With New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury announcing the team’s intentions to retool the roster, trade rumors have begun to run rampant regarding multiple players.
That includes Braden Schneider, who, throughout his Rangers tenure, hasn’t been the subject of much trade speculation.
For many years, Schneider was perceived to be part of the Blueshirts’ core and someone who would emerge as a cornerstone piece of the future.
However, for essentially the first time in his Rangers tenure, there has been serious chatter that the team will look to move Schneider.
The 24-year-old defenseman is set to become a restricted free agent after the 2025-26 season comes to a close, leaving his future in New York uncertain.
Schneider reiterated that he loves playing for the Rangers, but what ultimately may transpire before the March 6th NHL Trade Deadline is out of his control.
“I don't have any social media or anything like that, so it's not like I'm running into it a whole lot,” Schneider said of trade rumors. “Obviously, you hear about the noise and stuff, and it sucks to hear because of the expectation that we had this year.
“I love being a Ranger, it's awesome. Just the results this year it makes it tough. It's one of those things that you understand. It's stuff that at this point is out of our control, and whatever happens happens, but I keep my focus here in this room with my teammates and still trying to get wins and get better each day.”
Through 56 games this season, Schneider described his game as “up and down”.
Despite continuing to provide a physical presence for the Rangers and attempting to make subtle improvements in creating chances offensively, Schneider’s plus/minus rating of -14 is the lowest of his career.
Holding himself to a high standard when it comes to defending, Schneider has been frustrated with the number of goals against he’s been on the ice for.
“I feel like this year, it’s crazy because we’ve been getting scored against a lot. I take a lot of pride in obviously not getting scored against and being a mindless player. On a team that’s struggling you always want to do more,” Schneider said. “I think throughout the course of the year, I've done a better job at getting pucks to the net, whereas earlier on, it was really hitting a lot of shin pads or missed the net or missing chances that you should capitalize on, and things like that…
“I think it's hard to feel good about your game at times. My main goal is not to get points or anything like that, it is to get wins. When you are not getting wins, you feel like you need to do more.”
Schneider’s rise into the Rangers’ lineup came as the team was experiencing some incredible success, including two trips to the Eastern Conference Final.
The young blueliner is learning more about the business side of hockey, watching the same core group of players being broken up over the past year and a half, and is really reaching a boiling point now.
A lot could change both for the Rangers and for Schneider from an individual standpoint, and he knows that he must be prepared for all possible scenarios.
“It's probably the hardest thing about being a professional hockey player is building these relationships with these guys over a course of a couple years, and you don't perform as a team, and it's time to make changes,” Schneider said. “That's the way it goes, and it sucks. You always wish that you could have had the results to keep the team together, because we really do have a great group of guys in here. It's sad to see some guys go but at the same time, it's the business of things. I think everyone understands what the expectation is when you're not not meeting it, you're gonna have to make those decisions. So it's a double edged sword, where it's sad, but at the same time, you have to understand what's going on.”
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has been fined $35,000 by the NBA, the league announced Monday.
The NBA levied the punishment because Kidd publicly criticized officiating and used profane language during a media interview following the Mavericks’ 111-107 loss to the Houston Rockets on Jan. 31.
Kidd’s comments came after a controversial call late in the game in which the head coach thought Dallas guard Cooper Flagg was fouled on a contested layup. Instead, it was ruled clean, potentially contributing to the Mavericks’ four-point loss. Kidd didn’t mince words in his postgame press conference, not hesitating to call out the game’s officiating.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I saw a foul. The referees were unacceptable. It’s a foul, and he needs to be at the free throw line,” Kidd said of Flagg. “Now, does he make both? That’s up to the player, but the referees did not do their job. They were terrible.”
Kidd went off on an expletive-filled tirade when he was asked about criticism surrounding his usage of his prized rookie. He then refused to answer any further questions from media members.
“I don’t give a f–k what you guys write. Because you guys have never played the game,” Kidd said. “And so, I build players. So, I know what the f—k I’m doing. So, to take criticism, it only makes me better.”
The loss to the Rockets marked their fourth in a row as they continue to slide further down the standings. They enter Monday’s slate one spot out of a playoff berth in the Western Conference, three-and-a-half games behind the Portland Trail Blazers, and 14.5 games behind the San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest division.
Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) defends against a shot by Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32). Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Dallas continues to feel the effects of trading star guard Luka Doncic to the Lakers a year ago. The Mavericks did add 2025 No. 1 pick Flagg, who is having a stellar season, upping his scoring average to 19.8 points per game after 49- and 34-point efforts against Charlotte and Houston, respectively.
Meanwhile, Doncic trade piece and No. 1 scoring option Anthony Davis is currently out with a hand injury he suffered in January.
Kidd is in his fifth year with the Mavericks, trying to turn this season around. He steered Dallas to the NBA Finals in 2023-24, losing to the Boston Celtics. But since then, the Mavericks have yet to show that same level of success, especially after Doncic was shipped off last February.
Now, his fine after Dallas’ defeat to the Rockets is yet another setback across two disappointing years.
It may come before the Thursday, Feb. 5 trading deadline, or it may come in the offseason, but Antetokounmpo has reportedly indicated that he’s ready to move on from the Bucks. Milwaukee, understandably, has started to listen to offers and may consider shipping the two-time Most Valuable Player before the deadline.
Yet, even if a deal cannot be reached by then, the Bucks could still move Antetokounmpo over the offseason, when suitors would have more financial flexibility and draft capital available to package in an offer.
With that said, which teams can actually present compelling cases to land the versatile star?
Here are potential landing spots for Giannis Antetokounmpo:
This is an option that has come on strong over the past few days. The Bulls have been caught somewhere between trying to contend in the East but coming up short and showing hesitation to fully rebuild. A trade for Antetokounmpo would indicate Chicago is going all-in.
The Bulls, however, have a mix of young players and draft capital. Chicago can package several first-round picks and pick swaps over the next few drafts, so the question will come down to how Milwaukee views Chicago's players. Point guard Josh Giddey (23) and shooting guard Ayo Dosunmu (26) are the most appealing trade chips, but the Bulls will also probably try to unload guard Coby White (25) or center Zach Collins (28).
As with any team that would be looking to swing a deal, it would be hard to part with these high-value assets unless Antetokounmpo would commit to his new franchise for the long-term. Chicago is close to Milwaukee, and that might provide some comfort for Antetokounmpo.
This is going to depend on what the Bucks are actually prioritizing in a return, but the Heat may have a compelling case. Miami has more depth than star power and it has some younger players with promise who could be part of a Bucks rebuild.
The centerpiece would be 2024-25 All-Star guard Tyler Herro (26 years old), who has had injury concerns, but who has been a steady scoring threat when on the floor. Second-year center Kel’el Ware (21) is another intriguing player who has excellent rebounding ability; Ware ranks seventh in the NBA in rebounds this season (435), despite playing considerably fewer minutes than the players ahead of him. Ware has had motor concerns, but he’s an excellent lob threat and can stretch the floor with shooting range.
Miami can also offer a combination of Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24), Pelle Larsson (24), Nikola Jović (22), Kasparas Jakučionis (19) and two first-round draft picks. And, if Miami can move Andrew Wiggins (perhaps to the Lakers, say), the Heat could potentially recoup another pick to package in an Antetokounmpo deal.
Whereas Miami has a blend of talent and draft capital, the Warriors have an abundance of picks. Golden State can trade up to four first-round draft picks, but it lacks young and promising players that might entice the Bucks. Jonathan Kuminga is the lone piece in that equation, and — even then — he has been inconsistent and has frequently played himself out of Steve Kerr's rotation.
In fact, just to make the salaries work, Golden State would need to include costly veterans like Draymond Green (turns 36 in early March) or Jimmy Butler (36; torn anterior cruciate ligament). For a team that would be looking to rebuild, those are simply not exciting options. For Milwaukee to like this deal, it would need to think that the post-Stephen Curry years would lead to lean seasons, and therefore more desirable draft picks. It might be hard, however, for Bucks general manager Jon Horst to justify a trade that ships Antetokounmpo if there's no promising young player attached to it.
Reportedly, Minnesota is being aggressive in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, but it may lack the draft capital to pull it off. All of which means the Timberwolves would need to include a third or fourth team to execute the deal.
What they do have is early- and mid-career players who may tempt Milwaukee. Jaden McDaniels (25), Terrence Shannon Jr. (25), Rob Dillingham (21) and Joan Beringer (19) are the young pieces. But, given that the Timberwolves would need to involve another team(s?), veterans like Julius Randle and Naz Reid could potentially need to be involved.
The Bucks would certainly listen, but there's no question this doesn't get done unless other teams reroute first-round draft picks toward Milwaukee.
This had reportedly been Antetokounmpo’s preferred landing spot, given its market size, ability to compete for championships and proximity to international airports that can get him to his native Greece with relative ease.
And while the Knicks do have some interesting assets that could entice the Bucks, New York doesn't have draft capital or young players with promise.
For one, the easy assumption is that forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns would be a seamless swap, but Milwaukee just signed center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract that keeps him with the Bucks through the 2027-28 season, with a player option for the following year.
Turner and Towns have similar skill sets, and Towns feels like a redundancy in Milwaukee. The Bucks are probably more intrigued by wings OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, with whom New York might be less willing to part. The Knicks would almost certainly require the addition of a third or fourth team to facilitate the deal.
The Bucks reportedly prefer younger talent and draft capital, neither of which the Knicks necessarily have, at least right now. Towns is 30, Bridges 29, Anunoby 28. Backup point guard Miles McBride is 25, but he would need to be a secondary piece in any deal. For this to work, the Knicks would need to get creative in finding ways to sweeten their package.
Either way, an ESPN report Monday, Feb. 2 indicated that the Knicks aren't aggressively pursuing Antetokounmpo and like their core. An alternative read of this report is that New York may be trying to preserve optics if it received an indication that the Bucks didn't express interest in their package.
This looks like another interesting spot because the Hawks do have a balance of both young talent and draft capital. For one, the Hawks already own a massively valuable draft pick, an unprotected 2026 first-rounder that’s the most favorable between the Pelicans and the Bucks. New Orleans currently has the NBA’s third-worst winning percentage and the Bucks are 18-27. There’s a high likelihood that this pick will be a high lottery selection.
The Hawks may not want to part with that selection, but Atlanta nonetheless has plenty of draft capital and swaps it can offer.
The Bucks, though, may want to get talented forward Jalen Johnson in return. The Hawks have built their team around Johnson and may not make him available. That would complicate things, as Zaccharie Risacher, rookie Asa Newell and Luke Kennard likely won’t be enough to sway Milwaukee.
The field
Could the Phoenix Suns be a player in a package led by Jalen Green, a dynamic but inconsistent athlete who has played just four games this year? Could the Cleveland Cavaliers feel they need to make a drastic shift to contend, potentially packaging Evan Mobley in a deal? Could the Dallas Mavericks send veterans like Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson to Milwaukee? What about a young team like the Washington Wizards, who have more young players than veterans?
What about teams that are already contenders like the Houston Rockets or San Antonio Spurs? Could they tear up their current (and successful) builds for a push to compete? This seems less likely.
There’s always the possibility of the infamous mystery team that could be lurking. The reality is, of the 29 teams in the NBA aside from the Bucks, all but one or two of them are probably discussing if there’s a viable path to get him.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 05: A detail photo of an Atlanta Braves hat and glove during the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Friday, April 5, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Earlier on Monday, we got word that the Atlanta Braves were one of three teams (alongside the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels) that didn’t decide to follow the Brewers, Cardinals, Rays, Reds and Royals to MLB Media as far as their televised games are concerned.
Well, now we know why the Braves didn’t join that pack of ballclubs when it came to making that jump. As it turns out, the Braves are reportedly about to launch their own TV network. Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal is reporting that this is the path that the Braves are going to go down. He laid it out pretty clearly in his article detailing what the Braves and the eight other clubs are planning to do with their TV coverage going forward.
…The Braves are expected to launch their own network, perhaps to air on a national streaming platform such as Amazon or Apple or with a template similar to the Rangers Sports Network — which has direct-to-distributor deals with cable and satellite providers, a local over-the-air partner and a streaming outlet in Victory+.
In case you’re wondering, here’s a link to the Rangers Sports Network’s programming page. The way it works for them is that the Texas Rangers have their own platform where they can reach fans through either cable and/or satellite, over the air, and even streaming as well. The cable/satellite and OTA options would be available for fans across the Braves TV market (which is essentially the vast majority of the entire Southeastern region of the United States) and the streaming option would give fans from outside of the market a way to watch the team as well — and in Atlanta’s case, the options of Amazon Prime and Apple TV would be very appealing.
The Braves were already available to watch locally via streaming platforms on Amazon Prime if you chose to buy a subscription to FanDuel Sports Network through that platform for $19.99 a month. Id imagine that if this is what the Braves do then they’d simply transition to that platform while staying on Amazon Prime, so I can’t anticipate that this would be a major change for fans who have already been watching the Braves via streaming platforms.
However, this would be a pretty big change for the TV side of things, since this would essentially be a brand-new frontier for the Braves in terms of TV. They’ve been part of the RSN model since their days of being broadcast nationwide on cable via the TBS Superstation (a.k.a the good ol’ days) and now it’s apparent that the team has decided that the future involves doing their own in-house production and televising of their own product.
Either way, it’s clear that the Braves are going to be out of the RSN TV business if this is the path that they’re going down. There’s still no guarantees yet when it comes to figuring out a permanent TV home for the Braves but as of right now, we’re closer to figuring that out now than we have been in the past. We’ll see what happens!
The Dodgers' Edwin Díaz speaks during a press conference announcing his three-year, $69 million contract in December. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Díaz, who signed a three-year, $69-million contract in December as the most sough-after reliever in free agency, pitched for Puerto Rico in the 2023 WBC but tore the patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating a win over the Dominican Republic that pushed the team into the quarterfinals. He missed the entire 2023 MLB season as a result.
The 31-year-old Díaz has a 2.82 ERA and 253 saves over his nine-year career. In that time, no other MLB reliever tops him in strikeouts (839), while only Kenley Jansen has recorded more saves (334). With the New York Mets this past season — his second since returning from knee surgery — Díaz also had one of his best career campaigns, posting a 1.63 ERA with 28 saves in 31 opportunities and 98 strikeouts in 66 ⅓ innings.
His announcement comes days after it was revealed Dodgers teammate Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in the WBC in order to focus on ramping up to pitch during the season without restrictions. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will pitch for Team Japan and catcher Will Smith and recently-retired left-hander Clayton Kershaw will be on Team USA's roster.
Complete rosters for the 20 teams participating in the WBC will be revealed on Thursday on MLB Network.
Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas announced last week that he was forced to withdraw from consideration for the WBC, joining teammates Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages, Andy Ibáñez. The hurdle for Rojas, who turns 37 next month, was difficulty in obtaining insurance to guarantee his $5.5-million salary in case he missed Dodgers games because of injuries incurred during the WBC while representing his native Venezuela.
“I didn’t know that my chance to go represent my country for the first and only time, probably as a player, was going to get caught up because of an insurance problem,” Rojas said Saturday during the Dodgers' annual fan event at Dodger Stadium.
AKRON, OHIO - JULY 21, 2024: Victor Bericoto #2 of the Richmond Flying Squirrels bats during the fourth inning against the Akron RubberDucks at Canal Park on July 21, 2024 in Akron, Ohio. (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Well friends, I come bearing good news: this is the last week without baseball for a very, very long time. For the San Francisco Giants, pitchers and catchers will report to Scottsdale next Tuesday, and then we’re off to the races.
Speaking of races, we’re nearing the end of this one. We have fewer than 10 names that we need to add to the 2026 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List before we will have successfully ranked the top 44 prospects in the organization once more!
Our next name is a prospect who was somewhat forgotten about, but could play a key role in 2026: it’s outfielder and first baseman Victor Bericoto, who has been voted in as the No. 35 prospect in the system. That’s a drop of 11 spots for Bericoto, who was our No. 24 prospect in last year’s CPL.
There’s a little bit of prospect fatigue for Bericoto, a right-handed hitter and fielder, and for a while there was the matter of whether or not he actually had a future (or present) with the organization. He was signed all the way back in 2018 out of Venezuela, and entered Minor League free agency this winter. But he re-signed with the Giants, and now he’ll look to find his way onto the Major League roster.
Bericoto has some of the best power in the system, as evidenced by his breakout 2023 campaign in which he hit 27 home runs between High-A Eugene and AA Richmond, while sporting a .239 isolated slugging … despite being in just his age-21 season. But things stalled out for him in 2024, when he spent the entire season in AA and only hit 11 home runs, matching his total at the level from the year prior, in well over twice as many plate appearances. He was the epitome of an average hitter in the Eastern League, with a wRC+ of exactly 100. Given that he derives virtually all of his value as a hitter, that knocked a lot of the shine off of his prospect pedigree.
2025 was a much more encouraging season, but it was a roller-coaster as well, all the way up to the aforementioned free agency and re-signing. Bericoto returned to Richmond for a third year, and he didn’t stay long. He played just 13 games, collected multiple hits in four of those games, and hit .319/.439/.596 — staggering numbers for the offensively-challenged Eastern League. That earned him the ultra-early mid-April promotion to AAA Sacramento, where he was a step away from the bigs for the first time in his life.
That’s when the dip in the roller coaster came and, unlike with actual roller coasters, dips are not the fun part for athletes. Bericoto played just 11 games for the River Cats, hitting .196/.196/.283 for a .478 OPS and a 16 wRC+, before hitting the shelves for a few weeks with an injury. When he returned to health (after six rehab games in the Complex League in which he hit 11-23 with seven extra-base hits), top prospect Bryce Eldridge had supplanted him on the first base bag in Sacramento. With the AAA roster positively overflowing with outfielders, Bericoto was, disappointingly, returned to Richmond for another run in AA.
The results were initially quite poor. Perhaps it was just a slump, perhaps it was the injury lingering, or perhaps it was the disappointment of a fourth stint in AA (it did feel a little bit like Marco Luciano’s end to the season, when the writing was on the wall and his performance followed), but Bericoto couldn’t hit a lick upon his re-arrival in Richmond. He returned on June 3 and failed to find the Mendoza Line in both June and July, hitting just 29-155 with 12 extra-base hits, 16 walks, and 44 strikeouts (a very high number for someone who historically had fairly decent strikeout numbers).
But as the calendar — and, it seemed, his time with the organization — neared a close, Bericoto found his swing once again. He surpassed his June and July hit total in August alone, and from the start of the month until the end of the season, he hit a sensational 48-142 with 11 extra-base hits, 17 walks, and 40 strikeouts (admittedly still a high strikeout total). Despite the awful midseason slump, he finished the year with a .784 OPS and a 130 wRC+ in AA, and showed there’s nothing left for him to learn — or prove — at that level.
And now there’s a spot for him in AAA. The outfield, instead of overflowing, is thin: Marco Luciano is gone, as is Wade Meckler and, presumably, Hunter Bishop. Luis Matos and Jerar Encarnación are out of options, so they are highly unlikely to be manning Sacramento’s grass. The outfielders the Giants added in the offseason are already gone. And with Eldridge a favorite to crack San Francisco’s Opening Day roster, there’s even a likely opening at first base.
While Bericoto is a bat-first player, he’s no slouch with the glove. He’s perfectly competent at first base, and I’d go so far as to call him decent in the outfield. He doesn’t need to light the world on fire in the batter’s box to be a valuable Major Leaguer … if he can hit above league average, he can help the Giants, and it wouldn’t be a shock if he finds his way onto the big league roster sometime this summer.
And, despite having been signed during the Bobby Evans regime, Bericoto isn’t exactly pushing time on the age scale, either: he only turned 24 in December, putting him in the same age category as plenty of the Giants selections from the 2023 draft.
He’s always shown a lot of promise. Maybe this year we see it on the largest stage.
Now let’s add to the list! As a reminder, voting now takes place in the comment section using the “rec” feature.
Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page.All stats are from the 2025 season.
NEW YORK (AP) — Dallas coach Jason Kidd has been fined $35,000 for public criticism of officiating and using profane language during a media interview, the NBA announced Monday.
Kidd thought Cooper Flagg was fouled when the rookie No. 1 pick drove for a layup and missed with 25 seconds remaining and the Mavericks trailing by two points.
Kidd ended his postgame remarks with an expletive-laden response to a question about criticism the coach has received over using Flagg as a point guard when Flagg had little experience at that position coming into the NBA.
The Lakers’ disappointing Sunday night started off well for one of the team’s best players.
Just before Los Angeles got beaten up 112–100 by the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York, Luka Dončić received some high praise from Indiana Fevers’ Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark offered up praise for Lakers star Luka Dončić ahead of LA’s Sunday night matchup against the Knicks. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
The WNBA superstar was making her debut as a special contributor for NBC during the “Sunday Night Basketball” pregame show, and when she was asked about an NBA player who she admired, she quickly singled out Dončić.
“Luka’s amazing,” she said. “He’s incredible. I think the way he can not only score the ball, but also the way he passes.”
The Fever guard then complimented Dončić’s ability to toy with defenders despite being “not the fastest” and “not the most athletic.”
“I think that’s something I can certainly learn from,” she said. “I always kind of want to run away from the defense, rather than absorbing the contact and taking up the space that they give me.”
Dončić came close to a triple-double on Sunday night, but the Lakers still lost to the Knicks. NBAE via Getty Images
Minutes after Clark’s glowing breakdown, Dončić went out and filled up the stat sheet in a way he’s done all season.
In 36 minutes, he recorded 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
The Lakers, though, are now losers of two of their last three, and have another road matchup with the Nets up next on Tuesday.
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ATLANTA (AP) — Tuskegee men's basketball coach Benjy Taylor was handcuffed after intervening in an incident involving his team and members of Morehouse's basketball and football teams over the weekend.
A statement from civil rights attorney Harry Daniels' office said Taylor was concerned about Morehouse football players who “were acting aggressively” toward Tuskegee players and their parents during postgame handshakes on Saturday.
The statement said the football players' presence is prohibited by conference-mandated security protocols. It said after Taylor asked a second officer to enforce those protocols to diffuse the situation, the officer handcuffed him and escorted him from the court.
Though Taylor was not charged, he has hired Daniels and attorneys Gregory Reynald Williams and Gerald Griggs to represent him. The attorneys say they are considering a civil lawsuit.
Daniels said Taylor was right to try to protect his team, and the officer was out of line.
“It would be bad for a police officer to treat anyone like this,” Daniels said. “But to do it to a man like Coach Taylor, a highly respected professional and role model, to put him in handcuffs, humiliate him and treat him like a criminal in front of his team, his family and a gym full of fans is absolutely disgusting and they need to be held accountable.”
A statement from Tuskegee president Mark Brown and athletic director Reginald Ruffin said the school leaders were proud of Taylor's commitment to the athletes and the school's values.
“During the events in question, Coach Taylor acted solely out of his fundamental responsibility to protect his student-athletes and staff — particularly in an environment where agreed-upon and customary game‑management and security protocols were not properly carried out," the statement said. "His conduct remained measured, professional, and entirely consistent with the expectations of a head coach entrusted with the safety of his team.”
Morehouse did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Montreal Canadiens visit the Minnesota Wild on Monday, February 2. This exciting matchup featured on Amazon Prime Video consists of two teams in the midst of three-game winning streaks.
My Canadiens vs. Wild predictions and NHL picks suggest a red-hot Jakub Dobes will continue to keep the Canadiens afloat in a jam-packed Atlantic Division.
Canadiens vs Wild prediction
Canadiens vs Wild best bet: Jakub Dobes Over 24.5 Saves (-105)
The Montreal Canadiens are turning to Jakub Dobes to make his fourth consecutive start tonight. He's won the last three, comfortably hitting the Over for saves in each, averaging 31.3 per game.
The Minnesota Wild average nearly 29 shots per game, and Dobes is riding his hottest streak of the season. He made 36 stops in a crucial win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.
The Czech native has looked as cool and collected as Jon Cooper did with his Scarface-inspired outfit and cigar during the Stadium Series thriller in Tampa yesterday. Look for him to hit the Over yet again.
He's hit the Over for shots in six consecutive games, totaling 15 SOG. He also has six assists in his last seven games — perhaps indicative of his offensive eagerness.
Meanwhile, captain Nick Suzuki has a whopping 15 assists in his last 14 games and four multi-assist games in his last 10. His 47 helpers this season are good for 10th in the NHL.
Montreal snapped a nine-game losing streak against Minnesota with a 4-3 win on January 20. Find more NHL betting trends for Canadiens vs. Wild.
How to watch Canadiens vs Wild
Location
Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul, MN
Date
Monday, February 2, 2026
Puck drop
7:30 p.m. ET
TV
Prime
Canadiens vs Wild latest injuries
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JANUARY 29: Dillon Brooks #3 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball past Ronald Holland II #5 of the Detroit Pistons during the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center on January 29, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Without Devin Booker for the entirety of the week and Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie for parts of it, the Phoenix Suns went 3-1 to finish out their five-game home stand this week, with wins over the Nets, Pistons and Cavs and a loss to the Clippers.
Here are the main questions for Week 15 that we want your thoughts on:
Dillon Brooks not an All-Star
Devin Booker will not have any teammates joining him in the All-Star game this season. Despite some chatter from national pundits about Dillon Brooks being a deserving candidate, he did not make the team.
Brooks, averaging a career-high in points per game with 21.1, is one of the main reasons the Suns have surprised many this season, with his tenacious play and energy, and he just set his career-high with 40 points against the Pistons. Many have lauded him for his impact on the team’s culture, something many questioned about the squad a season ago.
Do you think Brooks should have been an All-Star? Why or why not?
Another Signature Win
Phoenix beat the Pistons last week in dominant fashion, 114-96. Along with Brooks’ aforementioned 40-piece, the team out-rebounded Detroit 47-37 and limited them to 20.7% shooting from three. Phoenix beat both the East and West’s one seeds in January and beat the Pistons without Devin Booker or Jalen Green in the lineup.
Whenever the Pistons got close, the Suns responded quickly by forcing Cade Cunningham into bad shots and hitting timely baskets and getting to the free throw line consistently.
Does a win like the team’s against Detroit make you confident that the Suns can compete with the West’s best come playoff time, independent of seeding?
The Trade Deadline is Almost Here
It appears the Suns won’t be making many moves this trade season, at least according to Suns Owner Mat Ishbia’s appearance on the Zach Lowe Show last week.
Phoenix has been one of the biggest surprises of the season, and if they dealt a key member of the rotation even for a better player, they risk the chance of changing the dynamic that has helped them be on a 49-win pace. While Nick Richards’ name has been floated as someone who could be dealt to help the team cut salary, he’s been out of the rotation for a few months.
If you were the GM of the Suns this week, would you be looking to make any moves or keep the roster as is?
For more questions on the Suns follow @HoldenSherman1 on X for content after every game.
Dillon Brooks with his second-straight 26-point night, doing so on 15 shots. Brooks struggled with his shot for most of the team's road trip.
Seventh in the series.Today we look at the Cubs’veteran second baseman.
28-year-old Nico Hoerner, two-time Gold Glover, potential .300 hitter, team leader, is entering the last year of his contract. Odds favor his retention but probably not by much — there are a lot of wheels spinning.
Many fans would prefer that Dansby Swanson, subject of the previous profile, be moved somehow, and Nico installed at short, with Matt Shaw or a reasonable equivalent taking over at second. That’s somewhat more unlikely.
The Cubs would do a deal, at least theoretically, but are floating high demands for Hoerner’s services, and rightly so. Hoerner doesn’t hit for much power, instead preferring the high-average, contact-bat presence, which suits his skillset admirably. He could play in any era of baseball. He’s a ‘gamer,’ who ‘always shows up when the chips are down,’ almost to the degree that he’s taken for granted, and some writers have it that he is underappreciated nationally.
In seven seasons, three of which were partial campaigns, Hoerner has amassed a decent 21.8 bWAR (20 fWAR), bolstered by his excellent defense and baserunning. He has 6.2 and 5.5 bWAR seasons in his trophy case, but he has yet to appear in the Midsummer Classic.
Nico should be a perennial all-star. That he isn’t lends weight to those writerly complaints. Maybe it isn’t just a narrative.
Hopefully it doesn’t happen with another team. Hoerner could keep this production level well into his thirties, perhaps slowing some but adding a little thump to his plate presence.
Unless the Cubs really dial down the budget for 2027, someone is going to have to beat him out to take over his spot. Matt Shaw likely has the talent to do it, but he’ll have to demonstrate.
With Swanson, Hoerner, Alex Bregman and Michael Busch, the Cubs have perhaps the best defensive infield in the majors. They should be right up there offensively, with three of the four players regularly topping 20 homers and Hoerner flirting with .300, which is a difficult number to dial up these days. He’s penciled in to lead off against left-handers in our current understanding, and that will help promote that, along with allowing him to score even more runs and maybe up his OBP some more as well.
NEW YORK - MAY 21: Derek Jeter #2 of the New York Yankees attempts to complete a double play against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on May 20, 2010 in the Bronx borough of Manhattan. The Rays defeated the Yankees 8 to 6. (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images) | Getty Images
How do you negotiate a contract with THE star player?
Not a star player, not a guy you love having around, but the face of the club and indeed arguably at the time the face of baseball itself? How do you negotiate while at the same time attempting to secure personal control over the sport’s most valuable organization?
These were the questions Brian Cashman was forced to grapple with after the 2010 season, when the Captain, Derek Jeter, was a free agent for the first time in his career. George Steinbrenner’s passing the year before meant control of the team went to Hal and Hank, George’s sons, but neither brother really operated — or in Hal’s case, continues to operate — with the same kind of fire, for better and worse. Randy Levine and the other lizards in the executive suites held various roles of course, but Cashman was in the thick of making the Yankees his team, and picking a very public fight with the fifth or sixth most important player in team history was one part of establishing that control.
Derek Jeter Signing Date: December 7, 2010 Contract: 3 years, $51,000,000
It would be a little silly of me to recap Jeter’s career before he hit free agency, since most anyone reading this can probably recite it chapter and verse. The key leadup to the signing started in 2009, where the then-35 year old put up a 6.7 fWAR season, finishing third in AL MVP voting, winning the AL Hank Aaron Award, getting named SI Sportsman of the Year, and of course winning his fifth World Series with the club. It would be the last truly great season for Jeter, and despite an All-Star nod and Gold Glove in 2010, that campaign would be his worst since 1996.
Hitting coach Kevin Long was instrumental in adjusting Jeter’s stride, and down the stretch he managed to his .342 in his final 80 PAs. But the writing was on the wall — at 36, The Captain no longer was who he once had been as his 10-year extension came to a close. That said, he was still The Captain.
Jeter’s reputation as a defender had outpaced his actual ability for the vast majority of his career, but by this time it was public knowledge, written about and indeed commented on by Cashman, who after the signing admitted Derek may be ticketed for the outfield to play out the remainder of his career. With all that in context, the Yankee GM went public with the free agent process, advising Jeter through the media that he would be wise to entertain offers from all bidders.
On its own that’s pretty standard, but this wasn’t a standard free agency case. Jeter had advised his agent not to seek out other offers, that he was a Yankee and was going to stay one. Despite giving up nearly all leverage, Derek’s camp was frustrated on multiple occasions by Cashman and Co. stonewalling during negotiations, and public reports that Jeter’s “salary demands” were “greedy.” When Jeter asked Cashman point-blank who he’d rather have at the six, he replied “Troy Tulowitzki,” as the Colorado shortstop was in his mid-twenties prime. It’s interesting to sit with all this reporting 15 years on, knowing what we know about aging curves, but also trying to imagine what it would be like for an older Aaron Judge to be a looming free agent.
There are players who you back up the Brink’s truck for, but those guys tend not to be in the mid-to-late 30s. There are players who you extend for as long as you can, but Jeter was already in decline and getting worse. Then there are players who you never want to see wearing any other jersey, and The Captain is perhaps the ur-example of this — a final season wearing a Reds or Royals uniform would have left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths.
While that maelstrom of circumstances was always going to make for a complicated free agency, Cashman’s consolidation of control only made things more difficult. The organization today is built almost entirely in the GM’s interest, and by all accounts he will remain functionally in charge of the Yankees until he doesn’t want to be anymore. The groundwork for that level of control started to be laid in the waning days of Joe Torre’s managerial tenure, but really came about as Hal and Hank began signing the checks.
Brian Cashman is not the worst GM in baseball—he is not even in the bottom half—but he does have some tells. When he really wants someone, the Yankees tend to get him, like the successful pursuit of Gerrit Cole in December 2019. When he really doesn’t, it’s a flat take-or-leave offer, the kind given to Robinson Canó (or in the case of Gleyber Torres, no offer at all). Given all that, it’s not impossible to conclude that Cashman would have preferred Jeter to walk, holding firm at three years and $45 million. He would eventually concede another six million total, plus an option year, but it took in-person meetings with Hal and Jeter’s camp before those wounds closed up.
While they did close, it always felt like those wounds scabbed over instead of fully healing. Despite joining the 3,000 Hit Club in July 2011, Jeter was largely middling and hurt. He responded with a very nice 2012 that saw him lead the league in hits with 216, albeit while not being quite the productive forced that he was in 2009. And of course he ended the season as painfully — physically and emotionally — as you can, with a late-season bone bruise leading to a broken ankle in extra innings of Game 1 of the ALCS against Detroit.
Jeter would never again play in the postseason. The Yankees were swept, and his injury recovery carried over into various ailments that limited his 2013 to just 17 games. That year was an October-less farewell tour for longtime teammate Mariano Rivera, and Jeter followed suit with his own somber swan song in 2014 after signing a final one-year deal. The ultimate team player, the perfect interviewer, Jeter was naturally frosty and closed off to the media and his superiors within the organization, but that feeling grew in his final years. I don’t think he ever really got over the perceived disrespect, nor did he ever maintain a relationship with Cashman the way he did with Torre or George Steinbrenner.
In the end, both sides ended up being right. Derek Jeter should have never played for any team other than the Yankees, and he never did. Cashman was also pretty on point in seeing the decline coming, even if he probably didn’t imagine quite how bad that final 2014 season would be. Overall, it was an impossible position for Cashman and Jeter, but they managed to pull out a solution.
I think Derek Jeter has been very skilled in crafting his public persona, certainly in a way his contemporaries like Alex Rodriguez couldn’t. I’m also not the biggest fan of Brian Cashman as a person. It would have sucked an incredible amount to see those last, great moments of Jeter’s career, the 3,000th hit, that final walk-off, happen anywhere else. In the end, they happened in the Bronx.
See more of the “50 Most Notable Yankees Free Agent Signings in 50 Years” series here.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 24: A Colorado Rockies ball bag on the field during batting practice prior to a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** | Getty Images
The off-season is speeding by, and before you know it, there will be baseball games to play.
The Colorado Rockies will have pitchers and catchers report to their complex in Arizona on February 12th with the first full squad workout occurring shortly after. By the end of the month, spring training will be in full swing with the World Baseball Classic and the 2026 regular season visible on the horizon!
While we wait for the baseball world to awaken in the spring, it’s time once again to dip into our mailbox and answer questions from our readers here at Purple Row.
When are the Monforts going to sell the team to the Penners so I can start supporting the Rockies again? — Sherwyn in Aurora
When is the Walmart family going to buy the Rockies? — Michael in Canal Winchester
“Will the Rockies be sold?” is a common question we get here at Purple Row, both in our comments and on our social media feeds. These two particular questions focus on the Rockies being sold to the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group, which purchased the Denver Broncos NFL team from the Pat Bowlen Trust in 2022.
The sale gave the Broncos one of the richest ownership groups in professional sports and helped the team escape a post-Super Bowl 50 era that saw a miserable quarterback and head coaching carousel, seven consecutive losing seasons, and an eight-season playoff drought. It was the worst stretch of football in Broncos history since the franchise put up 13 straight losing seasons from their founding as an AFL team in 1960 through 1972.
The Broncos now appear to have found their franchise quarterback in Bo Nix and have made the post-season in back-to-back years, including making it all the way to the AFC Championship this season.
That all sounds very appealing! The Rockies have been mired in their own stretch of awful baseball with seven consecutive losing seasons, three consecutive seasons with 100 or more losses, and their historically miserable 2025 season that ended with a 43-119 record.
Charlie Monfort has been a part of the Rockies ownership group since 1992, with his brother Dick joining him shortly thereafter. The Monforts purchased the controlling stakes from the late Jerry McMorris in 2005 and have remained the organization’s primary owners ever since.
There have been rumors that Stan Kroenke—owner of Kroenke Sports Entertainment, the Denver Nuggets, and the Colorado Avalanche—offered to buy the team in the past, but nothing substantiated.
With that out of the way, I might as well tear off the bandage now.
The Monforts are never going to sell the Colorado Rockies. Not to the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group. Not to anyone. If your Rockies fandom is solely dependent on ownership changing, you may as well pick another team at this point.
There have been no signs that Dick and Charlie Monfort would be willing to sell the team. Although Charlie Monfort has largely stepped away from the Rockies’ day-to-day, Dick Monfort remains the chairman and CEO.
The main hope for Rockies fans is that Dick Monfort—known for being meddlesome—would take a step back from daily baseball operations and let someone else take charge. For what it’s worth, that appears to be what’s happening. Monfort’s eldest son Walker was promoted to executive vice president mid-season last year, and he has since brought in an entirely new and expanded front office, new executives, and a revamped coaching staff.
With the Monfort family firmly at the helm of the Rockies organization with no indication of a sale in the pipeline. What do you think the team can do outside of heavy spending to become a playoff caliber ball club? The rebuild doesn’t seem plausible with our farm system and players often leaving / getting dealt as they are peaking. I don’t believe coaching is the difference, it seems as though they need a “Moneyball” type discovery to be competitive.— Chris in Lone Tree
You’re right that this team will never be heavy spenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers or the New York Mets. The Monforts simply don’t have the revenue or the capital. They will never be able to defer over a billion dollars in contract money or sign multiple free agent super stars.
With that being said, small- and mid-market teams can be competitive, playoff-caliber ball clubs. They just have to do everything else right when it comes to baseball operations: drafting, developing, and making both smart and cost-effective free agent moves.
The Rockies have historically not been good at any of these things. That’s where this rebuild truly starts, and it’s far too early to write the whole thing off as implausible.
So far, the organization is doing all of the right things. The entire coaching staff has been revamped—especially the pitching and player development side of things. Coaching is a tremendous difference maker, especially when they are young, innovative, and bought in to the idea of making baseball at altitude work. Meanwhile, Walker Monfort has also brought in a new and expanded front office, and that front office is working on evaluation and deployment of better resources throughout the farm system.
The front office also has to evaluate the talent within the system. The Rockies historically have held on to prospects and players for too long, even if they don’t fit into the vision of the organization or no longer have peak value. We have evidence that this is changing with the team letting go of several former top prospects—most notably Drew Romo—this off-season.
The Rockies have done things too poorly for too long. This is a from-the-ashes rebuild and we’re only just getting started. The 2026 season is about building a foundation and making incremental improvements to avoid repeating the 2025 season. It won’t be for several years until things start to fully come together.
What positon is Condon going to play in 2026? — Firedinger in Greenville
My understanding is that the Rockies view Charlie Condon solely as a first baseman moving forward.
Prior to the draft, Condon only played one season of third base at the University of Georgia in 2024 while the less defensively versatile Corey Collins—eventually drafted by the Mets—enjoyed a stupendous season at first. In 2023 he played mostly first base and outfield.
Condon played third base and left field in his professional debut with the High-A Spokane Indians in 2024, but it’s clear moving forward that the Rockies are prioritizing first base. In 2025 he played first base in 74 of the 99 games he appeared in, with ten appearances as a designated hitter, 11 in left field, and only five at third base. When Condon attended the Arizona Fall League, he played exclusively at first base.
While Condon is a versatile enough defender, he is still a bat-first prospect and his glove profiles best for first base.
Do you have a favorite piece of Rockies memorabilia? I just got a signed Chris Nelson ball at Rockies Fest that’s my new favorite addition to mine 🙂 — AB303 in Denver
I got some of the other Purple Row writers to chime in on this!
Evan Lang: “I own a lot of Rockies memorabilia, but my favorite is a Todd Helton autographed baseball from the 1998 season that my dad gave me when I was a kid. It was my first ever autographed item.”
Sam Bradfield: “I have a signed Ryan McMahon drawstring backpack from when he won the Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby in 2016. I didn’t have a baseball or anything, so I asked him to sign my bag and he did.”
Skyler Timmins: “I have the ticket stub of my Dad’s first Rockies game in 1993. It was a rain check for August 20 against the New York Mets that was played as part of a doubleheader the next day, Rockies won 8-6.”
Renee Dechert: “I have two things. I got one of the original @ Rockies purple t-shirts, and I have a ball Jordan Beck fouled into the press box.”
Whitecaps manager Tony Cappuccilli high fives players before Opening Night on Friday, April, 4, at LMCU Ballpark. | Adam Vander Kooy/Holland Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
After claiming the Detroit Tigers first Midwest League title since 2015 as manager of the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps, Tony Cappuccilli is moving on up. The Tigers parted ways with long-time minor league coach and manager, Andrew Graham, following the 2025 season. Cappuccilli will take over the Double-A Erie SeaWolves from Graham in 2026. The move gives players contiunity as many of his Whitecaps will be advancing in the toughest jump in competition in the minor leagues.
The 2025 Whitecaps were one of the greatest teams in Midwest League history, compiling a ridiculous 92-39 record. In the first half they had the advantage of stacking Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, and Josue Briceño at the top of the order, giving them the best trio of hitters in the whole league. However, they didn’t miss a beat when those players graduated to Double-A Erie, nor even after the Tigers traded away two of their most valuable pitchers in RHP Josh Randall and lefty reliever Micah Ashman at the trade deadline.
Players seem to respond very well to Cappuccilli and his staff, and his style seems to align more with the Tigers overall development philosophies these days, whereas Graham had been around the org for almost two full decades, with some sources suggesting he may have been a little out of step with the new front office. Of course after 16 years coaching and managing in the Tigers’ system, maybe it was just time to do other things. Graham was the Florida State League’s Manager of the Year in 2023, so it’s not like he didn’t have success.
Either way, players like Briceño and other 2026 Whitecaps will form the bulk of Cappuccilli’s roster in Erie, and the Tigers appear to believe that consistent voice and longer term relationship with the coaching staff could benefit their players. We’ll have to see if either of McGonigle or Clark seems any more Double-A time to start the year. It seems unlikely in McGonigle’s case at least.
Moving up to take over the Whitecaps will be Rene Rivera, who won the Florida State League title last year in his first season managing the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Salvador Paniagua, who coached the Complex League Tigers to a title last year as well, moves up to manage the Flying Tigers in Rivera’s place. Stalwart coach and manager, and former Tigers’ catcher, Brayan Pena, will manage the FCL Tigers in the Complex League this season.
Gabe Alvarez remains the manager of the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, with both hitting coaches Mike Hessman and Francisco Contreras returning, along with pitching coach Doug Bochtler.
Marco Yepez and Sandy Acevedo will manage the Tigers two Dominican Summer League rosters.
Of note is the fact that each full season team away from the main Lakeland complex has a bulked up coaching staff these days, along with their athletic trainers, a strength and conditioning coach, and a dietician as well.
We’re still waiting to hear who will replace Gabe Ribas as the Tigers Director of Pitching in the system. There was some thought that Bochtler might be considered for that role, but it’s also possible that Bochtler would prefer to remain in the dugout, working with the same group of guys, rather than handling overall development plans for the whole organization’s worth of pitchers. That open role is the biggest job in the organization to fill this offseason, and spring camp is getting close, so presumably we’ll have an answer soon.
We've named our @MiLB, Florida Complex League and Dominican Summer League coaching and support staffs for Tigers affiliates for the 2026 season. pic.twitter.com/YzX6wZMjFW
