TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 16: Center fielder Myles Straw #3 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates hitting a RBI single during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Rogers Centre on September 16, 2026 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Happy off-day. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am happy to have an off-day.
I am happy we have meaningful baseball to watch in September. If you go back a month or so, I didn’t think we’d get that, so this is a bonus. It would be nice if we could be consistent, but this is the hand we’ve been dealt. When people ask if we are going to make the playoffs, I’ve been saying ‘no’, but I’d be happy to be wrong.
So, what do you think? Do you think the Jays will pull it out? Are you just enjoying the ride? Is it too much of a rollercoaster?
It has been a weird season—so many pitching injuries. We seemed to have too many starters at the start of the season, and now we are having two bullpen days every five. The team seems to be doing its best to be careful with the pitchers, but we have several older pitchers with a lot of innings on their arms. And a handful of young arms who are being pushed harder than they’ve ever been.
And, of course, so many guys not hitting. Too many guys not hitting, starting with Vlad, of course, and going pretty much down the whole roster. Other than Brett Bateman, it seems everyone has had long slumps (and he hasn’t been around long enough to slump). I have said before that I believe in changing hitting coaches every year. Not that it is fair. Not that it is the coach’s fault. And it would be a lousy way of doing business. But I believe players sometimes need to hear things a different way. Even if they are saying the same things, which they pretty much will.
But none of it is the coaching. The coaches didn’t get dumb over the winter.
I said, in the game thread, that I zone out when people try to tell me how easy hitting is. Anyone who thinks it is easy hasn’t watched a curveball with a bat in their hand.
Anyway, what do you think? Will the Jays pull it off and make the playoffs? And are you enjoying the ride? Or is it too much of a rollercoaster?
The 2022 12th-rounder missed the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery and didn’t crack the Jays’ preseason Top 30 list as a result. He looked revitalized after rehab, however, and finished with a 2.50 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 117 strikeouts over 82 2/3 innings across the Single-A, High-A and Double-A levels, and he jumped into the Top 100 when it became clearer that he had the stuff to back up the results: a 93-95 mph heater with improved velo, two whiff-inducing breakers in a slider and a curveball and an improved offspeed option in his mid-80s splitter.
Even as the major league team has been inconsistent, the Blue Jays have had a very successful year on the farm. They graduated several key contributors to the major league team, including Brandon Valenzuela and Spencer Miles, who have drastically outperformed their prospect rankings. Johnny King and Nolan Perry took major steps forward on the mound, and Sean Keys and Charles McAdoo did at the plate. Ricky Tiedemann also finally returned and reached the majors.
They traded their top prospect Arjun Nimmala, but got back a team-controlled starter. They also boosted their depth, acquiring Dasan Hill from the Twins and Brett Bateman from the Cubs. Bateman has been a revelation and has taken over the leadoff role that they’ve struggled to fill all season. Overall, the good far outweighs the bad with this system, and they are positioning themselves to bounce back in 2027.
Tomorrow we start the next ‘most important series of the season’. Three games with Texas. I’m thinking a series will would be good and a series loss might be the end of their chances. They have 9 games left. They are a game behind the Rangers, and 1.5 behind the White Sox, 2 games the Guardians. And they need to pass two of those teams.
Tomorrow Dylan Cease starts. Saturday José Soriano. And Monday, some version of Spencer Arrighetti and the bullpen
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 21: Jeanie Buss (L) and Mark Walter attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena on October 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Earlier this summer, it was announced that Mark Walter, who agreed to buy majority control of the Los Angeles Lakers in June 2025, was under investigation for “allegedly using billions of dollars in policyholder funds from insurance companies he controls to buy sports teams without proper disclosure.” Shortly after that news came to light, Walter agreed to sell the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion.
At the recent Board of Governors meeting, NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters no issues came up when Walter, who already held a minority stake in the Lakers before the June 2025 sale, was vetted as he took over majority ownership of the franchise.
“We went through the full process we all do. We spoke to governmental agencies. We spoke to, in the case of Mark Walter, in the heavily regulated insurance industry,” Silver said. “We spoke to other leagues in which he has investments and we found no red flags. Again, even to this day, these are, call them allegations, there are issues that are now being looked into. But independent of Mark Walter choosing to sell his team right now, he was not being investigated by our league.”
Silver also addressed a question from Pablo Torre about whether billionaires are buying into NBA ownership stakes with an aim to raise their public credibility and standing, given the NBA’s increasingly global popularity. Silver used the inquiry as an opportunity to touch on the league’s vetting process, which he said is taken “very seriously,” and specifically touched on Walter’s case.
Adam Silver, asked by @PabloTorre about concerns that (shady) sponsors and billionaires use the NBA to buy credibility, admits:
“Reporters can do things that traditional investigators can’t. … Even Mark Walter, as we sit here today, I know no more about him than I did when we… pic.twitter.com/wNGQ43OCtu
“A lot of what we do is intensive database searching,” Silver said. “We also take to as many people as we can find and who have knowledge about these people and we do interviews. But beyond that, I will say, we’re always reassessing to see if we can do more.”
Since news of the federal investigation broke, Walter remains an owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, it was announced Wednesday that Clearlake Capital acquired his ownership interest in Chelsea, an English Premier League football club.
Anthony Edwards used the commercial debut for his latest Adidas signature shoe to take playful shots at fellow NBA stars in a hilarious roast for some of his rivals.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star cracked jokes at the expense of LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and even new teammate LaMelo Ball as part of a commercial released on social media on Thursday, Sept. 17. Edwards morphed into the host of a TV show called, "Minnatlantasota," with a DJ behind him, a laugh track for his punch lines and a warning delivered over a smile on his face.
"We old school," Edwards said. "We ain't going to play it safe."
Anthony Edwards jokes about LeBron James, LaMelo Ball in Adidas ad
The 25-year-old took his most direct shots at James, his 2024 Paris Olympics teammate who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason. The Timberwolves were reported to be one of the teams James considered. Edwards also appeared to reference new 76ers acquisition Jaylen Brown when he teased James about his receding hairline.
"You see where big dog ended up?" Edwards said of James. "He was gonna join me in Minnesota, but I guess his knees couldn't handle the cold weather. It's cool, though. We know why he really made that decision. Philly got some of the best barbers in the world. Between him and ol' boy from Boston, they gonna have a whole lot of enhancements going on in the locker room. I'm just playing, ya'll. No pun intended."
The full ad announcing the arrival of the Anthony Edwards 3 shoe in stores as of Sept. 18 runs more than two minutes. It also features Edwards welcoming Ball as his new backcourt mate while joking about his well-documented driving mishaps.
"I'm excited about my road dog. They brought my twin to the Twin Cities," Edwards said of Ball. "We've been working out together and doing all type of things. But one thing we ain't doing is carpooling if he driving. I ain't riding with him ya'all."
What other NBA players did Anthony Edwards mention?
Edwards included a "shoutout to my boy for winning the chip," a comment that appeared to be in reference to former Timberwolves teammate Karl-Anthony Towns. Edwards set career highs in points per game (28.8) and shot a career best 48.9% from the field and 39.9% from 3-point range last season and promised viewers in the ad, "I'm gonna be there soon, ya'll. Just wait on it."
"Everybody and they mama been asking me, 'Ant, what's the mindset this season?' It's simple, ya'll. The cage is open, and the dog is unleashed," Edwards said before displaying the Anthony Edwards 3 shoe to the audience.
"We ain't playing fair this year," Edwards said. "If you on the court against me, anybody could get it. Even your daddy. I don't care if he your assistant coach."
The commercial concludes with one more bit of intrigue that appeared to be a vehicle to fuel the Anthony Edwards 3 ad campaign moving forward once the 2026-27 NBA season begins in October.
"When I lace these up, it's over for all ya'll. Especially you know who," Edwards said as the camera did a close-up on his face.
The commercial closes without revealing who Edwards was talking about, and fans in the social media replies have already started to speculate about the mystery target.
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 13: Payton Tolle #70 of the Boston Red Sox and Adley Rutschman #31 talk during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday, September 13, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Any baseball season has its share of ups and downs, but the 2026 Red Sox take the cake for extremes. For today, I want to break down the rollercoaster into three parts, with a particular focus on the last two.
In the first 78 games of the season, the Red Sox were horrible, going 32-46.
In their next 37 games, they were historically fantastic, going 32-5.
However, in their last 37 games, they’ve slipped into a mediocre malaise, going 18-19.
To be fair, these last 37 games come with all sorts of caveats: The first handful are guaranteed to be filled with losses because whenever you divide these things after a hot streak, you always draw the line right where the wins end. The team also seemed to run out of gas a little bit after expending so much energy in July to get back in the race, and then lately, they’ve been resting guys and trying to get things aligned for the playoffs.
But it’s the last caveat that really muddies the waters here. Not only does it obscure how good Boston might have been in September if they had to fight to the finish line, but it also poses a tricky, potentially season ending question if the Sox get this wrong. Can you just turn the magic back on whenever you want?
On one hand, we’ve already gone deep into why the Red Sox are doing the correct thing on paper in punting September thanks to the ridiculous setup MLB has for the postseason structure. However, watching these games every night after the highs of July and August is jarring. That “it” factor, whatever it is — real or perceived — is gone. Maybe it was going away anyway, but now that the Red Sox have turned it off somewhat intentionally by prioritizing rest over results, it feels like watching a hangover.
I guess what I find so uncomfortable and unsatisfying about watching this play out is that in July and August it felt like the Red Sox saved their season, and they very much did. But what does that even mean anymore? Historically, it meant you were going to get a September chock-full of meaningful games. Now, you get a sleepwalk September with a short Wild Card series that may or may not yield a glorious October run. Maybe I’m just getting old, but I don’t like that.
I want urgency in volume, and I’m nervous that after all that work, all that winning, and all those storylines that played out all summer, it’s possible the Red Sox only play two truly meaningful games after Labor Day (Game 1 and 2 in New York on September 29th and 30th). Doesn’t that feel odd?
Now of course, if they win that Wild Card series, it’s awesome! The doors to October truly open and the matchups on paper keep getting more and more favorable until / if they reach the World Series. But man, it’s such a strange dynamic. We could be living in a world where we’ve already seen the last meaningful win of this crazy 2026 Red Sox season weeks ago. Or, we could be living in a world where the last meaningful win of the 2026 Red Sox season is still be weeks away. Bonkers!
The only thing we know for sure is that we’re right in the middle of September, and there’s no urgency as the games click down. Then all at once, twelve days from now, all the urgency will hit at once like a tsunami, and the Red Sox will need to instantly recapture that magic they had all summer. Can they they do that? Can they emerge from this cocoon of complacency all at once? I don’t know.
They’re certainly doing everything they can to load the guns and the set the table for that happen, but I don’t know if you can just flip a switch like that in this sport. With each passing day, it feels more and more like this is either going to work like a dream or be a complete disaster. The magic is either going to regenerate in full force and last well into October, or it already left for good in August. We just don’t know which until we wake up when September ends.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 12: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers stands in the dugout before the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 12, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers have faced lefthanded starting pitchers in their last three games.
That’s kind of unusual. Those three games represent 6.5% of the games the Rangers have had this season against lefthanded starting pitchers, despite representing a hair under 2% of the total games the Rangers have played so far this season.
The Rangers have had 46 games against lefthanded starters this season, and 106 games against righthanded starters. The odds that any given three game stretch from this season for the Rangers would feature three lefthanded starting pitchers is around 1 in 36, or a little less likely than Danny Jansen hitting a home run in any given plate appearance.
We are conditioned to think of this as being a Bad Thing for the Rangers, due to their seemingly years-long struggles against lefthanded pitchers. That has not been the case in the year of 2026, however. The Rangers have a 768 OPS against lefties this season, compared to a 696 OPS against righthanders.
They have especially excelled against lefties this month, with a .383 wOBA that is first among all major league teams. The Yankees are second, at .382, the A’s are at .366, the Padres at .360, and everyone else is at .351 or lower.
For the season as a whole, the Rangers are fourth in wOBA against lefthanded pitchers, at .337, nine points ahead of Boston and the Reds, who are tied for fifth. What makes this all the more remarkable is that the Rangers were 29th in wOBA against lefties at the end of April, at .263 (just one point ahead of the Phillies, in last), as well as at the end of May, when their .280 wOBA against southpaws was ahead of only Seattle (.276).
Since the beginning of June, though, the Rangers have a .360 wOBA against lefthanders, second best in the majors, behind only the Cubs. For the past three-plus months, the Rangers have been raking against lefties, and lagging (.300 wOBA, 29th in the majors) against righthanders.
Sorry, all that isn’t really on topic, but I got interested in the numbers and went down a rabbit trail.
What matters if that the Rangers are facing a righthanded starting pitcher tonight — Boston Red Sox veteran Sonny Gray. And that means that the Rangers are going to have to figure out what to do at their DH spot against a righthanded pitcher.
A stray comment a few days ago sent me down a separate rabbit trail looking at whether the Rangers DH their backup catchers more often that other teams. I worked on a post on it for a while, looking at how often catchers were DHing for every team in the majors this year, until I got bored about halfway through my research and stopped.
However, in the interest of being eco-conscious, I will share what I wrote about the Rangers’ DH situation in 2026 in that mostly-likely-never-to-be-completed draft post:
(This is the start of the deep dive on the Rangers DH usage from that post. I’m also not updating the data, which was accurate through Sunday, but don’t include the last two games, because I don’t feel like it.)
The Rangers have had a total of seven games started at DH by catchers* this season — three by Elias Diaz, two by Kyle Higashioka, one by Austin Wynns, and one by Danny Jansen.
* I’m not counting Logan O’Hoppe, who had six starts at DH, because he was up to be the righthanded DH rather than be the backup catcher, as evidenced by the fact he has one more inning behind the plate for the Rangers than I do.
Diaz’s three starts all came against lefthanded starters, with two coming in a three game span against the A’s.
Higashioka’s two starts both came against lefthanded starters. One of them was in the 14 K Reid Detmers game, and I’d forgotten how jacked up the Rangers’ lineup was that day:
McCutchen — LF
Foscue — 2B
Nimmo — RF
Burger — 1B
Duran — 3B
Jansen — C
Haggerty — CF
Higashioka — DH
Helman — SS
Wynns’ one start was his final game with the Rangers, and was also, weirdly, not only against the A’s, but against Jacob Lopez, who was also the starter in one of Diaz’s games at DH.
And Jansen’s start was against Eduardo Rodriguez, a lefty.
So this seems to be less of a “the Rangers love starting their backup catcher at DH” situation and more of a “the Rangers’ righthanded bench options are limited.” And we see that manifest itself at the DH position because the Rangers platoon at DH, with Joc Pederson starting at DH against righthanders and whatever righthanded hitter happens to be hanging around and not otherwise in the lineup starting at DH against lefthanders.
We thought that the 2026 Texas Rangers had solved their righthanded bench bat situation with the signing of veteran Andrew McCutchen and the return of kinda-veterany Sam Haggerty. McCutchen was no longer a viable everyday guy but had slashed .267/.353/.389 against lefties for Pittsburgh in 2025, while Haggerty had slashed .318/.376/.435 against lefties for Texas in 2025. Texas seemed to be in okay shape, as McCutchen could DH against lefties, Haggerty could play center field, Pederson and Evan Carter could avoid southpaws, and all figured to be well.
Except McCutchen had just a 602 OPS against lefties in 50 plate appearances before being released in late May, while Haggerty put up a 404 OPS in 36 plate appearances against lefties this year before being released ten days later. Both players, incidentally, were even worse against righthanders.
Justin Foscue became the righthanded bat of choice against lefthanded pitchers. In my mind, he’s the righthanded compliment to Pederson at the DH spot, and it seemed in my mind like he’s been the regular DH against lefthanded pitchers this season.
So it was quite a surprise when I went and looked and saw Justin Foscue has just 11 starts at DH this season.
Only 11 starts at DH for Foscue! Even with him not coming up until May, it seems like there should be many more than that.
Part of it is simply a numbers game…the Rangers have faced only 44 lefty starters this season, so no one was going to rack up a huge number of DH starts against lefties. But still, you’d expect Foscue to have more than 25% of those opportunities.
And Foscue has started most of the time when the Rangers have faced a lefty, starting 34 times against lefthanded pitchers. Its just that most of those starts have been with Foscue playing second base, rather than DH, either because Corey Seager was injured and they needed someone to play in the infield, or Josh Jung was injured and they needed someone to play in the infield, or Ezequiel Duran was playing in the outfield and they needed someone to play in the infield.
Aside from Pederson and Foscue, who have combined to start 105 of 150 games at DH (Pederson also has nine starts at first base and one start in right field), and the seven catcher starts at DH, the Rangers have gotten nine starts apiece at DH from Andrew McCutchen, Wyatt Langford and Brandon Nimmo, six from Logan O’Hoppe, four from Corey Seager, and one from Alejandro Osuna. If everyone is healthy, your playoff lineup probably has Pederson and Foscue platooning at DH, but during the regular season the DH spot against lefthanded pitchers has been kind of a revolving door based on who is healthy and who Skip Schumaker wants to get a half-day off at the DH position.
(We now resume with words typed today.)
The last time the Rangers faced a righthanded pitcher, on Saturday, Joc Pederson was the DH, as he has been in almost every game started by a righthander this year. Pederson ended up leaving the game after being hit in the hand with a pitch. Initial x-rays were negative, but a subsequent follow up revealed a small fracture.
Normally Pederson would go on the injured list while waiting for the swelling to go down and for the fracture to heal. But it is crunch time, the Rangers are in a playoff race, and Pederson has been a significant contributor for the Rangers this season, so the decision was made to give it a few days before a decision was made. Monday’s off day and the string of lefty starters meant that there were four full days between Pederson getting hit and the Rangers having a game that he would normally start.
Pederson has said that he is going to try to play through the injury, and was working with the team medical staff to reduce the swelling in his hand enough to allow him to grip a bat properly so he could test his pain tolerance when he swings. This afternoon, when lineups are released, will likely be our first inkling as to how that has gone.
If Pederson is not able to DH, the first option would seem to be Alejandro Osuna, who was called up in place of Cam Cauley the day after Pederson’s injury. Osuna is a lefthanded hitting outfielder, and is someone the Rangers could simply plug in in place of Pederson, should they wish.
Another option would be to put Nicky Lopez into the lineup at second base. Ezequiel Duran has been playing second base against most righthanded pitchers of late, while manning center against lefties. However, with Josh Jung just having returned from his calf injury, and the team cognizant of the time Corey Seager has missed this season, Skip Schumaker could DH one of those infielders and have Duran play third base or shortstop, respectively. Seager has started every game since sitting the finale in Sacramento a month ago, and has been the DH in only one of those games, the finale in Chicago on August 26. Jung has started at third base in all four games since being activated this past Saturday. This may be viewed as an opportunity to get one of those two a partial day off while keeping their bat in the lineup.
The Rangers could also opt to use Justin Foscue or Cody Freeman instead of Lopez as the Pederson replacement, whether at DH or at in infield position so an infielder can DH. Foscue has not hit righthanders well this season, though — he has a .177/.214/.304 slash line with 3 walks against 23 Ks in 84 plate appearances. Freeman, meanwhile, has a 493 OPS against righthanded pitchers, and has been mostly relegated to late inning defensive replacement work over the past week.
I will also note that Kyle Higashioka has been out on a rehab assignment with Round Rock since September 4. Higashioka has only been used at DH, which would suggest that the flexor strain that landed him on the injured list is such that he’s to ready to be used at catcher yet. If Pederson were to go on the injured list, the choices to replace him on the active roster would be Higashioka, who will have to be activated from his rehab assignment by September 24 anyway, or Cauley.
Over the past two years, the Panthers’ logo has featured the inner bowl of the Stanley Cup, signifying the team’s back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025.
Now that they’re not the NHL’s defending champs anymore, it’s no longer appropriate to use the league’s historic trophy as part of Florida’s home ice logo.
Florida decision makers did not want to go back to a traditional-looking paint job at center ice, though.
Instead, the Panthers elected to fill the complete circle again, but this time they used Florida’s primary Panthers-head logo and a very cool looking red background with blue horizontal stripes.
The Panthers posted a photo of how the ice looks with its fresh paint job, and the new center ice logo absolutely pops.
Let us know what you think of the new logo in the comments below.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 24: Vj Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates with Justin Edwards #11 against the Boston Celtics during game three of the Eastern Conference first round playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 24, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 108-100. 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 Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Whether he knew it or not, that shooting performance would propel him to a two-way deal with the Sixers later that season, and eventually a three-year contract extension following his rookie campaign in 2025.
A hometown kid, Edwards grew up in Philadelphia and attended Imhotep Charter School, where they won the city championship when he was a sophomore. As a junior, he led them to a class 5A state championship.
As a Sixer, Edwards has seen inconsistent minutes, especially last season, but his shooting, size and length make him a valuable bench piece for the new-look team.
With the top seven roster spots practically secured, Edwards finds himself in a tier with Dominick Barlow of holdover role players who will be competing for end-of-rotation minutes.
Edwards shot 37% from deep last season, a notch above his rookie-year mark, and will need to duplicate or improve that efficiency if he wants to continue being a vital piece for the team.
His perimeter defense has been steady, but a jump as an interior defender and rebounder could go a long way for this version of the Sixers who will presumably be searching for frontcourt help on the glass wherever they can get it. Edwards rebounding average fell over 50% from his rookie year (3.4 rpg) to last season (1.5 rpg). An uptick will be crucial if Edwards wants consistent minutes from Nick Nurse this season.
The undrafted Kentucky product has displayed an ability to finish at the rim, but an offseason bulking up and getting stronger could make him intriguing as an off-ball option off the bench. I am watching to see how strong he goes to the rim amidst taller defenders. If he can show a confidence and ability to fight through contact, as well as make an impact on the glass, there is a potential we see him play some power forward and help ease the load on guys like LeBron James and Dean Wade.
After a down year, it is very intriguing to see if Edwards can play his way into a consistent role for Nurse with the new additions. On paper, he should fit in easily off-ball and create the play that is available to him. An improvement cutting from the arc to the paint could be crucial, as the Sixers are equipped with great passers who can also draw multiple defenders themselves.
Edwards has seen the hype around him come back to earth after being named the top recruit in the nation by ESPN in 2023. But he has all the tools and measurables to stick in the NBA, and a chance to be a crucial piece to the Mike Gansey experiment happening on the South Philadelphia hardwood.
Dylan Larkin would not say if he has rescinded his trade request, but he has spoken to his Red Wings teamamtes about the situation.
Asked what triggered the request, Larkin said, "There's a lot there. A lot of personal stuff. To be honest with you − I'm going to try and be honest with you guys today. And that's as far as I'll go on that.
"I understand that there's answers that fans and people that care about this organization around the world want to know. But I'm really not ready to go there. It's maybe something that I may never be. And it wasn't easy to get to that decision. It was very hard. It wasn't a spur of the moment thing."
Larkin, who lost his captaincy, didn't take part in practice because of his upper-body injury. - Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said no doors are closed on suspended Connor Hellebuyck returning to the team but, "at the end of the day, that will be his choice."
Hellebuyck was suspended after not appearing at a team function on Wednesday. The GM said he will continue to explore trade talks but there is no deadline for getting it done.
"We've been trying to make trades that work for both sides for a long time and will continue to do that," he said.
Cheveldayoff said he hasn't received an offer that's commensurate with a goalie of the caliber of Hellebuyck, who has won three Vezina trophies, a Hart Trophy and an Olympic gold medal.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 10: Dario Reynoso #6 of the San Jose Giants looks on against the Stockton Ports in the bottom of the second inning in the Cal Division Series Game 2 at Excite Ballpark on September 10, 2026 in San Jose, California - Region AMER. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Wednesday wasn’t a great day for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball teams. The Low-A San Jose Giants lost the California League championship and, with that, we’ve worked our way from seven teams down to two. That two will quickly become zero, as AAA Sacramento is playing their final series of the year, while AA Richmond is in their playoff run.
Here’s everything that happened on Wednesday, with one of our final Minor League roundups of the 2027 season.
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
The High-A awards were announced on Wednesday, and the Eugene Emeralds positively cleaned up. Eugene had 4 players make the Northwest League All-Star team: shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), who was named to the team as a utility player after getting some time at second base, outfielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL), LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL), and RHP Ryan Vanderhei. That’s impressive work, but it doesn’t stop there!
Level was given arguably the most important honors in the league, as he was named the Top MLB Prospect in the Northwest League. It’s the 2nd year running that Level has been bestowed with that honor, after earning it in the Arizona Complex League in 2026.
But winning an award twice in a row won’t impress Bresnahan who, remarkably, was named the Pitcher of the Year in his league for the 3rd year running! My goodness! Let’s hope he keeps that honor up all the way into the Majors.
In addition to those four All-Stars, manager Jacob Heyward was named the Northwest League Manager of the Year, as he continues to look like a future MLB manager.
AAA Sacramento (78-65)
Sacramento River Cats lost to the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) 3-2 Box score
A fairly uninteresting loss for the River Cats, though there were some things to note. The biggest thing to come out of this game was the return of left fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL). When Davidson fouled a ball off of his foot last week, and needed help walking off the field, it certainly looked like his season was over, and even allowed you to be concerned about his offseason work and Spring Training. But thankfully, it was announced that he had a contusion rather than a fracture and, just a few days later, he was back in the lineup.
Davidson didn’t play particularly well, as he went 0-4, but it’s just great seeing him healthy. Had he not suffered that minor injury, he might be in the Majors right now instead of Scott Bandura, not that I’m upset about Bandura getting that opportunity!
The lefty slugger, who is a lock to be added to the roster as a Rule 5 protection, now has 4 games to hit 2 home runs, which would make him the Giants first Minor Leaguer with 30 home runs since Adam Duvall in 2012.
Davidson wasn’t the only River Cat to struggle at the plate, as Sacramento had just 4 hits on the day. Half of those came off the bat of third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL), who is doing a decent job bouncing back from his slump to end the year on a high note. The righty went 2-4 in this game, while bashing a triple and striking out once.
Harber hasn’t been quite as dynamic lately as he was when he first got to AAA, but he has been swinging the bat well, which is a very welcome sight. After an 8-game stretch in late August and early September where he hit just 1-34 with 0 extra-base hits, 4 walks, and 12 strikeouts, Harber has responded with a 10-game run where he’s gone 13-39 with 3 extra-base knocks, 6 walks, and 12 strikeouts. Love to see players work through struggles, and it’s brought him back to a positive line overall, as he has a .781 OPS and a 109 wRC+.
Second baseman Zane Zielinski made his AAA debut, as he was moved up to help out the depleted Sacramento roster. It was a sterling debut for the 2024 underslot 9th-rounder, who hit 1-2 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout.
It will be interesting to see where the Giants put Zielinski, who recently turned 25, when the 2027 season rolls around. He’s a very good defensive infielder, which has made the team comfortable moving him up levels to cover roster holes. But he has really struggled with the bat this year, posting a .657 OPS and an 82 wRC+ with High-A Eugene, and a .551 OPS and a 47 wRC+ with AA Richmond.
Right fielder Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL) continued his rehab assignment and hit 1-4 with a double and a strikeout.
Another very rough start for RHP Trystan Vrieling, who has quickly learned a hard lesson about the quality of AAA hitters and the environment of the Pacific Coast League. Vrieling, a 2022 3rd-rounder who came over in the Camilo Doval trade, needed exactly 100 pitches to get through just 4.2 innings, and while he only gave up 3 hits, 1 of those hits was a home run, and he walked 6 batters on the day, leading to 3 runs on his stat sheet.
The one good part of Vrieling’s performance was that he struck out 7 batters and, interestingly, that’s been a trend for him. He’s been completely beaten up in 4 starts since his promotion, giving up 31 hits, 14 walks, and 19 earned runs in just 17.2 innings, good for a 9.68 ERA and a 5.84 FIP. But he does have 25 strikeouts during that time, which means he’s sitting on 12.7 Ks per 9 innings in AAA … after that number being just 8.3 in AA this year. Hopefully that’s the start of something, but in all likelihood it’s just fun with sample sizes.
The bullpen, however, was great, as RHPs Braxton Roxby and Alex Carillo, and LHP Nick Zwack combined for 4.1 scoreless innings. Roxby gave up just 1 hit in 2.1 innings, with 2 strikeouts, as he looks to stay in the organization’s plan after being added to the 40-man roster recently. Zwack pitched a perfect frame with a strikeout; after having a rough August, he’s yet to allow a run in 5 September appearances.
Low-A San Jose (eliminated)
San Jose Giants lost to the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) 13-2 Box score
And with that, San Jose’s splendid season is over. The Baby Giants posted the best record in the California League this year with an 80-52 mark, and ended the regular season with 20 wins in their final 22 games. They cruised through the Division Series, and looked unbeatable. And then they ran into the Storm in the Championship Series, and their otherwise sensational season came to a sad trombone of an end.
It was a sloppy game all around. San Jose had 5 errors on the day, and their pitchers issued nearly as many walks (7) as strikeouts (9). The hitters, meanwhile, had 12 hits, but only converted them into 2 runs, the result of 3 deadly sins: hitting into 2 double plays, going 1-15 with runners in scoring position, and striking out 15 times. Yep, that’ll do it.
It was a particularly rough end to an otherwise magnificent season for shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL), though it wasn’t the worst game imaginable. González did hit 1-4 with a double (1 of just 2 extra-base hits on the day for San Jose), and drew a walk. But he struck out once and committed 2 costly errors.
After injuries sapped some of his playing time and he cooled off a little at the end of the year, I suppose there’s a chance that González returns to San Jose for the 2027 season, though I certainly think he should be in High-A Eugene.
Nice games to end the season for second baseman Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL), third baseman Dario Reynoso, and first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins. Meola hit 2-4 with a hit by pitch and a strikeout; Reynoso went 3-5 with an error and a strikeout; and Jenkins hit 2-4 with a double, a walk, and 2 strikeouts. I would expect all 3 to be in Eugene when next season gets underway.
The pitching was as bad as it could be, though I suppose that’s hardly surprising. San Jose used their ace, RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) in Tuesday’s no-hitter, and their electric duo of RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL) and LHP Leandro Rodriguez were unavailable after pitching on Sunday. Add in the fact that RHP Jackson Flora and LHP Jordan Gottesman were moved up to new levels to end the year (the former to AA and the latter to High-A), and San Jose was thin on options.
They went with LHP Ricardo Estrada, who struggled his way through 2.2 innings. The 24-year old from Mexico gave up 4 hits, including a home run and 2 doubles, while also walking a batter, which tagged him for 3 runs (he did have 4 strikeouts, though).
Estrada, who spent 4 years in the DSL before coming to the states last year, spent all of 2026 with San Jose, where he posted a 4.12 ERA and a 5.77 FIP, with 8.4 strikeouts and 5.1 walks per 9 innings.
From there, things got even worse with the bullpen, with the next 4 arms all giving up multiple runs (RHP Ben Bybee, who allowed a hit and 2 walks in 2.1 innings, had both of his runs be unearned due to the aforementioned shoddy defense).
The lone bright spot on the pitching front was the final arm to take the mound for San Jose: LHP Beau Bryans. Bryans, who was the team’s 7th-round pick in July’s draft, was making his professional debut. It was a very short debut, as he only faced 1 batter, but he struck that batter out!
Welcome to the pros, Beau … now go enjoy the offseason.
Thursday schedule
Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Reno (SP: Duncan Davitt) Richmond: 3:45 p.m. PT vs. Erie (SP: Jackson Flora)
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 12: Julius Randle signs memorabilia for a fans during the Brooklyn Nets Back To School clinic on September 12, 2026 at The Brooklyn Basketball Training Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Avery J. Munroe/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
As we’ve written recently, we don’t put a lot of stock in off-season rankings and ratings, particularly those posted so close to Opening Night. After all, the real measure of a team’s off-season moves — wins and losses — are so close at hand. We’ll know soon enough exactly where things stand and said rankings and ratings will be forgotten.
Still, there have been some predictions of late that while not changing the overall belief that the Nets will be bad, they represent a bit of pundit pull-back, particularly in ESPN’s latest rankings of team futures. It was only a few weeks ago that the worldwide leader predicted 18 wins, which would be two less than last season’s tankathon and the third worst in the franchise’s history.
On Wednesday, an ESPN insiders’ panel released its rankings of NBA futures … where each team will be in three years time. The Nets ranked 24th, up from 27th last year. Progress?
The bottom line, written by Zach Kram, described the Nets outlook this way:
[T]he Nets rank near the top of both the draft and money categories. But beyond the frontcourt pairing of Michael Porter Jr. and new Net Julius Randle, this is still a roster devoid of win-now talent, as Brooklyn is still primarily focused on the development of a half-dozen recent first-round picks. That timeline means it’s hard to expect too many wins from this team in the near term.
Dean Oliver, an ESPN consultant, suggested that history is not on the Nets side.
The Nets are top five in both money and draft for the third straight season but bottom five in players. Usually, teams in that situation are two years away from being about average or better. But given Brooklyn’s low win predictions for this season, the franchise might have actually been two years away from being two years away back in 2024.
The big long term prediction by Oliver also stings:
Nets will get bored of rebuilding and make an all-in play for a superstar during one of the next two summers. This is just the natural life cycle for Brooklyn, which sold the farm for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in 2013 and landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019.
The rankings take into account teams’ current roster, management, draft, money and market. (Oddly and without much explanation, the panel dropped Brooklyn as a market from No. 7 to No. 11. A function of the Knicks’ championship?)
A great deal of the season preview focuses on the acquisition of Randle in what is generally seen as a salary dump. Kram sees the arrival of Randle as a short-term positive but nothing more.
Their largest outlay came from trading Claxton in a deal that brought back former All-NBA forward Randle, which should improve the team next season — because of Randle’s availability and floor-raising talent — but doesn’t do much to aid the Nets’ murky longer-term outlook.
Golliver offers a similar take.
Although Brooklyn acquired Randle in a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 31-year-old forward isn’t talented enough to carry a contender or young enough to shepherd the Nets’ next era. Randle should help Brooklyn make progress in the standings, but plugging him in as a stopgap doesn’t qualify as a long-term plan.
However, Oliver raises some flags even for this season, citing analytics, his specialty.
Randle’s decline in the second half of last season was plain to see. He posted plus-2.2 net points per 100 possessions in the first half of the season, just 0.0 in the second half, along with 10 negative games out of 13 in the playoffs. Such a sudden drop-off was probably either due to injury or the situation in Minnesota demotivating him. However, he should be solid and make the Nets a bit more competitive this season.
Injury? Randle did play 79 games.
Surprisingly, there’s little in the season preview about either Egor Demin or Mikel Brown Jr. which considering their age (20) and likely big role is a bit mystifying. Meanwhile, over at the mother ship, SB Nation, Ricky O’Donnell offers positives about both lottery picks and the man who will coach them, Jordi Fernandez
His assessment is in large part based on confidence in Fernandez.
I trust the Nets to beat their very low expectations coming into the season … provided they don’t trade Michael Porter Jr. before opening night. Porter enjoyed a career-year under Jordi Fernandez in Brooklyn last season one year after Cam Johnson enjoyed similar success.
Fernandez is one of the best young coaches in the game, and he has a little more talent to work with this season with the arrival of Julius Randle. Add in a potential sophomore leap from Egor Demin, a possible center upgrade with Day’ron Sharpe taking over for Nic Claxton, and the arrival of rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr., and I like Brooklyn more than the early prognostications. Fernandez will get the most out of this group as long as it doesn’t sell off parts.
Again, we will know in a little more than a month how the pundits’ views turn out. Not to mention the players own views. Ben Saraf is on the record as saying he and his teammates expect to make the playoffs and Porter Jr. thinks 50 is good round number.
LeBron James speaks onstage during the Mind the Game panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026. Getty Images for Fanatics
Edwards hasn’t forgotten about the Minnesota snub and went all in on roasting James in a new Adidas commercial promoting his third signature sneaker.
“Speaking of old school, you see where big dog ended up? He was gon’ join me in Minnesota. But I guess his knees couldn’t handle the cold weather,” Edwards said.
“It’s cool though. We know why he really made that decision.
“Philly got some of the best barbers in the world. Between him and ol’ boy from Boston, they gonna have a whole lotta enhancements going on in the locker room.”
Welcome to Minnatlantasota. The Cold Blooded Anthony Edwards 3 drops tomorrow.
The biggest news of the NBA offseason was where James would finish his career. Miami and Cleveland appeared to make the most sense on the outside looking in.
But teams like the Timberwolves and 76ers presented a new opportunity for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. One thing was clear, James would not don the purple and gold for the 2026-27 season.
The veteran informed the Lakers he would not return for a ninth consecutive season at the end of June, kickstarting the free agency saga of the summer. While James didn’t end up teaming up with Edwards, it appears the two have kept things lighthearted ahead of the upcoming season.
Anthony Edwards roasts multiple NBA players in his latest Adidas commercial. Adidas HoopsAnthony Edwards’ third signature sneaker with Adidas is set to be released. Adidas Hoops
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 16: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees runs to first base in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on April 16, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Giancarlo Stanton’s less-than-stellar speed is widely known throughout the baseball community. During the Yankees’ pennant run two years ago, Bob Costas went viral in the baseball community for bringing it up at every possible opportunity as the Bombers took on the Kansas City Royals, noting that “it’s not his fault” because repeated lower body injuries had sapped him of his speed and athleticism. Fans of MLB: The Show recognize him as arguably the slowest player in the game, with a speed rating in 2-3 range. And, of course, when we check out the Statcast data, we see that Stanton’s 23.8 ft/s ranks sixth-worst in the league, better only than Sandy León, Jose Trevino, Christian Vázquez, Alejandro Kirk, and Salvador Perez — i.e., five catchers.
Earlier this week, I was scrolling through the Statcast data on Yankees baserunners, and I thought to myself, “Just how fast are these players?
You see, back in high school, I was on the track and cross country teams (if you’re reading this, hi coach!), and because of that, I generally think of sprint speed based on 200, 400, and 800 meter dash times. And so, I decided to take the sprint speeds of a few prominent Yankees — Stanton, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Spencer Jones, and George Lombard Jr. — and calculate what their times would be in these races would be.
Realistically, these numbers aren’t perfect — a runner’s times generally don’t scale perfectly linearly, like they do here, because each race requires something different: a 200-meter dash is an all-out sprint, a 400-meter dash is a sprint where you run out of gas midway through and try to die slowly, and an 800-meter dash is the stepchild of a sprint and distance race in which you have to sort of pace yourself, but not too much. For most people, this results not in your personal time increasing linearly, but the initial targets you aim for at the beginning of your career increasing linearly or slighly above linearly (e.g., 30 seconds for the 200, 60 seconds for the 400, and 2 minutes and ten seconds for the 800). Even so, these numbers do tell a bit of a story, particularly when we hone in on the one most comparable to a sprint on the basepaths: the 200-meter dash.
Not surprisingly, the speedsters on the team have phenomenal projected times: 22 seconds would not have qualified for the NCAA championships earlier this year, but was only about a second to a second and a half off the slowest time in the championship race — not bad since, you know, they neither train as sprinters nor wear a track singlet, which is much more conducive to running than a baseball uniform. But this was not all that unexpected, at least to me. What caught my eye, on the other hand, is the player whom I talked about in the introduction, Giancarlo Stanton.
Compared to professional athletes, Stanton is slower than slow. (Although he did steal a base this year!) Compared to the average person, on the other hand? A 27.5-second 200-meter dash time would have been perfectly average in a high school track meet — it certainly wouldn’t get you a medal, but considering the fact that the first major milestone a freshman sprinter aimed for was a 30-second 200, it wouldn’t put you at the back of the pack, either.
Oh, and Stanton is doing this as one of the slowest players in the game, one who jogs more than he runs, using legs that have been hampered by years and years of lower body injuries.
At the end of the day, does this mean all that much? Not really — after all, we’re not competing in professional sports, and professional baseball players don’t train to run on a track. Nonetheless, it’s yet another reminder that, no matter how they might look on television or from the third deck of the ballpark, professional athletes compete at a level that we can barely even fathom.
Feb 16, 2023; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) pitches during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
The Phillies’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot is six. In theory, four games against a last place Mets team is a great opportunity to lower that number even further. But considering the Phillies’ history – and especially their recent history at Citi Field – does anyone think that this weekend is going to be easy for the Phillies?
The Mets come into the game having lost four in a row, but with no postseason ahead for them, they’ll probably treat this series as their personal playoffs, welcoming a chance to put a damper on the Phillies’ postseason hopes. As poorly as the season has gone for the Mets, they’re schedule to throw viable starters this weekend, and they still have some hitters in their lineup who can make life difficult for Phillies’ pitching.
At least the Phillies won their previous series at Citi Field this season. It’s bad enough going there needing to win a few games, but it would be horrible if they still had that lengthy losing streak at the stadium hanging over their heads.
Opposition research: Kodai Senga
Kodai Senga’s tenure with the Mets hasn’t gone the way they envisioned. He was terrific in his first season after coming over from Japan, going 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 2023. Since then, he’s been frequently injured and inconsistent when he has been able to pitch.
He got off to an awful start to 2026, with a 9.00 ERA after five starts, prompting a trip to the Injured List. He wasn’t any better upon returning, giving up eleven runs over his next two starts.
Watching Kodai Senga pitch is a cruel form of torture. He is absolutely awful in every way @Mets
The Mets moved him to the bullpen, and early returns on that move weren’t any better. Finally, in August, with closer Devin Williams going to the Injured List, and Brooks Raley sent to the Phillies (they can have him back), the Mets decided to try Senga as their closer.
Somehow, it seems to have worked. Reducing his pitch arsenal, Senga has been far more effective. He’s racked up the strikeouts and secured his first seven save opportunities.
Kodai Senga sets down the Giants 1-2-3 in the 9th!
That streak ended when he blew one against Pete Alonso and the Orioles. (It’s telling that perhaps the happiest the Citi Field crowd has been all season was when one of their opponents hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning.)
Pete Alonso just demolished his 300th career homer, 414 feet off Kodai Senga. "Pete Alonso!" chants broke out immediately at Citi Field, and Alonso gave a curtain call… in a visiting ballpark. pic.twitter.com/80cihYVWxV
Senga has expressed a desire to move back to the rotation, which may cause tension between him and the Mets this offseason. But for now, the Mets appear to have an actual go-to guy if they’re leading in the ninth inning.
Hating on the Mets
It will be interesting to see if the Mets try to spend their way out of this mess during the offseason. Then again, it’s partly due to the Mets’ high spending ways that we’re likely headed to a lockout next year. It’s one thing to allow your horrible moves to hurt your own team (because Mets fans deserve to suffer), but they’re also hurting the sport itself.
On the other hand, if the Mets want to keep saving the Phillies from making Bo Bichette-level mistakes, I say let them have at it!
Trivia
Last week’s answer: Trea Turner is the only Phillie to have multiple multi-home run games at Truist Field. He hit two in one game on July 5, 2024 and again on June 27, 2025. Nobody came up with the correct answer.
This week’s question: Since Citi Field opened in 2009, two different Phillies players have recorded six RBI in a single game there. Name either of them.
Additional thought about the series
It seems certain that the Phillies will start Aaron Nola, Andrew Painter, and Cristopher Sanchez in three of the games this series. As for the fourth? Your guess is as good as mine.
They might go with a straight bullpen game (didn’t work out so well when they tried that in Atlanta), or call up Nestor Cortes, although he isn’t exactly stretched out and probably can’t be counted on for more than three innings.
Nestor Cortes is in consideration to join the Phillies this weekend in New York.
Here’s how he’s fared in the Minor Leagues so far:
As for other options from the minors, they could try giving Alan Rangel or Brian Keller another try (both have been dreadful since being demoted) or maybe see what Chuck King can do. He was the IronPigs’ pitcher of the year, but that isn’t saying much since he’s a 28-year-old career minor leaguer who had a 3.97 ERA in AAA.
In other words, there are no good choices here! It would be great if the Phillies’ offense could pick up the pitching in that game, but the offense has had plenty of struggles of their own lately.
That bullpen game might be a scheduled loss, but the Phillies hope that Sanchez’s start on Sunday isn’t. They really need their lefthanded ace to move past whatever has ailed him in recent outings and get back to striking everybody out with his changeup.
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX - APRIL 03: Brandon McPherson #35 of the Corpus Christi Hooks pitches during the game between the Frisco RoughRiders and the Corpus Christi Hooks at Whataburger Field on Friday, April 3, 2026 in Corpus Christi, Texas. (Photo by Kyra Blundell/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (72-73) lost 5-0 (BOX SCORE)
McPherson started for Sugar Land and went 4.2 innings allowing 3 runs, all unearned. The pen allowed a couple of runs as Las Vegas extended their lead. The offense had a rough night collecting just one hit as Sugar Land fell 5-0.
Note: Schiavone has 30+ HR and 30+ SB this season.
