The Guardians took Game 3 from the Tigers in extras. Tanner Bibee was still refused run support from his team, despite going into the 8th inning. At least he didn’t get the loss. Nick has the recap here.
Tanner Bibee should sue the entire guardians lineup for defamation and emotional distress because of how little run support they give him
All eyes have been on Ralphy Velazquez as his explosive start in AA Akron seems to already be translating to success in AAA Columbus. His first hit for the Clippers was a double in the fourth inning of yesterday’s game.
Since I had gotten into the habit of actually listening (and enjoying) the play-by-play for a few days, I’m back to turning the audio down. The story below by Michael Cerami is a great article.
I think MLB has the same feelings (if it has feelings) that I do by the PCA drama at this point: What PCA did was horrible; hopefully he has learned the importance of professionalism; let’s move on. I’m tired of seeing the same story over and over take up half of my feed four days later. I think the fine is adequate — it acknowledges that something did occur, and that MLB is watching.
The stories below about Cabrera were before his blister issue Wednesday night.
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Cory Sparks (North Side Baseball): What’s Behind Edward Cabrera’s Struggles? “Why is Edward Cabrera struggling to keep the ball in the park—and can he get it fixed soon enough for a struggling Cubs rotation?”
Trade talk — Patience is wearing thin in some corners of Cubdom:
LOBby numbers by the Cubs’ hitters are getting out of hand:
Tommy Erbe (OnTapSportsNet): By The Numbers: Chicago Cubs “Woes” With Runners On Base. “The Chicago Cubs lead the league in runners left on base by a wide margin. How detrimental is it, and how much stock should be put in it?”
An excellent article — that doesn’t need to name names:
Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): A Request for Marquee: Have Some Feel for the Moment … Please. “But (at Marquee), there are still some flaws – well, one main flaw today – I want to discuss. And that’s the occasional lack of feel for the moment.”
Tyler Courtney (LastWordOnSports): The Cubs Have a Major Bullpen Issue. “In addition to the injuries, the Cubs’ bullpen has seen a lot of inconsistent performances.”
Bradford Doolittle (ESPN): MLB 2026: What we’ve learned so far about ABS. “While it’ll take years to truly assess the effects of ABS on the game, we can at least dive into the early results and see what stands out.”
Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Cubs’ home winning streak snapped by Brewers in NLDS rematch. “The North Siders have been trying to overtake their rivals to the north for three years running and understand that the finish line matters more than how the division race looks in mid-May.”
Food For Thought:
The Black Circles are no more but Sam Bratley is working on new music. The Black Circles have a big and energetic sound that is packed with attitude. Guitarist & Vocalist Sam Bratley has been compared to the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Albert & Freddie King. The Blues is the blues whether you come from the deep-south or from Warrington in the North West of the UK.
Police in France are warning drivers to beware of drunk deer and other inebriated wildlife wandering into roadways after eating fermented fruits. The Saône-et-Loire Gendarmerie posted a video to social media showing a deer frolicking erratically and running in circles after apparently consuming intoxicants.
“Not all road users are sober,” the post said.
The Gendarmerie wrote deer and other creatures can become inebriated after eating buds, fermented fruits or decaying plants, leading them to “totally unpredictable behavior.” Drivers were warned to keep a lookout for “sudden crossing, inconsistent trajectory, immobilization on the road [and] disorderly escape. If Bambi overindulges on the forest aperitif, it might not be the time to drive like you own the road,” the post said.
Top 20 Destinations in the World
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 17: Edgar Quero #26 of the Chicago White Sox is given a gatorade shower after hitting a walk off home run against the Chicago Cubs during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Sunday, May 17, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Regardless of whether they end up keeping up this pace for the full season or not, this is an incredible turnaround from one of the worst ever teams.
Are there any lessons the Rockies, coming off their own historically bad season, can take from how this White Sox roster was built?
Finding undervalued markets
This offseason, the market for players coming to MLB from NPB and KBO was more tepid than it had been in recent years. The White Sox, having just seen success in that market when signing Erick Fedde prior to 2024, were ready and willing to pounce on what they perceived as undervalued players.
In early December, they made a modest two year $12 million commitment to left handed starting pitcher Anthony Kay but he was not the only import from NPB that the White Sox brought in this offseason.
After hitting 246 home runs in NPB before he turned 26 years old, Munetaka Murakami was one of the most polarizing free agents this year. The power in his bat was hardly questionable, however, concerns about strikeouts and his ability to hit high velocity was enough to make most teams pass on him. While MLB Trade Rumors predicted an eight year deal worth $180 million when the offseason began, the market for a long-term deal never materialized.
That’s where the White Sox swooped in and offered a short two-year $34 million deal that would allow Murakami a chance to prove his doubters wrong and retest free agency before his age 28 season. For that amount of money the White Sox saw little risk. The reward, however, appears to be immense.
Murakami has already hit 17 home runs and sports a .240/.382/.557 line that would make him a middle of the order hitter in any MLB lineup. It’s still early, we’ll need to see if opposing hitters can adjust to him, but so far the signing looks incredible. The White Sox have two years of a young star and then will either look to extend him or trade him for a haul as a rental.
For the Rockies, the lesson is not simply to throw money at the next risky-profile potential star out of NPB (though they shouldn’t rule that out), it’s to be willing to zig when other teams are zagging. This is not a new concept but it is one where the applications are constantly changing and it would behoove the Rockies to try and be the first to find the next one.
Patience with growing pains
Some of the contributors to this early season surge were also there in Chicago contributing to the past few years of losing. Now, however, the teams patience with these formerly struggling players appears to be paying off.
On the mound, Davis Martin spent his first 250 big league innings with an ERA and FIP both in the mid-fours while walking over three per nine innings. He was the definition of a bottom of the rotation starter who did not have the prospect pedigree to give much hope he’d ever be more than that.
Some of that run prevention is likely to regress as his sequencing luck has been abnormally good (he’s stranded 89.2% of runners), but his component skills do appear to have meaningfully improved. He’s striking out 9.48 per nine and walking only 1.61, both of which are significantly better than his career averages.
On the hitting side, there’s the curious case of Miguel Vargas. The headlining piece in the return from the much maligned Erik Fedde deal at the deadline in 2024, Vargas looked entirely lost in his first calendar year in Chicago to the tune of a 17 wRC+ in his 42 games following the trade.
Other than those mentioned above, the majority of players fueling this currently competitive White Sox team were either drafted by them or traded for while they were still prospects.
On the pitching side that includes Sean Burke, Noah Schultz, and Grant Taylor. Each of these arms was entirely home grown and now are being leaned on by White Sox manager Will Venable. While Burke and Schultz are holding their own in the rotation, it’s Taylor who has been a revelation in the bullpen.
So far in 2026 the White Sox rank 23rd in ERA from relief pitchers at 4.57. This comes after the front office had tried to bolster the bullpen this offseason with free agent pickup Seranthony Domínguez but have instead seen him walk 13.3% of the batters he’s faced as the teams closer.
Grant Taylor, the White Sox second round pick in 2023, has been working out of the bullpen this year in order to build his innings up before a planned conversion to the rotation next year. That conversion, however, may not happen given how integral he has become to the bullpen unit with his 1.78 ERA and 13.5 k/9 in 25.1 innings of work. Taylor picked up his first save of the season on Tuesday night and looks poised to be the first name up in high leverage situations moving forward.
Montgomery, the White Sox first round pick in 2021, has blossomed into arguably their best player. The 24 year old has a very three true outcomes style slash line of .228/.327/.503 with 13 home runs while also recording seven outs above average at shortstop. The White Sox developmental staff has been able to help him access his power at the major league level despite consistently running a strikeout rate hovering around 30%, and to improve his defense enough that he will stick at short for the foreseeable future.
For the Rockies there isn’t much that is directly transferrable other than the obvious: It’s good to draft and develop well.
It does seem noteworthy, however, just how much of this White Sox roster is already homegrown just two seasons after they hit rock bottom in 2024. They do not appear to have clogged up their roster with tons of veteran one year trade-bait style contracts. Instead, they are letting their former prospects play at the big league level and it seems like it may be paying off sooner than expected. This is something the Rockies could look to mimic possibly as soon as the trade deadline passes later this season.
This was essentially two games: The first eight innings and then the final one.
In the first eight, the Isotopes failed to string any hits together instead scattering a handful of isolated singles and doubles in different frames. Carson Palmquist (No. 19 PuRP) and Blake Adams combined to pitch seven innings between them and allowed four runs on eight hits. It looked like the Isotopes would go down quietly… then came the top of the ninth.
Singles from Adael Amador and Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP), along with walks from Brian Serven and Vimael Machín, were all cashed in by a Cole Carrigg (No. 4 PuRP) double and a Nic Kent home run. Suddenly the Isotopes were leading and it was the bottom of the ninth. Joey Meneses walked with two outs and Cade Marlowe slapped a line drive into right center field that was intercepted by a diving Nic Kent to end the game.
Aside from one blemish, in the form of Sam Weatherly allowing seven runs while recording only a single out, the Yard Goats trounced the Fisher Cats. Eiberson Castellano got the start and completed seven innings on only 84 pitches while collecting eight strikeouts.
At the plate Zach Kokoska had three hits including a double, and both Bryant Betancourt and GJ Hill launched home runs, but the real star was Benny Montgomery. After a difficult start to the season, Montgomery would be hard-pressed to have a better game than this one in which he scored two runs, walked, stole a base, and hit two home runs.
A relatively listless game from Spokane until the seventh inning. Jordy Vargas (No. 21 PuRP) got the start and managed four and two thirds innings wherein the only runs scored were as a result of a homer from Alexis Hernandez. Vargas, however, wasn’t efficient enough with his pitch count to go any deeper and the lineup had not provided him with any run support.
Once the Candians’ starting pitcher Nolan Perry was no longer on the mound the Indians attempted a late comeback. They scored three runs in the seventh before Jacob Humphrey hit an absolute rocket into right center field in the eighth. It was, however, too little too late for Spokane.
While no one stood out on the mound (the closest being Dylan Crooks with a scoreless ninth to close out the game), the lineup brought enough firepower for the Grizzlies to earn a convincing win.
As a whole, Grizzlies batters collected fourteen hits, seven of which were for extra bases. Cameron Nelson earned three walks and a stole a base from the leadoff spot, Tanner Thach continued his torrid start to the season with three hits including a home run, and Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP) matched him with three hits and a homer of his own. As a group they struck out a whopping thirteen times but that certainly did not stop the Grizzlies from scoring runs.
Matt Eddy details what has changed in Baseball America’s assessment of the Rockies farm system since their pre-season rankings. There are a handful of prospects that have broken into their top 30, highlighted by Andy Perez who they now rank 12th in the system. The biggest riser is 18 year-old outfielder Cristian Arguelles, who the Rockies signed out of Venezuela in 2024. Arguelles has rocketed up from the 20th spot all the way to 8th in Baseball America’s estimation.
Thomas Harding talks to Troy Johnston about what has led to his success to begin the season. Johnston goes into how his time at Gonzaga led to him getting more looks at breaking balls than folks in other environments would have at that age. According to Johnston, his ability to sit breaking ball first has started to pay dividends in a league where pitchers become less fastball reliant each year.
Drew Creasman and Mark Knudson sit down for their weekly podcast where they recap all the recent news from the Rockies. This week they focus on both a breakdown of potential trade candidates that they think the front office should consider shopping ahead of the august deadline (including Kyle Freeland) as well as a check-in on how the Rockies top prospects are performing down on the farm.
From left, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, talk to team owner Chris Ilitch, president of baseball operations Scott Harris, and general manager Jeff Greenberg at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
So many things have gone wrong with the Detroit Tigers already this season that it’s hard to know where to even start unpacking it all. After a third straight loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday, they hold a 20-30 record, 10 games under .500. In all of baseball history, only one team in the modern era has been that deep underwater in mid-June and still made the postseason, and that sets the parameters here. They are out of time to pick themselves up off the mat and start closing the gap or the season is over. If they lose a few more series in late May and early June, it’s already time to hang a for sale sign out front. Some might argue we’re already there.
The only team to pull off such a comeback outside of the dead ball era was the 2022 Seattle Mariners. They were 10 games under .500 on June 19 of that year and pulled it together enough to win a Wild Card berth. That’s it. Of course, the Wild Card is still a relatively new invention, but still only one team has taken advantage of it from that far behind in mid-June. So the Tigers have to be a lot closer to .500 by mid-June to even maintain the faintest shred of hope.
Certainly the incredible amount of injuries have been a factor, but it’s also important to remember that the team was quite healthy until late April and they weren’t exactly piling up the wins then either. Part of the reason they’re in this shape is that they didn’t build themselves any cushion by playing .500 ball when they had their roster almost exactly as planned on Opening Day. The bullpen cost them several games when the offense was stronger, and the pitching staff has actually held up decently through this 2-8 losing stretch while the offense and defense have been atrocious. Despite some good news on the injury front, and the host of players the Tigers should get back over the next few weeks, they’re already uncomfortably close to losing any realistic chance of even a wild card run. It’s strange to say in mid-May, but the season is already hanging by a thread.
The pitching is no longer the problem. Troy Melton looks good and is due to return soon. Tarik Skubal’s rehab is proceeding at breakneck speed. The problem is that the team has only a couple of good hitters with Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter basically non-factors this season. And, instead of the group of roughly average platoon players that filled out the lineup last year, half the lineup is shot full of holes leaving opponents with only a couple of hitters to even concern themselves with. Add to that a defensive group that has been downright atrocious without Parker Meadows, Javier Báez, or even their primary utility option in Toledo, CF/SS Trei Cruz, to shore up the middle of the field, and there are just way too many weak points in the position player group right now to turn things around signficantly.
There’s no one coming to rescue the Tigers the offense for at least another week or two. Unfortunately this leaves the responsibility for turning things around on a lot of guys the Tigers shouldn’t be depending on too much in the first place.
Wenceel Pérez is supposed to be the Tigers first depth outfielder in the minor leagues. He’s posted league average run production number for two straight seasons, though he remains too mistake prone to love him in the outfield on a regular basis. But more to the point, he isn’t doing anything at the plate hitting left-handed. Inexplicably, his contact has just fallen apart, and so despite the lowest strikeout rate on the team, he’s not hitting enough line drives and hard fly balls and grounders to stay above the Mendoza line, let alone showing off the average home run power we saw from him last season.
Zach McKinstry is now 31 years old and a career utility player. Hopefully few bought into his outstanding 2025 season at this point in his career, but the Tigers could really use just mediocre production from him to help lengthen their extremely short lineup. Instead he’s approaching 100 plate appearances this season and holds a 32 wRC+ this year. He’s also dealt with tearing a muscle off his pelvic bone, which he probably returned from as soon as possible.
Matt Vierling will be 30 in a few months, and like McKinstry is a journeyman utility outfielder who is probably just past his already modest prime. After a brief run as a quality platoon player in 2024, he tore up his shoulder and missed most of 2025. His defense in center field has been acceptable, and he does hold an 88 wRC+ so he hasn’t been atrocious, but he’s not making much impact anywhere either.
Finally, Jake Rogers has been a terrible hitter for years now. You can get away with having a good defensive catcher who doesn’t hit, but that requires that the rest of the roster be pretty solid. The Tigers have also had opportunities to upgrade and decided to keep the status quo, perhaps because Rogers is the closest thing to a clubhouse leader the team seems to have beyond Tarik Skubal. Now you have Dillon Dingler catching most days, and DH-ing on a lot of his off days, which is only going to hurt his long-term effectiveness this season.
Of course, McKinstry, Vierling, Jahmai Jones, Rogers, these are all pretty fungible role players in the first place. There is just too much being asked of them right now, and it isn’t their fault the Tigers are in this shape.
If there’s one player who was supposed to be capable of helping carry the offense, it’s Spencer Torkelson. Below average offensive production from a first baseman is just unacceptable. A year after putting together his first fairly consistent season of getting on base and hitting for power, Torkelson is doing little of either on pace for 23 home runs with a .309 on-base and a strikeout rate of 33.5 percent.
Beyond that you have Lee, Gage Workman, Zack Short…these aren’t guys who are capable of giving you anything like average production. I like Hao-Yu Lee, but he just needs more time to work on his game. You see the flashes of what he can do and it’s well worth sticking with him for a year or two to see if he can take the next step. Workman is a perfectly fine Triple-A utility player with strong enough secondary tools to help in a pinch, but he’s not expected to work out playing regularly. Finally, Zack Short brings something close to an average glove at shortstop, but has never hit at the major league level. These guys get zero blame in my book.
So, we know what is happening, and generally why, but who gets the blame will be the question for much of the rest of the season. The obvious, and accurate answer is the injuries, as the Tigers have had more than anyone, and that will be the case president of baseball operations Scott Harris, and GM Jeff Greenberg are pleading with ownership should no miraculous recovery of the season come to pass. But growing criticism of Harris’ inability to add talent other than potentially through the draft is entirely justified. It’s hard to have any confidence in his ability to sell off the Tigers assets for young talent with his track record if it comes to that point.
Of course, baseball is also just a weird game. Just as current Tigers’ examples, Rlley Greene is on pace for a 6 WAR season and somehow has only four home runs on May 21. Wenceel Pérez has a 13.9 percent strikeout rate and a .168 batting average. That’s almost impressively weird. Hopefully you know that ERA means squat for relievers, particularly prior to the All-Star break, but Kyle Finnegan has walked more batters than he’s struck out and has a 1.66 ERA.
There are a lot of teams woefully underperforming in the American League alone, and they don’t have the Tigers’ injury excuses. Many good national analysts thought very highly of the 22-27 Boston Red Sox. The Seattle Mariners were arguably the best team in baseball in the second half of last year and made a pretty good run at the ALCS last year and they’re 23-27 with Cal Raleigh hitting .161/.243/.317 with seven home runs after hitting 60 last year. The Royals were a popular choice to push the Tigers and Guardians atop of the AL Central this season, and they’re 20-30 as well, sitting with the Tigers in the cellar despite no particular injury trouble other than their ace Cole Ragans missing two starts and woefully underperforming.
Still the facts are the facts. You can already make a case that the Tigers should be shopping a pitcher like Casey Mize for young pitching talent. If they happen to fall a few more games below .500? It’s time to sell anyone who isn’t tied down long-term and is performing well immediately, and keep that attitude all season long. Frankly, I will be very surprised if either Scott Harris or AJ Hinch are fired.
Even more frankly, the best thing for this franchise is probably to fall a few more games back into June and really have no choice but to sell. That’s the nature of the spot they’ve put themselves in so far this season. It will already take a heck of a run to get that back into serious contention by mid-July. There are 97 games total games this season until the All-Star break. They’ve played 50 already. Can the Tigers go from 20-30 now to 54-43 and get a game over .500 by that point?
Because injuries have been a signficant problem, and just by the weird nature of baseball, it wouldn’t be that surprising if the Tigers played much better baseball from June through September. It just isn’t going to help them if they slip much further back over the next 2-3 weeks, and it may not help them anyway. Even so, should the Tigers sell a few pieces and admit defeat, and then get healthier in a few spots and play decent baseball the rest of the year? The case that this is really just a cursed year with injuries and there is nothing to be done about it is going to be a pretty easy one to make for the front office and for AJ Hinch and his coaching staff.
So not to be melodramatic, but the Tigers season is right on the brink of disaster here. Troy Melton, Gleyber Torres, Javy Báez, Kerry Carpenter, Tarik Skubal…getting those players back will certainly change the equation, but until that happens in full, they’re going to remain under siege and on the brink of collapse. And there’s a good argument that would be the best thing for the franchise. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but there it is. Get swept by the Guardians today? Lose two of three series in Baltimore, versus the Angels at home, or on the south side against the plucky young White Sox? The math surrenders to faith as justification alone.
Let’s say they split their next 12 games. The Tigers will be 26-36. Can they go 60-40 the rest of the way to get to 86 wins and have a quality shot at a wild card? Winning 60 percent of 100 games isn’t out of the question if healthy perhaps, but it’s certainly a longshot as things stand. Right now, just playing .500 ball for a few weeks might earn them some time to find out if getting some players back turns things around. But iff they can’t at least split these next 12 games? Forget about it. No one is coming to the rescue. The guys on this roster right now have to get off the mat for a few weeks and earn the right to find out if getting healhier will make a difference.
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 14: AJ Dybantsa smiles during the 2026 NBA Draft Combine on May 14, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The 2026 NBA Draft Combine was held from May 10-17 in Chicago with the Washington Wizards being the center of attention. Obviously, when Washington has the No. 1 pick, that is to be expected.
However, in the last week, we have heard rumblings of the Utah Jazz looking to trade up to No. 1. The Jazz have the No. 2 pick and consensus No. 1 pick and former BYU star AJ Dybantsa has played in their state.
But if the Wizards think Dybantsa will be the best fit at No. 1, they will select him, and he will play in D.C.
Or will they?
Josh Robbins and David Aldridge of The Athletic polled front office executives during the draft combine and found that out of 10 executives in an anonymous poll, seven indicated that Dybantsa will go at No. 1.
There is also an indication that there are four prospects who stand out, including Dybantsa. Darryn Peterson of Kansas, Cameron Boozer of Duke and Caleb Wilson of North Carolina are also part of this “Fantastic Four” group. It would be who Washington to take a deep look at the other three players as well.
Jeremy Woo of ESPN released a post combine mock draft with the Wizards selecting Dybantsa. But if Washington begins to covet one of the other three players in the “Fantastic Four,” then we can expect trade talk to heat up more than it already has.
On this day 70 years ago, the White Sox made a horrible blockbuster deal with Baltimore, shipping away Bob Nieman and three other future contributors. | (Photo by Hy Peskin/Getty Images)
1905 Frank Smith tossed a one-hitter, the first of his career and fifth in White Sox history.
The proceedings didn’t begin as a Smith masterpiece, as the righty actually trailed in the game after walking Senators leadoff man Charlie Jones, Jones sacrificed to second by Hunter Hill, then driven home on a Jake Stahl (with throngs … OK, 117 fans … from his hometown of Champaign, Ill. present) single. But that was the first and only Washington hit for the game, and later on Smith helped his own cause with a double (the only extra-base hit in the contest) in the fifth inning, sacrificed to third by Fielder Jones, and scoring on a bobbled ground ball at shortstop — the second and decisive Sox run of the game.
Smith would throw two more one-hitters in his White Sox career, and only Doc White, Ed Walsh and Billy Pierce have more all-time South Side one-hitters than him.
1915 Red Faber won his seventh straight game in a 17-inning win over the Red Sox at Comiskey Park, 3-2. Both Faber and Boston loser Carl Mays, rotation members, came on in relief and essentially pitched a second complete game on the day.
Faber went 10 scoreless innings on six hits, giving up one walk and whiffing eight to improve to 9-2. The White Sox as a team stood at 20-12, alone in first place in the American League.
The 17 innings were played in three hours, 25 minutes!
1943 The White Sox won the fastest nine-inning game they’ve ever played, 1-0 over the Senators at Comiskey Park. Johnny Humphries threw a three-hitter in a game that took just one hour, 29 minutes. Humphries in fact scored the game’s only run, doubling to lead off the fifth and getting singled home by Thurman Tucker.
1956 The White Sox made a six-player blockbuster trade with Baltimore, sending George Kell, Mike Fornieles, Connie Johnson and Bob Nieman to the Orioles for Dave Philley and Jim Wilson.
Philley, an outfielder and first baseman who’d spent his first seven season in the majors with the White Sox, part of seven seasons, had a poor finish to 1956 (-0.4 WAR, .701 OPS) and was swapped to Detroit in June 1957. Right-handed starter Wilson, presumably the headliner of the deal for the White Sox, was coming off of a stellar 1955 season with the Orioles but was mediocre in Chicago (0.8 WAR, 9-12, 4.06 ERA); he pitched for the ascendant White Sox in 1957 and 1958 as well, but saw his MLB career end after 1958.
Kell, a (very dubious) future Hall-of-Famer, was at the very end of his career yet still produced at a better-than-average clip for the remainder of 1956 and 1957. Fornieles was a swingman who could both start and close games, an average pitcher who nonetheless extended his career until 1963, mostly with Boston.
But the gems of this trade were Nieman and Johnson. Nieman was seeing no playing time in Chicago but broke out into stardom with the Orioles in 1956, putting up 4.0 WAR in just 114 games (.322/.442/.497); the left fielder would go on to a solid 17.4, WAR career over 12 seasons, 14.4 WAR coming with Baltimore. Johnson was a late bloomer who was very strong as a right-handed starter for the White Sox in 1955 and outright blooming in Baltimore, putting up 6.4 WAR and a 3.42 ERA in 87 games for the Orioles through 1958 to end his MLB career.
Although GM Frank Lane made his share of trade steals, but this one was a clear loss on his ledger, getting the two worst players of the trade for his trouble.
1980 Despite a 3-2 loss to Minnesota, the White Sox remained in first place in the AL West, at 22-16. Nearly 34,000 fans showed up at Comiskey Park on a 65° Wednesday night, excited over the prospect of fielding a competitive squad once again. Down 3-1 in the ninth, the White Sox put runners on the corners with one out but could only muster an RBI ground out and strikeout to end the game.
It was the start of a four-game losing streak that bounced the White Sox from first the next day. The White Sox would bid goodbye to a winning record a month later, but in a weak AL West stuck in and out of second place past the All-Star break, with a record as poor as 39-44.
The second half was a full free-fall, with a 32-49 record, as the White Sox finished the year in fifth place, at 70-90-2. Britt Burns, at 21, was brilliant for the club (15-13, 2.84 ERA, 11 complete games, and a 7.0 WAR that remains tied for 25th among all franchise seasons) and Chet Lemon had another solid year (4.2 WAR), but that was about it for a floundering franchise.
2009 The White Sox tied their team record for worst defeat when they were annihilated, 20-1, by the Twins at U.S. Cellular Field. The 19-run margin was first set on May 10, 2002 in Anaheim.
Bartolo Colón, Lance Broadway and Jimmy Gobble gave up all the runs. Colón at least had something of an excuse — of the eight runs he allowed, seven were unearned!
The Cleveland Guardians look to finish a four-game sweep and push their winning streak to six when they visit the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park this afternoon.
I’ll break down why I’m taking the visitors to break out the brooms in my Guardians vs. Tigers predictions and MLB picks for Thursday, May 21.
Who will win Guardians vs Tigers today: Guardians moneyline (+100)
The Cleveland Guardians come into the series finale as a slight underdog, but there’s plenty to like about the visitors in this matchup.
The Detroit Tigers are banged up, missing three starters in Gleyber Torres, Javier Baez, and Kerry Carpenter. Unsurprisingly, Detroit is 2-13 over its last 15 contests while mustering a mere 2.47 runs per game through that span.
The Guardians, meanwhile, are 8-1 over their last nine, ranking second in runs scored (102) and third in on-base percentage (.347) among all teams this month.
Guardians vs Tigers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-125)
Detroit has a dismal offense, but also a solid starter on the hill today in Casey Mize.
Mize, who has allowed one earned run or fewer in five of seven starts, carries a stingy 2.43 ERA and ranks in the 85th percentile in xBA (.211).
The Tigers can’t score, Mize won’t give up a ton, and both teams have bullpens with a sub-4.00 ERA. That all adds up to a third straight meeting with Under 7.5 runs.
Chris Faria's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 1-0, +0.67 units
Over/Under bets: 0-1, -1 unit
Guardians vs Tigers odds
Moneyline: Guardians +108 | Tigers -113
Run line: Guardians -1.5 (+178) | Tigers +1.5 (-186)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+117) | Under 7.5 (-122)
Guardians vs Tigers trend
Detroit has cashed the Under in five of its last six games. Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. Tigers.
How to watch Guardians vs Tigers and game info
Location
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Date
Thursday, May 21, 2026
First pitch
1:10 p.m. ET
TV
Guardians.TV, DSN
Guardians starting pitcher
Joey Cantillo (3-1, 3.40 ERA)
Tigers starting pitcher
Casey Mize (2-2, 2.43 ERA)
Guardians vs Tigers latest injuries
Guardians vs Tigers weather
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MAY 20: Jared McCain #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dribbles the ball during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Two of the NBA Western Conference Finals on May 20, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Oklahoma City Thunder evened the Western Conference Finals Wednesday evening with a 122-113 win. The series is now tied 1-1
Jared McCain came off the bench to score 12 points, hitting 4-14 overall and 3-9 from behind the three-point line.
Mason Plumlee did not get off the bench for San Antonio.
Victor Wembanya continues his assault on the league, scoring 21 points, pulling down 17 rebounds, passing out 6 assists and blocking 4 shots.
This has quickly become the most interesting rivalry in the NBA, but the future belongs to Wembanyama and OKC will have to find a way to counter him. They can either find someone who can more or less match his abilities, which is a long shot at best, or they can find some modern equivalent of the Jordan Rules, and that might mean substantially altering their roster.
Fortunately, they have a ton of options.
They could, for instance, build a frontcourt specifically to cage Wembanyama, at least offensively. We’re just using hypothetical examples here, but if you threw Steven Adams, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Zion Williamson at him, that’s a frontcourt that would expose his biggest weakness, which is his pipe-cleaner frame. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar entered the league, his physique was somewhat similar, but by the time he retired, his body was much thicker. But it took him years to muscle up.
Alternatively, they have a ton of draft picks to work with. Over the next five years, the Thunder have up to 11 first-round picks and between 12-15 second-round picks.
Already one of the deepest teams in the NBA, Oklahoma City clearly can’t use that many picks. It’s possible they could put together a deal for, say, Antetokounmpo, who would help a lot. Or they could look for another emerging young big man.
Or to go another route, the Thunder could just ruthlessly pursue great three-point shooters to counter Wemby. With great ball movement, you could just bomb away, and as freakish as Wembanyama can be, he can’t chase the ball around the perimeter. Again, this is hypothetical, but imagine if you hit him with Steph Curry, Kon Knueppel, and Luka Doncic.
Everyone is going to have to figure out how to deal with Wembanyama as the future of the league. OKC probably has the best chance of actually doing it.
Deandre Ayton is the Lakers’ biggest X-factor in the offseason. NBAE via Getty Images
Ayton is one of three Lakers, along with Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart, who have a player option for the 2026-27 season.
The expectation around the NBA is that Reaves will opt out of his $14.9 million option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. He’ll be eligible to sign a maximum five-year contract worth $241 million with the Lakers or a four-year, $178 million deal with another team.
Smart, who has a $5.4 million player option for 2026-27, should be able to sign a more lucrative deal this offseason — including one with the Lakers — if he opts out after having his best season in a few years.
But Ayton, and his $8.1 million player option, will be a pivot point for the Lakers’ offseason as he weighs his options after saying after the season ended that he didn’t know what decision he’d make.
“Just being honored and happy to be on this platform,” Ayton said. “And another chance, and all of that. There’s great players I learned [from] here. I haven’t really thought about nothing else, to be honest. I have a little break to myself.”
Ayton added: “I trust my agents. That’s about it. That’s really out of my hands; I love it here regardless. Fans and everybody that’s been around me, the coaching staff. They treat me like family.”
But Ayton, and his $8.1 million player option, will be a pivot point for the Lakers’ offseason as he weighs his options after saying after the season ended that he didn’t know what decision he’d make. AP
With the Lakers looking to “retrofit” the roster around superstar guard Luka Doncic, there’s a heightened spotlight on the team’s big man rotation — especially the starting center.
Doncic has been at his best when playing alongside a rim-running, lob-threat center who’ll also protect the rim defensively, evident during his run to the 2024 NBA Finals when the Mavericks had a center rotation of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford.
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Ayton and his style of play don’t fit that archetype.
There was a push-pull dynamic between what Ayton had been and wanted to be versus what the Lakers needed from him throughout the season — which Ayton acknowledged after the Lakers’ playoff run ended.
Ayton, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, “had to adjust” his style of play after joining the Lakers. NBAE via Getty Images
Ayton, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, is used to being the featured option within an offense and have the opportunities to impose his scorer’s mentality.
But that wasn’t what the Lakers needed from him most games. They needed his presence on the boards. A stout rim protector and defensive anchor. Even when his offensive touches were limited and consistently infrequent.
This dynamic is why Ayton said he came to the Lakers with a “different mindset” and “had to adjust.” And why he referred to 2025-26 as “humbling.”
This dynamic is why Ayton said he came to the Lakers with a “different mindset” and “had to adjust.” And why he referred to 2025-26 as “humbling.” Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
It reflected in his career-low averages of 12.5 points and eight rebounds. But to his credit, Ayton also shot a career-high 67.1% from the field. The Lakers were better at protecting the rim when Ayton was on the floor during the regular season and a significantly better rebounding team with Ayton playing during the playoffs.
“I came in here with a scorer’s mentality, and we don’t really need that,” Ayton said. “We have the best players on the team and the best playmakers. Kind of had to break down my game where just rebounding, defending the rim was what the team wanted. It’s not what I want, but it’s what the team wanted the most.”
This is why he’s the X-factor for the Lakers’ offseason. Getty Images
This is why he’s the X-factor for the Lakers’ offseason.
If Ayton opts out and signs with another team, it would help open pathways for the Lakers to sign or acquire another starting center who is a better fit alongside Doncic.
Ayton opting in or re-signing with the Lakers on another deal would make those pathways narrow and murkier.
It’s important to note that Doncic and Ayton are represented by longtime agent Bill Duffy of WME. And that Doncic recruited Ayton to the Lakers last summer after Ayton was bought out of his contract with the Trail Blazers.
The Lakers have been searching for the right center to pair with Doncic since they acquired him last February.
And they’re still searching.
How simple or complicated that search will be this summer will depend on Ayton.
As is customary, the GM and coach of all the teams that made the final four had a scheduled media availability before the start of their third-round series. On Wednesday, Eric Tulsky and Rod Brind’Amour from the Carolina Hurricanes spoke to the media early in the afternoon, while Kent Hughes and Trevor Letowski from the Montreal Canadiens met the press later in the day.
When Tulsky was asked about how the Canadiens operated their rebuild, he said:
Yeah, I mean, he’s done a great job. The team has come a long way; they’ve got a really strong young core, and they’re well set up to obviously have a great run this year and set up to keep getting better from there. Very impressed with what they’ve done, what they’ve put together. It’s going to be a tough round for us.
That’s a fair assessment, especially when considering that most pundits considered the Canadiens’ window of contention hadn’t opened yet, and here they are in the Eastern Conference Final, just four wins away from playing for the Stanley Cup.
As for being well set up for the future, I believe their goaltending duo says a lot about how well Hughes and his team have planned. They may not have drafted Jakub Dobes, but they did recognize he was a better option than Cayden Primeau, and they now have him competing with Jacob Fowler, who was the heir apparent. Up front, they still have exciting prospects coming through the ranks in Alexander Zharovsky and Michael Hage, and they also have good blueliners waiting for their opportunity.
As for Brind’Amour, he was asked what had made the Canadiens’ power play so successful against the Buffalo Sabres, and he explained:
Well, I don’t know if that’s just in the playoffs, but they’ve been dynamic. They have dynamic players. All five of those guys in their own right are elite at what they do [Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, and Lane Hutson]. You put them together in those roles, and I think they feed off each other really well.”
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You just watch, they’re in synch. I think a power play is about skill, and they have it. So that’s a definite concern.
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While the Canadiens have had a good success rate on the power play in these playoffs at 25%, they’ll have their work cut out for them against Carolina. The Canes have the second-best penalty kill with a 95% success rate over the eight games they played. However, things have not gone as smoothly on the power play for Brind’Amour’s men; with the man-advantage, they’ve only scored on 13.5% of their opportunities.
It will be interesting to see just how big a role special teams play in the third round. Will penalties be called consistently? It seems like the referees struggled with that in the first two rounds, and it would be great if the quality of the on-ice product weren’t affected by them.
The Edmonton Oilers are in the market for a new head coach following the dismissal of Kris Knoblauch, and amid the pursuit of high-profile options like Bruce Cassidy, whispers have emerged about a name that once commanded respect across the NHL but now carries significant baggage: Former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock.
On Oilers Now, host Bob Stauffer and former NHL GM Brian Lawton floated the idea, with Lawton suggesting that someone with Stan Bowman’s background might consider Babcock given his pedigree. Lawton, who knows Babcock personally, described him as a good human being who deserves a second chance in a business that can be unforgiving. Yet, the conversation quickly pivoted to the realities of Babcock’s recent past, particularly the short-lived and tumultuous stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Babcock's coaching journey is one of remarkable highs followed by a steep fall from grace. He began his NHL head coaching career with the Anaheim Ducks, leading them to the 2003 Stanley Cup Final. His true breakthrough came in Detroit, where he guided the Red Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup and established himself as one of the league's elite tacticians. His international success with Team Canada, securing Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014, further cemented his status as a winner who could extract the best from star-studded rosters.
That reputation led the Toronto Maple Leafs to sign him to a massive eight-year, $50-million contract in 2015, positioning him as the franchise’s saviour during a rebuild. In Toronto, Babcock inherited a young core headlined by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and others. His early tenure showed promise, with the team improving and making the playoffs in three straight seasons. However, underlying issues simmered.
The most infamous incident involved a then-19-year-old Marner during the 2016-17 season. Babcock tasked the rookie with ranking his teammates by work ethic. Marner, eager to please, complied and even placed himself at the bottom. What followed was a betrayal of trust: Babcock shared the list with veterans like Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri, who were ranked lower. Marner was reportedly brought to tears, and teammates were furious with the coach for pitting players against each other in such a public, humiliating way.
These incidents paint a picture of a coach whose old-school, demanding approach, once celebrated for driving success, now collides with today's NHL values around mental health, player autonomy, and respect. Babcock's 700-plus wins and championship pedigree remain undeniable, but trust has eroded.
For the Oilers, facing pressure to deliver with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the appeal of a proven winner is understandable, especially if other targets like Cassidy prove elusive due to contractual hurdles with Vegas. Bowman himself received a second chance after his own controversies, as Lawton noted. But hiring Babcock would invite intense scrutiny and potential locker-room friction in a market already under a microscope.
As of now, Babcock insists he's content in retirement. The Oilers' search continues, likely prioritizing candidates who can unify rather than divide. In a league evolving rapidly, Babcock's history serves as a cautionary tale: success on the ice doesn't always translate when the human element falters. Edmonton must weigh pedigree against past patterns carefully if his name resurfaces.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - OCTOBER 10: Dylan Harper #2 of the San Antonio Spurs talks with De'Aaron Fox in the second half of a preseason game against the Utah Jazz at Frost Bank Center on October 10, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Spurs stole home court advantage in game 1, but had no delusions of taking game 2 without a fight.
Oklahoma City reset and were able to recreate the kind of game that kept them at the top of the Western Conference all season.
De’Aaron Fox did not suit up for the second straight game with a right high ankle sprain.
Spurs' De'Aaron Fox is expected to miss his second consecutive contest in Game 2 tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a right high ankle sprain, sources tell ESPN.
Spurs play-by-play announcer Jacob Tobey broke down the entire series of events quite concisely.
The Spurs are being very mysterious again.
They still are not specifying exactly what Dylan Harper injured beyond calling it a “leg injury.”
What’s at least somewhat encouraging is that after heading to the locker room, Harper DID attempt to return before ultimately being… pic.twitter.com/iPMpRNMCuM
If the Spurs are without the services of Fox and Harper, it is likely Jordan McLaughlin will see more minutes. After game 1, Coach Johnson stated he and the coaching staff discussed bringing in J-Mac throughout the game but ultiamtely decided against it. For game 2, however, McLaughlin played seven minutes making an immediate impact on the game shooting 2 of 2 from beyond the arc. McLaughlin’s ball-handling skills may be of greater need for game 3.
Castle took the loss personally, referring to his nine turnovers as a key factor that left the door open for the Thunder to even the series. In his postgame conference, he was slumped behind the microphone. The former Rookie of the Year didn’t make a lot of eye contact and took the brunt of responsibility for the loss.
The 2024 NCAA champion did mention that with a series meeting every two days, there wasn’t time to wallow. A film study, some tweaking of the plans, and the Spurs head into game 3 in less than 48 hours. Memories have to be short as the team look to bounce back in front of the home crowd at the Frost Bank Center on Friday.
Meanwhile, Mitch Johnson called Castle a “warrior” and Victor Wembanyama praised Stephon’s game.
Wembanyama on Castle’s performance and playing through physicality:
One thing for sure, the Spurs agree that whichever five players are on the court, they are connected and ready to play.
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The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama (1) led his team to victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Thunder. Getty Images
He rubbed it in our faces. He made it impossible to second-guess. He all but etched his name on the metaphorical baton.
It happened in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Spurs and Thunder. The evening began with Wembanyama watching NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hand Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the MVP Award he coveted.
It ended with our jaws on the floor.
Wembanyama had 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocked shots in the Spurs’ 122-115 double-overtime win over the Thunder on Monday. He followed that by a 21-point, 17-rebound, six-assist and four-block performance in the Spurs’ 122-113 loss on Wednesday.
If anything, Wembanyama was underhyped when he was touted as the best prospect since James.
He’s not like anything we’ve seen before.
He was dominant in Game 2, constantly chasing down any missed shots with unreal timing. But Game 1 was his magnum opus. That was his official coming out party He made the reigning champions look vulnerable. He made Gilgeous-Alexander look like he pulled a fast one on MVP voters.
Wembanyama was the human incarnation of opposing teams’ nightmares.
He was the best player on the court. He was the best player in the league. He was the best player of his generation. NBAE via Getty Images
The 7-foot-4 anomaly imposed his will everywhere. The paint belonged to him on both ends of the court. He was an unsolvable math problem for a Thunder team that had the NBA’s top-rated defense two straight seasons.
But what makes Wembanyama especially dangerous is he isn’t chained by the typical restraints of big men. He can dribble. He has a soft touch. He defies the rules.
Wembanyama transformed into Steph Curry in Game 1 with 27 seconds left in overtime and the Spurs trailing by three points, 108-105. He caught the ball just past half court. He fired a 28-foot 3-pointer. The ball swished through the net, forcing double overtime.
Plays like that make you wonder about Wembanyama’s ceiling. What isn’t he capable of doing? If he stays healthy, could he soon nip at the heels of LeBron James and Michael Jordan?
Then, in the second overtime, Wembanyama single-handedly outscored the Thunder, 9-7. He went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. He had as many rebounds (four) as the entire Thunder team.
In the final minute of that period, Wembanyama was fouled on a made dunk and completed the three-point play. He made an alley-oop dunk. And he concluded his one-man symphony by blocking and grabbing a shot attempt by Jalen Williams.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said what impressed him most wasn’t even measurable.
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“His level of physicality and execution through physicality was tremendous,” Johnson said. “His rebounding obviously showed in the box score, but what was off the charts was defensively, he was in his stance almost all night. That’s 49 big minutes, and it was high level for the majority of those.”
Wembanyama has said he wants to be the next face of the league. This season, he argued his case for the MVP Award, finishing third for that honor. He won Defensive Player of the Year.
Wembanyama has said he wants to be the next face of the league. This season, he argued his case for the MVP Award, finishing third for that honor. He won Defensive Player of the Year. AP Photo/Nate Billings
He wants this so bad.
There’s nothing nonchalant about him. There’s nothing halfhearted. He’s all in, and he has the skills to be transformative.
He didn’t even sugarcoat things when asked if Game 1 felt personal after he witnessed Gilgeous-Alexander receive the league’s most prestigious individual award.
“Yeah, for sure,” Wembanyama said. “Everything you just said.”
Watching Wembanyama is exciting for so many reasons.
But above all, he’s this good — and he’s only 22 years old. He became the youngest person to record at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game on Monday. And on Wednesday, he had game-highs in rebounds and blocks while making three 3-pointers.
This is only the beginning.
It feels as though we’re witnessing magic. We’re watching a masterpiece being painted in real time.
We’re witnessing history.
The 41-year-old James has made it clear he’s going to retire soon. But we can all breathe easy because the league has been handed over to a guy who’s going to take good care of it.
He’s going to give it his all.
And if everything goes as expected, he’s going to become one of the all-time greats.
PITTSBURGH - MAY 21: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores a hat trick in the third period as Dennis Seidenberg #4 and Cam Ward #30 of the Carolina Hurricanes are unable to stop the shot during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 21, 2009 at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Seventeen years ago today, Evgeni Malkin put on a show with one of the most remarkable goals of his career in the Eastern Conference Final.
In 2009, the Penguins stormed back to the Stanley Cup Final by blowing past the Carolina Hurricanes in the Conference Final, thanks in part to Evgeni Malkin’s spectacular play with six goals in the four games of the series.
The most special of those six goals came during the Penguins’ 7-4 win in Game 2 of the series.
The Penguins had trailed 3-2 in the game before jumping back out to a 5-3 lead, but Carolina wouldn’t go quietly, drawing back within a goal to make it 5-4 early in the third period.
That’s when Evgeni Malkin made headlines with a special goal, his third of the game.
“Oh my word!” Joe Beninati said on the call. “Evgeni Malkin….spectacular for the hat trick!”
Malkin’s hat-trick goal gave the Penguins a bigger lead, one that they never gave up for the rest of the game, going on to win Games 3 and 4 on the road, and punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
In his end-of-the-season news conference, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens noted he has a sign in his office with three questions that guide his roster-building process.
It reads: What do you want? What’s true? How do you get there?
And the third question? Well, the fastest path back to true title contention might be patience.
Maybe that reads like an oxymoron. But as the Celtics navigate the NBA’s new financial minefield, a second season outside the luxury tax could open up the sort of big-splash pathways that recently paved the way to Banner 18.
Roll the clock back to the last time the Celtics dropped a Game 7 at home against a lower-ranked opponent. In the aftermath of a loss to the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, Stevens made the bold choice to overhaul the team’s core, shipping out Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III while bringing back Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
The Celtics don’t have that sort of financial freedom this summer — but they might soon. If Boston stays below the tax for the 2026-27 season, it would open avenues to spending more aggressively in future seasons.
The Celtics saw a new punitive collective bargaining agreement steamrolling toward big-spending teams back in 2023 and got ahead of the curve. They launched into the 2023-24 campaign knowing their new-look core likely only had two seasons to chase a title. They got one and might have made a more serious charge at another if not for health woes.
Everyone knew a roster overhaul loomed last summer. Jayson Tatum’s rehab from an Achilles injury made it a little bit easier to stomach the possibility that Boston might take a step back. And while most expected the Celtics to morph into a lottery team, the Celtics stiff-armed all gap-year suggestions and stormed to the No. 2 seed in the East.
The 2026 playoffs, which ended in a first-round exit after Boston built a 3-1 lead against the Philadelphia 76ers, exposed some vulnerabilities that were otherwise masked during a vibes-filled regular season. The Celtics can start the process of patching some of those holes this summer and might still be a legitimate threat to emerge in the East, but it will be just the running start of what might evolve into a full cannonball back into the big spenders’ pool.
Let’s be clear here: The Celtics don’t do gap years. Their 56 wins last season — most of which came while Tatum rehabbed — proved that. We’re not saying they should punt on the 2026-27 season. The suggestion here is simply that, with one more year of financial restraint, Boston can position itself to splurge in a way that most contenders won’t often dare in the apron era.
If green runs deep in Boston, patience runs scant. The goodwill of the 2024 title is already erased by the team’s season ending earlier than expected in three of the past four seasons. No one wants to waste the prime years of the Jays. Not when Jaylen Brown will turn 30 in October, and with Tatum only 17 months behind him.
Alas, the new collective bargaining agreement, in the league’s never-ending quest to enhance parity, has created endless obstacles to crafting a roster that can compete for anything more than a two-year window. Teams that build through the draft could extend their windows — which is why San Antonio and Oklahoma City appear so daunting at the moment — but most teams will be doing the second-apron Hokey Pokey given the cost of carrying multiple stars.
We can see a pathway forward where the Celtics spend a bit this offseason, perhaps bolstering their frontcourt while hunting for players of all sizes who can help put pressure on the rim. Boston could utilize available exceptions to tweak their roster, scale above the luxury tax to start the season, then make an assessment of their title potential before the February trade deadline, with a willingness to trim salary if they’re not definitively in the title mix at that point.
The Celtics were trending toward a $540 million total roster spend if they had kept their 2024 title team intact entering the 2025-26 season. Hindered by repeater penalties for big spending while chasing titles in recent seasons, Boston was on pace to owe $240 million in luxury tax payments. Stevens won Executive of the Year, in large part, by trimming $350 million off the books, all while the Celtics remained competitive in the aftermath despite Tatum’s absence.
The Celtics need to examine all avenues this summer, even trade possibilities for core members like Brown and Derrick White. We suspect they’ll ultimately find it hard to deliver surefire upgrades to this roster, at least without taking on enormous risk.
Boston can shore up some weaknesses and utilize next season to figure out how to maximize both 1) a healthier Tatum and 2) a supercharged Brown coming off an MVP-caliber season where he was in the driver’s seat most of the year.
The Celtics can straddle two tracks. They can be competitive next season and be one of the favorites to emerge in the East, all while setting up the kinds of big additions that might position them to throw haymakers with Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder during the 2027-28 season.
One more year of keeping costs manageable might allow the team to load up the slingshot back to deep-pocket spending.
COVERS INTEL: The Tigers are 
