It was reported on Monday (Jul. 21) night that the Calgary Flames and forward Connor Zary remained far apart in negotiations about a new contract. While the Flames have $15.4 million in cap space, it doesn’t seem like they’re willing to budge from their original offer, which is “in the low 3s.”
CGY and Zary's camp have had discussions over the past several days. Things are still slow moving and there is still a sizeable separation on AAV; CGY is looking in the low 3s, the player is obviously looking for more, or this would have been done.@DailyFaceoff
If the Flames and Zary can’t get a deal done and they’re too far apart, the Los Angeles Kings should be all over trying to acquire him. If they can find a way to bring him in at a reasonable price, he could be a solid addition to their middle-six forward group.
Zary, who is 23 years old, scored 13 goals and added 14 assists for 27 points through 54 games last season, which comes out to a 0.50 points-per-game average. All signs point to him getting a three-year contract, but if he gets traded and the Kings can bring him in, they should offer him a long-term deal.
Zary has shown signs of being a promising two-way forward, and his potential shows him having more than what he’s been able to show with the Flames. A fresh start on a contending team could help him flourish, but time will tell if he ends up being available.
Bob Hammel, who covered 23 NCAA Final Fours and 29 Indiana high school basketball tournament championships during a 52-year sports writing career that included a close friendship with late Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight, has died. The lifelong Indiana resident spent 40 years with the Bloomington Herald-Telephone and later Herald-Times, including 30 as sports editor. Hammel was a member of several halls of fame, including the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, Football Writers Association of America, Indiana Journalism and Indiana University Athletics.
Last season, the San Jose Sharks had a finalist for the Calder Trophy, Macklin Celebrini, and another finished sixth in voting, Will Smith. Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Sharks are essentially guaranteed to have one candidate for the Calder, but there’s a chance they could have as many as three players with a legitimate shot of winning the Award at the end of the season.
First, a quick reminder of the NHL’s definition of a rookie. Per the NHL’s Hockey Operations Guidelines, “To be considered a rookie, a player must not have played in more than 25 NHL games in any preceding seasons, nor in six or more NHL games in each of any two preceding seasons.”
Due to those rules, players like Shakir Mukhamadullin and Collin Graf are no longer considered rookies, but players like Yegor Afanasyev or Cam Lund will be rookies this coming season. Now, with that said, let’s look at the three potential Sharks rookies who could compete for the Calder Trophy this coming season.
Yaroslav Askarov will see quite a bit of game time for the Sharks as he’s currently projected to be the team’s starting netminder to start the season. He has only played a total of 16 NHL games over his career, 13 of which came during the 2024-25 season, allowing him to maintain his rookie status.
Askarov has been a phenomenal goaltender at the American Hockey League level, and although his numbers from last season weren’t great, he played much better than statistics show. He had some rough moments, but many project him as one of the best goaltending prospects in the NHL, and it’s time for him to show he can last at that high of a level.
For Askarov, there’s an easy comparison for how he needs to perform in order to finish as a finalist for the Calder. If he can play at a level similar to Dustin Wolf, who finished second in voting for the trophy last season, then he’ll likely find himself in a similar position come the end of the season. That will certainly be easier said than done, but Askarov definitely has the talent to do so.
Next, the Sharks’ second overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, Michael Misa, could make a massive impact if he’s able to make the roster out of training camp. It’s far from guaranteed that the 18-year-old captain of the Saginaw Spirit will make the jump to the professional game next season, and there’s even a chance he joins his brother, Luke Misa, in the NCAA come this fall. If he does impress enough at training camp to earn a spot though, there’s a very high chance that he contributes at a high level for the Sharks. In my roster projection, I had Misa starting on the third line, but if he were to play well enough, he could certainly play his way into the top-six within a couple of months under head coach Ryan Warsofsky.
Lastly, the Sharks will also have Sam Dickinson looking to make their opening night roster. The 19-year-old defenseman dominated the Ontario Hockey League last season, but making the jump to the NHL at such a young age is a difficult task for any blue-liner, except for potentially a generational talent.
The reigning Calder winner, Lane Hutson, is a defenseman himself; however, he is a little bit older than Dickinson at 21 years of age. While it may seem like a minute difference, two years of development for defensemen is quite a big difference.
If Dickinson does make the NHL, he seems like the biggest long-shot of the three to find himself in contention for the Calder despite his obvious talent. Similar to Will Smith last season, Dickinson seems like the type of player who will have a bit of an extreme adjustment to the NHL and as a result, he may experience a rough start to the season before truly finding his game a few months into the season.
The Sharks have a great chance that one of their top prospects will walk away with the Calder Trophy at the end of the 2025-26 season, considering the number of players on their roster who could legitimately be in the conversation. With that being said, there’s quite a bit of competition with 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer, Ivan Demidov of the Montreal Canadiens, and Ryan Leonard of the Washington Capitals all being in the running as well.
For the second season in a row, the Calder Trophy race will undoubtedly be a big, but fun, subplot to the season in the Bay Area. While Macklin Celebrini came up just short of the award in his rookie season, it will be interesting to see if one of the next batch of newcomers will be able to walk away with some hardware.
Former world No 13 completes first ATP Tour match in four months
Australian joins Gael Monfils in first-round doubles defeat at DC Open
Nick Kyrgios has come through his first match since March, and just his sixth this year, completing almost an hour on court in a men’s doubles defeat at the ATP Tour’s DC Open.
Partnering French veteran Gael Monfils, and playing in front of NBA star Kevin Durant, Kyrgios had a tough opening draw against third seeds Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Hugo Nys.
20-year-old cited for comment towards opponent in VFL match
Swans boss says ‘behaviour does not reflect the values of our club’
Sydney defender Riak Andrew is facing a lengthy suspension after being cited for using a homophobic slur while representing the AFL club’s reserves team.
First-year player Andrew, the younger brother of Gold Coast star Mac Andrew, used the slur during the Swans’ VFL clash with North Melbourne on Saturday.
Jonas Valanciunas' flirtation with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos was real and they reportedly were willing to offer three years, $13 million (one of the largest contracts on the continent).
The problem for Valanciunas: He was already under contract to the Denver Nuggets, who had traded for his rights from the Sacramento Kings. Denver had no intention of buying out Valanciunas, he is the best backup center Nikola Jokić will have ever had and a key part of the depth the team added over the summer to chase another ring. Valanciunas confirmed he is committed to the Nuggets next season, speaking to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.
"I want to clear the air about my playing situation next season now that Denver has made their decision to keep me. The idea of playing for Panathinaikos, closer to home, was very exciting to me, but that will have to wait. I am fully committed to honoring my contract with the Nuggets this season and will give it my all to compete for a championship."
Valanciunas is under contract for $10.4 million for this season, and he has a non-guaranteed $10 million for the 2026-27 season. After Denver made the trade to acquire the veteran center from Lithuania, general manager Ben Tenzer said he spoke with Valanciunas and his representatives, stating that they wanted him to play with them this season and that there was no intention to buy him out. (For Valanciunas to play in Greece next season would have required Denver to agree to a buyout to make him a free agent, FIBA rules do not permit a player under contract in one league to just sign a contract with another.)
Valanciunas is critical to Denver's plans next season, which is why there was never a plan to buy him out of his contract. For a number of years — including during their championship run in 2023 — the Nuggets have fallen off sharply in the minutes Jokic was off the court. Last season, the Nuggets had a -8.5 net rating in the non-Jokic minutes, and in the 2023 championship season, it was even worse, at -9.9. Valanciunas helps change that because he is a skilled big man who can serve as the hub of an offense, executing dribble handoffs while midrange shots (inside 15 feet). Paired with Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, and the emerging Julian Strawther, the Nuggets have real depth for a change.
Porter Martone's commitment to the NCAA's Michigan State means one less winger is battling for a roster spot with the Philadelphia Flyers this fall.
By extension, those players likely to make the NHL roster and those likely to be on the bubble have become increasingly clear.
Rookie forwards Alex Bump and Nikita Grebenkin are both expected to vie for a roster spot, and Bump has already drawn plaudits from Flyers AGM Brent Flahr, as is tradition, ahead of his first NHL training camp.
Grebenkin already garnered seven games of NHL experience playing for former Flyers head coach Craig Berube and the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, and impressed in his brief stint with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms after arriving in March.
From there, the Flyers' dire salary cap situation muddies things, but assuming new head coach Rick Tocchet isn't willing to make Nicolas Deslauriers an every-night player to start the season, and assuming Tyson Foerster isn't ready to play, there's one more opening at the forward position.
Deslauriers is a pure winger, so the Flyers may favor a player who can play center to round out the roster. Names like Karsen Dorwart and Rodrigo Abols come to mind, but with his size and experience, the latter is more likely to steal a roster spot.
Or, with the consideration of adding some speed to the bottom-six, it would be foolish to count out veteran sparkplug Anthony Richard.
I think 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko will have a real opportunity to compete and play in preseason games, but it was quite apparent in his NHL stint with the Flyers last season that this level of competition was too much for him at this point in his development.
The addition of Christian Dvorak in free agency effectively nuked Luchanko's chances of making the NHL roster outright, and the Trevor Zegras experiment at center, if it goes awry, won't have its plug pulled until later in the season.
Luchanko doesn't have that kind of time, and he didn't exactly set the OHL ablaze in his D+1 season last year. The 18-year-old center deserves to have a full training camp with the Guelph Storm and go from there.
Bump is as sure as sure can be at this stage, so long as he doesn't completely tank in training camp and the preseason.
Martone, who turns 19 in October, would have been Bump and Grebenkin's greatest threat to an NHL roster spot, but by going to Michigan State, the 2025 No. 6 pick won't even be competing for that privilege.
What happens this time next year, though, could be a different story.
When you’ve been around the game of baseball for forty years the way Phillies manager Rob Thomson has, there aren’t many things that are going to surprise or shock you. Check that box not once, but twice. And all in the span of a couple of weeks.
The Phillies beat the Boston Red Sox Monday at Citizens Bank Park on a – get this – walk-off catcher’s interference in the 10th inning for a 3-2 series-opening victory.
Edmundo Sosa, who pinch-hit earlier in the game for Bryson Stott, was the beneficiary of the unimaginable, game-ending play when he reached for a 1-2 slider from reliever Jordan Hicks and made contact with Red Sox catcher Carlos Nervaez’ glove. This forced home the winning run in one of the oddest endings in Thomson’s career. The other came on July 8 in San Francisco when the Phillies lost on an inside-the-park, three-run home run.
“There’s two things this year that I’ve never seen before in 40 years and one is a walk-off inside-the-park home run and one is a walk off catcher’s interference,” Thomson shrugged.
The end came after a night of oddities in the game. Pitcher Zack Wheeler, who had a 0.79 ERA in his last five games at Citizens Bank Park, gave up a leadoff home run to Jarren Duran to start the game and put the Phillies in a 1-0 hole. As expected, he battled all night though his stuff wasn’t his best. The Phillies gave him a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Bryce Harper doubled and scored on a Nick Castellanos single.
Castellanos then took second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by J.T. Realmuto. The Red Sox scored a run to tie it on three consecutive hits in the sixth off Wheeler, before he struck out the last two batters of the inning. That was his night after six, as he gave up just the two runs and struck out 10.
After Realmuto’s single in the fourth, the Phillies sent 22 hitters to the plate. They got just one hit but were able to push through the winning run to improve to 57-43 on the year. They still hold a half-game lead over the Mets atop the East.
“It was a little rough for me, I was a little bit out of sync,” said WheeIer. “I felt great, but just a little out of sync. Aggressive team and you have to get back in there but not too much in the zone. It wasn’t as crisp as I’d like, but we got out of it. Every game’s a big one, from the first game of the year to the last one. The wins, they add up. If you don’t think every game’s a big game, at the end of the season you might be going home early. Got to win that game, got to win the series.” No matter how oddly you do it.
Phillies reliever Max Lazar came in for the tenth inning with Rob Refsnyder placed at second base. Lazar paid no attention as he got a strikeout, groundout and another strikeout to end the top of the tenth. Then things got really strange.
With Brandon Marsh place at second, Otto Kemp got a four-pitch walk from Hicks. A wild pitch put runners and second and third and the Red Sox intentionally walked Max Kepler to load the bases. Up stepped Sosa, who had the lone hit during the Phillies dry spell from the fourth inning on. After looking at two strikes, he laid off a 101 mile-an-hour sinker and fouled off another before becoming part of one of the strangest endings any of us will ever see. Including a man that has been in the game for 40-years.
“I just thought of defending the zone, staying short to the ball.” said Sosa. “Then he goes out with that slider away and I go after it. I feel my barrel is a little late on the pitch and as I go with my swing path I feel like I hit the catcher’s glove and I told the ump that I thought I felt something. We all saw that afterwards.
It’s the first time it happened in my career like this. This feels like a home run because the most important thing about it is we end up winning the game and that’s what we go out to do.”
Asked if it was his first walk-off of his career, Sosa couldn’t remember. “In Philly it’s the first one for sure.”
And certainly one he’ll never forget.
None of it would have been possible if it was for the gutsy performance by Lazar, who picked up his first win of his major league career.
“Being in the minor leagues for the past few years we’re kind of the test dummies for what MLB is implementing so I’ve had experience with the pitch clock and the ghost runner on second,” said Lazar. “I think that definitely helped. I’ve pitched in a lot of situations this year. That’s what you’ve got to do when you’re a young guy. So just being ready every day. Whenever that inning comes or that phone rings I can go out there and give it my all.”
And it may just lead to you winning your first major league game in absolutely unforgettable fashion.
When you’ve been around the game of baseball for forty years the way Phillies manager Rob Thomson has, there aren’t many things that are going to surprise or shock you. Check that box not once, but twice. And all in the span of a couple of weeks.
The Phillies beat the Boston Red Sox Monday at Citizens Bank Park on a – get this – walk-off catcher’s interference in the 10th inning for a 3-2 series-opening victory.
Edmundo Sosa, who pinch-hit earlier in the game for Bryson Stott, was the beneficiary of the unimaginable, game-ending play when he reached for a 1-2 slider from reliever Jordan Hicks and made contact with Red Sox catcher Carlos Nervaez’ glove. This forced home the winning run in one of the oddest endings in Thomson’s career. The other came on July 8 in San Francisco when the Phillies lost on an inside-the-park, three-run home run.
“There’s two things this year that I’ve never seen before in 40 years and one is a walk-off inside-the-park home run and one is a walk off catcher’s interference,” Thomson shrugged.
The end came after a night of oddities in the game. Pitcher Zack Wheeler, who had a 0.79 ERA in his last five games at Citizens Bank Park, gave up a leadoff home run to Jarren Duran to start the game and put the Phillies in a 1-0 hole. As expected, he battled all night though his stuff wasn’t his best. The Phillies gave him a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Bryce Harper doubled and scored on a Nick Castellanos single.
Castellanos then took second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by J.T. Realmuto. The Red Sox scored a run to tie it on three consecutive hits in the sixth off Wheeler, before he struck out the last two batters of the inning. That was his night after six, as he gave up just the two runs and struck out 10.
After Realmuto’s single in the fourth, the Phillies sent 22 hitters to the plate. They got just one hit but were able to push through the winning run to improve to 57-43 on the year. They still hold a half-game lead over the Mets atop the East.
“It was a little rough for me, I was a little bit out of sync,” said WheeIer. “I felt great, but just a little out of sync. Aggressive team and you have to get back in there but not too much in the zone. It wasn’t as crisp as I’d like, but we got out of it. Every game’s a big one, from the first game of the year to the last one. The wins, they add up. If you don’t think every game’s a big game, at the end of the season you might be going home early. Got to win that game, got to win the series.” No matter how oddly you do it.
Phillies reliever Max Lazar came in for the tenth inning with Rob Refsnyder placed at second base. Lazar paid no attention as he got a strikeout, groundout and another strikeout to end the top of the tenth. Then things got really strange.
With Brandon Marsh place at second, Otto Kemp got a four-pitch walk from Hicks. A wild pitch put runners and second and third and the Red Sox intentionally walked Max Kepler to load the bases. Up stepped Sosa, who had the lone hit during the Phillies dry spell from the fourth inning on. After looking at two strikes, he laid off a 101 mile-an-hour sinker and fouled off another before becoming part of one of the strangest endings any of us will ever see. Including a man that has been in the game for 40-years.
“I just thought of defending the zone, staying short to the ball.” said Sosa. “Then he goes out with that slider away and I go after it. I feel my barrel is a little late on the pitch and as I go with my swing path I feel like I hit the catcher’s glove and I told the ump that I thought I felt something. We all saw that afterwards.
It’s the first time it happened in my career like this. This feels like a home run because the most important thing about it is we end up winning the game and that’s what we go out to do.”
Asked if it was his first walk-off of his career, Sosa couldn’t remember. “In Philly it’s the first one for sure.”
And certainly one he’ll never forget.
None of it would have been possible if it was for the gutsy performance by Lazar, who picked up his first win of his major league career.
“Being in the minor leagues for the past few years we’re kind of the test dummies for what MLB is implementing so I’ve had experience with the pitch clock and the ghost runner on second,” said Lazar. “I think that definitely helped. I’ve pitched in a lot of situations this year. That’s what you’ve got to do when you’re a young guy. So just being ready every day. Whenever that inning comes or that phone rings I can go out there and give it my all.”
And it may just lead to you winning your first major league game in absolutely unforgettable fashion.
When you’ve been around the game of baseball for forty years the way Phillies manager Rob Thomson has, there aren’t many things that are going to surprise or shock you. Check that box not once, but twice. And all in the span of a couple of weeks.
The Phillies beat the Boston Red Sox Monday at Citizens Bank Park on a – get this – walk-off catcher’s interference in the 10th inning for a 3-2 series-opening victory.
Edmundo Sosa, who pinch-hit earlier in the game for Bryson Stott, was the beneficiary of the unimaginable, game-ending play when he reached for a 1-2 slider from reliever Jordan Hicks and made contact with Red Sox catcher Carlos Nervaez’ glove. This forced home the winning run in one of the oddest endings in Thomson’s career. The other came on July 8 in San Francisco when the Phillies lost on an inside-the-park, three-run home run.
“There’s two things this year that I’ve never seen before in 40 years and one is a walk-off inside-the-park home run and one is a walk off catcher’s interference,” Thomson shrugged.
The end came after a night of oddities in the game. Pitcher Zack Wheeler, who had a 0.79 ERA in his last five games at Citizens Bank Park, gave up a leadoff home run to Jarren Duran to start the game and put the Phillies in a 1-0 hole. As expected, he battled all night though his stuff wasn’t his best. The Phillies gave him a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Bryce Harper doubled and scored on a Nick Castellanos single.
Castellanos then took second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by J.T. Realmuto. The Red Sox scored a run to tie it on three consecutive hits in the sixth off Wheeler, before he struck out the last two batters of the inning. That was his night after six, as he gave up just the two runs and struck out 10.
After Realmuto’s single in the fourth, the Phillies sent 22 hitters to the plate. They got just one hit but were able to push through the winning run to improve to 57-43 on the year. They still hold a half-game lead over the Mets atop the East.
“It was a little rough for me, I was a little bit out of sync,” said WheeIer. “I felt great, but just a little out of sync. Aggressive team and you have to get back in there but not too much in the zone. It wasn’t as crisp as I’d like, but we got out of it. Every game’s a big one, from the first game of the year to the last one. The wins, they add up. If you don’t think every game’s a big game, at the end of the season you might be going home early. Got to win that game, got to win the series.” No matter how oddly you do it.
Phillies reliever Max Lazar came in for the tenth inning with Rob Refsnyder placed at second base. Lazar paid no attention as he got a strikeout, groundout and another strikeout to end the top of the tenth. Then things got really strange.
With Brandon Marsh place at second, Otto Kemp got a four-pitch walk from Hicks. A wild pitch put runners and second and third and the Red Sox intentionally walked Max Kepler to load the bases. Up stepped Sosa, who had the lone hit during the Phillies dry spell from the fourth inning on. After looking at two strikes, he laid off a 101 mile-an-hour sinker and fouled off another before becoming part of one of the strangest endings any of us will ever see. Including a man that has been in the game for 40-years.
“I just thought of defending the zone, staying short to the ball.” said Sosa. “Then he goes out with that slider away and I go after it. I feel my barrel is a little late on the pitch and as I go with my swing path I feel like I hit the catcher’s glove and I told the ump that I thought I felt something. We all saw that afterwards.
It’s the first time it happened in my career like this. This feels like a home run because the most important thing about it is we end up winning the game and that’s what we go out to do.”
Asked if it was his first walk-off of his career, Sosa couldn’t remember. “In Philly it’s the first one for sure.”
And certainly one he’ll never forget.
None of it would have been possible if it was for the gutsy performance by Lazar, who picked up his first win of his major league career.
“Being in the minor leagues for the past few years we’re kind of the test dummies for what MLB is implementing so I’ve had experience with the pitch clock and the ghost runner on second,” said Lazar. “I think that definitely helped. I’ve pitched in a lot of situations this year. That’s what you’ve got to do when you’re a young guy. So just being ready every day. Whenever that inning comes or that phone rings I can go out there and give it my all.”
And it may just lead to you winning your first major league game in absolutely unforgettable fashion.
With 10 days before the MLB Trade Deadline, it's not a matter of if the Mets will be buyers, it's a matter of who they'll bring in.
At 56-44 entering Monday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels, New York is firmly in the market to acquire players it thinks can help the team. Speaking to reporters pregame, president of baseball operations David Stearns added a little more clarity as to who those players might be.
Like most contending teams, the Mets are not without their faults.
After starting the season as one of MLB's best teams, they've had ups and downs since then. Recently, injuries to their pitching staff have become their biggest hurdle to climb and its effects have been felt from the starting rotation to the bullpen.
It's been difficult for New York and manager Carlos Mendoza to navigate on a nightly basis, and while the starters are finally beginning to get healthier, a few of them are still on pitch counts or getting close to innings limits which puts a ton of pressure on the relievers to get a bulk of the outs on any given day.
Not only is that hard to execute consistently, but it's taken its toll on some of them with a myriad of Mets relievers either recovering on the injured list or shut down for the season.
"We’ve been hit with injuries to the pitching staff, I think specifically the bullpen, and so we will be active there," Stearns said. "I think providing our group some reinforcements in the bullpen would be great. There generally are relievers traded at the deadline and so I’m sure there will be some this (year) as well. So we’ll be involved in that. Ideally, we find deals that make sense, bring guys in that we think can help us."
While making it clear that New York will target bullpen help at the deadline, Stearns did not completely shut the door on potentially bringing up some of the team's talented pitchers in the farm system to give them a chance to pitch in relief -- players like Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean, who have pitched well in Syracuse.
Of course, Stearns is apprehensive of doing that and it seems like that would only happen if all else failed.
New York Mets starter Brandon Sproat (91) pitches against the Houston Astros at Clover Park. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
"If (trading for relievers) doesn’t happen for some reason, then we’ll probably have to think about some of the arms in Triple-A and whether those guys at some point can impact us in the bullpen." Stearns said.
Another glaring weakness for the Mets has been the offensive production coming out of center field.
After beginning the season with the plan of platooning Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor at the position -- already sacrificing offense for elite defense -- that plan went out the window when Siri fractured his tibia in April, which currently has him on the 60-day IL.
Siri's injury has resulted in Taylor being the everyday center fielder and while his defensive prowess has been impressive, his offensive output, which he's not exactly known for to begin with, has taken a huge hit.
In 88 games, Taylor is slashing .211/.264/.309 with two home runs and 17 RBI in 256 at-bats. His .573 OPS so far this season is more than 100 points lower than his career .706 OPS.
"Positionally, the one position where we haven’t gotten the level of production that we probably anticipated coming into the year is center field, and I don’t think I’m saying anything that’s gonna surprise anyone," Stearns said.
What's helped New York in this area has been the defensive flexibility of Jeff McNeil and his willingness to play center field on a somewhat-consistent basis for the first time in his career during his age-33 season.
McNeil has played 24 games in center this year, the second-most at a position behind his natural second base and for the most part, he's handled it well. He's out there once again on Monday night while batting fifth as his offense has been more than adequate.
The emergence of McNeil as an option in center field (and Taylor's exceptional defense despite his offensive shortcomings) has made Stearns think twice about upgrading at that position.
"I really like the defense that Tyrone Taylor brings and how he contributes to this team, and I also think Jeff is growing more comfortable out there," Stearns said. "So, I think, for me at least, the bar to improve center field has probably risen over the past let’s say two weeks because of maybe Jeff’s comfort level a little bit more out there and also continuing to recognize the secondary skills that Tyrone can provide."
He continued: "I’m certain we’re gonna be engaged, but we got to clear a bar that we actually think makes us better given the price that I think these things are gonna cost."
As for third base, a position that has been a bit of a revolving door this year after Mark Vientos hasn't been able to replicate his 2024 season in which he usurped Brett Baty and other Mets prospects for the starting job, Stearns has been pleased with the production that New York is getting from those same young players that Vientos leapfrogged last year.
For example, Baty, who has gotten the lion's share of reps at the hot corner (50 games), has been better at the plate and has shown great resiliency with his career-high 10 home runs after being sent down earlier in the season.
"I think our younger players have taken a step forward when we’re talking about Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, both those guys have contributed," Stearns said.
Not only have Baty and Mauricio shown glimpses of what they can provide offensively, but both players can also play multiple positions around the infield.
So, while fans may be craving a big acquisition at the deadline, Stearns will likely do something similar to what he did in his first year with the Mets and what he's generally done during his entire career: make smart deals that perhaps aren't flashy, but that help the team improve.
"I try not to look at it as the size of the splash, I think that can get a little dangerous this time of year," he said. "I think we try to look at how good is the player coming back and how does that particular player fit the team needs. I also don’t know how many big splash players are actually getting traded this deadline. I think that remains to be seen a little bit.
"So, we’ll see. We got 10 days to go, there’s still a number of teams that are trying to figure out where they are and my guess is we’ll have a little bit more clarity on some of this six, seven days from now with then three days leading into the deadline."
The Boston Red Sox found a new way to lose in devastating fashion in Monday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.
It was a 2-2 game when Red Sox reliever Jordan Hicks, acquired as part of the Rafael Devers deal, took the mound in the bottom of the 10th inning at Citizens Bank Park. The hard-throwing right-hander was all over the place, walking Otto Kemp on four pitches before his wild pitch to Max Kepler allowed runners to advance to second and third base. He intentionally walked Kepler to load the bases with no outs.
Edmundo Sosa was next to step up to the plate for Philadelphia. He checked his swing on a 1-2 count but made contact with Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez’s glove.
It was ruled a catcher’s interference, allowing the runner from third to score for a walk-off Phillies victory.
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 22, 2025
It was only the second walk-off catcher’s interference in MLB history, according to Stathead. The Los Angeles Dodgers won on a walk-off catcher’s interference in 1971.
The bizarre ending spoiled a hard-fought matchup against Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. Red Sox starter Walker Buehler outlasted the National League Cy Young candidate, allowing only one earned run over seven solid innings of work. Jarren Duran led off the game with a solo homer, and Trevor Story tied the game up at 2-2 with an RBI single in the sixth.
Boston is now 1-3 since the All-Star break. Alex Cora’s club will look to bounce back Tuesday against the Phillies, with Richard Fitts expected to take the hill against Christopher Sanchez.
The Calgary Flames are next up in The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash rankings.
As we count down the NHL teams based on who improved, stayed the same or got worse this off-season, we’re analyzing additions and departures, including any hirings and firings.
Catch up on the full rankings to date after seeing why the Flames are ranked 28th.
Additions
Ivan Prosvetov (G), Nick Cicek (D)
The Breakdown: The Flames finished tied with the St. Louis Blues for the final Stanley Cup wild-card berth this past season, but the tiebreakers did not work in Calgary’s favor, so they missed out on the playoffs for the third straight season and the fourth time in the past five years.
Judging by the distinct lack of additions Calgary GM Craig Conroy made to this point, you’d have to believe this team is capable of doing more with less – or more with the same. And we don’t share that opinion. Most, if not all, of the Pacific Division teams made notable moves this summer, but Calgary can’t say the same thing.
When the Flames’ additions were Cicek, a depth defenseman who hasn’t played an NHL game since the 2022-23 season, and Prosvetov, a potential backup goalie who played in the KHL this past season and mainly in the AHL before that, there’s simply not enough there to say there’s an improvement.
Departures
Anthony Mantha (RW), Kevin Rooney (C), Dan Vladar (G), Tyson Barrie (D)
The Breakdown: Losing Mantha isn’t a big deal, as the veteran winger posted only four goals and seven points in 13 games before getting injured. Similarly, Rooney put up only five goals and 10 points in 70 games with the Flames, and Vladar had an .898 SP in 30 appearances. Barrie played 24 games between the Flames and AHL Wranglers combined.
Of the departures, Vladar’s may hurt the most, since he eased the workload for rookie Dustin Wolf and provided some veteran experience. Calgary now has Wolf as the sophomore No. 1 and either Devin Cooley or Prosvetov as his backup.
Conroy will lean on Flames youngsters to improve rather than adding experienced hands to secure a playoff spot. Conroy didn’t lose much off the main roster, but the lack of meaningful additions stands out more than Calgary’s departures.
The Bottom Line
The lack of notable moves by Conroy tells us one of two things: either he expects his team to squeeze out a few more standings points and secure a wild-card berth, or he’s got big moves to make in terms of trading veterans – mostly likely defenseman Rasmus Andersson.
In any case, if Conroy stands pat with the roster he has in late July, the Flames don’t have the quality depth to hang with the powerhouses in the relatively weak Pacific. Gambling on his youngsters is certainly a tactic, but it’s not guaranteed to pay off with positive results. If it doesn’t, the Flames could once again be in the mushy middle of the league – not good enough to be a playoff team and not terrible enough to land a difference-making young player at the top of the next draft.
It’s easy to see, then, why Flames fans would be frustrated with Calgary’s current competitive philosophy. They nearly lucked into a playoff spot last season, but they likely would’ve been post-season roadkill even if they did beat out the Blues for the final wild-card berth. This year could go south for them if Wolf doesn’t stand on his head and steal games the way he did in 2024-25.
From our perspective, the lack of moves Calgary made – a baffling choice, given they still have $15.4 million in cap space – means a step back could be coming for the franchise. The only positive route from that is taking an even bigger step back than expected and getting a high draft pick.
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