The Kansas City Royals’ nine-game winning streak came to an end with a 3-0 loss to Toronto, but Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco frame it as a strong stretch rather than any kind of collapse. Bobby Witt Jr. stays in the AL MVP conversation, though the offensive edge right now still points toward Yordan Alvarez. Jac Caglianone’s struggles since returning from injury spark a broader conversation about rhythm and confidence, and how much weight a rough game or two should actually carry.
The roster continues to churn. Michael Massey has gone on the seven-day concussion list after a scary-looking play, and Mason Black has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha. Josh Rojas is back for his third stint with Kansas City, and Anthony Gose has been selected after a strong stretch in Omaha and a long MLB career as both an outfielder and a pitcher. Beck Way’s returned rehab assignment reignites a heated critique of how the organization has handled player health this year, and Nick Mears’ thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis becomes another example of injuries taking far too long to sort out. The conversation turns pointed when Craig Kimbrel and the broader old-versus-young roster philosophy come up, with Jacob and Jeremy questioning whether Kansas City is leaning too hard on veterans who have no real bearing on the team’s future.
The back half of the episode is dedicated to MLB’s newly floated CBA proposal, and it is a thorough breakdown. A proposed $265 million cap on free-agent contracts, changes to Rule 5 draft eligibility, and earlier arbitration and free agency timing are all covered in detail. Jacob and Jeremy are particularly critical of the calendar-based offseason plan, arguing that manufactured transaction windows and a winter meetings quiet period would depress salaries and make the sport less interesting rather than more efficient. The very real possibility of a lockout when the current CBA expires in December 2026 closes out the discussion, along with a personal note on how a work stoppage would affect the people who depend on baseball’s offseason calendar to network and find jobs in the industry.
When it comes to the NFL's potential discipline of 49ers owner Jed York for his no-contest plea resulting from an attempt to pay for sex at an Ohio trailer park, the widespread public humiliation (which has crossed the Atlantic Ocean due to his partial ownership of two English soccer clubs) could be punishment enough.
Moving forward, the embarrassment could prompt York to impose a suspension on himself.
"Self-suspend" is the term an unnamed insider used to describe the potential outcome to Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal at this week's special ownership meeting to approve the sale of the Seahawks — from which York was absent.
"The shame elementwas an overriding theme in the hushed hallway conversations around the Atlanta Airport Marriott, with person after person noting that the formal sanctions are likely to be an afterthought compared to the long-term reputational damage, externally and internally," Fischer writes.
Many will nevertheless be paying attention to the NFL's handling of York. As Fischer explains, the outcome probably will be a suspension and a fine.
Of course, an owner's suspension never carries the same weight as a player's suspension. When a player is suspended, he loses all income for the duration of the banishment. When an owner is suspended, the owner still gets all of the revenue his team earns during the owner's absence.
The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Roki Sasaki on the 15-day injured list on Thursday, Aug. 27.
Sasaki had a blister on his right middle finger, according to the team. The blister led to him leaving a game against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning on Wednesday night.
Sasaki allowed four runs in 3.1 innings before he had a visit on the mound from the team's athletic trainer and left the game.
The right-handed pitcher has a 5-5 record this season, allowing 63 runs (61 earned runs) and 22 home runs in 119.1 innings pitched.
In a corresponding move, the Dodgers recalled Seth Halvorsen to replace Sasaki.
Halvorsen, 26, has produced a 4-4 record with a 4.25 ERA during his three-year career. He made his debut with the Dodgers on Aug. 11, throwing a scoreless inning against the Kansas City Royals before recording the win.
SAN FRANCISCO — “I think he’s starting to come out of his shell more and more.”
If you were to quess which Giants player that Tony Vitello quote was about, without already having read the headline of this article, Drew Gilbert might be the absolute last person you would have guessed.
San Francisco’s young outfielder, who captured the attention of both fans locally and across MLB with his high-energy play and, well, bizarre, dugout antics last season, is evolving as a player — and leader — on the field this season.
With so many injuries this season, and a handful of departures at the MLB trade deadline, Gilbert has become a mainstay in Giants lineups throughout the second half of a lost 2026 MLB season and is thriving at the plate, specifically in the leadoff spot as he aims to secure a prominent role next season.
With a solo home run and two RBI in San Francisco’s 6-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday at Oracle Park, Gilbert is batting .353 with three home runs, seven extra-base hits, 13 RBI and a 1.165 OPS over his last 10 home games, while slashing .400/.438/.800 with two home runs and six RBI out of the leadoff spot this season.
His success as of late has put the spotlight back on himself, and some fans have noticed fewer, if any at all, of the odd, viral celebratory moments that made him such a fan favorite last season after being acquired in a trade with the New York Mets on July 30, and even earlier this season.
“I want to be a good, winning player for the Giants,” Gilbert said. “That’s my number one goal, it always has been. I didn’t want to get it lost in the shuffle that term maybe I’m this fun, energy guy. But really, that’s not my goal. I feel like I bring more of an intensity because that’s really who I am. Like a competitive intensity.”
From being choked out by Matt Chapman in the dugout after his teammate homered to other unexplainable antics, a then-rookie Gilbert certainly seemed to have fully burst out of his shell immediately after arriving to his new team.
Then there was the famous thrust controversy earlier this season, where one of the Giants outfielders’ postgame win celebrations went viral, for obvious reasons, before the team asked them to stop doing it.
Moments like those, where Gilbert again found himself at the center of goofy on-field antics, were what Vitello believes might have played somewhat of a role in Gilbert’s slightly tamer demeanor as of late.
“I’m willing to bet there’s been moments at the beginning of the year, or even last year, where he was a little too wacky and putting energy into buckets that weren’t intelligent, or the best for him, but I think he’s finding that balance now of “How can I do this every day at the intensity level I want to and help the team?’ Vitello said postgame on Thursday.
“I think there’s good personality coming out. I talked with Buster [Posey] and [senior vice president and assistant general manager Jeremy Shelley] today about his unique style of leadership. We need it. And he doesn’t have to get permission from anyone to do it, he just needs to be himself. He may not be doing as many quirky things, but he’s playing with a level of intensity that’s good.”
At least behind the scenes, Gilbert’s personality and his relationships with his teammates have not changed.
“Drew’s been the same guy since he got over here,” infielder Christian Koss said. “I think it’s hard when the lulls we had in the beginning of the season, it’s hard to be super outgoing and energetic with the turmoil we were facing, but he’s showed up to the park every day, he’s brought his energy, I think now you’re just seeing it flourish a little more with the ballgames we’ve been in, but he’s as consistent as it gets.”
So how has someone so high energy, outgoing, and seemingly very comfortable in his own skin just now break out of his shell?
Vitello alluded to Gilbert, earlier in the season, possibly feeling somewhat anxious to speak up, and even fully embrace his personality, especially when the team is losing so many games and the rare fun on-field moments, like the postgame celebrations, generate so much attention to where the conversation surrounding the team is “blown out of proportion,” as Vitello described it.
While there might have been times when Gilbert’s infectious energy was slightly misplaced, as Vitello mentioned, the young outfielder, who has been an energizing force on the field, in the dugout and in the locker room, is proving he can maintain a balance the team needs for the rest of this season and in the future.
Currently, the Detroit Red Wings are without a general manager following the stunning announcement of a leadership transition in mid-July that saw beloved former captain and GM Steve Yzerman vacate the role he had held since April 2019.
But prior to that announcement, Yzerman acquired multiple new players via the NHL Draft, free agency, and trade.
On the opening day of the NHL's free agency period, Yzerman inked former Boston Bruins forward Viktor Arvidsson to a two-year, $10 million contract. He also acquired forward Keegan Kolesar from the Vegas Golden Knights in return for a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Entry Draft and a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft.
Both players will wear jersey numbers previously worn by Red Wings Stanley Cup winners. Arvidsson will wear No. 33, most notably associated with four-time Stanley Cup winner Kris Draper. He's traditionally worn No. 33 during his NHL career, having done so while with the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings.
He did wear No. 71 last season with the Bruins, but as of right now, Dylan Larkin remains on the Red Wings roster, meaning that option wasn't available.
Meanwhile, Kolesar will become the first Red Wings player since Niklas Kronwall to wear No. 55.
Notably, No. 33 was most recently worn by prospect goaltender Sebastian Cossa during his only NHL appearance with the Red Wings in December of 2024; he was traded on the opening night of the Draft to the Utah Mammoth in return for the 23rd overall selection.
Prior to Kronwall, No. 55 was famously used by Hall of Fame defenseman Larry Murphy, whom the Red Wings acquired at the 1997 Trade Deadline from the Toronto Maple Leafs; he helped Detroit win consecutive Stanley Cup titles.
Speaking of newcomers to the Red Wings, goaltender Daniil Tarasov will become just the second player in club history to wear No. 80. This was previously worn by goaltender Michael Hutchinson, who played a single regular season game for Detroit in December 2023.
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Liverpool need midfield nous, Michael Carrick is already under pressure and Villa can bid farewell to Enzi Konsa
Enzo Maresca has a shiny new £85m midfielder he could select for a debut but, at 18 years old, he may want Ayyoub Bouaddi to have a bit of time watching on from the bench to learn about the Premier League from his elders. The Moroccan may not have anticipated one of those to be a centre-back by trade. Marc Guéhi will be eager to make a triumphant return to Crystal Palace and may well have the opportunity to do so from central midfield, where he played last weekend in the victory over Bournemouth, scoring the equaliser. The centre-back was a surprise selection in the blocker role next to Elliot Anderson, but equipped himself admirably and was not limited to the dirty work, often being found in more advanced positions in open play and happy to have the ball at his feet. His long-term future is unlikely to be outside of defence but further proof of Guéhi’s adaptability will be a positive for Maresca, as a long season awaits. Will Unwin
Crystal Palace v Manchester City, Friday 8pm (all times BST)
HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 04: Mekhi Blackmon #29 of the Indianapolis Colts lines up before the snap during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on January 4, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Browns have spent the summer on a tiresome and mostly pointless quarterback battle that was finally settled, at least temporarily, when head coach Todd Monken announced that Deshaun Watson would be the starter when the team opens the regular season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With so much of the focus on the quarterback position, the situation at cornerback has flown a bit under the radar.
Cleveland is set with starters Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell, and Myles Harden seems locked in at one of the backup roles.
But after that, things have gotten a bit murky thanks to an injury to Michael Coats Jr., who left practice this week on the medical cart with a leg injury, leaving D’Angelo Ross, Tre Avery and a cast of characters filling out the position group.
General manager Andrew Berry made a move to address the situation on Thursday, however, as the club claimed veteran cornerback Mekhi Blackmon off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts.
We've claimed CB Mekhi Blackmon via waivers and waived WR Cedric Tillman
The Minnesota Vikings originally drafted the 5-foot-11 and 178-pound Blackmon in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons with the Vikings before moving on to the Colts, and has played in 32 games with 14 starts. His stat line shows him with 105 career tackles, three interceptions, 15 passes defensed, and a sack.
With cutdowns to the initial 53-man roster coming by Sunday a 6 p.m., it will be interesting to see if Blackmon has enough time to make an impression on the coaching staff and earn a roster spot.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 26: Tommy Edman #25 reacts with Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers after a two run home run during the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on August 26, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers install a righty-heavy lineup to face Chris Sale, trying to avoid getting swept by the Braves.
LIBEREC, Czech Republic (AP) — Two days after Celtic's embarrassing elimination in Champions League qualifying, Scottish rival Rangers followed suit by falling to unheralded Czech team Jablonec in the Conference League playoffs.
Rangers took a 1-0 lead from the first leg but lost the return match by the same score and eventually was eliminated 4-3 in the penalty shootout, leaving the Glasgow club out of Europe beyond August for the first time since 2017.
“So embarrassed with it. We should be winning this tie, there’s no two ways about it,” Rangers manager Derek McInnes said. “I'm embarrassed at the fact that we should be performing a lot better. It's not easy for me to say that, because I'm here to help my players. I want my players to be so much better than they were tonight.”
McInnes, in his first season with Rangers, took responsibility for the team's debacle, which came after it was eliminated by Poland's Jagiellonia Bialystok in Europa League qualifying.
“The best players can miss penalty kicks but we had enough time to get through the tie,” he said. “The responsibility is shared tonight, but I'm responsible for bringing a better performance than what we showed tonight. And for that I'm embarrassed. I so disappointed that we've been emptied out of Europe.”
A couple of nights earlier, Celtic led LASK 4-0 on aggregate after a half hour of the second leg in Austria, but five unanswered goals — the fifth and decisive one coming in extra time — meant that for two straight years the Scottish title holder wasted clear chances to play on the lucrative biggest stage of European club soccer.
Last year, Celtic could not score in either leg against Kairat Almaty and, after a pair of scoreless draws, went out in a penalty shootout in Kazakhstan.
Rangers didn’t get past the league phase of the Europa League last season. In 2017, the last time it didn't advance past the qualifying rounds in Europe, it lost 2-1 on aggregate to Luxembourg’s Progres Niederkorn in the first round of qualifying for the Europa League.
“It's all about trying to work towards better performances and trying to win games of football,” McInnes said. “But we were way off, we have to be totally honest with that.”
McInnes worked wonders with Hearts before returning to Rangers, where he had a playing spell [Getty Images]
Where do you start? How do you catalogue the insipidness of Derek McInnes' Rangers team in Jablonec?
How do you catalogue the Pedro-Caixinha-in-the-bushes level embarrassment that the club experienced in their exit from European football on Thursday?
In Jablonec, Rangers were unspeakably awful, devoid of any cohesion, desire, threat, their manager reduced to saying how embarrassed and mortified he was multiple times post-match.
They had one shot on target the whole night, one goal scored in 210 minutes. Rangers fans in the stadium gave it to them with both barrels at the end.
McInnes apologised. The whole scene was cringe-making. He tried to explain what he was trying to do with his multiple switches of formation and attempted to explain why his side were "miles off it".
Talk is cheap in his position. There's a limited shelf life for that kind of thing at Ibrox.
The chat from some Rangers folk in the preamble was that the Conference League meant little to them, that an exit wouldn't spark an uprising, that no midweek European football could give them a chance to hurl themselves at the Premiership instead. Fine in theory, but not in reality.
The notion that a defeat would be met with a collective shrug by Rangers fans was never a serious proposition. This defeat sparked untrammelled fury.
McInnes would be as well staying away from social media. Winning in the bear pit of Pittodrie on Sunday is strongly advised.
Rangers were so flat in the Czech Republic, meandering about like confused men, showing weakness in the tackle and not a scintilla of wit. McInnes changed the shape of his four or five times and the poverty of their play didn't improve one iota.
"I look at us now and I'm thinking, well, we're no' great as a possession-based team at the minute," said McInnes in explaining his constant switches.
"We're not a counter-attacking team enough, or effectively enough, at times. We don't look like a team who are happy when we go direct. And teams need to be something."
Quite. And what are Rangers? What's their identity? What are they good at? In what areas are they improving?
McInnes was appointed in June, had a full pre-season, had six games and then a week off to prepare for the trip to Jablonec, only for Rangers to produce their worst effort of this, and many other, seasons.
During the dog days of his reign at Rangers, Russell Martin was once asked if he could name one or two things that were better on his watch - and he couldn't do it.
If McInnes was asked the same question now then there's no guarantee that he would come up with an answer, or at least, an answer that rang true.
Nobody really knows what his Rangers are, least of all McInnes, you suspect. He made three substitutions at the break on Thursday, a trio that brought his total of half-time replacements to 11 in seven games.
That betrays a manager who has either got his team wrong in the first place, hasn't been able to impart his message to his starters or doesn't have a dressing room capable of taking in what he's saying to them. Whatever the truth of it, it's not good.
He knows what he wants because he watched it on television the night before. Hearts had four new players in their starting line-up against Rapid Vienna and used another two off the bench.
Wouter Vrancken, in quick time, moulded them together and made something terrific out of them in winning their own Conference League tie in Austria.
McInnes praised his old club for the resilience of their players and the stomach they showed for the fight. The inference being that his own boys had little or none of that. Again you ask, why not?
Vast periods of this play-off went by without Rangers stringing more than four and five passes together. They pressed in ones and two or not at all.
They came across as a team that had just met, a collection of guys rounded up in a pub and coached by a character who had no idea what to do with them.
Where was Raskin? And why not sign experience?
Ibrox is a confused place right now. McInnes said his team looked young and inexperienced against Jablonec. This was on the back of announcing the signing of a 20-year-old winger and - if things go to plan - a 22-year-old striker.
If they need gnarled operators then why not sign some?
There was no Nico Raskin, the midfielder left at home, not because there'd been a bid for him, said McInnes, but because there might be.
If there were was a decent offer and the possibility of higher ones, his absence would have been understandable. If there was no bid then why was there no Raskin?
He was missed, said McInnes. A player who performed well at the World Cup and he's left at home? Odd.
McInnes said that his coaching staff are "elite in everything we do" in preparing the players for games like this. That's a massive claim after losing the way they did.
The manager said that the responsibility for the failure was his but he repeatedly returned to how lamentable his players were. His players. Six of McInnes' signings started and another two came off the bench.
What has McInnes been doing with his expensively-assembled team. A dozen players have now been signed. How much money has to be spent before the manager starts to look convincing in the role?
The Rangers players who were on the field in the Czech Republic cost about £30m in transfer fees. The wage bill at Ibrox must be astronomical. They've now added the £8.5m winger Kim Min-su and may soon recruit a £9.5m striker in Kevin Kelsy.
The giant wad of cash splurged on all this would choke an elephant.
By contrast, Jablonec's record signing cost around £700,000. Their most recent turnover was £8.5m compared to Rangers' £94m. Their stadium is the size of a shoebox, their support tiny, their European story minimal.
They were the ones who went after the game, though. They didn't have a huge amount going for them in ability terms, but they had edge and character.
Hard work and energy? They trounced Rangers on all of the things that require no talent, just honesty.
McInnes is in a tight spot, not in any danger of losing his job, but with huge amounts of ground to make up with the fans.
He's been around a long time, but the pressure those supporters can exert when things are bad is a challenge for any manager, no matter how long he's been around.
Tampa City Council voted four to three to approve a stadium development through which Tampa would commit $80 million toward building the infrastructure required for a new Rays stadium. The three no votes were Miranda, Hurtak and Maniscalco, who had also voted no in previous Council votes on the stadium.
There’s a lot in the new agreement, a lot that was discussed today, and perhaps even more that has not been addressed at all. I’m not going to try to provide a detailed, in the weeds analysis, but rather pull out some of the key issues that were raised by Council members and in public comments.
What does this agreement include? It is an agreement about building the stadium, and NOT about the larger redevelopment project. It sets up three actors — StatCo (the Rays entity responsible for building the stadium), the county and the city, and outlines their contributions. It also describes the creation of a Community Development District (CDD) that will be able to capture new tax dollars generated by the development, and proposes some changes to several existing Community Redevelopment Areas (CRAs). That’s a lot! And keep in mind: The Rays shared a version of this agreement on Sunday, and then an updated version on Wednesday. For city staff, Council members and the general public there was very little time to absorb the 139-page document.
The clear city financial contribution is $80 million, payable in four installments between 2027 and 2029. Councilmember Hurtak contended that the city will need to borrow to pay their share, and accounting for borrowing costs the full financial hit to the city is closer to $120 million. (Note that Councilmember Carlson, who supports the deal, says that dividing the $80 million into four payments over three years means they might not need to borrow after all). The city would eventually get money back over several decades through the CDD.
What is absent from this agreement? SO MUCH. It is ONLY about the stadium development. It doesn’t address the renovation/relocation of Hillsborough College or of the other government buildings on the site. It doesn’t address the management of the stadium, who covers maintenance costs, how various revenues (from parking, naming rights, non-baseball activities) will be allocated. It doesn’t address any rent payments from the team to the county (there is reporting that Rays have agreed to pay $4 million a year, but that’s not in the agreement.)
What did the supporters say? The main line of argument for supporters seemed to be something like this: we have the opportunity to keep baseball in the community while catalyzing billions in a mixed use development along Dale Mabry. Over the long run, the benefits of developing 100 acres that currently generate no property taxes will far outweigh the costs. Morever, Rays baseball has become part of our community’s identity.
What did opponents say?
It’s all too rushed, we need more time to consider these details.
How can we commit public funds with Amendment 3 pending? City and county decision makers are waiting to see the results of Amendment 3, the ballot measure that will significantly reduce residential property tax collections. This could be a good reason for both the Commission and the Council to wait until November to see whether they can afford this kind of investment.
Even without Amendment 3 looming, the time frame for the city’s payments to the project and the time frame for the CDD generating revenue back to the city are vastly different. The city will need to provide its $80 million between now and 2029. Financial benefits from that larger CDD will start at best around 2032-2035.
Aren’t there better things to do with this money? Its hard to commit $80 million when so many Tampa streets are subject to flooding and other programs go begging.
Will there be broader community benefits? Well the largest benefits would come from the massive redevelopment planned near the stadium. (To give you an idea of the size: the entire site is 120 acres and 20 will be for the ballpark. That leaves 100 acres for some combination of Hillsborough College buidings and commercial/residential development. In comparison, the nearby Midtown development is about 25 acres; Water Street is 55 acres). But…this particular agreement doesn’t provide guarantees or project milestones for this larger development.
The Rays also put out a community benefits “memo” but it’s just a vague, aspirational list of bullet points. Either someone wrote this in five minutes or they just prompted ChatGPT to come up with a list of nice things for the community. When the Rays signed the agreement with St. Pete, their Community Benefits Agreement — which certainly had critics — had a lot of specifics: a minimum number of affordable housing units; a certain amount of open space; investment in jobs training and cultural institutions. So as far as I am concerned, there is no CBA, just someone saying “we’ll be nice, we promise!”
Why the rush? I understand that the Rays want to move this ahead quickly. They have two reasons to want to rush. The most obvious is the lead time needed to build a stadium as they look at their expiring Trop lease. To have a stadium ready for March 2029, construction needs to start ASAP. The second is upcoming elections; several members of the Commission are up for reelection in November; one member of the Council is running for state legislature and if he wins his election he’ll leave his seat. Then, in March of 2027 we’ll get a new Tampa mayor and several new Council members. I have no idea whether any newcomers will be more hostile to the stadium than current members, but if I’m the Rays I really don’t want to have to start all over courting new players.
You know that feeling when your team plays a 12 inning night game and then your realize there is a noon game the next day? Well, tomorrow the County Commission — which is providing nearly ten times the funding as the City of Tampa — will meet on this agreement at 9am. This is a special meeting called to discuss the agreement and not a regular Commission meeting, so it’s likely that they will start on this topic very soon after they convene. You can stream the hearing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nW47pVvIVA
TORONTO, ON - JULY 18: A close-up view of the base of a statue in the likeness of Toronto Blue Jays alumnus Joe Carter (29), not shown, displays a quote by Tom Cheek: "TOUCH 'EM ALL, JOE! YOU'LL NEVER HIT A BIGGER HOME RUN IN YOUR LIFE." during an MLB game between the Chicago White Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays on July 18, 2026, at Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. (Photo by Mathew Tsang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Game three with the Royals. A win would be nice.
I spent part of the morning buying some fish. I have two good sized fish tanks, but they have been sitting empty for a year. We went on holiday for a month last year and our son watched the house, but he didn’t notice that the water filter stopped working, which isn’t a good thing. I finally decided to get them back in shape and get some fish. Slowly build up the numbers. The cats are enjoying watching the fish.
Fish tanks are really just a money pit, but what else am I’m going to do with the $1.99 SB sends me every month?
Today’s Lineups
ROYALS
BLUE JAYS
Carter Jensen – C
Charles McAdoo – 2B
Bobby Witt – SS
Vladimir Guerrero – 1B
Jac Caglianone – RF
Alejandro Kirk – C
Vinnie Pasquantino – 1B
George Springer – DH
Salvador Perez – DH
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Isaac Collins – 2B
Ernie Clement – SS
John Rave – LF
Daz Cameron – LF
Josh Rojas – 3B
Myles Straw – CF
Kyle Isbel – CF
Nathan Lukes – RF
Noah Cameron – LHP
S. Arrighetti – RHP
Hey, US, we have an Orange Guy, too. Only his orange is far more natural:
BREAKING NEWS: Youppi! has signed an executive order to rename Washington Nationals as “Montreal Expos,” a change the mascot says would take effect immediately pic.twitter.com/5V1xnZtajh
Sometimes a retirement is a deeply personal life decision. Sometimes it’s just a two-year vacation while you wait for your general manager to acquire Myles Garrett.
When the Los Angeles Rams traded for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year this summer, it didn't just alter the NFC West landscape — it woke up a sleeping giant. After two full years out of the league, 35-year-old Aaron Donald is suddenly working out at the Rams' facility and texting insiders about whether his "fire can light back up". Unsurprisingly, Kalshi's Aaron Donald return odds have absolutely detonated.
Aaron Donald Return Odds
Outcome
'Yes' Price
✅ Yes, plays at least one snap
81%
81¢
❌ No, does not play
19%
19¢
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This is a binary prediction market tracking whether the three-time DPOY will officially unretire and play a single snap in the upcoming 2026-27 NFL season. It is currently pricing in a cocktail of nostalgia, superteam hype, and the undeniable gravitational pull of a Super Bowl hosted at SoFi Stadium.
For sharp traders, navigating this $200,000 plus market means separating genuine competitive itch from a bored legend simply enjoying the summer spotlight.
Key Takeaways
The Heavy Favorite: "Yes" surged to an 82.3% implied probability by mid-July, completely flipping the board after a frantic 44.8-point climb since early June. With news that Aaron Donald worked out with the Rams on August 5: the market hit a new high of 87.5%.
No news is bad news: A Donald return has dipped to 81% in late August as the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has still not committed to play this season.
The Snap Rule: Resolution does not require a full 17-game season; Donald only needs to record one official snap in the preseason, regular season, or playoffs for "Yes" to cash.
The Current Board: Will Aaron Donald Play?
As documented in the order book, total market liquidity has scaled close to the $400,000 mark. This aggressive volume proves that institutional sports traders are treating a potential return as a highly actionable event rather than just a slow-news summer rumor.
The trend line is undeniable: the market was deeply skeptical in early June, but a steady drip of insider leaks and workout sightings has pushed the "Yes" contract to a commanding 88¢ peak.
Value Picks: Where the Smart Money is Moving
In a binary prediction market hit by a wave of intense public hype, finding value is about identifying whether the crowd has priced the narrative to perfection or ignored the physical realities of the sport.
Aaron Donald to Play | ‘Yes’ 81¢ | 81% Chance
The logic here is intoxicating. The Rams are building an impenetrable defensive line, the Super Bowl is in their home stadium, and Donald explicitly told reporter Jordan Schultz that he is "for sure flirting with the idea":
However, at 81¢, most of the intrinsic value has been squeezed out of the narrative. You are paying a massive premium for an aging player who still has to pass a physical, survive training camp, and officially sign the paperwork before stepping onto the gridiron.
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Aaron Donald to Play This Season | ‘No’ 19¢ | 19% Chance
This is where the actual mechanical value lives on the board. The hype train is currently ignoring the biological reality of the NFL trenches. Donald has been out of professional football for two full years. Returning to absorb 300-pound double-teams at age 35 is an entirely different proposition than lifting weights in a private gym.
Furthermore, as Donald noted during his initial retirement, he stepped away because he didn't want to endure another brutal 17-game grind. At a cheap 19¢, you are buying high-leverage insurance against a legend waking up sore in August and deciding the couch is actually perfectly fine.
Expert Context: Why the Markets are Shifting
The underlying mechanics of this market shift are entirely driven by front-office aggression. The Rams didn't just add a rotational piece; they traded for the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year, completely altering the math on what Donald's potential workload would look like.
Historically, Donald was forced to be the singular engine of the Rams' defense, absorbing historic rates of double and triple-teams. With Garrett now terrifying opposing quarterbacks on the edge, the pitch to Donald is simple and alluring: come back, play high-leverage rotational snaps, and chase another ring without carrying the entire franchise on your back.
The narrative momentum is being fueled directly by Donald himself. Texting Pat McAfee that the Garrett trade "for sure got me thinking" essentially functioned as a public negotiation tactic. When a player of his caliber starts taking test-drive workouts at the team facility in July to "see how he felt," prediction markets instantly reprice from hypothetical to imminent.
Strategic Considerations for Traders
Watch the Conditioning Clock: Training camp officially opened in late July. We have already seen a bit of a dip, simply because Donald is not taking part of the festivities.
The Loophole Leverage: You do not need Donald to commit to a full 17-game season for a 'Yes' ticket to cash. Under Kalshi's specific resolution terms, he merely needs to record a single snap in the preseason, regular season, or playoffs. If Los Angeles signs him purely as a late-season playoff mercenary, the 'Yes' contract still wins.
The Flip Strategy: Roster markets are highly reactive to social media breadcrumbs. If you buy 'No' contracts at 18¢ and Donald’s camp leaks a hesitant report regarding his physical conditioning, you can immediately sell your position into the panic for a clean profit before the market resolves.
How to Trade Aaron Donald Return Odds on Kalshi
Navigating binary player props allows you to trade directly on NFL front-office incentives and media narratives with total structural flexibility.
Account Setup: Create your profile and fund your exchange balance via standard wire or bank transfer to ensure maximum liquidity ahead of sudden breaking news cycles.
Navigate: Click into the main sports dashboard, filter your directory view by the "Pro Football" portfolio, and select the active Aaron Donald market.
Execute: Evaluate the fast-moving contract prices to determine if you want to pay the premium to back the comeback narrative via 'Yes' shares or execute a risk-managed fade by purchasing 'No' contracts.
Monitor: Track your risk exposure in real-time through your continuous portfolio stream, giving you the power to execute early cash-outs to capture profits or mitigate downside drift.
Aaron Donald Return FAQs
How is the winning contract determined on Kalshi?
The market formally resolves to 'Yes' if Aaron Donald competes in a Pro Football game during the 2026-27 season. Kalshi utilizes official game logs verified by ESPN and the governing league to confirm that he recorded at least one official snap in the preseason, regular season, or playoffs.
Can I change my position before he signs a contract?
Yes, prediction markets feature a continuous trading window where you can buy or sell contracts at any point before final resolution. If a negative injury update or a definitive retirement statement causes the market to shift, you can immediately liquidate your active shares to protect your capital.
What happens if he signs with the Rams but gets injured before playing?
The resolution criteria strictly require Donald to record "at least one snap" in an actual game. If he signs a lucrative contract but suffers a season-ending injury during training camp before ever taking the field for a preseason or regular-season matchup, the market will resolve to 'No.' Traders must factor this inherent physical risk into their pricing models.
This offseason, the New York Rangers hired Jay Leach as the head coach for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
There’s some history involved with this hire, as Leach was a head-coaching candidate back in 2023 before they hired Peter Laviolette.
Mike Sullivan also has a relationship with Leach. In fact, it was actually Sullivan who gave Leach his first coaching opportunity ahead of the 2015-16 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.
“He’s a really good person, first and foremost,” Sullivan said via The New York Post in 2023. “He’s a great communicator. He just has a knack with relationships. I think he’s a likeable person. Players gravitate towards him. He’s a good leader. He’s been in leadership roles when he was playing in the American League, and so he brought all of that to the coaching aspect of what he’s doing now.
“When I got a chance to work right next to him in Wilkes-Barre, I was really impressed, but not surprised, with his work ethic. He rolls his sleeves up, he works hard at being a good coach, he brings a certain humility to the job every day that I think is so important for all of us.”
Leach previously served as an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken from 2021 to 2024 and, most recently, for the Boston Bruins from 2024 to 2026.
The Rangers hired Leach shortly after coach Grant Potulny and assistants Jamie Tardif and Paul Mara were relieved of their duties with the Wolf Pack.
Bob Woods and John Stevens were also brought on to serve as assistant coaches under Leach in Hartford.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 12: Walker Jenkins #23 of the Minnesota Twins bats in the MLB All-Star Futures Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 12, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Per Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline, Twins top prospect Walker Jenkins will make his Minnesota debut this Friday against the Chicago White Sox. Jenkins is ranked #13 overall by MLB Pipeline, #4 by FanGraphs, and #9 by Baseball America. He is the highest ranked Twins prospect to debut since Byron Buxton in 2015.
Minnesota will need to add Jenkins to both the 40 and 26-man rosters before he can play. Both can be solved DFA-ing Alex Jackson again, who hasn’t touched the field since being re-added to the roster last week, but if Byron Buxton is headed to the IL, a player will need to be dropped from the 40-man. The likely casualty there would be Kyler Fedko, who is out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL a few weeks ago.
Jenkins joins the Twins at a time where the lineup could seriously use a boost, which he is more than capable of providing. Minnesota was waiting to see his in-game power develop before he came up, and it finally showed through this month. Jenkins has hit an insane .411/.482/.795 in August with eight homers, seven steals, and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. He is more than ready and should slide into the middle of the lineup immediately.
Minnesota is a long shot to make the playoffs at this point, with their playoff odds dropping to a season low 11.1% after losing a series to the homeless Athletics. They’ll need a hot stretch from everyone on the team to make the postseason, which means regularly running out your best nine hitters. There’s no universe where that doesn’t include Jenkins at this point.
Regardless of the Twins’ October fate, this final month will be important for both Jenkins and the Twins moving forward. As with Culpepper, the goal for both of these highly-touted youngsters is to never play in St. Paul again, but development isn’t linear. Given his prospect profile, there are almost no scenarios where Jenkins isn’t a useful MLB player. However, GM Jeremy Zoll needs to gauge how ready Jenkins is to step into the limelight.
If he hits the ground running and his underlying swing decision and approach metrics remain strong, you can pretty much bank on an outfield of Buxton, Jenkins, and Keaschall heading into next season with Alan Roden as an overqualified fourth option. Emmanuel Rodriguez, meanwhile, becomes one of the most appealing trade chips on the market for other spots the Twins need to shore. If Jenkins needs more time in St. Paul, maybe there’s some logic to bringing back Larnach for his final arbitration season.
It’s been a rollercoaster of a season, but getting to see the Twins’ best prospect in a decade is certainly worth celebrating. Welcome to Minneapolis, Walker! Let’s hit the ground running!
