Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after hitting a grand slam against the Los Angeles Angels during a July game at Citizens Bank Park.Photograph: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies are finalizing a five-year, $150m contract, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. The deal would keep the National League home run leader in Philadelphia after a prolific 2025 season.
Schwarber, 32, drew interest from several clubs, including the Mets, Red Sox, Orioles and Pirates, ESPN reported. Philadelphia moved late to retain him after falling in the division series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The designated hitter hit 56 home runs and drove in 132 runs last season, finishing second in MVP voting. He has hit at least 38 home runs in each of his four years with the Phillies.
Schwarber is also regarded as a key clubhouse figure and has produced consistently in the postseason, with 14 home runs in 38 playoff games for Philadelphia.
The Phillies made re-signing Schwarber an offseason priority as they look to remain contenders in the National League. His agreement could help spur movement in a free-agent market that has been slow to develop.
Elsewhere, three-time All-Star reliever Edwin Díaz agreed to a three-year, $69m contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, multiple media outlets reported.
The reported move allowed the defending World Series champion Dodgers to reel in the top closer on the free agent market.
Díaz, 31, opted out of the remaining two years and $38m of his five- year contract he signed with the New York Mets in 2022. The Mets tendered a $22.025m qualifying offer which the right-hander declined last month.
Given that Díaz reportedly signed with a new team, New York will receive a compensatory draft pick after the fourth round.
New York signed right-hander Devin Williams to a three-year, $51m deal on 1 December as insurance with Díaz.
One of the Mets’ most popular players, Díaz finished 6-3 with 28 saves and a 1.63 ERA in 62 relief appearances during the 2025 season.
Díaz is 28-36 with a 2.82 ERA and 253 saves in 520 games (no starts) with the Seattle Mariners (2016-18) and Mets (2019-22, 2024-25).
Martin St-Louis has said it many times since he was hired as the Montreal Canadiens coach: the toughest thing for young players to achieve is consistency. Which is why a team must know what they are getting when they use their tried-and-tested veterans: those players know what the league is about and how to play their best hockey.
This season, the Habs aren’t exactly getting that from some of their more experienced players. In fact, according to Moneypuck.com, Montreal has three of the bottom five players when it comes to on-ice goal differential.
Amongst players with at least 50 minutes of ice time, Canadiens center Jake Evans is 722nd, dead last at minus-28, defenseman Alexandre Carrier is 720th with a minus-25, and Evans’ linemate Josh Anderson is 718th with minus-23.
When playing his contract year last season, Evans was on fire offensively and proved that he could be very reliable defensively, so much so that the Canadiens’ GM signed him to a four-year contract extension worth $2.85 million, which at the time sounded like a great deal. This year, however, Evans is on pace for just 23 points after scoring a career-high 36 points last season.
Clearly, the coach is starting to lose patience with the vet. In the Canadiens’ December 2 game against the Ottawa Senators, Evans saw just 9:22 of action spread across 14 shifts. In that game, he had a 25% success rate at the faceoff dot, winning just two of the eight draws he took. He bounced back in the following game, skating for 16:22 and winning 73% of his faceoffs, but then, on Sunday against the Blues, he won just 3 of his 12 faceoffs, meaning another 25% success rate that night and just 12:37 of ice time.
There’s no two ways about it, Evans needs to be better if the Canadiens are to make the playoffs this season. Granted, his life has changed this past year with the arrival of twins, but that’s a new reality he needs to adapt to, and the sooner, the better. With the hectic December calendar the Canadiens face, St-Louis has to be able to count on Evans to shoulder some of the ice time; Nick Suzuki cannot spend more time on the ice than he already does.
That begs the question: for Dave Dombrowski and the Phils, what do they prioritize next? What are the biggest remaining needs?
Building up the middle
Building up the middle still matters most. Trea Turner and Bryson Stott are the likely middle-infield duo heading into 2026, but catcher and center field carry real questions.
J.T. Realmuto – who donned the red pinstripes for seven seasons – is the most likely answer behind the plate. The 34-year-old is reportedly seeking a two-year deal and will be worth the investment based on his familiarity with the Phillies’ staff.
An annual value in the $16–18 million range seems realistic, which would amount to roughly a $5 million increase on the payroll from last season between him and Schwarber.
A reunion with Realmuto is the likeliest outcome, but a pivot would create an interesting scenario. Whether it’s former Rangers catcher Jonah Heim in free agency or a trade target, there isn’t another available catcher who impacts the Phils the way Realmuto does.
“We want J.T. back,” Phillies skipper Rob Thomson told MLB Network Radio on Thursday.
Realmuto is clearly the next major priority.
Center field is a different question. While Dombrowski has expressed confidence in Justin Crawford’s ability to handle the position, the organization still has Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas as options. That depth gives them flexibility.
If and when the Phillies move on from Nick Castellanos, and if they prefer Crawford and Marsh in the corners, that would open the door for bringing back Harrison Bader – who would serve multiple purposes: a right-handed bat who plays Gold Glove-caliber defense. His market is one of the tougher ones to read this offseason.
Harrison Bader – Credit: Bill Streicher (Imagn Images)
The 31-year-old is coming off a career year in 2025, slashing .277/.347/.449 and posting an .824 OPS with the Phillies after the trade.
Right-handed hitting outfielders are tough to come by this winter, which points toward a buy-high scenario with Bader. Since his official rookie season in 2018, he has finished with an OPS under .700 in four of his eight seasons and has topped 110 games just four times in that span — excluding 2020.
It would be understandable if the Phillies hesitate to commit more than two years based on his track record and the number of in-house options they have.
Protecting Bryce
For much of the early offseason, Bryce Harper’s lineup protection has been a central talking point. Right-handed hitting was made a clear priority for the Phillies from the jump.
So after adding Schwarber’s left-handed power, where could they turn for a right-handed, middle-of-the-order bat?
Alec Bohm at third base is a steady option, but his profile may not be exactly what they need as he enters his final year of arbitration. In 2025, the 28-year-old hit just 11 homers in 120 games.
Alec Bohm – Credit: Bill Streicher (Imagn Images)
His .331 on-base percentage, paired with a .287 batting average, created a lopsided line. His run-producing numbers dipped as well: 59 RBIs after back-to-back 97-RBI seasons.
Kazuma Okamoto – who carries an .856 career OPS in NPB – and Eugenio Suárez – who slugged 49 homers this past season – are two third-base free agent options who would slot cleanly into the middle of the lineup. Switch-hitting Jorge Polanco is another name who would bring similar value at either second or third.
Signing a third baseman and trading Bohm could also be a direct path to adding a reliever — a recently reported priority.
The rotation
It might be a stretch to label the rotation a “priority,” but there are enough variables to keep it on the radar: whether the Phillies re-sign Ranger Suárez, Zack Wheeler’s availability early in the year, Taijuan Walker’s future and Andrew Painter’s progression after a down 2025.
The volume of starting pitchers available who profile as back-end options sets up a possible wait-and-see approach.
This would resemble a tactic the Phils took two offseasons ago. In 2024, the club signed Spencer Turnbull to a one-year, $2 million deal in mid-February. At that point, he owned a 4.55 ERA through 60 career starts. He was effective for the Phillies before an injury, posting a 2.65 ERA as a swingman between the rotation and bullpen.
A similar type of deal — at a higher salary — could make sense for Walker Buehler or veteran lefties Jordan Montgomery or Martín Pérez.
For a team coming off a 96-win season and a second straight division title, bringing Schwarber back is the first step toward putting another championship contender on the field. Their corresponding moves will dictate how high that ceiling goes.
Since making his major league debut in 2015, Schwarber has belted 340 home runs, second most in all of baseball behind only Aaron Judge (368 homers).
In the past four seasons alone, Schwarber has mashed 131 home runs (an average of 43.7 per season), including a new career best of 56 big flies in 2025, when he finished runner-up to Shohei Ohtani as National League MVP.
With Schwarber returning to Philadelphia, it may increase the chances of Pete Alonso re-signing with the Mets, as it takes another potential power option off the board.
The Mets are losing their closer to Los Angeles, with Edwin Diaz agreeing to sign a three-year deal with the Dodgers worth $69 million, per multiple reports.
New York's offer to Diaz was for three years and $66 million, with some deferrals, with the team expressing to Diaz that there was wiggle room to go higher.
After signing Devin Williams to a three-year deal earlier this offseason, the Mets remained interested in retaining Diaz, with reports indicating that they were hoping to keep the length of a potential deal to three years.
With Diaz gone, the Mets could conceivably turn to Robert Suarez or Pete Fairbanks as a late-inning option to pair with Williams.
Diaz, who is entering his age-32 season in 2026, had stated numerous times that he wanted to return.
"Yeah, of course," he said after the season. "I love this organization. They treat me really, really good. My family, everything. If I decide to opt out I would love to come back."
Diaz is coming off a phenomenal season where he showed no real signs of slowing down, posting a 1.63 ERA (2.28 FIP) and 0.87 WHIP with 98 strikeouts in 66.1 innings.
The stuff (while the fastball velo was a bit down from its peak) remained filthy.
Diaz ranked in the 99th percentile this past season when it came to xERA, xBA, whiff percentage, and strikeout percentage. He was in the 89th percentile or better in fastball velocity, barrel percentage, and extension. His ground ball rate, chase percentage, and the average exit velocity against him all graded out well above average.
Batters hit .133 with a .200 slugging percentage against Diaz's fastball in 2025, while hitting .179 with a .269 slugging percentage against his slider.
During his six-year Mets career, Diaz posted a 2.93 ERA (2.56 FIP) and 1.04 WHIP while striking out 538 batters in 328.1 innings -- a rate of 14.7 strikeouts per nine.
In addition to what Diaz brought on the mound in New York (and he had been incredibly reliable, making 54 or more appearances each of the last four seasons), there were the intangibles.
Diaz had not only embraced New York, but had proven that he could thrive here.
Now he's on the back-to-back World Series winners.
The freshman from Salt Lake City had 29 points and six rebounds in leading the third-ranked Blue Devils to a 67-66 win over No. 18 Florida, then Boozer poured in 18 points with 15 rebounds and five assists in a 66-60 win at No. 9 Michigan State. The son of former Duke star Carlos Boozer, Cameron Boozer was the runner-up for national player of the week to Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg last week, and he was honorable mention in Week 2 of the college basketball season.
The NBA docket is a bit less busy this week, with the NBA In-Season Tournament on the horizon. Players won’t be on the floor quite as much this week, which makes for a good time to pinpoint some guys that are trending in either direction.
Small sample size here, but White’s been outstanding to begin December — in four games, his 24.5 points per game on 51.4/ 40.8/ 80.0 shooting splits have been significantly better than his lower-scoring, inefficient-shooting October and November. What’s stood out most is White’s 12.3 three-point attempts per game! With him hitting threes at a high rate, the production from beyond the arc has brought incredible value from a fantasy basketball perspective, as have his recent bumps in rebounds and assists. Hopefully, this type of production is here to stay, now that White may be adjusting well to his role as one of the Celtics’ go-to scorers. Stock way up!
Between the Game 1 injury and Ryan Rollins’ immediate ascension that followed, it’s likely that Porter Jr. became an afterthought to many folks from a fantasy basketball perspective. Well, he’s been back for a bit more than one week and has already become Milwaukee’s most productive player. In the five games since his return, KPJ is averaging 24.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.4 steals on 55.6/ 61.3/ 88.0 shooting splits, which includes a couple of 30-point outings with at least five three-pointers made. Whatever questions fantasy managers may have had about Porter Jr.’s reintegration and fit alongside Rollins, they should now have answers.
Dylan Harper — PG/SG, Spurs
It took a couple of games for Harper to find his rhythm, as well as his fit off the bench, in his return from an early-season calf injury. He’s been productive in the five games since, however, tallying at least 15 points in four of those five contests, while logging five assists or more in four consecutive games. The rookie guard most recently amassed a career-high 22 points against the Pelicans and dropped in a smooth-looking game-winning layup with his off hand to end the night. Whether it be his minutes, production, or confidence, everything seems to be trending in a positive direction for Harper, who’ll likely improve with more reps under his belt. Like many of the Spurs’ players, his ceiling is high.
STOCK DOWN
Myles Turner — C, Bucks
It’s been a rough go for the Bucks, who are struggling to find an identity or put together wins with or without their star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Regardless of the former Finals MVP’s availability, the supporting cast has been inconsistent lately — specifically, Turner. The prized offseason addition hasn’t secured more than three rebounds in a game since November 26 against the Heat, and has scored more than 12 points just once over that period. He’s also playing fewer than 24.0 minutes per game since the start of December and finds himself in an unpredictable spot just over a quarter of the way through his debut season in Milwaukee. Things could always get better as the season progresses, but vibes aren’t currently high, and neither is Turner’s productivity.
De’Andre Hunter — SF/PF, Cavaliers
Hunter’s gone cold of late as the Cavaliers have rotated wins and losses over their last five games. He’s failed to score in double figures in two of those five games, with his high being 13 points. The seventh-year forward has also tallied exactly three rebounds in each of the past five games and totaled nine assists over that time, leading to minimal fantasy production recently. Hunter could use a big game in the near future to get him back on track, but until he does, his stock will remain down.
Reed Sheppard — PG/SG, Rockets
There was a 10-game stretch not long ago in which Sheppard averaged 17.1 points and 3.0 threes per game, including a 31-point masterpiece to carry the Rockets to a road win over the Warriors that marked the moment of his young career thus far. And just when it looked as though the second-year guard was about to take off, Kevin Durant returned from injury to reclaim his high production and make Sheppard’s contributions less necessary in the five games since. As a result, Sheppard is down to 9.0 points per game and has played fewer minutes than Aaron Holiday, the current backup point guard, in three of the last five games. Sheppard’s still having a nice sophomore season, but it’s tough to say whether he’ll reach those early-season heights again anytime soon.
The St. Louis Blues have recalled forward Hugh McGing from the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds.
The 27-year-old has played 18 AHL games this season, notching four goals and six points. McGing has played in 298 games in the AHL, scoring 60 goals and 156 points.
McGing has been called up by the Blues previously, skating in six NHL games, but is still searching for his first goal and point.
McGing's call-up comes following the injury news of Jordan Kyrou. The 27-year-old was involved in a collision during the Blues game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday and has been given a day-to-day status. Unfortunately, his return date is unknown, and no update has been given about his status for tonight's game against the Boston Bruins.
Matt Luff was recalled last week and made his season debut on Sunday, replacing Kyrou in the lineup against the Montreal Canadiens. He finished the game with one hit and two blocks in 8:33 of ice time.
Clarification on who will be in the lineup tonight, between McGing, Kyrou, and Luff, will likely be provided during this morning's skate or during warm-ups tonight.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CST at the Enterprise Center.
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Austrian key to Vettel and Verstappen world title wins
‘Now is the right moment,’ says influential 82-year-old
Red Bull’s influential auto racing adviser Helmut Marko is retiring from his role at the age of 82, ending a 20-year stint in which he helped Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen develop into four-time Formula One world champions.
Marko’s departure leaves Red Bull without the two main guiding personalities from its 2005 entry into F1 after the team principal Christian Horner was ousted in July and replaced by Laurent Mekies.
The Red Sox acquired Grissom in the Dec. 2023 trade that sent left-hander Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves. At the time, the move made sense as Sale couldn’t overcome his injury woes. Although Grissom never lived up to his billing as a top prospect in Atlanta, there was hope that a change of scenery could help him develop into a solid middle infielder in Boston.
Instead, Sale revitalized his career with the Braves and won his first career Cy Young award, finishing his first season in Atlanta with an MLB-best 2.38 ERA in 29 starts. Grissom never found a path to consistent playing time with the Red Sox as he hit .190 with no homers and a .465 OPS over 31 big-league appearances, all in 2024.
Grissom spent the entire 2025 campaign at Triple-A Worcester. The 24-year-old slashed a respectable .270/.342/.441 with 13 homers and 48 RBI over 96 games for the WooSox, but he remained stuck behind Kristian Campbell, David Hamilton, Romy Gonzalez, Marcelo Mayer, Nick Sogard, Trevor Story, and Ceddanne Rafaela on the middle-infield depth chart.
As for Jackson, the 21-year-old was selected in the eighth round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Arizona State. He notched 18 homers with a 1.032 OPS over 60 games for the Sun Devils, then played in 10 games for the Angels’ Low-A affiliate.
OG Anunoby is back in the rotation after missing nine games for the Knicks, leaving his mark with 21 points, seven rebounds, and three steals in Sunday’s win over Orlando. Though New York went a commendable 6-3 in that span, Anunoby’s absence and recent return to the lineup only reiterated his importance to this team and its championship aspirations.
The Knicks may have traded two homegrown prospects and signed him to the biggest contract in franchise history for what he can ultimately do in April and May, but Anunoby is giving us a staunch reminder of his value in the regular season, too.
Any Anunoby conversation has to start with his stalwart defense, which has single-handedly lifted the Knicks from mediocrity this season. With Anunoby on the court, the Knicks are allowing 105.4 points per 100 possessions, on par with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but without him, they’re at 116.7, or bottom third in the league.
It’s a stark discrepancy non-existent with any other member of the rotation. His on/off numbers as a Knick remain absurd: he’s a +154 in 426 minutes this season, only recording one negative +/- in a game all year.
These figures don’t just stand out, but reflect the eye test well. Anunoby’s their best one-on-one stopper and off-ball disruptor, often engaged to do both while putting up numbers on the other end.
His presence was especially missed against the tougher opponents they faced during his injury. The Heat, Magic and Celtics all exposed weak points in the Knicks' defense that Anunoby often makes up for.
Anunoby is the stabilizer and anchor with Mitchell Robinson’s minutes and impact limited, and we saw a lack of discipline and late-game execution on that end when Miami snuck by a win. Franz Wagner scored 37 points in Orlando’s win, taking advantage of New York’s lack of size down low and switching options.
When the Knicks desperately needed stops against a star in his bag, they couldn’t turn to Anunoby against Jaylen Brown, who finished with 42 and the W. Now compare these to New York’s win over Orlando on Sunday.
Obviously, there are factors beyond Anunoby, but he’s the biggest one. And we’ve yet to touch on what he’s brought offensively this season as the latest beneficiary of head coach Mike Brown’s new system.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) dribbles against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The new spacing, motion, and ball-sharing principles have allowed Anunoby to average one extra drive per game despite playing six fewer minutes, and he’s converting more of them into scores, passes and assists. Getting to utilize his size and strength in more opportunities where help is less present or confident in coming over has opened up a ton for his game, like the game-sealing dunk against Orlando.
He’s also shooting a career-high 40.9 percent from three, given the full green light to use his big frame to shoot over defenders. All this has made his game more efficient without compromising the work he’s done on the other end of the court.
Now the Knicks have him getting back to full strength as they enter the second quarter of the season, having survived an initial wave of injuries with their spot at second in the East intact for now. Not a moment too soon, as New York’s schedule beefs up with Miami-Philadelphia-Minnesota-Cleveland as their Christmas sled and a West Coast trip early in the new year.
Having Anunoby back in tow is huge, and could potentially bring their defense to new heights if they’re able to build on what they learned when he was gone. New York’s defense seemed to improve in some of their later games against the Raptors and Hornets, hopefully as a result of development and not strength of schedule.
Anunoby’s return to the offense shouldn’t be understated either, with Karl-Anthony Towns still finding his footing, Mikal Bridges not exploding without him and some key guys still out. Expect him to have some big games as he finds his rhythm and Jalen Brunson needs a breather.
If this Knicks start hasn’t felt as dominant as some fans might have liked, it’s because it hasn’t been. New York is one team with Anunoby and another without him, and he’s about to remind the basketball world why.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday that Toronto Maple Leafs winger Bobby McMann will have a hearing following a high-stick on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand.
McMann’s stick came down on the Lightning forward, and he was immediately issued a match penalty.
“That's a tough one. It really is. I mean, I got to look at it more closely, which I didn't,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said following the Leafs’ 2-0 win against Tampa. “From our view on the bench, I couldn't really see it too well. So I'll take a look at it; I had a tough time with that, to be honest with you.”
It is rare for a hearing not to result in a suspension of some kind.
The infraction occurred during a larger scrum that saw Gage Goncalves receive a five-minute major and a game misconduct for kneeing Maple Leafs defenseman Dakota Mermis. Mermis left the game and did not return; the Leafs stated he would need further evaluation to determine the extent of the injury.
McMann has recorded eight goals and six assists in 29 games this season. He has never been suspended in the NHL, a factor that may influence the length of any potential ban. However, he did receive a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov on Jan. 3, 2024. The league reviewed that hit but decided against issuing a suspension or fine.
