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Dodgers play next 13 days in a row. Here come the pitching moves

Los Angeles, CA - April 10: Manager Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on as pitcher Justin Wrobleski throws in the bullpen prior to a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images

The Dodgers had four off days through the first three weeks of the regular season, including a Sunday off plus three Thursdays in a row without a game. Their longest stretch thus far has been six days in a row with games. But the schedule is about to get much busier.

The Dodgers have four games at Coors Field in Denver beginning Friday night, before completing the road trip in San Francisco for three games. Then comes a homestand against the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins. That’s 13 days in a row with a game.

Get ready for the pitching carousel to really get moving. Going into the trip, the Dodgers bullpen is about as well set up as possible, outside of concerns about Edwin Díaz. Dodgers starters in three games against the New York Mets pitched 21 2/3 innings, leaving a well-rested bullpen going into this weekend. Dodgers relievers this season have pitched 58 1/3 innings in 18 games, the second-smallest workload in MLB.

That said, playing 13 days in a row will be taxing on any pitching staff. If anything goes awry, that could have a ripple effect over a few games. Reinforcements will be needed, and fresh arms will be required. You can count on it.

Last season, the Dodgers had five stretches of at least 10 game days in a row, and here are all the pitchers they added to the active roster during those times.

May 2-11

10 days, 3 additions

J.P. Feyereisen was called up, with Yoendrys Gómez designated for assignment. Then Feyereisen was optioned the next day to call up Landon Knack. Evan Phillips went on the injured list and Matt Sauer came up.

May 30-June 11

13 days, 9 additions

Noah Davis was called up when Luis García went on the injured list. Will Klein was acquired from the Mariners and Davis was optioned. Ryan Loutos was called up and Chris Stratton was designated for assignment. Klein was optioned after one day with José Ureña signed to a major league deal. Justin Wrobleski was called up with Knack optioned. Chris Stratton was re-signed with Loutos designated for assignment. Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates were activated off the IL, with Tony Gonsolin landing on the IL and Stratton designated for assignment again. Sauer was called up and Ureña was designated for assignment.

June 13-22

10 days, 3 additions

Emmet Sheehan was activated off the IL, and Sauer was optioned. One day later, Sheehan was optioned and Jack Little called up. Little was sent down one day later with Klein recalled.

August 15-27

13 days, 4 additions

Paul Gervase was called up with Alexis Díaz sent down. Gervase was optioned one day later with Sauer called up. Sauer was also optioned after one day with Tanner Scott returning from the injured list. Yates returned from the IL with Blake Snell going on paternity leave. Snell was activated three days later with Alex Vesia placed on the injured list.

September 12-21

10 days, 1 addition

Kopech was placed on the injured list, and Klein was recalled.

The September stretch came when active roster limits allow for 14 pitchers instead of 13, making it easier to absorb heavier workloads. But last season during the period with 13 active pitchers, the team had four stretches of playing at least 10 days in a row, and added at least three pitchers to the active roster during each stretch.

Having Shohei Ohtani fully stretched out now, and him not counting against the 13-pitcher roster limit, will mitigate the need for coverage somewhat, but pitching roster moves still seem inevitable for this stretch of games over the next 13 days.

Today’s question is how many pitchers will the Dodgers add to the active roster from April 17-29?

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Angels announce death of MLB legend Garret Anderson at age 53

Garret Anderson, one of the greatest and most beloved players in Los Angeles Angels history, has died at the age of 53, the team announced April 17.

Anderson, a three-time All-Star who helped lead the Angels to the 2002 World Series championship, played the majority of his 17-year career with the Angels. He holds franchise record for games played (2,013), hits (2,368), runs scored (1,024), RBIs (1,292), and total bases (3,743). He ranked second behind only Hall of Famer Derek Jeter for the most hits from 1997-2003.

Anderson, the 2003 All-Star Game MVP and Home Run Derby winner, had been working for the Angels as a broadcaster.

“The Angels organization is mourning the loss of one of our franchise’s most beloved icons," said Angels owner Arte Moreno in a statement.  “Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success...

"Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class, and loyalty throughout his career and beyond. His admiration and respect for the game was immeasurable. We extend our deepest condolences to Garret’s wife Teresa, daughters Brianne and Bailey, son Garret ‘Trey’ Anderson III, and his entire family.”

Anderson, who became only the second player in baseball history in 2000 to hit more home runs (35) than walks (24), finished fourth in the AL MVP race in 2002 when the Angels won the World Series. He hit .306 with 29 homers and 123 RBIs, while scoring a career-high 93 runs.

Anderson retired in 2011 and was inducted into the Angels’ Hall of Fame in 2016.

“It is with mixed emotions that I have decided to retire from baseball," Anderson said in his retirement statement. “I know I will miss many aspects of the game, the grind of playing every day, hitting with the game on the line, the clubhouse banter, making a good defensive play, the guys, the roar of the crowd after a win, and the friendships made throughout the years. It was truly a privilege to play this wonderful game and for that I want to thank several individuals."

Anderson grew up in Granada Hills, California, and was selected in the fourth round of the 1990 amateur draft. He spent five years in the minors before making his MLB debut July 27, 1994 against Oakland with his first hit off Ron Darling. He finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 1995 behind Marty Cordova of the Minnesota Twins.

He was one of the game’s most durable players, playing an average of 156 games per year his first eight seasons. He finished with 2,529 hits and a career .293 batting average.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Garret Anderson dies at 53: Angels legend won World Series in LA

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Braves Biweekly: so far, so good through mid-April

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 14: Dominic Smith #8 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates after hitting an RBI double in the eighth inning during the game against the Miami Marlins at Truist Park on April 14, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

“Biweekly” is kind of a dumb word. It means both “twice a week” and “once every two weeks,” and apparently, there’s no effort to create a new word to mean one of those, so that “biweekly” can be reserved for the other. To be clear, by “biweekly” here, I mean “every two weeks.”

In the offseason, someone suggested that we do a more regular check-in on the Braves and their players. I used to do monthly recaps, but those weren’t really ever a “check in,” and there were only six of them a year. (Plus, I didn’t do the September one sometimes.) On the flip side, doing a very frequent check in series can feel a bit like whiplash, because baseball is a game of accumulation of marginally different rates of stuff happening over long-ish periods, so talking about what happened in one week feels weird. So, there you go, that’s how I got to biweekly. Hopefully this fulfills the request for a “check in.” If there’s something you want to see in this pseudo-review, let me know.

How are the Braves doing?

Through mid-April, the Braves are, nominally, doing pretty well. They’re 12-7, which pro-rates out to a 102-win season if kept up over the entirety of the campaign.

  • They have baseball’s third-best record.
  • They lead the division by three games (over the Marlins and Nationals).
  • They have baseball’s second-best run differential and BaseRuns differential. (BaseRuns is basically just the set of outcomes possible at the plate — walks, singles, doubles, outs, etc., weighted by how valuable they are. BaseRuns differential is basically just the difference between the different types of outcomes the batters have collected, and what the pitching and fielding have allowed to opposing batters.)
  • They’re top five in pretty much every position player thing (fWAR, fielding value, offensive outputs, offensive inputs).
  • The pitching is a little iffier: they have the league’s best ERA-, but the eighth-best FIP- and 12th-best xFIP-. The defense, and some luck, are going a very long way to making this team look like it has elite run prevention, even though it’s probably somewhat worse than that (but still above-average).

One very amusing consideration is whether you feel the Braves are doing great or not probably depends on your expectations. If you were emotionally pummeled by 2025 (and maybe even by 2024 for whatever reason), 2026 might feel awesome so far. But, the Braves were projected to be a solid team this year, so a 12-7 stretch across a fairly easy schedule (by my estimate, only four teams have had an easier schedule so far) has had very limited impacts on the Braves’ expected end-of-season wins or playoff fortunes. As of April 16, they are projected (FanGraphs Steamer/ZiPS blend, point estimate) for 90 wins, with playoff odds of 84 percent; preseason, it was 90 wins and playoff odds of 79 percent. So, on the one hand, yeah, woo, go Braves — still undefeated in series. On the other hand, this is probably what they should’ve been doing.

A few other considerations:

  • If you go game-by-game in terms of odds, the Braves should’ve been somewhere between 10-9 or 11-8. Their “best” win (lowest pregame odds) was the rubber game in Anaheim (8-2), while their “worst” loss was the Athletics game where they started Jose Suarez. So, nothing that weird happened in these first few weeks in terms of specific games.
  • The Braves are substantially underperforming their run differential and BaseRuns differential. If they weren’t, then I think everyone would be impressed by their record. But, on the flip side, they’re actually not underperforming their xwOBA offensively for once, which is why I can title this post “so far, so good” and not “welp the increased drag on the balls is killing them once again, hope it improves in the summer.”

How are the hitters doing?

Alright, enough text.

It’s a little irresponsible to include that last column, hence the grayscale, but I wanted to keep it to show how these will change over time. The trio of Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson, and Dominic Smith are killing the ball, with results even better than their inputs. Mauricio Dubon is almost there, but his inputs are notably worse — though much improved from when he was just getting a bunch of hits with almost no oomph very early in the season.

Actually, let’s do a different view:

This should be fairly self-explanatory, but in case it isn’t, bubble size is scaled based on PAs so far. Really, three things to note here beyond much of the team raking: Mike Yastrzemski is sad, Ozzie Albies is lucky, and Michael Harris II is unlucky.

Only one player (Josh Naylor), has both more PAs than Harris, and a bigger xwOBA underperformance. Harris’ inputs are fairly close to say, Olson’s — but their outputs so far are worlds apart. On the flip side, only Yandy Diaz has more PAs than Albies and a bigger overperformance (though a lot of guys are close in terms of PAs and overperformance). It’s not weird to have these sorts of things be true for any few-week stretch, but Albies has a history of overperformance and Harris has a history of underperformance so… watch this space?

Context-less stats are all well and good, but these guys are playing games where they come up in specific situations. We all know about Smith’s heroics — his 1.12 WPA so far is actually seventh in MLB among position players right now. His game-winning double against the Marlins resulted in the third-highest WPA game for a batter so far this season. That said, I also want to give a shoutout to Olson, who currently leads the team with six games with a WPA above .06. He hasn’t had that huge hit yet, but his consistent production has made big hits unnecessary in many games, as well. And, of course, there’s Austin Riley, whose challenges with the WPA vortex are well-documented at this point. I won’t dwell on it too long, but Riley’s -0.78 WPA is just barely outside the bottom ten in baseball right now, with the biggest insult layered on top of insult coming from the fact that his worst WPA game so far was supposed to be a day off, and instead he ate -0.18 WPA after coming in late and making two outs in key situations.

How are the pitchers doing?

We’re very much in small sample land here:

Bryce Elder has been killing it. Chris Sale was killed in one start, so his through-four-starts line is very un-Sale-like. Grant Holmes and Reynaldo Lopez are somewhat concerning, but it’s only been a few outings, and maybe they find their footing — they were both better in their most recent starts, despite the Marlins sprinkling BABIP all over their box score lines. Still, each of these guys have had positive WPA so far (in large part thanks to the stellar defense behind them) — even if Elder is the unquestionable rotation MVP of these first few games of the season.

I’m not going to bother with reliever stuff at this point because, well, the bullpen innings leader right now is Osvaldo Bido, who just got DFAed. That said, I do want to note that Raisel Iglesias is currently second on the team among pitchers in fWAR with 0.4 — a far cry from his terrible start that kind of doomed the Braves before they ever got going last year. He’s been nearly perfect, and has four of the team’s ten shutdowns (which is a relief appearance with +.06 WPA or more). Among the “steady” relievers that are expected to stay on the roster, only Aaron Bummer has had a rocky start, but we’re still talking just like five innings here.

Anyway, that’s what I got. What else would you like to see (or not see) in future biweekly updates (remember: that means every two weeks here!)?

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This Week in Mets Quotes: Your 2026 New York Mets

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 15: Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets looks on from the dugout during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on April 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Your 2026 New York Mets: Hello darkness, my old friend…

“It’s not a good showing right now. They’re pissed, frustrated, obviously not happy about it. And I want them to be pissed.” -Carlos Mendoza [The Athletic]

…I’ve come to talk with you again

“If we don’t score runs, it’s hard to win.” -Francisco Lindor [The Athletic]

Because a vision softly creeping

“It’s surprising, but you go through these things — maybe this is a bit extreme, probably. I don’t really got much to say other than we can’t explain it, and we’ll keep on working to figure it out.” -Bo Bichette [The Athletic]

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

“We’re not doing damage on pitches in the strike zone, guys are being passive, guys are getting ahead of us, and then we’re chasing and hitting the ball on the ground. Right now it’s just quick innings.” -Carlos Mendoza [The Athletic]

And the vision that was planted in my brain

“Each April I’ve been here has been pretty similar, where we don’t score as many runs as we’d like and then the weather warms up and balls start flying out of the ballpark. We probably haven’t scored quite as many runs as we’d like, but that’s a pretty talented position player group that’s going to get going. We’re going to score runs.” -David Stearns [The Athletic]

Still remains

“Guys have got to start playing better. It’s as simple as that. They’re too talented. But right now, we’re not seeing anything on the field.” -Carlos Mendoza [MLB]

Within the sound of silence

“It’s weird because that’s not [Francisco Lindor]. It’s hard to explain. And he’ll be the first one. He’ll tell you that he’s got to be better. But yeah, never seen some of those plays that he’s just out of position at times.” -Carlos Mendoza [ESPN]

In restless dreams I walked alone

“Not sure. I feel like I’m locked in. I feel like I’m in the game. It just happens. Got to be better.” -Francisco Lindor [ESPN]

Narrow streets of cobblestone

“[Francisco Lindor’s] the same guy. He shows up. He prepares. He works as hard as anybody. He wants to win. I don’t think it’s got anything to do with who’s in the lineup and who’s not. It’s weird.” -Carlos Mendoza [ESPN]

‘Neath the halo of a street lamp

“I went after the ball and Marcus was there and didn’t make it to second base and we didn’t turn the double play.” -Francisco Lindor [New York Post]

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

“The biggest thing was I wasn’t able to control very many pitches near the strike zone or over the plate.” -Kodai Senga [New York Post]

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

“It wasn’t a bad pitch, but I’ve seen [Nick Kurtz before]. He has a very good swing. He is a power hitter. He is a tall guy. He did what he needed to do with that pitch. I tip my hat to him.” -Freddy Peralta [MLB]

That split the night

“I know we are way better than this. We have a great team. We believe in each other and I know that we are going to do better… I know there are a lot of people who want us to win. We want to win, too. Sometimes this is baseball. We have to get through this.” -Freddy Peralta [MLB]

And touched the sound of silence

“Honestly, when you’re out there, you don’t really feel the score. At least in my opinion, you’re just out there trying to execute each pitch. Obviously at any given moment, somebody can clip you for a home run, or things can get haywire. But you’re just trying to execute each pitch.” -Nolan McLean [MLB]

“You wish we could have gotten it done for [McLean] — and for everyone else here. But it’s one of those where he pitched his butt off today. Even though he wasn’t feeling the best probably at the beginning of the game, then all of the sudden he gave us the momentum every single inning. We’ve got to do our best to win games like this.” -Francisco Lindor [MLB]

“I played hard, I played with passion every single day. I’m a fiery guy, but you know I cared. I wanted to win, I wanted to do well. I think the fans knew that. I want to be known as a player who played the game the right way, gave it his all, and enjoyed being in the Mets organization.” -Jeff McNeil [Twitter]

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Detroit Pistons announce launch of "Pistons Collectibles"

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DETROIT, MI – cllct, the collectibles and memorabilia infrastructure company, today announced a partnership with the Detroit Pistons launching Pistons Collectibles, a new collectibles and memorabilia platform.

The platform debuts with Motor City Mint, the first program in professional sports history that offers fans a direct pathway to purchase a professionally graded, PSA-authenticated collectible ticket for every home playoff game.

Motor City Mint produces 250 limited-edition collectible tickets per 2026 NBA Playoff home game - printed on premium heavy card stock, individually serialized with official ticketing information, designed with game-specific artwork, capable of being graded and slabbed by PSA.

Every ticket ships to buyers as a finished, authenticated piece in branded packaging. For the first time, a professional sports franchise is treating the ticket itself as a collectible asset class from the moment of creation - and building an entire collectibles infrastructure around it.

This comes as demands from fans and collectors alike to bring back paper tickets has reached a fever pitch.

Pistons Collectibles will expand beyond Motor City Mint to deliver a year-round pipeline of limited-edition drops, game-used memorabilia, player-signed items, milestone releases, and heritage artifacts that celebrate the franchise’s championship history and its dynamic future.

Motor City Mint is the opening statement - a signal that the Pistons are building one of the most forward-thinking collectibles programs in professional sports.

Motor City Mint - Program Details

Motor City Mint offers two tiers for every home playoff game. The Standard Edition (non-graded) features game-specific artwork and individual ticket information, delivered direct-to-customer in a game-ready state. The Premier Edition (graded) includes similar elements with the ticket authenticated and slabbed by PSA.

These limited-edition tickets are available for purchase through PistonsCollectibles.com, announced on a game-to-game basis. Following each home game, premier edition batches will ship overnight to PSA for grading, with slabbed tickets returned to buyers in approximately 28 – 35 business days - fast enough to preserve the emotional immediacy of the moment while delivering a premium authenticated product.

“We recognized early that while we love the ease and benefits of digital ticketing, there is a segment of fans drawn to something more tangible — the nostalgia and collectibility of a printed ticket,” said Dan Lefton, Chief Revenue Officer, Detroit Pistons. “At our core, we are in the memory business, and tickets have always been the ultimate expression of those moments. As we looked at the broader collectibles landscape, we saw an opportunity to engage a new and increasingly global segment of fans. Partnering with Darren, who has long been at the forefront of the sports business and collectibles space, along with PSA, the gold standard in authentication, gives us tremendous confidence in what we’re building. This is more than a program — it’s the foundation of a new category for our franchise.”

“What the Pistons are doing here is exactly the kind of forward-thinking initiative that cllct was built to enable,” said Darren Rovell, Founder, cllct. “We work hand-in-hand with teams, leagues, and brands to help them identify creative pathways to explore their collectibility - and Pistons Collectibles is a perfect example. This is a franchise recognizing that it has authentic collectible IP embedded in its live experience and choosing to activate it at the highest level. PSA grading, premium packaging - every detail signals that this is serious. We expect other franchises to pay very close attention to what Detroit is building here.”

What Fans Can Expect from Pistons Collectibles

Motor City Mint is the debut product, but Pistons Collectibles is being built as a year-round platform. Key elements of the program will include:

  • Motor City Mint: PSA-graded, limited-edition collectible tickets for all 2025-26 NBA Playoffs home games at Little Caesars Arena

  • Game-used and player-signed memorabilia: Verified and authenticated items available through curated drops and seasonal releases

  • Milestone and heritage releases: Collectible products tied to jersey retirements, career landmarks, championship anniversaries, and franchise history

  • Modern drop formats: Serialized editions, surprise-and-delight releases, and packaging designed for display and sharing

  • Retail and arena activations: In-venue experiences, community touchpoints, and partner integrations that connect product to real-world moments

Fans can learn more and sign up for updates at: PistonsCollectibles.com

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LeBron James' future: Retirement reportedly on table, so is staying with Lakers, moves to Warriors, Cavaliers

"When I know, you guys will know. I don't know. I have no idea. I just want to live. That's all."

That is all LeBron James has said about his plans for next season, and he uttered those words back during All-Star weekend. They still ring true. The sense in league circles is that LeBron has not made a decision about his future, although there is an expected lean towards playing one more year.

Retirement is legitimately on the table, and the idea that LeBron wants a "farewell tour" season is false, according to reporting from Dan Woike and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Team and league sources granted anonymity to speak openly say James has made no decisions regarding his future; that retirement remains a real possibility. The notion that James would want a farewell tour — long cited as evidence that this season was not his last — is false, those sources said, with several sources even hearing that directly from James himself.

LeBron isn't thinking about any of that heading into this weekend. As it has been for much of his career, his team's postseason hopes fall squarely and fully on his shoulders — with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves out, 41-year-old LeBron becomes the Lakers' primary scorer and shot creator, going up against an athletic, long, high-level Houston Rockets defense.

After the Lakers' postseason run ends, the questions about LeBron's future become more real. For LeBron, there are three real options.

Retirement

LeBron missed training camp and the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica, and that memory lingers. No player puts in more hours in training, more hours working on his body to get it right to play in NBA games, but when the legends call it quits — as with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers before — it's because they say they don't have the desire to put in all that work to play the game anymore.

This quote in the must-read Athletic story sums up the idea that LeBron decides to hang up his Nikes.

"There's nothing left to prove," the second Lakers player reasoned. "It's like playing a video game you've already beaten 80 times. You've done it."

Stay with Lakers

Until a month or so ago, this seemed like the least-likely option. There was a real sense that the Lakers wanted to fully pivot to building around Luka Doncic — and that remains true, a shakeup of roster role players is coming this offseason — and that LeBron was not really part of those plans. He seemed good with that.

Then came March, when the Lakers went 15-2 with a top-five net rating, following the formula coach JJ Redick had been espousing — elite offense and solid defense (10th in the league in March). LeBron, Doncic and Austin Reaves were clicking and fans could see the path to the Lakers winning with those three.

Even after the untimely injuries to Doncic and Reaves at the end of the season — likely sidelining the duo for the first round of the playoffs against Houston, leaving the Lakers major underdogs — LeBron played so well leading the team he was the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for the final week of the season.

The door is open to a return, The Athletic reports.

According to team and league sources, the Lakers have not closed the door on James returning next season. While it's been the organization's public position that it hopes James retires as a Laker, the run in March was the clearest example of the basketball advantages of pairing him with Dončić and Reaves...

The fact that James agrees with that assessment is crucial, as league sources say he was intrigued and encouraged by what they accomplished during that stretch.

Two things matter most in any scenario where LeBron plays another season: How much of a pay cut is he willing to take, and where does he feel he can win?

With the Lakers, March showed that winning is a possibility in Los Angeles. The Lakers also have LeBron's Bird rights and can theoretically pay him whatever they want to return (the Lakers are in the repeater luxury tax, so how much new owner Mark Walter wants to pay for the roster matters in this calculation). The reality is, LeBron and the Lakers would need to work this out quickly, then he would sit on the sidelines while the Lakers used up to $50 million in cap space plus three picks to trade to reshape the roster (which includes re-signing Reaves). LeBron then would return for whatever money the Lakers could or would offer.

Move to Warriors, Cavaliers

If LeBron decides to play one more season not with the Lakers, the teams that come up most often are the Warriors — who remain interested in reuniting him with this Olympics buddy Stephen Curry, according to this latest report — and Cleveland.

Both teams already have stars in place — Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green with Golden State; Donovan Mitchell and James Harden with Cleveland — and both teams are pushing or past the second apron of the luxury tax already. In both cases, LeBron would have to accept a smaller role on the court and serve as the glue and third man to make it all work — which is exactly what he proved he could do in March with Doncic and Reaves — and take a massive pay cut. Neither team can offer much in terms of salary, although a sign-and-trade is an option.

How well Cleveland does this postseason will have a lot to say about how hard it will pursue LeBron, a deep run may make the Cavaliers less likely to mess with team chemistry.

The story in the Athletic says a LeBron reunion with former coach Tyronn Lue, with LeBron going to the LA Clippers, is not off the table. League sources have told NBC Sports this option is incredibly unlikely.

However, staying with the Clippers would mean not having to move and staying in Los Angeles — at age 41 with his family established in the city and his other businesses there, does he want to relocate everything to Cleveland or the Bay Area for a year?

It's all a lot to consider. But it's something LeBron is not going to think about until this Lakers postseason run is over. He just wants to live. That's all.

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Russell says he would understand if Verstappen quit but ‘F1 is bigger than any driver’

  • Mercedes driver doesn’t want to lose four-time champion

  • ‘Natural’ for lack of competitiveness to start taking its toll

George Russell has said he would understand if Max Verstappen chose to leave Formula One after the four-time champion recently cast doubt on his future in the sport because of his dissatisfaction with current regulations.

Russell, who is currently second behind his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in the world championship, insisted Verstappen had nothing left to prove.

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Scott Wedgewood stops 22 shots, Avalanche beat Kraken 2-0 to break franchise’s single-season points mark

Colorado Avalanche

Apr 16, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) and defenseman Brett Kulak (27) celebrate defeating the Seattle Kraken at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Ron Chenoy/Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

DENVER — Nick Blankenburg scored a second-period goal, Scott Wedgewood made 22 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Seattle Kraken 2-0 to break the franchise’s single-season points record.

The Avalanche won the Presidents’ Trophy with 121 points, eclipsing the total of 119 points set by the 2021-22 squad that went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Colorado hosts the Los Angeles Kings to begin the playoffs. The last time the teams played in the postseason was the 2002 conference quarterfinals when the Avalanche won in seven games.

The Kraken missed the playoffs with a final record of 34-37-11.

Blankenburg broke a scoreless game with a late second-period goal. He had a goal in the opening period overturned after Seattle challenged for offside.

Parker Kelly scored in the third period, while Valeri Nichushkin added a pair of assists. Wedgewood won his 31st game of the season. Colorado rested several key players in the season finale, including Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and captain Gabriel Landeskog.

MacKinnon finished with a career-high 53 goals to win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s goal-scoring leader.

The Kraken lost a seventh straight game to Colorado. Victor Ostman made his first NHL start and turned back 33 shots. Ostman’s debut was last season in relief.

Seattle and Colorado were a combined 0 for 6 on the power play.

Coach Jared Bednar was back behind the bench for Colorado. He missed the team’s recent two-game trip after being hit in the face by a puck last weekend.

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Padres' record-shattering $3.9B price tag proves MLB is plenty healthy

Major League Baseball just received its most startling data point in a year that will be defined by them.

The San Diego Padres are a (nearly) $4 billion franchise.

Forget existential crises, attention economies, disparate and increasingly complex TV situations and, dare we say, salary caps and luxury tax thresholds. If the industry - and that includes owners, players and fans - ever needed a crystal clear sign that the game is healthy, that spending some money might actually make you a little money in the end, the impending purchase of the Padres will be it.

Private equity baron Jose E. Feliciano - and that's apparently a career prerequisite for owning a ball club these days and wife Kwanza Jones - are on the verge of a $3.9 billion transaction to buy the club from the Seidler family trust, the Wall Street Journal reported.

It is a staggering amount, not just because it's a 62.5% increase on the record $2.4 billion Steve Cohen spent to buy the New York Mets in 2020. Hey, inflation is a bear and franchises appreciate. It happens.

Just not like this, and not for a club like the Padres.

A view of Petco Park in San Diego.

We've heard the two to three strikes against them for years: San Diego is bordered by the Los Angeles region (and its two MLB franchises) to the north, Mexico to the south and the desert to the east. The Padres were also the very first team whose local broadcast situation collapsed to the point MLB had to take over production and distribution, way back in 2023.

So just how did the Padres, their TV model collapsing, their geographic situaton no better, go from a $600 million valuation when the club was last purchased in 2012 to nearly twice the purchase price of the Mets, who have their own lucrative TV network and a position in the game's largest media market?

Well, sometimes when you spend a little money, you can make it back.

The Padres' ownership group - Ron Fowler and then the Seidler family, with the late patriarch Peter Seidler still talked about reverentially around Petco Park - has been on one for the last eight years. It started with a slow drip - a nine-figure contract in 2018 for first baseman Eric Hosmer, an overpay that let the world know San Diego was open for business.

It went into hyperspace mode a year later, with a $300 million guarantee to Manny Machado. And since then, Seidler's checkbook and GM AJ Preller's impetuous and sometimes insane but always forward-looking transactions have kept it pushing at Petco.

Ah, Petco Park. No worse than the fourth-greatest park in the game yet a place that could never attrack more than 1.9 to 2.1 million fans in eight of 10 seasons from 2009 to 2018.

Now, look at 'em.

The attendance meter has only gone up, up, up since 2019, COVID notwithstanding, and in 2023, the club's first full season after Preller traded for Juan Soto, the team cracked the 3 million mark for the first time since Petco's opening year of 2004.

Preller has barely slowed doling out big paychecks (Xander Bogaerts, $280 million, Machado $350 million after an opt-out) and neither have the turnstiles stopped whirring. The club drew a franchise-record 3.4 million last season and are behaving like they have the entire market to themselves (which, along with the San Diego Surf, they do, after the Chargers left).

Now, we said the game was healthy, not perfect.

The club's frenetic spend has slowed since Seidler's tragic passing in November 2023. Many a modern executive would term their payroll commitments "unsustainable," and they'd probably be right.

Yet this was no Ponzi scheme. The Padres' four playoff berths the past six seasons were very real, as were the millions who populated their ballpark. As is the $3.9 billion reportedly about to make the Seidler heirs wealthy beyond their imagination.

Jose E. Feliciano set to become Padres' new owner

MLB needed this, in a sense. Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed satisfaction, but hardly rabid enthusiasm, over the Baltimore Orioles' $1.73 billion purchase price. The Tampa Bay Rays sold for a similar $1.7 billion and now hope to leverage political clout to strong-arm a stadium in Tampa.

The Padres have no such worries. Petco isn't going anywhere and, apparently, neither are the fans, who have come out more than 40,000 strong for 10 of the Padres' first 13 home dates.

Yes, the Padres. Which is one reason why the upcoming labor war won't engender too many sympathetic cries from players. Management and labor will hammer out a deal knowing that the true Armageddon comes in 2028, when MLB's entire national TV inventory hits the market.

But this purchase price is a pretty big tell, and another argument that the sport should not screw up what it has going on right now in favor of a civil war.

After all, the Padres are a $4 billion team, and a bigwig like Feliciano - co-founder of Clearlake Capital Group and part owner of the Chelsea soccer club - viewed them as a good investment, still. No telling if he can continue pushing them toward a first World Series title.

Yet the franchise is already an example of what's possible even in a decidedly imperfect economic landscape.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Padres MLB record sale to new owner Jose E. Feliciano, Kwanza Jones

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Crawfish Boil: Astros 9th SP, Cam Smith Extension Window, The ABS Effect, MLBs Newest Trend & More

HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 01: Cam Smith #11 of the Houston Astros steals second base against Zach Neto #9 and Chris Taylor #33 of the Los Angeles Angels during the eighth inning at Daikin Park on September 01, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The latest news on the Houston Astros and from around MLB:

It’s a good thing the Astros went and acquired all that starting pitching depth:

Starting pitching woes have led to the Astros leaning harder on their bullpen than any team in baseball:

Are the Astros missing their chance to extend Cam Smith?

While Astros pitchers are having big trouble with walks, they aren’t the only ones:

There is a strategy to challenging. The Astros lost both their challenges early and it cost them later in the game with some bad calls to their hitters:

What has teams signing young prospects to big extensions earlier than ever?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2026/04/15/kevin-mcgonigle-contract-extension-mlb-biggest/89626582007/

Bob Nightengale takes at look at MLB’s biggest surprises and disappointments this season:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2026/04/16/mlb-biggest-surprises-disappointments-mets-giants-red-sox-twins/89638120007/

Mike Trout is hitting .246 but he has 7 HR, several of the tape measure variety. Time for the Hype Train:

The San Diego Padres are about to be sold to a private equity firm owner for a record-setting price:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7203881/2026/04/17/san-diego-padres-sale-jose-e-feliciano/

Mets GM taking heat for their bad start punctuated by an 8-game slide.

Jon Heyman on Mets manager, Padres Fernando Tatis Jr, FA SP Lucas Giolito, and Yankees pitching logjam:

At 37, there may not be much left in the tank for Mark Canha, but can’t blame him for trying:

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Connor McDavid has 4 assists in Oilers’ finale to take NHL scoring title with 138 points

Connor McDavid

Apr 13, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; The Edmonton Oilers celebrate a goal scored by forward Connor McDavid (97) during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche.Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

Perry Nelson/Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

EDMONTON, Alberta — Connor McDavid had four assists to take the NHL scoring title with 138 points and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-1 to finish second in the Pacific Division and open the playoffs at home.

Edmonton will host Anaheim in Game 1. The Oilers were 7-2-2 in their last 11 to finish 41-30-12, while Vancouver was last in the NHL at 25-49-8.

McDavid won his sixth Art Ross title as the NHL scoring leader to tie Mario Lemieux and Gordie Howe for second — four behind Wayne Gretzky. McDavid reached 1,220 career points, passing Jeremy Roenick, Larry Murphy and Jean Beliveau to advance to 47th on the NHL list. McDavid entered the season 71st.

Rookie Matthew Savoie had his first hat trick, Josh Samanski, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Colton Dach also scored and Evan Bouchard had three assists. Connor Ingram made 11 saves, allowing only Ty Mueller’s first career goal.

Edmonton was buoyed by the return of forward Zach Hyman and is expecting star forward Leon Draisaitl back during the opening series.

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Devils hire two-time Panthers Stanley Cup-winning executive Sunny Mehta as general manager

Sunny Mehta

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: Sunny Mehta and Bryan McCabe of the Florida Panthers celebrate their Stanley Cup victory in Game Seven of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The New Jersey Devils hired Sunny Mehta as their general manager, bringing back their former director of analytics to oversee their hockey operations department.

Owner David Blitzer announced the hire less than 48 hours after the team’s regular season ended without a playoff appearance. Mehta was an assistant when the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup each of the past two years.

“We quickly realized this job was in high demand and were incredibly fortunate to meet with many qualified candidates,” Blitzer said. “Sunny’s familiarity with our organization and experience with a two-time Stanley Cup-winning team are characteristics that will serve as a foundation for future success. Our expectations are to be a perennial playoff team and compete for the Stanley Cup, and I look forward to Sunny leading us there.”

Mehta, 48, established the NHL’s first full-fledged analytics department when he joined his home-state Devils in 2014 and worked for them through 2018. He spent time with Washington before going to Florida.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, who also had a vacancy after firing Brad Treliving late last month, also showed interest in Mehta, given their interest in a numbers-driven GM. The Devils beat Toronto the punch.

Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, Mehta grew up a Devils fan. He had a career as a professional poker player and worked in finance before getting into hockey.

“I knew this was the place I wanted to be,” Mehta said, thanking the Panthers for the chance to take the next step in his career. “New Jersey has a tremendous young core that will be looking to get back to being a contender, a complement of young assets and draft picks, and a passionate fan base hungry for success.”

The Devils parted ways with longtime GM Tom Fitzgerald late in the season. The future of coach Sheldon Keefe is not clear, though he guided the team to the playoffs in his first year in charge.

Mehta takes over at an important time for the franchise, with U.S. Olympic hero Jack Hughes at the center of a young core and captain Nico Hischier eligible to sign an extension as soon as July 1.

“I’m focusing on playing hockey here,” Hischier said about it the morning after Fitzgerald left. “I still have one more year. I’m with the Devils right now, and then we’ll see what happens.”

If he is able to trade defenseman Dougie Hamilton this summer after his $7.4 million roster bonus is paid, it will clear up valuable salary cap space to use to improve the forward group.

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Yankees vs. Royals prediction: Odds, recent stats, trends, and best bets for April 17

The New York Yankees (10-9) open a weekend series tonight against the Kansas City Royals (7-12). Both teams have been consistently inconsistent in April. The Yankees sit second in the AL East and the Royals arrive in the Bronx in fourth in the AL Central.

 

The Yankees split a four-game series earlier this week with the Angels. While New York’s pitching was throwing at an all-time elite level in March, Yankee hurlers struggled against the Halos allowing 32 runs in the series. Offensively, Aaron Judge was in fine form. The MVP smacked four home runs in the four games to give him eight for the season.

 

The Royals’ offense made a rare appearance yesterday, but KC’s pitching was MIA as the Tigers scored three in the bottom of the ninth to knock off the Royals 10-9. It was just the second time in the last 10 games that Kansas City scored more than two runs in a game.

 

The pitching matchup tonight features right-hander Michael Wacha (2-0) going to the bump for the Royals and Cam Schlittler (2-0) getting the ball for New York. Wacha has been dominant with a 0.43 ERA over 21 innings. Conversely, Schlitter looks to rebound from his first loss of the season, a 5-4 defeat at Tampa Bay where he allowed three runs in five innings.

 

Lets dive into tonight’s matchup and find a sweat or two.

 

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

 

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

 

Game Details and How to Watch: Royals vs. Yankees

 

  • Date: Friday, April 17, 2026
  • Time: 7:05PM EST
  • Site: Yankee Stadium
  • City: New York, NY
  • Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, Royals.TV, YES

 

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

 

The Latest Odds: Royals vs. Yankees

The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:

  • Moneyline: Kansas City Royals (+153), New York Yankees (-186)
  • Spread: Royals +1.5 (-143), Yankees -1.5 (+119)
  • Total: 8.0 runs

 

Probable Starting Pitchers: Royals vs. Yankees

Pitching matchup for April 17:

  • Royals: Michael Wacha
    Season Totals: 21.0 IP, 2-0, 0.43 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 17K, 5 BB
  • Yankees: Cam Schlittler
    Season Totals: 21.2 IP, 2-1, 2.49 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 30K, 1 BB

Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Royals vs. Yankees

  • Cam Schlittler has struck out 30 hitters this season (T7 in MLB)
  • Jose Caballero is 6-15 over his last 4 games
  • Trent Grisham is 3-22 over his last 8 games
  • Bobby Witt Jr. has been on base 25 times in April, but it was not until yesterday that he scored his first run of the month
  • Sal Perez is 5-37 over his last 10 games

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

 

Top Betting Trends & Insights: Royals vs. Yankees

  • The Yankees are 8-11 on the Run Line this season
  • The Royals are 8-11 on the Run Line this season
  • The OVER has cashed an MLB-worst 6 times in the Royals’ 19 games this season (6-13)
  • The OVER has cashed 8 times in the Yankees’ 19 games this season (8-9-2)

 

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

 

Expert picks & predictions: Royals vs. Yankees

Rotoworld Bet Best Bet

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

 

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

 

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday’s game between the Yankees and the Royals:

  • Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Yankees on the Run Line.
  • Total: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Game Total OVER 8.0.

 

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
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NHL Unveils Complete First-Round Playoff Schedule For Senators-Hurricanes Series

With the regular season now in the books, the NHL has released the full first-round schedule for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including the series between the Ottawa Senators (WC2) and Carolina Hurricanes (M1) series.

The league announced on Friday that Games 1 and 2 will take place in Raleigh on Saturday and Monday. Games 3 and 4 will be played in Ottawa on Thursday and next Saturday. Here's the full list of dates for each game in the best-of-seven series.

Game 1: Ottawa at Carolina, 3 p.m. ET April 18 (ESPN, SN, OMNI TVAS)

As the Sens get ready for Game 1 in Carolina on Saturday, Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss a season to be proud of in Ottawa.

Game 2: Ottawa at Carolina, 7:30 p.m. ET April 20 (ESPN2, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC TVAS)

Game 3: Carolina at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. ET April 23 (TBS, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 4: Carolina at Ottawa, 3 p.m. ET April 25 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max, SN, TVAS, OMNI)

*Game 5: Ottawa at Carolina, April 27 TBD

*Game 6: Carolina at Ottawa, April 30n TBD

*Game 7: Ottawa at Carolina, May 2 TBD

*- If necessary

Normally, Senators fans would also be keeping a close eye on Atlantic Division playoff opponents, but because of the way wild cards played out this year, they're participating in the Metro tournament.

Senators on X
Senators on X

The winner of this series will face the winner of the Pittsburgh Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers series. That series will go off like this:

Philadelphia Flyers (M3) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (M2)

Game 1: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m. ET April 18 (ESPN, SN, TVAS)

Game 2: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET April 20 (ESPN SN360, TVAS)

Game 3: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET April 22 (ESPN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 4: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. ET April 25 (TBS, truTV, HBO Max, SN, TVAS)

*Game 5: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, April 27 TBD

*Game 6: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, April 29 TBD

*Game 7: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, May 2 TBD

*- If necessary

The Atlantic playoffs will feature Boston at Buffalo, and Montreal at Tampa, and will have games on the following dates:

Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (A2)

Game 1: Montreal at Tampa Bay, 5:45 p.m. ET April 19 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 2: Montreal at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. ET April 21 (ESPN2, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 3: Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 p.m. ET April 24 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, CBC, TVAS)

Game 4: Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 p.m. ET April 26 (ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC, TVAS)

*Game 5: Montreal at Tampa Bay, April 29 TBD

*Game 6: Tampa Bay at Montreal, May 1 TBD

*Game 7: Montreal at Tampa Bay, May 3 TBD

*- If necessary

Boston Bruins (WC1) vs. Buffalo Sabres (A1)

Game 1: Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET April 19 (ESPN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 2: Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET April 21 (ESPN, SN360, TVAS)

Game 3: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m. ET April 23 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN360, TVAS)

Game 4: Buffalo at Boston, 2 p.m. ET April 26 (TNT, truTV, HBO Max, SN, TVAS)

*Game 5: Boston at Buffalo, April 28 TBD

*Game 6: Buffalo at Boston, May 1 TBD

*Game 7: Boston at Buffalo, May 3 TBD

*- If necessary

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:  

Through All The Noise, The Playoff-Bound Senators Held Their Ground
Drake Batherson's Eight-Year Career Climb Is One For The NHL History Books
Senators Announce Plans For 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff Ticket Sales This Week
Shane Pinto Should Be One Of The Selke Trophy Favourites
Great Opportunities: The Rise Of Senators Defenseman Jordan Spence