With the NHL Trade Deadline looming, Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman continues to carefully evaluate his options in a market that has started to heat up across the league.
Detroit’s last major move came during the summer when the club acquired goaltender John Gibson during the second day of the NHL Draft. Since then, Yzerman has largely stayed patient while monitoring the trade market, waiting to see how prices develop for potential targets.
As Friday’s deadline approaches, Detroit is believed to be looking at several areas to strengthen its lineup. The Red Wings have reportedly been searching for a second-line center, a top-four defenseman, and possibly a depth forward who could add another scoring option to the roster.
The Calgary Flames sent defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to the Utah Mammoth in a massive deal that included defenseman Olli Määttä, forward prospect Jonathan Castagna, and three second-round picks in 2026. Detroit likely could have assembled a similar package, but paying that price for a 32-year-old defenseman may have been more than Yzerman was willing to commit.
Another notable pending deal has the St. Louis Blues trading defenseman Colton Parayko to the Buffalo Sabres for a 2026 first-round pick and top defense prospect Radim Mrtka. While Detroit may have been able to match the offer, Mrtka’s value as a blue-chip prospect could have made that price too steep for a team focused on maintaining its long-term pipeline.
The market has continued to shift quickly with defenseman Tyler Myers, who Detroit had interest in, instead chose to join the Dallas Stars and return to his home state of Texas. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks dealt Connor Murphy to the Edmonton Oilers for a second-round pick, a move that could be one the Red Wings wish they had made.
As the market tightens and options become more limited, Detroit’s remaining defensive targets could include names such as Justin Faulk, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Rasmus Ristolainen, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Dougie Hamilton.
At center, the market has seen little movement so far, leaving several high-profile players still available including Vincent Trocheck, Robert Thomas, and Nazem Kadri. League insiders expect that acquiring one of the top centers on the market could require first-round draft picks as part of the return.
With deals expected to accelerate Thursday and Friday, Red Wings fans will be watching closely to see if Yzerman ultimately makes a move to reward a team still pushing to end its near decade-long playoff drought.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home hosting the St. Louis Cardinals this afternoon at beautiful LECOM Park.
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Kansas City Royals second baseman (L) Carlos Febles is forced back to first base on a throw to Tampa Bay Devil Rays' first baseman Steve Cox (R) from Devil Rays' pitcher Wilson Alvarez during the third inning of their spring training game 09 March 2000 at Baseball City Stadium in Baseball City, FL. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Tony RANZE (Photo by TONY RANZE / AFP) (Photo by TONY RANZE/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Growing up, the first player to actually become my favorite player was Steve Cox. I remember seeing him react like a cat at first base and making ridiculous looking plays; naturally I considered him the best player on the team.
Actually looking back, he was just replacement level but darnit I think he was great. Overall he hit .262/.340/.417 with 39 HR, registering a 99 wRC+ and accruing 1.1 fWAR over 1399 plate appearances.
Anyways
First pitch against the Baltimore Orioles is at 1:05 at Charlotte Sports Park and the Rays will be proving radio coverage.
In a potential NBA Finals preview, the Oklahoma City Thunder went into Madison Square Garden and beat the Knicks 103-100 behind an MVP-like performance from Shai Gilgous-Alexander, who scored 26 points with eight assists and hit the deciding step-back 3-pointer late in the game.
After the game, Knicks coach Mike Brown sounded like he was lobbying the referees for that potential Finals.
“He does a great job of convincing the referees, probably better than anybody in the league that, you know, he's getting hit.” -Mike Brown on SGA pic.twitter.com/9hcGR0kG53
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) March 5, 2026
"SGA, he's a tough cover, and he does a great job of convincing the referees — probably better than anybody in the league — that he's getting hit."
Playing into the "foul merchant" narrative is a pretty lazy talking point for a coach, but it will play well with at least some of the fan base.
Here's the problem, though: Gilgeous-Alexander had just seven free throws for the game, and one of those came because of a Mike Brown technical. SGA getting to the line was not the deciding factor in this game. Brown was still pretty heated postgame over the play that led to the technical, a late first-quarter play where Jalen Brunson tried to draw a charge on Gilgeous-Alexander, but the referees gave it a no-call and SGA got the bucket. That would have been a third foul for Gilgeous-Alexander in one quarter and would have changed Mark Daigneault's rotations and maybe the game.
It's something Mike Brown can worry about in the NBA Finals, if the Knicks can get there.
Mar 4, 2026; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) singles during the fifth inning against Team Canada at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Brent Rooker #25 and Shea Langeliers #23 of the Athletics hug after Langeliers's walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 at Sutter Health Park on September 26, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It feels like the Athletics are on the precipice of something great. For all the difficulties the organization has had with its ugly breakup with the city of Oakland and the will-they-won’t-they future in Las Vegas, the actual on-field baseball product looks very promising. There’s a very strong core already established on the position player side of things and the team has done very well to lock up a lot of those young stars to long-term contract extensions.
The pitching staff is definitely a few steps behind the position player core which is a big reason why they’re not projected to be in the AL Wild Card mix this year. Their temporary home in West Sacramento played a very significant role in boosting offense to the detriment of the home team’s pitchers in 2025 and it’ll continue to be a factor as long as they’re stuck in limbo there. The result is a pretty lopsided roster — it’s very possible the A’s will outslug all of their opponents, but they’ll be fighting an uphill battle with a pitching staff that’s allergic to preventing runs.
Position
Athletics Projected WAR
Mariners Projected WAR
Edge
Catcher
3.1
6.1
Mariners
First Base
3.6
2.9
Athletics
Second Base
3.0
2.7
Athletics
Shortstop
3.7
2.8
Athletics
Third Base
2.0
3.0
Mariners
Left Field
2.4
2.2
Athletics
Center Field
2.6
6.0
Mariners
Right Field
2.3
2.0
Athletics
Designated Hitter
3.0
1.6
Athletics
Starting Pitching
10.2
14.2
Mariners
Relief Pitching
1.4
3.4
Mariners
Total
25.7
46.8
Mariners
FanGraphs Depth Charts Projections
The contours of how the Athletics and Mariners lineup against each other are actually pretty interesting. The A’s hold the projected advantage at six of the nine field positions but the M’s are projected to earn 3.6 fWAR more in total from their position players. Such is the advantage of Seattle’s superstars at catcher and center field. And as you can see from each position’s projected fWAR, the Athletics don’t have that caliber of superstar at any position like the Mariners do — each position has an above average projection but no elite contributor. The pitching is the problem. It’s a long shot but if they manage to develop one of their back-end starters into a mid-rotation arm, it would go a long way towards pulling their pitching staff out of the depths of misery.
Just like their stadium situation, the A’s big league roster is in a state of limbo, not yet fully realized but making steady progress towards something tangible. If enough things break their way this year, they could sneak into the AL Wild Card picture, but they’re more likely to play the role of very dangerous spoiler for their rivals in the division. —JM
2026 FanGraphs Depth Charts projections: 78.7-83.3, 4th in AL West, 25.3% playoff odds
2026 PECOTA projections: 76.9-85.1, 4th in AL West, 10.8% playoff odds
If It All Goes Right
Youth hasn’t got anything to do with chronological age. It’s times of hope and happiness. – Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety
Warner L. Thomas is (finally) alone in the elevator and all he can do is laugh.
At the silly West Sacramento peasants scuttling all over this place.
At the gaudy green and yellow pin affixed to the lapel of his light gray custom suit.
At the way the universe really does continue to cast him in an ever-radiant beam of sunlight.
Seven years ago, his predecessor signed a contract locking in 15 years of naming rights for this dinky little ballpark. The amount wasn’t made public and, frankly, Warner can’t be bothered to learn or care, but it was certainly less than a decade of his salary. Warner can’t be bothered with much of this pomp and circumstance, to be honest. When this place became Sutter Health Park, home of the Lake Rats or whatever the hell they were called, he was down in Louisiana, far too busy orchestrating a steady monopoly on healthcare in the state to think about a b-side city in California, let alone baseball.
But a year after he was hired as President and CEO, a baseball team – one of the real ones, not like the Lake Rats – announced they would be playing their games for the next three years at Sutter Health Park. It was an embarrassment of marketing and PR riches simply thrown into their laps. They’d paid for naming rights to a ballpark for babies, and now they were namechecked constantly on a national level.
Most audacious of all? The team had been good this year. Good enough that an October wind had caused goosebumps to break out uncomfortably across the top of his exposed head as he’d loitered importantly on the field before the game. Everyone around him there had looked young and vibrant, evidence of their vitality clearly displayed beneath garish yellow and green. Warren felt small alongside these men, which he did not like, and confused, which he liked even less. Why was someone talking about churning 50 tubs of butter? How are they yelling for someone named Rook, while also jabbering to a child, who looks nothing like the aforementioned Rook, about an AL Rookie Race? None of that matters to Warner, though. He has done what is required of him, and soon (he hopes; the sounds the elevator makes do not give him confidence) he will be sipping something dark and expensive in the indoor portion of a suite. He’ll be able to see the sell out crowd, the teeming masses of yellow, and green, and teal, but he won’t have to actually be near them. Just as he likes it.
What a time of hope and happiness, indeed. —IM
If It All Goes Wrong
Home is a notion that only nations of the homeless fully appreciate and only the uprooted comprehend. – Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose
To know a home is to leave it, a thing that can only be understood in its absence. Two years in, it starts to weigh on them. In visible ways: the running list in the group chat of visitor clubhouses, always cramped and small and smelly, that are nicer than their so-called home clubhouse. In less visible ways, too, ways that crawl under their skin and stay there: ATH the only line in the box score, a jarring contrast against the other teams known by their city names. What is a place without a name? What is a team?
It’s hard not to feel a twinge of jealousy, visiting other ballparks packed to the brim with hometown fans. They’d played angry that first year, putting an exclamation point on the fact that it might be a minor-league park but they were still major-league players. In the second year of this, with no promise of it ending soon, they’re still angry, still defiant, but also so tired. Tired of the subpar facilities, tired of the snide remarks, tired of living minor-league lives in West Sacramento. They’ve all worked hard, proven themselves, just as much as any other player in the league; they all know they deserve better. At the same time, they all know that doesn’t change anything, that the decision is made above their heads. They all tell themselves they’re fine with it, because what choice do they have?
Rooker, Butler, and Soderstrom started them off, signing extensions that promised a future, to themselves, to A’s fans everywhere, and to their teammates. Next off-season, Wilson and Kurtz follow. This is a core. This is a future. Everything else might be shifting sands around them but this foundation is ironclad.
The cracks appear in mid-May, during a brutal stretch, 19 games in 20 days. They don’t have to leave California, technically, but it feels like they’ve traveled all over. It starts with two interleague series, always weird, and they manage to sweep the Cardinals but then get demolished by the Giants in a sweep, their orange-and-black fans swarming all over Sutter Health Park. Then a four-game set at Anaheim, objectively a worse team than them, but they struggle towards a split, the big red A looming above like it’s taunting them. From there they go to San Diego, the ballpark jammed full for a weekend series, fans crowded into every available space soaking up the late spring sunshine, and this is what it should be like. They scrape out one win in the series and they’re lucky for that, a ninth-inning two-run go-ahead blast by Kurtz that feels like they could get back on track, at least until they’re steamrolled in Sunday’s finale. A sell-out crowd in San Diego watches the Padres dismantle the A’s pitching staff. They have to bring out a position player to pitch the bottom of the eighth. The San Diego fans are insufferable. The mood on the flight home is poisonous.
They go back home, but it doesn’t feel like it. Mariners fans descend on the ballpark for their first series of the year, teal just as prominent as kelly green in the stands. It’s like they’re back in Mesa at Hohokam. They lose the series, slip further back in the AL West. Then the Yankees come to town, with their media circus and their massive staff and their legions of fans who line the ballpark in stark black and white, chanting MVP every time Judge steps on the field. Soderstrom gets into it with a Judge fan in left field and gets fined. Then in the series finale, Wilson, facing a flamethrowing Yankees reliever with terrible command, takes an inside pitch off his wrist and they can all hear the sick crack of the bone breaking. McNeil, who’s standing in the on-deck circle, charges the mound and they’re brawling, an empty-the-bullpens, highlights-on-ESPN kind of brawl. They get swept.
Sometimes moments like these are turning points, bringing the team together to battle through adversity. That’s not what happens here. Everything has become too much. They have exceeded the angle of repose, the highest things can be piled up before they start to slip apart. When you don’t have a home base, everything is on shifting ground.
They finish fourth in the AL West. The timeline is adjusted on the ballpark, adjusted again. A lockout looms. A cold comfort: they don’t have anywhere to be locked out from. —KP
ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 23: Jeter Ybarra #26 of the Michigan Wolverines bats against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the 2025 Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field on February 23, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Gunnar Word/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Michigan Wolverines baseball team continued their strong start to the season last weekend with a series win at San Diego. Taking 2-of-3 brought the Wolverines’ record to 6-4 overall on the young season, with three wins coming against ranked teams.
Michigan stayed put in California, having played at Cal State Northridge on Tuesday. The Wolverines will also face Pepperdine in a three-game series this weekend. Let’s take a look at what happened against the Matadors, and then preview the upcoming series at Pepperdine.
Michigan vs. Cal State Northridge recap
The Wolverines and Matadors needed extra innings to decide the outcome of the game, and it was Cal State Northridge coming out on top, 9-8, in 12 innings on Tuesday.
After the Matadors scored a run in the second to get things started, Michigan exploded for six runs in the top of the third inning thanks to a Jack Laffitte RBI single, a Colby Turner RBI double, a Brenden Stressler two-run single and then a Cade Ladehoff home run. All of a sudden, the Wolverines were up 6-1.
Turner hit another RBI double to plate two more to Michigan up, 8-1, but Cal State Northridge answered with a run in the fifth, five runs in the sixth and another run in the eighth to tie the game up at 8-8. The Matadors hit the game-winning single in the 12th to seal the deal.
Michigan vs. Pepperdine preview
The big matchup of the week will be this weekend against the Pepperdine Waves. The Waves have struggled mightily so far to start the year, getting out to a 2-9 start. They were swept by USC to begin the season, and then beat Fresno State once before losing the next two to the Bulldogs. Pepperdine’s most recent series was against Yale, and the Bulldogs took 2-of-3.
Like Michigan, Pepperdine also had a Tuesday game this week. The Waves went on the road to take on Cal Poly and got obliterated, 12-2.
It’s not a big surprise to see Pepperdine get off to a rough start, as its 2025 season was a struggle. The Waves finished with an ugly 12-42 record last season. They failed to qualify for the WCC Tournament.
Most of these California schools are solid given the year-round warmth, but Pepperdine is one that is struggling right now.
Players to watch
Pepperdine has struggled offensively this season, and there are no players on the team hitting above .300. First baseman James Dell’Amico has been the most consistent, as he is hitting .281 after 32 at-bats. However, power isn’t a big strength of his, as he has zero extra-base hits and only two RBIs. Infielder Joshua Woodworth is hitting .294, but he only has 17 plate appearances on the year.
On the mound, Michigan will likely see Casey Euper, Collin Valentine and Tommy Scavone starting for the Waves. Euper has been sensational so far this year, as he currently has a 0.87 ERA through 10.1 innings. He has given up just five hits and one earned run with four strikeouts and three walks.
Valentine has also been terrific this year. He currently has a 2.35 ERA with 15.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 14 hits and four earned runs with six strikeouts and five walks. Lastly, Scavone has given up eight earned runs in 15 innings pitched for a 4.80 ERA. He has been a strikeout machine, however, ringing up 16 batters so far while only walking six. He has given up 10 hits.
Despite the offensive struggles, Pepperdine has a solid pitching rotation that will present a challenge for Michigan. However, the Waves have issues out of the bullpen, so if the Wolverines are able to get to the starters early in the game, that would go a long way in winning at least a couple games in this series. It would be pretty disappointing if Michigan doesn’t win at least two.
The Los Angeles Lakers (37-24) travel to Ball Arena for a game against the Denver Nuggets (38-24) tonight. Luka Doncic and the Lakers take the court on a three-game winning streak while Nikola Jokic has the Nuggets treading water but maintaining a Top 4 seed in the West despite injuries to key rotation pieces including Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson. That 4-seed will be put on the line tonight as the Lakers sit just a half game behind Denver.
The individual battle between superstars Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić remains the headline attraction. Dončić, the league's leading scorer at 32.4 points per game, has been the catalyst for the Lakers' recent surge, which includes dominant wins over the Warriors and Kings. Meanwhile, Jokić continues his MVP-caliber campaign, averaging a triple-double (28.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 10.3 assists).
These teams met earlier this season on January 20 with the Lakers winning at home, 115-107. Luka Doncic had a triple-double and LeBron James chipped in with 19 points. Nikola Jokic missed the game due to injury. A win tonight clinches the season series for the Los Angeles.
This matchup is widely considered a "prove-it" game for the Lakers, who have struggled against the elite teams in the West. A win tonight would not only mark a four-game streak but also give the Lakers the No. 4 seed and the potential tiebreaker advantage in the conference standings if one is needed.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch Live: Lakers at Nuggets
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026
Time: 10PM EST
Site: Ball Arena
City: Denver, CO
Network/Streaming: Amazon Prime Video
Rotoworld has you covered with all the latest NBA Player News for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Game Odds: Lakers at Nuggets
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Los Angeles Lakers (+164), Denver Nuggets (-198)
Spread: Nuggets -4.5
Total: 240.5 points
This game opened Nuggets -4.5 with the Total set at 238.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups: Lakers at Nuggets
Los Angeles Lakers
PG Luka Doncic
SG Marcus Smart
SF Austin Reaves
PF LeBron James
C Deandre Ayton
Denver Nuggets
PG Jamal Murray
SG Christian Braun
SF Julian Strawther
PF Jonas Valanciunas
C Nikola Jokic
Injury Report: Lakers at Nuggets
Los Angeles Lakers
Maxi Kleber (back) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
Denver Nuggets
Aaron Gordon (hamstring) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Peyton Watson (hamstring) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Spencer Jones (shoulder) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Cam Johnson (ankle) is listed as questionable for tonight’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: Lakers at Nuggets
The Nuggets are 16-12 at home this season
The Lakers are 19-12 on the road this season
The Nuggets are 34-28 ATS this season / 13-15 at home
The Lakers are 32-28-1 ATS this season / 17-14 on the road
The OVER has cashed in 32 of the Lakers’ 61 games this season (32-29)
The OVER has cashed in 39 of the Nuggets’ 62 games this season (39-23)
The Thunder are 7-3 in their last 10 games ATS against the Knicks and 8-2 on the Moneyline in those
Since the All-Star Break (7 games), Jamal Murray is averaging 25.2 points per game and that is including a game against the Celtics on February 25 when he scored just 2 points
Austin Reaves has scored 18 or fewer points in 6 straight and 9 of the Lakers’ last 10 games
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s Lakers and Nuggets’ game:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Lakers on the Moneyline
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Lakers +5.5 ATS
Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 240.5
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Mar 9, 2024; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Tiedemann (70) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Ricky Tiedemann is a 23-year-old, left-handed pitcher. The Jays picked him in the third round of the 2021 draft. He was added to the 40-man roster on November 18th, 2025. He’ll be using his first option year this year.
As you know, he had Tommy John surgery in August of 2024, missing all of the 2025 season. And, just to add to our worries, he’s been on the shelf this spring, since February 24, because of elbow soreness. The team said that an MRI came back clean. They also said that he could be shut down for but I haven’t seen anything suggesting he is throwing again.
I’m ok with them taking things slowly. It isn’t all that unusual for some soreness when coming back from Tommy John.
Until the Tommy John, he was progressing very nicely. In 2024 he was #1 on our prospect list. Tom M wrote:
2023 was derailed by injuries, including shoulder soreness that delayed his debut by a couple of weeks and a bicep strain that knocked him out from early May through late July. In the 44 innings he managed, mostly at AA, he was as comically dominant as ever, posting a 44% strikeout rate and a 1.68 FIP. He got 18 more innings of work in the Arizona Fall League. Tiedemann has the prototype power pitcher’s frame at 6’4” and a broad shouldered 220lbs. He throws from the far first base side of the rubber with a slingy delivery and low, wide arm slot that makes the ball feel like it’s coming straight at righties and from behind lefties’ ears. That release point complements the big horizontal movement on all three of his pitches. The fastball sits 94-96 and touches 98 without much vertical rise but with huge arm side run. His best secondary has been a changeup with depth and run, although it backed up a bit in 2023. His slider is a big sweeper, again with huge horizontal break (so much that hitters are sometimes able to lay off it because it looks like a ball inside before breaking all the way across the zone and being called a ball outside), which he has great feel to land in the zone for strikes. It’s three pitches that can all be plus, although he hasn’t regularly had all three sharp at the same time yet. Tiedemann’s command never quite locked in in 2023 with all the disruptions, but in spite of a somewhat unorthodox delivery it could wind up being average or a little above with time.
Unfortunately, the ‘derailed by injuries’ has been a continuing thing.
When he has pitched, he’s been terrific. In 41 minor league starts, 140 innings, he has 226 strikeouts and 68 walks.
He is only 23. There is lots of time for him to right the ship. There has been several pitchers who had injuries troubles when they were young and still went on to have a great career (I can almost hear people saying back that there have been lot of pitchers who had injury troubles when they were young and never got their careers back on track. Both are true).
If his arm can’t stand up to the stress of being a start, a left-handed reliever who can throw 98 mph isn’t a bad thing to have on your pitching staff.
MLB Pipeline still lists him as our number 5 prospect. They say:
Prior to the injury, Tiedemann had come into camp at 245 pounds and was bulked up closer to 255 by mid-season, but now he’s about 15 pounds above his listed weight of 220, a much more natural and athletic size for a pitcher. This has helped him become more fluid on the mound again. While 32 starts and 200 innings may never be in the cards for Tiedemann, that’s just fine. He’ll build up in a bulk role this season when he’s ready to roll, and while all of this comes with a “but” related to his health, he still has as much raw talent as any player in the Blue Jays’ system.
The Sabres are looking to add a right-handed defenseman, and according to a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger, they’ve struck a deal with the Blues involving veteran defender Colton Parayko.
The reported deal at the moment is Parayko heading to the Sabres for prospect Radim Mrtka and a first-round pick. While there could be other parts to the deal, this is the information that has been made public. The only holdup for this trade is Parayko’s approval.
The 32-year-old is in the fourth season on an eight-year, $6.5-million contract that holds a full no-trade clause until 2028. Any deal the Blues want to make involving Parayko needs his approval. If he doesn’t want to move, he can simply decline the trade and remain with the Blues.
Dreger first reported that the trade had been agreed upon and was awaiting Parayko’s approval at 4:30 on Wednesday, yet Parayko has still not made a decision.
If Parayko does accept the trade, he’ll join a Sabres blueline that is quickly becoming one of the better ones in the NHL. They boast multiple lengthy defenders, all of whom are strong skaters. Parayko would provide the Sabres with additional defensive fortitude and further balance out the defense core.
As for the Blues, they would receive the 2025 ninth overall pick, Radim Mrtka. The 18-year-old defender stands 6-foot-6, like Parayko, but possesses strong offensive instincts and a mature two-way game. Mrtka played in four AHL games before returning to the WHL, where he’s notched one goal and 29 points in 35 games.
Mrtka took home a silver medal with Team Czechia, alongside Blues prospect Adam Jiricek, at the 2026 World Junior Championship. Mrtka was the second defenseman selected at the 2025 NHL draft.
If the reports are true and Parayko does agree to be traded, the Blues will add another right-handed defenseman to their prospect pool, as well as another first-round pick.
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WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 20: Tatsuya Imai #45 of the Houston Astros pitches during spring training workouts at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 20, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Astros (2-6-3) travel to Jupiter, FL to take on the Miami Marlins (4-6).
RHP Tatsuya Imai is set to make his second start of the Spring and will be opposed by 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner RHP Sandy Alcantara.
ABOUT IMAI: In January, the Astros signed free agent RHP Tatsuya Imai to a three-year deal.
In his Spring debut on Feb. 26 vs. NYM, he tossed a scoreless 1.0 inning (10 pitches). Imai, 27, has been one of the top starting pitchers in Japan in recent years. In 2025, he was an All-Star for the Seibu Lions in the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB), where he went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA (35ER/163.2IP) in 24 games.
Among qualified pitchers, Imai posted the lowest WHIP (0.89) in the Pacific League, while ranking second with 178 strikeouts in his 163.2 innings pitched. Imai has been an NPB All-Star three times in his career (2021, 2024, 2025) that has spanned parts of eight seasons (2018-25). He went 58-45 overall with a 3.15 ERA (337ER/963.2IP) in 159 games in the NPB.
TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP Spencer Arrighetti, LHP Tom Cosgrove, RHP Anthony Maldonado, LHP Steven Okert, RHP Logan VanWey, RHP Amos Willingham and RHP Sam Carlson.
VS. THE MARLINS: Today will mark the second of five Grapefruit League matchups between the Astros and Marlins this Spring. The clubs will also meet for a Spring Breakout exhibition on March 19 at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. The Astros are 1-0 vs. the Marlins this Spring.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: Prior to today’s game, the Astros optioned LHP Colton Gordon and RHP Miguel Ullola to minor league camp. The Astros now have 59 players in camp, including 21 non-roster invites – 32 pitchers, seven catchers, 11 infielders and nine outfielders.
ASTROS IN THE WBC: IF Shay Whitcomb is off to a fantastic start for Team Korea in this year’s WBC, going 2×4 with a pair of homers and three RBI in the team’s opener vs. Team Czechia this morning at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Thursday, March 5, 12:10 p.m. CST
Location: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter, FL.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Houston Astros sent All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña to see a hand specialist on Thursday for further examination of an injury to his right ring finger that has made his immediate availability for the World Baseball Classic unclear.
Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters at the team's spring training complex that Peña had some damage to the nail area on the finger after fielding a hard groundball for the Dominican Republic national team during an exhibition game on Wednesday. Peña was pulled after that.
The Dominican Republic plays its first game of the WBC on Friday in Miami against Nicaragua.
The 28-year-old Peña is coming off a career-best season in 2025, when he made his first All-Star team and batted .304 with an .840 OPS and 20 stolen bases.
TORONTO, CANADA - FEBRUARY 4: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves dribbles against Brandon Ingram #3 of the Toronto Raptors during the second half of their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on February 4, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Toronto Raptors, by just about any measure, are enjoying a highly successful season. At 35-26, they’ve surpassed all reasonable expectations for a team that picked up just 30 wins last year. They have two All-Stars, and are well on their way to a playoff appearance.
And yet, Tuesday’s loss to the New York Knicks cemented a concern that’s been on many Raptors fans’ minds: They can’t seem to beat good teams.
The Raptors are currently just 4-16 against the 10 teams ahead of them in the NBA standings. Three of those four wins came early on against the then-struggling Cleveland Cavaliers who had not yet added James Harden. Four of the losses, meanwhile, have come against the Knicks, each by a margin of 16 or greater.
On the flip side, the Raptors are a dominant 31-10 against the 18 teams beneath them in the league standings. Beating bad/mediocre teams is not a useless exercise: Those results make a big difference when it comes to fighting for playoff seeding.
But as the playoffs draw closer, the Raptors’ woes against top teams are becoming an increasingly worrying indicator that they’ll struggle in the postseason.
Their recent results bear out this trend. Toronto is 3-3 in their last six games: The losses all came against teams in a playoff spot, while each win was against a team outside of the playoff picture.
Tonight, the Raptors will have their work cut out for them as they head to Minnesota to take on the 39-23 Timberwolves, at 8 p.m. EST on Sportsnet.
These two teams last faced each other about a month ago, when the Wolves won 128-126 led by a 30-point performance by Anthony Edwards. The Wolves have been especially hot since the All-Star break, winning seven of their last eight games. Meanwhile, the Raptors could be without their top scorer as Brandon Ingram is questionable with a thumb injury.
Ingram scored 25 and was a +2 in their loss against the Wolves. And following Tuesday’s loss to the Knicks, in which Toronto came within two points with six minutes left only to end up losing by 16, Ingram spoke about the need to overcome their persistent issues executing in the fourth quarter.
“I think every time we play a good team, they know exactly where they want to go in the fourth quarter, and they do it over and over again,” Ingram said.
He added, “The good thing is, we’re in the games. But we got to figure out how to finish the game.”
That fourth quarter execution issue was on full display when the Wolves overcame an 18-point deficit to beat the Raptors in February.
The Raptors may be down their top scorer in their rematch against the Wolves, but they’ll have a new weapon for the rematch: Jakob Poeltl missed that first game and will be active tonight. While sometimes looking diminished as he returns from his back injury, Poeltl has been valuable for the offense as a screener, and his size will be key in matching up against Rudy Gobert. Collin Murray-Boyles remains out.
The Raptors have some things to clean up outside of fourth quarter execution. Their defense looked at times lethargic against the Knicks, and they made a number of mistakes and miscommunications that led to rapid scoring opportunities that may very well have cost them the game.
The Timberwolves have the league’s sixth-rated defense which features Gobert, a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate/winner down low, and Jaden McDaniels, one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders. The Timberwolves have also added guard Ayo Dosunmu since their last matchup.
Scottie Barnes may need to shoulder a larger offensive load if Ingram is out – and he may also draw the assignment of guarding Edwards, one of the league’s most dynamic and athletic scorers.
It won’t be easy for the Raptors. But if they want to change the narrative about facing good teams, they’ll have to win some tough ones.
Joining the Golden State Warriors hasn’t been as glamorous as Al Horford hoped.
The veteran was supposed to be a complementary piece on a championship contender, but with injuries ravaging the Dubs, Horford is carrying more of the load lately.
My Warriors vs. Rockets predictions and NBA picks for Thursday, March 5 bank on “Big Al” to battle on the boards.
Don't miss tip-off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
Warriors vs Rockets prediction
Warriors vs Rockets best bet: Al Horford Over 5.5 rebounds (-112)
Al Horford’s floor time jumped in the past seven outings, logging more than 26 minutes and hauling in an average of 5.2 rebounds.
He’s snagged six or more boards in four of those showings, and his rebounding chances spiked to 9.2 in that frame — up from 7.7 before that uptick in action.
He could face less competition on the glass vs. a Houston Rockets frontcourt missing a ton of size, with its top four rebounders either questionable or out Thursday.
Projections sit north of six rebounds from Horford, with Over 5.5 priced as high as -130 at other books.
Warriors vs Rockets same-game parlay
Houston is back home after a road-heavy schedule. The Rockets are trying to hold on to the No. 3 seed in the West, while the Golden State Warriors are sinking like a stone with two wins in the last seven games and little motivation to make the postseason cut.
Horford is getting more run with the Dubs roster depleted, and Houston’s frontcourt could be running thin, with several forwards dealing with ailments.
Gui Santos is enjoying an uptick in offensive touches due to the Warriors’ injury issues. Before a bad outing vs. the Clippers, he scored 13 or more points in nine of his last 10 games and is projected for 14.4 points tonight.
Warriors vs Rockets SGP
Rockets moneyline
Al Horford Over 5.5 rebounds
Gui Santos Over 12.5 points
Our "from downtown" SGP: Draymond vs. Durant
There’s no love lost between these former teammates. Draymond Green gets the Golden State offense going while Kevin Durant comes up short on his scoring total, but helps pick up the slack on the glass.
Houston is the best home Under bet in the NBA, going 9-17-1 Over/Under inside Toyota Center. Find more NBA betting trends for Warriors vs. Rockets.
How to watch Warriors vs Rockets
Location
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Date
Thursday, March 5, 2026
Tip-off
7:30 p.m. ET
TV
Prime Video
Warriors vs Rockets latest injuries
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Andrew McCutchen turns 40 this October. Yet his desire to extend his Major League Baseball career runs deep enough that he's willing to try and make a team to keep it going.
McCutchen agreed to a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Morning News reported, ending a three-season rekindling of his relationship with the Pittsburgh Pirates in which the club could not rekindle its days of playoff contention when the outfielder was in MVP form a decade ago.
Though McCutchen batted just .242 in his three-season reunion in Pittsburgh, he remained a league average hitter for the stint, posting a .736 OPS and 104 adjusted OPS as the Pirates continued to struggle creating a contender. This season, the seemingly open invitation McCutchen had in Pittsburgh faded away, as the club signed Ryan O'Hearn to be their primary right fielder.
It seemed a lane might exist for McCutchen to get at-bats against left-handed pitchers, but trades with Boston and Tampa Bay that added Jhostnyxon Garcia and Jake Mangum, respectively, closed that off.
So, McCutchen will aim to win a job out of the Rangers' camp in Surprise, Arizona. The club has emerging star Wyatt Langford, oft-injured Evan Carter and recently acquired Brandon Nimmo as their primary outfielders, but several iterations remain where McCutchen is a fit, particularly against left-handed pitching.
McCutchen won the 2013 NL MVP for the Pirates and has hit 332 homers that also included stops with San Francisco, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and the New York Yankees.
“A Good Sign”: Todd McLellan Encouraged After Dylan Larkin Returns From Injury ScareDespite the Red Wings appearing to lose team captain Dylan Larkin, the fact that he came back before the end of the game on Wednesday evening against the Vegas Golden Knights was encouraging. 
