Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:
For the Pirates:
Let’s talk about it.
Gamethread 7/1: Pirates at Phillies
Former Chicago Blackhawks Captain Nick Foligno Continues NHL Career With Minnesota Wild
Nick Foligno was a great Chicago Blackhawks captain following the departure of the legendary Jonathan Toews. He did all of the things that a captain needs to do in order to help develop a young team.
The early years of Connor Bedard's career were positively impacted by his being there as a great mentor. It isn't only Bedard who benefited from playing with him, either. Everyone on the team who is a part of the future raved about him as a teammate.
At the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, the Blackhawks did him a solid by trading him to a Stanley Cup contender in the Minnesota Wild. He was a pending unrestricted free agent, and the Blackhawks took back "future considerations", which was Kyle Davidson doing right by his captain.
This trade also allowed Foligno to play with his brother Marcus for the first time in their NHL careers. It was an exciting moment for the entire Foligno family when Nick joined Marcus as a member of the Wild.
Minnesota won its first-round series over the Dallas Stars but was defeated in the second round by the Colorado Avalanche. There is a long way to go for the Wild to get over the hump, but they are going to be a good team for a long time.
When the season was over, many wondered if that would be it for 38-year-old Nick Foligno, who will turn 39 on Halloween. However, that wonder is now over.
On Wednesday, the first day of NHL Free Agency, Foligno signed a one-year extension with the Minnesota Wild, which will carry a cap hit of $900K.
Nick Foligno, signed 1x$0.8M by MIN, is a veteran defensive fourth line winger. pic.twitter.com/qXqv9k4OTX
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2026
Likely for the last time, Nick Foligno will have a crack at winning the Stanley Cup. It will once again come alongside his brother Marcus. As a defensive-minded 4th line player, Nick will be a solid complementary piece on a team loaded with stars.
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The unlikely duo of Nasim Nunez and Andres Chaparro power the Nationals to a 10-2 win
After the 4th inning brawl last night, there was only one team up for the fight the rest of the series. That team was the Washington Nationals, who totally outclassed the Red Sox following that dust up. At one point, the Nats were out scoring the Sox 18-0 post brawl before the Red Sox got a couple runs in garbage time.
It is unusual to have such a clear turning point in a three game regular season series, but that is exactly what happened here. At the time of the Contreras vs Cavalli fight, the Red Sox were winning 1-0. However, the Nats ended up taking control of that contest and dominated from start to finish in this one.
As they tend to do, the Nats offense set the tone early. Against young Red Sox ace Payton Tolle, a pair of right handed bats got to him. Curtis Mead started the fun with a triple in the gap. After that, we got a homer from an unlikely character.
Today felt like a pretty important game for Andres Chaparro. With a batting average well below .200 and no homers, the heat was turning up on the 27 year old first baseman. He responded in a big way, destroying a Tolle heater and sending it over the Green Monster.
The Nats had a chance to make that first inning a monstrous frame, but ended up having to settle for two. However, they kept the pressure on Tolle all afternoon. Even in the innings where they did not score, the offense was really making Tolle work. On a hot day in Boston, the big lefty began to fade.
A big turning point in the game actually came in the bottom of the third. The Red Sox had a rally going against opener Brad Lord. With runners on first and third, Blake Butera wisely pulled his opener and went to Andrew Alvarez, the bulk man. Alvarez rewarded his manager right away, inducing a double play on the first pitch he threw.
That set up the 4th inning where the Nats really began to run away with it. If the Andres Chaparro home run was surprising, Nasim Nunez going yard was a stunner. Nunez has provided value on the bases and in the field, and has even been hitting better lately. However, he did not have a home run all year despite playing most of the games. He changed that in a big way though, clubbing a first pitch fastball over the monster.
Tolle really began to labor after that, giving up a hit and walking a pair. After that his day was done. Even with a new pitcher on the mound, the Nats went right back to work. They made it a massive inning thanks to knocks by Luis Garcia Jr. and Jacob Young to stretch the lead to 7-0.
From there it was real smooth sailing for the Nats. Andrew Alvarez was sitting down Red Sox hitters with his sharp breaking balls, while the Nats offensive machine kept humming. They had good at bats all game long, and eventually had another homer, this time from a usual suspect in James Wood.
This was one of the more emotional series wins of the year. It further reinforced the idea that the Nats are back after the Phillies disaster. Turning the tides of the series after that brawl was also a great thing to see. That fight seemed to bring the team together and lock them in.
Tomorrow the boys have a much deserved off day, but it is back to business after that. They will face off against the Pirates on July 4th weekend in what should be an exciting series. The Nats and Pirates are right next to each other in the standings, so that series should be hotly contested. I can’t wait to see what unfolds, but this was one heck of a series win for the Nats.
Former Avalanche Forward Victor Olofsson Returns To Vegas In Power Play Reunion
The Colorado Avalanche included Victor Olofsson in a broader roster shake-up tied to the Nazem Kadri framework, and now the veteran winger is back in familiar territory—rejoining the Vegas Golden Knights to help fill a need on their power play.
Olofsson is returning to Vegas, according to TSN, just days after the club dealt Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers, opening up a vacancy for a proven shooter in the top special teams unit.
The 30-year-old is no stranger to the Golden Knights’ system. He previously scored 15 goals and 29 points in 56 games during the 2024–25 season on a one-year deal signed that July, with six of those goals coming on the power play. That specific role—stationed as a finish-first option on the man advantage—is exactly what Vegas is betting on again.
Before this latest turn, Olofsson spent the 2025–26 season with Colorado, where he posted 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 60 games. While the overall production was modest, his scoring touch surfaced in key moments. Three of his goals were game-winners, and he also recorded his first career hat trick on October 28 in an 8–4 win over the New Jersey Devils at Ball Arena.
Still, his time in Denver was shaped as much by organizational direction as on-ice output. Olofsson was moved as part of a larger trade package sent to Calgary as Colorado adjusted its roster structure in pursuit of different forward balance, another reminder of how quickly middle-six roles can shift in a cap-driven league.
Vegas, meanwhile, is leaning into familiarity. Across his NHL career, 43 of Olofsson’s 118 goals have come on the power play—a 36 percent clip that underscores why he remains a sought-after specialist despite a journeyman path in recent years. When given time and space, his release remains his calling card.
There’s also a personal layer to the return. Olofsson’s wife, Taylor, gave birth to their second child during the Olympic break—and at this point, she’s probably hoping the family can stop crisscrossing the continental United States for a while.
For Colorado, it’s another ripple effect of roster churn. For Vegas, it’s a straightforward calculation: they’ve seen this fit before, and they’re betting Olofsson's scoring touch is begging to be reignited.
Yankees again plagued by mistakes in seventh straight loss: 'It’s been a terrible week for us'
Despite having just four hits and being shut out through the first eight innings, the Yankees had multiple chances to come away with a win late in Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.
But in a continuance of what’s been a week to forget for the Yankees, they couldn’t push a run through when they needed it most, falling 6-2 in 11 innings in their seventh straight loss.
After scoring a couple of runs to tie the game at 2-2 in the ninth, the Yankees had Anthony Volpe thrown out trying to steal second base for a pivotal second out. In the 10th, New York had a runner at third with one out (the game-winning run), but Oswaldo Cabrera and Ali Sanchez both went down swinging.
In the 11th, Camilo Doval had two outs with a runner on third, but he followed an intentional walk with two more walks, and things snowballed from there.
“Tough one… had chances in the ninth and certainly in the 10th to put it away and weren’t able to do it,” manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “Then we get two outs and man on third there (in the 11th) and ahead 0-2 with (Hao-Yu) Lee and can’t get back in the zone.
“Obviously, a tough one going into the off day, but we’ve got to get over it and start playing better baseball.”
The Yankees also committed a pair of errors (Sanchez and Austin Wells), and Jose Caballero missed the cutoff man on throws from the outfield on multiple occasions.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., back in the lineup after colliding with Jasson Dominguez on Monday, made an impact with a couple of hits and a couple of steals while also scoring the tying run in the ninth inning on a wild pitch. He says the club still believes in itself, but they need to clean things up.
“I feel like we’ve just got to lock in, do all the small stuff,” he said. “We make a lot of mistakes and I feel like we beat ourselves.”
Chisholm later added: “We know that we’re a good team, we know that we have a lot of bumps in the road right now and have a lot of people down, but at the end of the day, we still believe in ourselves and believe in our teammates… we’ve just got to be better and focus more.”
After being swept by the Red Sox in a four-game series, the Yankees followed up with three more losses to Detroit.
They’ll host Minnesota on Friday on the other side of an off day, and Boone knows his club needs to play better.
“It’s been a terrible week for us, there’s no way of sugarcoating it,” said the skipper. “We’re capable of way more, obviously. Look, you’re going to have stretches where it’s tough, where you’re missing some guys, but this was a really difficult week for us offensively, and coupled with not playing clean enough and taking care of the ball well enough, that’s what you get. You get an awful weak.
“Hopefully we regroup on this off day and start playing better baseball this weekend.”
Red Wings Trade For Stanley Cup-Winning Forward Keegan Kolesar
The bottom six of the Detroit Red Wings' forward units needed some sandpaper, and GM Steve Yzerman has made the first step to address it.
The Red Wings have acquired forward Keegan Kolesar from the Vegas Golden Knights in return for a third-round pick in 2029 and a seventh-round pick in 2027.
Keegan Kolesar traded to Detroit for a 3rd in 2029 and a 7th in 2027.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2026
Selected with the 69th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets while playing in the WHL for the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Brandon, Manitoba native was eventually traded to the Golden Knights in 2017.
He made his NHL debut with the Golden Knights in 2020, and would soon become a regular in their lineup.
Kolesar lifted the Stanley Cup with the rest of his Golden Knights teammates in 2023 after defeating the Florida Panthers; he contributed two goals and three assists in 22 postseason games during their title run.
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Kolesar has skated in a total of 439 career NHL games, and has scored 44 goals with 76 assists. He's also added four goals and seven assists in 77 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
He's under contract through the 2027-28 NHL season with a salary cap hit of $2.5 million.
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Mets reliever Joey Gerber exits Wednesday's game against Blue Jays with blister
Mets reliever Joey Gerber exited Wednesday’s 9-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays with a blister on his right finger, interim manager Andy Green confirmed after the game.
In his first inning of work, Gerber worked around a leadoff walk for an 11-pitch fifth, and after getting the first man of the sixth on five pitches, the trainer was called upon.
This isn't the first time Gerber has dealt with the blister on that finger. He landed on the injured list in April due to the blister and, when it flared up again in June, he was forced out of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Entering Wednesday's game, Gerber had pitched six innings on the year over four outings, allowing one run on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.
‘We can’t accept that’: Legend calls for two more England scalps over ‘laughable’ Bazball farce
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has urged head coach Brendon McCullum and director Rob Key to resign following Ben Stokes’s retirement from international cricket.
Flyers Lose Hard-Nosed Defenseman To Avalanche
The Philadelphia Flyers have officially lost one of their depth defensemen.
The Colorado Avalanche have announed that they signed have signed former Flyers defenseman Noah Juulsen to a two-year contract.
Juulsen spent this past season with the Flyers and was a decent part of their blueline. In 52 games with the Flyers during the 2026-27 campaign, the 6-foot-2 blueliner recorded one goal, 10 points, and 104 hits. This was after he had zero points and 101 hits during the 2024-25 season with the Vancouver Canucks.
Overall, Juulsen was a decent depth defenseman during his time with the Flyers, but it makes sense that they moved on from him. They have young right-shot defenseman like David Jiricek and Oliver Bonk who should be competing for NHL spots next season.
Juulsen will likely be a candidate to play bottom-pairing minutes with the Avalanche after signing with the Central Division club. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact he can make after signing with Colorado from here.
LeBron James post-Lakers landing spots: Ranking destinations by fit
LeBron James is unlike any other player in the NBA.
Similarly, the act and process of signing James is unlike anything in the NBA.
So as he’s set to swap uniforms for the first time since 2018, expect his free agency to be a unique process.
For one, James’ stature in the league is unprecedented, at least in the modern NBA. He’s the type of player who — thanks to his tenure and track record of excellence — is able to dictate the terms of essentially every facet of his employment. From nutrition and rest to coaching and personnel matters, James has earned the ability to curate his experience for what will presumably be the final stop of his record-shattering career.
Above all else, expect fit to be the deciding factor.
Here’s a look at four landing spots for LeBron James, ranked by best fit.
4. Denver Nuggets
On one hand, the playoffs revealed just how badly the Nuggets need another play-maker and shot creator. On the other, the postseason also showed how old and slow the Nuggets suddenly looked. James would certainly solve the first issue, but at 42 next December, it’s undeniable that James has lost a step.
He nonetheless remains a player who would fit alongside Nikola Jokić — an excellent passer in his own right — and Jamal Murray. Still, James does not appear to have any tangible link to the Denver community and it’s unclear if he has much of a personal relationship with either of Denver’s stars.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
This may be the most seamless fit on a personal level. Akron has always been home for the James family. He already had two separate stints with the Cavaliers and James’ ties to the area cannot be replicated. In a basketball sense, however, it appears to be a bit of an awkward fit.
Cleveland already has Donovan Mitchell and James Harden on the roster. Both are ball-dominant guards who thrive most when they’re the ones initiating the attack. James is built in the same mold. In fact, the more awkward moments with the Lakers this past season were when James was forced to defer substantially to Luka Dončić. This pairing would seemingly require James to sacrifice some key parts of his game. But it would be a storybook ending if James can elevate the Cavs, who were swept by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, to another title.
2. Golden State Warriors
This is all about James and his respect and admiration for Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. A long-time friend of both, James would provide a much-needed, play-making outlet to ease pressure off of Curry. One of the hardest-working players in the NBA, Curry is constantly on the move when off the ball in an attempt to create space. Yet, Golden State’s offense the past couple of seasons has lacked a true ball-handling point guard, so those duties have also often fallen to Curry.
James would instantly become a facilitating play-maker who would get even more out of Curry. The issue, however, would be that the Warriors would be pinning their hopes to aging stars. If Kristaps Porziņģis continues to have health issues, availability could be a problem for the Warriors.
1. Miami Heat
James played arguably the best basketball of his career when he was in Miami from 2010-14. Coach Erik Spoelstra and the same crew in the front office, led by Pat Riley, remain. And while there was some tension between James and Heat executives late in his time with the Heat, all sides have seemingly reconciled and are on good terms. In February 2026, when the Lakers unveiled a statue of Riley, James met Riley pre-game and the two embraced.
James, who has been a fixture on Team USA, bonded with Spoelstra, who had been an assistant coach for the team, and Heat captain Bam Adebayo. The Heat, as currently constructed, lack a true play-making ball handler. And James, in the twilight of his career, has become more of a ball-dominant distributor than a pure scoring threat. Taking that a step further, Spoelstra has embraced quick, up-tempo play; Miami ranked first in the NBA in pace (104.22). And alongside new acquisition Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Heat would then hold the two top fastbreak threats in the NBA, as James led all players with 5.7 fastbreak points per game and Antetokounmpo tied for second (5.5).
Then there’s this: during a 2024 Instagram Live chat, a fan asked James if he missed Miami. Before he could respond, James’ wife, Savannah James, off camera, responded “Yes.” Then, when LeBron asked to clarify the question, Savannah James said, “I miss the city.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James post-Lakers landing spots: Ranking destinations by fit
Jaylen Brown trade rumors: Celtics talking to 8-10 teams, but star hasn’t asked out
Jaylen Brown hasn’t requested a trade from the Boston Celtics, but the team is still “strongly shopping” him right now, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania. The Celtics offered Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier this offseason, but they ultimately accepted a better package from the Miami Heat. Many have wondered if the Celtics would try to mend fences with Brown to bring him back for next season, but the organization is reportedly going the other way and offering him up to the highest bidder.
The NBA has already seen a ton of big moves in the early stages of the offseason, with LaMelo Ball going to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kawhi Leonard getting traded to the Toronto Raptors, and LeBron James pushing his way out of the Los Angeles Lakers. It sure seems like Brown will be the next star to move.
The Celtics made a solid move by signing Mitchell Robinson to a three-year deal earlier in the day. As Charania reported Robinson’s signing on ESPN, he also broke down the Brown negotiations. The Celtics are reportedly seeking a package of players and picks, and have asked for as many as four future first-round picks in some discussions. Charania reports that Boston is talking to 8-10 teams right now. Watch the full clip here:
I came up with Jaylen Brown fake trades last week. The best package feels like it could come from the Portland Trail Blazers or Houston Rockets. The Rockets could offer Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. if they want. The Blazers could potentially build a package around Donovan Clingan and Jrue Holiday. I listed the Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, and Washington Wizards as potential sleeper teams. Will a dark horse candidate emerge to trade for Brown?
The most surprising thing is that the Celtics are shopping Brown hard even though he hasn’t asked for a trade. Brown’s contract is the biggest hurdle for Boston or another suitor right now. He has three years and over $180 million left on his deal.
Where will Jaylen Brown land? Are the Celtics crazy for trying to trade him?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Dodgers vs A's Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today's MLB Game
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The Los Angeles Dodgers go for the sweep of the Athletics on Wednesday night in Sacramento.
Having won seven of their last eight games, L.A. is the favorite (-163) in the betting market.
That being said, my Dodgers vs. A’s predictions and MLB picks for Wednesday, July 1, think there’s value with the A’s (+152) given their starting pitching advantage.
Who will win Dodgers vs A's today: Athletics (+152)
The Los Angeles Dodgers have opted to push back Shohei Ohtani’s start to Friday, leaving them in a precarious pitching situation for today’s series finale.
Charlie Barnes is expected to get the start, and neither his 6.14 xERA across 43 career Big League innings nor his 1.59 WHIP at Triple-A inspire confidence. The bullpen behind him has a below-average 4.12 SIERA in the last 14 days.
J.T. Ginn (3.93 xERA) gives the Athletics a starting pitching advantage. With L.A. having already wrapped up the series, I’ll back the A’s at home up to +145.
COVERS INTEL:With winds of 8–10 mph blowing out to dead center on a warm, sunny day in Sacramento, J.T. Ginn will look to keep the ball out of the air with his 74th-percentile groundball rate.Dodgers vs A's Over/Under pick: Over 10.5 (-128)
Both of the first two games of this series went Over the total, moving the Athletics to 26-15-2 O/U at home.
Barnes has an unseemly 75 Stuff+ that would rank 289th out of 290 pitchers to have started a game in the MLB. The A’s rank ninth in wRC+ (102) against southpaws and should inflict damage.
The Dodgers’ lineup is fully operational with Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman back healthy and Mookie Betts resembling his former self (202 wRC+ since June 19).
There’s reason to expect supple offensive output from both teams at Sutter Health Park (110 Park Factor).
JD Yonke's 2026 Transparency Record
- ML/RL bets: 24-23, -3.41 units
- Over/Under bets: 32-15, +16.40 units
Dodgers vs A's weather
Dodgers vs A's odds
- Moneyline: Los Angeles -160 | Athletics +156
- Run line: Los Angeles -1.5 (+100) | Athletics +1.5 (-102)
- Over/Under: Over 10.5 (-122) | Under 10.5 (-109)
Dodgers vs A's trend
The Atheltics are 12-5 in J.T. Ginn’s last 17 starts. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. A's.
How to watch Dodgers vs A's and game info
| Location | Sutter Health Park, West Sacramento, CA |
| Date | Wednesday, July 1, 2026 |
| First pitch | 9:40 p.m. ET |
| TV | SNLA, NBCSCA |
| Dodgers starting pitcher | Charlie Barnes (0-0, 5.40 ERA) |
| A's starting pitcher | J.T. Ginn (6-4, 3.15 ERA) |
Dodgers vs A's latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Yankees collapse, rally, collapse again as Tigers sweep
For a moment, we had hope. The Yankees came back in the bottom of the ninth inning, showing exactly the kind of fight and fire that has been so absent over the last week. They closed a two-run deficit in genuinely exciting fashion. Then the floor fell out from under them, they lost their seventh straight, and suffered their second straight sweep. Tigers 6, Yankees 2 is your final in 11 innings.
Let’s start with Will Warren, and you can tell that he came in with a defined gameplan. The Tigers are a dead-red fastball hitting team, and his career-high 29 percent changeup usage was deliberate in getting Detroit hitters out in front of the plate. For the most part it worked, with 15 whiffs leading to seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched. Warren is not your ace, on net you take that kind of start. It was Warren’s best start since May 31st, even if he never really seems to be driving the game in the way that certain other pitchers can just take over.
We have a couple easy takes here, stuff that’s in the dirt or on the toe, but that cluster down and just off the plate against righties should be an interesting watch in Warren’s next start. His changeup has been far better than his slider so far this season — indeed the offspeed is the only pitch besides Will’s four-seam that has a positive run value — and he’s using it just nine percent of the time. The pitches obviously have different uses but you wonder about him using today as a lesson and incorporating it into his repertoire more.
He got touched up by Kevin McGonigle for the rookie’s seventh homer of the season, and got into some trouble in the sixth allowing multiple Tigers to reach. Riley Greene brought in a second run with a sac fly ending Warren’s day, but the bullpen managed to limit damage the rest of the day. He doesn’t inspire me or make me think “dang, Warren’s on the hill, we got this,” but it was perfectly representative of a decent MLB pitcher today. The problem for most of the game was the Yankee B- lineup was about as bad today as the C lineup was yesterday.
They didn’t get their third hit until the eighth inning, a single from pinch-hitter Spencer Jones — the IV must have done its job. José Caballero followed with a single of his own to put multiple men on for the first time all game. Oswaldo Cabrera’s sac bunt was the right call, bringing Ben Rice to the plate with one out and two men in scoring position… only to go down swinging. Jasson Domínguez lined a ball to center to end the inning.
Things did pick up in the ninth, at least. Take it away, Amed Rosario:
After that, Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored a run all by himself. Beating out an infield single, Jazz stole second and third on consecutive pitches. A pitch bounced in front of the plate gave Chisholm the chance to scamper home and we were all tied up.
Anthony Volpe had an infield single of his own, before being tossed out trying to steal second, Spencer Jones flew out, and off to extra innings we went. Fernando Cruz managed to navigate the top of the tenth, surviving his own terrifying wild pitch to get the Yankees in the position to walk it off. Caballero’s sac bunt got Manfred Man Spencer Jones into scoring position, but neither Cabrera nor Ali Sánchez, batting after Detroit intentionally put Ben Rice on, could cash.
Enter Camilo Doval, and the Tigers put up four runs despite making two outs immediately. I don’t want to go into details because I thoroughly, thoroughly detest so many things about the person Doval is on a baseball diamond, but it involved a multitude of walks issued. I’m sure he is a pleasant dining companion and he uses his left and right turn signals but I would like him to not be on this team anymore. Sánchez added a throwing error for good measure, the team’s second of the day and 69474th of the last week.
The Yankees do not play a baseball game tomorrow, but I am somewhat convinced they will still find a way to lose. The Minnesota Twins come to town on Friday, and while that’s usually a salve for whatever ills the club, the way the team is playing right now it’s hard to get excited even about New York’s personal punching bag. First pitch of a new series comes at 7:05 p.m. Eastern Friday night.
Golden Knights Ink Andersson to Long-Term Extension: Contract Grades & Analysis
When the Vegas Golden Knights acquired Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames, the expectation was that it wouldn’t be a rental. It took them until July 1st to sign him because of salary cap technicalities, but Andersson is indeed staying in Sin City.
On Wednesday, the Golden Knights signed Andersson to a seven-year contract carrying an $8.5 million AAV.
In years one and two, Andersson will count for $10.5 million against the cap. In year three, that becomes $10.2 million; in year four, he’ll make $9.1 million. In year five, Andersson’s cap hit drops to $6.6 million, and in years six and seven, he’ll make $6.3 million.
Andersson’s contract extension also comes with trade protection. In years 1-5, he has a full No Trade Clause; in years six and seven, that becomes a Modified No Trade Clause with a 15-team no-trade list.
Instant Analysis
At first glance, this is a steep price tag. With his $8.5 million AAV, Andersson is now the highest-paid active Vegas defenseman by more than $1 million. And this isn’t a cheap group— the Golden Knights will split $27.275 million between Andersson, Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin, and Jeremy Lauzon until 2032.
Andersson struggled mightily when he arrived in Vegas, and it took him a while to settle in. He eventually found his game, but his early struggles returned with a vengeance in the postseason. He was caught out of position far too often, he lost puck battles, and he tried to force plays, resulting in costly turnovers.
However, extending Andersson was also something that needed to happen. He’s a smooth-skating defenseman who can eat up top-four minutes. When he’s on his game, he’s an elite puck mover who doesn’t hesitate to jump up into the rush. Right-shot defensemen don’t grow on trees, and Andersson is the only Vegas blueliner to have that certain skill set.
Signing Grade: B-
Even in a rising cap world, the Golden Knights aren’t exactly flush with cash. Necessary or not, adding another $8.5 million contract to the books is a tall ask. There’s a world where this contract ages poorly; if that’s the case, Andersson’s trade protection will make it very difficult to move him.
That being said, this is a high-risk, high-reward situation. Without Alex Pietrangelo, the Golden Knights were hurting for a defenseman to eat those top-four minutes. They did their best to replace Pietrangelo with a cheaper option, and gave Zach Whitecloud and Kaedan Korczak opportunities to earn that ice time. Both tried, neither were successful.
Andersson has shown that he can handle the responsibilities required to fill the Alex Pietrangelo-shaped hole in the Golden Knights’ blue line. He can play with that physical edge, he can drive offense with his vision and playmaking, and he’s capable of logging 22 minutes a night. He won’t— and now doesn’t— come cheap, but he’s a certified top-four defenseman. That’s what the Golden Knights were missing, and now we know what they are willing to pay in order to keep it.
Ninth-inning lead evaporates but Keider Montero shoves Tigers to a sweep in extras
After a pair of home-run-saturated wins to start a three-game series in the Bronx, the Tigers looked to complete the sweep on a swelteringly-hot Wednesday afternoon. It took a couple of extra innings, and the drama was a little too much to bear at times, but the Tigers managed to pull off the sweep, winning 6-2 in 11 innings.
Troy Melton made his seventh start of the year for the Tigers. His previous two outings went six innings and saw him give up a single run each time. His previous start, at home against the Astros, saw him retire the first sixteen batters in a row before eight-hole hitter Taylor Trammell hit a solo home run. The one before that, against the White Sox, was almost as good: he surrendered a solo home run to the first batter he saw, and gave up no more hits (although he did walk three).
Facing the Tigers was righty Will Warren, who was making his seventeenth start of the year. He’s been good overall, in his second full season in the major leagues; he led the American League last year in games started with 33, and finshed eighth in Rookie of the Year voting. He got roughed-up in his last start in Fenway Park, though, and quite a few of his recent starts have seen him exit before the fifth inning. He definitely walks more batters than Yankee fans would like to see, and that’ll help shorten an outing.
Dillon Dingler, naturally, got on base with a double with one out in the top of the first. He advanced to third on a Kerry Carpenter groundout, but Riley Greene struck out to end the inning. Similarly, Melton gave up a leadoff single to Ben Rice, but he was stranded on first as the third out was made.
In the top of the third, Kevin McGonigle found a fastball he liked, and smacked it a long way over the bullpen in right-centrefield for a 1-0 Tiger lead.
Meanwhile, Melton kept rolling: he gave up a two-out double to Jazz Chisolm Jr. in the fourth, then struck out the next three batters he faced.
The Tigers added to their lead in the sixth: Dingler led off with a single, then took third on a Carpenter single, who himself skooched up to second when the outfielder’s throw sailed over the cutoff man. Greene hit a sacrifice fly to the wall in left field, scoring Dingler to make it 2-0.
Carpenter smartly advanced to third, seeing that Cody Bellinger in left field had caught the ball rather flat-footed and wouldn’t be able to get a good throw to third base. After Colt Keith struck out, Spencer Torkelson walked, but Zach McKinstry hit a sharp comebacker to the mound and the third out was recorded at first base.
After two quick outs in the bottom of the sixth, Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter paid Melton a visit on the mound to discuss how to pitch to Bellinger. Whatever they talked about seemed to work, as Bellinger struck out on a 1-2 cutter, and that officially made three straight starts that Melton had made it through six innings with two or fewer hits, and one or no runs surrendered. Seeing as how he was cruising, and his pitch count was at a comfortable 81 he didn’t get the ol’ handshake, meaning he’d come out to start the seventh.
After Melton got one out in the seventh, he was told his job was done for the day, and Drew Sommers was brought in to face the lefty Chisolm, and he struck him out on a drop-down sidearm slider. (Remember years ago when pitchers would occasionally drop down sidearm to give a different look? They don’t seem to do that much anymore.) Anyway, Melton’s final line was 6 1/3 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, and holy moly, that is lovely. Sommers coaxed a grounder to short for the final out of the seventh, and the Tigers were six outs away from a sweep… theoretically.
Drew “The Other One” Anderson came on for the eighth and he got into, and out of, a jam. A pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt (more on this in a minute) put runners on second and third with one out. But Anderson got Rice to strike out on three pitches — the final one swinging a 99-mph heater right down the middle — and then Jasson Dominguez followed with a screaming line drive to centre… which was caught by James “The Third” Outman.
Now, about bunts… some people love ‘em. Some people hate ‘em. My opinion is that their use should be extremely limited: by a home team in extra innings in a tie game with a runner on second (more on this in a minute), and maybe in a first-and-second, no-out situation. But that’s it, other than trying to bunt for a base hit. The revised Run Expectancy Matrix suggests that the latter case, on average, decreases expected run scoring — but you also have to take into account who’s at bat, who’s behind him, the game situation, and so on.
In the top of the ninth the Tigers went 1-2-3 against two different pitchers, so we’d go to the end with a two-run lead, a narrow margin in the Bronx Bandbox. Too narrow, as we shall see.
Anderson carried on into the ninth and gave up a one-out solo home run to Amed Rosario to make it a 2-1 game. Chisolm reached first on a ground ball that clanked off Torkelson’s glove, and he stole second on the first pitch. He stole third on the next pitch — pay attention, Drew! — and the infield drew in tight. Anderson yanked a changeup into the dirt, the wild pitch scored Chisolm, and the score was tied. Anthony Volpe hit a comebacker that Anderson couldn’t handle for an infield single, and he tried to steal second but came off the bag and McKinstry kept the glove on him. A popup to third base was the final out of the inning, and we’d go to extras.
With one out in the top of the tenth, McKinstry — who was on second — took third on a very wild pitch. Jake Rogers struck out for the second out, bringing up McGonigle… who flew out to right.
Keider Montero came in for the bottom of the tenth as he begins a stint in the bullpen, and Spencer Jones started the inning on second base. The Yankees came a-buntin’, and Jones advanced to third with one out. That pulled the outfielders in comically shallow, and Oswaldo Cabrera struck out for the second out. Rice was up next and he was intentionally walked so Montero could face Ali Sanchez, who he struck out to send the game into the eleventh.
Camilo Duval, armed with a 103-mph fastball, was brought in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh. McGonigle started the inning on second, and he moved up to third on a Dingler groundout to second. Matt Vierling followed with a grounder to a drawn-in shortstop for the second out, and Greene was intentionally walked to bring up Hao-Yu Lee with runners on the corners. Greene moved up to second uncontested, and Lee walked on a wild slider to load the bases for Torkelson. The count went full, and Torkelson held off on a low sinker for the bases-loaded walk and a 3-2 lead. McKinstry was up next, and he poked a single into right; Greene and Lee scored, and after a wild throw by the Yankee catcher to second to try to nab McKinstry at second, Torkelson scored as well for a 6-2 lead.
Montero carried on into the bottom of the eleventh and slammed the door with a 1-2-3 inning, and that completed the sweep. Huge performance from Keider Montero. That was nice, wasn’t it?
Final score: Tigers 6, Yankees 2
Notes and Celebrations
- In case you missed it, Will Vest was placed on the Injured List with the dreaded “elbow inflammation.” Could this be the explanation behind his shaky performance so far this season, and especially lately? The Tigers are confident that it’s not a ligament issue, though, which is good news.
- Jake Rogers hit 21 home runs in 2023. That isn’t news, of course, but given his struggles at the plate in recent years, that just seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it?
- When looking up information about Will Warren, I saw there was a pitcher in the Negro National League from 1945-47 named Warren Peace. No word on whether or not he was into extremely long books.
- Happy Canada Day, everyone! On this day in 1867, after some people here asked the UK politely if they could run things themselves, the UK said, “Sure, why not? But we want you to keep the current king or queen on your coins. Could you do that for us?” We agreed to that, and a country was born.