DALLAS, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 03: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on February 03, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jaylen Brown comes from a fighting background and after his basketball career is over, perhaps he’ll take his talents to the octagon.
The Boston Celtics star, who is getting set to play in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, discussed that idea when asked a question by a media member who claimed to have trained with his father in the boxing gym in the past during All-Star Media Day.
Jaylen Brown says he talked to Dana White about fighting in the UFC after he’s retired from the NBA.
“To be honest, I’ve toyed with this, and I’ve talked to some people, maybe post part of my career, I would love to take part in something like UFC, or even boxing,” Brown told reporters. “I’ve talked to Dana White about some stuff, but we’ll see as things go on.”
Fighting and combat sports are generational in Brown’s family. The 29-year-old’s father was a WBU champion, while his grandfather Willie Brown was also a former boxer.
Of course, the five-time All-Star, two-time NBA Finals participant, and one-time world champion and Finals MVP, still has some work left to do on the hardwood. But with Celtics had coach Joe Mazulla also being a massive combat sports fan, Brown will get the chance to watch UFC fights quite often.
BOSTON, MA - JUNE 13: Michael Saunders #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats during the ninth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 13, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox won 4-3 in twelve innings. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images) | Getty Images
To nobody’s surprise, Bryce Harper earned more votes than Dustin McGowan in their matchup of the “Last Man In” free agent tournament.
Stats with the Phillies: 118 games, 48-34 W-L, 2.94 ERA, 813 K, 124 BB, 20.7 bWAR
The Phillies traded for Cliff Lee at the 2009 trade deadline, and he helped them reach the World Series. And then, the Phillies traded him away for a really awful return. Lee was a free agent after 2010, and with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt already in the Phillies’ rotation, most people didn’t think they were even a remote possibility for Lee.
However, Lee apparently loved it in Philadelphia and took a slightly lower offer with the “mystery team” to return. The result was the ultra-fun (at least until the playoffs) 2011 season of the Four Aces.
Cliff Lee signed with the #Phillies six years ago today. Giving Philadelphia one of the best rotations in history. pic.twitter.com/HnqiEVBZdK
The rest of Lee’s time with the Phillies was somewhat disappointing, but darned if 2011 wasn’t fun.
16. Michael Saunders, 2017
Stats with the Phillies: 61 games, .205/.257/.360, 6 HR, 20 RBIs, -0.9 bWAR
By 2017, the Phillies were starting to transition out of rebuild mode, and general manager Matt Klentak wanted to acquire some veteran “professional hitters” to supplement the young lineup. One of the guys he targeted was outfielder Michael Saunders who had made the All-Star Game with the Blue Jays the year before.
There were some warning signs with Saunders. 2016 was the first season in an eight-year career he hit over 20 home runs or had an OPS over .800. And though his first half of 2016 was All-Star caliber, he slumped badly in the second half.
That slumped continued into 2017. By mid-June, the Phillies decided if they were going to get poor hitting from a right fielder, it might as well be from a young hitter with some potential to improve. They released Saunders who went back to Toronto and continued to hit poorly.
Michael Saunders. Arguably the most forgettable Phillies position player of all time. https://t.co/yeFBwI58wy
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - MAY 28: Henry Baez #10 of the San Antonio Missions pitches during the game between the San Antonio Missions and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Braeden Botts/Minor League Baseball)
*In an effort to make the nomination votingeasier for everyone, I will comment, “NOMINATIONS”, and you may reply to that with your picks and upvote the player you’d like to see on the next nominee list.
The next player to land on our annual CPL is right-hander Henry Baez. One of the return pieces for Mason Miller, Baez is a strong right-hander who has steadily climbed the minor league ladder and is now on the cusp of the majors. The A’s have lots of options ahead of him to open the season but he could be an option for the starting rotation later this summer if he continues to impress against high-quality batters.
Next nominee will be outfielder Junior Perez. The righty-swinging corner outfielder has lots of pop in his bat and displayed some speed this past season split between Double and Triple-A. Now 24 and just one stop away from the big leagues, Perez could very well be an option for the Athletics this coming season if he continues to show improvement in the batter’s box. The A’s clearly think highly of him after they protected him from being selected by other clubs in the Rule 5 Draft.
The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:
Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
In the comments, below the official voting, the community will nominate players to be put onto the ballot for the next round. The format for your comment should be “Nomination: Player Name”.
If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.
The voting continues! Who is the 14th-best prospect in the A’s system? Here’s a quick rundown on each nominee— the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline.
Taylor’s fastball jumped 3 mph this spring, as he worked at 92-95 mph and touched 98 while maintaining his velocity deep into games and throughout the season. His fastball lacks life but he commands it well and it’s difficult to hit when he locates it up in the zone. He does a fine job of killing spin on his low-80s changeup, which fades and sinks and grades as a solid pitch.
While neither Taylor’s mid-80s slider nor his low-80s curveball stand out with their spin or shape, they generate a high level of chases and empty swings. He overcomes his lack of size with a drop-and-drive delivery that produces a low release height, flat approach angle and plenty of extension, which combine to make his pitches more difficult for hitters to pick up. He’s 23 and pretty much a finished product, but he has a long history of throwing strikes and a high floor as at least a back-of-the-rotation starter.
At the plate, Morii features a smooth left-handed swing with tremendous balance. His power stands out, as he clubbed 45 home runs as a high schooler. He is considered an advanced hitter with good barrel control. On the mound, his fastball has been clocked as high as 95 mph and sits around 92-93. He also brings a splitter with nasty movement, a true 12-to-6 curveball and a tighter slider with solid bite and depth, though that offering will probably require some fine-tuning. Having only been pitching with regularity for less than two years, Morii’s arm is relatively fresh as he enters the organization.
Morii’s high-octane throwing arm plays well at shortstop, but some evaluators see a possibility of moving to third base as his 6-foot-1 frame fills out. While scouts see Morii’s long-term future in the batter’s box, the A’s plan on giving him every opportunity to succeed as a two-way player, with excitement already building over his impressive physical traits and desire to become one of the next great players out of Japan.
Per Billy Owens, Athletics director of player personnel and assistant GM: “Perez is a live-bodied specimen with high-caliber tools. His range and athleticism stand out defensively. Offensively, he can be streaky, but he has displayed plus bat speed, patience and real power. Solid package. Development is not linear. Patience will be required to realize his significant potential.”
Though Hoglund may never get back the electric stuff he possessed earlier in his career, the A’s were encouraged to see his fastball velocity tick back up to the low-90s. He has also experimented with adding a two-seamer and cutter. His low-80s slider now features more sweeping action and works as his main secondary pitch. He has also improved his low-80s changeup, creating a solid three-pitch mix that is enhanced by a strong ability to consistently throw strikes.
Now three years removed from Tommy John, the A’s are hopeful that Hoglund can develop into a solid back-end rotation piece, especially if he can successfully develop a fourth pitch. The Florida native was regularly going deep into starts in his big league cameo (6.40 ERA with 23 strikeouts to 11 walks across 32 1/3 innings) before going down with the injury and is expected to make a full recovery before the 2026 season.
The A’s were working on some mechanical adjustments with Miller prior to his injury. His electric fastball ticked up to 96 mph in high school and displayed excellent movement down in the zone. The mid-80s slider is a hard breaker and was showing signs of improvement. His low-80s changeup showed some potential as an average third pitch.
There was real excitement within the organization for Miller’s professional debut. His three-pitch mix and large 6-foot-6 frame give off the potential of a workhorse-type starting pitcher in the big leagues. The A’s also loved the competitiveness they saw from him on the mound while scouting him. After an unfortunate delay, he finally got his first opportunity to make an impression this summer.
* * *
Programming Note: Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don’t delay in making your vote!
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Adam Silver hates that there are fans actively rooting for their favorite team to lose.
There's a lot of that this season. As we head into the final 30 games of the NBA season, a full one-third of teams are actively tanking ahead of what is expected to be one of the best and deepest drafts in a couple of decades.
"Are we seeing [tanking] behavior that is worse this year than we've seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view," Silver said Saturday at his annual press conference during All-Star Weekend. "Which was what led to those fines [of Jazz and Pacers], and not just those fines but to my statement that we're going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams' behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice."
The Jazz were fined $500,000 because in two games last week they played their starters and two former All-Stars — Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. — about 25 minutes over the first three quarters, then sat them in the fourth despite the game still being in the balance. Orlando came back to beat Utah in one of those games, Miami was unable to complete a comeback..
To be clear, it's not the players who are tanking — they play hard when on the court — or the coaches, these are orders from the front office to sit people. Or the team extends a player's time out with an injury.
What is the league doing about it? There is only so much they can do.
Anyone who watches basketball knows it takes talent to win, and the best (and for many teams, only) way to acquire that kind of high-level talent is through the draft.
"Many of you in this room have written, understandably about our teams, that the worst place to be is to be a middle-of-the-road team," Silver said. "Either be great or be bad, because then that will help you with the draft. In many cases, you have fans of those teams -- remember, it's not what they want to pay for to see poor performance on the floor, but they're actually rooting for their teams in some cases to be bad to improve their draft chances."
Still, teams actively looking to lose and putting an inferior product on the court are bad for the sport. It's a black eye, and Silver said the league is taking a two-pronged approach to dealing with this.
"One is, again, focusing on the here and now, the behavior we're seeing from our teams and doing whatever we can to remind them of what their obligation is to the fans and to their partner teams," Silver said. "But number two, as I also said in that statement, the Competition Committee started earlier this year reexamining the whole approach to how the draft lottery works."
Silver sounded like someone ready to step back and consider major changes. The challenge is that every change to the system — small or large — will have unintended consequences.
"Ultimately, we need a system to fairly, I think, distribute players," Silver said. "But we've got to look at some fresh thinking here. What we're doing, what we're seeing right now is not working; there's no question about it. Yes, is there more I can do? Have I attempted not only to respond to behavior we've seen but send a clear message that we're going to be scrutinizing everything we see going forward? Absolutely."
Has there been talk about taking draft picks away from teams?
"There is talk about every possible remedy now to stop this behavior," Silver said.
NBA Expansion
The other big focus of Silver's pregame speech was on league expansion.
Silver reiterated something he said before, "We will make decisions in 2026." Just not in March, the next time the Board of Governors meets.
"My sense is at the March Board of Governors meetings we'll be having further discussions around an expansion process," Silver said. "We won't be voting at the March meeting, but we will likely come out of those meetings ready, prepared to take a next step in terms of potentially talking to interested parties...
"I think the logical next move would be to say, all right, we've had those discussions internally, we've made decisions about cities to focus on and what the opportunity is, and now we've got to go out into the marketplace. I think that's probably the most important step, to find out who is potentially interested in owning a franchise in particular cities, what's the value of that franchise. There's some work to do in terms of potential conference realignment. That's the next step there."
The reality is everyone knows the cities — Seattle and Las Vegas — and there are ready-to-go ownership groups in those places. Things are going to get more formal, but we can see where the train is headed.
There has been speculation about relocation — an existing team moving to Seattle, or maybe Las Vegas. Silver shot that down.
"Relocation is not on the table right now," he said.
Other Topics
• Silver pushed off any comment on the ongoing investigation into the Clippers. He said there is no timeline for when that will be completed, while reminding people that an outside law firm, not the NBA, is conducting that investigation.
"I haven't come to any decisions whatsoever yet on the Clippers' matter," Silver said.
He also said he would follow the league rules when making a decision.
"I am completely beholden to the constitution and the CBA," Silver said, putting on his lawyer hat. "I believe in the rule of law. I have broad powers in certain areas, but those are broad powers that are granted to me by those very documents."
• Giannis Antetokounmpo's investment in prediction market Kalshi raised eyebrows — a player investing in a platform where you can bet… er, buy a prediction contract on whether he gets traded this summer, has the potential for disaster. Silver, however, said that because his investment is for less than 1% of the company, he's in the clear. That was the rule established for players investing in legal gambling companies, and Silver said they are applying the same rules to prediction markets.
"That does not violate the rules that have been collectively bargained with the Players Association," Silver said.
Philadelphia Phillies' president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski chose an odd time to call out one of his star players last season. Following the team's postseason departure in October, Dombrowski suggested that first baseman Bryce Harper, a two-time National League MVP, was no longer an elite player.
With spring training getting underway soon, Harper was asked by reporters what he thought of Dombrowski's comments.
Bryce Harper on “not elite” shirt and Dave Dombrowski’s comments
Harper stayed mostly professional throughout his answer, but did express some discontent.
"For me it was kinda wild the whole situation of that happening," Harper said.
"I think the big thing for me was when we first met with this organization it was, 'Hey we’re always going to keep things in-house and we expect you to do the same thing.' So when that didn’t happen it kind of took me for a run a little bit."
Harper also claimed that the "Not Elite" shirt he wore in a December TikTok of him taking batting practice was not a statement against Dombrowski, merely a shirt that was made for him. Harper claimed, "If they're going to make [the shirts] for me, I'm going to wear them." However, the timing seems odd considering Dombrowski had spent the previous month claiming he and Harper had cleared the air.
Harper is entering his age-33 season.
Did Harper struggle in 2025?
By Harper's standards, absolutely.
In 2025, Harper posted his second-lowest batting average (.261), lowest on-base percentage (.357), and lowest slugging percentage (.487) of his Phillies' career.
That said, he still posted a 129 OPS+, which is a high-end figure by any metric. Furthermore, his strikeout rate dropped between 2024 (21.9%) and 2025 (20.9%) as well as his average exit velocity (91.3) and barrel percentage (12.3%).
When do the Phillies begin spring training?
The Phillies begin spring training on February 21 with a matchup against the reigning American League champion Toronto Blue Jays. The game is scheduled for a 1:07 p.m. ET start time.
Wales suffered a heavy defeat in front of the lowest Six Nations Cardiff attendance in 24 years
5 mins. A hanging Edwards kick is dropped by Jalibert, but it went backwards and so Attissogbe can tidy it up around halfway. Wales are soon back on the ball with Edwards again kicking deep; way too deep as it bobbles dead.
The first try was in some measure due to missed tackles and then another basic error is made with that kick. Unforgivable, really.
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 01: Nathan Lukes #38 of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on from the dugout prior to Game Seven of the 2025 World Series presented by Capital One between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Saturday, November 1, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Nathan Lukes is a left-handed-hitting, 31-year-old outfielder. He was a 16th round draft pick by Cleveland in 2015. The Jays added him to their 40-man roster in November 2022.
He had his first full season in the majors last year, playing in 135 games, hitting .255/.323/.407 with 12 home runs, and a 2.0 bWAR. He has an option year left, which, a week ago, I would have thought was a non-issue, but then the team traded for Jesús Sánchez. Now? Well, the team has Sánchez, Addison Barger and Daulton Varsho as left-handed hitting outfielders, who will likely get the bulk of the playing time against right-handed pitchers. Not to mention George Springer, who will get some outfield time. And then there is Myles Straw (a very good defensive replacement) and Davis Schneider, who will likely get time in the outfield against RHP. The Jays also have Eloy Jiménez and RJ Schreck who will get long looks this spring.
Normally, someone who had the season Luke’s had last year wouldn’t have to worry about how he performed in spring training; it wouldn’t hurt for him to have a great spring.
I guess there is a question in there of whether you’d rather have Lukes or Sánchez in the outfield, but the team doesn’t have that question. They didn’t trade for Sánchez to have him sit, but in roughly as many games as Lukes, Sánchez posted a 1.2 bWAR last year and has never had a 2.0 bWAR or better.
Anyway, Lukes can play all three outfield spot, though I’d rather he not get a lot of time in center. He had a +1 in outs above average across the three spots last year. I’ve long thought he was the perfect fourth outfielder type.
Why Sánchez over Lukes? Well, Sanchez has power. He hits the ball hard. Sánchez is in the 79th percentile for average exit speed, Lukes 19th percentile. Power is important, but Lukes is the better player in many other ways. Oh well, I guess I’m feeling sorry for Lukes, he’s worked so hard for so long to get his shot and it might be slipping away some.
Because of the way they work things, even though Luke’s is 31, he’s still not going to be making great money this year, likely not much more than MLB minimum. He won’t be eligible for arbitration until 2028 and won’t be a free agent until 2031 (assuming he continues to get major league time). I’ve often thought that there should be a different way of figuring out when players get to the arbitration and free agency, when players don’t make it to the majors until age 30.
Lukes is easy to like. He’s always been the underdog, never been the flashy prospect. He just played well enough at each level, forcing the team to keep moving him up (if slowly). If he had the one tool that teams could point to, big power, big speed, then he would have been in the majors years ago. I think we all like the underdog. Someone who gets there through consistency and hard work.
Steamer figures Lukes to play 60 games, hit .273/.336/.406 with 5 home runs and a 0.8 fWAR. I think that was before the trade for Sánchez
CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — France inevitably racked up a record win against struggling Wales on Sunday and was the only unbeaten team in the Six Nations after two rounds.
Favored to win back-to-back titles, France scored eight tries, the first after just 88 seconds. The 54-12 scoreline eclipsed its previous high against Wales of 51-0 in 1998 at Wembley Stadium.
France didn't overpower Wales as it could easily have. Instead, France played sevens style, keeping the ball alive, offloading, stepping and slicing the Welsh apart. The loose and slippery nature of France's game — 28 line breaks — didn't allow Wales time to reset its defense.
The speed suited France's new and young centers, Pau clubmates Fabien Brau-Boirie, 20, and Émilien Gailleton, 22. They both touched down and Gailleton was replaced late by another debutant Noah Néné, 21. Flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert was the man of the match after scoring one try and assisting on three more.
“When you're pushed to the edge of the cliff you're capable of doing great things, but when you're being praised it can sometimes be hard to get fired up in a combat sport,” France coach Fabien Galthié said.
“There's great maturity in this team but also lots of young guys. And we need those (older) players to keep us on the straight and narrow and make sure we don't get carried away.”
Wales' Six Nations losing streak since 2023 was extended to 13 matches. The game attracted only 57,744 spectators, the smallest Wales home crowd since the tournament expanded in 2000.
Wales supporters wanting their side to work hard and fight to the end were rewarded, even though their team was outgunned everywhere. Wales kept France scoreless for more than 20 minutes in the first half and for the last 19 minutes of the match.
But the end result was familiar. Wales, yet to hire a full-time defense coach, has conceded 50-plus scores in five of its last six home matches, to England (68-14), Argentina (52-28), New Zealand (52-26) and South Africa (73-0).
“If you look at the athletes France have, if we kick a little too far or if there's an offload they come alive,” Wales coach Steve Tandy told the BBC. "You have to tip your hat to France and where they are as a team.
“For us it's transitioning, we're not where we want to be. Ultimately we're at this point in our journey.”
France was on the board after 88 seconds and had the bonus-point fourth try by halftime.
Gailleton crossed first, set up by Antoine Dupont, Theo Atissogbe and Charles Ollivon.
Left wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey then took a kick-pass from Jalibert and notched his 12th Six Nations try in 11 matches.
Bielle-Biarrey's initial break led to Jalibert sending Brau-Boirie flying in and France was 19-0 up after 15 minutes.
Wales won the restart and prop Rhys Carre eventually crashed over but Wales couldn't hold out France before halftime when right wing Atissogbe put in Jalibert for 26-7.
The second half was a procession for France with four more tries in 17 minutes.
Hooker Julien Marchand scored from a lineout drive, Attisogbe bagged a pair thanks to Bielle-Biarrey and Jalibert, and Ollivon grabbed the last. Thomas Ramos had target practice and converted seven of the eight tries.
Captain Dupont was rested before the hour mark. France welcome Italy in Lille next weekend.
Wales had the last say through replacement back Mason Grady and stays at home to face Scotland. There were still nearly 7,000 tickets unsold for that game.
“It's our job to make people want to come and watch games," Wales captain Dewi Lake told the BBC. “We're a side that are not getting results but all we can ask is that people stick with us, come on the journey with us, because we're growing as a team.”
TUCSON, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 14: NBA player Caleb Love of the Portland Trail Blazers attends the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Center at ALKEME Arena on February 14, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On the day that Caleb Love returned to Arizona for his Ring of Honor induction, Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats could have used his shot-making the most.
Love’s reputation as an uninhibited shooter with a knack for making baskets in clutch moments made him a polarizing college basketball figure. Like him or loathe him, Love’s game was well-suited for Arizona’s style of play.
Arizona’s style helped prepare Love for a career in the NBA, the Portland Trailblazers guard said Saturday upon visiting McKale Center at ALKEME Arena.
“I thank Tommy a lot because he kind of runs an NBA-style offense with how fast paced it is, heavy ball screens, things like that,” Love said. “I definitely give a lot of credit to him and the coaching staff with how they run things.”
Love is one of the NBA’s best surprises through the first half of the season. An undrafted free agent, Love signed on with the Trailblazers with the hope of making the opening night roster.
Love has since surpassed all expectations, becoming a core player in the Trailblazers’ rotation. He ranks ninth among all rookies in points per game (11.3). He’s made 93 three-points in 45 games, fourth-most among the rookie class.
Love has also adjusted to a different role than he was accustomed to in college.
“(My) welcome to the NBA moment is probably coming off the bench,” Love said. “I never came off the bench ever in my life. Let alone I’ve got DNPs.”
He’s getting used to not being the guy.
“You got to be a pro,” Love said. “You can’t be looking down or being sorry for yourself or saying ‘I deserve this or I deserve that’ because it’s a business at the end of the day and you got to come in and be a professional.”
Love was prepared for the mental side of a professional career well before he got to NBA, Lloyd said last week. The St. Louis native has been under the spotlight since he was a teenager. First as a McDonald’s All-American signed to North Carolina, then as a Tarheel, and followed by his time at Arizona.
Love experienced the highest of highs as a college basketball player, both at UNC and Arizona. His lows were just as well documented, from an infamous falling out at Chapel Hill to tough stretches in Tucson.
“A lot of times when a young player goes to the NBA, they haven’t yet experienced the lowest,” Lloyd said. “So I think in order for you to ultimately be successful at that level, we have to know how you’re going to respond to a struggle. And he had been through the struggle, and he had come out of it the other side. So I was really confident that he was going to earn his opportunity, and once he earned his opportunity, he was going to take advantage of it.”
Love’s induction into the McKale Center Ring of Honor marked the first time Arizona fans have seen him in Tucson since finishing his Wildcats. It won’t be the last.
“I’ve been watching every game,” Love said. “Even if we we sometimes have games on the same day. I’m in the locker room before the game because, you know, I’m so invested in it, and I’m so happy to see, you know, the start that we’ve had. Halftime, I’m checking my phone to see what the score is. So I’m definitely invested in it. When I left for Arizona, this is always gonna be home.“
PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 21: Collin Gillespie #12 of the Phoenix Suns shoot the game-winning shot during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2025-26 Emirates Cup on November 21, 2025 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
55 games into the season, the Phoenix Suns have had a lot of memorable wins amid their surprising start to the year. With a few comeback victories and wins against both the Eastern and Western Conference’s number 1 seeds, the Suns have left their fans with a lot of opportunities to cheer so far.
Here’s how I’d rank their top-three wins of the season, but before I start, the Suns’ 130-118 win over the San Antonio Spurs deserves some recognition. Phoenix held Victor Wembanyama to his worst game of the season, holding him to nine points, and handed San Antonio their first loss of the year.
#1: Booker’s Dagger vs OKC
Down as much as 18 points, the Suns rallied in the second half to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-105 on January 4th. Devin Booker hit the game-winning three with less than a second remaining that had the Mortgage Matchup Center go into a frenzy.
DEVIN BOOKER HITS THE TRIPLE AND WINS IT FOR THE SUNS 🚨
After being humiliated by Oklahoma City just a few weeks before in the knock-out round of the In-Season Tournament, Phoenix did not let being down nearly 20 get in the way of staying competitive with the team with the best record in the NBA. The performance was one of the highlights of the team’s best month of the season so far that ended with Jordan Ott winning his first ever Coach of the Month award.
#2 A Miraculous Comeback Against Minnesota
The most absurd game of the Suns season, Phoenix was down eight with less than 50 seconds remaining with Devin Booker fouled out. That being said, the Suns ended the game on a 9-0 run that included a myriad of crazy turnovers and Dillon Brooks also fouling out, culminating in Collin Gillespie hitting a game-winner over Donte DiVencenzo for a 114-113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 21st.
COLLIN GILLESPIE WINS IT FOR THE SUNS IN THE FINAL SECONDS!!!
The win demonstrated the team’s ability to win without Booker. Before he fouled out, the All-Star was having one of the worst nights of his season, scoring 16 points on 4-18 shooting from the field with nine turnovers. The Suns had six different players score in double-digits, including Gillespie, who had his season high at the time with 20-points, scoring his most important two when it mattered most.
#3 The Detroit Domination
With no Devin Booker, Phoenix clobbered the Detroit Pistons 114-96 on January 29th. Dillon Brooks had a career-high 40 points and Grayson Allen chipped in 24. Detroit was playing at full strength and not on a back-to-back, and the Suns held All-Star Starter Cade Cunningham to 8/22 shooting from the field and Detroit to 21% shooting from three.
What was impressive about this victory for the Suns was not just that Booker wasn’t playing, it was that Phoenix held the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference (now the best record in the NBA), at bay for the entirety of the contest. Detroit made some little runs throughout the game but the Suns responded everytime.
With 27 games left, will the Suns have any wins that top these?
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 18: Kyle Karros #12 of the Colorado Rockies plays third base against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at Coors Field on September 18, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Scottsdale, Ariz. – After the Rockies traded Ryan McMahon at the 2025 deadline, Kyle Karros became the heir apparent at third base.
The 23-year-old made his MLB debut on August 8 against the Arizona Diamondbacks and started hot, going 4-for-11 with two doubles, three RBI, two walks and two strikeouts. He hit his first home run at Coors Field against his dad, Eric’s, former team — the Los Angeles Dodgers — on August 19.
Karros started to dip towards the end, though, finishing the season with a .226/.308/.277 slash with four doubles, one homer, nine RBI, 15 walks and 41 strikeouts in 43 games. But, like many young Rockies, 2025 was a learning year for Karros.
“I think (my biggest lesson) was just to have more trust in myself,” he said at Rockies spring training camp.
“I think that was kind of what allowed me to perform so well in the minor leagues – I believed in what I was capable of, and I really stuck with it. It didn’t matter if I went 0-for-4 in a night, I’d come back the next day to the yard and be confident going up to the plate, and wouldn’t start changing stuff.”
But he found it hard to stay consistent after being promoted.
“I know in the big leagues, I got up there and honestly started off pretty well. But then you have a couple of 0-for’s throw together when you don’t have a lot of at-bats under your name, and then you’re looking up at the scoreboard, and you’re batting .220, and so I think that definitely affected me a little more in the big leagues than it did in the minor leagues just because there’s more at stake – more people watching and stuff.
“But I think I kind of got to the point near the end where I said, ‘To hell with the numbers. Whatever this experience has been, just go out there and play,’” he continued, “and I thought I finished pretty strong. So I think going into this season, I know what I have works. I’ve seen it work at every level, so just being more convicted with that and staying true to myself each and every day.”
Karros hit the gym in the offseason, and is now playing “the heaviest [he’s] ever been,” as he put it.
“That was another thing I learned last year being in Denver, playing [at] altitude every day. Obviously, the big-league schedule is a bit more rigorous than the minor leagues, so I definitely made it a priority to put on some weight and get strong showing up to camp. [I’m] still moving well. I feel great – I feel strong, I feel durable, and ready to take on 162.”
Warren Schaeffer said that “getting his body right” was a priority for Karros, as well.
“With Kyle, it was his first offseason after playing in the big leagues,” Schaeffer said, “so it was important for him to know that he needed to get his body right coming into spring training because [playing in the big leagues is] a grind on your body.
“The minor league season is tough, too,” he continued, “but the big leagues offer something a little different in terms of the mental stress that it can put on you if you choose to let it, which affects your body weight and affects everything. But you can’t feel it until you go through it.”
Heading into this year, there has obviously been a lot of turnover throughout the Rockies, both players and coaches (as has been chronicled many times). But Karros is excited to see what the new coaches bring.
“I’ve connected with everyone on board, and I think we have a great thing working here,” he said. “I think we’ve got some really good people in the right spots.”
Plus, he’s eager to work with some of the former Dodgers who’ve joined the organization.
“I think it’s pretty cool that we got a lot of people from the Dodgers,” he said.
“Obviously, they know how to do it over there, and they’ve been doing it for a couple of years. So we’ve got some people in some pretty important spots that came over from them, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about them, and now I’m experiencing those good things for myself. It’s been really pleasant to work with them throughout spring so far.”
One of the coaches that Karros has connected the most with is new hitting coach, Brett Pill, who came over from the Dodgers.
“We’ve been seeing eye-to-eye a ton,” Karros said. “I mean, I’m hitting the ball harder than I’ve ever hit it. Things are going well offensively so far, and I really like what we’re doing. We’ve been clicking on all fronts, so I’m really excited for this year.”
“He came in looking strong,” Schaeffer said. “He looks great with the glove. He’s working on his swing with Brett Pill a lot. He looks like he’s put in a lot of good work.”
In addition to the new coaches, the Rockies have signed a number of veteran players – both pitchers and position players. One of the veterans that Karros has gravitated towards is Nicky Lopez, who was signed as a free agent in December after spending 2025 in the Angels’, Cubs’, Diamondbacks’ and Yankees’ systems.
Notably, in 2024, Lopez played for the 41-121 Chicago White Sox.
“We’ve been taking a lot of ground balls together,” Karros said. “He obviously is one of the best defenders in the game, so I’ve been picking his brain. He was part of the White Sox when they had their tough year, so he’s seen what it’s like to be on a good team and what it’s like to be on a bad team. So he’s going to definitely offer some good insight on how to get us going in the right direction.”
Looking ahead to 2026, Karros has one main goal.
“Without a doubt, my biggest priority is to make this team my own and feel like this is my team going into the year,” he said. “I know that’s kind of what I experienced last year, joining the team so late in the year after they’d already kind of gone through a season with one another. When you join in near the end, it’s a little different.
“But when you’re able to go through spring training with a team and build those relationships and earn the trust of your teammates and your coaches, that helps a lot over the course of the season,” he continued.
“So I’m looking forward to just building relationships with the guys and with the coaches.”
PEORIA, AZ — San Diego Padres All-Star third baseman Manny Machado, having watched the bitter rival Los Angeles Dodgers dominate the NL West – and enter the season with a payroll exceeding $400 million – not only declined to criticize the Dodgers’ expenditures, but praised the organization.
“I (expletive) love it," Machado said Sunday morning. “I think every team should be doing it. They’re figured out a way to do it, and the (stuff) is (expletive) great for the game honestly. I think every team has the ability to do it. So, I hope all 30 teams could learn from it."
The Dodgers will enter the season with a payroll nearly twice as much as the Padres’ payroll of about $220 million, but Machado believes that a salary cap will hurt the game.
“I think our game is very good at what we’re doing," Machado said. “There’s a lot of money being made. Look at what’s going on with the game. The last five years, it’s been great.
“So, I think a lot of teams have the ability to do what the Dodgers are doing. We started it a few years ago with [late owner] Peter [Seidler], so everyone could do it. It’s just a matter if they want to or not."
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MAY 20: Cionel Pérez #58 of the Baltimore Orioles throws a pitch during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on May 20, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nationals finally made a free agent signing to their bullpen, bringing in Cionel Perez on a minor league deal. This is different from the other minor league deals they have signed, as Perez has a good chance of making the team. Before a disastrous 2025, Perez was a mainstay in the Orioles bullpen.
Sources: The Washington Nationals are in agreement to sign left-hander pitcher Cionel Pérez to a Minor League contract, including an invitation to MLB Spring Training.
Perez, 29, has a strong chance of making the Opening Day roster.
If Perez makes the team, he will make $1.9 million plus another $700,000 in potential incentives. As long as he does not look terrible this spring, Perez should make the team. From 2022-2024, Perez made at least 60 appearances in the O’s bullpen. He posted a combined 3.12 ERA in those three seasons.
So what made Perez such an effective reliever over those seasons and why did he fall off a cliff in 2025? Well, Perez is elite at generating ground balls with his heavy sinker. For his career, Perez has posted a 55.5% GB rate. Even in his horrible 2025 season, he still was great at keeping the ball on the ground, with a 58.2% GB rate.
However, Perez is not a big strikeout guy and has had control issues throughout his career. That makes him reliant on his defense and batted ball luck. Last season, he was a victim of terrible batted ball luck, with a .379 BABIP. This bad luck, combined with a 16.4% walk rate was why Perez posted an 8.31 ERA in 19 outings.
Despite some of these awful numbers, statcast was still bullish on him. Last season, his xERA was a respectable 3.93 despite his awful surface level numbers. His actual batting average against was .322 but his xBA was .213. I am not sure I have ever seen a gap that wide.
These discrepancies make him an interesting bounce back candidate for the Nats. If Perez can get his walk rate closer to 10% and he has better batted ball luck, Cionel Perez can be a solid piece in the bullpen. In a bullpen from January, he was already sitting 95-96, which is nice to see this early in the offseason.
Several teams have shown interest in left-handed reliever Cionel Pérez.
The former Oriole is training in Tampa as he does every offseason, and he looks noticeably sharp, sitting at 95–96 mph with his fastball. pic.twitter.com/Romiuuf5UK
His velocity has gone from 97 in 2022 to 95.6 last year, so hopefully he can recapture some of that old velo. There are a lot of if’s here, but Perez has the ceiling of a dependable middle reliever. On this team, that probably means looks at the back end of the bullpen.
Honestly, Perez does a lot of the same stuff that the traded Jose A. Ferrer did. Both are left handers who throw very hard but are ground ball oriented pitchers rather than strikeout guys. The biggest difference though is that Ferrer has much better control.
Another thing I am interested about here is if they will make any tweaks with Perez. Last season, he threw a sinker, a new slider, a slurve and a 4-seam. Despite being added before the worst year of his career, Perez’s new slider was actually very effective. It was a nice complement to his slurve, which had been his primary secondary pitch for years.
Going back to Ferrer, he featured a really nice changeup. I wonder if the Nats will want to give Perez a changeup. Perez has been much more effective against lefties in his career. Lefties have hit just .211 against Perez, while righties have hit .270. A changeup could be a good weapon for him to have against right handed hitters.
Some pitchers just never have great feel for changeups, so that could be hard. However, the invention of the kick changeup has been helpful for those pitchers. The kick change does not require pronation like other changeups. It is the grip that is doing the work. Maybe that could be something Perez could learn.
Overall, this is a low risk, medium reward move. If Perez can’t hit the broadside of a barn in Spring Training, he just won’t make the team. However, if he looks like the guy he was before last season, he will be a reliable piece in the Nats bullpen.
Still only 29, Perez combines experience with at least some youth. He also could be a trade candidate if he performs well in the first half. This is an interesting flier that could work.
Munetaka Murakami has big shoes to fill (yes, these are his). | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Leave it to the White Sox to sully the start of Spring Training for the man who may be their best acquisition in a long time. The news should all be about Munetaka Murakami (no matter how the locker room crew spelled his name), and instead it’s about Chris Getz proving his incompetence once again.
Getz has apparently finally figured out that another newcomer, Luisangel Acuña, isn’t actually a switch-hitter, as Getz had called him. And called him again. And again. And again. And again, so many times it’s very, very hard not to believe that Getz actually thought he’d traded Luis Robert Jr., for a player who didn’t just hit right-handed (and who, incidentally, has fairly big platoon splits, .592 OPS vs. righties, .732 vs. lefties).
Now Getz being a fool isn’t exactly man bites dog, but what’s more worrisome is that if he thought Acuña was a switch-hitter, did he also think he was an outfielder? That seems to be where the Sox plan to play the young speedster, despite the fact that both the Rangers and Mets had found that he’s a very fine middle infielder but can’t hack it in center. Guess we’ll have to wait to find out.
But let’s move on to the man who should be getting the attention, and whose performance could mean the difference between White Sox losses in the high-90s or worse (as most predicting algorithms believe will be the case) or the low-90s (as PECOTA anticipates).
Murakami the Good? Reports are that the reason contending teams didn’t cough up the nine-figure offers prognosticators expected for the Japanese slugger is pretty straightforward. While Murakami boasts immense power, he strikes out way too much, has way too much swing-and-miss, and — and this is the important part, because lots of power hitters whiff a bunch — he struggles against pitches faster than 92 mph. That wasn’t a huge deal in Japan, where most pitches don’t throw that fast, but would render him impotent in an MLB where almost everybody could just blow balls by him.
Thing is, that 92 mph-plus problem depends on why it exists. It could very well be that Murakami just hasn’t faced enough mid-90s or higher heat to get used to it and adjust, in which case live pitching, lots of hours on the Trajekt machine and maybe a tiny swing adjustment could have him ready to take on major league velocity by the start of the regular season, or shortly thereafter.
Also on the good side is that Murakami’s not apt to become depressed, playing a for a team that usually loses. His Japanese team, the Yakult Swallows, has been perennially as bad as the Sox. It’s even possible he thought playing for the White Sox instead of a good team for a couple of years will give him a chance to adjust to a new country, language and level of play without the pressure to be a star immediately, as would be the case if he’d signed for a contender.
If this is the case, we should enjoy watching Murakami swat baseballs out of The Rate at a happy rate.
Murakami the Bad? Alternatively, the reason Murakami has struggled against pitches faster than 92 mph could be that his reflexes are only so good. Maybe his brain/body/swing combo is just a millisecond or two slower than it needs to be in the big leagues, as happens to many power hitters as they slide downhill (or fall off a cliff, like José Abreu sadly did) in their mid-30s. That’s certainly possible, given that roughly 99.999999999999999% of humanity doesn’t have reaction time anywhere close to his.
If that turns out to be the case, it could be a very long season for Mune and the Sox, especially given how terrible his fielding is expected to be.
Murakami the Maybe? Then there’s a middle ground, where the slugger can catch faster pitches down by his knees (as is often the case for lefties) but can’t cope with high heat, or even high almost-heat. That would mean relying on pitchers to make mistakes, but a whole lot of power hitters have had long and successful careers only being able to hit mistakes, especially early on (Kyle Schwarber, anyone?)
The upper side of this seems to be where the algorithms used for projections think Murakami will land. Steamer and ZiPS are pretty close in what they see for him, and FanGraphs Depth Charts is close to both of them, with him hitting a very respectable .232/.342/.449, for a wRC+ of 120, with 30 homers and 80 RBIs. However, that only adds up to a 2.2 WAR (just barely better than the level considered major-league starter), with his WAR brought way down because of abysmal defense.
(It will be interesting to see what the Sox, who like to pretend to care about defense, will do if Murakami’s D is as bad as advertised and he’s best moved among the other DH contenders who also can’t field a lick, like Andrew Benintendi and Lenyn Sosa, plus one of the catchers. If you don’t become a good defender in Japan, where D is high art, it’s unlikely to occur here.)
But it’s spring! Well, baseball spring, anyway. So let’s go with Murakami the Good.
And, what the heck, let’s even pretend Acuña’s a switch-hitter. And good outfielder.
LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA NOVEMBER 3, 2025 Los Angeles Dodgers superstars Shohei Ohtani, left, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto acknowledge fans lining the streets of downtown Los Angeles for the Dodgers World Championship Parade and Celebration. The Dodgers are the first team to win back-to-back World Series titles since the Yankees did it in 1998. (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Dodgers are in rarefied air in their long franchise history going into 2026, having won consecutive championships for the first time. What’s next on the checklist is trying to become the fifth MLB team to win at least three World Series in a row.
MLB teams winning 3+ championships in a row
New York Yankees 1949-53 (5)
New York Yankees 1936-39 (4)
Oakland A’s 1972-74
New York Yankees 1998-2000
The Yankees understandably dominate this list, with several extended periods of dominance in their storied history. These represent different eras as well. The two longest title streaks came in a league of 16 teams and no divisional play. The A’s in the 1970s were in a 24-team MLB and had to go through a best-of-5 League Championship Series. The Yankees from 1998-2000 are the only team of this group to be in our modern era, with 30 MLB teams and two extra rounds of playoffs before the World Series.
The Yankees are the only MLB team to win three titles in a row after Pat Riley trademarked the term “Three-peat” in 1989. Riley was ahead of his time, even though his Lakers team that year ran into a Pistons-sized roadblock in the NBA Finals, getting swept after an 11-0 start to their postseason. Multiple trademarks for “Three-peat” are still active under Riles & Company, Inc., which means any such marketing (shirts, hats, etc.) have to go through Riley for approval and/or compensation for use.
The Dodgers in 2026 are just the third team coming off consecutive championships and going for a third straight title in the wild card era, along with those Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays in 1994. In all there have been 21 teams prior to the Dodgers to win the previous two World Series.
Year
Team
W
L
Pct
Finish
1909
Cubs
104
49
.680
2nd (behind 110-win Pirates)
1912
Philadelphia A’s
90
62
.592
3rd (behind 105-win Red Sox)
1917
Red Sox
90
62
.592
2nd (behind 100-win White Sox)
1923
NY Giants
95
58
.621
lost World Series (4-2) to NYY
1929
Yankees
88
66
.571
2nd (behind 104-win A’s)
1931
Philadelphia A’s
107
45
.704
lost World Series (4-3) to StL
1938
Yankees
99
53
.651
won World Series (4-0) over Cubs
1939
Yankees
106
45
.702
won World Series (4-0) over Reds
1940
Yankees
88
66
.571
3rd
1951
Yankees
98
56
.636
won World Series (4-2) over NYG
1952
Yankees
95
59
.617
won World Series (4-3) over Dodgers
1953
Yankees
99
52
.656
won World Series (4-2) over Dodgers
1954
Yankees
103
51
.669
2nd (behind 111-win Cle)
1963
Yankees
104
57
.646
lost World Series (4-0) to LA
1974
Oakland A’s
90
72
.556
won World Series (4-1) over LA
1975
Oakland A’s
98
64
.605
lost ALCS (3-0) at Bos
1977
Reds
88
74
.543
2nd (behind 98-win LA)
1979
Yankees
89
71
.556
4th
1994
Blue Jays
55
60
.478
3rd
2000
Yankees
87
74
.540
won World Series (4-1) over NYM
2001
Yankees
95
65
.594
lost World Series (4-3) to AZ
Eleven teams, just over half of the 21, reached the World Series after winning the previous two, with seven championships. In the divisional era, four of seven teams reached the World Series, with two wins.
This is the sixth time the Dodgers have won two pennants in a row — 1952-53 and 1955-56 in Brooklyn, plus 1965-66, 1977-78, 2017-18, and 2024-25 in Los Angeles. They have yet to win three pennants in a row, and this is their only time winning consecutive championships.
The only one of the previous 21 back-to-back champs to finish under .500 in Year 3 were the 1994 Blue Jays, who were 55-60 when a strike ended that season in August.
It stands to reason that a team winning two championships in a row will still be good the next year. These 22 teams have an average .609 winning percentage, roughly 99 wins over 162 games.
