MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 01: Dalen Terry #7 of the Chicago Bulls looks on against the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter of the game at Kaseya Center on February 01, 2026 in Miami, Florida. 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 Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Philadelphia 76ers are starting to see the dust settle after the 2026 NBA trade deadline. During that span, the team converted Dominick Barlow from a two-way deal to a standard contract. That move clarified the direction of the Sixers’ now-vacant two-way spot, as they’ll bring in former first-round pick Dalen Terry. The Philly Voice’s Adam Aaronson was the first to report:
NEWS: The Sixers are signing Dalen Terry to a two-way contract, source tells @thephillyvoice. The Sixers opened up this spot once they signed Dominick Barlow to a standard contract hours after the trade deadline passed.
NBA fans should be at least semi-familiar with Terry’s name, as he landed in the range where the Sixers were picking in the 2022 NBA Draft. Chicago selected Terry just five picks ahead of Philadelphia, which held the No. 22 pick and later used it in the De’Anthony Melton trade. Terry spent parts of three seasons with the Bulls, appearing in just over 200 regular-season games. He averaged 3.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 11.1 minutes per game, shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from three.
Terry never put it together in Chicago, as his career numbers reflect. This season marked the fourth and final year of his rookie-scale contract, and the Bulls moved him at the deadline, first sending him to the Knicks in a deal that brought back Guerschon Yabusele. New York then rerouted Terry to the New Orleans Pelicans in the José Alvarado trade, where he was eventually waived outright. Now, he’ll join the Sixers on a two-way contract.
It’s also worth noting that this season marked the best shooting stretch of Terry’s career, as he knocked down 41.3 percent of his three-point attempts across 34 games.
For those unfamiliar with Terry, he fits the mold of a classic Swiss-army-knife player. He brings a legitimate frame at 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, along with solid vision for his size and the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways offensively. The swing skills to monitor will be his shooting and his handle. In Chicago, his handle lacked the tightness needed to consistently pressure defenders off the dribble, and his shooting struggles early in his career often led defenses to ignore him off the ball entirely.
Still, Terry is just 23 years old with limited NBA reps, and this season offered some real encouragement. If that improved shooting is any indication, his offensive game may finally be rounding into form.
Terry also checks a lot of boxes as a “Nick Nurse” type of player, someone who can switch defensively and contribute in a variety of utility roles. The Sixers badly need guard help as well, with nearly 40-year-old Kyle Lowry currently logging real rotation minutes.
Terry slides into the two-way slot vacated by Barlow, leaving Philadelphia with two open standard roster spots to use either on the buyout market or via another conversion, such as Jabari Walker. For now, the Sixers add a much-needed guard and take a low-risk swing on a recent first-round draftee.
The Mets are adding more depth to their bullpen, acquiring left-handed reliever Bryan Hudson from the White Sox in exchange for cash considerations.
In a corresponding move, Reed Garrett -- who is recovering from Tommy John surgery -- has been placed on the 60-day IL.
Hudson, 28, had a 4.80 ERA (5.34 FIP) and 1.86 WHIP in 15.0 innings last season for the Brewers and White Sox. Chicago had designated him for assignment last week.
He was tremendous in 2024 for Milwaukee, during what was his first full big league season.
In 62.1 innings over 43 games, Hudson had a 1.73 ERA (3.60 FIP) and 0.72 WHIP while striking out 62.
Standing at 6'8", Hudson gets elite extension from a low-angle delivery (he was in the 99th percentile last season). He featured mainly a four-seam fastball and sweeper in 2025. In 2024, he also relied heavily on a cutter, which he threw 24 percent of the time (Hudson threw the cutter just three percent of the time last season).
Hudson is out of minor league options, which means the Mets cannot send him to the minors without exposing him to waivers.
Brooks Raley is the only left-hander viewed as a lock to make the Opening Day bullpen.
A.J. Minter is already throwing and should factor in by the end of April, but is not expected to break camp with the team as he recovers from season-ending lat surgery.
Contenders for the final three or four spots in the bullpen could include Tobias Myers (who is currently stretching out as a starter), Huascar Brazoban, and Adbert Alzolay. The slider-heavyAlzolay expected to be fully healthy after missing last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Meanwhile, Craig Kimbrel is a wild card of sorts after signing a minor league deal.
Other options include hard-throwing prospects Dylan Ross and Ryan Lambert, as well as Jonathan Pintaro, Alex Carrillo, and Joey Gerber.
TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 13: Tomoyuki Sugano #19 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the first inning of their MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 13, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After signing Michael Lorenzen to their rotation earlier this off-season, the Colorado Rockies indicated that they were still in the market for another veteran starting pitcher. It would appear that starting pitcher has been selected, as the Rockies have reportedly signed Japanese right-handed pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano to a one-year deal worth $5.1 million for the 2026 season.
Sugano, 36, hails from the coastal prefecture of Kanagawa in Japan and put together a strong 12-year body of work with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Tokyo Yomiuri Giants.
He is the first Japanese player to play for the Rockies organization since Kazuo Matsui in 2007, and the first Japanese pitcher since Mac Suzuki in 2001.
Working both as a starter and reliever, Sugano has a career 2.43 ERA across 276 NPB appearances. He attempted to enter the posting system following the 2020 season, but went unsigned.
The Baltimore Orioles signed Sugano to a one-year, $13 million deal for the 2025 season. During his “rookie” campaign, he worked exclusively as a starter and posted a 4.64 ERA over 30 starts and 157 innings while tallying 106 strikeouts. It is also worth noting that Sugano led the American League in home runs given up at 33—the third-most in Major League Baseball—but also had one of the better walk rates in the league.
Sugano’s primary pitch is a split finger that averaged 87.3 MPH last season, backed up with a sweeping slider. He throws two fastballs, a four-seam and a “shuuto” that is sometimes identified as a sinker. Both pitches averaged close to 93 MPH last season. Sugano also throws a curveball, a cutter, and has worked with a forkball during his time in NPB.
In a corresponding roster move, the Rockies have placed Kris Bryant (degenerative disc disease) on the 60-day injured list.
Sugano will report to the Rockies’ spring training facility in Scottsdale with the rest of the team’s pitchers and catchers on Thursday. He is also expected to pitch for Samurai Japan in this year’s World Baseball Classic.
The Associated Press national player of the week in women’s basketball for Week 14 of the season:
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
The sophomore guard scored 37 points to go with four steals and four assists to help Vanderbilt edge then-No. 16 Kentucky 84-83. It was her second straight 30-plus point game and the NCAA-leading seventh time she's had over 30 points this season. She shot 52% from the field and hit six 3-pointers.
Runner-up
Shay Ciezki, Indiana. The senior guard averaged 30 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists to go along with three steals in wins over Wisconsin and Purdue. She shot 63.2% in the win over the Badgers with three 3-pointers. In the win over Purdue, she led Indiana with 29 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Her team-high eight assists left her just shy of a triple-double.
Davidson senior forward Charlise Dunn averaged 24.5 points, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks to go along with eight rebounds in two games last week. Dunn got the Wildcats back into the win column with a 31-point performance at home against George Washington. She also led the team at St. Bonaventure with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
This time, he made a little bit of history in the process.
The No. 17 Red Storm’s 87-82 overtime victory against the Musketeers at Madison Square Garden in New York on Monday, Feb. 9 was the 904th of the elder Pitino’s lengthy head-coaching career, breaking a tie with Roy Williams for the third-most all-time wins in Division I.
The 73-year-old Pitino now trails only Mike Krzyzewski (1,202 wins) and Jim Boeheim (1,116).
It’s the second time Pitino has earned a landmark victory at the expense of his son. St. John’s’ 88-83 win at Xavier on Jan. 24 was the 900th of his career.
"I think my son's brilliant,” Pitino said after the win Monday. “I'm proud of him. I hate getting any milestone against him – but I go away tonight saying my son's a hell of a coach. ... To say my son's a great coach is much more pleasing to me than any number of victories."
Richard Pitino, who previously coached under his father at Louisville, is in his first season at Xavier, which fell to 12-12 after Monday's loss.
Many of Rick Pitino’s wins came at a pair of college basketball powerhouses (and archrivals), Kentucky and Louisville. He went 219-50 in seven seasons with the Wildcats and 416-143 in 16 seasons with the Cardinals, with an ill-fated stint as the Boston Celtics’ head coach and president wedged in between. He won a national championship at both Kentucky and Louisville, making him the only men’s college basketball head coach to win titles at multiple schools.
Pitino was fired by Louisville in 2017 after the Cardinals were implicated in the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball. After a brief exile from the sport, he returned as Iona’s head coach in 2020 and is currently in his third season at St. John’s, where he has gone 70-23. Last season, the Red Storm won the Big East regular season and tournament championships, earning them a No. 2 seed to the NCAA Tournament.
Pitino has also coached at Hawaii (as an interim head coach), Boston University and Providence, the last of which he led to a Final Four in 1987.
After a difficult start to the season, Pitino’s St. John’s team has won 10 consecutive games, improving its record to 19-5 and putting it atop the Big East standings.
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 28: Spencer Schwellenbach #56 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on June 28, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Heading into this season, the Braves were anticipating that Spencer Schwellenbach would be healthy and ready to go after he had his 2025 season cut short due to a fractured elbow. Unfortunately, here on the first day of pitchers and catchers being at spring training, it’s become clear that Schwellenbach’s elbow is still bothering him.
Braves beat writer Mark Bowman of MLB.com is reporting that Spencer Schwellenbach is experiencing elbow inflammation in his throwing arm and as such, he’ll be starting the year on the 60-Day IL.
Spencer Schwellenbach is dealing with right elbow inflammation. The Braves are hoping he’s just dealing with bone spurs. But he’ll miss significant time. He’ll begin the year on the 60-day IL
The only good news about this is that because we’re so early on in things, if all goes well then he could start ramping up to return starting in April since recovery from having bone spurs removed via surgery is usually 10-12 weeks. Still, you never want to see pitchers miss this much time early on since they’ll be behind the proverbial 8-ball once the regular season rolls around and Schwellenbach starting the season on the 60-Day IL means we’re not going to see him pitch for a couple of months as a result — smooth recovery or not. You also definitely don’t want to see elbow issues of this magnitude coming from a young pitcher of Schwellenbach’s caliber — especially considering that elbow issues are what ended up costing him the majority of his 2025 campaign.
The only thing the Braves can do now is just hope that the inflammation is being caused by the bone spurs, since that’d be pretty straight-forward in terms of treatment and recovery. If anything gets more complicated then that’ll certainly be concerning and then he could very well miss a ton of time once the regular season rolls around. We’ve just got to hope for the best when it comes to this and have also got to hope that between this and Ha-Seong Kim’s stroke of bad luck that the Braves are getting their bad injury luck out of the way early on. Atlanta has some pretty high expectations for this upcoming season and just about the only way that this could be derailed is if they end up going through another injury-plagued season.
The good news is that Atlanta’s offseason dealings have insured that they will at least have a lot better depth than they did during the 2025 season but it’s certainly kind of lame to see that depth being put to the test right from the jump.
Also in other news, Bowman is also reporting that Robert Suarez will be late reporting to camp because he’s dealing with visa issues. Fortunately, that’s not an injury but it’s still just another frustrating thing for the Braves to deal with this early on in the campaign.
The return of Texas Ranger pitcher Cody Bradford from internal brace surgery has been both eagerly awaited and a topic of much discussion among Rangers fans over the winter. Jeff Wilson talked to Bradford this morning in Surprise, and we have good news in regards to an update.
Per Wilson, Bradford is throwing his seventh bullpen session today, and after the first six featured all fastballs, Bradford will be looking to throw “8-10” changeups today. Bradford also said he is “[s]till aiming for a May return.”
This is one of those situations where no news — or at least, no change in the news — is good news. May has been what has been suggested as a target date for Bradford’s return for some time, and the fact that he is still on track to do that is a positive. And while I will note that a “May return” is kind of vague and could be interpreted different ways — does that mean a return to the big leagues in May, for example, or a return to pitching in competitive games in May, which would mean starting a rehab assignment then — Bradford has previously indicated that he was hopeful to be close to being ready to go out on a rehab assignment soon after the season starts, which would seem to mean that May is when he would potentially be ready to return to the big club.
Bradford followed up an up-and-down rookie season in 2023 with a 2024 campaign that saw him perform well when he was healthy enough to be on the mound. Bradford put up a 3.54 ERA and 3.44 xERA for Texas in 2024, making 13 starts and a relief appearance and throwing 76 innings. It was hoped that Bradford would be able to step up and claim a rotation spot in 2025, establishing himself as a member of the rotation, before his elbow issues ended up costing him the season.
The Rangers currently have a front four in the rotation you have to feel good about, with Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore and Jack Leiter. Kumar Rocker and Jacob Latz appear to be the favorites to claim the fifth spot in the rotation to start the season, with Jose Corniell also a possibility to contribute to the rotation at some point in 2026, and non-roster invitees Cal Quantrill, Pat Murphy and Austin Gomber in camp.
If Bradford can return on schedule and perform like he did in 2024, the Rangers would have a very solid 1 through 5 on paper, and allow them the luxury of using Latz in the bullpen as a swingman, having Rocker in AAA as depth along with any veterans who don’t opt out, and allowing Corniell, along with the likes of David Davalillo and Winston Santos, to get regular starts in the minors.
Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
There arguably is nobody more important to his team than Macklin Celebrini is to the San Jose Sharks.
Celebrini has 42 more points than his teammate in second, Will Smith (39). To put that in perspective, that’s the largest canyon between the No. 1 and No. 2 scorer on a team, followed by MacKinnon’s 31-point gap over Martin Necas (62) on the Colorado Avalanche and Kucherov’s same differential over Jake Guentzel (60) on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Safe to say, he’s the focus of any game plan against San Jose.
So, how have the Sharks and Macklin Celebrini adjusted to all the defensive attention this season?
First things first, Celebrini is simply better this year.
“Bigger, stronger, faster, more experienced,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice summarized in November.
Celebrini and the Sharks coaching staff have also put the franchise center in positions to succeed.
“It’s about putting [him] in situations where we can kind of get away from that,” Warsofsky said of the defensive attention, “get to his skill-set of being able to play when playing in space. That’s usually when players are at their best, is when they have time and space.”
Warsofsky will typically use Celebrini to close periods, basically get him an extra shift at a key time in the game, and not necessarily with his line.
Celebrini (71) steals it from Granlund (64), Wennberg (21) sets up Celebrini at end of period (on 12/29/25) pic.twitter.com/ekNi7pmCM1
Off the Alex Wennberg (21) draw, Celebrini (71) is “disguised” at wing, surprising Mikael Granlund (64) from behind on the backcheck. That turnover puts the Ducks in scramble mode, and Celebrini exploits that with his speed.
This time, on the fly, Warsofsky puts his best player with third-line center Ty Dellandrea (10) and fourth-line winger Barclay Goodrow (23).
Dellandrea and Goodrow do the grunt work on the forecheck, Celebrini sets up for a scoring chance, and Goodrow cleans up the garbage.
“We try to do some different things that can get him away from [the defensive attention], whether it’s a matchup-based challenge or flow of the game, momentum in the game situations,” Warsofsky said.
Celebrini has also been given license, both at 5-on-5 and on the power play, to stay on the ice longer, if warranted.
Here’s an example, down 5-1 at the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 23, of Celebrini taking a double shift, Sharks lines scrambled after a penalty kill.
That was a 2:11 shift by Celebrini, a sensitive topic, because no player wants to be seen as hogging another player’s ice-time.
But Celebrini isn’t doing that, he’s been empowered to make decisions on the fly for the betterment of his team.
“He’s earned some rope. He has, by the way he’s played,” Warsofsky said. “I get it, we were down, 2, 3, 4-nothing. He’s taken some long shifts because he wants to fix the problem.”
He added: “There’s a balance to that, for sure, but that’s an extreme competitor that’s frustrated with what’s going on in the hockey game and he wants to make a difference. I’d much rather have that than a guy that’s out there for 15 seconds that doesn’t want to be on the ice because something bad is going to happen.”
“Some of it’s situational. I don’t really want to be out there for too long,” Celebrini said. “Sometimes, you just get caught out there, and it’s better just stay out there and take a [defensive] lane away, instead of screwing over your teammates and putting them in a bad spot.”
“Of course, we don’t want him out there two minutes, right?” Warsofsky said. “Mack and I talked about it. We had a conversation about that, and he understands that, but I also understand the flipside of it, of that competitiveness. That’s what we want around here.”
Trust me, this isn’t a normal conversation between a second-year player and a head coach (see Matvei Michkov and Rick Tocchet).
Celebrini staying on the ice a little longer often benefits the Sharks, creating mismatches and more offense.
Here’s an example against the Lightning on Jan. 3: Celebrini’s linemates, William Eklund (72) and Igor Chernyshov (92), change, but Celebrini stays on to provide defensive support.
Of course, a dynamic player like Celebrini is more than a defensive security blanket, beating pinching defenseman Erik Cernak (81) to the puck, then evading forechecker Yanni Gourde (37), to spring Pavol Regenda (84) and Jeff Skinner (53) for a 2-on-1.
At the end of Celebrini’s 1:21 shift, Regenda scores right as the superstar center reaches the bench to change.
Here’s another example at the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 16, Celebrini staying on, as he should, as the first forechecker as Will Smith (2) and Collin Graf (51) change. It’s what Celebrini does from this point on, which is why you want him on the ice as much as possible.
F1 Celebrini harasses Ben Chiarot (8) into a turnover, staying on because the Sharks have full OZ possession. Then, Adam Gaudette (81) and Celebrini work a nifty give-and-go for a Grade-A scoring chance.
Celebrini is commonly double-shifted on the power play, too, playing most or all of the two minutes, and has been part of plenty of second-unit PP goals, Gaudette on Dec. 20 against the Seattle Kraken, Regenda on Jan. 3 against the Lightning, and Gaudette on Jan. 7 against the Los Angeles Kings, for example.
“That’s all you need. You need the trust of your teammates and your coaches,” Celebrini said. “That’s what’s important, is they trust you to do your job and get that result. As long as they trust me to do that, then that’s a good thing.”
But in the end, Celebrini’s adjustment to all the defensive attention is simply being a better player than he was as a rookie. He wouldn’t be double-shifted or relied upon late in the periods if not for his evolutionary leap.
It’s not just physical, it’s mental growth.
“He plays a more of a give-and-go game at times, reads gaps, reads who’s in front of him. That’s the most that I’ve seen him grow,” Warsofsky said.
Last season, Celebrini was more of a one-trick pony offensively, a speed demon always trying to push play “vertical”, often as fast as possible.
He’s still that, but he’s also slowed his game down, too, when it matters.
Celebrini (71) dumps it in for Smith (2), Klingberg (3) finds Graf (51) on 12/9/25 pic.twitter.com/RybzbMAhqD
Celebrini does something counterintuitive to his most obvious skill, his skating, dumping it in for Smith to claim. All the Flyers are watching Celebrini, which gives Smith a headstart to jump on the puck. Smith, an offensive prodigy in his own right, makes the most of it.
Celebrini (71) sees Chernyshov (92) and Graf (51) for down-low 2-on-1 strike on 12/18/25 pic.twitter.com/zTLNJmJ12S
Chernyshov pushes back the Stars’ defense, allowing Celebrini to get open high. But instead of attacking defenseman Esa Lindell (23) with his customary pace, Celebrini slows it down, seeing a developing 2-on-1 down-low, for Chernyshov and Graf, which his linemates execute flawlessly.
“It’s kind of part of learning, trying to add parts to my game,” Celebrini said.
The Sharks will also add around Celebrini.
Celebrini, with all the defensive attention that he gets, can become more dangerous when the Sharks put another puck transporter and protector with him. This allows Celebrini to play off the puck more and get open.
Chernyshov has done that for Celebrini when they’ve played together, as has Eklund.
Eklund is probably the Sharks’ second-most effective player, after Celebrini, carrying the puck from blueline to blueline.
William Eklund (72) attacks Flames defense & finds an open Macklin Celebrini (71), which leads to Adam Gaudette (81) chance on 11/13/25 pic.twitter.com/yZLxgULiQe
Eklund is also crafty with the puck along the wall, attracting Thomas Harley (55) and Colin Blackwell (15), before finding Celebrini and Chernyshov for a down-low 2-on-1.
There’s another way to think about Celebrini’s dominance this season.
As the Sharks surround him with better players, and the youngsters around him, such as Smith, Eklund, Chernyshov, Graf and Co. get better, Celebrini, carrying a little less of the load, should become even more dominant.
Imagine that.
Right now, defenses can key in against Celebrini, and he’s still beating them consistently. He’s going to overpower them even more, with the help that’s coming.
It’s a light night in the NBA, with just four games on the board, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of value to be found in the player props market.
I’ve found my three favorite plays for the day, which include a Pacers player lighting up the scoreboard at Madison Square Garden, and De’Aaron Fox keeps dishing out the dimes against the Lakers in La La Land.
Find those and more NBA picks for Tuesday, February 10, below.
Last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, where the Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 4-2, feels like a different timeline.
Injuries and trades have made the Pacers roster mostly unrecognizable, while the Knicks look ready to return to the dance after winning nine of their last 10.
But the Knicks still have some flaws, including a perimeter defense that ranks 21st in opponent 3-point makes and 23rd in opponent 3-point attempts per game.
Aaron Nesmith has been hot shooting the 3-ball, shooting 51.4% from deep and draining three or more treys in five of his last seven.
Fox has averaged 7.7 assists per game over his last seven games, and he’s recorded at least seven in six of those. Now, he gets a great matchup against the Lakers.
L.A. is playing the second half of a back-to-back, and defense hasn’t been the Lakers' calling card. L.A. ranks 22nd in defensive rating and 25th in opponent assists per possession.
Fox shouldn’t have a problem topping 5.5 assists in this one.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
After being traded to the Phoenix Suns for Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis, Suns fans couldn’t help but take a trip down memory lane when they first heard the name “Amir Coffey”.
Because what Suns fans most remember Amir Coffey for is something that he was not even involved in.
It was Coffey’s face in Denver on the big screen in March of 2022, in place of Devin Booker’s, for the Suns’ starting lineups. We all remember what Booker did that game after being “disrespected.”
Before playing for the Milwaukee Bucks this season, Coffey played for the Los Angeles Clippers for the first six years of his career. Which means he has seen multiple iterations of the Suns while playing for the Clippers. He has been bounced out of the playoffs by the Suns twice and has matched up against Booker many times in his career. He has played against the Suns 18 times total.
“I mean, everybody knows Dev, he’s a great player,” Coffey said during his media availability. “You know, things run through him, and he’s on all scouts and everything. So those battles were definitely good.”
Coffey has averaged 6.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game on 45.5% shooting from the field, and a respectable 38.1% from three in his NBA career. Coffey is a 6-foot-7 3-and-D wing that has stayed in the league because of his ability to defend and shoot from long range. Coffey is not the big, power forward type player the Suns wanted at the deadline, but he is a perfect fit for what the Suns want to do. He plays hard, defends well, and can knock down open shots.
“Yeah, I think it’s gonna be good. Just what I can do and add to the team. I’m somebody that can play on both sides of the ball,” Coffey said. “You know, on defense guard, multiple positions, switch out, and you know, offensive spacer, just do what I do and emulate myself into the offense.”
Coffey has basketball in his blood. His two older sisters played college basketball at Marist and Northwestern, and his sister Nia plays in the WNBA. His father played at the University of Minnesota and played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA. Coffey followed in his father’s footsteps and was a three-year starter in college for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. In his junior year, he averaged 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists and was named Third Team All-Big Ten. Then he left for the NBA and went undrafted, just like a handful of his current Suns teammates.
Coffey signed with the Clippers out of college but played sparingly in his first two seasons in the league. Then, in his third season, he had a breakout year. He appeared in 69 games, started 30 games, and averaged 9.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.
Since that season, Coffey’s minutes bounced around depending on the health of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and other wings ahead of him in the Clippers rotation. In the 2024-25 season, he scored a career high of 9.7 points and shot over 40% from three with the Clippers. Coffey then decided to go to the Bucks this offseason and was in and out of the rotation for Milwaukee this season.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 07: Amir Coffey #2 of the Phoenix Suns warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Mortgage Matchup Center on February 07, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Coffey was not sure if he was getting traded at the deadline, but now that he has experienced that for the first time in his career, he is ready to be a Phoenix Sun.
“You know, it’s always weird around the deadline. Trying to wait to see what’s going to happen,” Coffey said. “But, you know, I’m definitely blessed to be in this position. I’m grateful for the opportunity. ready to get going.”
With Grayson Allen and Isaiah Livers both injured, the Suns need depth and versatility at the wing position, a role that Coffey can fill right now.
“I’ll be able to switch one through four, one through three, whatever they need, guard different positions, and kind of just work myself into how they play,” Coffey said. “Like run and gun and everybody’s covering for each other. A little bit of tenacity in there. So, just getting terminology down and what we’re looking for, I think it is going to be good.”
Whether Coffey blossoms into a 10-t0-20 minute a game role player for the Suns, or only plays in garbage time, Coffey is a valuable addition to the Suns for the home stretch of the season. He brings more versatility and length to a Suns roster that has had to battle through the injury bug this season. While he is on a one-year contract that expires at the end of the season, the Suns can resign him this offseason and should resign him if they move off of any of the other wings in front of him, like Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen, or Jordan Goodwin.
With the addition of Amir Coffey, the Suns got even better on defense and became an even deeper team.
Los Angeles won its second straight World Series in 2025 (Credit: Getty)
The phrase "Game 7" is often labeled as the best two words in sports. And last season for the Dodgers, it's hard to argue otherwise.
Los Angeles trailed the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 entering the eighth inning, before going on a magical run filled with home runs, great defensive plays and the pitching performance of a lifetime to win 5-4 in extra innings and win the team's second consecutive World Series.
Now, the Dodgers are sharing relics of that historic comeback with fans. The team announced Monday this upcoming 2026 season would feature a Game 7 Bobblehead Series. There will be four different bobbleheads in the series, each depicting one of the game-changing plays in the team's Game 7 comeback.
The first will come on Saturday, March 28 vs the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team's third game of the season and first weekend game. It will be Will Smith bobblehead night. Smith hit the go-ahead home run in 11th inning of Game 7.
The second bobblehead in the series features Miguel Rojas, who became the first player in MLB history to hit a game-tying home run in the 9th inning or later of a World Series Game 7. This bobblehead will be featured on Friday, May 8 vs the Atlanta Braves.
The third bobblehead, and perhaps the most important of the three, is the Yoshinobu Yamamoto "Game 7 Last Out" Bobblehead on Wednesday, May 27 vs the Colorado Rockies. Yamamoto provided a Herculean effort in Game 7, pitching 2.2 innings of shutout baseball on zero days rest, having just dominated Game 6. It put an exclamation point on what was already one of the most dominant World Series runs by any pitcher in history.
The final bobblehead in the series comes on Friday, June 19 vs the Baltimore Orioles, showcasing the final out of the game. Mookie Betts, who spent a decade as a perennial Gold Glove outfielder, shifted to play shortstop for the Dodgers due to team injuries and has now made the position home.
He made the final play of the World Series, producing an unassisted 6-3 double play to end the game and the series.
The Dodgers will celebrate their remarkable Game 7 comeback with bobbleheads
While these four bobbleheads certainly make up quite the showcase, the Dodgers have a staggering 24 bobblehead nights this season, despite leading the league every year in attendance since 2013.
Individual game tickets go on sale to the public on Thursday, February 12 at 1 PM ET.
_Matt Liberman is a reporter and video producer for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. _
SURPRISE, AZ - MARCH 08: The Kansas City Royals logo on the field before the spring training MLB baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Texas Rangers on March 8, 2020 at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Football is over, the weather in Kansas City is spring-like, and today we can say one of the sweetest sentences you can hear in February. No, it’s not “Happy Valentine’s Day,” it’s “pitchers and catchers report today.”
Pitchers and catchers will have their first workout tomorrow, while the rest of the squad will have their first full workout on Monday, February 16. The Royals will have a little over six weeks to prepare for the season opener on March 27 in Atlanta against the Braves. In the meantime, here is what you need to know about the boys in blue in Arizona.
Where do the Royals spend spring training?
The Royals’ spring training facility is in Surprise, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. They share a facility with the Texas Rangers and play games at Surprise Stadium, which seats 10,500 fans. For more information on the stadium or to order tickets, click here.
Fifteen teams train in Arizona, which has a drier climate and allows for closer proximity to other teams than spring training in Florida.
What is the spring training schedule?
The Royals will play 32 exhibition matchups to prepare for the regular season, beginning on February 20 against the Rangers. In addition to playing other MLB teams training in Arizona, the Royals will take on Team Cuba on March 3, as that team prepares for the World Baseball Classic. MLB will also once again hold Spring Breakout games, where prospects for each team get the spotlight. Royals prospects will take on Rangers prospects on March 20. The team then breaks camp and heads to Arlington, Texas for two exhibition games on March 23 and 24 before they begin the regular season in Atlanta.
Many players will not be part of camp as they participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Pool play takes place March 5-11 in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Tokyo, Japan; Houston, Texas; and Miami, Florida, with the championship game to be played March 17 in Miami, Florida. You can watch games on FOX, FS1, and FS2. Among the Royals participating are:
Bobby Witt Jr. and Michael Wacha (USA)
Seth Lugo (Puerto Rico)
Salvador Perez and Maikel Garcia (Venezuela)
Carlos Estévez (Dominican Republic)
Vinnie Pasquantino and Jac Caglianone (Italy)
How can I follow Royals spring training games?
The Royals have ended their relationship with FanDuel Sports Network to create Royals.TV. They anticipate some spring training games to be televised, but have not yet announced which games will air. Royals.TV will be available on many cable and satellite providers, and is available as a direct-to-consumer streaming option at $19.99 per month or $99.99 for in-market viewers, or $149.99 for out-of-market viewers. Ryan Lefebvre, Rex Hudler, and Jeremy Guthrie return for television broadcasts, with Joel Goldberg and Jeff Montgomery on pre- and post-game coverage.
The Royals will also likely air many spring training games on the Royals Radio network, but those games have not yet been announced. You can also, of course, discuss Royals spring training games in Royals Review gamethreads!
Who is in camp?
The Royals will have 67 players in big league camp – their 40-man roster plus 27 non-roster invitees. The list of non-roster invitees includes former first-round picks Blake Mitchell, Gavin Cross, and Frank Mozzicato, as well as MLB veterans like Jorge Alfaro, Luke Maile, Abraham Toro, Aaron Sanchez, and Héctor Neris.
*-denotes non-roster invitee
Catchers (10): Jorge Alfaro*, Canyon Brown*, Omar Hernandez*, Carter Jensen, Luke Maile*, Elih Marrero*, Blake Mitchell*, Salvador Pérez, Ramon Ramirez*, Luca Tresh*
Infielders (13): Brandon Drury*, Maikel Garcia, Jonathan India, Connor Kaiser*, Michael Massey, Kevin Newman*, Vinnie Pasquantino, Josh Rojas*, Tyler Tolbert, Abraham Toro*, Daniel Vazquez*, Peyton Wilson*, Bobby Witt Jr.
Outfielders (11): Dairon Blanco, Jac Caglianone, Gavin Cross*, Isaac Collins, Kyle Isbel, Nick Loftin, Kameron Misner, John Rave, Carson Roccaforte*, Lane Thomas, Drew Waters
Pitchers (33): Luinder Avila, Ryan Bergert, Mason Black, Kris Bubic, Noah Cameron, A.J. Causey*, Eric Cerantola, Dennis Colleran*, Steven Cruz, Jose Cuas*, Lucas Erceg, Carlos Estévez, Bailey Falter, Stephen Kolek, Ben Kudrna, Alex Lange, Seth Lugo, Daniel Lynch IV, Alec Marsh, Chazz Martinez*, James McArthur, Nick Mears, Frank Mozzicato*, Héctor Neris*, Helcris Olivárez*, Shane Panzini*, Hunter Patteson*, Cole Ragans, Aaron Sanchez*, John Schreiber, Matt Strahm, Michael Wacha, Steven Zobac
What are some spring training storylines?
There are really three big storylines going into camp. First, are Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen ready for the big leagues? The Royals need to upgrade their offense and lengthen the lineup, and both hitters show tremendous potential. Jensen excelled in a month-long call-up last year, while Caglianone struggled. The Royals have said Caglianone will have to earn a spot in the lineup, so his spring performance could be important.
Second, is the Royals pitching staff healthy? Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic each missed the second half of the season with injury, hurting a strength for the team. Seth Lugo really struggled the final two months and will look to enter this season refreshed and looking to return to his 2024 form. The Royals have built depth in their rotation – enough that they looked to trade some of it for a bat – but they’ll need their frontline pitchers to stay healthy to have a chance to compete.
Finally, is the team done upgrading? J.J. Picollo cited the offense as a concern last year, and did add some improvements by acquiring Isaac Collins from the Brewers and signing free agent Lane Thomas. But he has not acquired the impact bat that can move the needle, and opportunities have dwindled as an already-thin free agent market has been depleted. There is still time to make a trade, but time is running out and the Royals may begin the season with the team at hand.
Are you headed to spring training? Any tips for someone checking out some Arizona baseball?
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 13: Angel Chivilli #57 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Petco Park on September 13, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Heading into the 2026 season, the New York Yankees have some kinks to work out and some roles to be filled by those who are able to step up to the plate (for lack of a better phrase) and take advantage. The pitching staff is dealing with injuries—primarily to the starters—and the bullpen lost a couple of weapons who, despite both having down years in their careers, did eat up innings for them last season.
There are plenty of arguments to go around about which pitchers in the bullpen should take which spots. The Yankees brought back some familiar faces and acquired hurlers on multi-year contracts at last year’s trade deadline to help themselves out, but there are a few new faces in the clubhouse as well, including Angel Chivilli, who was acquired on January 28th from the Colorado Rockies.
An offseason critique of the decision-making from this Yankees’ front office is that they didn’t bring in any names to bolster the bullpen. Instead, they brought in a handful of reclamation projects that need lots of coaching before they’re able to trim their ERAs down to a respectable level. Chivilli, while a young pitcher with some promise, is one of the projects for pitching coach Matt Blake and his staff.
At just 23 years old heading into this season, Chivilli has some traits that could be highly useful and, more importantly, refinable for his second full season at the major league level (as my colleague Josh cited in his feature on the Chivilli trade). Between 2024 and 2025, his average fastball velocity jumped from 96.2 to 97.1 mph. In fact, his fastball sat in the 88th percentile among all major league pitchers after the 2025 season, according to Baseball Savant.
Chivilli also throws a changeup and a slider, which have proven to be decent secondary and tertiary pitches, as he tosses his slider at almost 91 mph on average and a whiff rate of over 45 percent, while his changeup comes in with a .225 batting average against and a 42.6-percent whiff rate.
However, his fastball and slider were hit a lot last season. Opposing batters hit .366 against the fastball and .302 against the slider, but the difference between the pitches comes in what batters were expected to do against them. The fastball—while an impressive velocity—wasn’t as lethal as it could have been, coming in with an expected batting average of .338 with very spotty command. On the other hand, the slider finished with an expected batting average of .202.
All those numbers are a bit concerning, considering everything at stake here for the Yankees. If they are unable to work through Chivilli’s troubles with his two main pitches, then that’s another option in the bullpen down the drain, and it makes the workload much harder for everyone who is already being relied upon to produce outs. However, there is reason to believe that the fastball can be figured out. For such a young pitcher to have that velocity relative to his peers is exciting, and getting him out of the Colorado altitude—and the taxing travel that comes with flying back and forth from Denver—should immediately give him at least a minor boost anyway. It’ll be the job for Blake and the Yankees to figure out why he’s been hit so hard and how to address it. It would be a project worth pursuing regardless; the pressure will just be higher given the bullpen’s other needs.
If Chivilli is going to work out with the Yankees, there needs to be some serious work on his ability to control the ball and find a strikeout touch (or even just a “get outs” touch). Clearly, Chivilli has the kind of arm that should be able to get outs at the highest level. He has a chance to be another helpful reclamation project out of the bullpen, following the likes of Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, Ian Hamilton, and Lucas Luetge. Whether the Yankees are able to hit on someone like Chivilli and find a diamond in the rough could go a long way toward determining the bullpen’s fate in 2026.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 08: Rookie Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates after scoring during the Monday evening MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs on September 8, 2025 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Do y’all remember the time when Baseball Prospectus would drop their annual PECOTA projections and there would be gnashing of teeth and rending of garments on the Braves Country corner of the internet? That was because for years, if there was any team that represented the whole “PECOTA hates your team” belief, it was the Braves because they’d routinely come in somewhat underrated compared to how the fanbase or even other projection models felt about the team.
Well, those days appear to be over because PECOTA has actually been quite fond of the Braves in recent seasons. Baseball Prospectus has just released their annual PECOTA projections for the 2026 season (and I highly recommend that y’all go over there and subscribe so you can get even more high-quality baseball analysis and data concerning these projections) and just like FanGraphs, PECOTA figures that the Braves are going to bounce back in 2026.
As of right now, PECOTA has the Braves winning 92 games and losing 70 — it’s actually 69.8 but I’m rounding up, as usual. They’re currently projected to win the division with a 57 percent shot at doing that and they’ve also been given a 34 percent shot at making the Wild Card, which has sent them up to a 90 percent shot of making the Postseason. Additionally, PECOTA is giving the Braves a 72 percent shot at making the Divisional Round and a nine percent chance at winning the World Series altogether. That’s once again good for the second-best odds in the National League and they only trail the Dodgers. If PECOTA could actually be infatuated with a team then I’d imagine that it would be singing the words to OutKast’s “Prototype” to the Los Angeles roster.
Here’s a look at one of the graphs that comes associated with the standings, which shows the simulated win percentage for each team in the NL East. I like this because I’m definitely a visual learner and also it gives you a better idea of how the divisional race is projected to shake out.
Once again, it’s looking like this’ll be a three-way dance between the Braves, Mets and Phillies for the NL East crown. PECOTA is actually pretty low on the Phillies but then again, they were also low on them heading into last season and look how that turned out. The point is that once again, we’re not going to know how any of this shakes out until the games actually get played but for now and that there’s always a chance that this could look very different once October rolls around.
With that being said, I think everybody here on the Braves corner of the internet is hoping that these projections actually stick for once. The Braves have had some rosy projections for a couple of seasons now and none of it really came to pass. Here’s hoping that this season actually does go how the projection models figure it will (well, outside of the Dodgers sauntering to another World Series crown) and that the Braves are once again mixing it up with baseball’s elite clubs.
We’re not too far removed from this team spending two-and-a-half years across 2021 through 2021 as one of the most dominant teams in the regular season and hopefully these projections from both PECOTA and FanGraphs signal a return to that level of form for the Braves.
CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 20: Aaron Civale #38 of the Chicago Cubs pitches during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Saturday, September 20, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Abdoul Sow/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After spending all winter long scouring the free agent market for a veteran addition to their starting rotation, the A’s finally landed one just in time for Pitchers and Catchers reporting, agreeing to terms with right-hander Aaron Civale on a one-year deal for the 2026 campaign.
Right-hander Aaron Civale and the A’s are in agreement on a one-year, $6 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Civale, 30, adds a veteran arm to an A’s team with hopes of competing for a postseason spot this year and can make an additional $1.5 million in incentives.
One of the items on the team’s offseason wishlist was adding a veteran starter to stabilize a rotation short on certainty. Civale fits that bill to a T and it’ll only cost $6 million to secure his services (plus incentives). That’s a great deal for a pitcher like Civale at this stage of the offseason and fits perfectly with the Athletics’ needs.
The 30-year-old Civale began his career in Cleveland and spent the first four and a half years of his career with the Guardians. At times the right-hander flashed potential but he was never quite able to find much consistency, though he was a reliable member of their starting staff for years.
Civale found his way to Tampa in a mid-season trade in 2023 but struggled in the second half of that year as well as the first half the following season, eventually finding himself on the move again mid-season to Milwaukee, where he stepped his game up over the final couple months of the 2024 campaign.
The right-hander began this most recent season in the Brewers’ starting rotation but was bumped to the bullpen when Milwaukee promoted top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski. That didn’t sit well with the 7-year veteran who subsequently requested a trade to a team that would use him as a starter. He got his wish with another trade, this time going to the Chicago White Sox and making 13 starts for the South Siders. The results weren’t great and he’d find himself on the move one more time before the season was out, getting claimed by the other Chicago squad and pitching five games in relief for the Cubbies, his first five relief appearances in his entire career. Overall on his big league resume Civale has a 4.14 EEA in 140 games as a big league pitcher.
Civale should immediately slide into the starting rotation behind fellow veterans Jeffrey Springs and Luis Severino. The A’s had lots of interesting young arms on the verge of being able to contribute but the team needed more certainty, and to replace the lost innings by the departures of JP Sears and Osvaldo Bido. Civale should be a workhorse for the A’s during the first half of the season and as always with these types of deals if Civale is pitching well come the trade deadline he could be used as trade bait to acquire more prospects to improve the farm system even further/opening a rotation spot for a younger pitcher.
Now there are only two spots in the starting rotation left to be fought over. One would have to think left-hander Jacob Lopez has a leg up on one of those spots but he dealt with an injury at the end of last year so the A’s might take things easy with him to start. Arms like Luis Morales, JT Ginn, Gunnar Hoglund, and Jack Perkins now face an uphill battle to break camp with the club as a starting pitcher (though the bullpen may await one or two of those arms as well).
Welcome aboard Aaron! You’re joining a team certainly on the rise with outside hopes of contending. You’ll like the crew we have here.
Aaron Nesmith
Mark Williams
De'Aaron Fox
