I don’t usually put photos of Cubs opponents as the lead image for game recaps but in this case… Reds starter Hunter Greene was clearly the story of the game. He allowed just three hits and struck out 12, and the Reds shut out the Cubs 4-0 in the first of a three-game series. It was the first Reds win over the Cubs this year, after the Cubs swept a four-game set at Wrigley Field in May.
Seiya Suzuki had two of the three hits, including a second-inning double. Ian Happ had the other hit off Greene, a single leading off the fifth, and Greene also walked Happ, his only walk of the game. That’s it for Cubs runners reaching off Greene.
Shōta Imanaga threw reasonably well for five innings, allowing just one run, a fifth-inning homer by Elly De La Cruz. Imanaga ran a lot of long counts and also allowed seven hits. It wasn’t a bad outing, but you can’t win if you don’t score runs.
More on Imanaga’s evening from BCB’s JohnW53:
Imanaga’s start was the Cubs’ 207th since 1901 of exactly five innings with one run allowed. It was just the seventh of the 207 with exactly seven hits allowed.
Ben Brown had the sixth, on June 13 at San Francisco. The first five were by Wilbur Cooper in 1925, Joe Niekro in 1967, Randy Martz in 1982, Mike Harkey in 1990 and Jon Lester on April 2, 2017, at St. Louis.
Imanaga tied Lester for the most strikeouts, seven. Imanaga and Martz walked one. Harkey walked none.
Imanaga was the first to serve up a homer for the run.
One thing I wanted to note about the 12 strikeouts: Four of them were swinging K’s on sliders or splitters way out of the strike zone.
Michael Conforto, in the second:
Pete Crow-Armstrong, in the sixth:
Alex Bregman, also in the sixth:
Conforto again, in the seventh:
As you can see, some of those pitches were so far out of the zone that they barely show up on the Gameday images. Greene had Cubs hitters utterly fooled. It’s far from the first time; the last time Greene pitched against the Cubs, Sept. 18, 2025 at GABP, he threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just one hit (a single by Suzuki) and striking out nine. At least now, the Cubs don’t have to face Greene again until September.
Trent Thornton kept the game at 1-0 by throwing a 1-2-3 seventh on only seven pitches.
Then we witnessed the Cubs debut of Jake Woodford. Of that two-inning appearance, all that can be said in a positive vein is that he saved all the leverage relievers for the rest of the series. Woodford struck out the first hitter he faced, Ke’Bryan Hayes. Then De La Cruz tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly. At 2-0 maybe this game is still within reach but the next four hitters off Woodford did this: single, two-run homer, single, single and at this point the game’s pretty much over. Woodford threw 43 pitches and the next time we see his name in connection with the Cubs is likely going to be when he’s designated for assignment after the All-Star break.
It was mentioned near the end of the broadcast on Marquee that this was the first time the Reds had ever shut out the Cubs and struck out 15. After that comment was made, the Reds made it 16 when Ian Happ struck out to end the game. The previous record wasn’t 14, either — it was 13, and it had stood for nearly 63 years, since Jim Maloney (who would no-hit the Cubs two years later!) threw a one-hit shutout at Wrigley Field, striking out 13 on July 23, 1963.
One more note on Greene’s 12 strikeouts, from John:
Hunter Greene’s 12 strikeouts were the most by a starter against the Cubs this season, one more than by Kyle Harrison of the Brewers at Wrigley Field on May 20. Each pitched 7.0 innings and walked one. Harrison gave up two hits, one less than Greene.
You’ll notice there are no video highlights up to this point. That’s because there weren’t any from a Cubs standpoint. I did want to show you this one weird play from the bottom of the fifth. JJ Bleday lifted a foul fly to right that Seiya Suzuki appeared to catch, but it was … well, watch [VIDEO].
That clip is from the Reds broadcast, in which they said Suzuki “didn’t catch it,” but you can see Suzuki wondering why it wasn’t called a catch. After more than four minutes of deliberation, the review crew said the call on the field was “overturned” — but what was the call on the field? It wasn’t clear, though it appears to have been “foul ball” because of fan interference. But if it’s fan interference, shouldn’t it have been an out?
One thing that’s been really good on this road trip so far is Cubs starting pitching. Over the four games the starters have a 2.11 ERA in 21.1 innings, with only two home runs allowed.
Standings update: The Cubs lost half a game to the Brewers, who were rained out in Pittsburgh, and now trail Milwaukee by 7.5 games. The Brewers and Pirates will play a doubleheader today. The Cubs lead the Cardinals by 2.5 games in the division and are half a game ahead of the Phillies (and Marlins!) for the top wild card spot.
The Cubs will look to even up the series Saturday evening in Cincinnati. Javier Assad will start for the Cubs and Nick Lodolo goes for the Reds. Game time is 6:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 15: Outfielder Drew Burress #8 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bats during the Spring Classic college baseball game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on April 15, 2025 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
A lot of names have been thrown around for the first Braves pick, which will be the ninth overall. We have covered some of them like Tyler Bell, Gio Rojas, Drew Burress, and Ryder Helfrick. You would like to get real upside from a top pick. The problem is that most evaluators have the first six picks well above the field. Although the Braves do have some extra money to use, they may not be able to break into that group.
The Braves have been able to get starters like Michael Harris, Drake Baldwin, Austin Riley, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Spencer Strider outside of the first 30 picks. Each one of those, even the ghost of Austin Riley, have been very productive and well worth the pick. Michael Harris was found in the third round after some draft pool maneuvering. He’s been worth 14.5 WAR and climbing.
So how important is the perfect first Braves pick? And I mean to find the next Braves All-Star? The evaluators like that top six, but MLB organizations often rate prospects much differently than the outsiders. So maybe they walk away with a highly-touted-in-public-circles pick. Although, if that doesn’t go their way, the later picks and the larger draft pool offer an excellent opportunity this year.
Tigers prospect Jordan Yost practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
As in 2024, the Detroit Tigers were once again faced with a low pick as they selected 24th overall in the 2025 MLB amateur draft. Unlike 2024, they had the competitive balance A round selection, which helped both in terms of picks but also in terms of bonus pool to a degree. They did as expected, spreading their $10,990,000 bonus pool around with a mix of early underslot deals and inexpensive college picks to help them go overslot later on to lock up a deeper pool of talent.
As always though, the draft is largely about your top picks and who gets the biggest signing bonuses, with those two things not always fully aligned. The rest are more of a bulk buy where you’re hoping to draft a lot of players you already have a lead on developing, and eventually produce a good player or two along with pitching and positional depth in the farm system. We’ll see how the top picks turn out in time, but the Tigers did a really nice adjusting their strategy a bit and finding a nice mix of smaller program college picks, JUCO players, along with a couple of big ticket prep arms and some talented but raw high schoolers as value picks late in the draft.
Round 1: No. 24 – SS Jordan Yost, (Sickles HS, FL) $3.25M
I remain a little baffled by the response to the Tigers first round selection, prep shortstop Jordan Yost. In Yost the Tigers got an advanced defensive shortstop in a left-handed teenaged hitter with a good eye and great feel for making contact. Sure, he’s still on the skinny side and doesn’t pack much power yet, but unlike some other older, slender infielders in the Tigers’ system, Yost has enough room on his frame that he can add signficant muscle in the coming years. He already packed on 13 pounds over his first offseason, and is showing 40 grade raw power as a teenager. It’s a good bet that in three years time he’ll approach average raw power. In game that’s probably more like 45 for him, but a plus shortstop who hits 10-15 homers, steals bases, and rarely strikes out is not a big ask here. In fact I’d say it’s pretty likely.
Yost holds a 12.2 strikeout rate in his first look at Single-A Lakeland. His walk rate is 14.5 percent. You don’t see that from a teenaged prospect very often, and it will hold up well against more advanced pitching as he develops more batspeed. His hit tool isn’t going to match McGonigle’s elite level as a prospect but you can expect a plus hitter who is on base a lot, chips in some power and stolen bases, and locks down the shortstop position, potentially bumping Bryce Rainer to third and McGonigle to second base. He needs a few years, but Yost has a good deal of upside, and the floor set by his current tools is already pretty solid.
Competitive Balance Round A: No. 34 – C Michael Oliveto, Hauppauge (NY) $2.45M
This Long Island prep catcher burst on the scene prior to the draft with a huge showing in the World Wood Bat Association Championship. That helped him boost his draft stock significantly despite being a northeast kid who didn’t face the best competition often in high school. The bat quickly became more well regarded, but there were, and are, still concerns about his arm strength as it pertains to the catcher position. On the other hand, Oliveto should develop well in all other respects, and one thing the Tigers do really well is evaluate and develop catchers, so we’ll just have to trust them on the arm strength.
Oliveto has a pretty sweet, left-handed swing and controls the strike zone very well for his age. He should develop above average power, and has the tools to get to it regularly. What he lacks, is top shelf competitive experience. Between that factor and the demands of getting a full on course in professional catching this season in the Complex League, and soon a move to Single-A Lakeland, a slow start with the bat is likely. Once he has his feet under him defensively and is comfortable handling a pro pitching staff, more focus can turn to developing his hit tool.
Oliveto was headed to Yale before the Tigers signed him, and his smarts and work ethic draw extremely high marks, so he’s teachable and motivated, and should get the most out of his natural abilities. I think he’ll hit, but we’ll have to see how he develops behind the plate. That will take plenty of time. Round 2: No. 62 – RHP Malachi Witherspoon (University of Oklahoma) $1.451M
Witherspoon is kind of an all or nothing pick. The stuff is undeniably excellent already. He sits in the mid-to-high 90’s, and has touched 100 but his sinker is more of a bat breaker than a bat misser. He has the breaking stuff and changeup to be a frontline starter, but his command is decidedly a work in progress and his long-armed, low three-quarters delivery suggests quite a bit of relief risk. If he puts it all together, the Tigers are going to look great here. The sinker is a dominant pitch when he’s locating it, and his cutter, slider, and changeup all flash plus, but he has a decided tendency to suddenly lose the plot in the middle of an outing for a few hitters before pulling himself together. There’s certainly a chance he never executes and self-corrects enough to even make it as the high leverage reliever he already has the stuff to become. Round 3: No. 98 – LHP Ben Jacobs (Arizona State University) $722,500
Jacobs has been the quickest riser out of this class, showing a good, riding fourseamer at 93-95 mph with an above average slider and curveball, and a plus changeup that has made him tough on right-handed hitters. He’s had a few bouts of control issues as he and the Tigers develop his delivery and stuff, but he’s handled a quick move to High-A West Michigan pretty well. The 22-year-old has plenty in the stuff department. The big step is commanding the whole package more consistently.
The Tigers kept adding quality college pitchers with this left-hander with big extension to the plate. Leys has a solid slider and a good changeup developing, but he’s still sitting 92 mph with pretty average movement on his fourseamer. He’ll use his sinker as well and it’s been effective. Leys is in Single-A Lakeland, but is still walking a few too many batters to move out from under the Tigers’ close eye in Lakeland. There’s enough projection here to think he’ll eventually throw harder. If he gets to more velo and keeps refining his fastball and slider command he could make it as a starter, but he feels more like a future lefty swingman type. Round 5: No. 159 – RHP Ryan Hall (North Gwinnett HS, GA) $997,500
This is still the Tigers under Scott Harris, and so the draft wouldn’t have been complete without an expensive speculative big-bonus selection of a prep pitcher. Right-hander Ryan Hall was a quarterback and pitching standout both in high school. At six-foot-one he doesn’t have the big, rangy build of the classic power pitcher, but Hall can spin the baseball and has standout athleticism. He’s been up to 95 mph and the Tigers clearly believe there’s a ton of projection here. And, unlike their other prep picks, Hall didn’t miss much time before his pro debut. He’s currently working in the Complex League and is due to move over to the Single-A level in another week or two as the Complex League wraps up. Round 6: No. 189: – LHP Grayson Grinsell (Oregon) $297,500
This lefty has an interesting fastball-changeup combination and is working to develop his slider and changeup, as well as his command, in his first pro season. Grinsell gets over 19 inches of induced vertical break on his fourseamer, but it’s still 90-92 mph for the most part. His changeup is good, and his arm speed and extension help it play up. He needs to keep building velo and sharpening his slider. His control has been a little shaky at the Single-A level, but he racking up plenty of strikeouts so far. Round 7: No. 219 – OF/RHP Cale Wetwiska (Northern Oklahoma) $645,700
Wetwiska got a pretty nice bonus as well as a JUCO selection. The big-armed right-hander has good ride, extension, and cutting action on his 95.5 mph fourseamer and has touched 98 mph with the Single-A Flying Tigers this spring. He’ll mix in plenty of sinkers as well, but the real trick is turning his natural supinator traits into a good cutter-slider combination. He can spin the baseball, but while he’ll flash good editions of both breaking balls they’re still pretty inconsistent. Wetwiska is also a good candidate to learn a splitter, and he’ll need it if he’s going to remain a starting pitcher. The right-hander went down with an injury in early April, but he’s rehabbed and back starting in Single-A now. Round 8: No. 249 – OF Nick Dumesnil (California Baptist) $214,300
The Tigers went back to their well of athletic, inexpensive college players to select Dumesnil, and the 22-year-old looks like a fine selection. He’s walking a lot in Lakeland and keeping the strikeouts under control. He’s also shown some power and speed on the bases to go with the ability to play all three outfield positions. Round 9: No. 279 – LHP Trevor Heishman (St. John Bosco HS, CA) $347,500
This left-handed high schooler has a lot of interesting projection, but he’s yet to pitch this season. Now 19 years old, there isn’t much to add that we didn’t know on draft day. He’s six-foot-four and weighs in at 230 pounds, so he’s already quite a specimen. Heishman was low 90’s in high school but really spins the fastball and breaking stuff well, getting plenty of carry on the fastball. There is enormous upside here but it’s going to take plenty of time to get there. Round 10: No. 309 – C Edian Espinal (Central Florida) $185,300
Espinal has been a fascinating player to watch in Lakeland this spring. He was a JUCO pick who mainly played second base until converting to catcher last year. He’s only five-foot-seven and fairly thickly built, yet he still runs reasonable well. The defense will take plenty of time, but he has the arm strength and the athleticism to succeed. What has really turned heads, however, is his bat. The switch-hitter has really good bat to ball skills and is posting outstanding walk and strikeout rates that are nearly identical. He’s flashed solid raw power as well with six home runs so far and a max exit velocity of 108.1 mph. His average exit velocity is 90.7 mph, pretty exceptional for a JUCO pick dropped into the pro full season environment. Espinal has lived on base with the Flying Tigers, posting a .418 on-base percentage. Right now he’s a bat first catcher but the defense is coming along. Espinal can hit, and if he can develop into a quality major league catcher this is going to be a huge winner of a pick. Round 11: No. 339 – RHP River Hamilton (Sam Barlow HS, OR) $497,500
Hamilton has the raw stuff and frame to be pretty excited about him, but this one will require plenty of patience as well. He was very well regarded on the prep circuit and might have been a late first round pick had he not torn his UCL and required Tommy John last summer. The Tigers took him anyway, betting that they could sign him and that he’ll rehab the injury, come back in great shape, and prove a big winner of a pick that didn’t really require a huge, risky bonus. Round 12: No. 369 – RHP Cash Kuiper (Murray State) $150,000
This 21-year-old was another JUCO pick with big-time extension to the plate and some projection left in his six-foot-four frame. He has a pretty good changeup, but his slider and curveball need work. So far he’s been a little wild in Lakeland, but he came to the club without a ton of experience. Round 13: No. 399 – SS Jack Goodman (Northeastern) $150,000
Goodman has some power and plate discipline already, but he does swing a lot, and whiff a lot. He’s probably a second baseman, and has spent most of his time there in Lakeland. He has touched 109 mph off the bat, so there’s power potential in a right-handed hitting middle infielder, but it will take a major breakout to get him much prospect consideration. Still, he’s another athletic young player with a lot of tools, and it’s a question of how far he can refine his eye and hit tool. Round 14: No. 429: – 1B Beau Ankeney (Loyola Marymount) $150,000
Ankeney is built like a superhero and shows off plus raw power already. He’s been crushing it in Lakeland with 14 home runs in a half season of work in his pro debut, and can get to that pop to all fields. He’s also a free swinger who chases and punches out a lot. It’s probably not going to work out, but Ankeney feels like a guy the Tigers would’ve drafted in the 5-10 round range a decade ago and spent real money on. He’s a fun lottery ticket. Round 15: No. 459 – RHP Charlie Christensen (Central Arkansas) $150,000
Christensen has already torn through Single-A and recently moved to West Michigan. He has a fairly nasty slider-changeup combination from a snappy, low three-quarters arm slot. The whiffs piled up for him when he was commanding the secondary pitches, but his 92 mph sinker is still quite hittable when he’s behind in the count and needs a strike. Still a 36.7 percent strikeout rate in your Single-A pro debut out of a smaller college program is pretty darn good. The six-foot-four right-hander has some velocity projection remaining and boasts nearly seven feet of extension to the plate. Outstanding pick at the price. Round 16: No. 489 – RHP Joe Ruzicka (Belmont) $150,000
Ruzicka was a standout college pitcher in the small Missouri Valley conference. The six-foot-three right-hander has the Tigers requisite good extension, and he also brings good fastball shape and a nice curveball to the table, but doesn’t throw very hard yet, averaging 92.2 mph. He does spin the ball well, getting good ride on the heater with the ability to develop his breaking stuff. Presumably the Tigers think the velo can improve in time. Round 17: No. 519 – RHP Joey Wimpelberg (Central Florida) $197,500
Wimpelberg is another JUCO selection. He just threw his first inning of pro ball the other day, so there isn’t much new to say about him yet. He was a two-way player in high school and broke out with one of the top Florida junior college programs. His high three-quarters slot produces a good fastball in the low to mid-90’s and he can really spin his breaking stuff. He’s quite raw, but there’s a lot to like in the base arm talent alone. Round 18: No. 549 – LHP Ethan Rogers (Lone Jack HS, MO)
Did not sign, attending Wichita State now. Round 19: No. 579 – SS Meridian Leffew (Gastion Christian, NC)$164,500
Leffew signed out of high school after reclassifying from the 2026 to the 2025 draft, wanting to go right to pro ball. The 19-year-old shortstop hasn’t played yet, and is presumably going through a ton of developmental work behind the scenes. He’s fairly large for a shortstop at six-foot-two and a listed 187 pounds already. He’s a pretty good raw athlete with natural loft in his right-handed swing. Any prep shortstop with good athleticism available at this price is a good pick. Round 20: No. 609 – OF Kameron Douglas (Alabama State) $150,000
The 22-year-old Douglas is an interesting two-way player who has been up to 96 mph and has high spin characteristics on his fastball and breaking pitches. He’s got speed and power at the plate and can play all over the outfield, though he profiles best as a right fielder. This is another fairly raw player with a lot of athleticism. We haven’t seen him yet, and I suspect the Tigers mainly view him as a pitcher and are taking their time improving his mechanics right now behind the scenes.
The Tigers showed some positive adjustments in this draft
Personally, I really like the Yost and Oliveto picks quite a bit where they landed them. Neither has the upside of Bryce Rainer, but they’re both strong selections with plenty of upside and high floors. The pivot made in this draft was the ongoing move toward college and JUCO pitchers, while still finding a few arms like Hall and Hamilton in the prep ranks.
Two key names here are certainly Witherspoon and Jacobs. They both have the stuff to make it as quality mid-rotation starters and possibly more, and the Tigers really need some wins on the pitching side. So far Jacobs looks good, while Witherspoon already has great stuff but has to overcome the tendency to lose his rhythm and release spot that he showed in college. He would’ve been a first rounder based on his stuff if this hadn’t been an ongoing concern throughout his college career.
The Tigers also continued to get a lot of raw talent for minimum, or close to it, bonuses, including locking up some inexpensive prep and JUCO talent to work with.
It’s fair to be underwhelmed with the haul here initially, but that’s generally how it goes picking near the bottom of the draft order. I actually really like the Yost-Oliveto combination, and the Tigers got a whole lot of value throughout the rest of the draft. They scout farther and wider than some clubs, and it continues to show up as they add talented players from smaller college programs and the JUCO ranks, while opportunistically adding prep athletes who are highly motivated to start their pro careers despite meager signing bonuses.
We’re only a few months into seeing this class in action, so it’s going to be another year or two until there’s a really good read on how the whole class is coming together. Still, hopefully it gives you some sense of how their strategy has evolved as they slipped down in the draft order, with smaller bonus pools to work with.
Bo Naylor and Angel Genao both had big games, but it wasn’t enough for Columbus on Thursday.
Naylor went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and a double while Genao went 3-for-4 with a home run. Genao is on fire and currently is batting .303 at Triple-A with an .870 OPS. I’m super curious what Cleveland is going to do with him at this rate.
Milan Tolentino also went 2-for-4 with a double and Joe Lampe doubled.
Starting pitcher Austin Peterson got knocked around and failed to get an out in the second inning, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Tommy Mace followed him and wasn’t much better, allowing three more runs on four hits in 3.1 innings.
Ryan Webb tossed 2.2 scoreless innings and Daniel Espino allowed a solo home run in his inning of work.
Akron RubberDucks 5, Chesapeake Baysox 3
RubberDucks improve to 38-45
The top of Akron’s order did most of the work. Nick Mitchell went 2-for-4 with a home run while Jaison Chourio went 2-for-4. I’m super curious why Chourio was pinch-ran for late in the game. I didn’t see anything about him being hurt.
Tyresse Turner went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base while Jacob Cozart doubled in a pair of runs.
Starting pitcher Caden Favors was rock solid, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
Matt Jachec was sensational, striking out all five of his outs in 1.2 innings and Alaska Abney allowed an unearned run while earning the save.
Lake County Captains 8, Lansing Lugnuts 7
Captains improve to 48-33
It was a team effort for Lake County as eight members of the lineup contributed to the offensive eruption that included four home runs.
Esteban Gonzalez had the best game, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Jace LaViolette, Nolan Schubart and Ryan Cesarini also homered for their only hits of the day. Schubart’s home run was his 20th of the season already.
Garrett Howe went 2-for-4 with a triple while Aaron Walton and Tommy Hawke both went 2-for-4 with a double. Correction, both of Walton’s hits were doubles.
Starting pitcher Michael Kennedy had one of his best performances of the season. He allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings.
The bullpen had a rough night, allowing five runs in 4.0 innings, but the offense did enough to avoid an implosion.
Hill City Howlers 7, Charleston RiverDogs 3
Howlers improve to 35-48
Fresh off being named the Carolina League Player of the Month, 18-year-old prospect Juneiker Caceres belted a three-run home run and also had a sacrifice fly in a four-RBI performance to lead Hill City to a win.
Other offensive standouts included Riley Nelson, who went 2-for-3 and Cannon Peebles, who went 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk. Gabriel Rodriguez reached base safely three times, going 1-for-2 with two walks.
Ryan Prager I think was used as an opener, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
Luke Fernandez followed with 4.0 solid innings of long relief, dancing around four walks and two hits. A recently-activated Conner Whittaker preserved the shutout with 2.0 scoreless frames, then Angel Perez allowed three runs in the final 2.0 innings, although the team had a seven-run lead at that point so it was fine.
ACL Guardians 6, ACL Giants 3
Guardians improve to 28-21
Another day, another perfect day at the plate for Alejandro Blasco. The outfield sensation went 2-for-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly, raising his season OPS to 1.382.
Randy Martinez homered and walked while Estivel Morillo doubled and walked.
Starting pitcher Will Hynes was terrific, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.0 innings.
Reliever Randy Baron added 2.0 scoreless frames and Austin Testerman struck out the side to earn the save.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 10: Tyler Alexander #13 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammate Kyle Higashioka #11 following the team's win over the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field on July 10, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 7, Astros 3
I’m having flashbacks to the series opener against the Angels on Tuesday.
In that game, the Rangers were tied at 3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and then scored five runs, with a three run homer by Alejandro Osuna capping off the scoring.
In this game, the Ranges were tied at 3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and then scored four runs, with a three run homer by Jake Burger capping off the scoring.
In the opener against the Angels, Chris Martin gave up a run late, Cole Winn had a scoreless appearance, and Tyler Alexander pitched the ninth.
In this game, Chris Martin gave up two runs late, Cole Winn had a scoreless appearance, and Tyler Alexander pitched the ninth.
A big “attaboy” for Cal Quantrill, who is doing solid work filling in for Jack Leiter in the rotation. Quantrill gave up a single run, on a Yordan Alvarez home run, in six innings of work.
Quantrill isn’t striking out a bunch of guys — he had just one K on Friday. He isn’t missing a ton of bats — he generated just two swings and misses against the Astros out of 79 pitches, which is a remarkably low rate of bat missing.
But somehow he’s managed to get guys out and keep the Rangers in games.
Jordan Montgomery’s return isn’t far off — it looks like he should be back by the end of the month — and at that point, if everyone is healthy (big ol’ if, I know), Quantrill goes back to the pen. Hopefully he can give the Rangers another start or two like this before he goes back to the long relief role.
With a bullpen that was without Jacob Latz, who had thrown 41 pitches the night before, Skip Schumaker turned to Chris Martin for the seventh inning. Martin allowed a bloop single by LaMonte Wade, Jr., an extremely hard hit line drive right to Evan Carter for an out by Cam Smith, and then a crushed home run down the left field line by Yainer Diaz to tie the game. After a routine fly out, Martin was pulled for Cole Winn, who ended up retiring all four batters he faced in the game.
Martin’s ERA is now up to 8.31 on the season. He has a 7.40 xERA and 6.57 FIP. Fortunately, this has been in only 13 innings over 15 games, because Martin has had a couple of stints on the injured list.
The Rangers could really use Good Chris Martin, given the raggedy nature of the current bullpen. That version of Chris Martin may not be coming back, though. Martin, I imagine, is going to get some more rope, if only because there aren’t any real viable options to replace him right now. But the trade deadline is looming, the Rangers will likely be shopping for relievers if they stay in the playoff hunt, and Martin’s roster spot will be danger if he doesn’t turn things around, quick.
Fortunately, the Rangers beat up on Astros reliever Bryan King, allowing us not to dwell on the Chris Martin situation.
King came into the game with a 2.03 ERA in 38 appearances on the season. He had a nine game scoreless streak going, and had allowed just one run since Joc Pederson homered off of him on May 27 in some lefty-on-lefty violence.
The Rangers blew his ERA all the way up to 2.85, thanks to Wyatt Langford leading off the inning against him with a home run, and Jake Burger hitting a three run homer later in the inning.
That’s 15 home runs in 8 games this month for the Rangers.
I like it when the Rangers hit home runs.
I also like it when Wyatt Langford is healthy. He’s now slashing .276/.324/.506 on the season, with a 1.9 bWAR in just 42 games played. That’s an MVP caliber level of performance if its done over a full season.
Cal Quantrill hit 95.8 mph with his sinker, averaging 94.4 mph. Chris Martin’s fastball hit 94.8 mph. Cole Winn reached 96.2 mph with his fastball. Tyler Alexander’s fastball topped out at 91.6 mph.
Wyatt Langford’s homer was 108.6 mph. Joc Pederson’s home run was 107.7 mph. Brandon Nimmo had a 105.2 mph double. Josh Jung had a 104.4 mph single. Jake Burger’s home run was 101.0 mph.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 08: A general view of merchandise and menu items during the 2026 All-Star Week Welcome Press Conference at Cadillac Hall of Fame Club at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Allie Ippolito/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Guardians won a game against a good team, downing the Marlins 3-2.
We are ramping up for the MLB draft starting at 1pm ET. Read our draft prep article here. Matt Seese and myself discussed the MLB draft on Disgusting Baseball Podcast here.
AROUND MLB:
The White Sox and Tigers won, the Twins and Royals lost.
Apr 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) is seen in the dugout against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
MJ Melendez continuned his hot tear, going 1-3 with a solo home run; Ryan Clifford, named to the Futures Game yesterday, did not take advantage of his upcoming spotlight, striking out twice in three at-bats. Jack Wenninger tossed four and two-thirds innings of two-run ball in the Syracuse dub.
Rehabbing Luis Robert Jr. smacked a solo home run in Binghamton’s lopsided loss to the Yard Goats. The Rumble Ponies only collected four hits and two walks against Hartford pitching.
Two potential bullpen arms from the start of the season were rehabbing in Brooklyn tonight, and both did exceptionally well. Robert Stock struck out eight without allowing a baserunner in three and a third innings of work, while Kevin Herget allowed one walk in an otherwise perfect two innings.
Miguel Mejias was the only St. Lucie pitcher to not surrender a run in their loss to the Hammerheads. Mets’ batters struck out 11 times against Jupiter pitching.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 17: Commissioner Robert D. Manfred announces the 25th pick for the New York Yankees during the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft at L.A. Live on Sunday, July 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s that special time of year again. A new generation of Yankees will enter the farm system in the coming days and weeks through the Major League Baseball Draft, seeking to make their mark on this historic franchise. The highest picks will understandably get the most attention, but remember that impact can come from anywhere. Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice have Cy Young and MVP cases this year while making their first All-Star Game, and the Yankees nabbed them in the seventh and 12th round of the 2022 and 2021 drafts, respectively.
Jake, Madison, Michael, Peter, Jonathan, and our old friend Dan Kelly—who previewed the draft for us—will join me in delving into all of the Yankees’ new draft picks, from their first four today to Round 5 and beyond tomorrow. Note that the two-day draft schedule from Philadelphia is a little different from last year and very different from the years before that, when this was a three-day event. If you’re curious about who the Yankees might take, Dan wrote a good roundup of names from recent mock drafts, though as he notes, predicting who exactly will still be on the board at No. 35 overall is quite difficult.
If you have any interest in following the MLB Draft proceedings beyond PSA’s coverage (which you can find here), check out the viewing guide below. The best guess is that the Yankees won’t pick until around 4pm-ish.
Saturday, July 11: Rounds 1-4
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET – Preview show + Picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock) 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET – Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.tv, MLB+) 4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.tv, MLB+)
Sunday, July 12: Rounds 5-20
11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
Below is the draft order for Sunday’s coverage. The Yankees are picking 10 spots behind where they would have lined up due to luxury tax penalties (as are the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, and Blue Jays). So their first pick won’t come until No. 35 overall, though because they didn’t sign any free agents this past offseason, they do have all their expected picks.
Note that under current MLB rules, the only draft picks that can be traded are Competitive Balance Round picks, and while the Yankees are technically picking in the first Competitive Balance Round, it is considered an untradeable first-round pick that simply moved back 10 spots.
The first half of the first round was primarily curated by last December’s MLB Draft Lottery, which the White Sox won. The Rays are in first place right now, but they fared well in the lotto last year and will get the No.2 pick, with the Twins selecting after them. UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, and Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson are all expected to go within the first three picks, though it remains to be seen who the Pale Hose will pick to kick off the action. As a darkly amusing reminder (like with the White Sox from 2024-25), the 119-loss Rockies were ineligible from picking any higher than 10th this year because they’re a revenue sharing team that also had lotto picks in 2024 and 2025.
That’s enough semantics. Here’s the order!
Round 1
White Sox
Rays
Twins
Giants
Pirates
Royals
Orioles
Athletics
Braves
Rockies
Nationals
Angels
Cardinals
Marlins
Diamondbacks
Rangers
Astros
Reds
Guardians
Red Sox
Padres
Tigers
Cubs
Mariners
Brewers
Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks
Braves [for Drake Baldwin winning NL Rookie of the Year]
Mets [No. 17 pick moved back due to luxury tax]
Astros [for Hunter Brown finishing in the top three for AL Cy Young]
Competitive Balance Round
Giants [acquired from Guardians for Patrick Bailey]
Royals
Diamondbacks
Cardinals
Rays [acquired from Orioles for Shane Baz]
White Sox [acquired from Pirates for Jacob Gonzalez and Brandon Eisert]
Yankees [No. 25 pick moved back due to luxury tax]
Phillies [No. 26 pick moved back due to luxury tax]
Rockies
Round 2
Rockies
Blue Jays [No. 29 pick moved back due to luxury tax]
Dodgers [No. 30 pick moved back due to luxury tax]
White Sox
Nationals
Twins
Pirates
Angels
Orioles
Athletics
Braves
Rays
Cardinals
Pirates [compensation for unsigned 2025 No. 50 pick]
Marlins
Diamondbacks
Rangers
Giants
Royals
Astros
Reds
Guardians
Padres
Tigers
Cubs
Yankees
Phillies
Mariners
Brewers
Competitive Balance/Compensation Round
Red Sox [acquired from Brewers for Caleb Durbin and two others)
Cardinals [acquired from Mariners for Brendan Donovan]
Tigers
Reds
Marlins
Cardinals [acquired from Rays in Brendan Donovan trade]
Athletics
Twins
Cubs [for losing Kyle Tucker in free agency, and no luxury tax]
Round 3
Rockies
White Sox
Nationals
Twins
Pirates
Angels
Orioles
Athletics
Braves
Rays
Cardinals
Marlins
Diamondbacks
Rangers
Giants
Royals
Mets
Astros
Reds
Guardians
Red Sox
Padres
Cubs
Yankees
Phillies
Mariners
Brewers
Blue Jays
Round 4
Rockies
White Sox
Nationals
Twins
Pirates
Angels
Orioles
Athletics
Braves
Rays
Cardinals
Marlins
Diamondbacks
Rangers
Giants
Royals
Mets
Astros
Reds
Guardians
Padres
Tigers
Cubs
Yankees
Phillies
Mariners
Brewers
Blue Jays
Dodgers
Compensation Round
Astros [for losing Framber Valdez in free agency as luxury tax payor]
Padres [for losing Dylan Cease in free agency as luxury tax payor]
Phillies [for losing Ranger Suárez in free agency as luxury tax payor]
The draft will then be on hold until Sunday at 11:30am ET, and it will be a primarily MLB.com-focused event from there. Usually, they make it pretty easy to follow the draft picks though, and there won’t be much pomp and circumstance between selections. If anything, it will be just enough time for their draft experts to opine on the picks, and then it’s onto the next!
The draft order is largely the same in the fifth and sixth round, aside from the Dodgers losing picks due to various free agent signings. Then from the seventh round onward, it’s all straightforward “worst record to best record + playoff results” 1-30. You can check out the full order here.
Per Baseball America, the Yankees have a total draft bonus pool of $7,342,800 to spend (the lowest of all 30 teams), meaning that they can go over or under the given slot number on any pick, but in the end, their grand total must stay below that amount. Here’s how the slots are divvied up:
Round
Overall pick
Slot value
1
35
$2,826,700
2
63
$1,451,700
3
99
$792,300
4
127
$603,500
5
160
$437,200
6
189
$341,800
7
218
$270,000
8
248
$223,100
9
278
$203,500
10
308
$193,000
$7,342,800
The Yankees can vary their bonus levels; any left over might be used to help sign draft prospects with signability questions in the 11th round and beyond for more than the allotted $150,000 value. Teams can spend over their allotted pools, but not without penalties:
A team that exceeds its bonus pool faces a penalty. A club outspending its allotment by 0-5 percent pays a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, a team loses future picks: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing its pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JULY 14: Major League Baseball commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. announces the pick for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2024 MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum on July 14, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 MLB Draft is this weekend, Saturday, July 11, at the Philadelphia Convention Center. The opning day of the draft will include the first four rounds and will start at 1:30pm EST, with TV coverage starting at 1:00pm.
This year, rounds 5-20 will take place on Sunday, July 12.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have the largest bonus pool in MLB history at $19,130,700 to go along with the number five overall pick and 22 total picks in the draft. Baseball America had this to say about the Bucs and the draft:
“Because of the amount of money they have to spend it would be surprising if their draft haul wasn’t one of the most compelling in the league after the draft is over.”
Here’s how to access the MLB Draft.
TV and Streaming
Day 1: Saturday, July 11 (Rounds 1-4) • 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET – Picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock) • 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET – Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+) • 4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20) • 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
2026 MLB Draft Order (First Round + PPI Picks + Competitive Balance Round A)
Chicago White Sox
Tampa Bay Rays
Minnesota Twins
San Francisco Giants
Pittsburgh Pirates
Kansas City Royals
Baltimore Orioles
Athletics
Atlanta Braves
Colorado Rockies
Washington Nationals
Los Angeles Angels
St. Louis Cardinals
Miami Marlins
Arizona Diamondbacks
Texas Rangers
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Guardians
Boston Red Sox
San Diego Padres
Detroit Tigers
Chicago Cubs
Seattle Mariners
Milwaukee Brewers
Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks
Atlanta Braves (Drake Baldwin – 2025 NL Rookie of the Year)
New York Mets
Houston Astros (Hunter Brown – Top-3 finish in 2025 AL Cy Young Award voting)
The 2026 MLB Draft starts on Saturday, with the first 135 picks and four rounds of the 20-round, two-day affair. The Dodgers have two picks on Saturday, their selections thinned by free agent spending in the winter.
The Dodgers picking 40th overall is familiar in recent years, as that’s the selection they used to draft catcher Dalton Rushing in 2022 and pitcher Zach Root in 2025. In both cases, the Dodgers’ first pick dropped 10 spots due to the competitive balance tax the previous year.
Three other times the Dodgers have drafted 40th overall, including shortstop Thomas Harris in 1967 and outfielder Don Carroll in 1987, neither of whom reached the majors. With respect to Rushing, perhaps the most consequential No. 40 pick in Dodgers history was pitcher Luke Hochevar in 2005. Hochevar did not sign with the Dodgers, but was drafted first overall the next year by the Kansas City Royals, which caused a cascading effect that led to Clayton Kershaw being available at seventh overall in 2006.
Dodgers Day 1 picks
1st round, 40th overall
4th round, 132nd overall
Draft coverage begins at 10 a.m. PT on NBC and Peacock, then shifts to MLB Network for picks 11-40. MLB Network’s coverage is tentatively scheduled to run through 1:30 p.m. PT, so expect the Dodgers’ first selection to come right around then.
After the first 40 picks, it’s all streaming the rest of the way, covered by MLB.com and MLB.tv. Draft coverage is tentatively scheduled to run through 4:45 p.m. PT and there are 135 picks, so expect the Dodgers’ fourth-rounder at No. 132 some time near 4 p.m.
Jun 29, 2026; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Maverick Cooper Flagg listens during an introductory press conference for new head coach Dusty May at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
The six-team trade is official, and Dallas quietly attacked its biggest weakness without touching its young core or its largest trade exception.
Santi Aldama is a Maverick. Marcus Sasser is a Maverick. Tarik Biberovic, the Turkish league sharpshooter whose draft rights sat in a Memphis drawer for three years, is signing a two-year deal to finally cross the ocean. Ten players and a small mountain of picks changed hands across six franchises, and Dallas walked away from the table with exactly what it came for.
I understand if you didn’t feel the dopamine hit. That’s kind of the point.
A few days ago, I wrote that the relief of this offseason was in what Dallas had not done. Fans carrying decades of scar tissue, from the DeAndre Jordan saga to the worst trade in franchise history, watched the Sasser and Aldama reports sit unfinalized for days and started bracing for the other shoe. It never dropped. The deal didn’t fall apart. It got better. Now that the full architecture is public, we can see what the front office was doing instead of chasing splashes.
What Dallas Actually Got
Start with the problem. Last season’s Mavericks were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league. When defenses know they can sag off your role players, the lane clogs, rotations cheat, and your star wears multiple defenders for 40 minutes a night.
Max Christie was the best catch-and-shoot option on the roster early, and he started the year scorching. Then he faded, the way young players sometimes do. Strong starts, strong middles, strong finishes; most young careers only get one of the three in a given season. As Christie’s shooting slid and the injuries piled up, the offense tilted more and more toward the Cooper Flagg Show. Some of that was Flagg’s maturation, and the box scores down the stretch were spectacular. But some of it was that the Mavericks simply didn’t have anything else. That’s not a sustainable formula, and this front office clearly knew it.
Now look at the bets they placed. Brandon Williams remains unsigned, and Dallas may yet bring him back. But Sasser represents a different offensive wager: less paint pressure, more willingness to fire. In an injury-shortened season he shot 41.5 percent from three, and 60 percent of his field goal attempts came from behind the line. It’s a small sample, but it’s a clear signal of the shot profile Dallas is buying. “Willing shooter” is not a vibe in his case. It’s a shot chart. He spent his Detroit years buried in a crowded backcourt behind Cade Cunningham and a surging Daniss Jenkins, on a team that never quite figured out how to use him. Dallas has a role and a green light waiting.
In comes Aldama, a 25-year-old combo forward who shot 35 percent from three on real volume last season and can play the four or the five.
And in comes Biberovic, who might be the jewel of the entire offseason alongside Morez Johnson Jr.
The Biberovic Bet
Let me paint you a picture. A 6’7″ wing, 25 years old, coming off a EuroLeague season where he shot 41.9 percent from three on more than five attempts a game and 95.2 percent from the free throw line. That free throw number is not a typo. He shot nearly 49 percent from deep in Turkish league play. And this is not a one-season heater: across eight professional seasons in Europe, his career EuroLeague three-point mark is 42.3 percent. He won a EuroLeague title with Fenerbahce in 2025 and starred on the Turkish stage for years. Memphis drafted him 56th overall in 2023 and let his rights gather dust for three seasons.
His stroke is a thing of beauty. He leans away into the release like a man settling into a recliner, creating separation without ever speeding up the mechanics.
Now imagine that exact player as a 27-year-old NBA free agent with two seasons of elite shooting on an NBA roster. What does that contract look like? Go find the comparable shooters from the last few free agency cycles and check the price tags. It’s a bidding war, and it ends in eight figures a year.
Is there translation risk? Of course. The NBA is faster and longer than the EuroLeague, and not every great European shooter survives the jump. But when you don’t control your own first-round picks and you’re rebuilding without a net, these are precisely the asymmetrical bets you have to find. The downside is a modest flyer you can walk away from in a year. The upside is a starting-caliber floor spacer at a fraction of his potential open-market cost.
And here’s the question that hangs over the whole acquisition: would the previous front office have even known who Memphis held draft rights to? A regime that shed its European connective tissue and never once went looking for more, that treated the international scouting trail like it was optional? Biberovic would have retired in Istanbul before that front office learned to spell his name.
Adding a Class, Not a Player
Zoom out and count. Four draft picks in June: Morez Johnson Jr., Sergio de Larrea, Tobi Lawal, Vsevolod Ishchenko. Three more players 25 or younger inbound on this trade: Aldama, Sasser, Biberovic. That’s seven new additions to the under-26 talent pool in a span of three weeks, stacked on top of Flagg, Lively, Christie, and Nembhard.
They didn’t add a player. They added a class.
A word on Lively, because it matters here. He’s roughly seven months removed from foot surgery, out of the boot, walking and lifting, but as of his late-June update not yet cleared to run or jump. He says the foot will decide the timeline, not the calendar, and he’s taking more time than he needs to make sure he never deals with this again. That’s the right approach and I’m rooting for him. He’s also apparently a serious Lego guy, and so is Morez Johnson Jr., which means the Mavericks frontcourt room may soon feature two large men comparing Millennium Falcon builds. The vibes, at least, are structurally sound.
But this is why the Morez pick made sense at nine, whatever the draft-night grumbling said. Lively has not yet reached 100 regular-season games through three seasons. You cannot pencil him in. You plan for the roster you might actually have.
Building for the Star You Have, Not the One You Had
Here’s the part of this offseason I find most encouraging, and it’s about theory, not transactions.
When this franchise built around Luka, the blueprint was 3-and-D wings and rim-runners. PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. spacing the corners, Lively and Gafford protecting the paint and catching lobs. That construction fit that star: a supernova distributor who drew doubles no matter what, needed vertical finishers, and needed defensive cover behind him.
Flagg is not a lead guard, whatever the “he’ll start at point” crowd projects. He’s a dynamic three-four who operates in the post, on the wing, and off the drive, and he’s a gifted secondary distributor. What a player like that needs is not lob targets. It’s space. Clean driving lanes. A floor where defenses can’t load up and send two bodies at him on every touch, because there’s a shooter in every direction who will make them pay.
Sasser. Aldama. Biberovic. De Larrea. That’s a spacing package assembled for a specific superstar’s specific needs. Last year, defenses could say “all we have to do is stop Cooper.” The front office spent this trade making that sentence much harder to say.
The Under the Radar Cap Move
Now for the piece of this deal that elevates it from good to better than it first appeared.
The assumption when the Aldama trade was first reported was that Dallas would absorb his salary into the traded player exception left over from the Anthony Davis deal. Simple, clean, obvious. And an ordinary front office would have done exactly that. A bad one might have sat on the TPE all the way to the deadline and let it quietly expire unused, which the rules fully allow and which incompetent front offices have done plenty of times before. Nothing forces you to capitalize on your tools. They just sit there, available, waiting for someone smart enough to use them.
Instead, the final six-team construction did something that made cap watchers sit up. By routing Khris Middleton to Washington via sign-and-trade and aggregating his outgoing money with AJ Johnson’s, Dallas met the salary-matching requirement for Aldama without spending the Davis exception at all. Sasser was absorbed through a separate bi-annual exception created just for him. Marc Stein laid it out plainly: the Mavericks brought in both Aldama and Sasser without touching either the roughly $20 million Davis trade exception or their mid-level exception, then signed Biberovic once the deal was official.
Read that again. They attacked the shooting problem, added three young players who can compete for rotation minutes, and their two biggest tools for adding another contributor are still on the shelf. The Davis exception is good deep into the season. If a Peyton Watson-type restricted free agent shakes loose, or the next player whose market unexpectedly shifts becomes available in February, Dallas has a lever most of the league has already spent.
The deal was structured better than anyone initially understood. That is craft, and it showed up in the fine print where nobody was looking.
The Crevice
This front office does not conduct its business through public courtship. The individual pieces surfaced in reports, but the full six-team architecture was not apparent until the work was done, and none of it arrived through trial balloons or self-serving narration. After years of a franchise that felt like it was run in public, through leaks and vibes and loyalty networks, the quiet is its own kind of statement.
And the quiet competence matters more here than it would almost anywhere else, because of the degree of difficulty. Dallas doesn’t control its own first-round picks. The cupboard was left nearly bare. Anyone can run a rebuild from a loaded treasure chest. This front office signed up to do it the hard way, and there’s a physical difference between the two jobs. One is waltzing down a wide hallway. The other is turning your body sideways and pushing through a crevice at its narrowest point.
Masai Ujiri knew that when he took the job. His answer was to hire up: Mike Schmitz, a talent evaluator by trade, as his right hand, and a coaching staff built around development. At his introductory press conference, Ujiri promised that every decision would be future-based, that the job was finding nuance in every avenue available, whether free agency, the draft, or elsewhere. Two months of evidence later, he’s doing what he said. If you were waiting on free agency to deliver the big splash, it was likely never coming, because that’s not the philosophy. The philosophy is nooks and crannies. It’s Memphis’s forgotten draft rights and Detroit’s buried guard and a twenty-million-dollar exception and a full mid-level, both preserved for the right moment.
The perfect long-term lead guard next to Flagg may not materialize this offseason. That’s fine. This front office is almost certainly not done, but it also will not force a move in July that serves the team better in January. The trade market in-season is a different animal: teams fall out of races, contracts become expendable, and front offices holding a twenty-million-dollar exception get very popular phone numbers. Don’t be shocked if Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford, or others are moved somewhere down the line. And if they all open the season in Dallas, that isn’t inaction either. It’s patience, which is just inaction that knows what it’s waiting for.
The rebuild isn’t a weekend project, and anyone declaring the summer a failure because the roster is not finished may be grading a construction site as a completed house.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 10: Khaman Maluach #10 of the Phoenix Suns dunks the ball during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on July 10, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 Stephen Greathouse/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It was nice to have Phoenix Suns basketball back as the team debuted in the 2026 Summer League, opening their schedule against the Portland Trail Blazers. There are plenty of reasons to be excited, seeing as a youth movement is occurring in Phoenix and these are the foundational steps necessary to fan the flames of their development. So, as we do, we got excited.
And then, like the Suns typically do, they fell completely on their face.
Phoenix made eight total field goals in the first half, scored only 24 points, and looked completely discombobulated. Add in the fact that they went 0-of-9 from beyond the arc, and you had to ask yourself, what am I watching?
Then the second half arrived, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. The Suns used their defense as the catalyst for their offense, something the big league club did time and again last season. One thing you can get away with in Summer League is being physical. The penalty comes in the form of fouls, but they’re unlimited. Ask rookie Koa Peat, who finished his professional debut with 8 fouls. He also finished with 17 points.
Alongside sophomore Khaman Maluach, the Suns looked much more physical and effective offensively in the second half. You don’t put much weight into the final result of a Summer League game, but you can certainly take notice of how they got there.
24 points in the first half. 57 in the second. And a win in their first Summer League game. It was nice to see.
Summer Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 1 against the Blazers. Here are your nominees:
LeBron James is an unrestricted free agent for the fourth time in his career - and much like the first three times, his latest dalliance in NBA free agency has once again activated an army of internet sleuths ready to crack the code on his next team.
After closing the door on his eight-year run with the Los Angeles Lakers, the latest LeBron James next team odds have the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat — his only two stops prior to L.A. — as the clear favorites to bring back The King for what could be his final NBA season. But there's smoke around the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers, too, while the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets loom as long shots.
So I donned my investigative journalist cap and went to work this week gathering and decoding all of the various clues dropped by LeBron, agent Rich Paul, and the various power brokers at play to nail down where he'll play next season.
Where will LeBron James play next year? Latest odds & favorites
Pricing provided by Kalshi - accurate as of July 11
With four rings and countless records under his belt, James' priorities aren't the same now as they were eight years ago when he left Cleveland a second time to chase another title.
As his agent laid out earlier this month, "happiness" is the driving force for James ahead of what sure feels like his last dance. He's already signaled that he's willing to be a supporting piece, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, while taking a massive paycut to sign for a minimum contract or within a cap exception.
That's why the Cavaliers are the clear favorites to lure LeBron back for a second homecoming after he returned in 2014 and led them to their lone title in 2016. But the Heat offer a parallel pitch that teases more immediate upside, and there are a whole host of suitors who still think they're in the mix for the NBA's top remaining free agent.
Pricing provided by Kalshi - accurate as of July 11
Unlike in previous years, when James' free-agent decision was the first major domino of the offseason, this one could be the last of the summer. On Thursday, NBA reporter Marc Stein said that most around the league "do not expect a resolution this week" and expect this free-agent saga to last deep into Summer League (July 9-19).
Because James is expected to sign for the minimum or thereabouts, he can theoretically wait for all of the dust to settle in free agency and pick his final destination based on which team is in the best shape before his arrival. That said, he already has a "favorite in his head" according to Windhorst ... which makes it even more intriguing to read the tea leaves while we wait for his final decision.
Where will LeBron James sign in free agency?
While we technically don't yet know where LeBron will sign this summer, the evidence is mounting for each of the favorites in this free agency sweepstakes. So we constructed our own virtual corkboard and rated every clue on a 1-to-5 scale in terms of how convincing it is to a jury of NBA prognosticators (me). Let the reckless speculation begin.
Cleveland Cavaliers (45% chance)
National insiders close to LeBron think he's going to Cleveland. Windhorst, who has been as plugged in with James as anyone over the last two decades, said earlier this week that LeBron "knows what he's going to do" and that the "vibes are pointing toward Cleveland" — a pretty damning 1-2 punch for the rest of the league. That same day, Stein also reported that the rest of the league views Cleveland as "the scenario to beat" in free agency. Consider me convinced on that bit alone. 🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍
Bill Simmons said LeBron to Cleveland is "done." Nearly an hour into his latest podcast on Thursday, Simmons declared that "the Cleveland thing is done" and argued Golden State was only ever used as leverage to get Draymond Green and Anthony Davis — two fellow Klutch clients — paid top dollar on their ensuing extensions. The news was swiftly reported as fact and led to sharp movement in the market toward the Cavs, though I'm skeptical this is truly reporting rather than his own take. Still, there's clearly smoke here. 🔍🔍🔍🔍
His childhood best friend runs the Cavs' front office. Brandon Weems — whom Paul called "basically LeBron's brother" — is Cleveland's assistant GM, and Paul called him out as a "big, big X-factor" in the Cavaliers' pitch to bring James back home. He's seen as the favorite to replace Mike Gansey as general manager after he left for the 76ers. 🔍🔍🔍🔍
Cleveland is clearing the way for his return. While the Cavs invested $273 million in a Donovan Mitchell extension this summer, that didn't block LeBron's return to Cleveland — if anything, it locked in a clear succession plan. But the Cavs letting Dean Wade and Keon Ellis walk without any notable additions indicates that they're retaining maximum flexibility for LeBron ... and possibly for Bronny James, too. 🔍🔍🔍
He spent his free-agency week in Akron. Sure, LeBron can return home to golf and catch up with old friends without suspicion. But he was photographed with his high school teammates and Weems as part of a very public trip back home last week that also saw him enjoying a night out at House Three Thirty in Akron and posting on Instagram about his trip. For most players, it'd likely be a coincidence, but James always has a penchant for telegraphing his next move with intention. 🔍🔍🔍
He's dropping obvious hints on Instagram. As far as social media speculation goes, it's hard to beat this one: James liked an Instagram post openly calling for him to "come home" before later posting an Instagram video of him "enjoying a nice cruise thru my city" in Cleveland. You can never read too much into social media activity, hence the three-glass rating, but this feels like a smoking gun if there ever was one. 🔍🔍🔍
He may already be filming the ending. If reports are true that James could be documenting his 24th season for a film or series, that would add another point in Cleveland's favor for a true storybook ending fit for a documentary. Of course, LeBron can record his last act in any city, but this would make too much sense. 🔍🔍
What's the case for Cleveland? Nobody needs to explain the allure of LeBron returning home one last time: he left Miami to return to Cleveland in 2014 and promptly carried the Cavs to their first-ever title to complete the prophecy foretold for the Akron kid. Knowing how much legacy matters to LeBron, closing the final chapter of his career back home would be almost too sweet to turn down ... which is apparently how rival teams feel, too. Assuming James truly is willing to take a steep pay cut to facilitate a return to his hometown — which remains disputed among NBA insiders — it would take one heck of a pitch from a competing team to lure him away.
Miami Heat (25% chance)
Miami is the only other team that can sell a homecoming. Windhorst lumped the Heat in with the Cavs as a "category of their own" this week — the only two suitors where James wouldn't be dogged by ring-chasing narratives because he's already hung banners in both buildings. Windhorst added that LeBron still "repeats Miami Heat mantras" and that the organization is "part of his basketball DNA." I'm certainly listening. 🔍🔍🔍🔍
His organizational bridges remain intact. ESPN's Shams Charania reported earlier this week that there's no lingering tension with Pat Riley, and James has a close relationship with former coach Erik Spoelstra and current Heat star Bam Adebayo, both of whom united with James at the 2024 Olympics. With no state income tax and past ties to Miami, it's easy to see LeBron talking himself into a return to the place he won his first two titles. 🔍🔍🔍
The Heat already swung a massive superstar deal. While the trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't explicitly a pitch for LeBron, it does match the organization's penchant for acquiring stars in bunches - much like they did in 2010 signing James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade in South Beach. Windhorst has been adamant that teams chasing LeBron need to take big swings to attract him — could that be enough? 🔍🔍🔍
Miami's newest star wants to "win today." Speaking of Giannis, the newest Heat star posted a potentially cryptic message on Instagram this week, captioning a video with "win today" a day after free agent Bradley Beal posted "Win the Day!!" on Twitter/X. That alone wouldn't be all that suspicious if it wasn't a phrase that LeBron uttered just a few weeks ago on his podcast. Antetokounmpo also stirred the pot when he said he likes to watch James play on a recent live stream. This definitely falls under the "reckless social media speculation" category ... but it has my attention nonetheless. 🔍🔍🔍
There's room for Bronny, too. Much like the Cavs, the Heat are reportedly open to signing Bronny James if they ink a deal with his dad in free agency. I have to imagine any team in the league would agree to that for James, but the direct reporting here is worth noting. 🔍
What's the case for Miami? It's the mirror image of Cleveland's pitch with more championship pedigree: James led the Heat to two titles under Spoelstra in 2011-12 and 2012-13, and they're set up to make another run in the Eastern Conference this year with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo in place. The Heat saw their odds spike on Friday after various reports that cast doubt on Cleveland's commanding lead — if LeBron-to-Ohio falls through and he still wants to "return home," there's a clear option waiting for him.
Golden State Warriors (15% chance)
The Warriors' surge felt real for a moment. It's been almost two weeks since Golden State peaked at 65% on Kalshi following multiple reports that the Warriors were making a play at LeBron, and that early momentum still seems to be dragging the Dubs into this race — even if it seems far less likely now that the Anthony Davis trade rumors have died down. Still, Draymond Green declined his $27.7 million player option in part to free up space for a potential James signing, so this doesn't feel entirely like a false signal. 🔍🔍🔍
LeBron and Draymond are openly hanging out. Speaking of Green, the Warriors forward (and fellow Klutch client) was seen golfing with LeBron in Puerto Rico earlier this week, which fueled rumors that the two might play together in either Golden State or Cleveland. Green has previously said that he's "always wanted" to play with James — though if you believe the "leaked" post from Poke Fresh Ohio, that reunion will be in Ohio. 🔍🔍
Stephen Curry is joining in on the fun. While attending a celebrity golf event in Tahoe, Curry made his own pitch for James to join him in the Bay. His quote about playing golf with LeBron drew headlines, but him saying that "we obviously would love to play together" certainly caught my attention ... even if it's likely media speak. 🔍
Even his own podcast is teasing a LeBron-Curry reunion. The most recent upload on the "Mind the Game" YouTube channel is a clip of James and Curry gushing over their Team USA chemistry for 10 minutes, touting the "perfect basketball" they played together and reminiscing about their on-court exploits in their brief time as teammates. It's probably nothing, but with LeBron, you truly can't rule anything out. 🔍
What's the case for Golden State? Playing alongside Curry might be the single biggest draw that any team can offer on the court, and joining a Warriors organization known for its commitment to joy and cerebral basketball is a quintessential fit for LeBron in his final year(s). The issue is whether they can make a strong enough case without prying Davis out of Washington, which looks to be a nigh-impossible challenge. Simmons could be right that Golden State is purely a leverage play for James' Klutch teammates; I'm not quite ready to rule out LeBron's greatest career adversary, but momentum is certainly fading.
Philadelphia 76ers (13% chance)
"Everything changed" after the Jaylen Brown trade. Those were Paul's opening words in his now-famous whiteboard breakdown, declaring that "everything changed" once the Sixers landed Brown. Charania backed that report by saying the 76ers were "not in the picture" until trading for Brown changed James' perspective. If true, that could shake LeBron's preference toward an early favorite and lead him to a basketball-centric decision for a team that is arguably a floor-spacing power forward away from contention. 🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍
Tyrese Maxey's name had a literal star on the whiteboard. This might be the biggest smoking gun this side of Cleveland. When Paul revealed the famous whiteboard to Max Kellerman last week, Maxey was the only player on the entire board with any sort of symbol (save for a minus sign for the Cavs trading away Darius Garland). Maxey is a Klutch client who has worked out with James since his pre-draft process back in 2020, and Windhorst reported this week that Maxey is the "biggest factor" pulling LeBron to Philly. Paul said that LeBron "loves Maxey, so we don't even need to talk about that." Say no more. 🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍
There's a familiar face in Philly's front office. Mike Gansey, who recently left his post as Cavaliers GM to run the 76ers' basketball operations, played against James in high school and spent more than a decade in the Cavaliers organization. He said earlier this week that he's "known LeBron for a long time" and "would love to have him" in Philly. Those comments weren't groundbreaking, obviously, but the off-court connection could help swing the tides toward the Sixers if James is compelled by the on-court fit. 🔍🔍🔍
Sixers ownership pitched LeBron on Paul's own podcast. Team president Bob Myers hopped on "Game Over" this month and made his pitch directly: if LeBron wants to win, he can win in Philadelphia. The pitch itself says less than his presence on the podcast, which could be Paul drumming up headlines or signal the 76ers' gravity in this race. 🔍
What's the case for Philadelphia? The 76ers were clear long shots entering this offseason, but hiring the Cavs' former general manager and then pulling off perhaps the biggest heist of the summer clearly has LeBron's attention. The Sixers pulled out all the stops to recruit James in 2018, and the Maxey appeal seems legitimate. I'm not sure there's enough here to overtake the favorites, but the smoke keeps billowing out of Philly.
Minnesota Timberwolves (5% chance)
Nobody is pushing harder than Minnesota. The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski reported this week that the Wolves have "ramped up" their pursuit and taken a pitch straight to LeBron's camp, operating with "full belief" that they belong in this race. Unrequited love doesn't spell a lasting union, but for a franchise that has never landed a marquee free agent, it's a rather bold stance that certainly has my attention ... even if LeBron's interest remains fuzzy. 🔍🔍🔍
The Timberwolves are making moves with James in mind. Minnesota traded Julius Randle and Naz Reid this summer, conveniently leaving the starting power forward spot open next to Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert. LeBron has already signaled that he wants to play a supporting role for his next team, and the T-Wolves don't seem eager to fill out their lineup without first seeing if he slots into it. 🔍🔍🔍
LeBron and Anthony Edwards have real history. James drafted Edwards first overall in the 2023 All-Star draft, and he lavished praise on the former top pick earlier this season, saying he loves "everything about him" and that he has "a fan in me and a friend in me for life." Edwards has made no secret of his admiration for King James, and helping shape a future face of the league could be enough to compel James to move north. 🔍🔍
What's the case for Minnesota? The best case for the Timberwolves is similar to that for the Cavaliers in 2014: join a team that has never won it all and put your stamp on NBA history as a leader on and off the court for a talented young squad. The Timberwolves were the only team on Paul's whiteboard without a championship, and LeBron could help snap the state's 35-year title drought across all major sports. This would be a true long shot given the lack of tangible connections to the franchise, but it'd be a heck of a fit on the court.
Denver Nuggets (2% chance)
Denver made the whiteboard's inner circle. For all of the talk that the Nuggets are out of the race, Paul placed them directly in the heart of the famous whiteboard as one of the five teams with a real chance to sign him. Paul was adamant that Denver was a "legitimate destination" for James this summer - that alone keeps them in the mix. 🔍🔍🔍
LeBron has history with Nuggets ownership. James has a genuine friendship with Josh Kroenke, the team's CEO/president and co-owner, that dates back years — Kroenke famously mailed LeBron a throwback Nuggets jersey when he was last a free agent in 2018. Paul also added Kroenke's name as a parenthetical note on the whiteboard, which is either another meaningless diversion or a real signal about Denver's chances in this race. 🔍🔍
Windhorst highlighted Denver as a dark horse to watch. Early in free agency, before reports swirled about favorites and shortlists, Windhorst said he "long believed" that Denver was a compelling outlier in the LeBron sweepstakes — especially given his "overly effusive" praise for Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, a fellow basketball genius and all-time passer alongside James. 🔍🔍
What's the case for Denver? If this decision is about basketball, few teams offer a more compelling on-court environment than the Nuggets, who already feature a heliocentric offensive star and could desperately use a high-IQ power forward to play off Jokic and Murray. Given the desperation in Denver to improve the roster without increasing payroll, James on the minimum would be a dream scenario ... but only if LeBron agrees.
Long shots to sign LeBron James
It feels like a near-certainty that James will sign with one of the teams listed above, as all other options have less than a 1% chance on Kalshi, with no strong reporting to back them. Here are the top teams on the outside looking in:
New York Knicks: Paul delivered a rather shocking admission when he said that LeBron would be "going to the Knicks" if they hadn't won the title. But they did win it all behind franchise star Jalen Brunson, whom Paul suggested would need to offer his blessing for any sort of move. We can effectively rule this one out, though the alternate history is fascinating to consider if you believe Paul's candor.
Dallas Mavericks: Paul listed the Mavericks on the whiteboard with "oil, golf, Macau, Africa" scribbled in the margins — presumably a nod to the off-court business opportunities he'd have in Dallas. But there simply isn't enough connecting LeBron to Big D, especially not with the roster seemingly years away from contention.
Boston Celtics: One of James' biggest career rivals made the whiteboard, but the Celtics are somewhere between rebuilding and reloading after shipping Brown to Philly. I couldn't find any real connective tissue here (believe me, I looked).
San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama is a bigger draw than potentially anyone in the league, but the Spurs using their mid-level exception to sign Tobias Harris for $31 million says everything I need to know about their interest in pursuing LeBron.
Which team will sign LeBron James?
Back in 2014, fresh off four straight Finals appearances in Miami, James shocked the world and returned home with unfinished business. He wouldn't surprise anyone by re-signing with Cleveland this time around, but the stakes are also different this summer.
If the NBA's all-time leading scorer truly values burnishing his resume with another ring (or two), he'd sign with a team like the Timberwolves or Nuggets - or even the Spurs or Thunder, though he'd never duck the ring-chasing narratives if he went to either spot. But if he was serious about chasing a fifth championship, why did he spend the first week of free agency palling around Akron with the Cavs' assistant GM and posting Instagram stories of the hottest spots in northeast Ohio?
LeBron has proven to be a Hall of Fame sentimentalist, which is why I firmly believe that he'll sign with the Cavaliers for one final ride with his hometown team. Cleveland is the only place that can truly offer a clean ending to an illustrious career with an outside chance to compete for another title, too. And if happiness is what he seeks ahead of his 24th season, the relationships he's built within the organization should help close the deal.
I wouldn't hold your breath on that happening anytime soon, though. He has no reason to rush and every reason to savor the spotlight for what will likely be the final time. Plus, with both the World Cup and Summer League running through the next week, I would expect James to sign after July 19 but before the end of the month.
Draft day 2026 has arrived! And it is a big one for the Cardinals. With six picks in the top 100, they are set to provide a huge shot in the arm to an already excellent farm system. Like many of you, I have been consuming an unhealthy amount of mock drafts, scouting reports, and podcasts to make sure I am fully prepared for the big day. Well, the day is here and no one really knows what the Cardinals will do. That’s OK, all part of the fun! I’m going to spend most of this article making the case for why I expect the Cardinals to shock people with their first pick and highlighting some slightly lesser-known prospects that I think they will target. Before we get to the chaos, let’s set the scene.
Details to Know
Day 1 – Rounds 1-4
Time: Saturday, July 11th at 12:00 p.m. CT
Location: Philadelphia, PA
How to watch:
Picks 1-10: NBC/Peacock
Picks 11-40: MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+
Picks: 41-135: MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+
Day 2 – Rounds 5-20
Time: Sunday, July 12th at 10:30 a.m. CT
How to watch:
MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+
Cardinal Considerations
Bonus Pool: $16,612,300 (6th largest)
Day 1 Picks:
Pick 13: $5,661,300
Pick 32: $3,044,600
Pick 50: $1,982,700
Pick 68: $1,285,500
Pick 72: $1,174,300
Pick 86: $943,600
Pick 114: $684,300
That is a lot of talent that will be on the way to joining the organization by days end! The industry consensus is that they will target bats early in the draft. They have also been linked to some of the highest-upside and toolsy players in the class.
Today, I want to quickly walk through the “expected” scenario for how the top of the draft will play out and what the Cardinals are projected to do with the 13th overall pick. The 2026 draft class is seen as extremely deep, particularly with the high school class, but there is less differentiation at the top outside of the top three players.
What are the Cardinals expected to do at pick 13?
Alright, twelve teams pick before the Cardinals. The consensus options at the top of the draft can be loosely grouped into four tiers.
Tier 1
At this point, it would be a surprise if Roch Cholowsky (Shortstop, UCLA), Grady Emerson (SS, Fort Worth Christian HS), and Vahn Lackey (C, Georgia Tech) were not picked in some combination at the top three spots; none of them will drop to the Cardinals. I suppose the only intrigue would be one of them falling out of the top three picks and creating a more chaotic domino effect that catches teams off guard.
Tier 2
Eric Booth (OF, Oak Grove HS), Jacob Lombard (Gulliver Prep HS), and Jackson Flora (RHP, UC Santa Barbara) are generally considered to be the next tier of players available. It would be a huge surprise if any of these players fell all the way to pick 13.
Tier 3
Drew Burress (OF, Georgia Tech), Tyler Bell (SS, Kentucky), Ryder Helfrick (C, Arkansas), and Derek Curiel (OF, LSU) arguably make up the final distinct tier of players that are most often mocked ahead of the Cardinals.
Tier 4
I think it is entirely possible that one of the players in the top three tiers slides to the 13th pick, but if they don’t things are wide open. The top college hitters on the board would be Justin Lebron (SS, Alabama), Chris Hacopian (2B, Texas A&M), Ace Reese (3B, Mississippi St.), and AJ Gracia (OF, Virginia).
On the college pitching side, Cameron Flukey (RHP, Coastal Carolina), Hunter Dietz (LHP, Arkansas), Liam Peterson (RHP, Florida), Tegan Kuhns (RHP, Tennessee), and Mason Edwards (LHP, USC) are all first-round candidates that the Cardinals could be considering.
If the Cardinals are set on a high school hitter, Trevor Condon (Etowah HS), and Jared Grindlinger (OF/LHP, Huntington Beach) are the two players most often being mocked to the Cardinals.
The Cardinals are not going to take a high school pitcher with their first pick, but for the sake of completeness, Gio Rojas (LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS), Logan Schmidt (RHP, Ganesha HS), and Coleman Borthwick (RHP, South Walton HS) are all potential first-rounders.
Why the Cardinals Might go Off Script
OK, so I trust the Cardinals front office. If one of the above players is the pick at 13, I won’t be upset. BUT, I really think they will go a different direction than the consensus with their first pick. If you are picking at the top of the draft, sure, you take the best player available. This is what the Cardinals have done the last two years with Wetherholt and Doyle. When you get toward the middle of the first round, there are essentially no “sure things,” so there is more incentive to take risks. This dynamic is even more true for the Cardinals this season because this is a deep draft and they have a bevy of extra picks to deploy. They can take a risk-maxing approach because they don’t have to hit on every pick. They need to maximize their chances of finding a superstar.
Just to illustrate my point about the 13th pick not being a sure thing, I pulled in all players drafted between picks 11-15 in the history of the draft, as well as their associated bWAR. About 2% of players picked in this range turn in Hall of Fame-caliber careers (Max Scherzer, Manny Ramirez, Chase Utley, Chris Sale). A 90th percentile outcome is a 20 WAR career. Think Matt Morris, who was picked 12th overall in 1995. Obviously, we would all take that, but we are talking about a one-in-ten chance. An 80th percentile outcome takes us down to players like Khalil Greene and Hunter Renfroe. The median, or 50th percentile, outcome? Zero career WAR. Less than half the players picked between 11-15 have had any impact at the major league level.
All of that is not to diminish the value of the pick, but just to illustrate that even getting a starting-caliber player out of this slot is a huge win.
What would a Risk-On draft look like?
So, if the Cardinals embrace chaos and swing for the metaphorical fences, what might that look like and which players might they target?
We have some good reference points to triangulate what Chaim Bloom and Randy Flores will be targeting in the draft. Looking at Randy Flores’ track record running things, the way the Red Sox ran their drafts when Bloom was in charge, and the types of players the Cardinals have targeted since Bloom arrived (both before and after his official POBA elevation), we can use some deductive reasoning to identify players they will and will not target.
Don’t be surprised if…
The Cardinals do not go after premium high school pitchers
Under Flores, the Cardinals have had 32 picks in the top 100 and have drafted a high school pitcher one time, Tink Hence in 2020. Chaim Bloom drafted zero high school pitchers in the first 100 picks while with the Red Sox and one overall. I know it is supposed to be a banner year for high school pitchers, but I will be shocked if the Cardinals take a high school pitcher within their first six picks.
The Cardinals go under-slot at pick 13
In three of the four Chaim Bloom-led drafts with the Red Sox, players were signed well below slot. Twice, the Sox came completely out of left field to draft players ranked well out of the first-round range. The only time Bloom played it straight was when the Red Sox had the fourth overall pick and selected Marcelo Mayer.
The Cardinals go after multiple high school power bats
Again, referring back to Chaim’s Boston days, the Red Sox had 11 top 100 picks and used eight of them on high school position players. That is 72% of total picks used on this specific demographic when the rest of the league selected this demographic 21% of the time.
The pattern was consistent, the Red Sox used their top selection on a polished high schooler with a relatively high floor (Marcelo Mayer, Nick Yorke, and Mikey Romero), and then turned their attention to high volatility riskier picks further down in the draft. The archetype of the players that were targeted was fairly consistent: Big-time power, strike-zone judgment or the ability to recognize spin, some swing-and-miss concerns, and little attention paid to defensive value.
I would argue that Ryan Mitchell, the Cardinals’ second-round pick last season, reinforces Bloom’s preference for zone discipline. The Cardinals didn’t have the picks and budget last year to pick multiple high schoolers, so they chose to go with a relatively lower risk prospect in Mitchell.
The Cardinals continue to focus on college pitchers with big fastballs
This prediction is pretty obvious and won’t be controversial. Last season, the Cardinals took two of the best fastballs in the draft in Liam Doyle and Tanner Franklin. Without a chance to go after a pitcher of Doyle’s caliber, I would expect the first ten rounds to be full of big fastball college pitchers.
In my opinion, the Cardinals’ central focus for the draft will be prep bats. There are a ton of options out there, but to narrow it down, I focused on players that have great power potential, control the strike zone, and have some projectability remaining. I think traits that are relatively de-emphasized in the high school profile Bloom prefers are pure hitting ability, contact, defense, and speed. Obviously, everyone prefers that a player have all of these tools, but if there are some you think are easier to develop or harder to project, you would certainly weight those a bit lower.
Here is the list of top-100 range prospects that I think most closely fit their target profile.
High School Bats to Watch
Bo Lowrance, 3B, Christ Church Episcopal HS
MLB Pipeline Rank: 21
Why he might be a fit: Power and projectability
Lowrance is listed at 6’5” and 205 pounds and still has a ton of room to fill out. He has the power and projectability that the Cardinals crave as one of the highest-upside players in the draft. The thing that sets Lowrance apart from some of the other power-hitting prepsters is his solid hit tool. He has good control of the strike zone and makes enough contact to project as an average hit tool. Due to his size, he is expected to end up at a corner infield or outfield position.
Lowrance was ranked in the 30s and 40s most of the year, but has been climbing as the draft approaches. FanGraphs ranks him as the seventh best player in the class and multiple mocks have him tied to the Padres at 21, so the Cardinals may have to use their first pick on him if he is their top target.
The top third basemen in the 2026 MLB Draft class:
(Overall rank) • 12) Ace Reese, Miss. State • 38) Bo Lowrance, Christ Church Episcopal HS (🎥) • 97) Daniel Cuvet, Miami • 105) Camden Johnson, Oklahoma • 106) Eric Guevara, Auburn
Clark is seen as one of the best pure hitters in the high school class. He has great command of the strike zone and a good feel for barreling up the baseball. He is not a guarantee to stick at short, but is a good athlete and still has projection remaining. His profile overall comes off as a little boring, but he strikes me as someone that could fit as an under-slot option at 13 or even 32.
VOLUME UP.
St. John Bosco shortstop James Clark (@James_Clark_22) showcasing the bat speed we’ve raved about. One of the buzziest names in SoCal this spring. Pretty clear why. Can play anywhere on the diamond. Very clear first round tools. pic.twitter.com/6PIMUmQ002
Why he might be a fit: Zone control, projectability
Comeau is young for his class as he does not turn 18 until August. At 6’4” and 180 pounds, there is some power projection, but he already has one of the best plate approaches in the draft. He has a gorgeous left-handed swing that looks effortless but has still produced an excellent max exit velocity of around 110 MPH. Comeau is not expected to stick at shortstop, but he is considered a good athlete that should be able to stay on the infield. The Cardinals have long had a preference for players that were young for their class. Despite not having the present power of some of his classmates, the combination of offensive polish and projectability could make Comeau a perfect under-slot option at 13.
Connor Comeau, first-round sleeper?
The Texas prep SS is one of 10 candidates we could see rising draft boards by July.
Yes, Landon is the son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome. Landon has an above-average hit tool to go along with above-average raw power. He is not a lock to stick at shortstop, but he has solid tools across the board. Pretty much every scouting report mentions how fast his hands are and how well he gets to his pull-side power. He has had some issues with swing and miss, but if the Cardinals believe in his power, this might not be a deal breaker. The Cardinals could surely go under-slot if they took Thome at 13, or try to float him to one of their later picks with an over-slot bonus.
— Prep Baseball Illinois (@PrepBaseballIL) June 3, 2026
Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic HS (CA)
MLB Pipeline Rank: 63
Why he might be a fit: Power and projectability
Bowen is a former football player with massive raw power as evidenced by his 113.8 MPH max EV at the MLB draft combine. Standing from the right side of the plate, he already has the look of a hulking slugger. Despite a 6’3”, 215 pound frame, Bowen also has above-average speed and a chance to stick in center field. His hit tool, both in terms of swing decisions and contact, is not as advanced, so he is an extremely risky profile. Still, this is the exact type of high-upside hitter I would expect the Cardinals to take a shot or two at. He is ranked in the 60 to 70 range by most outlets, so if the Cardinals do like him, they should have multiple opportunities to pick him.
2026 California high schooler Blake Bowen launched a walk-off homer last night 💣
Roberts is ranked a little further down the board, but he has some of the best tools in the class with plus power and speed. He is listed at 6’5” and 220 pounds and looks like he could fill out even more. He has touched 94 off the mound, so he could profile as a right fielder if he does not stick in center. As a final bonus, he is one of the younger players in the draft class as he does not turn 18 until the end of July.
The knock on Roberts is that he is incredibly raw and may not hit enough to leverage his otherwise brilliant tools. He is from the same high school as Konnor Griffin, so I thought it would be interesting to compare their strikeout rates. Griffin struck out 6% of the time his senior season while popping nine home runs. Roberts struck out in 17% of his plate appearances while hitting ten home runs.
It might be a stretch to include Roberts in potential Cardinals targets, but his profile is interesting enough that I thought he was worth mentioning.
Kevin Roberts Jr. is arguably the most physically gifted athlete in the 2026 HS Draft Class.
He stands 6'5"/220 and has D1 offers in 4 different sports. The 17-year-old has reached EVs of up to 112 MPH with wood, has hit multiple balls over 450 FT, and runs a 6.35-6.38 60 yd. pic.twitter.com/aqoT0wqpnZ
Martin Shelar, not to be confused with Martin Shkreli, has arguably the best raw power among high schoolers in the draft. The right-handed batter blasted 19 home runs this spring and topped out at 115.5 MPH max exit velocity at the combine. To go with the prodigious power, Shelar has above-average speed and arm strength to project as a good outfield defender. So why does he rank outside the top 100 on most draft boards? Shelar deploys a violent uppercut swing that some scouts worry will not translate to pro ball. Despite the swing, Shelar has not yet struggled to make contact at the high school level. If you believe in the hit tool and contact ability at all, Shelar could land much higher in the draft than currently projected.
I won’t go as deep on the pitching side, but I do want to highlight a handful of the best fastballs in the draft that are not expected to go in the first round. The Cardinals have not been shy about targeting top-tier fastballs, even if there is a high degree of relief risk or injury history.
Hunting Fastballs
Cal Randall, RHP, UCLA (CA)
MLB Pipeline Rank: 218
Randall is like an extreme version of Tanner Franklin. He has worked exclusively out of the bullpen in his three years at UCLA and was second in the nation in strikeout percentage at 44.2%. He racked up these strikeouts by throwing one of the best fastballs in the nation 89% of the time. That is just absurd. Getting that much swing and miss when every batter knows what is coming is just hard to believe. Randall works his riding, high spin fastball in the upper 90s while topping out over 100 MPH. The pitch is delivered from a low release point with induced vertical break that has been over 20 inches at times.
As you probably have guessed, he struggles with control, walking over five per nine each year of his career, and does not have any secondaries that grade out even close to average. At 6’4” and 235 pounds, he has a starter’s build. If the Cardinals, or any team, think they can teach him control and a secondary pitch, he could be a high priority target.
Arguably the best fastball in this year's draft belongs to UCLA's Cal Randall. Sits 98-100, nearly 7 ft extension, above avg carry, low launch (-4.0 VAA)… Hard to draw up a better heater.
Hard slider is underdeveloped but the key to him becoming a shutdown MLB reliever. pic.twitter.com/mJlM59lGoH
If Randall is too safe and boring for you, Wiggins ups the ante even further. He has thrown a total of 14 college innings at Arkansas before an elbow injury and internal brace surgery wiped out the rest of his 2025 season and all of 2026. Despite the obvious warts, Wiggins has one of the best fastballs in the class. He was up to 99 MPH as a high school senior and hit 102 in his brief cameo at Arkansas. MLB pipeline slapped an 80 grade on the pitch. Wiggins was able to get back and throwing for the combine and topped out at 97. Coming out of high school, Wiggins’ slider graded out as above average, but he dealt with spotty command.
Carson Wiggins threw 15 pitches during a mound session at the Draft Combine after missing game action in 2026.
MLB's No. 84 prospect (@RazorbackBSB) dialed up his first three fastballs at 96+ mph — topping out at 97.4 — and averaged 2,719 RPMs on his curveball: pic.twitter.com/GkW83O4LFj
Nachtsheim’s fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s while topping out at 97 MPH. The fastball velocity is solid, but it is the shape that makes it one of the top pitches in the draft. He cuts and rides the pitch to generate a very unique movement profile that he leaned on to strike out 125 batters in just 85 innings at McNeese State. Nachtsheim started eight games this spring, after pitching in relief for most of the last two years. None of his secondaries are even average, but he does have a slider, curveball, and changeup. Beyond the excellent fastball, another reason to keep an eye on Nachtsheim is that he is one of the top college seniors in the draft. If the Cardinals really like his fastball and/or need to go under-slot on an early pick, he could be an excellent choice.
Alright, so if I am going to be wrong in my prediction, I might as well get super specific.
I think the Cardinals are going to prioritize and target both Blake Bowen and Martin Shelar on the hitter side between picks 50 and 86. This would give the Cardinals two of the highest-ceiling power bats in the draft and give them multiple shots on goal for a middle-of-the-order hitter.
We are committed now, so we might as well keep shooting for the moon and we need to take a shot at an elite arm. Carson Wiggins is our guy. He gives the Cardinals a Doyle/Franklin tier fastball without having to use a top pick. Sure he has an insanely risky profile, but the Cardinals essentially paid the Red Sox $20M for Brandon Clarke last offseason, so don’t put it past them!
Wiggins is a draft-eligible sophomore and Bowen and Shelar will require big signing bonuses as high schoolers, so this is going to be expensive… The best route is to take an under-slot college player at 13 to save some money, right? WRONG! We still need one more prep bat on Day 1. We can knock out both the savings and the prep bat objective with…
Pick 13: Connor Comeau, SS, L. C. Anderson HS (TX)
The Cardinals will turn to a high floor and under-slot prep bat. Comeau is the best of both worlds with a relatively polished profile, but also a ton of projection left. With more of a second-round projection, I would think he could be signed for close to the maximum 25% discount and give the Cardinals an additional $1.4M to take a real risk later on.
So, at this point, we are looking at something like:
Pick 13: Connor Comeau, SS, L. C. Anderson HS (TX)
Pick 32: $3,044,600
Pick 50: Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic HS (CA)
Pick 68: $1,285,500
Pick 72: Martin Shelar, OF, Marist School (GA)
Pick 86: Carson Wiggins, RHP, Arkansas (AR)
Pick 114: $684,300
From here, you still have three top picks to fill in with your favorite college bat or college arm to do a little derisking at picks 32, 68, and 114.
There you have it! I hope everyone has a solid six hours carved out today to follow the draft and celebrate the next iterations of Cardinals prospects to dream on. Go Cards!
The 2026 MLB Draft is here, and a year after Florida State set a program record with 11 players selected in the 2025 Draft, head coach Link Jarrett and his staff could see similar figures this year.
FSU’s draft class will be headlined by its best players from a season ago, ACC Pitcher of the Year Wes Mendes and 1B Myles Bailey. The Seminoles should also see the rest of their rotation picked, LHP Trey Beard and RHP Bryson Moore, along with RHP John Abraham.
Jarrett will also be monitoring which of his high school prospects are selected in the MLB Draft, headlined by MIF Landon Thome, who MLB.com ranks as the 34th-best prospect in this year’s class.
As always, players do not have to sign when they are drafted and can elect to go/return to school. This year’s signing deadline is Monday, July 27. That will be a critical day with Bailey potentially declaring to go pro or come back to FSU for his third season with the program.
The MLB Draft is a two-day event, with rounds 1-4 beginning on Saturday and rounds 5-20 starting on Sunday. Below, stick with Tomahawk Nation for updates on selections and who has signed.
2026 MLB Draft: Florida State draft-eligible players
Listed in alphabetical order
Out of college eligibility
1B/RHP Ben Barrett
C Nathan Cmeyla
OF Clancy Marsh
INF Carter McCulley
RHP Gabe Nard
INF Eli Putnam
Currently on team
RHP John Abraham
1B Myles Bailey
LHP Trey Beard
OF Brody DeLamielleure
OF Brayden Dowd
INF Jace Estes
INF Cal Fisher
C Kaden Frommelt
RHP Chris Knier
LHP Payton Manca
LHP Jacob Marlowe
LHP Kevin Mebil
RHP Brodie Purcell
RHP Cole Stokes
LHP Cooper Whited
Incoming players
INF Deacon Avery (HS)
INF Gavin Byrd (HS)
C Coy Clements (JUCO)
RHP Emery Dawkins (JUCO)
RHP Brayden Harris (HS)
INF/RHP Ben Kuglitsch (HS)
LHP Spencer Krasner (HS)
1B/LHP Jackson McKenzie (Portal)
RHP Jordan Martinez (JUCO)
C Marvin Montenegro (JUCO)
LHP OB Osceola (HS)
OF Isaac Pamaran (JUCO)
RHP Alex Philpott (Portal)
CIF Yodelkis Quevedo (HS)
RHP Donovan Thiery (HS)
INF Landon Thome (HS)
OF Genson Veras (HS)
2026 MLB Draft: Florida State players, prospects selected
Cleveland Cavaliers
Miami Heat
Golden State Warriors
Philadelphia 76ers
Minnesota Timberwolves
Denver Nuggets
Philadelphia 76ers (13% chance)
Minnesota Timberwolves (5% chance)
Denver Nuggets (2% chance)
New York Knicks: Paul delivered a rather shocking admission when he said that LeBron would be "
Dallas Mavericks: Paul listed the Mavericks on the whiteboard with "
Boston Celtics: One of James' biggest career rivals made the whiteboard, but the Celtics are somewhere between rebuilding and reloading after shipping Brown to Philly. I couldn't find any real connective tissue here (believe me, I looked).
San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama is a bigger draw than potentially anyone in the league, but the Spurs using their mid-level exception to sign Tobias Harris for $31 million says everything I need to know about their interest in pursuing LeBron.
