The NL Central has four teams separated by four or fewer games, but the Milwaukee Brewers (50-31) sit atop the throne as we inch closer to the All-Star break. Milwaukee will host Cincinnati (39-43) as both teams look to get back in the win column after losses on Sunday.
Cincinnati is coming off a 9-4 loss to Pittsburgh and has dropped four of the last six games. The Reds turn to Nick Lodolo to open the series, which hasn't been great news lately. In June, the Reds are 0-4 in Lodolo's starts and he has a 6.16 ERA with 13 earned runs on 28 hits allowed over 19.0 innings. However, in his last start, Lodolo went 4.0 innings with zero earned runs against Milwaukee, a significant improvement seven earned runs and 11 hits versus the Mets in his prior start.
Milwaukee has lost two straight games to break up their five-game winning streak. Despite the recent losses, Milwaukee is still up 6.5 games on the NL Central. Over the past week, the Brewers are hitting .220 (22nd) and rank sixth in ERA (2.89) as a pitching staff with the best OBA (.162). Robert Gasser gets the nod to start the series. Milwaukee lost his first four starts this year, but the Brewers have won the past two with Gasser on the mound as he's posted a 1.54 ERA and .154 OBA.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Reds at Brewers
Date: Monday, June 29, 2026
Time: 7:40 PM EST
Site: American Family Field
City: Milwaukee, WI
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
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The Reds’ Sal Stewart is hitting .254 with 79 hits, 15 home runs and 57 RBI over 311 at-bats
The Reds’ Matt McLain is hitting .198 with 50 hits and 76 strikeouts over 253 at-bats
The Brewers’ William Contreras is hitting .301 with 89 hits, 9 home runs, and 50 RBI over 296 at-bats
The Brewers’ Joey Ortiz is hitting .200 with 33 hits and 35 strikeouts over 200 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Reds at Brewers
The Reds are 45-37 ATS, tied for sixth-best
The Brewers are 45-36 ATS, ranking fifth-best
The Reds are 49-32 to the Over, ranking third-best
The Brewers are 42-37-2 to the Under, ranking 10th-best
The Reds are 25-16 ATS on the road, ranking second-best
The Brewers are 24-19 ATS at home, ranking eighth-best
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Reds and the Brewers
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Reds and the Brewers:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Reds on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Reds at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 9.0
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San Diego, CA - June 28: Michael King #34 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park on June 28, 2026 in San Diego, CA. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
It was a disappointing end to what looked like a solid start from San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King. The right-hander cruised through the first three innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers allowing just one run over that time. Manny Machado homered in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the game at 1-1, but when King returned to the mound in the top of the fifth inning, he could not locate his pitches and the result was a three-run inning that resulted in a 4-2 loss for San Diego.
King opened the top of the fifth with a walk to the No. 9 batter Alex Freeland. He then caught a lineout on a bunt attempt from Chuckie Robinson but followed that with another walk to Shohei Ohtani. King hit Andy Pages for the second time in the game to load the bases and then walked Freddy Freeman on a nine-pitch at-bat. The ninth pitch was close to the bottom of the zone on the inside corner but neither King nor Rodolfo Duran challenged the call, and Los Angeles took a 2-1 lead. What proved to be the game-winning hit and the end of the day for King came on a two-run single by Mookie Betts which pushed the lead to 4-1. Yuki Matsui relieved King and got Max Muncy to pop out and Tommy Edman to ground out to end the inning.
The Padres cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jackson Merrill singled to start the inning, and Machado hit a deep flyball to center that looked like a two-run home run off the bat. It was caught on the warning track by Pages. Gavin Sheets struck out for the second out of the inning, but not before Merrill stole second base. Xander Bogaerts singled following a pitching change and drove in Merrill to make the score, 4-2. Miguel Andujar was then hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second, but Sung-Mun Song struck out to end the inning and strand the runners.
San Diego threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning after Machado doubled to open the frame. Ty France, who pinch-hit for Sheets, was then hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second with no outs. Bogaerts struck out and Andujar grounded into a double play to end the threat and the inning. The Padres brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning after Freddy Fermin worked a one-out walk, but Fernando Tatis Jr. grounded into a double play on the first pitch of the at-bat to end the inning and the game.
King finished his day after 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on three hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Matsui, Jason Adam and Wandy Peralta pitched 4.2 scoreless innings to give San Diego a chance to come back in the game, but the Padres failed to take advantage of scoring opportunities and finished a disappointing 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
San Diego is on the road today to open a series with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field at 5:05 p.m.
Padres News:
The Padres lost the series to the Dodgers but won the homestand 4-2 thanks to a sweep of the Atlanta Braves. The San Diego offense seems to be trending up according to Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball who recaps the week that was.
Bradgley Rodriguez was being used a lot out of the bullpen for the Padres and when they saw an opportunity to get him some time off to keep him healthy for the rest of the season, they took it. After some rest he returned to the mound for Double-A San Antonio.
It is never fun to lose to a division rival, but Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune believes the Padres have more at stake against Wild Card contenders like their next opponent.
San Diego and Los Angeles are so close geographically that it’s easy for opposing fans to travel back and forth for the games. Dodgers fans made the trip to Petco Park this weekend and it did not go unnoticed by the Padres players.
The Padres re-signed Nick Solak to a minor league deal after he opted out of his contract earlier this week.
Both in the big leagues and on the farm, the Nationals have more hitting talent than pitching. However, that does not mean there are no interesting arms in the system. Today, I wanted to highlight one of the most intriguing arms on the farm in Yoel Tejeda. The 6 ‘8 righty has developed from an ultra raw 15th round pick to a real riser.
Coming out of high school in 2022, Tejeda was a highly regarded two-way prospect. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the 217th prospect in that draft, but he decided to follow through on his commitment to the University of Florida. Tejeda spent one year at Florida and one at Florida State, and struggled at both spots. However, his unique frame and pedigree convinced the Nats to take a flier on him in the 14th round of the 2024 draft.
That decision by the old regime has proven to be a wise one. Right now, MLB Pipeline lists Tejeda as the 14th best prospect in the Nats system. Last season, the big righty spent most of the season in Low-A, where he made huge improvements to his strike-throwing. In college, he walked more hitters than he struck out, but last season, he had a 21.8% K rate and a 7.4% walk rate.
He made some mechanical tweaks that helped his strike-throwing, but saw his velocity more in the low-90’s than the mid-90’s. It was a worthwhile tradeoff, but the hope was that Tejeda would get some of that old velocity back while keeping his command gains. Entering this season, he had some real fans, with some even wondering if he could sneak on to top 100 lists at some point.
I’d like to know who listed Yoel Tejada Jr as their pick to click. He’s a deeper cut than most other names on that list.
Tejada Jr is part of a trio of Nats pitching prospects I’m high on, Jose Feliz and Jackson Kent being the other two.
This spring we did see Tejeda throwing harder. He was sitting in the mid-90’s, while flirting with the upper 90’s. However, in the Spring Breakout game, his control looked erratic. Those command issues plagued him at the beginning of the season as well. In April, Tejeda posted a 5.60 ERA with 11 walks in 17.2 innings with High-A Wilmington.
As the season has gone on though, Tejeda has made big improvements. He has a 1.38 ERA in five June starts, and is averaging over 5 innings per start. Tejeda has 11 walks in 26 innings, which is on the higher side, but it is manageable, especially when he has 33 strikeouts to go with it. His strikeout rate is hovering around 30% this month, while his walk rate is just under 10%. That is big time stuff, and could get the 22 year old promoted to AA soon.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Yoel Tejeda Jr is ticketed for AA within the next few weeks.
In June, he has a 29.7 K%, 9.9 BB%, and 0.9 HR%. Averaged over 5 IP/start with a 1.73 ERA if you’re into that sort of thing.
After doing some digging, it is clear that Tejeda’s stuff has definitely ticked up. Last year, he was sitting in the 92 MPH range. However, this season, he is sitting 94-96 and tops out at 98. Pair that with the massive extension Tejeda gets from being a 6’8 pitcher, and his fastball gets on hitters in a hurry.
To pair with the heater, Tejeda has a sweeper and a shorter slider, as well as a splitter. The breaking balls are his best secondary pitches that he uses to put hitters away. Last season, he had some trouble with left handed hitters, but his splits are much more even in 2026.
This past week might have been the best of Tejeda’s career. He made two starts that covered 10.2 innings, and allowed just one earned run. The massive right hander also struck out 7 in both starts. He is really surging right now, and I think a promotion is on the horizon. Here is a nice interview he did after his start yesterday.
Quite frankly, the Nats are a little light on starting pitching in the majors and minors right now. It does not help that their two best pitching prospects have been out all season, but they need someone to step up. Tejeda is not going to be in the big leagues until late 2027 at the earliest, but he is a pitcher whose stock is on the rise.
Unique is good when it comes to pitching, and Tejeda’s massive frame creates unique challenges for hitters. After being a disappointment in college, Yoel Tejeda Jr. is finally living up to his high school pedigree with the help of the Nats pitching development program. I can’t wait to see how he does the rest of the season and what is next for the towering right hander.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JUNE 27: Pete Alonso #25 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts after striking out in the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 27, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We didn’t know it at the time, but when the calendar turned to July two years ago, that was the end of the good run for the Orioles. They had a losing record that month, the next, and in all finished the second half of the 2024 season with a .500 record, followed by a swift postseason exit. As the 2026 disappointment heads towards July, we’re nearly at two full years of this team failing to live up to expectations.
In this week’s episode of the podcast, I’m thinking about just how few of the current Orioles were actually on the roster when the team was last good. There has been a whole lot of roster turnover since this day two years ago. The core players who’ve carried over aren’t collectively playing like a core of stars, many of the later-arriving players have had bumpy introductions to the majors, and a lot of Mike Elias’s moves to supplement the roster have not paid the dividends I think he believed that they would.
What are they supposed to do about it? I don’t know and I don’t think they do either. Also in this episode, a Camden Chat reader asked who the Orioles would even have to trade to get a possible real, impact player if they did end up as trade deadline buyers. The question was asked before the team went 2-4 over the last week, so I did my best to answer it. I think they might have a shot at someone worthwhile if they really want to go that route.
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This is my weekly podcast about whatever is going on lately with the Orioles. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to subscribe. You can get the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you prefer to access your podcasts.
How are you feeling about the way things are going with the Orioles right now? Answers could make it into the mailbag section of a future episode of the podcast.
New Zealand won a Test series in England for the fourth time by wrapping up a 160-run victory in the third Test at Trent Bridge on Monday, bringing an end to the international career of England’s captain, Ben Stokes.
Resuming on 103 for four and chasing an unlikely 373 to win, England were dismissed for 212 soon after lunch on day five as New Zealand clinched the series 2-1.
Ali Martin’s report from Trent Bridge will follow shortly
From the start, the Mets’ 2026 offensive philosophy was designed to be a departure from the recent past, trading power and a wildly streaky nature for more day-to-day dependability built upon high-average hitters with proven track records of producing in the clutch.
At one point in spring training, David Stearns summed up the new philosophy by saying, “We wanted to have a lineup with more competitive at-bats 1-9. I believe we have that.”
It turned out the Mets had anything but that, at least through the first half of this season. The newly acquired proven clutch hitters, Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco, either failed or were hurt, while the concept of a deeper, more competitive lineup proved all but laughable, as the bottom half was full of easy outs.
Throw in the injuries to Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, and the result was worse than even the resentful Pete Alonso fan might have predicted.
Indeed, the numbers spell out a level of futility that seems almost unfathomable for a team with the second-highest payroll in baseball.
Consider that, in MLB rankings, the Mets are: 27th in batting average (.231), 28th in slugging (.375), 29th in on-base percentage (.300), 27th in OPS (.678).
Also, they are dead last in doubles, with 101.
And with runners in scoring position, the most common measure of clutch hitting, where the changes were supposed to be most impactful, the Mets are 22nd in batting average (.238) and 29th in OPS (.675).
Ouch, ouch, and ouch.
“It’s hard to be that bad across the board with some of the high-level talent they have,” one MLB scout told me. “It’s like their lineup was infected by some virus that they couldn’t stop from spreading. At the same time, I thought they created a lot of uncertainty about what they’d be offensively with some of the gambles they took.”
Yes, particularly in some cases, the offensive failures reflect poorly on the president of baseball operations for what have proven to be bad gambles.
Most notably, Luis Robert Jr. and Polanco each had an off-putting history of injuries that have reared their ugly heads in their first season in Queens, a development that Stearns admitted recently at a news conference might force the Mets to change the way they evaluate and approach such acquisitions.
For that matter, the same injury-related red flags applied to the Frankie Montas free-agent signing from the previous winter, perhaps the most head-scratching Stearns’ move of them all. Turned out to be a waste of $34 million over two years.
May 1, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien (10) is greeted by first base & outfield coach Gilbert Gomez (65) after hitting a two run RBI single aganist the Los Angeles Angels during the sixth inning at Angel Stadium. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
But this is about the offense, including the other move that raised eyebrows at the time, the trade of Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien.
Stearns sold it as a move to bolster his offseason theme of run prevention, even if it seemed driven at least as much by his desire to get out from under the five years remaining on Nimmo’s contract, compared to three for Semien.
As such, it had the feel of a small-market move that a Steve Cohen-owned team didn’t need to make when in pursuit of a championship, though it could be argued it was also made partly to open an outfield spot for Carson Benge, one of the few bright spots of the first half.
Even in that case, however, Semien hasn’t played well enough to justify the deal. At the plate, he has pretty much performed as poorly as his two-year decline with the Texas Rangers predicted, with a .613 OPS that is second-worst among all MLB second basemen, while his Gold Glove defense has slipped significantly, at least according to various metrics.
Finally, Stearns bet that homegrown holdovers Mark Vientos, BrettBaty, and Francisco Alvarez would finally grow into dependable offensive players, after a few years marked by ups and downs, and that hasn’t happened either.
All of it made for a disastrous first half. Even when Soto was swinging a hot bat, eventually joined by Benge and finally Bichette in recent weeks, the Mets have been prone to days when nobody hits.
In fact, they have scored two or fewer runs in 32 different games, the most in the National League.
New York Mets right fielder Carson Benge (3) hits a RBi triple during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park / David Frerker - Imagn Images
With all that said, there were also important developments that bode well for the future, as rookies Benge and A.J. Ewing emerged as major contributors.
Benge struggled for the first month or so of the season, but then began living up to the Mets’ belief that he can be a star player, as he shortened his swing a bit and learned how to catch up with high-velocity fastballs, hitting .288 since the beginning of May.
Ewing, meanwhile, was a revelation from the moment he was called up on May 12, showing remarkable plate discipline for a rookie and a short, quick stroke that likely makes him an ideal leadoff hitter in the future.
“Those two kids are really good pieces for anybody’s offense,” a second MLB scout said. “It all went wrong for the Mets in the first half, and injuries were a factor, but with their big guys healthy now, especially if they get Polanco back, they could be much better in the second half.”
Whether it’s too late to make any sort of run toward wild-card contention remains to be seen. All we know for sure is the Mets dug a huge hole for themselves, and while a lack of strong starting pitching became their biggest problem over the last several weeks, the anemic offense was at the root of the 7-19 record in April from which they have yet to recover.
Philadelphia (47-37) and Pittsburgh (42-42) meet for a classic East versus West Keystone State battle. The two met earlier in the year and the Phillies swept the Pirates, outscoring the Buccos, 23-9, and shutting out Pittsburgh in the final two games.
The Phillies are 5-1 in the last six games and coming off a 5-4 win over the Mets. Kyle Schwarber hit his 30th homer to seal the Phillies win, while also becoming the first to 30 home runs on the year. Philadelphia won the series versus New York and will start Aaron Nola in the opener against Pittsburgh. The Phillies are 5-1 in the last six Nola starts and averaged over five runs scored per game in that span.
The Pirates are back to .500 on the season after a 9-4 win over the Reds. Pittsburgh is 5-5 over the last 10 games and turn to Braxton Ashcraft to stay above even for the year. The Pirates won Ashcraft's last two starts and are 7-3 since the start of May when he pitches. This will be Ashcraft's second start versus the Phillies this season. Ashcraft earned a no decision on 6.2 innings, 100 pitches, seven hits allowed, four earned runs, and five strikeouts to zero walks. Since then, Ashcraft has a 5-1 record over seven starts.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Pirates at Phillies
Date: Monday, June 29, 2026
Time: 6:40 PM EST
Site: Citizens Bank Park
City: Philadelphia, PA
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Pirates at the Phillies
The latest odds as of Monday:
Moneyline: Philadelphia Phillies (-109), Pittsburgh Pirates (-110)
Spread: Phillies +1.5 (-185), Pirates -1.5 (+152)
Total: 8.5
Probable starting pitchers for Pirates at Phillies
Monday's pitching matchup (June 29): Aaron Nola vs. Braxton Ashcraft
The Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber is hitting .256 with 77 hits, 30 home runs and 54 RBI over 301 at-bats
The Phillies’ JT Realmuto is hitting .205 with 40 hits and 43 strikeouts over 195 at-bats
The Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds is hitting .286 with 86 hits, 11 home runs, and 52 RBI over 301 at-bats
The Pirates’ Marcell Ozuna is hitting .204 with 42 hits and 68 strikeouts over 206 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Pirates at Phillies
Philadelphia is an MLB-worst 31-53 ATS
Pittsburgh is 42-42 ATS
Philadelphia is 45-36-5 to the Under, ranking fifth-best
Pittsburgh is 48-33-3 to the Over, ranking fourth-best
Philadelphia is 15-27 ATS at home, ranking second-worst
Pittsburgh is 20-19 ATS on the road
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Pirates and the Phillies
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Pirates and the Phillies:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Pirates on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Pirates at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 8.5
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BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines looks on in the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on February 08, 2025 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dusty May, Indiana men’s basketball’s latest prodigal son that wasn’t, is out of college basketball and off to the NBA, having been hired as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
May was born in Terre Haute and raised in Greene County before attending Indiana University and becoming a student manager under Bob Knight. His coaching star rose as fast as any other, going from the mid-major level in 2023 to Michigan in 2024 and now onto the NBA in 2026 after just two years in Ann Arbor, the latter concluding with a national championship in Indianapolis, of all places.
May’s return to Indiana would have been something out of an Indiana fan’s dreams but it, for several reasons, wasn’t meant to be. He, like Brad Stevens before him, led a different program to greatness before moving onto the NBA.
So, how do Indiana fans feel about May’s departure? We asked them.
The results aren’t surprising at all. May spent all of one game on the Assembly Hall sideline as an opposing head coach and it was probably enough. His presence then was already a reminder of what could have been, imagine if he spent years there with a national title or more to his name, the thing Indiana fans have craved for decades.
Indiana faces decently long odds in 2027, sitting at +6500 to win it all, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
The NBA's tampering period, during which teams are allowed to negotiate with all upcoming free agents from other teams, begins on Tuesday, June 30 at 6 p.m. ET. The rumors, however, are already in full swing, with constant speculation about where the best players might end up.
USA TODAY Sports is tracking all the news and rumors related to NBA free agency and trades, with live updates leading into the next key date on the league's offseason calendar. Here's what's happening right now:
Zach Lavine is opting in to the final year of his contract with the Sacramento Kings, according to multiplereports. He is set to make nearly $49 million during the 2026-27 based off the five-year max deal he initially signed with the Chicago Bulls in 2022. Lavine averaged 19.2 points in 39 games for the Kings last season. It was his lowest scoring average since the 2017-18 season, though Lavine remains a trade candidate, especially since he's now on an expiring deal.
James Harden has officially declined the $42.3 million player option in his contract, according to ESPN, but it's with the purpose of negotiating a new multi-year agreement with the Cavaliers. Harden was traded to Cleveland at the trade deadline this past season and helped lead the team to the Eastern Conference finals.
Now that the 2026 NBA Draft is done, the league's attention turns to the start of free agency, with the official "tampering" period beginning on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET.
But teams and free agents can't sign their contracts until July 6 at 12:01 p.m. ET when the NBA's moratorium on signings ends.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 5: Landry Shamet #44 of the New York Knicks looks on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 8, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s been more than two weeks since the New York Knicks started calling themselves reigning NBA champions. It’s less than two days since free-agency festivities kick off, starting with negotiations between franchises and FAs at 3 p.m. ET tomorrow and the official opening of the market at 6 p.m. ET.
And while it’s reasonable for all of us to keep basking in the glory of the title, the focus must quickly shift from celebration to roster building, which already started with last week’s draft decisions, and particularly with the self-imposed financial constraints the Knicks’ front office will need to navigate.
The two most prominent free agents in New York’s books are both backups in center Mitchell Robinson and guard Landry Shamet, both of whom are going to have strong markets out there with multiple suitors interested in their services.
We’ve been discussing Robinson’s situation during the past few days, and you can find everything about it here (his comments) and here (his free-agent market, suitors, and reported clash between Dolan and the FO).
This post is all about Landry Shamet and how his situation might impact what’s next for the New York Knicks.
Sources: Jaylen Brown has drawn trade interest from the Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks.
According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Shamet is expected to draw significant interest across the league. Emphasis mine:
“Given his strong play during the regular season and the title run, Landry Shamet is expected to have a robust market in free agency with numerous teams interested. Shamet, despite being beloved by Knicks coach Mike Brown and the front office, is not a lock to return to the Knicks, however.”
Scotto added that rival teams are “salivating at the possibility of prying Shamet away” from New York following his strong regular season and playoff performances.
Although Scotto didn’t name any particular suitors, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson mentioned the Miami Heat as a candidate to offer him a deal as they “try to add at least two skilled three-point shooters.”
Shamet’s value surged massively during his second season with New York, as he averaged 9.3 points and two three-pointers per game in the regular season (shooting 39.2% from three), then elevated his efficiency in the playoffs by shooting 47.5% from beyond the arc.
Shamet can space the floor and would fit seamlessly into any team that grabs him, as he proved by showcasing his talents in Mike Brown’s squad throughout the 2026 title season. All things considered, Scotto noted what we all are fearing around these places: retaining both Shamet and Mitchell Robinson is considered unlikely if the Knicks maintain their stance against exceeding the second apron, and even bringing back one of them might be hard depending on the market both UFAs find on June 30.
Following the extensions of Mo Diawara and Jose Alvarado, and not counting the likely-minimum deals offered to rookies Tyler Nickel and Jack Kayil, New York has roughly $14 million in space below the second apron while still needing to fill four roster spots.
The expectation is for Robinson to command offers at or above the $15 million mid-level exception, while Shamet has been projected to receive a new contract starting at around $8 million per year, potentially more if a bidding war emerges.
For context, minimum-value contracts for second-round rookies and free agents start at $1.36 million, meaning re-signing Shamet to an $8 million deal, as well as the two rookies for a combined $2.75 million, would leave the Knicks with just $3.25 million to fill the remaining roster spot and sign a backup center to replace Robinson. Even if Shamet signs for a discount (and let’s be honest, fairly unrealistic) deal around $6 million, the Knicks would still have just around $5.25 million waiting for their backup center.
In that context, Shamet’s rising market may ultimately price him out of New York’s plans, regardless of how highly he is regarded internally, as bringing him back would put the Knicks in a very tight cap situation to bring a capable free agent to replace Robinson as the team’s first center off the pine.
The Padres (43-39) are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Dodgers (54-30) and now travel across the country for a road trip that starts in Chicago. The Cubs (46-38) are heating up over the past week, but they have struggled at home altogether on the month going 5-6 over 11 games.
Chicago is 6-1 in the last seven games and coming off a 4-3 win over Milwaukee in extra innings Sunday. Chicago has now tied or won five straight series but are still 6.5 games back of Milwaukee for first place in the NL. After losing four straight starts by Shota Imanaga, the Cubs have won three of the last four with three of those games being decided by one run.
San Diego has yet to announce a pitcher for this game and will likely roll with a starter and use relief pitchers a majority of the way. The Padres have had 11 road games this month and have come away with four wins. San Diego is hitting .226 on the road this season (28th) with bottom 10 ranks in OBP, SLG, and OPS. Over the last seven days, Manny Machado has two walk off winners and is hitting .300, which is a pleasant sign for San Diego fans.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Padres at Cubs
Date: Monday, June 29, 2026
Time: 8:05 PM EST
Site: Wrigley Field
City: Chicago, IL
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Padres at the Cubs
The latest odds as of Monday:
Moneyline: Chicago Cubs (-149), San Diego Padres (+123)
Spread: Padres +1.5 (-149), Cubs -1.5 (+124)
Total: 11.5
Probable starting pitchers for Padres at Cubs
Monday's pitching matchup (June 29): Shota Imanaga vs. Griffin Canning
The Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong is hitting .278 with 88 hits, 17 home runs and 45 RBI over 317 at-bats
The Cubs’ Ian Happ is hitting .224 with 67 hits and 112 strikeouts over 299 at-bats
The Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting .283 with 89 hits, 3 home runs, and 30 RBI over 314 at-bats
The Padres’ Jackson Merrill is hitting .212 with 65 hits and 84 strikeouts over 306 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Padres at Cubs
The Cubs are 34-50 ATS, ranking third-worst
The Padres are 45-37 ATS, ranking seventh-best
The Cubs are 45-38-1 to the Over, ranking eighth-best
The Padres are 45-36-1 to the Under, ranking second-best
The Cubs are an MLB-worst 14-26 ATS as the home team
The Padres are 20-16 ATS as the road team, ranking eighth-best
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Cubs and the Padres
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Padres and the Cubs:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Cubs on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Cubs at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Over on the Game Total of 11.5
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 16: Moritz Wagner #21 of the Orlando Magic goes up for a shot against Jock Landale #31 of the Atlanta Hawks during the second quarter at State Farm Arena on March 16, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Over the past 48 hours, the Sixers have been linked to both John Collins and Dean Wade as possible free-agent targets. That strongly suggests they’re considering using the $15.0 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which does not bode well for Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr.’s chances of returning to Philadelphia next season.
If the Sixers use the non-taxpayer MLE, they’d be hard-capped at the roughly $209 million first apron through next June. With more than $172 million in guaranteed salary already on their books, they’d have a tough time spending the full non-taxpayer MLE and re-signing either Grimes or Oubre while staying under the hard cap, much less both.
If they strike out on Collins, Wade and their other non-taxpayer MLE targets, the Sixers could always pivot toward using the smaller $6.1 million taxpayer MLE instead. That would hard-cap them at the $222 million second apron, but they might be able to re-sign Oubre, Grimes and/or Andre Drummond while still adding an impact free agent.
With that in mind, let’s run through a handful of free agents whom the Sixers could potentially target with the taxpayer MLE.
Based on the current $165 million projection for the 2026-27 salary cap, the taxpayer MLE is projected to start at $6.065 million. Teams can only offer one- or two-year contracts with the taxpayer MLE, so the most that the Sixers could offer is a two-year, $12.4 million deal.
Jock Landale, C
The Sixers could have acquired Jock Landale essentially for free ahead of the February trade deadline. Two days after the Memphis Grizzlies shipped him to the Utah Jazz, the Jazz sent him to the Atlanta Hawks for cash considerations.
The Sixers didn’t pursue him at the deadline because doing so would have pushed them back into luxury-tax territory. It’s not too late for them to rectify that mistake, but it’ll be more costly now.
Between Memphis and Atlanta this past season, Landale averaged a career-high 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in only 22.1 minutes per game. He also shot 38.3 percent on a career-high 2.8 three-point attempts per game (193 in total). While Landale might not be as prolific of a rebounder as Drummond, he’d still be an upgrade at backup center behind Joel Embiid.
The Sixers are reportedly interested in Landale, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, although he’s “expected to have a strong market” with interest from at least a half-dozen teams. Scotto warned that Landale is expected to “command offer north of the bi-annual exception in free agency” as well.
The good news is that the $6.1 million taxpayer MLE is slightly north of the $5.5 million bi-annual exception. But with this many suitors after him—Scotto specifically mentioned the Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers—the Sixers might have a tough time outbidding all of them.
Ziaire Williams, SF
To maximize their financial flexibility this offseason, the Brooklyn Nets declined their $6.25 million team option on Ziaire Williams on Sunday, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old averaged 10.2 points and shot a career-best 34.3 percent from deep this past season with Brooklyn, although he hasn’t shot above 43.0 percent from the floor since his rookie campaign in 2021-22. The Grizzlies originally traded up to the No. 10 pick to select him, but he has yet to live up to his predraft hype.
Williams is the exact type of reclamation project that the Sixers should be willing to gamble on. He doesn’t turn 25 until September, so he could become a part of their long-term future if he popped in Philly. However, the Sixers could face competition from the Los Angeles Lakers if they do decide to pursue Williams, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.
“The bet for the Lakers would be that at 6-9 with a nearly 40-inch vertical leap, that Williams could be an impact defensive player with room for growth on the offensive side of the ball. He has fans inside the Lakers’ facility.
“There are local connections too — Williams was a teammate of Bronny James at Sierra Canyon.”
The Sixers took swings on a bunch of recent former first-round picks as “second-draft” candidates under former team president Daryl Morey, including Dalen Terry and MarJon Beauchamp last year alone. Could new team president Mike Gansey pursue the same strategy with Williams?
Tim Hardaway Jr., SG
The Denver Nuggets appear to be in cost-cutting mode as they look to reorient around Nikola Jokić. Tim Hardaway Jr. could wind up being a cap casualty for them.
Hardaway finished third in the Sixth Man of the Year race this past season after averaging 13.5 points while shooting 44.7 percent overall and a career-best 40.7 percent from three-point range in only 26.6 minutes per game. He played in 80 games this season but started only six of them, making him a very worthy 6MOY candidate.
More than half of Hardaway’s field-goal attempts have come from long range in each of the past seven seasons, and he’s shot above 38 percent from deep four times in that span. The Maxey + Embiid + shooters formula has historically worked wonders for the Sixers, and Hardaway is among the best available shooters on the free-agent market this offseason.
According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Miami Heat are expected to “have strong interest” in both Hardaway and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, as they look to corner the market on over-the-hill veterans to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. However, the Heat are hard-capped at the first apron and could have a tough time filling out their roster as is without clearing additional salary.
The 34-year-old Hardaway might not be a long-term piece of the puzzle for the Sixers, but he’d be a welcome addition to maximize their win-now chances.
Khris Middleton, SF
In honor of Morey, we had to include one washed veteran here, right?
Middleton played in 63 games this past season split between the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks, and he averaged 10.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in only 22.8 minutes per game. He shot a respectable 36.0 percent from three-point range, too. However, the days of him threatening to join the 50-40-90 club are long gone.
Injuries have hampered Middleton in recent years, which is why the Milwaukee Bucks traded him to the Wizards for Kyle Kuzma at the 2025 trade deadline. The Wizards kept his minutes in check because they had zero interest in winning games this past season, but the Sixers presumably wouldn’t ask Middleton to play more than 20-25 minutes per game off the bench, either.
Given his age (34) and recent injury history, Middleton would be a risky signing even with the taxpayer MLE. But in terms of pure talent, the three-time All-Star might be the best player available in this price range.
Unfortunately, he’s already been “strongly linked” to Antetokounmpo and the Heat, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. At this point, it’d be surprising if Middleton didn’t end up reuniting with Antetokounmpo on South Beach, but one can dream for now.
Moe Wagner, C
Although Franz Wagner still has four years left on his max contract with the Orlando Magic, his older brother, Moe, might be moving on from Orlando this summer.
Moe has been with the Magic since he signed a rest-of-season contract with them in April 2021. He averaged 11.1 points on 56.0 percent shooting in only 18.5 minutes per game with them between the 2022-23 and 2024-25 campaigns, but he suffered a torn ACL in late December 2024 that caused him to miss the remainder of that season and the beginning of the 2025-26 season as well.
With both Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze under contract for next season, Wagner may be a luxury that the Magic can no longer afford. Stein and Fischer reported Saturday that he’s projected “to have multiple suitors in free agency” and has “a willingness to play elsewhere” even though his brother doesn’t seem likely to leave Orlando anytime soon.
If the Sixers whiff on Landale, Wagner would also be a solid backup-center addition to compete with Adem Bona for minutes behind Embiid.
Marvin Bagley III PF/C
Marvin Bagley III will always be known as the player whom the Sacramento Kings chose instead of Luka Dončić or Trae Young, which is a reputation that’s tough to shake.
While Bagley will never become an MVP candidate like Dončić or a multi-time All-Star like Young, he quietly resurrected his NBA career last season after looking like he might be in danger of falling out of the league entirely.
Bagley split 60 games between the Wizards and Dallas Mavericks last season and averaged 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in only 20.0 minutes per game. He also shot a scorching 61.8 percent overall and 46.2 percent from deep, albeit on only 52 total three-point attempts.
The 6’10”, 235-pound Bagley logged a majority of his time at power forward earlier in his career, but he’s largely slid over to center over the past few seasons. His teams’ net rating has largely been abysmal with him on the floor over that span, but he’s also largely played for abysmal teams in recent years.
Landale and Wagner should be higher on the Sixers’ free-agent big board than Bagley, but he’d be a reasonable backup plan in case they strike out on their top frontcourt targets.
Jun 28, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Texas Rangers pinch runner Jarred Kelenic (25) scores on a wild pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Kennedi Landry writes that, with Texas in need of innings, Kumar Rocker produced the best road start of his career on Sunday as the Rangers swept the Toronto Blue Jays.
McFarland writes that the Rangers are playing their best baseball during a difficult stretch with the hopes for consistency to follow.
MLB dot com’s Brent Maguire notes that Tyler Alexander can make history tonight as the first player to ever make a start immediately after saving the previous two games.
McFarland writes that Evan Carter is back and hoping to show that he’s more than just an excellent center fielder.
Mike Axisa’s latest mock MLB draft has the Rangers selecting Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron. Now the question becomes, how will this impact LeBron’s legacy?
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MAY 06: General manager Jon Horst of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on during a press conference to introduce Taylor Jenkins as the new head coach of the Bucks at Milwaukee Art Museum on May 06, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In the final hours of the Bucks’ self-imposed deadline to deal Giannis, Jon Horst and Milwaukee’s entire brass had to make a franchise-altering decision—the ramifications of which would span the next decade. After weeks of scouring the marketplace and listening to offers, Miami and Boston emerged as the two leading horses in the race, with Antetokounmpo reportedly happy to join either team.
It had seemed like GA-to-Miami was a foregone conclusion for weeks. After all, their offer of picks, young pieces, and established players was what Jon Horst was looking for. They are also in the East, so that got Giannis’ tick of approval, as he reportedly wanted to remain in the conference on his next team. So, what was the hold-up? Well, while the Heat’s offer was good, it definitely wasn’t great. Horst had his bird in hand, and he knew it wasn’t going to fly away.
But although Miami’s offer was never going to be completely off the table, the Bucks GM ran the risk of biting off more than he could chew by waiting. What if Miami got intel that other teams had dropped out, leaving them as the only dog in the fight? They could have begun to pull assets, and although Horst would have been pissed off, that’s the game he played by banking on shaky leverage.
In any event, the initial offer from Miami in the weeks leading up to the draft sounded something like Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., pick 13, and two future firsts. Now, that’s a solid offer, but the Heat were still holding back on some of their assets. What Horst needed was a way to place more pressure on Pat Riley to squeeze those final assets. He needed another suitor.
Enter, the Boston Celtics.
After weeks of sources from inside Boston insisting to every and any reporter that—while they would love to get their hands on Giannis—there was no way they would ever (ever!) consider trading Jaylen Brown to do so, the façade fell by the wayside. Two days before the draft, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst appeared on Get Up to declare that the Celtics were indeed offering Brown for Antetokounmpo. Checkmate, Pat Riley.
As those final 48 hours wound down, various insiders began reporting that Boston had, in the 11th hour, taken the lead in the two-horse race for Giannis, an absolute gut punch for the front office down in South Beach, I presume, who probably thought they had this, him, in the bag. Now, who knows if that was ever true: that the Celtics had “taken the lead.” Who knows where that reporting came from. What I do know is that the Bucks greatly benefited from that information getting out there…
Regardless, at that moment, Horst had masterfully engineered exactly what he needed: a bidding war. The Celtics—who reportedly intended to only offer Brown for Antetokounmpo in a one-for-one swap originally—added two firsts on top of the five-time All-Star, but apparently stopped short of including young guns Hugo Gonzales and/or Baylor Scheierman. The Heat responded by all but emptying their cupboard, relenting on Kasparas Jakucionis, a 2030 first-round pick swap, and a 2033 second-round pick.
So that was that. The final two offers were on the table, both improved and as good as they were going to get. There was smoke that the Bucks’ owners wanted a bona fide star back in the trade, which meant the Celtics were their preferred deal. It’s my stance that accepting such a deal—keeping a possibly (probably) disgruntled Brown in Milwaukee against his will just to sell tickets and stay relevant—would have been a bad choice, so I’m glad they chose the Heat deal. They made the correct, smart decision, in my opinion.
That said, my personal preference was going with the Celtics’ offer, but not keeping Brown. Instead, I wanted to to send him to Portland in a three-way trade that would have sent Milwaukee’s picks (that they traded for Dame) back, along with more players and draft capital; who knows if that was truly an option (recent reporting of the Blazers’ continued interest in Brown indicates that it probably would have been).
Nevertheless, it’s really “six of one, half a dozen of the other” between that sort of theoretical transaction and the deal they accepted from the Heat. Given the circumstances, the Bucks got a solid return for a 31-year-old who, while certainly a generational superstar when he’s on the court, has dealt with mounting injury concerns.
This is where I need to give Jon Horst his flowers. All the flowers. As Zac so eloquently outlined in his own experience, the days leading up to the transaction were hell for me too (and, I can only assume, many other fans). My anxiety was through the roof as I woke up every day only to find out that they still had not struck a deal. I just wanted it all to be over. But Horst had a plan and executed it to a tee, remaining patient until he got what he wanted. Salute.
And not for nothing, but the Bucks GM also deserves major kudos for keeping Giannis off the court amid his pressure campaign to play late in the season. As I wrote about back in March, this trade package would have been significantly reduced if Horst had given in to Antetokounmpo and the two-time MVP had sustained a long-term injury.
I’ve also written about the other packages Milwaukee could have taken—from the trade deadline, and even what would have happened if Horst initiated talks last offseason—but I’ll leave that for a separate story.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 12: Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider #99 rests in the dugout between innings during the MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves on April 12, 2023 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Nothing caps off misery even better than immediately wheeling your approach around to something completely different to try to win a series, only to get destroyed by bloop hits, swinging bunts, and your own defensive miscues. I won’t dwell on it.
This is not a great week for me, so I’ll probably do stuff like this for the weekdays. I have a big thing about what specifically killed the team’s offense in June and it’s somewhat complicated, but it’ll take me a bit to get that into useful shape because the biweekly recap will need to happen after tomorrow, too.
