him to 99 for the season. Bubba Chandler allowed two runs and struck out six over 5 2/3 innings, and Braxton Ashcraft allowed two runs and struck out four over five innings. Isaac Mattson, Mason Montgomery, Yohan Ramírez, and Dennis Santana all had scoreless weeks for the bullpen, totaling eight innings with six strikeouts.
Pittsburgh is now headed west, as they’ll visit the A’s (in Sacramento) and Rockies with an off day scheduled for Thursday.
4. Chicago Cubs (37-35); 3-3 this week; 42.9% chance to make postseason
The Cubs were on the West Coast this week, as they dropped two of three against the Rockies before taking two of three in San Francisco against the Giants for a .500 week.
Michael Busch and Ian Happ both homered twice this week, while Pete Crow-Armstrong led the offense with nine hits, including a homer, three doubles, and a triple. Seiya Suzuki and Alex Bregman both homered, as Bregman put up seven hits and Suzuki added six.
Javier Assad and Shota Imanaga led Chicago’s rotation this week, as Assad went six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and Imanaga went five scoreless with seven strikeouts. Ryan Rolison went 3 2/3 scoreless innings across three appearances (including as an opener), striking out three. Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, and Caleb Thielbar were also scoreless for the bullpen, totaling 9 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts.
Chicago will now host the Rockies for their second series in a week before an off day on Thursday. They’ll then welcome the Blue Jays to town for a three-game set this weekend.
5. Cincinnati Reds (33-37); 2-4 this week; 4.8% chance to make postseason
The Reds continue to struggle, as they dropped two of three against the Padres in San Diego before losing a weekend series at home against the Diamondbacks.
Noelvi Marte slugged three homers and a double, though he had just three RBIs for the week. Eugenio Suárez homered and tied Marte for the team lead with six hits, while JJ Bleday added two homers and two doubles. Sal Stewart and Spencer Steer also homered.
All of Cincinnati’s starting pitchers put together a solid week, as Andrew Abbott, Chase Burns, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer, and Rhett Lowder totaled 33 1/3 innings across their six starts (Abbott made two starts), allowing 11 runs (2.97 ERA) and striking out 34. Unfortunately, none of those starts resulted in a win, as they combined to go 0-1, with the lone loss attributed to Abbott. Sam Moll and Tony Santillan were both scoreless for the bullpen.
Cincinnati wraps up the homestand to begin the week with three games against the Mets. After an off day on Thursday, they’ll head to New York to face the Yankees.
Jun 14, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets outfielders Mj Melendez (1), Carson Benge (3) and A.J. Ewing (9) come off the field after defeating the Atlanta Braves 8-1 at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Meet the Mets
With little in the way of problems or roadblocks, the Mets continued New York’s good weekend with a win on Sunday and a series victory over those dastardly Braves.
The Marlins nearly sent Paul Skenes’ ERA up to 3.00 as they left Pittsburgh with a 4-2 win and extended Max Meyer’s season-long winning streak to 15 starts.
Miles Mikolas pitched seven shutout innings and eight different Nationals scored runs in their 10-1 battering of the Mariners.
Doing what they can to help Jacob Misiorowski’s Cy Young case between starts, the Brewers scored four runs off Cristopher Sanchez and handed the Phillies a 4-0 loss.
DALLAS, TEXAS - JANUARY 03: Anthony Davis #3 of the Dallas Mavericks is defended by Amen Thompson #1 of the Houston Rockets during the second half at American Airlines Center on January 03, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. 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 Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Rockets are expected to make some improvements to the roster this offseason, but it remains to be seen which methods they will use to accomplish that.
The Rockets can make some moves in free agency, but the trade market would bring a bigger splash. Bleacher Report contributor Grant Hughes suggests the trade that would send Jabari Smith Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Tari Eason, and a 2027 second-round pick to the Wizards for Anthony Davis.
“Houston adds another veteran star to a timeline that officially pivoted to “win now” when Kevin Durant came aboard while also preserving its ability to put immense size and elite rebounding on the floor at all times. The fit between Davis and Alperen Sengün would be fascinating, even if spacing would be a concern,“ Hughes wrote.
In this hypothetical deal, the Rockets and Wizards would turn this into a sign-and-trade since Eason is a restricted free agent this offseason. Overall, the value isn’t a massive blow to the Rockets. Eason might leave in free agency and Finney-Smith failed to play up to expectations in his first season in Houston. The real loss would be Smith Jr., who was the number three overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.
Smith is one of the rising defenders in the league, and at just 23 years old, he still has a lot of room for growth in his game. Losing him would be a blow, but if the Rockets feel like they are in win-now mode, swapping him for Davis could be a move that helps Houston in the long run.
Davis’ injury history lessens the value Washington can get in a potential trade, but a healthy version of AD would push the Rockets in the right direction. Davis and Sengün would be a strong pair inside with Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson holding down the perimeter.
TDS community, do you like the idea of trading for Davis? Let us know in the comments section below.
There is a lot of smoke surrounding LeBron James and the Warriors this offseason.
But with NBA free agency still weeks away, it’s unclear if Golden State will successfully recruit arguably the greatest player of all time to the Bay Area for the end of his illustrious career.
While some, including NBC Sports Bay Area’s Warriors insider Monte Poole, who reported Thursday, citing a source, that there at least is curiosity on both sides about a potential union, have been reluctant to predict a change of scenery for James this offseason, others, including The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, believe the 22-time All-Star will join Golden State this offseason.
"Before we get to Giannis, LeBron, what happens with that is a good one. This one is a really fun one because the Warriors is really in play now, like for real. I really feel like if I had to bet my life on a team, I'd think I… pic.twitter.com/5TE7bulDKJ
“LeBron, what happens with that is a good one,” Simmons told Zach Lowe on the latest episode of his podcast. “This one is a really fun one because the Warriors is really in play now, like for real. I really feel like if I had to bet my life on a team, I’d think I would bet on them . . . I think that would be the move for me.”
James and his longtime Klutch Sports agent, Rich Paul, have not given any public indication as to which path the 41-year-old might take this offseason as he decides whether he wants to either return to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he has spent the past eight seasons, join a new team, like the Warriors, or potentially retire.
It’s no secret that Golden State, led by general manager Mike Dunleavy, will search high and low for roster upgrades this offseason, and with a handful of NBA stars potentially available this summer, perhaps James might be the most intriguing.
Jun 7, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bubba Chandler (36) pitches the ball against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been slipping over the last week of the season. The Bucs are just 3-7 in their last 10 games and have slipped back to hovering around .500. This might be the time where the team needs to make some aggressive changes, and I think one of those changes should be in the starting rotation.
Bubba Chandler has been very inconsistent this season for Pittsburgh. In an appearnce against the Atlanta Braves, he pitched 5 1/3 innings. He only allowed 1 hit and 2 earned runs and seven strikeouts.
In that game, we saw something we haven’t seen all season and that was Chandler not starting the game. The 23-year-old pitcher came into the game in the second inning, with Mason Montgomery getting the start.
On Saturday, Chandler started agains the Marlins and went for 5 2/3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits with 6 strikeouts. He didn’t get the win.
With the recent inconsistencies that Chandler has had, maybe fresh changes like that is exactly what he needs. Chandler is just 2-7 on the season and has a 4.76 ERA. He has also struggled with walks this season with 41, which is the most by any pitcher on the Pirates pitching staff.
We saw the right-handed pitcher come out of the bullpen last season when he was called up, and he threw well. I think moving Chandler to the bullpen and giving Carmen Mlodzinski his starting rotation role back could be beneficial.
Mlodzinski has shown a lot of promise this season in his 13 games played. The 27 year old pitcher is 4-3 on the season with a 4.02 ERA and a WHIP of 1.40.
I think Chandler has a lot of potential, but the pitching across the board has been a problem for the Pirates over the last couple of weeks. Making some changes like this could light a fire under Chandler and make him a better pitcher.
I don’t think the young pitcher has lived up to his high expectations yet, but this is just his first full season in the majors. If Chandler can be better utilized in relief than as a starting pitcher, the Pirates ought to consider the adjustment. It has the chance to help both the rotation and the bullpen.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 13: Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox takes the field for the first inning of a game against the Texas Rangers on June 13, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I feel like I’m been pretty negative over the last few weeks of Brushback articles. I need to change up my mentality a lil’ bit.
This 2026 Red Sox season, as we all know by now, has been tragic thus far. Not enough offense, the pitching isn’t enough to carry them to victory on most nights in spite of their best efforts, the front office seems completely aimless, yada yada yada. These are things that you haven’t already read before on OTM, be it from me or from any of my colleagues. Frankly, these are themes you’re likely gonna continue to see as the summer progresses as well. The Craig Breslow question isn’t going away anytime soon—well, unless FSG decides to give him a pink slip in the coming days—and even after a series win against the Texas Rangers at home (wait, we’re allowed to win multiple games at Fenway????), the dreams of seeing the Sox qualify for postseason ball seem to be just that at the moment: dreams.
But we’ve got nothing but precious time to complain about all the shit that’s going wrong for Boston. The organizational soap opera will continue, and I frankly don’t want to sit here and repeat the same talking points/complaints each and every week that I sit down to write about this stupid team. I’m sure you don’t want to read the same article over and over and over again, either. What’s the point of essentially copying and pasting the same Brushback article all the time at this point? We’ll have weeks—maybe even months—to perform an autopsy on this season, how poorly the roster was constructed, all that fun stuff. Our regularly scheduled bellyaching will continue long into the dog days, short of something astonishing happening in Boston over the next few months (I’m not holding my breath, but stranger things have happened; after all, the Knicks just won a championship).
So while I can’t sit here and tell you that my entire outlook on the Red Sox is positive—because it clearly isn’t—I at least wanted to shake up the mojo a little bit and shine a light on a guy who I haven’t given enough credit to here on the website: Ceddanne Rafaela.
It’s Monday Morning Brushback time, y’all.
What a year that Boston’s center fielder is having, folks. Through his first 66 games he’s logged a 2.2 fWAR; he’s on pace to smash the career high of 3.8 he set last season. The numbers leading into Saturday’s game don’t lie, as Jake Iggy of BoSox Talk pointed out on The Everything App:
A lil’ bit of traditional stats if you prefer the old school, a lil’ bit of nerdy stats if you don’t like Manny Machado. Either way you slice it: he’s been a productive hitter, as evidenced by the 127 OPS+ he’s notched leading up to Sunday’s finale against Texas.
Now if I told you I was gonna write 1,000-ish words about a guy with a .291/.346/.457 triple slash leading up to that Sunday night matchup at Fenway, you might scratch your head a little. “Sure, that’s a very solid output,” you may think to yourself, “but why are we focusing on him entirely here?”
Well, two things:
Again, I’m trying something positive here to distract myself from the rest of the dumpster fire that is this season, and
Not all 127 OPS+ outputs are created equally
We all knew that Ceddy had some juice in the bat, but the big question with him had been consistency; he’s got a bit of JBJ in him due to his defensive wizardry and his affinity to switch between hot and cold in a jiffy.
One word jumps out at me when looking under the hood when trying to figure out Rafaela’s progression in 2026: competitiveness.
The major issue I had with Ceddanne’s plate approach in the early stages of his career was that he gave up too many ABs too easily. Chasing after junk, not working counts, making bad swing decisions, etc. Even when you are making contact, an approach like that is going to throw you off-kilter when you’re stuck in between.
Now, even when you’re just watching him, Ceddy looks much more comfortable at the plate compared to where he was when he first started in the bigs. Of course, some of that comes with time, but it’s quite noticeable to me nowadays. If you don’t trust the good ol’ eye test: the simple fact that he’s cut his whiff rate by nearly 10 percentage points since the 2024 season, per Savant, should do a lot of the heavy lifting here. He’s not getting fooled as often and that’s allowed him to deal more damage at the dish.
To take it a step forward and to play with my keyword for Rafaela: as of Sunday morning, he ranked within the top 75 (just barely—he was number 75 exactly) of competitive swings across MLB this season. A fancy dancy Statcast metric, a competitive swing is defined as “the fastest 90% of a player’s swings, plus any 60+ MPH swings resulting in an exit velocity of 90+ MPH.” For reference: Ceddy had 1,080 and 1,104 competitive swings in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Rafaela put the ball in play through 31.6% of those competitive swings in 2024 and 36.3% in 2025.
This season, that rate is 38.3%. It’s a marginal improvement, yes, but it’s one that I think speaks to the improved plate approach. A better approach with improved plate discipline leads to fewer whiffs, which leads to more competitive ABs in general, which leads to more competitive swings, which leads to profit.
None of this even mentions the knack Rafaela has to deliver a clutch knock, by the way, which is a trait that he’s certainly shown during his big league tenure.
I don’t know if he’ll get there, but Ceddanne Rafaela deserves to be in Philadelphia this summer. pic.twitter.com/0YuvUn0AbZ
Now, granted, Rafaela might be the beneficiary of some BABIP luck thus far in 2026. His xwOBA and xSLG metrics are both below the 30th percentile leaguewide, and his expected batting average is only around .250 as I’m writing this Sunday morning. The signs of continued progression are there, however, so I’m not totally spooked by those analytics. Improvement isn’t always linear, and he’s still a relatively young guy. There’s more room for growth, and that starts with the game-to-game approach that Ceddy’s implementing in the better’s box.
All of this is to say that Ceddanne Rafaela has to be an All-Star. He probably doesn’t start the game over Byron Buxton, sure, but who else has an obvious claim to an outfield position over him this season? The only guy I can think of who would steal a spot over Ceddy is probably Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners due to his power numbers and his star status, but I’ll take the guy who’s OPS is 50 points higher and is a platinum glove type of fielder. Get Ceddanne to the Midsummer Classic, baby.
Is the team bad? Yes. Is this going to be a long summer in Boston? Probably. Is the future unclear? I’m too scared to answer that question in earnest. But do we have Ceddanne Rafaela patrolling center? Yes, yes we certainly do. So we got that going for us, which is nice.
Meanwhile there was high drama at Wantage Road, where Calvin Harrison blazed 92 from 100 balls to give Northamptonshire a seven-wicket victory over Gloucestershire with just 13 balls to spare
Mostly positive, with sunny spells, though there are some showers moving north and east. At Wantage Road, they’re starting to mop up.
A huge wicket! Joe Clarke is bowled by Jake Ball, who was substituted in half way through the game because of Gregory’s hamstring. Delight for Somerset, despair for Clarke who was done for pace. Notts 51-4,
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 28: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket against Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at the TD Garden on October 28, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Citi used to have a student loan management operation headquartered here in Sioux Falls.
Some years ago, they announced they were getting out of the student loan business, and that put a big question mark around the people in that department.
Citi hadn’t announced layoffs—in fact they hadn’t announced anything.
At one point, I asked a friend of mine who worked in that department if she’d heard anything.
Her response: “I don’t listen to what people are saying, because the people who know what’s going on aren’t talking.”
But here we are, talking once again about Giannis for Jaylen.
I’d love to put my friend’s advice to work here—and indeed, I suspect that most of the people talking are talking through their hats—but I can’t because these rumors have become the story to cover, and I am, as a fan, caught up in all this.
I have no insight whatsoever into what’s actually going on—an admission that I wish more talking heads would make before they repeat unsourced rumors.
What we’ve got is a situation where once again, we’ve collectively put Jaylen Brown on the trading block.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 21: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts during the Boston Celtics Victory Event & Parade following their 2024 NBA Finals win at TD Garden on June 21, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images) | Getty Images
And, honestly, this is a weird place to be as a fan — at least those of us who are fans of Jaylen Brown. The guy has always been a polarizing figure among Celtics fans, which is probably why these trade rumors catch fire whenever they crop up.
There’s a subset of fans who are positively eager to see him gone. One or two of them might even chip in on the cost of moving van rentals. I’ve never understood these fans.
I like JB. I think that he struggled a bit with maturity on the court early on — he might have benefitted from a couple extra seasons of college ball — but he’s grown up into a valuable member of the team both in terms of what he does for himself, but also in terms of what he does for his teammates.
The C’s seem to have given up on designating team captains, but JB has basically taken up that mantle in all but name.
So it’s uncomfortable for me as a fan to think about trading him to another team in exchange for a superstar who might be on the verge of having his body break down on him (I can’t help but think of Kemba Walker when I look at Giannis’ age and the nagging injuries that he had all last season) — and who can walk at the end of next season if he wants to (shades of Kyrie).
It’s uncomfortable to be a Schrödinger’s fan when it comes to Jaylen — and Giannis. Am I supposed to look forward to JB’s contributions to the C’s next season, or am I supposed to get excited about seeing what Giannis can do?
It’s pretty hard to try to steer a middle ground through this. In fact, I’d say that it’s about as impossible as having an atom simultaneously be in a state of stability and decay. Ambiguity doesn’t work in some cases. Either we want Jaylen on the team next season or we want Giannis. I don’t think we can logically want both.
Adding further to the quandary is the fact that we have zero say in what actually happens. No matter how much we like Jaylen or doubt Giannis’ ability to contribute at a high level for the next few years, if Stevens is going to pull the trigger on this trade, he’s going to do so based on input from people who aren’t us.
All we want is certainty, and certainty is the last thing that’s on offer at the moment.
So here we are… Caught between two possible outcomes and trying to find solid footing on the shifting, slippery, oozy foundation of unsubstantiated rumors.
Frankly, I tend to have my doubts about the rumors that have been swirling for a month now simply because they’ve been swirling for a month now.
Again, I don’t know how Boston’s front office works, and I don’t know that they’ve done anything other than kick the tires on a Giannis deal—which any responsible front office needs to do. But this lingering chatter, these leaks, this doesn’t feel like the way Boston does business.
It doesn’t take that long to hammer out a deal.
It feels like Milwaukee is trying to drive up the return for a player who’s got only one year guaranteed, some nagging injuries, and a growing reputation as a malcontent.
I don’t know that Boston made an offer for Giannis back when these rumors started, but I’d be very surprised if that offer was an open-ended one. I don’t think Boston put an offer out as soon as their season ended with the idea that it would just sit with no expiration date while Milwaukee used it in an attempt to solicit better deals from other teams.
I always ask myself what people who leak rumors like these gain by leaking them. I mean, either these rumors are coming straight from the horse’s mouth or they’re being exaggerated somewhere down the line, by people who are distorting what they’ve heard for their own particular ends, ends that have nothing to do with objective reporting.
But here’s the thing. I may have my suspicions that these rumors are being started in bad faith, but there’s no certainty to these suspicions.
My skepticism has no more firm a foundation than the credulity of someone who believes that this is all smoke, and where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
But this is where I find myself as a fan.
I have an outcome that I would prefer—that Jaylen remains with the Celtics—and I’m constructing a rationale to justify it.
I don’t like living in this space.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – JUNE 13: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy after the victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. 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 Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Congrats to the Knicks
When the Knicks came back and beat the Jaylen Brown-less Celtics in game 80 of the regular season, I remember quipping to my brother, “Gee, you’d think they won the Finals.”
Well, whaddya know.
The important thing, as Celtics fans, is that we overreact to the Knicks, put them on a pedestal, and assume that only a major overhaul of the Boston roster will be sufficient to catch up with them.
SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY - MAY 05: Detailed view of the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery set at the NHL Network Studio on May 5, 2026 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Assuming the Pittsburgh Penguins stick with their choice at the 22nd overall pick on June 26th (which would be a decent-sized assumption based on Kyle Dubas’ history of trading down in the first round), which players might be around for them? Overall, the 2026 draft is now considered in some circles somewhat weak and disappointing compared to what it looked like it was shaping into earlier in the process.
Here’s a look at draft rankings and how they average out to set a baseline of what could happen, especially when it comes to prospects like Ryan Lin or Wyatt Cullen. This graphic suggests neither will still be on the board at No. 22.
Rankings are updated with a few new additions, and here is the landscape.
The NHL draft, it should be said, is nearly impossible to project. Too many players come from too many different countries and leagues to standardize or predict what 32 teams are thinking when they rank their players. Sometimes players get picked way higher than pre-draft expectations – take Ben Kindel going 11th overall last season which was far higher than almost anyone would have predicted going into the event. Kindel’s 2025-26 performance showed that was more about what the scouting/pre-draft community didn’t know in their analysis of his game.
However, the overall listings can show set some expectations.
With that in mind, we can probably starting zeroing in for the following:
20: Nikita Klepov
21: Ilia Morozov
22: J.P. Hulbert
23: Xavier Villeneuve
24: Juho Piiparinen
25: Maddox Dagenais
Klepov, is “is a highly skilled playmaker who flashed his skill level in the USHL last year and led the OHL in scoring this year with 97 points in 67 games,” per The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. Puck skills and scoring ability is the name of his game in scouting reports, with exciting upside as a summer birthday to make him a younger prospect than many in the class. Concerns or limitations look like compete level at his size (6’0, 180) and not being the most dynamic skater for a winger.
Morozov seems to be a player sent to the Penguins in many mock drafts. A natural center with good size (6’3, 205), Morozov (no relation to former Penguin Aleksey) is also on the younger side for players in the draft. He’s cited by Wheeler as being a “pro-built center who has a good feel for timing on both sides of the puck and plays off his linemates well”, with some concerns about his offensive ceiling at the pro level.
Per Wheeler, Hulbert was “fourth in the WHL in scoring with 42 goals and 97 points in 68 games and playing both center and the wing effectively. He also finished second in the league in shots on goal with 294. He wasn’t viewed as a first-rounder coming into the season, but he made a ton of plays (though he has regressed a little down the stretch) to put himself in the mid-to-late first range”. He would seem to fit the Dubas profile in a lot of ways for being a WHL player, versatile in center/wing ability, highly productive with well-rounded game and competitiveness to boot. Hulbert also played on Harrison Brunicke’s junior team, so he certainly will be a player that Pittsburgh has kept tabs on throughout the season.
Villeneuve could be a high-risk, high-reward type of prospect. Wheeler says of the left shot defender, “this season, he continued to make plays at a high rate, was playing above a point per game, and led all D in shots on goal before a hip injury shut him down in early January, after his production had regressed a little following a hot start. He returned in time for the playoffs and was up and down for me in recent viewings. He didn’t meet my expectations this season on the whole, even factoring in the time lost”. Villeneuve is slight at 5’10 and 164 pounds, but everyone is looking for that Cole or Lane Hutson type of slick, offensively gifted defenseman. Villeneuve has some dynamic skill but also some questions to answer about projectability and whether or not he will take off.
Piiparinen could be described as the anti-Villeneuve. From Wheeler, “he’s an August birthday who’s already very polished, is a superb athlete, and has shown more offense at Finland’s junior level; he has played a more reserved/vanilla style at the pro level and at times internationally”. The 6’2, 204 pound left shot defender is known for steady, effective play, thinking the game well and making the little choices around the ice when it comes to playing the puck or taking proper positioning, with questions about his skill and just how high his ceiling might be.
Dagenais takes us back to the land of good-sized centers at almost 6’4 and 200 pounds. Wheeler writes, “Dagenais is a pro-sized forward who, at his best, stays around and on the puck and shows confidence holding and shooting it. When he’s engaged, going to the net, winning board battles and stacking positive shifts, he looks like a future middle-sixer NHLer who’s going to score 20 goals. He has good skill.” Concerns on him include a concussion history, possible pace and consistency issues.
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While meant as a little primer for names that could be in the range for the Pens’ pick, the truth is that without knowing their board it would be impossible to see what direction they might go for making the pick. Some-to-all of these players could be available and a perceived ‘reach’ for a different player happens all the time in the NHL draft. This grouping of players provides a good place to start, even if it still very possibly could not be where the Penguins decide to end up going. This range of candidates is out there as some names to read up on in the event they are who Pittsburgh is picking through when it comes time to making their first pick.
One of the more fun things to do in statistics is what I lovingly call the Player A and B test. It is more of psychological ploy than anything else. Unfortunately, we have feelings that get attached to every player on or off our team. So, comparing two players is next to impossible when their names are attached. That comes with positive and negative bias. For instance, comparing Jose Altuve to any historical second baseman is nearly unfair. We have all kinds of baggage attached that muddies the waters there.
I did not invent the Player A and B test. Standing on the shoulders of giants leaves me cold (bonus to anyone that gets that reference). We simply compare numbers and remove the names. One of the troubles is that some numbers become identifiers by themselves. Like if I say that Player A drove in 191 runs in a season then you automatically know I am referring to Hack Wilson.
In this edition of the test, we are comparing one Astros pitcher to a historical pitcher. We will prorate the numbers to assume a full season for this Astros pitcher. In doing so, hopefully we will muddy the identities just enough to make this a fun exercise. We will include some basic numbers and then another table with some sabermetric numbers. First, let’s start with some basic numbers.
GS
INN
W-L
ERA
HRA
Player A
33
193.1
9-21
5.73
34
Player B
32
178.2
7-19
5.86
42
Unfortunately, this is one of those cases where if you know your baseball history then you already know the two pitchers. Of course, I am going to reveal it at the end, so if you don’t know you can live in suspense. I should point out that Pitcher A surrendered more home runs than any pitcher in the league in that season and Player B did too. Otherwise, these pitchers look extremely similar and that is always the fun part of the Player A and B test.
I should also point out that both pitchers are in very similar stages of their respective careers at this point. Player A is 25 while Player B is 26, so both respective teams could collectively believe that these pitchers could grow and turn into something. However, this is usually where the comparisons break down. The era is different. The home ballparks are different. The teams are different. So, there is a ton that gets in the way of suggesting these two were separated from birth.
There are some numbers I like for quick reference at baseball-reference.com. I should point out that these aren’t the only numbers out there and some of the more analytically minded will point out they may not be the best ones. However, they are fairly easy to interpret, so they make a comparison like this easy. ERA+ measures a pitcher’s ERA against the league average with a ballpark adjustment included. 100 is average with everything under that being below average. Most of you are familiar with bases per out which has become a bit of a signature for me. The lower the better on that front.
Weighted adjusted average percentage calculates what a pitcher’s winning percentage would be with an average team. So, this includes average run support, average bullpen support, and average defense behind the pitcher. This immediately spills us into a neutral record. You simply multiply the adjusted percentage by the total number of decisions. Finally, we get the percentage of quality starts for the pitcher.
ERA+
BPO
waaPCT
NW-NL
QS%
Player A
75
.783
.451
14-16
42
Player B
73
.931
.491
13-13
21
These are two very similar pitchers in most respects. The BPO is radically different but Player B somehow comes out looking better in the subsequent categories. This is because he had bad batted ball luck. Of course, I am being cagey in order to avoid spilling the beans on who we are talking about, but these numbers likely have left enough bread crumbs for you to figure out at least one of the pitchers.
Neither of these are good pitchers, but the adjusted won-loss records show that neither is as bad as they look initially. They pitched in different eras which could account for the quality start percentage. However, the innings totals are not all that different and even when we include the era and ballpark adjustment, we see that these two pitchers are very comparable.
The Big Reveal
Player A is Mike Maroth from 2003 and Player B is Mike Burrows from this season with his numbers prorated to the end of the season. The situations are obviously vastly different which is why this is such a big deal. Those 2003 Tigers lost 119 games. They were never in the hunt, so they were just happy that someone was there to give them some innings. As soon as the Tigers were ready to be competitive then they were ready to move on from Maroth.
Burrows is in a different situation. For one, he was supposed to be a number two starter, That obviously hasn’t worked out, but the adjusted winning percentage shows he hasn’t been as bad as the numbers would suggest. However, the team has designs on getting back in the race, so they have to weigh the benefits of getting five innings every time out with a pitcher giving up runs at a pace that has them on pace to lose most of his starts.
I’m not supposed to make declarative statements in the lab and I really can’t in this case. On the one hand, every important metric points towards positive regression. On the other hand, it is hard to be patient and wait that out when every loss hurts. This is one of those decisions where I can’t damn them either way they go. What do you think? Would you pull Burrows from the rotation when Hunter Brown returns?
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 14: Bryce Elder #55 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 14, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a tough week for the Atlanta Braves, as they finished 1-4 for the week as a whole after losing to the Mets 8-1 on Sunday. While the Braves were the best team in baseball on the road entering the week, every team is bound to have these stretches at least a few times a season.
While better days will happen soon, the Braves starting pitching also will remain a concern going forward. Spencer Strider will be meeting this week with the same doctor who did his elbow surgeries in the past, which is certainly not the best news. Bryce Elder is working through regression and the Braves in general are managing the staff to ensure the bullpen does not get overused. It is not an ideal situation, but hopefully reinforcements will be here soon to make things a bit easier.
Braves News
The Braves best MLB hitter and minor league hitter, Drake Baldwin and Eric Hartman, both hit home runs on the farm on Saturday. Baldwin was not in action Sunday as his game was postponed, so it will be interesting to see what they means for his return at some point this week.
MLB News
The White Sox are continuing to surprise, and validating they are no fluke, with series wins over the Braves and Dodgers this week.
The Brewers were able to find success against Christopher Sanchez in a win over the Phillies on Sunday.
The Knicks finally won their first title in 53 years behind Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, but with massive contracts looming and the second apron approaching, keeping this core together may be even harder than winning it all.
Let's take a second and actually sit with this. The New York Knicks are NBA champions. The trophy is real, the 53-year drought is over, and the parade is set for Thursday. For a city that spent the better part of three decades being the league's most glamorous punch line, this is the moment that changes everything -- the before and the after, the line in the sand that separates the dark years from whatever comes next.
Now comes the hard part.
Winning a championship is one thing. Staying on top is another conversation entirely, and the Knicks are about to learn that the second part of this story is significantly more complicated than the first. The roster that just won the title is expensive, aging at the margins, and sitting on the edge of a financial cliff that the entire organization has been quietly navigating for two years. The window is real. The question is how long it stays open.
Start where it all started, with Jalen Brunson -- who etched his name into Knicks lore after claiming the Finals MVP by dropping 45 in a closeout game on the road -- and the contract. When Brunson signed his four-year, $156.5 million extension in 2024, he left an estimated $113 million on the table, a decision that at the time felt almost too good to be true for a franchise that had spent years making the wrong moves at the wrong times. Two years later, he's the face of a championship team and the reason the roster around him was good enough to get it done.
The math is simple: no discount, no OG extension, no Bridges trade, no KAT. No title.
But here's where the math gets complicated. Next summer, Brunson will be eligible for a projected four-year, $257 million extension. If he waits until 2028, that number could balloon to five years and $417 million. He already telegraphed his position on this earlier in the year. "Obviously, we'd love for them to do right by me," he toldVanity Fair. "I think anyone would. I feel like I sacrificed." He's not wrong to say it. He earned every penny of whatever comes next. But paying him what he deserves -- and what he's owed -- is going to set off a chain reaction that reshapes everything the Knicks have built.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart both have contracts expiring by the summer of 2028, which turns that season into a potential pivot point for the entire roster. The Knicks have essentially been operating on borrowed time, building a championship window while keeping one eye on the second apron threshold established by the new CBA to limit dynasty-building. Sustaining championship-level rosters under the current collective bargaining agreement is harder than ever, and the second apron has fundamentally changed how organizations allocate money. The Knicks have been dancing right on the edge of it. That dance is about to get a lot more complicated.
So what does running it back actually look like? The core is intact for at least one more season. Brunson, KAT, OG, Bridges, and Hart are all under contract for 2026-27. The Knicks have the capability to run back all or most of their team for next season's title defense, and the expectation is that they will. Defending champions with this much continuity and this much to prove don't blow it up after one ring. They come back hungrier. That's the easy part.
Elsa / Getty Images
The trickier question is 2028 and beyond. When Brunson's extension hits and the KAT and Hart contracts expire in the same summer, the Knicks are going to face a roster crossroads that no amount of championship equity can fully solve. Do you pay Brunson the max and build around an aging point guard coming into his mid-30s? Do you let Towns walk and rebuild the frontcourt around Brunson and OG? Do you find a way to keep everyone and absorb the luxury tax bill that would make even Madison Square Garden's ownership wince?
None of those are easy answers. All of them have real consequences.
And then there's the larger question, the one that gets at the soul of what just happened in New York. Will we ever see a run like this again?
The honest answer is probably not exactly like this. What Brunson did in 2024 was singular. His decision to play on a below-market contract could be one that catches on among other NBA superstars, but the realities of the current CBA make it a binary choice -- maximize earning potential or maximize championship equity. You can't fully have both anymore. Brunson chose championships. He got one. The bill is coming.
What the Knicks have going for them is something that can't be manufactured with cap space or trade assets. They have a culture now. They have an identity. They have a city that showed up every single night and made MSG the most hostile building in the league all postseason. That doesn't go away because the roster shifts. It gets built on.
But make no mistake: The window that opened in 2024 when Brunson took less than he was worth is the same window that's going to start closing the moment he gets paid what he deserves. The Knicks bought themselves two extraordinary years with that discount. They used them perfectly.
Now they get to find out if they can do it all over again -- this time, the hard way.
Jun 13, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) hits a single against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images
The Dodgers are back home for their final homestand of June, so let’s look at some news and notes from over the weekend.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto taking a perfect game into the eighth inning was the highlight of the road trip, and the right-hander has allowed only four runs in 35 2/3 innings over his last five starts. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register talked with pitching coach Mark Prior and others about Yamamoto:
“He can attack the plate on both sides from ball-to-strike better than anybody I’ve ever seen. He has that ability to do that when he’s on,” Prior said. “That makes it tough on hitters. You don’t know if the ball is coming at them, from the right side or the left side, and going in.
“That’s what makes him special. It’s not just the amount of pitches. It’s the ability to throw them in four different quadrants and have pretty good execution and efficiency with it. That’s what makes him special.”
“I haven’t found any way that gives me that tranquility and peace,” he told The Times in Spanish two weeks ago. “Because the way things are there, what’s always on your mind is that it could happen. Anything, anytime. And I have all my family in Cuba. So, you have to live with that worry all the time.”
Betts’ bat-to-ball skills are intact. His whiff rates (96th percentile) and strikeout rate (91st percentile) continue to be among the league’s best, and he is regularly hitting the ball on a line. He is keeping the ball off the ground just as he did in his last truly elite offensive season in 2023.
It just hasn’t always been the right type of contact in the air. His percentage of pulled fly balls (21 percent, entering Sunday) is the lowest he’s had in a season since 2019. Most of that contact is going up the middle …
