Baltimore Orioles starter Chris Bassitt has been crushed by left-handed hitters this season, and the Toronto Blue Jays’ lefty-heavy lineup is positioned to exploit that weakness again tonight in Baltimore.
That sets up well for Bassitt to go Over his 2.5 earned runs total tonight, which is my best bet for my Blue Jays vs Orioles predictions and MLB picks for Thursday, May 28.
Blue Jays vs Orioles predictions
Blue Jays vs Orioles best bet: Chris Bassitt Over 2.5 earned runs (+125)
The veteran righty owns a 5.51 ERA through his first 10 outings in orange, while ranking in the 9th percentile in opponent xBA.
Opponents are consistently squaring Bassitt up this season as he owns a .311 opponent batting average, while exceeding tonight’s earned runs total in four of his last six starts.
Additionally, the Toronto Blue Jays feature a heavy left-handed-hitting lineup that matches up well against Bassitt, who owns a .917 opponent OPS against lefties this season.
Daulton Varsho profiles as a strong contender to punish Bassitt today as a left-handed slugger who crushes the sinker. As mentioned before, Bassitt owns a .917 OSP against lefties this year, and the sinker-ball in particular has been victimized.
Despite owning a .373 average on the pitch, Bassitt throws it more than any other pitch in his arsenal
This is where Varsho profiles well, owning a .394 average against the sinker with a 50% hard hit rate. So I'll take Over 0.5 hits for Varsho tonight.
I’ll also target Kazuma Okamoto Over 0.5 hits. The Jays' third baseman has crushed the sinker as well, owning a .444 average with a 62% hard-hit rate against the pitch.
Blue Jays vs Orioles SGP
Chris Bassitt Over 2.5 earned runs
Daulton Varsho Over 0.5 hits
Kazuma Okamoto Over 0.5 hits
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Blue Jays vs Orioles home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+550)
I'll make this wager a half unit, considering Bassitt has done a solid job of keeping the ball in the yard despite the rest of his struggles.
Kazuma Okamoto showed earlier in the season his homers can come in bunches, and after a go-ahead home run Wednesday afternoon, I'm banking on another long ball tonight in Baltimore.
Bassitt is throwing the sinker at a 48% rate to right-handed hitters, which plays to Okamoto's strengths. The Jays slugger owns a .506 slugging percentage and a 62% hard-hit rate against it.
2026 Transparency record
Best bets: 26-28, +2.10 units
SGPs: 11-43, +5.60 units
HR picks: 8-46, +0.15 units
Blue Jays vs Orioles odds
Moneyline: Toronto +110 | Baltimore -130
Run line: Toronto +1.5 (-175) | Baltimore -1.5 (+150)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-120) | Under 8.5 (+100)
Blue Jays vs Orioles trend
The Over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Orioles.
How to watch Blue Jays vs Orioles and game info
Location
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
Date
Thursday, May 28, 2026
First pitch
6:35 p.m. ET
TV
SN, MASN
Blue Jays starting pitcher
Patrick Corbin (2-1, 3.86 ERA)
Orioles starting pitcher
Chris Bassitt (4-3, 5.51 ERA)
Blue Jays vs Orioles latest injuries
Blue Jays vs Orioles weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Ryan Ward had to wait seven years for his first career call-up to the big leagues.
This time, he’s returning less than six weeks later.
With Teoscar Hernández set to go on the injured list with a hamstring strain he sustained Wednesday night, the Dodgers on Thursday decided to call Ward back up to the majors as his replacement, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The California Post.
Ryan Ward has been called up to the big leagues, again, this time in pace of injured OF Teoscar Hernández . Getty Images
The move will mark Ward’s second time playing in the majors this year, after making his long-awaited MLB debut on April 19 in Colorado, when he recorded two hits and an RBI while filling in for Freddie Freeman during his absence on the paternity list.
Ward, 28, is a left-handed slugger who should give the Dodgers an option for what will now be a platoon in left field.
Alex Call figures to be the primary right-handed option there, having hit .294 in a reserve role this season. Ward and Hyeseong Kim figure to get the left-handed portion of at-bats in that equation.
Ward can also play first base if needed.
The Athletic earlier reported the news of his call-up on Thursday morning.
The reigning MVP of the triple-A Pacific Coast League, Ward has regressed somewhat in 2026, batting just .254 with six home runs and 31 RBIs in 47 games with the club’s Oklahoma City affiliate.
After a slow start to the season, Hernández was hitting .276 with seven homeruns and 31 RBI’s this season. Getty Images
However, he has continued to control the strike zone (34 walks, 43 strikeouts), is getting on base at a .379 clip, and now has at least a small taste of MLB experience to fall back on.
He’ll likely stay in the majors this time until either Hernández (who will be out at least a couple weeks) or Tommy Edman (who is just starting a multi-week rehab assignment in triple-A coming off ankle surgery this winter) returns to the field.
The Dodgers did have other options to consider, from breakout prospect James Tibbs III to three-year MLB veteran utility man Tyler Fitzgerald.
And this role –– which is still likely to include somewhat sporadic at-bats over only a temporary period –– suited his skill set and development arc best.
Boston, MA - May 23: Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony watches from the dugout. The Boston Red Sox played the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park on May 23, 2026. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Anyone in the mood for some good injury news? While he still has yet to face living pitching, Roman Anthony is finally swinging a bat without pain the injured hand that has kept him out for most of this month. Granted, these are “dry swings,” which are every bit as fun and exciting as dry weddings, but he’s going to attempt to hit an actual baseball off a tee today. Garrett Crochet, meanwhile, threw live batting practice on Tuesday and will do so again next week. He hopes to be able to return to the big league club without going on a rehab assignment. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
But because the universe requires balance, we have some potentially bad injury news. Garrett Whitlock slipped on the muddy Fenway mound over the weekend and subsequently had his worst appearance of the season. He hyperextended his plant leg and received an painkilling injection. No word yet on whether he’ll avoid an IL stint. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
Before the season, if someone had told you that Mickey Gasper was going to get regular playing time, you probably would’ve assumed there’d been some kind of IL stint for either Carlos Narvaez or Connor Wong, too. But Gasper, along with Nick Sogard and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, is quickly becoming a favorite of Chad Tracy. “They take good at-bats,” the interim boss said. “You can see when they’re in there and when you’re watching, they know what a strike is, they know what a ball is, they’ll go deep in the count, they get into hitters’ counts, they’ll use the off-side of the field. That sparks things when people see that.” (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
Last night, Sogard didn’t just help the team by getting into a hitters count, he also had a sacrifice bunt. Of the eight sac bunts the Sox have laid down this year, six of them have come since Tracy took over as he searches for ways to kick-start the offense. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
And make no mistake: the offense desperately needs something to get it going, as it is potentially the worst Red Sox offense many of us have ever seen. (Chad Finn, Boston Globe)
Could Franklin Arias be a part of the offense at some point this season? That seemed like a big-time long shot just a few months ago, but the shortstop continues to impress. He’s impressing so much that one prominent prospect evaluator now has him as the third-best prospect in all of baseball, with Anthony Eyanson coming in at number 21. (Keith Law, The Athletic)
Payton Tolle and Connelly Early are no longer eligible for Law’s prospect rankings, which is certainly fitting in the case of Early, who looks like a vet on the mound. “After what he did last year for us in the playoffs, I feel like he had to grow up pretty quick,” Jarren Duran said. “Some of us forget he’s a rookie and he’s doing the things that he’s doing.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
For every NHL team, including the eventual Stanley Cup winner, summer is a time of change.
Naturally, the Cup-winning GM would love to stand in front of his team and make the Wolf of Wall Street speech: "We're not leaving! The show goes on!"
But the salary cap, free agency and maybe a retirement or two make that impossible.
For a GM like Ottawa's Steve Staios, after watching his team get swept in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and score just five goals in the process, he might have been thinking a month ago that he has some serious work to do this summer to help his team close the gap.
However, the way the Carolina Hurricanes have played this spring may be giving him some new pause for thought.
What if the team that spanked the Senators in Round 1 goes on to just completely trample everyone else and win the Stanley Cup? Doesn't that have at least some effect on Staios’ view of his club and how much change is actually required?
As the 2026 playoffs march on, it's becoming crystal clear that the Hurricanes are a wagon. As of this writing, the Canes are 11-1 in these playoffs, getting timely scoring, solid goaltending and, most of all, they boast an absolutely suffocating defensive structure that the Senators, the Philadelphia Flyers and now the Montreal Canadiens had no answer for.
The Hurricanes have taken a 3-1 series lead on the Canadiens and dominated Game 4, outshooting Montreal 43-18 in a 4-0 victory. Every time cameras cut to Martin St. Louis, he looked completely exasperated, like a man with no answers.
It was a game the Canadiens had to have, and yet they finished the third period with just three shots on goal.
Carolina is one win away from getting to the Cup final in just 13 games. The all-time NHL record (four rounds, all seven-game series) for fewest games needed to win a Cup is 18. That’s how good Carolina is.
Sure, no matter how you slice it, getting swept in round one was disappointing for the Sens organization and the fan base, but it's becoming obvious there's no shame in it.
The Senators were one of the best teams in the NHL in the second half of the season, but because they got off to a rough start thanks to poor goaltending, their punishment was getting pinned as the lowest seed and having to play the very best team right away.
Carolina isn't just good. They're hungry, they're filled with experience, and they're covered in playoff scars.
In 2019, they lost in the Conference Final. In 2020, they lost in the first round. In 2021 and 2022, they lost in the second round. In 2023, they lost in the Conference Final again. In 2024, the second round. In 2025, another loss in the conference final.
This is a group that is clearly being driven by the sting of all those past playoff failures, and all those hard lessons are now well-learned. They work hard, they sweat the small stuff, and they're doing whatever it takes to avoid reliving the heartbreaks of the past.
The Senators will have some of that motivation next season, too, though not to the same degree as 2026 Carolina.
The good news is that if the Hurricanes do win it all this year, there will be solace in that for the Sens. It sucks to be swept. It sucks less to be swept by the Cup champs. Meanwhile, the hunger fueling the 'Canes right now may become difficult to replicate next season, which could allow famished teams like Ottawa to close the gap.
There will be changes this summer because there always are. But the Senators may be closer to contention than they appeared to be a month ago.
The Chicago Cubs come in as underdogs against Paul Skenes and his Pittsburgh Pirates on tonight.
However, my Cubs vs. Pirates predictions expect them to pull off the upset, with the reigning Cy young winner not playing at his best lately.
Read on to get my free MLB picks for Thursday, May 28.
Who will win Cubs vs Pirates today: Cubs moneyline (+146)
Paul Skenes is coming off the roughest two-game stretch of his young career, allowing nine earned runs in 10 innings of work in two losses for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Skenes has seen opponents square up more of his pitches than ever, with 32.7% of batted balls landing in the Launch Angle Sweet Spot this season.
The Chicago Cubs have been incredibly streaky this year, but are a fundamentally strong offensive squad, averaging 4.73 runs per game and posting a .725 OPS.
I’m backing Chicago to win this game as long as I can get a premium of +140 or more.
COVERS INTEL:The Cubs are raking against Skenes’ bread-and-butter pitch – the four-seam fastball – pulling it in the air 21.3% of the time against right-handed pitchers.
Cubs vs Pirates Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-110)
Even when Skenes struggles, it hasn’t been enough to hit the Over. The Pirates have played to totals of seven runs or less in five of his last six starts, as their ace keeps them in games even when the offense flounders.
While Colin Rea (4-3, 4.83 ERA) has struggled a bit this year, he has put up a strong 32.2% chase rate, which will play well against a Pirates team that ranks third-worst in whiff percentage this year at 27.5%.
I’m taking the Under at 7.5 runs if we can get the standard -110 odds or better.
Ed Scimia's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 9-14, -5.98 units
Over/Under bets: 7-14, -7.53 units
Cubs vs Pirates odds
Moneyline: Chicago +146 | Pittsburgh -161
Run line: Chicago +1.5 (-142) | Pittsburgh -1.5 (+129)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-103) | Under 7.5 (-112)
Cubs vs Pirates trend
The Pirates have hit the Under in each of Skenes’ last four starts. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Pirates.
How to watch Cubs vs Pirates and game info
Location
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Date
Thursday, May 28, 2026
First pitch
6:40 p.m. ET
TV
MARQ, SNP
Cubs starting pitcher
Colin Rea (4-3, 4.83 ERA)
Pirates starting pitcher
Paul Skenes (6-4, 3.00 ERA)
Cubs vs Pirates latest injuries
Cubs vs Pirates weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The Hockey News is currently in the process of revealing its Top 100 NHL players of the 2025-26 season rankings. So far, The Hockey News has revealed players 100 to 71.
One Buffalo Sabres star has made the rankings so far, as Alex Tuch made the cut.
Tuch was given the No. 97 spot on The Hockey News' rankings. When looking at the season he put together for the Sabres, it makes sense that he has been ranked among the NHL's top players from this season.
In 79 games this season with the Sabres, the 6-foot-4 forward recorded 33 goals, 33 assists, 66 points, 82 hits, and a plus-24 rating. With numbers like these, the pending unrestricted free agent is setting himself up for a nice raise, whether he re-signs with the Sabres or joins another club.
Tuch did not make The Hockey News' top players rankings for the 2024-25 season. This was after he had 36 goals and 67 points in 82 games during last season.
In 360 games over five seasons with the Sabres, Tuch has recorded 139 goals, 170 assists, 309 points, and a plus-60 rating. With numbers like these, he has been a very good player for the Sabres, and it will be interesting to see if he ends up staying put.
DUNEDIN, FLORIDA - MARCH 14, 2026: Charles McAdoo #26 of the Toronto Blue Jays in the field during the seventh inning of a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers at TD Ballpark on March 14, 2026 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
I missed this yesterday (being fair, I haven’t turned on the computer for two days, but I did ride my bike 100 very hill kilometers over the last couple of days).
Charles McAdoo will be getting the call-up today. He is hitting .250/.356/.436 with 6 home runs, 28 walks, 40 strikeouts and 6 stolen bases with the Bisons.
McAdoo was on our ‘just missed out list’ in this year’s top 40 prospects. Tom M wrote:
Charles McAdoo was the last cut from out list. The trade return for Isiah Kiner-Falefa repeated AA last year with mixed results. He hit for some power but struck out too much (28%). That’s basically McAdoo’s game. He swings hard, with a bat path geared to maximize fly balls at the expense of contact. It might work, because he has plus power and enough feel for the barrel to make acceptable if below average contact rates, but it’s a narrow path. There will also be a lot of pressure on the bat, because he’s a below average defender at third base and a below average runner, so first base might be the ultimate destination.
Someone (Lenyn Sosa) will have be be removed from the active roster and the 40-man roster. Sosa has been just terrible for the Jays (he did finally take a walk Monday). No one is going to miss his .480 OPS. He hit 22 home runs last year, and the team was hoping that power would show up. It didn’t.
Also yesterday, the Jays traded for Connor Seabold from the Tigers. Juanmi Vasquez is going to the Tigers. Vasquez has a 5.87 ERA for the Vancouver Canadians. In 23 innings. he has 16 walks and 35 strikeouts.
Seabold has pitched parts of five seasons in the MLB, and has a 7.28 ERA in 134.1 innings, with 49 walks and 110 strikeouts. He’s made 19 starts and 32 relief appearances.
He throws a fastball in the 93 mph range, a change-up, a slider and curve ball.
Jose Berrios was moved to the 60-day DL to make room.
Beyond all that:
Austin Voth was called up to the Jays yesterday. He pitched in a game in April for the Jays, 2.2 innings allowing 1 earned, with 3 hits, a walks and a strikeout.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 19, 2026: Edwin Arroyo #56 of the Cincinnati Reds bats during the fifth inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on March 19, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Keith Law of The Athletic released his mid-season Top 50 overall prospect list this morning, and by his count the Cincinnati Reds have a different top prospect in their system than they did on Opening Day.
On the heels of his brilliant start to the AAA season, infielder Edwin Arroyo landed all the way at #23 overall on Law’s list, even outranking stud catching prospect Alfredo Duno (who checked in at #35 overall). Law hails Arroyo as ‘a natural shortstop,’ but thinks he has the chops to ‘be plus at second and the bat will play anywhere,’ which is a pretty ringing endorsement of a guy who fell completely off any and all Top 100 overall lists after his powerless 2025 season.
Of course, that came on the heels of a totally lost 2024 season in which he underwent major shoulder surgery, and last season drew into question whether he’d ever get his swing back. So far at AAA in 2026, the swing has looked more than fine, as Arroyo is hittin g.335/.397/.576 with 10 homers, 9 doubles, and 5 triples across 50 games for Louisville.
Keep in mind that Arroyo isn’t just some flash in the pan. Now 22, he once checked 36th overall on Kiley McDaniel’s Top 50 prospects during the middle of the 2022 season, with the ESPN analyst even calling him the ‘headliner’ of the trade that sent Luis Castillo to Seattle and also brought back Noelvi Marte. That list had him ahead of the likes of Andy Pages, Colton Cowser, Ezequiel Tovar, Brett Baty, and Sal Frelick, among others, and slotted him just behind the likes of Pete Crow-Armstrong (#31) and Jackson Holliday (#30).
It remains unclear the most direct path to the big leagues for Arroyo, as he’s obviously blocked at his primary position of shortstop by All Star Elly De La Cruz. Matt McLain, despite still not hitting three years after his breakout, seems locked in at 2B and has the trust of manager Terry Francona, while Sal Stewart, Eugenio Suarez, and even Ke’Bryan Hayes will continue to dominate looks at 3B for the remainder of this season. After 2026, though, Suarez will be a free agent and the Hayes conundrum must be addressed, since it’s clear that Arroyo is a) fully healthy again and b) more than deserving of a shot at a regular infield role going forward.
TEMPE, AZ - MARCH 19: Cleveland Guardians third baseman Dean Curley (1) bats against the California Angles during the Spring Breakout game at Tempe Diablo Stadium on March 19, 2026, at Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Today, we finish up our scouting of the Guardians’ High-A affiliate, the Lake County Captains!
In case you missed it, you can check out my scouting reports on Captains’ pitchers here and Captains’ hitters here.
Welcome back to the final installment, where I take off my blindfold and compare my own rankings to other outlets. This portion is mostly a sanity check: I am aware of all these publications, and I am a semi-regular reader of many. However, I intentionally have not reviewed prospect rankings in anticipation of making something like this.
As a reminder, many of these players are not going to be assessed by the baseball media. Amateur/minor league scouting can be incredibly resource-intensive, and most outlets are covering 30 teams over their staff. They have good grips on the systems they cover, but there still needs to be some selectivity in who gets the write-ups.
The List as of the 5/19/2026 Roster: Ratings by FV
Future value is used by prospect writers to try to project what a player can be. This list is still an effort to rank each player in descending order based on my evaluation of that player. To be blunt: This roster is one of the most talented Lake County squads I have seen in some time with respect to depth. It’s not quite as good as the playoff roster from 2024 that featured Travis Bazzana, Ralphy Velazquez, and Angel Genao, but a larger group of these players seem to have a legitimate chance to be big-league players.
Also, feel free to roast this! The list was not in mind when I set out to do this, and there will be some big breaks in consensus. We will not complain about the traffic. After I share my list, you will also see the rankings for each prospect from Baseball America, Fangraphs, and MLB Pipeline. Baseball America provides grades adjusted for risk- I have given the adjusted grade because I am also trying to assess risk with my own grades.
I am very low on Jackson Humphries relative to consensus. This is primarily because command and control are fickle. Even with that in mind, it would be correct to say he does not surrender many hits, and he works out of his own jams consistently. I still worry about ranking him higher because I do not trust that he will limit his hits the same way when he figures out how to keep the ball in the zone.
Fangraphs loves Jogly Garcia. At a time last season, Garcia was also a top 30 on Pipeline, but their preseason revision dropped him out in favor of Luke Hill, which is looking like a good move.
Franklin Gomez is another Fangraphs darling, but the early returns will likely have him considered for re-rankings, even for post-draft assignments. His results are coming in a Midwest League that is extremely offense-oriented.
Dean Curley is polarizing, and each of these outlets have concerns over whether he can stay at shortstop. I believe he can play shortstop, at least in the short-term as a young player, and that is why he is ranked ahead of Aaron Walton.
Aaron Walton helium, if it ever comes, will probably be reflected in organization re-ranks. With that said, BA has already done theirs, and Walton did not move much, reflecting the idea that college hitters should be performing well at High-A.
A final note: my opinion of these players and their potential is not meant to disparage them in any way. Baseball is incredibly hard. Writing about what you see, in contrast, is much easier. Any one of these guys can prove me wrong, and it would be a delight- we all want to see people figure it out and succeed. See: This 2011 article describing Corey Kluber (accurately) as a failing, old starting pitcher prospect.
Now, I take off my blindfold and compare my own rankings to other outlets. This portion is mostly a sanity check: I am aware of all these publications, and I am a semi-regular reader of many. However, I intentionally have not reviewed prospect rankings in anticipation of making something like this.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
(Editor’s Note: Thank you SO much to Mike for his time and effort compiling this insight into a great team in our system!)
While the Athletics are trying to win games at the MLB level, their scouts and front-office executives are preparing for the 2026 MLB Draft, which will take place July 11–13 in Philadelphia. For the sixth straight year, the draft will set the stage for MLB’s All-Star Game, scheduled for July 14. With this summer marking America’s 250th anniversary, MLB could not have picked a better city to celebrate both the game’s current stars and its future ones.
Unlike the NBA and NFL drafts, MLB draft picks do not immediately join their organization’s big-league club. Most spend at least a year or two in the minors, with notable exceptions like Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, all of whom were considered too advanced and dominant to remain in the minor leagues for long. As a result, teams usually select the best player available rather than drafting for need.
Past Draft History
In 2025, the A’s selected left-handed pitcher Jamie Arnold out of Florida State University with the 11th pick in the MLB draft. Despite enduring a losing season the year before, MLB rules prevent revenue-sharing small market teams from receiving a top-six lottery pick in three consecutive drafts. In the previous two drafts, the A’s chose current starters first baseman Kurtz and shortstop Wilson with the fourth and sixth overall picks, respectively.
Arnold, who was considered one of the top college pitching prospects in his draft class, has begun his professional career at Double-A Midland, bypassing the A-ball levels entirely. If he pitches well, the left-hander has a chance to join Kurtz and Wilson on the Athletics’ big-league roster later this season or sometime next year.
2026 Draft Outlook
This year, the team once again suffered bad luck in the draft lottery as the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals jumped them despite entering the lottery with lower odds for the first pick. As a result, the A’s will pick eighth, a slot that is not ideal, but does makes sense as the team finished with the eighth-worst record in the league last season.
Like the past few draft classes, this one features a handful of elite prospects at the top of the rankings, most of whom will probably be off the board by the time the A’s are on the clock. The Chicago White Sox are widely expected to select UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, the consensus top player in this draft class, with the No. 1 pick.
Additionally, it is doubtful that the draft’s top pitching prospect, Jackson Flora, a right-hander out of University of California, Santa Barbara, will still be available when the A’s pick.
Potential A’s Options
With A’s starting catcher Shea Langeliers eligible for free agency after the 2028 season, Georgia Tech’s catcher Vahn Lackey is an appealing option for an A’s organization largely devoid of catching prospects.
The team once had a promising catching prospect in Daniel Susac, its first-round pick in 2022. Yet, for reasons that remain unclear, the A’s chose not to add Susac to their 40-man roster. He was subsequently selected in the Rule 5 Draft and is now off to a strong start in his rookie season with the San Francisco Giants.
As a result, the A’s may once again look to address the position in this year’s draft, though Lackey will assuredly be off the board by the time they are on the clock. If the team wants to pop a catcher in the first round, Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick is the name to watch. The Northern California native, widely considered the top defensive catcher in this class, has been mocked to the A’s in multiple draft predictions.
Given the number of infield options already on the A’s big-league roster, not to mention promising minor-league infield prospects Leo De Vries and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, the team would be better off avoiding college infielders like Chris Hacopian (Texas A&M) and Eric Becker (Virginia).
Having not drafted a high school player since Max Muncy in 2021, the A’s have a chance to buck that trend this year. Apparently they have been scouting center fielder Eric Booth Jr. from Oak Grove HS (Miss.), but experts doubt he will fall this far. Alternatively, the A’s could select Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress or LSU outfielder Derek Curiel with this pick.
Or, the team could draft a pitcher in the first round for the second straight year. They will have an abundance of options to choose from. Left-hander Gio Rojas, from the same high school that former A’s pitcher Jesus Luzardo attended, could be an option as could college right handers Cameron Flukey (Coastal Carolina), Liam Peterson (Florida) and Cade Townsend (Mississippi). Although the A’s pitching staff has held its own so far this season, pitching still remains a long-term concern for the team, so this might be a good avenue to explore.
Who do you want the Athletics to target in this summer’s draft? Let’s get the discussion rolling in the comments.
The Philadelphia Flyers made enormous strides across all positions this season. They became faster, more organized, more emotionally resilient, and significantly more difficult to play against.
Their postseason run proved they are no longer simply a rebuilding team trying to survive meaningful hockey games. It also exposed something important to address this summer.
The Flyers still need another legitimate top-four defenseman.
Not because their current group failed. In many ways, the exact opposite is true. Philadelphia’s defense corps performed admirably considering the pressure it was placed under, particularly against one of the most suffocating forechecking teams in hockey against the Carolina Hurricanes. The issue is that that series highlighted how thin the margin for error becomes when a team relies too heavily on one or two defenders to absorb chaos shift after shift.
The Flyers have built a respectable blue line. They have not necessarily built a fully insulated one.
Travis Sanheim Is Carrying an Enormous Burden
Sanheim had arguably the best all-around season of his career, recently being named as one of the NHL's top 100 players of the 2025-26 campaign. He skated pucks out cleanly and closed gaps early. He defended the rush aggressively instead of retreating into survival mode. And, most importantly, he continued to be reliable in playing enormous minutes without his game falling apart physically or mentally.
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim (6). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
The problem is that the Flyers still leaned on him to solve almost every difficult defensive sequence—defensive-zone faceoffs, heavy forecheck shifts, penalty kill, late-game situations, transition recovery, top competition. He was essentially the emergency solution for every structural problem the roster encountered.
That is not sustainable long-term if the Flyers want to evolve from “dangerous playoff team” into legitimate contender.
A defense corps becomes truly dangerous when a team can spread those responsibilities across multiple pairings instead of overloading one player. Philadelphia is not quite there yet.
Jamie Drysdale’s Encouraging Growth
Drysdale became one of the—if not the—most important developments of the Flyers’ season.
The raw talent was never the question. The organization knew they were getting a skilled, smart, "rover"-style defenseman in Drysdale when they acquired him in 2024. The concern was whether his game would stabilize enough defensively to justify top-four deployment against elite teams. This season, it finally started to happen.
His retrievals became cleaner, and his confidence under pressure improved noticeably. He stopped forcing low-percentage plays quite as often and began understanding when to accelerate play versus when to simplify it. Most importantly, his skating became an actual defensive weapon again rather than merely an offensive tool.
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale (9). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
That said, Drysdale still profiles best beside a steadying presence.
His pairing with Cam York has not been a bad one by any stretch of the imagination, but some of Drysdale’s toughest moments came during prolonged defensive-zone sequences where he was repeatedly forced into physical net-front battles after failed clears or extended cycles. He competed hard, but that is not necessarily the optimal usage for him over an 82-game season and deep playoff run.
The Flyers need another defenseman who can absorb difficult defensive minutes while still moving the puck efficiently enough to survive against heavy pressure teams, and who can allow the more offensive-minded, free-flowing players like Drysdale and York to be effective on both ends of the ice.
The key is finding someone who isn't a pure shutdown defender who kills offense, but someone who is not another offensive rover who duplicates Drysdale’s strengths. The Flyers could benefit from someone who stabilizes the entire structure, and is responsible enough to let their wealth of offensive defensemen really shine without risking defensive mistakes.
Cam York Took a Necessary Step Forward
Cam York deserves major credit for responding after an uneven prior season.
This year, his game looked calmer and more mature. His puck management improved substantially, and he became far more reliable navigating defensive pressure without defaulting to glass-and-out hockey.
THE FLYERS WIN IT IN OVERTIME, THEY WIN THE SERIES 🚨
That response is important because the Flyers need defensemen who can actually exit cleanly against aggressive forechecks. Teams that simply rim pucks away eventually get trapped shift after shift until they break. York handled that challenge far better this season than he had previously.
But there is still a difference between being a solid top-four option and being someone capable of driving a matchup against elite postseason pressure. York is trending in the right direction, but the Flyers still lack one more proven stabilizer who can insulate everybody beneath him in the lineup hierarchy.
Adding another legitimate top-four defenseman would not just help the top pairing, but would improve everybody’s slotting.
That happens, and suddenly York is facing slightly easier matchups; Drysdale gets cleaner offensive usage; Sanheim is not playing half the game; Nick Seeler and Rasmus Ristolainen are not overextended physically by May.
Depth on defense is never really about the sixth defenseman. It is about how much pressure gets removed from the top four.
Rasmus Ristolainen Still Matters, But Age and Wear Are Factors
Ristolainen remains an important contributor to this team.
His physicality changes shifts. Especially after the Olympic break, he closed plays early and created discomfort around the crease. In playoff hockey, those things still matter significantly. The Flyers do not have many defensemen with his size profile or ability to physically wear down opponents over a series.
But he is also entering the stage of his career where usage has to be managed intelligently. The Flyers cannot keep asking him to consistently absorb brutal forechecking pressure, heavy defensive-zone deployment, and physically taxing hockey without reinforcement around him, especially with his injury history.
The issue is not that Ristolainen cannot still help a contender—the Flyers have made it clear that they fully trust him to be a consistent blue line presence—but it's that Philadelphia currently needs him to do slightly too much.
The Emil Andrae Situation Is Becoming Difficult to Ignore
This may be the organization’s most fascinating blue-line dilemma.
Emil Andrae looks capable of helping the Flyers play faster offensively. His instincts are obvious. His passing pops immediately. He processes offensive-zone movement quickly and gives the power play a different kind of fluidity.
Yet the Flyers still hesitate to fully commit to him.
Some of that likely comes down to trust defensively. While Andrae plays a gritty, fearless game that belies his 5'9" stature, it doesn't change the fact that smaller defensemen are relentlessly targeted below the goal line. Coaches worry about retrieval battles, cycle coverage, and net-front matchups becoming exploitable weaknesses over seven-game series. That concern is understandable, but there is also a point where organizational indecision becomes counterproductive.
Andrae is 24 years old. He has little, if anything, left to prove offensively at the AHL level. If the Flyers truly believe he can become an NHL regular, he needs real NHL minutes consistently enough to work through mistakes and develop rhythm.
If they do not believe that, then they owe it to both the player and the roster construction process to make a concrete decision. Because right now, he exists in an awkward middle ground: too skilled for prolonged AHL usage, but not fully trusted for NHL deployment.
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae (36). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
Why They Are Not Rushing Oliver Bonk or David Jiricek
While the Flyers are a team that prioritizes giving young players real chances when they've earned them, the team deserves props for resisting the temptation to accelerate their prospects too quickly. Danny Briere said as much when it comes to their plans for deploying Bonk and Jiricek at the NHL level.
Bonk’s NHL debut showed why the organization is rightfully excited about him. He looked poised, intelligent, and offensively composed. He has all the tools to be an NHL regular, but defensemen require a different developmental timeline, and the Flyers would rather be safe than sorry when it comes to integrating Bonk into the team. The 21-year-old seems to be first on their list when it comes to a next man up, but they're correctly making a point to not shoehorn him before they trust he can handle it.
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Oliver Bonk (59). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
The same applies to 22-year-old David Jiricek. Young defensemen almost always need time, particularly defensemen expected to handle difficult minutes against top competition.
The Flyers are trying to build something sustainable. Throwing Bonk or Jiricek into roles before they are structurally ready could hurt development more than help it.
That patience is the correct approach, but it also reinforces why the Flyers still need another established NHL defenseman now.
Two Realistic Targets
Dante Fabbro
Fabbro would be a clean fit for what the Flyers need. He is not flashy, but that is partially why he works for Philadelphia. Fabbro defends rushes well, moves pucks efficiently, and understands positional structure. He would not require power-play touches to justify his role, and he could comfortably stabilize second-pair minutes while easing Sanheim’s workload.
Most importantly, he plays a composed style that translates well against aggressive forechecking systems. Fabbro fits that archetype of a valuable calm retrieval-and-exit defenseman.
He is currently signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets through the 2028-29 season with an AAV of $4.1 million, which would be a reasonable price to pay with the role he'd be suited for in Philadelphia, considering how Briere stated in his end-of-season press conference that the Flyers have a comfortable amount of cap space to utilize.
Mario Ferraro
Mario Ferraro is another intriguing option.
David Pagnotta: Mario Ferraro...wants term, that's why he's not staying in San Jose, the Sharks are only willing to give him a 2, 3 year extension and he's looking for 5, 6 years plus; he wanted to stay - Leafs Morning Take (5/26)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) May 27, 2026
Currently a UFA after completing a four-year, $13 million contract ($3.25 million AAV) with the San Jose Sharks, Ferraro plays with pace, competes relentlessly, and thrives in transition-heavy environments. He is not a traditional towering shutdown defender, but his mobility and aggression make him effective disrupting forechecks early before sequences fully develop. He would also fit stylistically with how Tocchet wants the Flyers to play: aggressive, quick, direct, and emotionally engaged.
Ferraro may not be a true No. 1 defenseman, but he could absolutely become the kind of experienced second-pair stabilizer that pushes an entire defensive group into a healthier structure. And that is what the Flyers are really searching for now.
The 22-year-old Frenchman set up by teammate Stuyven
Vingegaard keeps pink jersey after attack on final climb
Paul Magnier of Soudal Quick-Step completed a hat-trick of victories in this Giro d’Italia by winning a bunch sprint on stage 18 in Pieve di Soligo.
The 22-year-old Frenchman was perfectly set up by his teammate Jasper Stuyven in the final few high-speed turns and powered to the line, after 171km of racing, ahead of two Italian sprinters.
Italian’s dream of career slam evaporates against Cerúndolo
‘I wasn’t dying because of the heat,’ world No 1 claims
Jannik Sinner said his lack of energy in a stunning French Open loss was down to a combination of factors, including a long clay court swing, during which he played and won three successive events to arrive as the favourite in Paris.
Sinner, who was targeting a maiden French Open title and career grand slam in the absence of his injured rival Carlos Alcaraz, was hampered by illness for a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 second-round defeat by Juan Manuel Cerúndolo.
At 21–35 and buried at the bottom of the American League standings, the Los Angeles Angels are quickly becoming the perfect example of a franchise going nowhere.
But during Tuesday night’s loss to the Tigers, the most glaring sign that the season may already be lost came not from the stands, but from Jorge Soler jogging his way through a routine baseball play.
Angels’ Season From Hell Hits New Low After Jorge Soler’s Embarrassing Jog AP
The moment happened with the Angels trailing 1–0 in the top of the second inning. Soler reached on a leadoff single before Wade Meckler hit a ground ball to second baseman Colt Keith.
While Keith initially bobbled the ball, Soler failed to show any interest in getting to second base in a timely fashion, drifting away from the play before realizing too late that the ball had been mishandled. He was thrown out easily.
If the Angels want to turn things around they'll need better hustle than this pic.twitter.com/dvOuIv42eq
Angels owner Arte Moreno, right, talks with Angels manager Joe Maddon before the game against Cleveland. AP
Meanwhile, Meckler sprinted down the line trying to beat out the potential double play. For his part, Meckler stole second during the next at bat
The contrast couldn’t have been more obvious.
Fans online immediately questioned why Soler remained in the game and, later, questioned his place in the clubhouse after grounding out on the first pitch he saw in the ninth inning.
But the bigger issue may be manager Kurt Suzuki and his baffling attempt at an explanation at his postgame press conference.
Manager Kurt Suzuki of the Los Angeles Angels looks on before the game against the Athletics Getty Images
When asked by OC Register reporter Jeff Fletcher whether Soler’s lack of hustle was related to Suzuki’s comment that the veteran slugger was “battling some stuff,” Suzuki delivered a confusing, rambling answer that never addressed the question directly.
The response only added to growing concerns that the Angels have lost control of the clubhouse entirely.
For a fanbase already furious over years of losing and squandering talent under Moreno, Soler’s effort and Suzuki’s inability to correct, motivate or even simply explain it is symbolic of a franchise without accountability, direction, or urgency.
And judging by the chants ringing through Anaheim, fans are completely done pretending otherwise.
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DALLAS, TX - JANUARY 22: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks drives against Jaden McDaniels #3 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half at American Airlines Center on January 22, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. 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 Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Minnesota Timberwolves are looking for ways to upgrade their roster this offseason after a premature elimination from the playoffs at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.
The Wolves have a pressing need at the point guard position, so they need to scour the rest of the league to see if there are any upgrades available. One player that could be on the move is Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving. CBS Sports contributor Sam Quinn listed the Wolves as a potential destination for Irving this offseason.
“Minnesota could match money with Randle and DiVincenzo. It doesn’t have much draft capital remaining, but the front office can offer No. 28 this year, first-round swap rights in 2028 (valuable since Dallas currently owes a swap to Oklahoma City, so almost any secondary swap would be helpful), and an unprotected pick in 2033, when Irving will likely be retired. If Dallas likes the long-term prospects of Joan Beringer or Terrence Shannon, that greases the wheels here,“ Quinn wrote.
The Wolves should be willing to move on from DiVincenzo, who has an expiring contract and an injury that will keep him out for part of the upcoming season. As for Randle, he would be hard to move on from, but if the Wolves wanted to land a player of Irving’s caliber, they have to make a big splash.
Another reason why a move like this makes sense is because it allows the Wolves to re-sign Ayo Dosunmu in free agency. Dosunmu could act as the team’s sixth man, while Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert join Irving in the starting lineup.
Canis Hoopus community, what do you think the Wolves should do this offseason? Do you want Kyrie to come to Minnesota? Chime off in the comments section below.
COVERS INTEL: Bassitt owns a 37% hard-hit rate.
