Time/Place: 4:05 p.m., Sutter Health Park
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Even with heavy interest around the league ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, the Mets decided to run Clay Holmes out for one last rehab appearance Sunday.
The big righty went out and threw five-plus innings in front of a handful of potential suitors in Brooklyn.
The Diamondbacks, Phillies, Rays, and Rangers were the four teams with scouts in attendance for the outing, according to Joel Sherman of the NY Post.
Holmes gave up a single to the first batter he faced, but needed just five pitches to erase that, as a fly out and double-play ball helped him breeze through the inning.
Winston-Salem got on the board with runs each of the next four innings, though.
Holmes was hurt by an error in the third, and stolen bases in both the fourth and fifth, before his day came to an end with a man on-base in the top of the sixth.
Overall, he allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits while striking out three.
This is expected to be Holmes' final outing in the organization this season, as he said himself that being moved seems the most likely outcome ahead of the deadline.
If that's the case, the 32-year-old was tremendous during his two years as a Met.
New York took a chance on his transition to the rotation last offseason and he responded by becoming one of their most reliable arms, racking up a 3.26 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 42 outings.
Earlier this week, the Cubs designated right-handed starter Jameson Taillon for assignment. Today, they completed a trade that sends Taillon to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations or a player to be named later.
Taillon signed a four-year, $68 million free agent deal with the Cubs before the 2023 season. He struggled in his first year with the Cubs but then settled in as a solid innings-eater for the next two seasons, putting up an ERA of 3.27 in 2024 and 3.68 in 2025. But Taillon struggled mightily this year, going 2-6 with a 5.92 ERA. He missed almost six weeks with a hamstring injury and got lit up in his first two starts back. That led the Cubs to move on and designated him for assignment.
It should be noted that Taillon was universally liked as a teammate, with many Cubs saying he was a terrific friend to everyone and a mentor to younger players. That should help a Blue Jays clubhouse that at least one player has claimed is lacking in chemistry.
Taillon goes to the Blue Jays, who are having a nightmarish season after coming within two outs of a World Series title last year.
The Cubs have a makeup game with the Blue Jays at Wrigley on Thursday. It’s very possible that Taillon makes his Blue Jays debut in that game.
NEW YORK — The last-place New York Mets have agreed to trade starting pitcher Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays for three minor leaguers, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because the teams hadn’t announced the deal.
Peralta, a two-time All-Star who can become a free agent following the World Series, has been a disappointment with the Mets after they acquired him from Milwaukee in a January trade. But he could boost the middle of a strong rotation for the pitching-rich Rays, who began the day with the best record in the American League at 65-45 and a 3 1/2-game lead in the AL East over the New York Yankees.
New York will receive outfielder Aidan Smith, infielder Emilien Pitre and right-hander Gary Gill Hill in exchange for Peralta.
The move comes a day before baseball’s trade deadline at 6 p.m. EDT on Monday.
The Rays currently have three starting pitchers in the low levels of the minor leagues putting together strong seasons that have boosted their prospect stock. All three have improved their outlooks this season and have strengthened their cases to remain starters long-term. While there’s still risk in each profile, they currently project as potential backend starters with room for more. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Rays move any of these guys as part of a trade package at the deadline.
RHP Jacob Kisting
Jacob Kisting was acquired from the Twins this past offseason for Eric Orze. Kisting is a 6’5 RHP who throws from a low 3/4 slot. His four-seamer sits in the low 90s but gets on hitters quicker than expected thanks to his low release height and above average carry. Kisting has good feel for his two-seam variant, and neither fastball projects as more than a fringy offering on pure stuff alone. He also has a pair of average secondaries in the low-to-mid 80s; a cut-slider and an offspeed pitch with above average fade and plenty of velocity separation. He has excellent feel of his offspeed pitch to the point where he can manipulate the shape to get more depth or fade depending on the situation. His low slot, deception, and ability to command the entire arsenal allow his stuff to play above its raw grades. Kisting has maintained plus whiff and strike rates this season in Bowling Green and looks ready for a promotion to Montgomery if there are innings available. Maintaining his command will be key for him to work as a middle-to-backend starter.
RHP Aidan Cremarosa
With a no-hitter this season, Aidan Cremarosa has already gained some attention while pitching in Charleston. The 6’3 RHP throws from a 3/4 slot with plus extension that helps his low 90s fastball gain a few ticks in perceived velocity. He has great feel for a low-70s breaking ball that he can land in-zone to steal strikes, but Cremarosa’s best weapon may be his low-80s offspeed pitch, which features solid movement and excellent velocity separation from his fastball. He also throws a low-80s cut-slider that allows him to generate plenty of strikes and weak contact. Cremarosa currently looks like a backend starter, but given his physical projection, he could find a bit more velocity and look more like a number three starter.
LHP Blake Morgan
Blake Morgan has enjoyed a strong start to his professional career. The 6’1 LHP throws from a high slot and features three pitches: a low 90s fastball, a low 80s gyro breaking ball, and a low 80s offspeed pitch. The fastball and breaking ball are fringy offerings, but his unique slot and plus command help him keep hitters off balance. Morgan’s best pitch is his offspeed pitch – it has plus fade from his high release point, and its velocity separation from the fastball is excellent, making it a clear plus offering. His feel for strike throwing gives him a safe floor as a backend starter, with a potential ceiling of a Jeffrey Springs-type starter. Morgan could raise his game by finding a second breaking ball shape to give hitters on both sides of the plate a different look beyond the first time through an order.
The Rays have taken their ability to identify and develop offspeed pitches to new heights in recent years. This is evident in some of their up-arrow pitching prospects as well as their offspeed usage and success in the majors. Any of these three names may be a potential target of other teams in a trade package. If they remain in the organization, any of these three could reach the majors by 2028.
I try not to dwell on negative emotions, especially anger and especially about things like baseball that are ostensibly sources of joy for me. But I confess that this morning, I find myself raging about Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers, overwhelming any emotions I have about the Mariners trading Luis Castillo to the White Sox. I guess what I’ll say about the Skubal deal is that now that it’s done, the entire baseball world really ought to be lining up behind the Mariners as the only team that can defeat the Dodgers in the playoffs.
At any rate, the big news of the day remains the farewell to La Piedra. I wish him nothing but the best. I will never forget his performance in his first home start in T-Mobile Park.
This afternoon, though, the ball will go to George Kirby, perhaps for the last time as a Mariner. Let’s hope it goes better than his last outing, when he was taken deep by the Rangers four times on Monday and tied for the third-worst game score of his career.
LHP Josh Simpson is here to take the place (temporarily) of Luis Castillo on the roster. Seranthony Dominguez is expected to report to the club on Tuesday after the team’s off-day, along with Brendan Donovan.
The Mariners also announced that INF Buddy Kennedy, who was DFA’d on the 28th, was claimed off waivers by the Giants, the team the Mariners had originally acquired him from.
The Twins made a roster move of their own; pregame they optioned RHP Jack Anderson (not former Mariners prospect Jack Anderson) to Triple-A to make room for their new acquisition RHP Dean Kremer.
Michael Arroyo was here at T-Mobile Park earlier, which initially caused quite a stir among the assembled media, but he was just here to get checked out after being hit by a pitch the other night in Tacoma and to pick up some gear from Randy Arozarena, who sent Arroyo home with a boxful of extra shin guards, cleats, and other swag. He’s in Tacoma’s lineup today for their 1:30 game.
First Pitch: 1:10 PDT
TV: Mariners TV
Radio: Old Reliable
Earlier this month, news came from the Star Tribune that longtime columnist Jim Souhan would be sharpening his last pencil—clacking his last typewriter—pecking his final keyboard—tapping his final device. Whatever metaphor you’d like to envision for “sportswriter retires”.
I won’t render any sort of positive or negative verdict on Souhan the person (of which I don’t know enough) or Souhan the “successful writer” (every scribe will compose some columns we agree with and others we disagree with—that is the nature of the business). But Souhan’s retirement does make me reflect upon the ways in which I receive my baseball news have changed in just the 30 years I’ve been intensely following the sport.
There was a time in which newsprint truly was the gold standard of baseball info. For me, this took two forms:
This was of course supplemented by nightly baseball news on cable TV programs like SportsCenter or Baseball Tonight. But beyond reading a timed publication or watching a timed TV show, there was no instant baseball news at my fingertips.
With all that in mind, columnists like Souhan told me what to think about the Minnesota Twins. On one hand: a helpful narrowing of the information portal (like a TV news anchor or a Blockbuster Video section with X number of titles). On the other hand: An un-democratic narrowing of the information portal in the sense that all opinions were being put through the “Souhan filter” (of which most professional journalists will try to avoid, but cannot of course do so entirely).
This is where I might usually make some sort of value-judgement statement on the sports journalism situation, but I have no proclamation here. While the capital-I Internet gives everyone (including yours truly) a chance to pontificate on the National Pastime, it also makes it that much more difficult for the true professionals/experts to make a career of it.
So, while the accuracy or personal enjoyment of Souhan’s scribbles will ultimately fade into the background with time, his retirement makes me contemplate the nature of sports journalism and how we’ll likely never see an era like his again. When Patrick Reusse either absconds or goes gentle into that good night, it will really hit home.
Of course, it won’t take you until Monday morning to get the recap of this Minnesota Twins versus Seattle Mariners clash. I’ll have the particulars—for better or worse—to you by the time you are back from your own lake cabin or other late-afternoon Sunday activities.
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This weekend, the NHL account on X sparked a lot of comments when it asked fans what the pettiest hockey grudge they were still holding was. There were plenty of answers that wanted to set the record straight by saying that there were no petty grudges in hockey and that all grudges were valid. A statement which would find a lot of support in Montreal, considering how seriously fans take their hockey in the Mecca of hockey. Here are, in chronological order, the five biggest grudges in Montreal Canadiens history.
On March 13, 1955, there was an altercation in a game between the Habs and the Boston Bruins. As the Canadiens were on a power play, Maurice Rocket Richard was high-sticked and a delayed penalty was called. Once the Bruins touched the puck and the penalty was called, Richard sought revenge on Hal Laycoe, and as linesman Cliff Thompson attempted to restrain a furious Rocket, he was struck by the star. That led to a disciplinary hearing with the league, and NHL President Colin Campbell decided that Richard, who was on his way to win the scoring race, would miss the remainder of the 1954-55 season and the playoffs.
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Unsurprisingly, the ruling was not well received in Montreal. When Campbell showed up to the game between the Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings on March 17, 1955, it sparked what would come to be known as the “Richard Riot,” an event that many would go on to describe as the start of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec. The League president was assaulted in the stands, was thrown various items at, and was slapped and hit with a tomato in the face. The crowd got so unruly that a tear gas bomb was set off and the building was evacuated, forcing the Habs to forfeit the game. A full-blown riot erupted outside as fans felt the Richard suspension was motivated by the fact that he was a French-Canadian.
The following day, Richard took to the airwaves to plead with fans and ask them to support the team rather than protest his suspension. They did, but they didn’t forget, and as Hab Bernard “Boom Boom” Geoffrion passed Richard in the scoring race, the Montreal fans booed him.
40 years later, on December 2, 1995, rookie coach Mario Tremblay hung out to dry superstar Patrick Roy when he left him in net in a game against the Red Wings when it was clear that it wasn’t St-Patrick’s night. By the time the coach finally pulled the goaltending legend, he had let in nine goals on 26 shots and had been booed and mocked by the home crowd. Once back on the bench, Roy told team president Ronald Corey that he had played his last game in Montreal. Days later, GM Rejean Houle traded Roy and captain Mike Keane to the Colorado Avalanche for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Ruscinsky, and Andrei Kovalenko, arguably the worst trade in Habs history and one that sent the franchise into a very dark age.
To this day, plenty of fans still hold a grudge against Tremblay for not pulling Roy sooner and against Houle for that awful trade. The fact that Roy went on to win two more Stanley Cups with the Avalanche after the trade while the Canadiens haven’t won a single one since certainly didn’t help.
The 2010 playoffs will forever be known as the Halak spring in Montreal. That year, Jaroslav Halak wrestled the starting job away from Carey Price and carried the team to a surprise Eastern Conference Final. He ran out of gas in the third round, and the Habs were eliminated in five games by the Philadelphia Flyers, but his performances against the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins as the Canadiens beat both Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby in seven games in the first two rounds were the stuff of legends.
It turned the goaltender into a fan favorite, and in the offseason, as he was about to become an RFA, GM Pierre Gauthier elected to trade him to the St. Louis Blues in what he called a “big picture decision”, deciding to bet on Price’s bright future rather than on Halak’s immediate success. However, the return Gauthier got from the Blues was judged to be far too low, as center Lars Eller, who had only played seven NHL games by then, and tough guy Ian Schultz came to Montreal. Fans felt betrayed that the playoff hero was sent packing, and despite Price turning out the way he did, there are still those who lament the trade. Canadiens fans can certainly hold a grudge.
Zdeno Chara from the Bruins became public enemy number one in Montreal when he hit Max Pacioretty, a hit that saw him hit the glass between the two team benches. It was very much as if he had hit a wall, and he fell on the ice unconscious. You could have heard a pin drop in the Bell Centre on that day; Chara silenced an arena that’s always raucous for a Canadiens-Bruins duel. There was real concern in that moment not only for Pacioretty’s health but also for his career. The sniper was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with both a severe concussion and a fractured fourth cervical vertebra.
Canadiens fans never forgot that hit, and they never forgave it either. From that day on, whenever Chara touched the puck on the Bell Centre ice, he was copiously booed by the Habs faithful.
Price was on fire in the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs; he helped the Canadiens sweep the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round before being one of the key elements of a 7-game win in the second round against the Bruins. The Canadiens fans were hoping he could take them all the way to the 25th Stanley Cup in franchise history, but in the first game of the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers, he was run over by Chris Kreider, skates first, colliding with the goaltender’s right knee.
If you ask a Rangers fan about that incident, they’ll tell you that Kreider was the innocent victim of a trip by defenseman Alexei Emelin. If you ask a Canadiens fan about it, they’ll tell you that if Kreider were tripped, he wouldn’t have fallen that way. The belief in Montreal was, and still is, that Kreider saw an opportunity to take Price out and he took it.
12 years later, Kreider, who’s now with the Anaheim Ducks, is still booed by the Habs faithful, and that will never change. Price did concede that the hit was part of the problem with his knee, but he wouldn’t call it “The problem” in a 2025 phone interview with The Gazette’s Stu Cowan. He added that he didn’t hold a grudge against Kreider, calling the incident a quick play in the playoffs and that he doesn’t have any ill will toward the power forward.
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It’s series finale time, and the San Francisco Giants are in need of a win to split their four-game date with the San Diego Padres.
Righty Landen Roupp takes the mound for the Giants, making his 22nd start. Roupp has had an up-and-down season, and is 7-9 with a 4.12 ERA, a 3.38 FIP, and 114 strikeouts to 48 walks in 113.2 innings. He struggled in his last outing, giving up four runs in 3.2 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.
For the Padres, it’s lefty Kyle Hart, after scheduled starter Michael King was pushed to Monday. Hart, who is presumably an opener for a bullpen game, has made 28 appearances this year, and is 0-2 with a 4.87 ERA, a 3.79 FIP, and 36 strikeouts to 13 walks in 40.2 innings.
Enjoy the game, everyone!
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Giants
RHP. Landen Roupp
Padres
LHP. Kyle Hart
Who: San Francisco Giants (47-64) vs. San Diego Padres (57-54)
Where: Petco Park, San Diego, California
When: 1:10 p.m. PT
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
National broadcast: n/a
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
The Mets finally found a package they liked for Freddy Peralta, moving him to Tampa Bay for three prospects most fans have likely never heard of. Indeed, none of these prospects ranked in the Rays’ top-10 per MLB pipeline. There’s more to like to this return than you might think, however.
Émilien Pitre is the headliner (insofar as there is a headliner) of this deal. Taken in the second round of the 2024 draft out of Kentucky, Pitre is an undersized second baseman originally from Canada. He returned to High-A to start this season after an unremarkable 2025 and has basically done nothing but hit since then; 128 wRC+ at A+, 155 wRC+ in Double-A, and a .308/.438/.447 slash line across two levels with more walks than strikeouts. The knock here is the lack of power, as Pitre has only average-ish EVs and a propensity for ground balls. The realistic projection is a table-setting, OBP-heavy 2B with solid defense who could be ready by the middle of 2027, with upside for a bit more if the Mets can coax out improvements to his vertical spray.
Aidan Smith is almost a mirror image of Pitre. He’s got plus exits, run times, and overall athleticism, but he’s managed to strike out more than 30% of the time in the low minors while posting a combined line 30% worse than league average. He probably just can’t hit, but occasionally these guys do put it together. He’ll have the rest of 2026 and all of ‘27 to figure it out in the Mets’ system before they’ll need to make a call on adding him to the 40-man roster. Overall it’s high-risk, high-reward swing on a prep that was at one point very highly regarded (was part of the return for Randy Arozarena in 2024).
Finally, we have Gary Gill Hill, a local product (born in New Rochelle, attended high school in Somers) who was selected as a prep arm in 2022. Like Smith, his surface level stats are unimpressive; K% under 20% and a mid-4s ERA in Double-A this season. Unlike Smith, the path to improvement is a bit more clear. Gill Hill has a diverse arsenal and feel for multiple pitch shapes. Refining those shapes and/or adjusting his mix could lead to quick gains, and there’s mid-rotation upside here on a fairly reasonable time horizon.
Back to the view of the return as a whole. First, the Rays have (as usual) one of the deepest systems in baseball; getting three players outside their top-10 for Freddy Peralta and his high-4s ERA is by no means a bad return in a vacuum. Second, raw system ranks are not the most useful of measurement tools, particularly at this point in the season (maintaining list quality on a running basis in-season is hard, and Pipeline is not the best source in the first place). There is a lot to like here, combining both floor and upside, proximity and long-term value.
Finally, we should make the point that this return is likely more valuable than the present value of the players the Mets gave up for Peralta in the first place. Yes, both Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat were top-100 names at the time of the deal, but both have seen their stock decline significantly this season to the point where it’s not longer clear that either will be meaningful contributors. Given how poor Peralta was as a Met, recouping this much value should be regarded quite positively.
We’ll have full grades for every deadline deal the Mets make once all the moves for the deadline have been made. Check back in for those next week.
Even when Kawhi Leonard’s return to the Toronto Raptors was nothing but a fantasy, fans have long clamoured for a very specific type of archetype.
It’s a need that the front-office has struggled to fill since leaning on champions Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka – a two-way stretch five.
Anytime a player like Chris Boucher, Precious Achiuwa, Christian Koloko or Jontay Porter knocked down a three, Raptors supporters and analysts alike didn’t hesitate to post a clip to social media. During the 2019 championship run, Leonard thrived playing next to an effective stretch-five, particularly as he probed the mid-range areas.
While Toronto has never found a similar weapon to maximize Scottie Barnes’ strengths, it makes sense that fans believe this should be a priority for General Manager and Vice-President Bobby Webster.
With the start of pre-season beginning on Oct. 3, Raptors fans can continue to voice their expertise and knowledge during the upcoming season on FanDuel.
San Francisco Giants (47-64) at San Diego Padres (57-54), August 2, 2026, 1:1o p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
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The Phoenix Suns surprised the masses last season. Going 45-37 and reaching the playoffs after trading away Kevin Durant and buying out Bradley Beal, the year was considered a resounding success by many in the league. Sure, Dillon Brooks had the best season of his career, Collin Gillespie outperformed his contract, and role players like Jordan Goodwin and Grayson Allen brought the intensity and shooting that made Phoenix a frisky regular-season team, but the main person leading the charge was Devin Booker.
After his fifth All-Star selection, Booker joined Giannis Antetokounmpo as one of only two players in the NBA to average at least 25 points per game in each of the last eight seasons. He’s had better seasons, including multiple All-NBA campaigns, but once again, he led the charge for Phoenix.
Here’s a look at his best games of the season:
The 38-piece against the Warriors
Booker had two 38-point outings against the Golden State Warriors, both of which ended in road losses. In the second contest, Phoenix had a 44-32 lead but couldn’t hold it, with Golden State taking a six-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Booker shot an impressive 21-for-23 from the charity stripe in the two games combined and 23-for-39 from two. In the first matchup, he scored more points than the number of minutes he played, something he didn’t do too much this year.
In the first two months of the season, both losses came amid some of the Suns’ best basketball of the year. The first defeat was sandwiched between the team handing the eventual Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs their first loss of the season and a five-game winning streak, while the second came before a four-game winning streak.
Booker’s 40 not enough to beat the Celtics
In one of the team’s most back-and-forth matchups of the year, Booker had a 40-piece against the Celtics, his second-highest-scoring outing of the season. However, thanks to poor execution and cold shooting late, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum had the last laugh, with Brown scoring nearly half of his 41 points in the fourth quarter.
Booker did most of the damage from inside the arc, scoring 26 points on 13-for-17 shooting.
On the first leg of a back-to-back, Booker and Jalen Green went off for a combined 79 points in a mostly easy 123-108 victory over the Pacers, with Booker scoring 43, his most in an outing during the 2025-2026 campaign. In a year when he had a lot of struggles from three, Booker went 4-for-7 from deep and 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.
When the Pacers cut the lead to two late in the third quarter, it was Booker who took care of business for the Suns, hitting multiple triples and ending the quarter with a step-back jumper to help Phoenix extend its lead to eight.
The victory was the team’s fourth in a row, and the 39-27 record it boasted after the win marked the most games above .500 it had been all year.
By no means was this Booker’s best statistical performance of the season. In fact, he took only 11 shots and scored below his season average with 24 points, but when his team needed him most, he delivered.
With All-NBA defender Alex Caruso draped all over him in a 105-105 game, Booker hit one of the biggest shots of his career to complete the team’s double-digit comeback against the team with the league’s best record, which had handed Phoenix its worst loss in franchise history in the semifinals of the NBA Cup the month before.
Booker’s shot capped off the team’s most impressive win of the season and marked the start of a month when Phoenix beat the No. 1 seeds in both the Eastern and Western conferences en route to Jordan Ott winning Western Conference Coach of the Month.
Only the Oklahoma City Thunder started the season stronger than the San Antonio Spurs. After San Antonio won its first five games, Phoenix handed the Spurs their first loss of the year in dominant fashion, with Booker leading the way, scoring 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting to go along with a season-high 13 assists. In one of his six double-doubles of the season, the team was plus-26 when he was on the court as the team limited All-NBA First Team selection Victor Wembanyama to nine points on 4-for-14 shooting from the field and forced him into six turnovers.
The victory was the team’s first of the season against an opponent that would finish above .500 and the start of a 10-5 month. While Booker played point guard for a significant chunk of the season, no game demonstrated his playmaking skills more than this one, as the team led by more than 30 points at times. After this game, the Suns played with a newfound confidence for the rest of the regular season that helped them remain above .500 for nearly the rest of the year.
What did I miss or get wrong?
It's not often that an executive is attached to league-altering trades in two different sports, but Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam can etch his name in the trivia books after this summer.
In the span of a month, Haslam-led teams traded both NFL All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett (to the Los Angeles Rams) and NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (to the Miami Heat), ringing in new eras for both the NFL's Cleveland Browns and NBA's Milwaukee Bucks.
Haslam has been known to have some questionable transactions under his watch, and the latest gambits were both eye-opening to fans, analysts – and even family members — like Haslam's 95-year-old dad.
Speaking with reporters, Haslam said his father, Jim Haslam, had a small reality check moment with him in the wake of the deals.
"My dad's 95 and a half, but still follows every sports move we make, and he called me up after we traded Giannis and said, 'Do you know that in the last month you've traded Myles Garrett and Giannis?,'" Haslam told reporters with a laugh recently. "I said, 'Yes, sir, I know that.'"
As a minority co-owner of the Bucks, Haslam had a hand in dealing Antetokounmpo to the Heat in July, ending a years-long saga of whether or not the team would deal the superstar. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to an NBA championship in the 2021 NBA Finals and also added league MVPs to his mantle.
Garrett didn't have the luxury of being a piece of a championship team in Cleveland, but earned plenty of personal accolades, including two Defensive Player of the Year awards and five first-team All-Pro nods (while also becoming the single-season sack record holder in 2025).
The trade that sent Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat rocked the NBA as one of the biggest dominos of a massive summer across the league.
Haslam said he believes rebuilding in the NBA is more difficult than in the NFL, and that the only way to judge the Antetokounmpo deal is by what happens next. The Bucks netted Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakučionis in the deal, alongside multiple picks.
"Listen, it's all about what you get, and Giannis is a generational player, won a championship, but we felt the need to get younger," Haslam said. "He was the best asset we had. We had mortgaged our future going forward and I think we got four really good players, and we got two draft picks – No. 1 draft picks - couple of swaps, and second, so, time will tell.
"We've gotta use those picks wisely – just like we have to do with the Myles trade – but cautious optimism. Although, you gotta be realistic, rebuilding is no fun."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Browns owner says his 95-year-old dad gave gut check on Garrett, Giannis trades
After a rough start to the road trip in San Francisco, the Brewers have turned it around with two straight wins against the Angels. They can make this a winning road trip by completing the sweep this afternoon, and Jacob Misiorowski is on the mound for it.
Since the All-Star break, the Brewers have been deliberate with building Misiorowski back up slowly to help manage his workload. His previous start was last Sunday, when he pitched five innings and struck out 12 against the Rockies. His last two starts were limited to 65 and 83 pitches, so he will likely be limited to under 100 pitches again today. Misiorowski still leads all of MLB in ERA (1.58), strikeouts (185), and FIP (2.02) across 120 innings pitched this season.
For the Angels, Walbert Ureña gets the start today. He is a 22-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic who made his MLB debut at the start of the season. So far this season, he has a 2.70 ERA, 3.88 FIP, and 88 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings pitched. He has had four consecutive starts allowing one run or fewer, with the last of those coming Monday against the Astros. In that start, he allowed just one run in six innings while striking out five.
With the righty on the mound, Christian Yelich will get the day off. Jake Bauers takes the DH spot instead with Andrew Vaughn playing at first. Garrett Mitchell moves up to third in the lineup, with Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio, and William Contreras in their usual spots. Luis Lara, Cooper Pratt, and David Hamilton round out the lineup.
Today’s game will be broadcast nationally on Peacock at 2:15 p.m. It will also be on the Brewers Radio Network.