Burnley sack manager Hayen after 4-1 loss at Lincoln
Southampton announced themselves in the promotion race with a statement 3-2 win at the pre-season title favourites, West Ham. Kuryu Matsuki, James Bree and Lewis Dobbin were all on target in a chaotic first half, while Kyle Walker-Peters and Tomas Soucek replied for the Hammers.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side would have gone top with a win but instead saw their nine-match unbeaten run halted. There were thousands of empty seats by the end at the London Stadium, with those who stayed booing the Hammers off. Southampton, deducted four points at the start of the season, are now just two points behind West Ham.
The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens at the United Center on Friday night. Outside of Connor Bedard’s first-period goal that gave Chicago a 1-0 lead, the game was an overall disaster for Chicago.
Whether it was zone entries, breaking the puck out of the defensive zone, or refraining from giving up short-handed chances, the Blackhawks were as lousy as they’ve been at any point in the young season.
At 3-7-0, they don’t have any answers, but they're looking to figure it out. It won’t happen overnight, but talent must meet the work ethic and commitment to consistently getting better. Sometimes, veteran leadership must lead the way for that to happen.
Connor Bedard is a wonderful young captain, and Anton Frondell, Frank Nazar, and others will make great leaders over time. However, veteran players with big-game experience can go a long way in these situations.
One player in Chicago’s locker room who can speak to that is defenseman Ian Cole. On Friday night, Cole played in the 1000th game of his accomplished NHL career.
Cole has now suited up for 10 games with the Blackhawks, but he's spent most of his career moving around the league. Cole has also played for the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, and Utah Mammoth.
There have been many deep playoff runs, and two of them ended with a Stanley Cup. He has also been on a few losing teams, including his current situation in Chicago. Understanding both ends of the spectrum makes him a valuable piece on the current team.
"I've been very fortunate to be on good teams," Cole said after his 1000th game. "There are many things that make them good, but consistency is number one. We were consistently doing the right things, completing plays, continuing to push the pace both as a team and individually. We need to find that. In the first 10 minutes, we'll look really good, and then it doesn't carry through the full 60. We need to find a level of consistency in our game to win hockey games. If we don't find that, it's going to be tough."
Cole talked about having those conversations with the team ahead of the next practice. He hasn't been with the organization for very long, but his 1000 games of NHL experience plus many playoff/Stanley Cup Final games should allow his voice to speak loudly.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive, and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
Relegated Burnley expected to challenge for promotion
Burnley have sacked Nicky Hayen after only 14 games in charge, in the wake of a 4-1 defeat at Lincoln that left the Clarets in the Championship’s relegation zone.
The Belgian was appointed in the summer as the permanent successor to Scott Parker, who left in April with relegation from the Premier League inevitable. He leaves having won just one match, a 4-0 league victory at Watford on 10 October.
FUYANG, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 - US dollar banknotes in Fuyang City, Anhui Province, China on September 16, 2026. (Photo credit should read CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The 2026 World Series matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays (boo!) and the Milwaukee Brewers (yay!) kicked off last night, and that can only mean one thing: the season is officially almost at a close. There are at most six games remaining, and baseball will be over after Halloween. Pretty soon, the stadium lights will dim, the locker rooms will go quite, and the hot stove will slowly begin to heat up as the winter begins.
The next few months will be even more hectic than usual. Not only will we be discussing potential free agent and trade targets, as we try to project how the Yankees might look to improve their squad for next season, we will also be following along the CBA negotiations, as Rob Manfred and the league owners attempt to engage in some ol’ fashioned robber baron-esque union busting. In order to prepare for these discussions — and to give you some good, hard data to cite when arguing with your friends — let’s take a look at where the Yankees’ payroll stands today.
Note: All guaranteed contracts are taken from Spotrac, and all arbitration estimates are taken from MLB Trade Rumors; as always, given how much more focus the Yankees seem to place on luxury tax values than how much money is actually paid out in a given year, all numbers are based on their luxury tax hit.
Guaranteed Money
The Yankees currently have seven players, including three-fifths of the starting rotation, under contract for the 2027 season, with a combined luxury tax hit of $212.4 million — more than the entire payrolls of 19 teams. Despite the large number, though, the Yankees are actually in fairly decent shape financially, at least in terms of the old rules: only three players (Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Max Fried) are under contract past the 2028 season, and the players who provide the least value relative to their salary (Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan McMahon) have only one year remaining. Furthermore, because of Cody Bellinger’s opt-out (represented by the asterisks), his luxury tax hit for this upcoming season is substantially higher than it will be for the final four years of the deal—assuming he does not opt out, that is—due to the way Major League Baseball calculates these things.
As a rather fun aside, with Aaron Hicks and DJ LeMahieu finally off the books, the Yankees enter this winter with no dead money for the first time in years; it is presently unclear just how long this will remain true. Indeed, Stanton and McMahon stand out as potential options for dead money in 2027 should the Yankees decide that they’d rather eat their contracts than guarantee them roster spots.
Arbitration-Eligible
MLB Trade Rumors projects the Yankees to have nine players eligible for arbitration this winter, with projected salaries ranging from $2.3 to $11 million. While we don’t yet know for sure whether the Yankees will actually tender contracts to all nine of these players — Fernando Cruz’s elbow injury and Luis Gil’s struggles (as well as his own injury history) make them likely candidates for release, while the high salaries relative to their health/production of Anthony Volpe, José Caballero, Heliot Ramos, and Clarke Schmidt might put them in at least mild jeopardy as well.
Pre-Arbitration
Technically, with no CBA signed, we do not know what the minimum salary will be for the 2027 season. We do have an upper and lower bound, though. Major League Baseball’s proposal from June pitched a minimum salary of $1 million, and MLBPA’s proposal from May advocated for a $1.5 million minimum. As such, although we don’t have concrete figures, we can nonetheless get a ballpark estimate as to how much the pre-arbitration salaries will cost.
As with the arbitration-eligible players, there’s a good chance that not everybody on this list will be tendered a contract. Punchless backup catcher Ali Sánchez and relievers Bradley Hanner, Kervin Castro, and Brendan Beck are just four players off the top of my head who should definitely not sign a one-year lease in the New York metropolitan area, at least until the non-tender deadline has passed.
Final Tally
As things currently stand, the Yankees 2027 luxury tax payroll sits somewhere between $265.1 and $273.1 million, or roughly $40 to $50 million below the Yankees’ 2026 payroll of $313 million (note: I removed player benefits and other non-payroll factors from the luxury tax equation, for the sake of consistency). While it remains to be seen how the CBA shakes out, and what the exact financial rules will be going forward, this gives us a rough estimate as to how much money the Yankees currently have at their disposal even if they aren’t looking to add to increase the team payroll in 2027.
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues held a team-only meeting a couple days ago and decided that their style of play would encapsulate one way:
“Just want to be relentless,” Blues forward Dylan Holloway said.
The disclosure came on the heels of an impressive 6-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, the first of two straight games for the Blues (5-4-1) on their current five-game homestand against the past two Stanley Cup finalists with the Carolina Hurricanes (8-2-2), the defending champs in town for a Saturday game (6 p.m.; Blue Note+, ESPN 101.1-FM).
“We just stuck to the way we were playing and it paid off,” Holloway said of Thursday’s win. “Just a lot of communication from our bench. We had some good team meetings (Wednesday), so I think they paid off. Just going over our identity, how we want to play as a team and what kind of identity we want to establish. It kind of just got everybody on the same page.”
Now the question is, can they maintain that same kind of identity? Can they maintain a level of play that’s demanding on a daily basis?
“What it takes is commitment, right,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “If anybody watches who we play (tonight), they watch them play, they would say they’re relentless and it’s every game, it’s every night, it’s every practice. So, what it takes is a commitment. It’s a simple thing to say, ‘I’m going to be relentless,’ but it takes a lot of hard work, and that’s where the commitment comes in.
“… This is a great opportunity. We’re really happy with the way we played. Can we do it again against the team that plays relentless, the most competitive team in the NHL? There’s no surprises. They’re coming hard to your net every chance. Any turnover off of O-zone, off the forecheck, off the neutral zone, are you going to beat them back at your net? Offensively, they’re in your face everywhere. You’ll have defensemen down at the goal line, so if you make a good decision with the puck, are you going to beat that guy to their net? One-on-one loose puck battles, are you going to be first on it? This is a real good test for us about being able to rinse-repeat with that same kind of effort and determination and also do it against the Stanley Cup champs. We did it last game against Vegas, Stanley Cup finalists. I just really like where the schedule just happened to be this time of year for the way we’re playing.”
How Montgomery and the coaching staff deliver that message will also play a big role in this.
“There’s been books written about it, so you’re always trying to find different ways to sell being relentless,” Montgomery said. “Whether it’s different words within your structure, but what I love is the word relentless came from them. It’s not us saying that we need to be like that, it’s them wanting to be like that and they took the action. Now, can we repeat it? It’s rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat. You’re not going to win every game just because you’re relentless because other teams are trying to win hockey games too, but you’re going to give yourself an opportunity and people are going to know when they play the St. Louis Blues, they’re in for a hockey game. They better be ready. We’ve got to get to that level.”
- - -
Defenseman Quinton Burns, recalled on Friday night from Springfield of the American Hockey League, not only played on Friday for the Thunderbirds in their 3-2 loss at Charlotte, but then got the word that he was coming to the NHL for the first time.
The third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft was on a 6:30 a.m. (CT) flight out of Charlotte Saturday morning early and in St. Louis in time to get on the ice this morning to take in the optional morning skate.
Adrenaline was high, to say the least despite the whirlwind of the past 12 hours or so.
“It’s been busy, not a lot of sleep,” Burns said. “I got done with my game in Charlotte yesterday and then got the news. It was really exciting, was on a flight early this morning here, so it was pretty cool.
“Just pure excitement, right? Just so many people to thank. It takes so many people to help me get here and yeah, it’s just pure excitement. There wasn’t a lot of words when I got told. Just really happy to be here and looking forward to getting to work.”
Burns started off his first pro season last year with Florida of the ECHL, playing 16 games there (one goal, five assists, plus-10) before getting summoned up to Springfield, where he finished the season playing 31 regular-season games (five assists, 92 penalty minutes), then playing seven games there this season (one assist) before getting the call up.
It’s been a culmination of hard work and determination to get here, and the Blues recognized it. It is also a chance for Theo Lindstein, who was assigned to the Thunderbirds late Thursday, to play rather than sit here in St. Louis.
“What do we got, like four games in the next week? We only have six healthy defensemen right now,” Montgomery said. “Good opportunity for Lindstein to go down and get good ice time during those 3-4 games, and Burns is getting rewarded for all his hard work.
“Last year, his first year in pro went down to the East Coast League, worked his way back up to Springfield. Springfield just kept getting better and better. Great team guy, will fight for his teammates, will do anything to help his team win, block shots, smart defenseman. We believe if he continues to progress has a real good chance of being a real good defenseman in the league for a long time. That’s the organization again rewarding someone for how they’ve really made a commitment to their development.
“I think (the physicality has) always been there. He’s as old school as it gets. The Plagers would love him, (Barret) Jackman loves him.”
There are no promises Burns will play in this stint here, so the 6-foot-2, 198-pound left-handed shot will soak up as much as he can and absorb as much information as possible, and if the opportunity presents itself, he will be ready.
“Just taking it day by day; obviously I’d love to play a game,” Burns said. “But yeah, I’m just here to work and if my name gets called upon, I’ll be ready to go and looking forward to it.
“I feel like my game feels pretty good right now. I just try to play simple. I try to be relentless and be really hard to play against. That’s my identity, move the puck quick and be really hard to play against defensively and physical and that’s just what I’m looking to bring here. I’ve got to be myself.
“It’s been a journey. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it, getting sent down to Florida. Obviously you don’t want to get sent down, but I just went to work and tried to get better and eventually when I got my chance up in Springfield, I thought I took it and I thought I played good. I had a really good summer and now I’m here. It just shows if you work hard and don’t get discouraged, good things will happen, so I’m just really happy.”
- - -
At Saturday’s optional morning skate, injured skaters Logan Mailloux (hand), Ross Johnston (lower body) and Alexey Toropchenko (upper body) all were participants on the ice.
Toropchenko has been skating all week and was putting in a full workload minus the contact and is closest to returning.
“’Torpo’s really close,” Montgomery said. “I believe by Tuesday I would think he’s ready. That’s where he’s at, very close. Way ahead of schedule. We didn’t expect to have him back for a minimum four weeks and four weeks isn’t until like next Friday.”
Now will Toropchenko, injured in the season-opener against the Dallas Stars, jump right back in? That all depends since Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Otto Stenberg have looked strong in their two games with Pius Suter on the fourth line.
“It does afford you the time to be patient, and if you want to see if those young men can consistently deliver the same thing they’ve given us for two games,” Montgomery said. “I thought their first game was good, I thought they raised their level the second game, and that’s what you want to see is guys not only be excited to play that first game but to be full-time NHLers and show the grit, the pace and the mental aptitude to get better.”
- - -
Don’t look now, but the Blues’ power-play suddenly is eighth in the league after scoring in five straight games (6-for-17), including 2-for-2 against Vegas Thursday.
What’s changed from the start of the season with new assistant coach Vinny Prospal running the show?
“I think changing habits takes a while, and Vinny talks a lot about shooting and shot volume and converging at the net and have numbers at the net and to the goals, and I think our power play last year was slow, and it wasn’t about converging, it was about moving the puck around and waiting for the right opportunity,” Montgomery said. “So he’s changed the mindset and they understood it right away, but to change your own habits, that takes a couple of weeks anyways.”
- - -
Blues Projected Lineup:
Dylan Holloway-Robert Thomas-Jimmy Snuggerud
Connor McMichael-Mason McTavish-Jonatan Berggren
Jake Neighbours-Dalibor Dvorsky-Pavel Buchnevich
Aleksanteri Kaskimaki-Pius Suter-Otto Stenberg
Philip Broberg-Justin Barron
Adam Jiricek-Colton Parayko
Cam Fowler-Brandon Carlo
Joel Hofer will start in goal; Jordan Binnington will be the backup.
The healthy scratch includes Quinton Burns. Logan Mailloux (hand), Tyler Tucker (knee), Alexey Toropchenko (upper body), Dillon Dube (neck) and Ross Johnston (lower body) are out.
- - -
Hurricanes Projected Lineup:
William Carrier-Sebastian Aho-Andrei Svechnikov
Nikolaj Ehlers-Logan Stankoven-Jackson Blake
Jordan Martinook-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Seth Jarvis
Eric Robinson-Skyler Brind'Amour-Nicolas Deslauriers
Jacob Slavin-Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller-Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere-Juuso Valimaki
Pyotr Kochetkov is projected to start in goal; Brandon Bussi would be the backup.
Healthy scratches could include Felix Unger Sorum and Mike Reilly. Taylor Hall (upper body), Mark Jankowski (lower body) and Jordan Staal (calf) are out.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Tyler Austin works out in Mesa on Feb. 13 | | Getty Images
And you’re saying, “Who?”
The Cubs signed Tyler Austin last December. He had played parts of four seasons for the Yankees, Twins, Giants and Brewers from 2016-19, then played six years for Yokohama in NPB, batting .293/.377/.568 with 85 home runs in 403 games.
The idea was for him to be a right-handed hitting backup first baseman to Michael Busch. And it might have worked: Austin hit .253/.345/.539 with 18 home runs in 217 MLB at-bats vs. LHP in those four seasons.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced that Austin underwent right knee surgery on Tuesday and would be out “months” as he recovers. The 34-year-old Austin required a right patellar tendon debridement procedure after his knee “didn’t respond well” in early camp workouts.
And “months” turned into “the entire season.” The Cubs paid Austin $1.2 million for this lost season.
Austin turned 35 during his season on the 60-day injured list. He did at least get to meet some of his teammates did participate in at least one team workout, as shown at the top of this post. And he also posed for photos in a Cubs uniform on Photo Day last Feb. 17:
Those, however, are likely the only times you will ever see Tyler Austin in a Cubs uniform. The team can certainly find a healthier, younger option to be a backup first baseman for Busch for 2027. I’m writing about him only because I decided I’d write an article about all 17 Cubs who are free agents this offseason or have a team or player option, and he is certainly one of those players. (See this StoryStream for the rest of the articles.)
SAN FRANCISCO — An hour or so after the Warriors’ collapse Friday night, Yaxel Lendeborg stood at his locker and swapped out his white No. 1 jersey for a blue throwback No. 4.
Dug out of his childhood closet by his mom, it was already an appropriate homage for a Michigan man trading in one shade of blue for another. Then, Lendeborg went on to have a game that no Warriors rookie had had since the guy whose name was on the back of that jersey.
“This is the jersey I’ve been wearing since I was a kid on the basketball court,” Lendeborg told reporters in the locker room following Golden State’s 111-108 loss to the Grizzlies. “Chris Webber, Michigan legend. Warrior legend. Had to represent, you know?”
Golden State Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg (1) dunks the ball during a game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center in San Francisco, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Lendeborg did more than represent.
Although he got the short end of his first NBA showdown with fellow rookie forward Cameron Boozer, Lendeborg matched the No. 3 overall pick with 13 rebounds and six assists to go with 18 points — the first Warriors rookie since Webber to put up such a line in one game.
Only two Warriors, period, in the past six seasons have stuffed the stat sheet to the degree that Lendeborg did in just his second professional game. Steph Curry went for 23, 13 and 13 back in 2021. And Brandin Podziemski notched 18, 15 and nine this past February.
That’s it.
However, Lendeborg was also responsible for six of the Warriors’ 19 turnovers.
“He’s gonna get better and better,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He just has to get used to the NBA. … He’s putting himself in some risky spots that he won’t be doing a few weeks from now.”
Yaxel Lendeborg (1) of the Golden State Warriors smiles against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, October 23, 2026, at Chase Center in San Francisco. NBAE via Getty ImagesYaxel Lendeborg (1) of the Golden State Warriors and Cameron Boozer (27) of the Memphis Grizzlies battle during a game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
After going back and forth with Luka Doncic in his NBA debut, Lendeborg kept it more lowkey in his first game in front of the home fans. He said this summer that he would have any matchup with Boozer, whose Duke team he beat for the national championship, circled on his calendar.
“I always want to have a good game against anybody in my draft class, try to outperform them. Today I didn’t,” Lendeborg said. “But every game I’m definitely gonna try to take that personally, try to win my matchup and ultimately win the game for the team.
“I didn’t do both today, but I’ll win it next time.”
Boozer operated at will and finished with 25 points, seven more than Lendeborg — one off the difference in their draft positions. His spinning shot in the lane over Podziemski with 20 seconds left gave the Grizzlies their first lead since late in the third quarter, 108-106.
Lendeborg, meanwhile, is still seeking his first NBA win.
“He played a great game today,” Lendeborg said. “It was a fun matchup. Didn’t really get to guard each other much. He took advantage of the matchup when I was on him and did a great job. Props to him.”
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
Jayson Tatum explained where his relationship with former teammate Jaylen Brown stands.
“I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will toward him,” Tatum said after the Celtics’ 107-103 win over the Knicks on Friday. “The frustrating part is, since he’s not on the Celtics anymore, the narrative or conversations haven’t been enough about what we accomplished, all the games we won, winning the championship, how we’ve grown together, right?”
Tatum’s comments on his relationship with Brown stem from a social media interaction between the two superstars earlier in the week.
Brown posted a blue hat — a symbol for “cap,” the slang definition of someone telling a lie — in an Instagram comment section to a video of Tatum saying on his YouTube channel that he was “just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world” by Brown’s trade to the 76ers this summer.
Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics takes a shot against Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks during the Celtics home opener at TD Garden on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, in Boston. Getty Images
Brown and Tatum spent the previous eight seasons together in Boston.
Brown was drafted by the Celtics in 2016, and Tatum was selected a year later in 2017.
The wing duo won a championship together in 2024 against the Mavericks, with Brown earning Finals MVP, and also made it to the NBA Finals in 2022 — along with five conference finals appearances.
The two were able to combine for eight All-Star appearances and five All-NBA selections during their time in Boston.
“This ain’t no f–king Shaq and Kobe,” Tatum said, referring to the issues between Hall of Fame teammates Shaquille O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant that occurred during their eight years together on the Lakers. “There’s no beef. It’s not about that. It should be more praise. I understand drama gets clicks and views, but I’m not really into that. I’m not blaming everybody for how they feel. Everybody is entitled to their own feelings, and we all go through different things in our lives.”
The first matchup between the two will be on Nov. 10 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Jaylen Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates during a game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in New York. NBAE via Getty Images
Jayson Tatum was talking about the Jaylen Brown trade and Brown went in the comments and called him a LIAR.
“I’ve seen all these things about ‘Get your popcorn ready when they play’ — like this ain’t no f–king boxing match, it’s basketball,” Tatum said. “I hate the conversation, the narrative around it. There’s not enough communication, and a conversation will solve or put out a lot of fires.”
Tatum’s 36 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in Friday’s win marked his best performance since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals two years ago against the Knicks.
Jayson Tatum (0) and Paul George (13) of the Boston Celtics box out during a game against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. NBAE via Getty Images
He scored 42 before rupturing his right Achilles, an injury that forced him to miss most of last season.
With Tatum on the sidelines, Brown carried the Celtics to 56 wins and the second seed in the East.
Tatum returned for the final 16 regular-season contests and played in six games in Boston’s first-round series against Philadelphia, missing Game 7 with a left knee injury.
The Celtics lost the series after building a 3-1 lead.
The Yankees have agreed on a three-year contract extension with pitching coach Matt Blake, per multiple reports.
Blake, 41, was hired as the team's pitching coach ahead of the 2020 MLB season.
He will now remain in that role until at least the conclusion of the 2029 MLB season.
Since 2020, the Yankees trail just the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers in with a stellar 3.69 team ERA, are tied with the Seattle Mariners for third best in team WHIP (1.21), and rank fifth-best in K/9 (9.18).
While Blake has been able to rely on acquired stars in his pitching staff, such as Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Max Fried, he has also played a significant role in the farm system graduates both making the jump to and establishing themselves in the big leagues.
This includes most notably presumptive 2026 AL Cy Young winner Cam Schlittler, but also Will Warren, who continues to improve as a underappreciated back-end rotation arm. And while Luis Gil has had two straight seasons riddled with injuries and inconsistency, he did earn the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year award as a standout starter.
Additionally, Nestor Cortes Jr. bloomed under Blake. "Nasty Nestor" broke out in his third stint as a Yankee as a 26-year-old on a minor-league contract, earning a promotion to become a fan favorite starting pitcher in 2021, then earning All-Star honors and an eighth place finish in AL Cy Young voting during a career-best 2022 campaign.
Most recently, in 2026, Blake oversaw the transformation of Paul Blackburn from run-of-the-mill starting pitcher into lethal multi-inning bullpen arm, the emergence of southpaw Brent Headrick as a premier setup man, and the successful post-trade-deadline free agent additions of John Schreiber and Michael Fulmer to aid a thin bullpen at a crucial time in the regular season.
Collin Sexton (10) made an immediate impact for the Lakers with his defense. NBAE via Getty ImagesLakers guard Collin Sexton (10) “invigorated the game with more energy,” as Matisse Thybulle put it after the team’s win over the Clippers on Friday. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
“I felt like it immediately,” Thybulle said. “He just invigorated the game with more energy.”
Sexton’s first minutes of the season after sitting out the preseason and the regular-season opening win over the Warriors on Wednesday came when he subbed in for Austin Reaves with 3:52 left in the first quarter.
Eleven seconds later, the veteran guard stripped Clippers guard Darius Garland of the ball during his drive into the paint, leading to a steal for the Lakers after Luka Doncic dove on the floor to corral the ball.
“He’s a pest,” Reaves said. “He feeds off the energy, he loves doing the little things and plays the game the right way. He’ll have a big impact [on] what we’re trying to do.”
The former Alabama guard carried that energy into the second quarter.
The Lakers value Collin Sexton’s intensity. NBAE via Getty Images
“He has a really intense way about him that I think will be really good for our group and guys will feed off that,” coach JJ Redick said.
With the Lakers down 44-38 early in the quarter, his perimeter defensive pressure against Kris Dunn forced the Clippers to eat up 10 seconds of the shot clock before Dunn passed the ball to rookie guard Keaton Wagler.
Wagler tried forcing a pass to Brook Lopez on the low block while Ziaire Williams was in front of him, but the ball floated over the 7-foot-1 center’s head and Reaves grabbed the steal.
But the errant Clippers’ possession started with Sexton hounding Dunn even though he didn’t get credited in the box score for the play.
In addition to his three steals, the 6-foot-3 guard also had five points and two assists in 16 minutes.
“Ziaire and I talk about it a lot: That’s what we try to do for them,” Thybulle said. “Even as people who try to do that, to see someone else doing it, it gives us even more energy. It’s just one of those things that when everyone else is doing it, you don’t want to be the guy to not be. It’s almost like when you’re working out in practice and like everyone’s making shots in a row, you don’t want to be the one to miss it and mess it up. Defensively, you can have a similar thing, which is effort and energy.”
Sexton brought an abundance of both in the Lakers’ second win of the season.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
They needed a bastion down low. They listened to Luka Dončić when he said he wanted Walker Kessler. Rob Pelinka gambled everything to get him.
In his first two games?
Kessler is making Doncic look like a skilled scout. And he’s making Pelinka look like a man with good job security.
Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler, left, shoots as LA Clippers center Brook Lopez defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
The 7-foot-1 center, whom the Lakers acquired over the summer in a sign-and-trade deal with the Jazz, had 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting, eight rebounds, three assists, six blocked shots and three steals in the Lakers’ 125-117 win over the Clippers on Friday.
He had the highest plus-minus (+18) of anyone on the court.
That followed a 26-point performance on 12-for-12 shooting, nine rebounds, one assist and two blocked shots in his regular-season Laker debut against the Warriors on Wednesday.
This is who the Lakers wanted. This is who they needed. This is who could turn them into contenders.
Everyone knew the Lakers’ offense was going to be incredible behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. But last season, the Lakers ranked 20th in defensive efficiency. They desperately needed to improve.
So, the Lakers gave the Jazz two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to acquire the 25-year-old Kessler, signing him to a four-year, $130 million deal.
It was a risk.
It meant they wouldn’t have any tradable first-round draft picks for the next seven years. It meant Kessler would make or break this Laker team.
So far, so great.
In his debut against the Warriors, he was the first Laker since Wilt Chamberlain to shoot 12-for-12 in a game. And against the Clippers, he became the eighth Laker to record six blocks and three steals in a game, according to Stathead.
“He’s a fantastic basketball player and I think he’ll continue to get better,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I mean, that was one of the reasons that we wanted him and he was so appealing to us was because of his age and feeling like the fit with our two stars was really good. And [he’s] someone that can continue to grow and become just a fantastic player in the NBA.”
LA Clippers guard Kris Dunn, left, drives toward the basket as Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Kessler only played in five games last season after suffering a torn left labrum that required surgery. After missing an entire season of his prime, there were a lot of questions.
What’s his ceiling? Is he going to live up to expectations? Was he really worth the enormous price the Lakers paid for him?
Memories are short in the NBA, especially when a player misses 77 games. But Kessler is silencing his doubters.
“Oh, it’s so much fun,” Kessler said of being back on the court. “It’s so much fun. It was definitely a tougher year for me. But God is faithful. And just to be here now, I’m just so thankful. So thankful for this opportunity. So thankful to be healthy. Just very, very thankful.”
The Lakers need Kessler to develop into an All-Defensive-type player. They need him to complete their Big 3 alongside Doncic and Reaves. They need him to be a force.
He’s checking those boxes.
After the score was knotted at 64-64 at halftime, Kessler took over in the third quarter with his defense, helping the Lakers lead by as much as 14 points in the period.
“It just felt like Walker was everywhere in that third,” Redick said. “…There were multiple times [in the game] where it felt like they had a layup and he either came over and blocked the shot or created an altered shot.”
Kessler’s next game will meld his future with his past as the Lakers travel to Utah to face the Jazz.
For Kessler, it’s a return to where he spent the first four seasons of his career.
“I’m so excited to compete against those guys,” he said. “Coach [Will] Hardy does a great job with that franchise and my past teammates are really talented, really competitive. So I think it’s going to be a very competitive game and I’m just excited to go compete.”
But for the Lakers, it’s a reminder of how far they’ve come.
They emptied their treasure trove for Kessler.
And so far, every pick they gave Utah was worth who they got in return.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura were Lakers teammates from 2023-26. NBAE via Getty ImagesLuka Doncic was being jovial with Rui Hachimura throughout Friday. NBAE via Getty Images
Doncic ran onto the court and hugged Hachimura pregame before the Clippers forward could start his routine.
And even when the 2019 first-round draft pick was going through his pregame process, there Doncic was, being jovial with his former teammate as Hachimura greeted his old Lakers coaches.
The playfulness from Doncic’s side continued during the game.
“I don’t like Rui…Nah, it was just great to see him,” Doncic said. “He’s my guy. We had a year and a half together, great friends, so it was really nice to see him.”
The playfulness turned into trash talk when the game started.
“He was just trying to talk trash or whatever,” Hachimura said. “But I don’t care about that stuff. I had a good time with him, two years with the Lakers. I’m happy to see him.”
It was clear Doncic wasn’t the only Laker who was happy to see Hachimura.
Hachimura and Lakers star guard Austin Reaves, who were teammates during the former Gonzaga forward’s entire tenure with the Lakers, also embraced on the court pregame and postgame on Friday.
Clippers forward Rui Hachimura was all smiles during his return to Crypto.com Arena. NBAE via Getty Images
“He’s one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had,” Reaves said. “I made a joke the other day that I didn’t know if he spoke English for the first two weeks. We sat by each other on the plane his first year and I would say hey to him. He kind of just looked at me and [nodded].
“And then after that I couldn’t get him to shut up. Always in a good mood, happy to be here, puts the work in and it’s just good to see him be happy and successful and enjoying his life.”
Hachimura’s demeanor is why coach JJ Redick said he was “one of my favorite players I’ve ever been around in the NBA.”
“One of my favorite players I’ve ever coached,” he added. “And it’s because of just the consistency of joy and personality that he brings every day.”
And that joy radiated from Hachimura throughout Friday, despite his new team losing to his old team.
He finished with 16 points, six rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes against the Lakers.
“It was amazing, it was a great time with them,” Hachimura said of his time with the Lakers. “This organization, of course I missed them. But it was time to move on. It was special, my four years, four seasons with them. I’m happy with the Clippers right now. I gotta keep going with my career.”
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
Oscar Bobb’s first Premier League goal for Fulham earned a win against Coventry that lifted Álvaro Arbeloa’s side clear of the relegation zone.
Bobb produced a fine bit of individual skill to score in the 80th minute, twisting his way into the area and bending a shot into the far corner. It was his second goal for the club since his £27m move from Manchester City in January.
Welcome to Inside the Suns, a deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team in which the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1: What stood out to you in the Suns’ first regular season game against the Trail Blazers?
zenzino: Whew! Glad that one is out of the way.
The Suns got pulled under in the Portland wave and never resurfaced.
To call out any specific players for that game is asinine. That level of suck was a total team effort. There were no bright spots. The Blazers threw a ‘welcome home Dame ’ three-point party, and the Suns were the wallflowers.
That being said, we learned nothing from the first game. But the second game will tell us plenty about who they are going to be. Will they bounce back with effort? Will they lock down on defense? Will they hit a shot in the first 6 minutes?
What’s done is done. They still have the same number of losses as the Knicks and the Spurs (as of this writing). The next game is a lot more important than the last one.
Notable: Koa Peat made his NBA debut in the season opener, scored his first points, and got his first tech/fine. Welcome to the NBA.
Ashton: Next question. Pass. I literally asked Rod to strike this question in the game chat to save you all and me the mental anguish of having to relive it. I was denied.
Planet Orange? More like Clockwork Orange. I knew this question was coming, but I felt like I was strapped in a chair, unable to blink or turn away from the train wreck that I saw and is now permanently imprinted into my memories as I watched it from start to finish. Now, let’s get to the positives and negatives.
Positives: Literally none. If I had to call one positive out it was the over-600 post-game chat where we were unified in our negativity, and it was more entertaining than the actual game.
Negatives: Oh, where to start? How much time do you have? Sorry, I have to make an appointment with my sports psychologist.
This team is a work in progress, and that is putting it lightly.
OldAz: I was out of town on business and had been maneuvering all day to find a place to watch the game. As meetings ran long, the game started while I was with some associates at dinner, and I stuck to following the start of the game on my phone. Let’s just say I didn’t have much motivation to find someplace to watch the rest of the game by the time dinner was over.
I guess I did not spend much time paying attention to the other moves around the league this offseason, as I can understand why Portland came out with high energy and excitement. Their backcourt of Ja and a healthy Dame, with Jrue and Scoot coming off the bench! Plus, their best player is still probably Avdija, with some nice pieces along the front line. My impression is that Game 1 is a small sample size and more a product of a really good team centered around defense that is primed to break out this season. As for the Suns, that’s an ugly way to start, but I won’t draw too many conclusions around 1 game.
Rod: Nothing good. At this point, I have no idea as to whether it was one of those games where basically everything just goes wrong or many of us had some very unrealistically high expectations for this team. I mostly believe it was the former, but I’m quite eager for the next game to get a sign as to whether the 1st game was an aberration or the new norm.
There’s a saying from boxing that basically says that everyone has a plan…until they get hit. Well, the Suns got smacked around hard in the 1st quarter in Portland, and everything pretty much fell apart from there on. I can only hope that’s not the new team identity for 2026-27.
Q2: The Suns’ schedule starts off with 9 of their first 12 games at home. What are your thoughts on this?
zenzino: Hopefully, it will help them get off to a good start.
However, I’m not a fan of the easier home schedule to start because, as we’ve seen in the past several seasons, that usually means a really tough schedule down the stretch. Last season in particular, they had a legit shot at the 6th seed, but their last 10 games were mostly away and against some top teams.
Ashton: That Suns fans may actually set decibel level records for booing if they see the same effort that the Suns put against Portland at home against GSW. Heck, they may even set off seismic monitors around the Valley. The conversation may very well trend towards the over/under on how many points the Suns will get beat by. Is it 20 or 30 or even worse? Because what I saw on the road against Portland did not seem like it would translate into a home-court advantage. There is just too much to fix.
Now, granted, I am submitting this on a Friday and keeping the Cardinal Rule of my game emotions in check for at least 24 hours after a loss. I failed. GSW did not exactly look like world-beaters in their loss to the Lakers. Let’s see how that one turns out on Saturday. Maybe my tune will change when it comes to home-court advantage.
OldAz: Those 12 games are a big sample size, so they better get their defense in order quickly. A lot of home games should allow for time to work on their deficiencies with less travel to deal with. Otherwise, things could get ugly fast. There are not many easy opponents in the Western Conference, so not a lot of room for an extended slow start.
Rod: After the Game 1 debacle, all I can think of to say here is, “It can’t hurt.” Perhaps playing in front of the home crowd will give them a little additional motivation to get their act together, and hopefully keep it together, once they get out on lengthy road trips.
In 11 days, the Suns will face off against the Blazers again, but in Phoenix this time. How well they perform in that game is of particular interest to me.
Q3: What is your opinion of the addition of Drew Timme to the Suns on a two-way contract?
zenzino: Like most people, Timme wasn’t high on my name recognition list.
From everything I’ve read and seen since, it looks like he’s a less athletic version of Oso. Connector, team defender, good passer. He has a post-up game but is not quite as good a ball-handler. No outside shot. Not particularly good at rebounding. I didn’t check his free-throw percentage, but I’m just going to assume it’s better than Oso.
Makes me wonder if they knew Oso’s hip was going to be an on-off problem this season. Still no word about that at this writing.
It’s a 2-way contract. There is only possible upside. CG was a 3rd-year 2-way signing, and look how that turned out.
Ashton: I grew up in a small town outside of Spokane, and I love what Mark Few has done to prepare his players for the NBA at the collegiate level. Heck, the University of Arizona took his best assistant for head coach and that has turned out pretty well. I consider Gonzaga my second favorite team in college basketball and probably the last mid-market collegiate titan dynasty in the NIL era.
Now, with that said, the track record of Gonzaga players succeeding in the NBA has been spotty. I could go through the list (also RIP Brandon Clarke), but I won’t. Quite a few of them were hyped in mocks and actual NBA draft selections. Andrew Timme was voted as a consensus All-American at the collegiate level three times and remains Gonzaga leading scorer. His reward? He went undrafted in 2023.
Any Phish fans on the board? My favorite song is “Bouncing Around the Room”. This is Timme’s career in a nutshell because he has bounced around on two-ways, G League, and NBA contracts on multiple teams. Six of them, to be exact, before picking up his seventh team with the Suns.
So, I do not have the answer to this question. I do not think anyone does. But I liked watching him play at Gonzaga, thus my focus on college play. Timme is worth a flyer.
OldAz: Don’t know much about him, but I was never overly enamored with Brea, so I am glad they prioritized more front court help with their remaining two-way spots. In the past couple of years, Gregory has found good value in this pool of players, so hopefully he has done so again.
Rod: I think he’s a good addition, especially in light of Oso’s hip injury. Timme’s listed as a power forward, but he’s spent most of his time on the court playing center over his first two seasons (79%). At 6’9″, he’s a bit small to play at the 5, but he’s pretty much the same size as Reath (but 10 pounds lighter). I expect that’s where he’ll most likely get some court time with the Suns this season if Oso’s hip injury turns into a lingering issue. Unlike Oso, Timme can actually shoot from three (33.3% career, 44.0% last season on limited attempts), although he hasn’t played enough to know just how much you can count on him hitting those frequently. As an emergency backup, I’m happy with adding him to the roster.
Bonus Q: Do you like or dislike Oso Ighodaro’s contract extension?
zenzino: I’m thrilled!
Another team-friendly deal that also makes the player happy. Total win-win.
He played all 82 games last season for a reason. Even when MW was healthy and playing well, more often than not, Oso was out there at the end of the 4th quarter.
Even if a lot of people here don’t think he is all that great, the coaching staff and his teammates have a lot of confidence in him, and they showed it when they locked him up for the next 4 seasons.
Thrilled, I tell you!
Ashton: Wait. A bonus question that suspiciously seems like a Q4. Fantable, we need to unite and unionize against the three-question format turning into four questions or more! What is next, five questions? I checked our Fantable CBA (we don’t have one), and it specifically states that all opinions presented by Fantable are free of charge and allowed to be changed by the editors. Furthermore, any content provided by Fantable can be pilfered by the writers for roundtable and article discussions.
To the question. I liked the contract terms. There was a run on back-up centers (that is what Oso is) at the NBA trade deadline. This will happen again as NIL deals for collegiate centers are at an all-time high, and they will return for the money. The days of drafting a center on the cheap are probably gone. Also, Lakers overpay for center Walker Kessler is looking good, but we will see how it ages. So yes, a good value for Oso.
With that said, I am more than a little concerned about Oso’s hip injuries to start the season. I hope the trainers are not pushing him out while not 100 percent healthy. Yes, the center position is a need for the Suns, but let’s not rush it.
OldAz: I think it was good value and don’t really correlate his contract to the hip injury, as he has been pretty healthy during his career. However, for this season, their lack of depth at center, with his hip injury added on, does not bode well at all. This next week could get rough if that lingers.
Rod: I’ve seen some fans call it an overpay, but I think it’s about right for a quality backup center today. Yes, Oso has some faults/limitations, but so do all backups at every position…or they wouldn’t be backups (with a few rare exceptions).
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Quote of the Week
“This (the loss to Portland) is definitely a wake-up call for us. I’m glad it happened early. Everything went wrong. We have a lot to learn from the tape offensively and defensively.” — Devin Booker
Suns Trivia/History
On October 25, 1975, Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor member Alvan Adams made his NBA debut for the Phoenix Suns in an 89-88 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He was just 2 assists short of getting a triple-double (14 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists) in his NBA debut. Adams also played a big role in helping the Suns get to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance, where they were defeated 4-2 by the Boston Celtics. Adams was named to the All-NBA Rookie Team, won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and was selected to play in the All-Star Game that year.
On October 25, 2013, the Suns traded Shannon Brown, Marcin Gortat, Malcolm Lee and Kendall Marshall to the Washington Wizards for Emeka Okafor and a 2014 1st round draft pick (Tyler Ennis was later selected). Okafor was injured at the time of the trade and never played a single game for the Suns.
On October 29, 1996, in conjunction with the NBA’s 50th anniversary celebration, the list of The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History was announced. It included two former Suns, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal.
On October 30, 1972, new Suns head coach “Butch” van Breda Kolff was fired after coaching just seven games for the Suns (3-4). General Manager Jerry Colangelo took over as head coach for the remainder of the season. The team would go 35-40 for the rest of the season under Colangelo (38-44 overall) and miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
On October 30, 2009, Steve Nash dished out 20 assists in a 123-101 win over the Golden State Warriors. Ten days later, he would do it again with 20 assists in a 119-115 win against the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 9.
The Week Ahead
Saturday: Phoenix Suns vs Golden State Warriors, 7:00 pm AZ time Monday: Phoenix Suns @ OKC Thunder, 5:00 pm AZ time Friday: Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets, 7:00 pm AZ time
Important Future Dates
Oct. 24 – NBA G League Draft Oct. 26 – NBA G League Training Camps open Oct. 30 – Emirates NBA Cup 2026 Group Play tips off Nov. 6 – NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament begins Dec. 15 – Most players signed to new contracts can be traded Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season Jan. 15 – All players signed to new contracts can be traded Feb. 11 – Trade Deadline Feb. 19-21 – NBA All-Star 2027 March 1 – Playoff Eligibility Waiver Deadline April 11 – 2026-27 Regular Season ends (All 30 teams play) April 12 – Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2027 (3 p.m. ET) April 13-16 – SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament April 17 – NBA Playoffs 2026 begin
MIAMI, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 27: AJ Smith-Shawver #32 of the Atlanta Braves in action against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on September 27, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Stephanie Sears/Miami Marlins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There was a lot of anticipation and intrigue when it came to AJ Smith-Shawver and his return from Tommy John Surgery for the Atlanta Braves in 2026. Considering how much flux the backend of Atlanta’s rotation went through in the previous season, there was a clear opportunity for anybody who wanted to grab onto that role.
AJ Smith-Shawver got that opportunity once he eventually returned in July. So how did that go for him? It’s time to find out.
How Acquired
The Braves selected Smith-Shawver with the 217th overall pick as their seventh-round draft choice in 2021. He skyrocketed through the system in 2023, speedrunning three minor league levels and eventually making his debut in June. Despite, or perhaps because of, his rapid ascent, Smith-Shawver has yet to throw over 45 big league innings in any given season.
What were the expectations?
One of the reasons why Smith-Shawver was unable to clear that 50-inning threshold was because he had Tommy John Surgery in June of 2025, which meant that he’d have to wait a full calendar year before even getting ready to make his return to the mound. As such, the hope was that Smith-Shawver could simply get healthy and hopefully improve upon a 2025 campaign where he showed some flashes of brilliance while still having the typical rollercoaster experience that most rookies and young pitchers experience upon breaking through to the big leagues.
We all know that recovery from this type of thing isn’t exactly a linear or easy process — just ask Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach about the elbow issues that they’ve both been dealing with for the past couple of seasons. Still, it wasn’t crazy to hope that AJ Smith-Shawver could eventually make a bounce back and become a valuable part of Atlanta’s rotation.
Performance-wise, Smith-Shawver had an 88/115/115 line in 74 career innings before the 2026 season. His 2023 and 2024 were comparatively rougher, but 2025 looked much better at 92/96/105. It was hard to know exactly what to expect given the long layoff and rehab from major surgery, but ZiPS saw him as an above-average-but-very-short-stint starter (about four innings a start, but 1.1 WAR in 80 innings) as its point estimate — basically a slight improvement over his small-sample 2025.
2026 Results
Smith-Shawver made about a month’s worth of official rehab starts, but once July 29 rolled around, he returned to the big league roster for a day as the Braves called him up as the 27th man for a doubleheader against the Mets. He turned in the sort of start that had folks across Braves Country clamoring for him to stick around — even though he was always bound to return to Gwinnett due to the 27th-man rule. Despite a somewhat underwhelming line of just 4 1/3 innings pitched with a 4/2 K/BB ratio, Shawver’s velocity (on his four-seamer, especially his four-seamer) looked impressive, his stuff was lively and he had also added a sinker and a cutter to his arsenal — giving him a very interesting tool box of six pitches to work with.
Smith-Shawver eventually got his chance to join the rotation for real once he got called up ahead of a start on August 19 against the Twins and while his stuff looked lively as usual, this time he was once again unable to make it through the fifth inning in an efficient manner. In fact, Smith-Shawver only ended up making two appearances where he pitched at least five complete innings — and one of those appearances was in long relief after Reynaldo López made (what turned out to be) his final start of the season.
That five-inning relief appearance on September 14 was Smith-Shawver’s first apperance out of the ‘pen and he proceeded to make three more appearances in relief during the final month of the season and eventually made an appearance in the NLDS. That NLDS appearance didn’t go well, as he wound up giving up a two-run dinger to Kyle Tucker and a solo shot to Max Muncy (both in the same inning) that basically gave the Dodgers enough breathing room to take the game on home.
Ultimately, Smith-Shawver finished with a 6.61 ERA (157 ERA-), a 6.00 FIP (145 FIP-), and a 5.17 xFIP (123 xFIP-) with a drop in strikeout rate (18.8 percent compared to 21.9 percent in 2025) and an increase in walk rate (from 10.9 percent in 2025 to 11.1 percent in 2026). He didn’t qualify for a bunch of the usual MLB Percentile Rankings that Baseball Savant provides but if he did, a lot of his categories would’ve been in the blue instead of the red. Needless to say, Smith-Shawver didn’t exactly hit the ground running upon his return to the bigs from Tommy John surgery, and “earned” -0.2 fWAR for his efforts.
What went right?
Well, his velocity is still good after returning from Tommy John surgery and that’s always a positive. His four-seam velocity was back at 96 mph and his sinker was clocked at an average of 95.1 mph. Again, the stuff that he had on display during his 2026 debut against the Mets was encouraging to see and it sure seemed like AJSS had something to really build upon as a starter based on that first impression back.
Also, if that five-inning relief appearance against the Cubs qualified as a start then this would’ve been Smith-Shawver’s best “start” of the season. The Braves were definitely in need of having any starter who could give them innings while only giving up around a couple of runs and the Braves gladly would’ve taken that had it been a start.
Meanwhile, his most encouraging appearance as a reliever came on September 20 against the Astros, which is when he faced seven batters over two innings and only gave up a hit while striking out four batters. It was a very solid appearance during the divisional-clinching win for the Braves in Houston and it was the type of outing that makes you think “Hey, maybe there’s something here with this guy as a reliever.” The Braves certainly thought so, but it was kind of a mixed bag in the end — his next relief outing was pretty bad, and he gave up a homer while striking out three of the five batters he faced in his final tune-up. And then, well, the one in the playoffs didn’t go very wellk.
His splitter was a pretty effective pitch, as he racked up a whiff rate of 31.3 percent and a Put Away percentage of 15.8 percent and 16 of his 27 strikeouts on the season came from that pitch alone. It was clearly his best pitch and it’s clearly the one that he should throw a bit more of going forward.
What went wrong?
AJ Smith-Shawver was just unable to get really deep into games as a starter. In every one of his six long appearances this season, he walked at least two batters and walked at least three in four of those appearances as well. If he walked a batter then that guy usually came around to score. It was either that or his propensity to give up the long ball. While his four-seamer only had a .209 Batting Average against it (along with a .216 xBA), whenever hitters did catch up to his heater, they usually didn’t make a mistake with it. He gave up seven homers all season and four of them were against his heater. Opposing batters slugged .512 against his four-seamer (with an xSLG of .500). He was unable to get a lot of whiffs with it, either. When the pitch you lean on that much is getting hit that hard, it’s difficult to have a lot of success.
Smith-Shawver’s start on September 8 against the Rays was the end of the road (at least in 2026) as a starter and it was basically a single-game example of everything that’s been ailing Smith-Shawver at the big league level right now. He was charged with five hits, he walked two batters, two of those five hits were dingers (against a Rays team that, while excellent on offense, didn’t hit for a ton of power in 2026) and he only lasted 3 1/3 innings. He was unable to get deep into a game, it was his shortest start of the season, and Smith-Shawver found himself heading to the clubhouse after having a largely inefficient night on the mound.
Overall, Smith-Shawver found it hard to rack up strikeouts, he walked a lot of batters, he got hit decently-hard when batters did catch up with his stuff and he got barreled-up on a semi-regular basis. Fundamentally, he posted an xFIP- north of 100 in four of his five starts (well north of 100 in three) — or five of six if you include the five-inning relief appearance. It wasn’t a case of being unlucky or anything, he just wasn’t doing the fundamental business of striking guys out and not walking them well at all. That’s not a recipe for success as a starter, which explains why the Braves decided that the best place for Smith-Shawver going forward towards the Postseason was the bullpen. They just couldn’t afford to have him try to figure it out as a starter while they were holding on to the lead in the NL East and against playoff-caliber lineups in the Postseason.
One additional cruel twist of fate: above, it was listed that his xFIP was below average in every longer-stint outing but one. That one where it wasn’t? It was his worst start by WPA of the year, as, despite the better pitching quality, the Nationals dumped four runs on him and the defense thanks to walks and seeing-eye singles in the second, and then added a homer in the third. Welp.
2027 Outlook
AJ Smith-Shawver will be 24 heading into next season and when you combine his young age with the lack of mileage (when it comes to innings, at least) on his arm, it sure feels like he could get another shot at starting for the Braves once Spring Training rolls around (whenever that may be). He’s got the velocity on his four-seamer that can play but he still has yet to develop it into a truly effective pitch. His splitter is there but everything else still needs a bit of work, as evidenced by the high walk rate and the lack of strikeouts that he was able to get on a consistent basis. Something kind of amusing is that Smith-Shawver didn’t directly struggle with either pitch shape or command — he largely threw his four-seamer and splitter to the same spots over and over. But, those spots just weren’t very good in practice, largely because his splitter tended to miss the zone on the low armside corner. If he fixes that and has that splitter actually fall in for a strike, and things get a lot more annoying for batters, but it was easy to wait him out in 2026.
Early projections aren’t quite so sanguine about Smith-Shawver as they were before he made his return. He’s now targeted as a below-average bulk guy or swingman, even falling short of the “assume everyone is a fourth starter until they show otherwise” heuristic. He’s got some work to do, basically.
Assuming the Braves don’t add to their rotation outside of the organization heading into next season, Smith-Shawver should get an opportunity to make the Opening Day roster as a starter. Maybe with a full (and potentially extended) offseason to figure things out, Smith-Shawver can come back and finally really get rolling with his career. Again, he’s young and it still feels like he’s a bit of a rookie since he hasn’t really had an extended stint in the bigs quite yet. Maybe we’ll see him get that chance and embrace it in 2027. We’ll see what happens.
