The Montreal Canadiens will travel way south — and way west — to visit the San Jose Sharks tonight. These two young, exciting teams will meet for the first time this season.
My Canadiens vs. Sharks predictions expect Cole Caufield to stay on his torrid pace as he pushes to become the first Montreal player to reach 50 goals since 1989-90.
Canadiens vs Sharks best bet: Cole Caufield anytime goalscorer (+120)
Since January 15, no player has scored more than Cole Caufield.
The Montreal Canadiens forward has 14 goals in his last 12 games and has found the back of the net three times in two games since the NHL returned to action. A focal point of the Habs’ top six, Caufield now draws a San Jose Sharks squad that allows the third-most goals in the league.
It's the perfect matchup for Caufield to light the lamp at least once.
Canadiens vs Sharks same-game parlay
Speaking of red-hot Habs players, Noah Dobson has seen a notable uptick in offense recently. The Montreal defenceman has nine points in his last seven games, eight of which were at even strength.
The Canadiens and Sharks rank 24th and 30th in goals allowed, respectively. Additionally, Montreal boasts the fourth-best offense in the league. Both meetings last season went Over, with the Habs emerging victorious in both.
The Canadiens have won four consecutive games in San Jose, dating back to October 2021. San Jose hasn't beaten Montreal at home since the 2018-19 season. Find more NHL betting trends for Canadiens vs. Sharks.
How to watch Canadiens vs Sharks
Location
SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, CA
Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Puck drop
10:00 p.m. ET
TV
TSN2, NBCS-California
Canadiens vs Sharks latest injuries
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.
Today we look at the Cubs’new left-handed reliever.
Hoby Milner came to the Cubs as a free agent after spending a year as a Texas Ranger, where he had a little success, as he has had during a long career, previously with the Phillies, Rays, and Brewers. His ERA and peripherals weren’t so great, early in his career, but he seems to have righted the ship and has been dependable for years. Lifetime, he’s 13-9, 3.82 in 341 innings, in which he has logged 321 strikeouts, issued 94 bases on balls, and opponents have hit a rather high .252 against his offerings.
He throws a lot of ground balls. In 2025, his pitches resulted in 9 GIDP and he has 33 all-time. He’s a middle-reliever-type with a lot of holds on his baseball card. He’s likely to make the Opening Day roster and alternate with Caleb Thielbar.
Milner’s lifetime bWAR is 1.1 (2.8 fWAR). He signed a one-year, $3.75 million contract this past December. Milner is 35, 6’3”, 187. Projections have him throwing 60 innings with an ERA around 4.00 and three wins. He has four pitches, relying heavily on his sweeper and sinker, with a changeup and four-seamer worked into the mix.
His results the last few years have been pretty consistent, though nothing to write home about. But the Cubs love guys like Milner, ostensibly because the longtime vets deal with playoff pressure better than others, and have more predictable outcomes.
We’ll see. It’s always possible that a player at his age drops off. But Milner looks good to go right now. He’s got some good funk. We need the funk. Give us the funk.
FRISCO, TX - MAY 21: Kade Morris #9 of the Midland RockHounds pitches during the game between the Midland RockHounds and the Frisco RoughRiders at Riders Field on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Homero Amador/Minor League Baseball)
*In an effort to make the nomination voting easier for everyone, I will comment, “NOMINATIONS”, and you may reply to that with your picks and upvote the player you’d like to see on the next nominee list.
We’ve officially finished the top-20 prospects in the Athletics system. This was where we were planning to end this series but due to high demand and a few weeks left until Opening Day, we’re set to continue our CPL for at least around five rounds of voting. So get ready for a few more votes!
The player that rounds out the top-20 prospects in the system according to A’s fans is righty Kade Morris. The 23-year-old was the return piece the A’s received back in exchange for former All-Star Paul Blackburn. He just wrapped up his first full season in the Athletics’ system, first beginning at Double-A and pitching well there before a promotion to the final stop in the minors. His time with the Aviators went a bit tougher than his time in Midland but hopefully a full year at Triple-A can further his development. Like many of the names on our CPL Morris could be an option for the A’s as soon as this upcoming season.
We have our first reliever taking a spot among the nominees as right-hander Eduarniel Nunez gets the nod to replace Morris in the next round of voting. One of the return pieces the A’s got back from the Padres in exchange for Mason Miller and JP Sears, Nunez comes with a big fastball and wicked slider than should make him a force in the backend of the bullpen… if he can learn to harness his two-pitch repertoire. If he can manage to do that the A’s could have their future closer already on hand.
The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:
Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
In the comments, below the official voting, the community will nominate players to be put onto the ballot for the next round. The format for your comment should be “Nomination: Player Name”.
If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.
The voting continues! Time to vote for the 19th-best in the system everyone. Here’s a quick rundown on each nominee— the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline.
Pitching exclusively out of the stretch, Núñez has the goal to blow both of his pitches past batters, starting with a 97-99 mph heater that has touched as high as 101.4 mph in front of Statcast this season. It’s pure velo over movement here, and Núñez gets minimal extension under six feet (allowing batters to see the fastball a little longer), but it’s still enough to make for an uncomfortable at-bat. The Dominican Republic native’s upper-80s slider is an even better pitch, getting good depth while still being thrown hard, and it’s posted whiff and chase rates above 40 percent in the Minors during Núñez’s time in the San Diego system. Plenty of left-handed hitters have been fooled by the breaking ball too, but without a quality changeup, Núñez has drastic handedness splits.
Núñez’s desire to show explosive stuff can lead to inconsistencies in his delivery, and while his control numbers were much-improved with the Padres, he’s still likely to have issues locating routinely in the Majors. But there’s no doubt his electric arsenal is a quality find for a big league bullpen.
Causey thrives with a fastball that hovers around 90 mph, but that’s because he has a funky sidearm delivery that helps him get crazy movement and deception with his arsenal. Causey excelled in his first full pro season, posting a 1.72 ERA across High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He’s a fast mover with a different look that could add to the Royals’ bullpen in the coming years.
Causey began the year with a sinker, changeup and sweeper, but he added a four-seam fastball this season to help him at the top of the zone. After years of working on adding a cutter, Causey finally found something that works with the four-seamer.
Zhuang relies heavily on his four-seam fastball, which can touch 95 mph but normally hovers in the 90-93 range. He also throws a low-80s split-finger offering with good diving action. His arsenal is rounded out by a low-80s slider, a mid-70s curveball with good bend and a low-80s changeup.
Zhuang does have a history of injuries, which brings some real concern as to whether he can hold up as a starter despite having the necessary pitch mix for the role. He can command it well, as evidenced by his low walk numbers. For now, the A’s are enjoying watching the rise of the man many in the organization have nicknamed ‘Z-Man.’ He is firmly on their prospect radar, and his age could actually help him move up quickly if the success continues.
In some ways, Turley is the same player he was post-high school, a veritable toolshed with some concerns about him using those tools consistently. He might have had as much raw power as anyone in his Draft class, with some scouts hanging a 70 on it. He can drive the ball for extra bases anywhere with prodigious home run pop thanks to outstanding bat speed, and he was showing more ability to hit the ball out the other way this spring. There has long been the question about whether he’ll hit enough to get to that power. He had a 36 percent miss rate in 2024 with the Beavers, leading to a 27.3 percent strikeout rate, and while he’s improved those rates this season, including his propensity to chase breaking stuff, the swing-and-miss is still a concern. He does draw a ton of walks to help offset that.
Turley has above-average speed, though he hasn’t used it to be a basestealing threat. His athleticism does help him in the outfield, where his easily plus arm is also an asset. He’s played more left field than anywhere else and he should fit nicely as a corner outfielder in pro ball.
Tur is 26 but only signed with the A’s before the 2023 season after several seasons pitching in the Serie Nacional in Cuba. He started almost all of last year, going from High A to Triple A, although I think he’s a straight reliever. He comes straight over the top, sitting 96 with some ride along with a 55 splitter and a low-90s cutter that doesn’t miss many bats. The slider is fringy and he’s very north-south because of the arm slot. He could pitch in the big-league bullpen right now.
* * *
Programming Note: Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don’t delay in making your
BROOKLYN, NY - MARCH 1: Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks the ball during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 1, 2026 at Barclays 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After feeling like Jarrett Allen was being wasted with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the start of the season, Allen saw an uptick of involvement around the trade deadline. This turned into a whole month of Allen seizing opportunities and showing a level of aggression we haven’t seen since his All-Star campaign in 2021-22.
It only feels right that in this first edition of Fear the Sword’s player of the week, we celebrate the fro and praise the campaign he is putting together.
Average player grade last week: A
Stats last week: 22.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in four games last week.
Standout performance: 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in OT loss to the Detroit Pistons on 2/27/2026.
Frankly, when I was thinking of other players in contention for this award, there was no argument for anyone other than Allen. He’s been on a different level for the better part of a month plus.
Does anybody realize Jarrett Allen was maybe quite literally the best player in the NBA for February?https://t.co/00PY3dPtb1 has their catchall player value stat stat — PIE or Player Impact Estimate.
Last week he quelled any concerns regarding whether the month of February was going to be a fleeting memory or something of substance.
Allen’s peaks in his career have come frequently enough that fans aren’t surprised but more disappointed that they don’t translate to sustained aggression and success. While the arrival of James Harden has certainly gotten Allen more involved, his production came about before the Harden addition.
It was almost a month ago that Allen posted a 40-point game against the Portland Trail Blazers. From there, it was a different Allen for the Cavaliers. The level of involvement from Allen is tied to a winning formula as the Cavaliers are 11-2 when Allen scores 20+ points in this season.
This is because when Allen is active and engaged, he is about as dynamic of a pick-and-roll player as there is in the league. When active in the restricted area, he can also put his touch and vision on display as well.
Against Detroit, it felt like the full display of what a difference an engaged Allen does for Cleveland. The Cavaliers entered that game against Detroit without their star backcourt of Harden and Donovan Mitchell. In the past, this would have been a death knell for the offense. However, Allen stepped up to the call against the Pistons.
Allen played well against one of the best defensive bigs in the league, Jalen Duran. He was the tone setter for the Cavaliers. Allen was getting to the rack early and often against Detroit to the point where when Allen had the ball Detroit’s defense was crashing to meet him around the rim.
Allen was unfazed by the extra defensive attention as he finished 9-10 inside the paint, scoring 25 points, shooting overall 10-12 on the night. That level of scoring, combined with nine rebounds and four assists, would have led the Cavaliers to an impressive victory if not for the team making poor decisions down the stretch.
The talent for Allen has always been there; the level of engagement and enforcement has been what has waivered at times.
The attitude shift in Allen changes the identity of the Cavaliers as much as the acquisition of Harden. Allen has had multiple narratives in the past dangled over his head questioning his toughness. If this version of Allen comes with the Cavaliers into the postseason that is a game-changer for this team.
On behalf of Fear the Sword, Jarrett Allen, your award is in the mail.
With the World Baseball Classic on the near horizon, teams are plugging lineup holes left and right.
These factors directly influence my MLB picks for Tuesday, March 3, which include the Cleveland Guardians among a trio of moneyline selections.
Spring Training predictions for March 3
Pick
Odds
SD moneyline
-105
CLE moneyline
-115
LAA moneyline
+115
Pick #1: Padres moneyline
Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. are off for the World Baseball Classic, but the San Diego Padres are still the superior team compared to the Chicago White Sox.
Nick Pivetta clears Sean Newcomb between the starters, and Jackson Merrill is still a better hitter than anyone in Chicago's lineup.
San Diego has the better bullpen, too, so I'll take the Friars as slight underdogs on a line that feels like an overcorrection.
Pick #2: Guardians moneyline
In the reverse sense, I actually buy into the Dodgers' absences being more of a problem. For one, Shohei Ohtani is with Team Japan, prepping for the World Baseball Classic. And while they aren't at the WBC, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Kyle Tucker are not scheduled to start this afternoon.
None of Los Angeles' top hitting prospects — namely Dalton Rushing, Mike Sirota, Zyhir Hope, or Josue De Paula — are in the lineup, either.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians are trotting out a lineup that could mirror a regular-season batting order, complete with Jose Ramirez in the three-hole. This line should move toward Cleveland.
Pick #3: Angels moneyline
Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo could be a legitimate ace, and he gives his team the eye-test edge vs. the Los Angeles Angels and starter George Klassen (his upside is intriguing, though).
But Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh are in the WBC, taking away Seattle's two biggest weapons. While the Angels are far from fearsome, especially sans Mike Trout, +115 offers enough cushion to elevate them above a shorthanded Mariners squad.
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.
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 1: Neemias Queta #88 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 1, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
At the NBA trade deadline, the Sixers only subtracted from their roster. They moved Jared McCain and Eric Gordon and received no NBA player in return.
Daryl Morey was asked at his post-deadline presser if he believed in his team’s depth:
“We feel like we’re a deep team. Again, people might not agree, but we do feel like a deep team. In fact, there are many people who are writing that we’re a deep team, so it wasn’t just our opinion. … You for sure always want more good players than bad players. We still have two roster spots. We’ll see what those are still to come.”
The team used the open roster spots and luxury tax savings to sign Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker — two guys who were already here — and plucked Cameron Payne back from overseas. Nobody expected the team to add a star at the deadline, but any upgrade would’ve been welcomed — especially by the team’s franchise player of the last decade.
Instead, the Sixers’ lack of depth, scoring, shooting and rebounding have haunted them time and time again. It might be what ultimately costs them a guaranteed playoff spot.
Coming into the season, nobody knew what to expect from Joel Embiid and Paul George. Their absences were already been baked into any team-building designs this past offseason. At this very website, we essentially said we thought anything Embiid and/or George would provide this season would be gravy.
Still, the team came into the season with second-year big Adem Bona, veteran Andre Drummond and rookie second-rounder Johni Broome as the only true fives on the roster behind Embiid. Maybe the team believed Broome, who was a heavily experienced and accomplished college player, could contribute right away. And with the way Drummond started the season, the Sixers got away with it … until they didn’t.
No backup center is going to come close to matching Embiid’s production, but the Sixers are lacking stability at the position.
Drummond took a nasty fall in Brooklyn in late November. Prior to that, he’d been giving the Sixers almost starter-caliber minutes when Embiid was sidelined. Though he didn’t miss any time, Drummond’s play has declined. Since Nov. 29, his numbers are down across the board. He was clearly supplanted by Bona for the primary backup role. While Bona is plenty promising, he’s still inexperienced, which shows at times. As for Broome, he never came close to cracking the lineup and had surgery to repair a torn meniscus this past weekend.
Drummond’s inability to contain Neemias Queta, a nice player who looked like prime Dwight Howard Sunday night, was alarming. The veteran big is one of the best rebounders in NBA history, but Queta was able to get 10 offensive rebounds by himself. The Celtics had 19 as a team. It’s a season-long pattern as the Sixers sit 20th in the league in rebounding. Conversely, Boston is sixth.
Here’s another depressing stat: McCain scored more points Sunday than Quentin Grimes and Payne combined. Like Drummond, Grimes got off a tremendous start, but his production has fallen off a cliff. He showed signs of life coming out of the All-Star break, but scored just 14 points combined over his last two games. As for Payne, he’s coming into a difficult spot. He’s had to adjust to time differences, a different league and new teammates. We’ve yet to see him provide much, but that’s sort of to be expected, at least right away.
Some were quick to point to Tyrese Maxey jacking up 34 shots as a reason for the team’s loss to the Celtics. While it was clear Maxey was pressing and forcing things in the first half, the question becomes, who would you rather take the shots? VJ Edgecombe took 21. Kelly Oubre Jr., who didn’t have one of his best nights, took 10. Should they be running more actions to get Drummond threes? Should they let Barlow run point forward? With all due respect to those players, Maxey’s hyper-aggressiveness is sort of necessary on nights like that because of the roster construction. The common factor for most Sixers’ wins without Embiid has been big Maxey nights.
Of course, if you want to complain about the offensive sets the team is running, it’s hard to quibble with that.
Sure, Oubre can have the occasional 20-point night and Grimes has done it in the past, but there needs to be other options. Right now, the Sixers boast one of the worst benches in the NBA. They’re 28th in points and threes per game from their reserves.
Outside of Maxey and Edgecombe, the Sixers don’t take or make enough threes. It’s something Nurse has sort of brushed off here, but in the modern NBA, you have to take high-volume threes. They took 31 threes Sunday — 22 combined from Maxey and Edgecombe. Drummond was the only other guy to take at least four. The Celtics jacked up 49 triples with seven guys putting at least four up. The Sixers are 20th in the NBA in threes per game. Boston is second. Which team would you rather be?
The Celtics, despite missing Jayson Tatum all season, are second in the East with guys like Queta, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez giving them meaningful minutes while being on minimum contracts. They also acquired veteran big man Nikola Vucevic at the deadline.
The center position is an issue. The lack of scoring punch and shooting off the bench is an issue. Rebounding is an evergreen issue. With no reinforcements acquired at the deadline, the likely only way for the Sixers to remedy these problems is for Embiid and George to play.
Both should (hopefully) be ready to roll for the postseason. The issue could be getting there.
The Philadelphia Flyers are certainly a team to watch leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline. With the Flyers currently being on the wrong side of the playoff line, it is possible that they could end up making some changes to their roster.
Rasmus Ristolainen is the player on the Flyers who has been creating the most chatter as a trade candidate. While this is the case, another notable Flyer is being viewed as a player to watch.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Kevin Kurz predicted that the Flyers would trade forward Bobby Brink ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline.
"At 24 years old and still on the upswing, Brink isn’t the kind of player rebuilding teams tend to deal. But the Flyers are deep at wing, and have another, Porter Martone, on the way, perhaps as soon as the end of this season. Moving Brink, maybe for some help at center or in goal, would also allow Flyers coach Rick Tocchet the option of putting Matvei Michkov back on the right wing for the final six weeks," Kurz wrote.
There is no question that the Flyers have a lot of depth on the wing, so it could make sense for them to deal Brink. This is especially so if the skilled winger could be used in a trade package to help improve the Flyers' roster elsewhere.
Yet, trading Brink would also come with some risk. At just 24 years old, Brink undoubtedly has the potential to get better as he continues to gain more experience. He is also in the middle of a solid year for the Flyers, as he has scored a career-high 13 goals and recorded 26 points in 54 games.
It will be interesting to see what the Flyers do with Brink from here, but he is standing out as a trade candidate to watch.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 31: Luis Severino #40 of the Athletics takes the field during player introductions before a game against the Chicago Cubs at Sutter Health Park on March 31, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A day ago, there was cause for concern and/or curiosity depending on your perspective of the Sacramento Athletics. Today, the same is true, but inverted in its perspective as we shift from the fearsome and frightening young position player core of the new A’s onto their highly suspect pitching staff.
In their first season in Sacramento, the pitcher-friendly-for-AAA confines proved hitter friendly for the grown-ups. Favorable-enough dimensions, along with a scorching, dry climate, made Sutter Health Park a nightmare for pitchers. Home runs flew freely, hits landed and skimmed swiftly, and while reliable dimensions kept triples in check and we’ll want a multi-year sample for precision, the stage was largely a launching pad.
That made sledding difficult for RHP Luis Severino and an A’s pitching staff built on the cheap that performed accordingly. A 4.71/4.66/4.58 ERA/FIP/xFIP led Sacramento to just 8.6 fWAR in 2026 as a pitching staff and 8.2 bWAR, good for 27th and 25th in MLB respectively. No club induced fewer groundballs than the Athletics, a move that eventually had some clarity thanks to Denzel Clarke’s amazing range, but largely seemed to serve them ill in a small, hitting-happy home.
Few of these numbers moved in the ideal direction when bullpen ace RHP Mason Miller was traded at the deadline, and while the bullpen remains a relative strength, this club is still surprisingly upside-allergic in the rotation.
Notable Transactions
Out: LHP Sean Newcomb, RHP José Leclerc, LHP T.J. McFarland, RHP, Scott McGough In: RHP Aaron Civale, RHP Mark Leiter Jr., RHP Scott Barlow, RHP Nick Anderson, RHP Brooks Kriske, RHP Wander Suero Italics = Minor League Deals with Spring Training Invite
The Rotation
If those moves don’t rattle your bones, do not adjust your dial. Sacramento added just one starter to a rotation that was worst in the American League by fWAR at 5.9, ahead of only the near-historic Rockies. Their rotation was neither good nor diligent, mustering just 808.1 innings (25th in MLB) against the Mariners 882.1 IP (4th), more than eight entire games-worth shunted onto their bullpen. That was satisfactory in Sac-Town, as the club shipped off LHP JP Sears at the deadline along with Miller, working in a motley conveyer belt of ill-fated arms.
Player
Age
Throws
IP
K/BB
ERA
FIP
WAR
Luis Severino
32
R
181
2.54
4.48
4.42
2.1
Jeffrey Springs
33
L
171
2.71
4.38
4.49
2.1
Aaron Civale
31
R
130
2.73
4.64
4.58
1.4
Jacob Lopez
28
L
131
2.59
4.17
4.27
1.8
Luis Morales
23
R
119
2.24
4.46
4.54
1.1
Luis Medina
27
R
92
1.98
4.58
4.50
0.6
To his credit, RHP Luis Severino signed to be the ace of this collective and delivered a second-straight decent campaign. For the park he pitched in, an ERA and FIP beginning with 4 is only so damning. Behind him, however, Jeffrey Springs pitched like an hourly employee whose boss is conspiring to avoid having to give them health insurance, mustering just 158.1 innings in 30 starts and failing to reach the awards-qualifying threshold. Only 28 year old LHP Jacob Lopez, whose potential back half breakout was curtailed by a left elbow strain that’s still slowing his ramp up this spring, showed a serious stride in the right direction.
While adding Civale is a variation of stability, it’s surprising for an A’s club that would be well-served to figure out what they’ve got in reserve. Both Luis M’s have upper-90s heaters and at best a general sense of what direction it’s headed, making them uncomfortable at-bats but also uneven starters. Walk-heavy appearances seem on the docket for this group once again, which is incentivized to identify which of their younger hurlers can coalesce into a rotation mainstay. This is hardly an impossibility, but Sacramento has a decided lack of upside at the top of their rotation and very little floor on the back end, particularly in 2026.
The Bullpen
No major additions shouldn’t shock anyone with familiarity to the A’s organization, although bringing in Leiter and Barlow at least indicated an understanding that a path to contention runs through a standout pen for these A’s. Without Miller and Newcomb, however, an A’s bullpen that was dynamite down the stretch in 2026 will need to pull fresh rabbits from their Kelly green caps.
Role
Player
Age
Throws
IP
K/BB
ERA
FIP
WAR
Closer?
Hogan Harris
29
L
66
2.09
4.18
4.33
0.1
Closer?
Justin Sterner
29
R
65
2.72
4.15
4.28
0.4
Closer?
Mark Leiter Jr.
35
R
64
2.66
3.99
3.98
0.6
Middle
Michael Kelly
33
R
60
1.98
4.37
4.56
-0.1
Middle
Scott Barlow
33
R
54
2.10
4.25
4.22
0.2
Middle
Elvis Alvarado
27
R
58
2.18
4.19
4.36
0.1
Middle
Brady Basso
28
L
50
2.75
4.01
4.10
0.1
Swing
Jack Perkins
26
R
40
2.62
3.82
3.87
0.1
While much of the historical ‘pen is optionable, it’s likely the Athletics mix in some long relief work in earnest given what they’re working with in the rotation. Their 40-man roster contains a medley of early and mid-20s swingmen like Gunnar Hoglund, J.T. Ginn, Joey Estes, and Jack Perkins. Featured on the Chinese Taipei roster in the WBC this week, Sacramento may also see work from 25 year old righty Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, a durable righty who matches much of this cohort in their peculiar fit as a contact-focused, fly ball pitcher. They’ll need to see a repeat of the brilliant stretches Justin Sterner put together in 2025 for their pluckiness to push into playoff performance, but it’s less fantasy and merely an off-balance coin flip.
These Athletics aren’t too far off their spot a season ago on the hill, and it’s likely to be their Achilles heel. Still, the early half of the season is liable to feature plenty of fervent efforts to identify 1-2 rotation locks and another couple bullpen breakouts, in the way a franchise like the A’s is choosing to gamble on with a still-longshot playoff pathway. Plucky can mean you’ve got unexpected feistiness. It can also mean you’re just plucked.
The Royals made a move — and it could reshape the lineup.
In this episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, Jacob Milham and Jeremy “Hokius” Greco break down the Kansas City Royals’ signing of Starling Marte, analyzing how his bat fits into the lineup and what it means for roster construction moving forward. The hosts explore Marte’s versatility against both left- and right-handed pitching, the ripple effects for players like Nick Lofton and Tyler Tolbert, and why this addition could bring much-needed stability to the outfield.
Beyond roster mechanics, the conversation expands into broader MLB topics, including insights from a fan survey on betting’s growing presence in baseball and whether a salary cap system would improve competitive balance. The episode blends player evaluation, team-building philosophy, and league-wide economics — all while keeping the focus on how the Royals can position themselves for success this season.
As always, Jacob and Jeremy close with light-hearted movie and anime reviews, balancing sharp baseball analysis with personality and perspective.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 02: Bryce Harper #24 of Team USA looks on during a workout at Papago Park Sports Complex on March 02, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’ve heard from Bryce Harper a lot this off-season.
He’s been active on Instagram, talking about blood ozonation and wearing “Not Elite” T-shirts. He’s held court in Clearwater discussing Dave Dombrowski’s now-famous post-season comments, and he’s been on podcasts like “Bussin’ the Boys” and, on Monday, ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show.
After an off-season stewing over Dombrowski’s assessment of a 2025 campaign that was pretty good but, sorry Bryce, not elite, Harper appears eager to shove an entire off-season of frustration up everyone’s noses.
This is all for the good. Ever since Harper signed with the Phillies ahead of the 2019 season, the roster has been designed around one guiding principle.
The offense flows through him.
He is the superstar. He is the straw that stirs the drink. He is the MVP candidate, the future Hall of Famer, the anchor, the man who performs best in the game’s biggest moments.
Except, he wasn’t that last season. It was noticeable. Try to think back on the “big” Bryce Harper moments from 2025. One doesn’t leap to mind, does it?
Harper was a very good player last season, worth a little over 3 wins while missing 30+ games in the middle of the season with an injury. That’s fine production from your second or third-best player, but the Phillies have relied on Harper to be the face of the franchise and its best player.
Last year, that person was Kyle Schwarber.
It feels like, this year, Bryce Harper wants to re-take his place atop the Phillies’ food chain.
Harper, Schwarber and 13 of their teammates are preparing to play in this week’s World Baseball Classic, an Olympics-like tournament featuring the very best players in the world playing for their home countries. Over the next two weeks, baseball fans will be fortunate to watch some baseball that matters, games that will crackle with drama, intensity, and emotion.
What better way for Harper to begin his redemption arc than to have a monster World Baseball Classic?
Harper homered in his final spring at-bat with the Phillies before leaving for the WBC, and over the years has generally stepped up in situations like this. The Orlando Arcia Game in the 2023 NLDS, the entirety of the ‘22 postseason, grand slams and 9th inning bombs in the biggest moments, those are his calling cards. And now he has the opportunity to make everyone forget about a tumultuous off-season by owning the WBC.
On the latest Hittin’ Season podcast, we discussed whether the World Baseball Classic is a litmus test for Harper’s 2026 season (FOLLOW the show on Spotify below!).
How important is it for Bryce Harper to have a big World Baseball Classic? Is it a litmus test for what we'll see in 2026? We discussed on an all NEW Hittin' Season! @WHYY
Of course, a red-hot WBC for Harper does not necessarily mean a hot start to the regular season with the Phillies. As was mentioned in the video, Trea Turner (who surprisingly wasn’t asked to play for Team USA this time around) had a WBC for the ages in 2023, his first season in Philadelphia.
Turner hit five home runs in that WBC. He then started his Phils career by hitting .235/.290/.368 over the first four months and 107 games until the standing ovation that turned around his season on August 4.
And to be fair to Harper, a subpar WBC would not necessarily mean we’re in for another non-elite campaign from him this year. These are, after all, exhibition games. In early March, players are normally still getting their bodies ready for the regular season and are nowhere near at the top of their game at this point.
Harper’s inclusion in the WBC could not have been more opportune. Perhaps getting him out of Clearwater, away from the humdrum monotony of spring training baseball, is just what he needs. Getting his competitive juices flowing now could be very good for his state of mind, an outlet for his frustrations. If that’s the case, pity the poor pitchers who will be trying to get him out, including some of his own teammates in Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo and, yes, Aaron Nola, who is pitching for Team Italy.
While I’m sure they would be angry at themselves for giving up big hits to Harper over the next two weeks, somewhere inside they would secretly be happy to see their biggest star having a star turn at the WBC.
Bryce Harper does not need to have a monster World Baseball Classic in order for his 2026 season to be a bigger success, and if he struggles, it doesn’t necessarily portend disaster.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Nick Kurtz #16 of the Athletics hits an two run home run during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Sutter Health Park on September 28, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Athletics have been a franchise full of turmoil on and off the field for some time now. The 2025 campaign saw the organization play its home games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, its first of at least three seasons after leaving Oakland in search of a new home in Las Vegas.
However, not only did the 2025 season bring the entire organization some new scenery, but it also brought a host of changes that carried over into the offseason as they added a few new faces that could help grow a supporting cast of characters hoping to put this franchise back on the map once again.
The Athletics
2025 record: 76-86 (4th, AL West) 2026 FanGraphs projection: 80-82 (4th, AL West)
Last season, the finish for the Athletics still wasn’t as high as fans of the team would have liked it to be. And, most importantly, they’ll be without a couple of players that were headliners for their roster after selling at the deadline, but there are some names around the roster that could elevate the stature of the A’s and put them in contention for the middle of the road in the AL West.
First, when it comes to what will be missing completely from the Athletics, the biggest loss is Mason Miller. Every baseball fan knows the kind of arm he brings out of the bullpen, and after pitching in 38 games for the A’s last season, he was traded to the Padres in July. His 1.0 fWAR was tied for fourth among all A’s pitchers last season despite only pitching about half the year in the team’s uniform, and losing a fastball that averages 101.2 on the gun is as detrimental as any loss a club can get — at least in the short-term.*
*Nineteen-year-old shortstop Leo De Vries was the best prospect moved at last year’s deadline and his stock has only inflated since then. He’s only played 21 games above A-ball, but stay tuned. Both MLB Pipeline and Baseball Prospectus had him ranked as a top-five prospect in the game.
But with that loss — and the loss of another relief pitcher in Sean Newcomb, who was tied in fWAR with Miller after last season and has since moved to the White Sox — comes a few additions, albeit fewer than what baseball fans saw last season from the Athletics’ front office.
The most notable name of the new additions is Jeff McNeil, the former second baseman for the Mets. With a huge overhaul coming in Queens, including the movement of other players like Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Edwin Díaz, McNeil was just another casualty and was traded to the A’s for right-hander Yordan Rodriguez. But the A’s also added veteran starting pitcher Aaron Civale, utilityman Andy Ibañez, and reliever Scott Barlow.
The Athletics, though, added those pieces to support the real prizes in their lineup: Brent Rooker, who was still an excellent hitter in 2025 following an absolutely absurd 2024 season at the plate; Shea Langeliers, who was re-signed to a one-year contract after finishing second on the team in fWAR with 3.9 and a wRC+ of 132; and first baseman Nick Kurtz, the player who made the biggest storylines last year, including winning the AL Rookie of the Year award and a Silver Slugger. He was the first rookie in MLB history to hit four homers in one game, tying a big-league record for a player of any age.
One of the biggest questions for the A’s heading into 2026 is: Can Kurtz recreate his fantastic season from last year and help propel this offense to higher levels than might be projected for them? At 22 years old and a hulking 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, Kurtz slashed .290/.383/.619 for an OPS of 1.002 and a wRC+ of 170 in 117 games played. In his 489 plate appearances, he smashed 36 home runs while being the designated hitter and first baseman when called upon. He even finished 12th in the AL MVP vote.
There are some names that could help the Athletics inch closer to where they desire to be. However, it’s going to take a more prominent offseason (and, as everyone knows, more spending) to put them back fully on the map. They have an OK group of hitters who are looking to help a somewhat unknown pitching staff meet or perform above expectations and maybe even climb back into the talk of .500 or above in an AL West division that is not easy to maneuver around.
More Pinstripe Alley MLB team season previews can be found here.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 19: Bryan Hudson #78 of the New York Mets poses for a photo during the New York Mets Photo Day at Clover Park on February 19, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was another active offseason on the margins for the Mets. Let’s see how they did.
Bats
Mike Tauchman, signed to a minor league deal only days before camp opened, is far and away the best player we’ll cover here. He’s coming off a season with a .356 OBP, a 115 wRC+, platoon-neutral performance, and scratch defense in a corner despite being 35. There’s an argument that he’s a credible starter batting in the bottom half of the lineup, and is at worst a decent part time player who can pair with a right-handed option. If you’re wondering why Mike Yastrzemski got a two-year, $23M contract from the Braves and Tauchman received only a minor league deal, I can’t explain it to you; this acquisition is a legitimate coup.
Per Tauchman himself, it seems like there’s a decent chance he makes the team out of Spring Training. What that means for the rest of the roster is less clear. The Mets reportedly cleared out Carson Benge’s locker and moved him next to the other prospects in deference to Tauchman. Is that meant to be a message about Benge’s performance to date or is it just veteran hierarchy? We leave interpretation up to the reader. It’d obviously be ideal if Benge is good enough to take the job and run with it (and I’d still bet on that outcome frankly). Having Tauchman around as a fallback is great insurance, however, and he’ll also function as a very solid part time player when the time comes.
We’ll call out two other additions here in MJ Melendez and Vidal Brujan. Melendez was signed to a split deal in early February and seemed like an early favorite to make the roster until Tauchman came on board. He was at one point the heir apparent to Salvador Perez in Kansas City, but it quickly became clear that 1) Perez wasn’t going anywhere, 2) Melendez couldn’t actually catch and 3) that Melendez couldn’t actually hit either. He’s been a below average bat with poor corner outfield defense, but is only 27 and hits the ball hard. Maybe there’s something the Mets can fix here that the Royals (hardly a bastion of good development) couldn’t. Melendez does have options remaining as well, so he can be stashed in Triple-A.
Brujan (acquired for cash from the Twins) is another former top prospect who hasn’t worked out to date, but he has more demonstrable utility than Melendez at present. He doesn’t impact the ball with any authority and swings way too much, but his speed and defensive flexibility make him a potentially useful bench piece. Brujan appeared at third, short, second, and all three outfield spots last season. I’d bet on him holding onto a bench spot over someone like Ronny Mauricio to start the season, though he may quickly be squeezed out given his lack of options.
Others players:
CF Ji Hwan Bae (waiver claim, PIT) – speedy utility type who has never hit; convicted of assaulting his girlfriend in South Korea in 2018, for which he was suspended 30 games
3B Jose Rojas (MiLB FA) – 32-year-old Quad-A corner infielder with a 152 wRC+ in the Yankees system in 2025
SS Jackson Cluff (MiLB FA) – generic upper-minors SS depth
CF Jose Ramos (MiLB FA) – former Dodger farmhand with decent damage but significant approach and contact problems
CF Cristian Pache (MiLB FA) – former top prospect who has never hit but can still go get it in center field
SS Christian Arroyo (MiLB FA) – generic upper minors IF depth
IF Grae Kessinger (MiLB FA) – slightly more interesting upper minors IF depth; can play all four infield spots and has a penchant for pulled fly balls despite weak exits
C Austin Barnes (MiLB FA) – 4th catcher type
C Ben Rortvedt (waiver claim, LAD) – 4th catcher type
Arms
Craig Kimbrel (minor league deal worth $2.5M if he makes the majors) is certainly the most famous name we’ll discuss here. Now 37-years-old, the likely future Hall of Famer posted a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings last year despite a walk rate over 14% and a BABIP of .348. He also spent 39 innings in the minors. Kimbrel still got some decent stuff, though it’s a far cry from his peak form why he was nigh unhittable. That said, when a pitcher of Kimbrel’s reputation is languishing for two-thirds of the season on minor league busses, that’s a decent sign of where things are at. I wouldn’t expect him to make the team out of Spring Training given the bevy of other options available, but boy it’d sure be fun if he had one last run in the tank for a former division rival.
Though less famous than Kimbrel, Bryan Hudson is more likely to make a significant impact on the 2026 squad. He was a disaster for most of last season, no doubt, but his 4.2 inning stint down the stretch with the White Sox displayed a potential return to form in terms of velocity, stuff metrics, and location. Yes, a back strain robbed Hudson of the end of his season, but he was legitimately one of the best relievers in baseball in 2024. Getting him back to that form would be a serious boon to the Mets relief corps, and all he cost them was some cash.
I’ll also call out Mike Baumann here as another interesting arm, though you could argue for a longer discussion of several guys on the list below. He’s got a neat little knuckle curve and a decent fastball. Even more interesting, the Mets plucked him out of Japan despite a middling performance in 15 innings. That could give one the nagging suspicion that there’s something under the hood the team thinks they can maximize here. Will that work? Probably not, but you’ve got to plant your flag and speculate on a dude from time to time.
Others players:
RHP Nick Burdi (MiLB FA) – upper minors relief depth with strong stuff grades on his fastball and sweeper per Rob Orr’s app
LHP Anderson Severino (MiLB FA) – cousin of Luis Severino, signed after a standout season in the Mexican League and an even better Winter Ball performance for Tigres del Licey; may compete for a spot as the second lefty early on
LHP Joe Jacques (MiLB FA) – 30-year-old reliever who spent time in Triple-A with the Mariners and Dodgers and had an ERA over 6 in 2025; has interesting damage suppression traits
RHP Daniel Duarte (MiLB FA) – former semi-notable relief prospect who blew out his arm in late 2024; had a flat fasteball (good) and interesting slider prior to being hurt
RHP Carl Edwards Jr. (MiLB FA) – formerly a very good reliever, hasn’t been healthy or effective since 2022
RHP Kevin Hergert (MiLB FA) – reunion with an upper-minors depth guy
RHP Jun-Seok Shim (MiLB FA) – was at one point a semi-notable prospect out of South Korea, but has never made it out of the complex while dealing with shoulder issues
RHP Tyler Burch (MiLB FA) – two-year deal for pitcher coming off elbow surgery
RHP Ofreidy Gomez (MiLB FA) – flame-throwing reliever with big DSL performance this winter
Conclusion
I planned to have a harsher curve for all grades this offseason, but especially for these sorts of minor moves. It’s very easy to convince yourself that all your low-cost gambles will work out, even when there’s little reason to do so. As of early February, when Melendez, Kimbrel, and Hudson were the most notable additions (all additions I like, to be clear), this was likely to be a B of some sort – solid, but unremarkable.
Tauchman changes that calculus. I think he’s one of the steals of the offseason. Yes, at 35 he might just stop being good at any moment, time comes for us all eventually and not always in steady, predictable ways. But he was legitimately very good last year and the Mets added him to serve as excellent insurance for their top outfield prospect AND a useful reserve outfielder AND a contributor at DH for nothing…well, less than what similar players received in free agency. That addition pushes this category of moves over the line for me; the minor moves receive an A.
In the run-up to the trade deadline, St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas’ reported availability continues to make the headlines. The Central Division team is currently dead last in its division and second-to-last in the Western Conference and has let it be known that it’s ready to move on from some of its veterans, including their first-line center, Thomas.
According to multiple reports, the Montreal Canadiens are very interested in the pivot, and they have been for some time, as RG.org writer Marco D’Amico reports. The Habs brass contacted the Blues' front office but backed off due to the steep asking price. Last month, Nick Kypreos reported that Doug Armstrong and co. were after the equivalent of three first-round picks to let go of the pivot. Today, D’Amico reports that the ask would be equivalent to four first-round picks.
On the latest episode of The Sick Podcast, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels says he believes a deal for Thomas would likely look like the one between the Vancouver Canucks and the Minnesota Wild for Quinn Hughes in which Vancouver received defenseman Zeev Buium (12th overall pick at the 2024 draft), center Marco Rossi (9th overall pick at the 2020 draft), winger Liam Ohgren (19th overall pick at the 2022 draft) and Minnesota’s first-round pick at the upcoming draft. In other words, four first-round pick players.
If that’s the asking price, the Canadiens could definitely meet it, as they have the assets, but D’Amico believes Armstrong would want highly touted prospect Michael Hage to be part of the deal, and the Habs are reluctant to part with the youngster. As you might recall, the Canadiens traded up with the Los Angeles Kings at the 2024 draft to select Hage with the 21st overall pick, as they were quite high on the player.
Since then, the youngster has put two solid seasons together in the NCAA, recording 34 points in 31 games in his rookie season with the University of Michigan, and he now has 45 points in 34 games in his sophomore season. Furthermore, at the latest World Junior Championship, he led the scoring race with 15 points in just seven games. Whether the Habs’ brass likes it or not, right now, Hage has the wow factor to make that deal happen.
Michael Hage with the shootout winner against Penn St.
At the end of the day, Tomas is an established first-line center in the NHL, and those rarely become available. President of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and GM Hughes have said in the past that they would be willing to overpay for the right piece that would make the Canadiens a contender. While some will say it’s still too early for that and the Habs may be in a better place a year from now, the fact is that Thomas is available now. He’s 26 years old and fits in the Canadiens’ core age group; he’s signed for another four seasons at just $8,125,000 per year. He’s coming off two 80+-point seasons, and while he’s having a disappointing season, who isn’t in St-Louis?
The dilemma then becomes, will Hage be a better center than Thomas if and when he reaches the NHL? There’s no way to know that. Winning the scoring race at the WJC doesn’t guarantee offensive success in the NHL. Ryan Poehling was second in scoring in 2019 and won the tournament MVP, and he’s currently the Anaheim Ducks’ third-line centre. Then again, Poehling didn’t benefit from the development team the Canadiens currently have.
If the Canadiens decided that Thomas is too good an opportunity to pass on, it looks like they will have to let Hage reluctantly go on top of adding multiple other pieces that may leave their prospect cupboard a bit bare. Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Cole Caufield are probably untouchables. Still, the likes of Oliver Kapanen (even though he was a second-round pick), David Reinbacher, and Alexander Zharovsky, who was an early second-round pick but is certainly worth a first now, could also be in play. It would take some serious magic from Hughes to manage to land Thomas without sacrificing Hage.
The 1995-96 NBA season was legendary — and NBC was right in the middle of it.
Tuesday night, NBC is bringing back that vibe when legendary sports broadcasters Bob Costas, Doug Collins, Mike "Czar of the Telestrator" Fratello, Jim Gray, Hannah Storm, Isiah Thomas and P.J. Carlesimo return to NBC Sports in a special edition "throwback" Coast 2 Coast Tuesday broadcast. That crew will be on hand when Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs visit Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers. Costas, Collins and Fratello will call the game alongside courtside reporter Gray, and the NBA Showtime that precedes the game will feature Storm as studio host and Thomas and Carlesimo as studio analysts.
What do we remember from that 1995-96 season? So very much, it was the peak of that NBA era.
72-win Chicago Bulls
The greatest team of all time.
No team in NBA history has won so many games (72-10) and capped it by winning an NBA championship. Nobody. (The 2015-16 Warriors won 73 games but blew a 3-1 Finals lead to LeBron James's Cavaliers.)
That Bulls team featured MVP Michael Jordan, who averaged 30.4 points per game capping off his comeback, as well as Scottie Pippen (fifth in MVP voting and second in Defensive Player of the. Year voting that season), Dennis Rodman (14.9 rebounds per game and elite defense), Tony Kukoc winning Sixth Man of the Year, plus a veteran and impressive group of role players, which included a young sharpshooter out of Southern California by way of Arizona, Steve Kerr.
June 16, 1996: Chicago's Dennis Rodman ignites the crowd with this uninterrupted series of 3rd quarter plays in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
Rodman had 19 REB/5 AST/3 STL and Michael Jordan had 22 PTS/9 REB/7 AST in the Bulls' 87-75 win over Seattle that clinched the Championship. pic.twitter.com/FgCII6nb8J
Chicago won the 1996 NBA championship on Father's Day, and this was Jordan's first championship after his father's death, which led to an iconic, tearful celebration on the locker room floor.
Magic Johnson abruptly and shockingly retired from basketball in 1991 after contracting AIDS.
Four years later, for the 1995-96 season, Magic returned midseason and played 32 games for the Lakers, still averaging 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game, mostly coming off the bench.
MAGIC RETURNED 30 YEARS AGO TODAY
Magic Johnson came out of retirement on Jan. 30, 1996 and dropped...
Back in 1995-96, Seattle still had an NBA team — and a very good one. A 64-win SuperSonics team that reached the NBA Finals and pushed those 72-win Bulls harder than any other team in the postseason, taking them to six games.
Shawn Kemp led that team with 19.6 points a game, but we tuned in to see him dunk — no player in NBA history has been more of a highlight factory than Kemp.
May 20, 1996: Shawn Kemp dunks on Antoine Carr of the Jazz during Seattle's 91-87 win in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
Kemp finished with 15 PTS and Gary Payton had 18 PTS/8 AST/4 STL for the Sonics, who took a 2-0 series lead. Karl Malone had 32 PTS/13 REB for Utah. pic.twitter.com/GooxjQ3ldr
However, the player that really made this team go was The Glove, Gary Payton — 19.3 points a game while winning Defensive Player of the Year. He was locking people down on one end and was part of a high-flying offensive show on the other.
Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton put on a show in a blowout Finals Game 4 win against the Bulls! (1996)
The Toronto Raptors made their debut and started to win over what has become one of the largest and best fan bases in the NBA. Rookie of the Year Damon Stoudemire led that inaugural team.
On the West Coast, the Vancouver Grizzlies debuted, a team led in scoring by Greg Anthony and big men Benoit Benjamin and Bryant "Big Country" Reaves.
Unfortunately, the team would only spend six years in Vancouver, never making the playoffs, before a new owner, Michael Heisley, moved the team to Memphis, where there are no Grizzlies but the team has stayed.
Jun 1967; Unknown Location, USA; FILE PHOTO; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Roger Maris in the on-deck circle during the 1967 season. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images
Fans of the Kansas City Athletics endured many disappointments during the team’s thirteen-year stay at Municipal. Where do we start? The many, often lopsided trades to the Yankees? How about the fact that the team never had a winning record during its stay in Kansas City? Then, of course, there’s the move. The move was a tough pill to swallow, even though the city and the fans had their fill of Charlie O. Finley. Finley was a visionary, but he was also a world-class ass. I could write a chapter on the number of times he insulted the city and the fans.
What made the move really painful was that we could see the team was going to be good. Catfish, Rudi, Fingers, Jackson, Bando, Tenace, Blue, Campy, and Green. One thing Finley had done right was accumulate a deep pool of young talent.
And right on cue, they posted a winning record in their first year in Oakland. Then they won three World Series in a row. I couldn’t have been the only one who thought, “Those titles should have been ours.”
Despite that litany of tears, my first disappointment as a fan came when I was old enough to realize the team had traded away Roger Maris. Roger Maris! The guy who hit 61 home runs in a season! That Roger Maris? I was probably seven. Maybe eight. I remember thinking, who was the idiot who traded away Roger Maris?
That would have been Parke Carroll. Carroll probably wasn’t an idiot, but you can make the case that his loyalties still ran with the Yankees and not Kansas City. Carroll had been employed by the Yankee organization, most recently as the business manager of the Yankees’ Kansas City Blues farm team. The Athletics were owned at the time by Arnold Johnson. Prior to owning the Athletics, Johnson owned not only Yankee Stadium but also Blues Stadium, which he agreed to sell to the city. With that bit of housekeeping taken care of, Johnson moved the Philadelphia Athletics into a newly revamped and renamed Municipal Stadium. Johnson’s director of player personnel was George Selkirk, a former Yankee player who took over right field when Babe Ruth retired. Carroll, Selkirk, and Johnson all had heavy Yankee ties. With leadership like that, the Athletics never had a chance.
The Athletics somehow found some talent. At various times they had guys like Bob Cerv, Ralph Terry, Clete Boyer, Bobby Shantz, and Harry Simpson. All those guys ended up being traded to New York.
The most glaring trade had to be Maris. The Athletics had picked him up, along with Dick Tomanek and Preston Ward, in a June 1958 trade with Cleveland in which they gave up Woodie Held and Vic Power. It was a heavy price to pay, as Held was an adequate center fielder and Power was an excellent hitter. Power had been a two-time All-Star and picked up MVP votes in four seasons in Kansas City, but Maris was different. He had a gift.
Maris had been a football standout at Bishop Shanley High School in Fargo. He set a still-standing national record with four return touchdowns in one game. Maris was such an excellent football player that the University of Oklahoma wanted him. He didn’t even like baseball until he got into high school, whereupon he excelled.
The Indians signed him as a free agent, and he was named Rookie of the Year at his first minor league stop, playing for his hometown Fargo Twins. In four minor league seasons, Maris hit .303 with 78 home runs. The talent was there.
He made his major league debut with Cleveland in April of 1957, going 3 for 5. Two days later, he hit his first major league home run, a grand slam. He was just 22 years old.
Cleveland fans must have also felt our pain. They only had Maris for 167 games over parts of two seasons before they traded him to Kansas City.
Maris battled injuries during his time in Kansas City, including appendix surgery, which hurt his production when he tried to come back too soon.
He made his first All-Star team in 1959 when he hit .273 with 16 home runs and 72 RBI in just 122 games. It looked like the Athletics had their right fielder for the future.
In between injuries, Maris had some fantastic games for the Athletics. On August 3, 1958, in a game at Municipal Stadium against the Washington Senators, Maris went 4 for 5 with two home runs and five RBI. He ended just a single shy of hitting for the cycle and collected 13 total bases during a 12–0 Athletics rout.
On September 24, Maris made his former team pay during a 9–3 Kansas City win in Cleveland. Maris went 3 for 5 with two home runs, three RBI, and nine total bases.
On May 10, 1959, Maris clipped the Tigers for two home runs, scored four times, and drove in five in a 7–6 loss to Detroit.
Once he got healthy toward the end of the 1959 season, it was impossible to miss the talent.
The evil axis of Carroll, Johnson, and Selkirk thought otherwise. On December 11, 1959, the team shocked its fans by sending Maris, Kent Hadley, and shortstop Joe DeMaestri to New York in exchange for Marvelous Marv Throneberry, Norm Siebern, Hank Bauer, and a sore-armed Don Larsen. Maris was quoted in the Reading Eagle as saying, “Believe it or not, I had rather stayed with the Athletics, but I’ll do my best for the Yankees.”
Throneberry was immensely popular with the fans but could never unlock the power he displayed in the minors. Bauer was already 37 and in steep decline. Larsen was 30 and came to the Athletics with a career record of 55–57. His claim to fame was throwing the only perfect game in World Series history. The only thing that saved the trade was Siebern, who over four seasons slashed .289/.381/.463 with 78 home runs and 367 RBI. He made two All-Star teams and picked up some MVP votes. Siebern’s four Kansas City years were basically peak Eric Hosmer.
Maris hit his peak in New York. In 1960, he led the league in several offensive categories, including WAR (7.7), RBI (112), and slugging percentage. His sweet left-handed swing was custom-built for Yankee Stadium. That production earned him the league’s MVP award. Ouch.
Maris was even better in 1961, slashing .269/.372/.620 and leading the league in home runs (61), RBI (141), runs (132), and total bases (366). He won a second MVP award.
Maris broke Babe Ruth’s cherished 60-home run record and received numerous death threats for his trouble. Baseball fans can get nutty. Not “soccer-fan nutty”, but nutty enough.
If you want to know what kind of man Maris was, consider this. His 61st home run ball landed in the hands of 19-year-old Sal Durante. The young man was immediately surrounded by Stadium ushers. He told them he wanted to give the ball to Maris personally. After the game, Durante presented the ball to Maris, saying, “Here’s the ball, Roger.”
Maris then signed and dated the ball and gave it back to Durante, saying, “Keep it, kid. Put it up for auction. Somebody will pay you a lot of money for the ball.” Durante later sold the ball to a California restaurant owner for $5,000. The restaurateur then gave the ball back to Maris. Can you imagine that happening today? How much is that ball worth now?
Maris donated the ball to the Baseball Hall of Fame, where it still resides.
Maris played in New York for seven seasons, during which he hit a total of 203 home runs and won two World Series titles. But he never got over the abuse Yankee fans heaped on him for breaking the Babe’s cherished record. Despite playing in New York, the Maris family maintained their home base in Independence, Missouri. Roger really didn’t want to leave KC.
In December 1966, in a puzzling move, the Yankees traded Maris to St. Louis for utility infielder Charley Smith. The Yankees believed Maris was in decline, but the reality was that he’d had surgery to remove bone chips from his hand in 1965, then played most of the 1966 season with a broken bone in his hand. His batting average slumped, and his once prodigious power all but disappeared. Understandable. I’m not sure how the guy played, except on pure guts.
With his hand healed, Maris enjoyed a late-career revival for the Cardinals. At the ages of 32 and 33, his power had waned, but his defense was as good as ever. He played a pivotal role in the Cardinals’ 1967 World Series win, hitting .385 with a dinger and seven RBI. He nearly picked up another ring in 1968, a classic seven-game series that pitted the excellence of Bob Gibson against the immovable object of Mickey Lolich.
Maris retired after that 1968 season and owned and operated a Budweiser distributorship in Florida, something that Cardinals owner Gussie Busch had set him up with. Maris had a 10-year estrangement from the Yankees, which ended in 1978 when he returned for their Old-Timers’ Day.
In 1983, Maris was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He battled for two years before succumbing to the disease on December 14, 1985, at the very young age of 51.
Maris first came up for Hall of Fame consideration in 1974 but could never garner enough votes for induction. Despite his two MVP awards, the home run record, three World Series titles, and seven All-Star appearances, his overall body of work fell just a little short.
Analytics, invented long after Maris’ passing, show him with a little over 38 WAR, certainly a respectable total, but not enough to warrant Hall of Fame induction.
Despite that, Maris’ legacy lives on. The Yankees retired his No. 9 jersey and gave him a plaque in Monument Park. Can you believe the Yanks have 22 retired numbers? If they continue at this pace, they’ll have to start assigning letters.
The Postal Service issued a Roger Maris commemorative stamp in 1999. Barry Pepper played Maris in the acclaimed movie “61*.” In 2023, a Maris game-worn 1961 jersey sold for $1.59 million. His last game was almost 60 years ago, but people remember.
If you ever happen to be in Fargo, plan to make a stop at the West Acres Shopping Center. The mall is home to the outstanding Roger Maris Museum. Always a modest man, Maris first rejected the idea of a museum in his honor. He eventually relented on the condition that the museum would never charge admission.
Former teammate Moose Skowron said, “People just remember the 61 home runs. They forgot that Roger was an excellent base stealer and a superb right fielder. He was the best defensive right fielder in the majors. He was an all-around ballplayer, a humble guy, and a real team player. History never gave him his due.”
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