PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 14: Luis Arraez #1 of the San Francisco Giants poses for a photo during the 2026 All-Star Red Carpet Show presented by Mastercard at Independence Mall on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Maybe the San Francisco Giants aren’t contenders this season, but according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, a few members of this year’s roster could end up on playoff teams after the trade deadline.
Luis Arraez, Robbie Ray, and Jung Hoo Lee were all listed as the “Best Match” for various MLB contenders and aspiring contenders, though none of them reached the vaunted level of “Dream Match.” Look, the 2026 Giants will take what that can get.
This is not trade scuttlebutt or a prediction, but an exercise in matching teams with something to play for this fall with teams who might or should be available. The most obvious player is Arraez, who is on a one-year, $12M contract and is hitting .330, second in baseball, with surprisingly good defense at second base.
Passan thinks he’s a fit for the Tampa Bay Rays, a not-infrequent trade partner of the Giants who have Richie Palacios (.237/.333/.338, 0.4 WAR) and an unimpressive group of options at second base.
[Arraez] rarely strikes out, right in line with the Rays’ MLB-best 18.9% K rate. He’s got a .327 batting average, second in baseball. He gets on 36% of the time, perfect to slot in atop the lineup and offer Díaz, Aranda and Caminero more RBI opportunities. Best of all, Arráez has gone from liability at second base to above average, capable of filling a true spot of need for the Rays.
Arraez may be one of the team’s most (few?) watchable players, but they’d be only trading 66 games of Arraez. If they want him back, he’s a free agent after the season. The Giants tend to panic in these situations and work out an extension, like the expensive six-year, $150M deal Matt Chapman signed near the end of the 2024 season. As usual, the Rays have a very good farm system to make a deal.
Passan believes that the Philadelphia Phillies need outfield help and endorses Lee to fill that need, though he repeatedly qualifies that Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins would be preferable.
Lee’s low-strikeout, high-average approach is perhaps the best Philadelphia can do so long as Buxton isn’t going anywhere.
The argument for Lee is that the Phillies’ struggling outfield, even with the resurgent Brandon Marsh, isn’t good enough, especially with Adolis Garcia out for the season. Lee may have three years and $63M left on his deal after this season, but there aren’t a lot of free agent outfielders providing alternative options. Is that also an argument for the Giants to hold onto Lee? Yes.
Passan’s final “Best Match” is Robbie Ray with the St. Louis Cardinals, who are 50-45 and one game back of the final wild-card spot in the National League. It’s far from a full-throated endorsement of a Ray deal for the Cards.
As good as Ray has been lately, the Cardinals might instead opt for a less costly option who can gobble innings and help save the pen.
That’s it. The only place Ray is even mentioned is in the context of how there’s probably better options for the Cardinals. The veteran lefty has been quite good since May, going 5-0 with a 1.84 ERA, but he’s making $25M this season, which might scare teams away. Though if they trade him at the deadline, the new team will owe him only around $8M as the pro-rated portion of his salary.
That’s the Giants approaching the deadline. No Dream Matches, but two tempting veterans on the last year of their contracts who could be Best Matches. Plus Jung Hoo Lee, who is not Byron Buxton.
The Winnipeg Jets released their full 2026-27 schedule on Thursday, giving fans their first look at a historic 84-game campaign, the longest regular season in NHL history.
From an opening night showdown to an outdoor spectacle and a pair of late-season clashes that could shape the playoff race, this year's slate has no shortage of highlights.
While every one of Winnipeg's 84 games will carry its own storylines, a handful of matchups stand out above the rest as the ones fans will want circled on the calendar well in advance. Here's a look at the five best matchups on the Jets' schedule this season.
Season Opener vs. Boston Bruins – Friday, October 2nd
The Jets kick off their season on home ice at Canada Life Centre against the Boston Bruins. Season openers always carry a bit of extra buzz, and this one is no different as Winnipeg looks to set the tone early in a historic 84-game campaign.
Just over two weeks into the season, the Jets get their first crack at the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes when they host them at Canada Life Centre. It marks the first of two meetings between the clubs in a three week span, giving Winnipeg an early measuring stick against the team that hoisted the Cup last spring.
2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic vs. Montreal Canadiens – Sunday, October 25th
Without question the marquee event of the season, the Jets will host the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium as part of the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic.
It will be Winnipeg's first all-Canadian matchup of the year, and the outdoor spectacle will be preceded by a 2026 Alumni Game between the two franchises' alumni squads on October 24th at Canada Life Centre.
The Jets' second game back from the Christmas break brings a personal storyline for one of their newest additions. Winnipeg heads to San Jose, where defenseman Mario Ferraro spent seven seasons with the Sharks, recording 114 points in 490 games. The matchup figures to be an emotional night for Ferraro as he skates back, this time wearing a Jets sweater.
Home-and-Home vs. Colorado Avalanche – Wednesday, March 25th and Friday, March 27th
Late season, the Jets and Avalanche square off twice in a span of three days, with Winnipeg hosting on March 25th before heading to Colorado on March 27th.
These two games, the 77th and 78th of the Jets' season, come at a critical point in the schedule and against a fierce divisional rival. With playoff positioning likely still being sorted out, both matchups could carry major weight in the final stretch and prove to be a pivotal turning point in Winnipeg's season.
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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 14: Members of the American League team stand for the national anthem prior to the 96th MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
MLB All-Star Weekend is a mess. You know it, and I know it. The only people who seem to be unaware are those employed by MLB itself. It’s a mish-mash of activities all happening at the same time, just so we can have nothing happening on Wednesday and almost nothing happening on Thursday. MLB clearly wants All-Star Week to be something of a showstopping event where we make everyone stop and appreciate this great sport simultaneously. But the way they’ve structured it makes it feel like a crowded convention hall where you inexplicably can’t do everything you want to, no matter how hard you try. That simply doesn’t have to be the case.
And I’m here to tell you how.
Get the draft out of here
The MLB Rule 4 Amateur Draft occurred over the weekend. This was happening at the same time as various regular-season games, some home run derby announcements, and The Futures Game. MLB has stated in the past that they want their amateur draft to have a similar weight to other professional North American sports such as the NFL, NBA, and NHL. But none of those leagues have their drafts during the regular season for a very good reason: it splits focus.
MLB has a problem, though: its draft is unlike the ones used by the NBA and NFL in that players who are drafted by MLB teams are not precluded from refusing to sign a deal and returning to college. This is not something that is controlled by MLB, but rather by the NCAA. And in this case, it increases the bargaining power of young baseball players, and so I am disinclined to see it change. Given that, MLB is best served by holding its draft as close to the end of the College baseball season as reasonable. College baseball ends with the College World Series in late June.
So, my proposal here is to give MLB teams the first Saturday after the College World Series the day off and hold the draft that day. You don’t have to have teams take the time off for the draft if you don’t want to. It’s so unappealing as a television prospect that NBC covered only the first ten picks and then moved to a celebrity golf tournament. MLB itself kicked out media members well before the draft was over, and you could hear them disassembling the set while the final rounds were still occurring. It’s obvious that the MLB draft is never going to have real mass appeal outside of the hardcore fans, but if you really want to try, a special day immediately following the hype of the College World Series and not interfering with the trade deadline is the way to do it.
If fitting the entire draft into one day seems unrealistic, then perhaps it could hold the first few rounds on Friday morning or Thursday night, while requiring all teams to play Thursday day games that day. The additional time in between draft periods would give people even more time to work themselves into a lather before seeing how the draft unfolds.
MLB used to have its draft around this time, but moved it later to try to strengthen the lineup of All-Star Week festivities. Weirdly, they didn’t make room for it – they just dropped it on things that were already happening. And it’s had the knock-on effect of making the trade deadline more difficult to navigate as teams focus all of their resources on evaluating the draft instead of potential trades. Moving it up a few weeks would give that period more room to breathe as well.
This, by the way, is the same logic that led to Thanksgiving being scheduled the way that it is. President Lincoln had declared it the last Thursday of the month, but Franklin Roosevelt moved it to the fourth Thursday of the month to increase the distance between Thanksgiving and Christmas so as to expand the shopping season. (There was some other political wrangling in there, which you can read here, but that’s the gist).
Give the Futures Game space to breathe
This year, the Futures Game was played on Sunday afternoon at the same time as regular-season MLB games and the second half of the Draft. While, for many, the draft is uninteresting because the players being selected are often years away from contributing to MLB rosters, the players who show up in the Futures Game are almost always far closer to being ready to join their big league clubs. Fans could be interested in it. I know I would be if it wasn’t happening at the same time as everything else. To that end, they have two options. Require all MLB games to be played on Sunday afternoon before the All-Star Break, followed by holding the Futures Game that night, or move the Futures Game to Wednesday evening – the only day during the entire summer without a single baseball event taking place.
I can see arguments for either of them, I think I’d lean more toward Wednesday. At least in the short term I think it would draw better ratings from the baseball lifers who always spend all day Wednesday complaining that there aren’t any games. Plus, you go from the hype of the current stars to the future ones. You could even have highly drafted prospects give interviews during the game to make fans who don’t pay attention to the draft more aware of them.
If it were me, I think I’d make it a free broadcast on MLB.TV and do profiles of players (even, or maybe especially, ones who didn’t quite make the cut of the game itself) instead of commercials between innings. MLB might be giving up some ad money that way, but they would be doing wonders for building fan sentiment. I think it would be more profitable in the long term.
Organize the Home Run Derby
I’m not going to use this space to criticize the Netflix broadcast, even though it had a lot to criticize. MLB doesn’t have full control over the broadcast. I don’t remember how bad it has been in previous years, but the announcements of participants leading up to the Derby itself were incredibly weird and disjointed. Junior Caminero was the only known participant for a week. There was no discernible rhyme or reason to either the order or the method of the announcements. Some guys literally just dropped the news on their personal Instagram stories.
That’s no way to build hype for an event! MLB needs to figure out its entire field, and they need to do it earlier. Then they need to work with the players on a strategy for announcing it. Which would ideally include a sizzle reel on MLB social media accounts in addition to whatever other outlets they or the players want to use. MLB should also ensure that each team’s next broadcast includes mention of the upcoming Derby and the announced participants so everyone can keep track, even if no one from their team is participating. You shouldn’t have to use social media to know who is going to participate.
The rules also need to stop shifting all the time. In a lot of ways, I really liked the format this year. Not having a timer allows viewers to better enjoy each home run (though it would help if the broadcast showed them all…). But whatever format they pick, they need to stick with it for more than a year or two at a time. You can’t build legacy, history, or hype when there’s no real way to compare events between years.
There are always complaints about guys getting snubbed and the derby itself taking too long, but I have a solution for both. Let’s have a qualifying round early in the afternoon. MLB can maybe have 10 guys trying to get into the actual derby, but only 6 make it through. Then the derby itself would only have to feature those 6, which would cut at least 30 minutes off the run time. I think the Qualifiers would give guys a chance to acclimate themselves to the event so perhaps we’d be able to go without the one or two absolute duds we seem to get every year.
They should also ensure that the team hosting the All-Star Game had at least one participant in the qualifiers because, honestly, the Phillies faithful having a rooting interest gave the event a bit more energy, and I’d like to see that continue. If MLB wanted to give that player a bye through the qualifiers, that would probably be OK. I think I’d be fine either way.
Finally, MLB should figure out how to incentivize the biggest stars to participate again. It’s kind of wild that we hold this event dedicated to the smashing of dingers, and most, if not all, of the best dinger smashers decide they’d rather not participate every year. It’s not the end of the world; it’s entirely possible we don’t get a cool story like Jordan Walker’s come-from-behind walk-off victory if Yordan Alvarez is participating, but it does seem like it would be in the best interest of the sport.
Anyway, I think if MLB made most or all of those changes, the All-Star Break would be vastly improved. I’d also probably go back to having a special All-Star Announcement show held when no games were being played, but it also wouldn’t be the end of the world if guys were just announced on their team broadcasts as long as we had a ticker running underneath with all the other selectees. Again, the key here is not forcing people to find out via social media.
Do you think these changes would enhance your experience? Would you make these, or would you do something different?
In recent weeks, the bullpen has become the Phillies’ biggest concern, a question mark that needs to be addressed if the team is going to get where it wants to go over the final 2½ months of the regular season and beyond.
The issue became more acute Thursday when the team returned from the All-Star break and placed reliever Brad Keller on the injured list with a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Keller will seek further evaluation but manager Don Mattingly said, “We expect him to be out for the year.”
If Keller needs surgery — which is usually the case with UCL tears — his recovery could extend deep into next season.
Keller, who turns 31 later this month, signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Phils in the offseason. The team envisioned him as the right-handed bridge to All-Star closer Jhoan Duran with Jose Alvarado serving as the left-handed bridge. Alvarado (6.82 ERA) has struggled this season and now Keller, who pitched to a 4.02 ERA in 32 games, is out.
All this could make it imperative that Phillies baseball boss Dave Dombrowski add a quality late-game reliever before the August 3 trade deadline. Shopping for bullpen help has been an annual mid-summer errand for Dombrowski. Last year, he acquired Duran at the deadline.
While Duran has been stellar as the closer, the rest of the bullpen has been iffy — especially recently.
Since June 1, the Phillies’ bullpen ranks 25th in the majors with a 5.21 ERA. In July, it ranks 29th with an 8.05 ERA and it has walked 5.45 batters per nine, second-most in the majors over that span.
Keller first went on the IL with an elbow/forearm soreness in mid-June. He returned to pitch once last week in Cincinnati before feeling more soreness. An MRI Monday revealed the tear.
“It sucks,” the pitcher said. “It felt good in the rehab process. It felt good in Cincinnati, but the next day, I woke up and it was really sore and didn’t progress from there.
“With the position we’re in, I want to be there for the second half and fight with the boys. It’s tough to swallow.”
The Phillies entered play Thursday trailing first-place Atlanta by two games in the NL East. They were in control of the second NL wild-card spot.
When Keller first went down, Mattingly used right-hander Orion Kerkering more in late-game leverage situations. Over the last couple of weeks, Jonathan Bowlan has gotten more looks in late-game pressure situations. He has responded well.
On the last trip before the All-Star break, Bowlan pitched five times and had three holds over 4 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out six in those five appearances and stranded four of the five runners he inherited. Bowlan features a fastball that can reach 100 mph, a slider and a changeup. The Phillies acquired the 29-year-old right-hander from Kansas City for Matt Strahm last winter. If he’s ready to put it together after bouncing between the majors and the minors the last three seasons, the Phillies will take it.
“His stuff works,” Mattingly said. “It’s a matter of making pitches and if you’re making pitches you’ll get outs.”
Predictably, Mattingly showed faith in his current group of relievers when asked if he believed the team needed outside bullpen help.
“I’m pretty comfortable the way this club is,” he said. “We’re always going to try to get better. Everybody is going to try to get better at the deadline if they can. But if you said this is our club the rest of the way and whoever is in the minor leagues is going to help us as we go forward, then we’re good enough to win.”
As far as potential help in the minors, Gage Wood and Alex McFarlane, both right-handers, are at Double A. Both throw hard and have breaking stuff, but strikes have been an issue. The Phillies will certainly monitor the progress of both while they rely on Kerkering, Bowlan and Alvarado to get the ball to Duran and Seth Johnson, Chase Shugart, Max Lazar and Tim Mayza to bridge the middle innings.
“We’ve seen Kerk be good,” Mattingly said. “During Keller’s absence, Bowlan stepped up. We need Alvy to be Alvy. And we’ll need the guys below to get big outs in the middle of the game. That’s kind of where we’ve struggled. Not so much at the end, but trying to get to those guys.”
After Herro, who was recently traded to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, allegedly sent some DMs criticizing Adebayo's play and salary. The DMs were leaked, and Adebayo was unhappy. Adebayo reportedly confronted Herro in front of Herro's AAU team and punched him.
Such an action would normally result in consequences. However, on Thursday, July 16, the NBA announced that it would not be taking action against Adebayo for the conflict.
NBA spokesperson on Bam Adebayo-Tyler Herro incident: "After discussing with the players involved and the NBPA, everyone would prefer to move on from this unfortunate circumstance, and no further action will be taken by the league." https://t.co/S1xcPRvKWB
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, a league spokesperson said the league believes it best to simply "move on from this unfortunate circumstance."
The decision has some fans puzzled, considering other players have been hit with much harsher penalties for less. Here's what we know.
What is a normal NBA punishment for physical violence against another player?
A previous altercation that first comes to mind is the October 2022 incident in which Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green punched then-teammate Jordan Poole at practice.
Though Green was not suspended for his actions, he was fined, per the NBA.
Furthermore, in the NBA's latest collective bargaining agreement, the commissioner of the league is granted power to to investigate and penalize players for conduct deemed detrimental to the league, even during the offseason or in private situations.
The NHL's new-look schedule is out with 84 games per team and a September start.
The league already announced on Wednesday, July 15, that the 2026-27 season would start on Sept. 29 with five games. It also announced the home openers for every team.
The NHL announced the full schedule on Thursday. Because of the extra two games, every team will play four games against division opponents.
The schedule includes the Carolina Hurricanes raising their Stanley Cup banner on Sept. 29 before they face the 2024 and 2025 champion Florida Panthers. There will be games in Finland and Germany, three outdoor games and the All-Star Game will return after a two-year hiatus. More Monday afternoon games will be played so Europeans can watch in prime time.
The 2026-27 NHL season starts on Sept. 29 with the following five games:. There will be an ESPN tripleheader in the United States and a Sportsnet doubleheader in Canada.
All times p.m. Eastern
Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes, 5 (ESPN): A meeting of the last three Stanley Cup winners. Carolina will raise a Stanley Cup banner for the first time in 20 years. Both teams lost their longtime goalies (Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky, Carolina's Frederik Andersen) to free agency.
The Washington Capitals' Oct. 7 home opener will be against the rival Penguins. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are in their 22nd season and their contracts expire after this season.
The @NHL announced today the 2026-27 regular season, expanded to 84 games with the addition of two more divisional contests per team, will open on Tuesday, Sept. 29. In addition, the League announced each team’s home opener.
The Golden Knights host the champion Hurricanes on Dec. 20. Carolina will host Vegas on Jan. 17.
When is the Winter Classic?
The Winter Classic will be on New Year's Eve at University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Utah Mammoth will host the Colorado Avalanche, starting at 6 p.m. ET.
When are the other NHL outdoor games?
The Winnipeg Jets and Canadiens will play in the Heritage Classic on Oct. 25 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
The Dallas Stars and Golden Knights play in the Stadium Series at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Feb. 20.
When is the NHL All-Star Game?
The NHL All-Star weekend will be Feb. 5-6, at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. The skills competition is on the 5th and the All-Star Game will be on the 6th. There are new formats this season.
When does Sergei Bobrovsky return to Florida?
The two-time Stanley Cup winner, who signed with Toronto in the offseason, will return on March 6.
When does John Carlson return to Washington?
The Capitals' all-time top-scoring defenseman was dealt to Anaheim last season and will return with the Lightning on March 15.
When the 2026-27 NHL season end?
It will end on April 10 with all 32 teams in action.
A fan pulled up next to Steve Kerr's black SUV at a stoplight on Wednesday. After a quick exchange of pleasantries, the fan had one question for the Golden State Warriors head coach:
The nine-time NBA champion looked back at the car next to him through his sunglasses and let out a big laugh with them before pulling off.
Now, it should be made clear here that Kerr was probably joking, or at the very least made the comment in good fun to a question that he's likely been getting a lot these days. The entire NBA world, from fans to players and coaches to front office executives, is waiting with bated breath to see where exactly LeBron James will be playing his historic 24th season. According to multiple reports, the league's all-time leading scorer has all the information he needs from the teams he's considering and is now weighing his options, so a decision appears to be inching closer.
Until then, however, all basketball discourse is stuck in a wash cycle.
The teams James has been linked to include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and of course, the Warriors, who have emerged alongside the Cavs as betting favorites to sign James in recent weeks. It's an intriguing pairing as it would unite the 41-year-old James with a 38-year-old Steph Curry, once his biggest on-court rival when the two battled in the NBA Finals for four straight summers from 2015-2018.
At the American Century Championship golf event in Nevada on July 9, Curry shot his shot.
"The pitch is: Do you want to play good basketball and be around people who know how to play the game? Raise our floor, our competitiveness this year," he said. "There’s good golf in the Bay.”
Golden State wants to get Curry one last real push for a fifth ring and with limited options, James represents their best chance. It just so happens that James has the same goal.
Therefore, a partnership with Curry not only makes sense, but also represents a last stand of sorts for the NBA's old guard before they age out and make way for the next wave of talent.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 11: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks to the media during a press conference after Game Four of the Second Round of...
Countless members of the basketball community were hoping that LeBron James would announce which team he’d be signing with in NBA free agency during his live taping of the “Mind the Game” podcast at Fanatics Fest on July 16 in New York.
But James wasted no time asserting that his decision would not be revealed during the taping, which featured the Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton as a guest star.
LeBron James did not provide a free agency update Thursday at Fanatics Fest. Getty Images
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin made an X post just a few minutes into the podcast’s live taping, saying Haliburton tried asking James about his decision right after the two sat down.
“Didn’t we already talk about this in the back?” James apparently responded, per McMenamin’s X post. This prompted Haliburton to say: “I’ll leave it alone.”
Tyrese Haliburton attempted to ask LeBron James about his decision early on in the program and James did not bite, saying “didn’t we already talk about this in the back.” Haliburton acquiesced and said, “I’ll leave it alone.”
Therefore, it’s clear that James is not entertaining any chatter about where he’s going to sign during the podcast, which appears to be focused on other basketball-related topics with Haliburton.
There’s still a chance that James will announce his decision during an appearance at the Game Plan Summit, an invitation-only event presented by CNBC and Boardroom that’s also taking place today.
James is evidently still considering his options. Best Image / BACKGRID
However, if James wasn’t going to announce it on his own podcast, it’s unlikely he’s going to do it later in the day on a different media appearance.
Either James hasn’t decided yet, or wants to keep it to himself for at least another day.
It appears that James is currently deciding between the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors, and the Philadelphia 76ers right now, although the Minnesota Timberwolves could also still be in the running.
The beauty about James’ playing style is that he could fit into essentially any roster. Even at 41 years old, his combination of size and agility makes it so he can play any position on the court. He can also create offense and opportunities for his teammates or step up as a scorer, depending on the situation and who he’s sharing the court with.
LeBron James plays defense for Team USA during the Paris 2024 Olympics. Best Image / BACKGRID
One of the biggest questions is what James is seeking at this point in his career. He has made it clear that he’s looking to be happy in what will be his final NBA destination, but happiness can manifest in multiple ways.
Given LeBron’s competitive nature, one would imagine that nothing would make him happier than winning another NBA championship.
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The 2026 ESPY Awards provided the latest evidence of that, with the Dodgers two-way player winning two trophies, as determined by fan votes, at Wednesday night’s ceremony in New York.
But as surprising at it may be — especially to those of us in the Los Angeles area who have witnessed the Japanese baseball phenomenon during his nine years with our local MLB teams — not everyone on the planet is familiar with the four-time MVP and two-time World Series champion.
The ESPYs provided evidence of that as well. Boxers Mike Tyson and Jake Paul joined musician DJ Khaled to present the award for best single-game performance. Ohtani — nominated for his historic Game 4 of the 2025 National League championship series against the Milwaukee Brewers — was the winner, as announced by Tyson.
Paul told the crowd that Ohtani was unable to attend the event, but “he sends his gratitude and appreciation to ESPN and everyone who voted for him.”
Afterward, a hot mic picked up Tyson seeming to ask Paul a rather unexpected question:
“Shohei’s a guy?”
The question seemed to be genuine, and Paul gave a casual response to his friend and former boxing opponent. “Yeah, he’s a guy,” Paul appeared to say as the trio started leaving the stage.
The Times reached out to a Tyson representative for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
No shade toward Iron Mike for apparently not knowing much about Ohtani. Tyson is a legend in his sport and has a number of other ventures and interests that occupy his time. While he did throw out a ceremonial first pitch before a Brewers-Pittsburgh Pirates game in 2014, Tyson just might not be all that into baseball.
Also, the name Shohei isn’t at all common in the U.S., even amid Ohtani’s massive popularity. According to Parenting Patch, only nine American babies were given that name in each of the last two years. All of them were boys, but the odds are good that Tyson doesn’t know any of them.
If Tyson hasn’t been following Ohtani’s career, though, he’s missing out. Take the aforementioned Game 4 of last year’s NLCS as an example. Ohtani hit three home runs and pitched six-plus scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts in a 5-1 victory over the Brewers that completed an NLCS sweep and sent the Dodgers to the World Series for the second straight year.
“That was probably the greatest postseason performance of all time,” manager Dave Roberts said after the game.
Ohtani was much more low-key in his postgame assessment.
“This time around, it was my turn to be able to perform,” he said through interpreter Will Ireton. “I think just looking back over the course of the entire postseason, I haven’t performed to the expectation.”
With his performance that night, Ohtani beat out fellow nominees Tyce Armstrong of Baylor baseball (three grand slams in a game), Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat (83 points in a game) and Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame basketball (16 steals in a game) for the award.
That epic game certainly contributed to Ohtani’s other ESPY of the night. He was named best MLB player over fellow nominees Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Turns out mid-market teams do have money to spend ahead of upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations.
Emerging ace Chase Burns and the Reds agreed to a seven-year, $105 million extension that is tied for the largest in team history, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
It’s the largest guarantee to a pitcher with less than four years of service time, per The Athletic, and does not contain any options or deferrals.
Chase Burns watching the Home Run Derby on Monday. Getty Images
Burns, 23, has blossomed into the front-end starter the Reds envisioned he would be when Cincinnati drafted him with the No. 2 pick in 2024 MLB Draft.
The righty is 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA across 18 starts, striking out 118 batters in 102 ⅔ innings to earn his first All-Star berth this season.
He is tied for the fifth-lowest ERA in the sport and is on track to receive Cy Young votes.
For Cincinnati, this deal now ensures they have an ace under contract through 2033 and buys out his initial years when he would be a free agent in exchange for paying him more now.
These types of deals have become more popular in recent years, with the players taking the higher pay earlier in their career and banking on the ability to cash in again as a free agent even with the delay.
Chase Burns is 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Pitching deals can be trickier due to the injury risk that comes with the position, but the Reds are in a position where they have to take such relative gambles.
Great American Ball Park is hitter friendly and the Reds rarely win bidding wars for free agents, making it hard to secure top-level pitchers.
It’s interesting that this notable deal comes from a team that is not a heavy spender ahead of what is expected to be a contentious CBA negotiation that could result in a lockout.
Those calling for a salary cap can point to deals like this to show that the owners do indeed have the money to spend, they just often chose not to allocate it to the players.
Despite Burns’ brilliance, the Reds (43-52) enter the second half in last place in the NL Central and eight games out of a playoff spot.
Tyler Herro #14 and Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat react against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The NBA is standing pat on the high-profile altercation between Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
An NBA spokesperson said, “After discussing with the players involved and the NBPA, everyone would prefer to move on from this unfortunate circumstance, and no further action will be taken by the league.”
The response comes after ESPN reported a physical altercation between Adebayo and Herro in which Adebayo allegedly punched his former Heat teammate at the Resorts World Hotel in Las Vegas, and Herro was later restrained from a physical response.
Tyler Herro #14 and Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat react against the Milwaukee Bucks. Getty Images
Adebayo reportedly confronted Herro over comments he made on social media following Herro’s trade to the Bucks this offseason in a package for Giannis Antetokoumnmpo.
“I’m focused on Milwaukee and building something special. They obviously just traded the greatest player in their history, so we want to come in and help continue what they’ve been doing.”
Heat sources told ESPN that Herro and Adebayo had generally gotten along during their seven years as teammates in Miami, but grew apart last season as Herro battled injuries and seemingly struggled to adjust to a new offensive scheme.
Moussa Diabate #14 of the Charlotte Hornets guards Bam Adebayo of the Heat. Getty Images
Several times last season, Adebayo made comments that implied Herro needed to be doing more to adjust, which reportedly impacted Herro as he was fighting ankle, toe and rib injuries, which caused him to appear in just 33 games last season.
Herro had also heard his name in Antetokounmpo trade discussions dating back to February.
He was ultimately a piece of the package going back to Milwaukee that also included Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, and multiple picks, including three first-rounders.
The Heat also received Bobby Portis from the Bucks in the trade.
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green appears to be fed up with Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg’s media tour since being taken with the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Green conveyed this when speaking about Lendeborg’s recent recruiting pitch to LeBron James during a Thursday’s episode of “The Draymond Green Show”.
Draymond Green reacts to a play during a Golden State Warriors game. Getty Images
“[Lendeborg] said, ‘I know you don’t like rookies that much, but I’m not the average rookie. If you’re looking to play with the greatest shooter of all time, and Draymond, we’ll be glad to have you.’ Is the pitch too weak, or too strong? I don’t know,” Green said during his podcast, paraphrasing the pitch Lendeborg made to LeBron during a June 12 appearance on Bleacher Report’s “B/R at Summer League” show.
“I think the pitch is pointless. You know? But it’s fine; training camp is coming soon enough, and, you know, got to reign the rookie in a little bit, teach him a few things,” Green added.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg prepared to shoot during an NBA Summer League game. NBAE via Getty Images
“Training camp’s coming soon enough… And I think you all know why I’m hitting at training camp. And yeah, it’ll get here soon enough, Yax. Enjoy all your media.”
Draymond Green on Yaxel Lendeborg pitch to LeBron James to join Golden State:
“Is the pitch too weak or too strong? I don’t know. I think the pitch is pointless, you know. But it’s fine. Training camp is coming soon enough and you know, got to rain the rookie in a little bit.… pic.twitter.com/aKLMt6b5EF
The four-time All-Star seems to be suggesting that he’ll be giving Lendeborg a tough time during training camp, perhaps as a way to remind him where his place on the Warriors’ totem pole is at this point in his career.
All the media attention the former Michigan Wolverine has received since being drafted has sparked several viral comments, including Lendeborg asserting that Green ghosted him after the NBA Draft.
Green is probably right in saying that Lendeborg’s pitch to LeBron is “pointless,” if only because LeBron isn’t going to weigh anything a rookie says about where he should sign to end his career.
LeBron James reacts during a Los Angeles Lakers game. Getty Images
Then again, Lendeborg’s harmless pitch was part of a show segment, so there’s really no reason to come down too harshly on him for it.
Maybe a bit of the vitriol between the new teammates stems from their natural rivalry. The veteran Green played college ball at Michigan State as a Spartan. Meanwhile, Lendeborg is coming off a national championship with the Wolverines.
But if there is one thing Green and Lendeborg can agree on, it’s that they want LeBron to choose the Warriors.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 13: Rasheer Fleming #20 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on July 13, 2026 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Greathouse/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
We’ve experienced plenty of emotion from the Phoenix Suns during Summer League.
Koa Peat is screaming into the ether after throwing down a savage dunk. Khaman Maluach is yelling toward general manager Brian Gregory after swatting an opponent’s shot into the multiverse. The passion and emotion on display in Las Vegas this summer could very well be a byproduct of the culture the organization has cultivated, bringing in players like Dillon Brooks, who spent all of last season alongside Maluach.
Then there’s Rasheer Fleming.
He simply goes about his business with a steady hand and a rhythmic heartbeat. He hasn’t been flashy. He hasn’t been loud. He’s simply been effective. That can make it difficult to fully appreciate what he’s doing, especially when he’s sharing the floor with two players whose emotional displays naturally command your attention. But despite his Kawhi Leonard approach to the game, Fleming has quietly put together an outstanding Summer League.
You might not immediately see it in the counting stats, but what Rasheer Fleming is doing defensively has been what truly caught my eye. That said, even the numbers are more than respectable for a second-year, second-round pick playing in his second Summer League. Fleming is averaging 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 1.0 block per game while shooting 47.4% from the field and 42.1% from beyond the arc. From a statistical standpoint, there’s nothing underwhelming about that production.
He’s not demanding the basketball the way Koa Peat does, either as a scorer or facilitator. He’s not consistently finding touches as a rim runner the way Khaman Maluach is. Instead, he’s playing within the flow of the offense, and that’s exactly what makes his performance so encouraging. He’s setting high screens and back screens. He’s finding the corners. He’s rebounding the ball and going back up with it. He’s taking the open three when it comes his way. For a player whose long-term projection is as a three-and-D forward, Fleming is the Summer League player whose role most closely mirrors what he’ll actually be asked to do next season.
Fleming saved his best performance for the Suns’ final Summer League game, finishing with 22 points, eight rebounds, and knocking down 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Some will look at that performance and wonder why he didn’t play that way throughout Summer League. I see it differently.
His role with the Suns is going to be as a three-and-D forward. That’s why I wasn’t focused solely on his scoring. Yes, I wanted to see how the three-point shot looked. But more than anything, I wanted to see the defense. That’s the side of the ball that rarely receives the appreciation it deserves. If the counting stats aren’t jumping off the page, it can be easy to overlook what a player is actually doing. Fleming was anything but underwhelming over four Summer League games.
What I have appreciated most was his awareness on defense. I think back to last Summer League, when he looked like he was all arms and legs, running around the court, losing his man, arriving late on closeouts, slipping under screens, and generally looking uncomfortable defensively during his limited minutes. He missed the first two games and averaged only 16.8 minutes. This year, in 26.7 minutes per game, there’s a confidence to the way he defends. More importantly, there’s execution. Watch his feet as he glides with ball handlers and rotates between assignments. Watch his arms as they clog passing lanes and deter shots at the rim. That’s where the growth has been.
Yesterday against the Detroit Pistons was a perfect example. Ebuka Okorie, the 17th overall pick, had put together a solid Summer League for Detroit. He’s a twitchy point guard with the ability to beat defenders off the bounce with ease. Not yesterday. The Suns’ game plan was simple. Put Rasheer Fleming on him and make his life miserable. Mission accomplished. Okorie finished with 16 points, but it took him 17 shots to get there. Fleming’s work at the point of attack was outstanding, consistently disrupting Detroit’s offense and making every possession a challenge.
That’s one of those things that gives you butterflies in your stomach when you start thinking about the possibilities next season. If Fleming spends time at small forward, his defensive versatility becomes incredibly intriguing. He has the ability to guard one through five. On one possession, you can throw him at the point of attack. On the next, he can battle a power forward inside. When you combine that with the different lineup combinations the Suns can deploy, it becomes a fascinating chess piece for Jordan Ott to work with.
So he might not be loud. He might not be extroverted on the court. That doesn’t mean his Summer League has been underwhelming.
When we talk about progression from the sophomore class, Fleming belongs in that conversation. Much like the Suns’ second-year players showed meaningful growth throughout last season, we’ve seen that progression continue in Las Vegas.
The challenge now becomes translating it to the regular season. For a player who appears destined to receive consistent rotational minutes, this was a meaningful step in the right direction. The three-and-D role he’ll be asked to fill aligns almost perfectly with what he’s shown throughout Summer League.
Sometimes, progression isn’t measured by who scores the most points. Sometimes it’s measured by how prepared a player looks for the role that’s waiting for him.
Jun 22, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies infielder Ezequiel Tovar (14) throws to first base for an out to end the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
Shortstop was supposed to be one of the Rockies’ few settled positions. Ezequiel Tovar’s offensive limitations were obvious, but elite defense and extra-base power gave the profile a workable floor.
His 2025 season offered reasons for patience. Hip and oblique injuries limited Tovar to 95 games and made it difficult to separate regression from compromised health. Even amid those interruptions, his strikeout and walk rates moved modestly in the right direction.
Through July 12, Tovar was hitting .200/.243/.330 with eight home runs and a 41 wRC+. His defense, once among the best at the position, has graded almost exactly average by several metrics.
Colorado should continue trying to recover the player Tovar was in 2024. His contract, age and past success, however, can no longer exempt him from competition. Ryan Ritter is the clearest upper-level alternative to evaluate, Willi Castro is more valuable in the multi-position role that makes him useful, and moving Cole Carrigg out of center field could create a second premium-position problem.
The Rockies do not need a permanent answer today. They do need to admit that shortstop is no longer settled.
The production has been the worst at the position
Tovar has appeared at shortstop in 92 games, starting 86 and logging 752.1 innings. He has received the overwhelming majority of Colorado’s playing time at the position.
He has received the 12th-most plate appearances in the group, so this is not a lightly used reserve dragging down the leaderboard. Colorado has received the least value from one of baseball’s larger shortstop workloads.
Tovar has not been the worst defensive shortstop in baseball. He has been almost exactly average.
The problem is that average defense leaves nothing to counterbalance the least productive bat at the position.
The familiar flaw stopped producing familiar damage
The Rockies did not discover this year that Tovar swings too often.
During his 2024 breakout, he posted one of baseball’s highest chase rates and walked in only 3.3% of his plate appearances. He also led the National League with 45 doubles, hit 26 home runs and won a Gold Glove.
As Cory Cohen explained in April, that balance began breaking down early this season. At the time, Tovar was chasing 48.7% of pitches outside the zone and swinging at the first pitch nearly 60% of the time. He began more than three-quarters of his plate appearances with a strike.
His increased chase contact initially looked like progress, but much of it produced only additional foul balls and weak contact.
The hoped-for adjustment was never that Tovar would stop being aggressive. It was that he would become more selective around the edges, find better pitches to damage and preserve the power that made the approach tolerable.
That has not happened.
Through July 12, Tovar carried a minus-22 Batting Run Value. His .275 expected wOBA, .221 expected batting average and .367 expected slugging percentage offered little evidence that poor luck was hiding a strong offensive process. His average exit velocity ranked in the 18th percentile, his hard-hit rate in the 17th and his squared-up rate in the sixth. His 45.6% chase rate ranked in the first percentile.
His barrel rate has fallen from 9% in 2024 and 9.3% in 2025 to 6.8% this season.
The most damaging change has come against four-seam fastballs. Tovar is hitting .146 with a .272 slugging percentage against the pitch, producing a minus-12 Run Value and a 35.5% strikeout rate.
That is a devastating weakness for a hitter whose offensive value depends on punishing early-count velocity. If pitchers can challenge him with four-seamers without fearing damage, they control the plate appearance before his chase tendencies even become relevant.
Tovar’s .247/.305/.388 line in May was much more survivable than his .471 OPS in April, but it did not hold. He hit .173/.198/.309 in June and .143/.179/.343 through July 12.
The rebound was a temporary reprieve, not a recovery.
His range is no longer producing extra outs
I love watching shortstop played well.
Shortstop can be a beautiful position: the quick first step at contact, the glove working through a difficult hop, the body control to gather, twist and fire a strike across the diamond for the out.
A good shortstop completes the routine play. A great one reaches a ball that looked like a hit.
His arm has never been the defining feature. Tovar became an elite defender at shortstop through his range, instincts, hands and body control.
Statcast credited him with 15 Outs Above Average and 11 Range Runs in both 2023 and 2024. Those totals fell to three OAA and two Range Runs in 2025, when injuries limited him to 95 games.
That context matters. One injury-shortened season did not prove that Tovar’s defensive ability had permanently changed.
The concern is that the neutral results have carried into a healthy 2026 season. Through July 12, Tovar had zero OAA and zero Range Runs across 752.1 innings. Defensive Runs Saved also graded him at zero.
Tovar can still make a beautiful play. The problem is that a highlight is not the same as a season’s worth of defensive value. His range regularly created extra outs in 2023 and 2024. That surplus diminished during an injury-marred 2025 and has not returned this season.
Even a return to Gold Glove-level defense would struggle to make a 41 wRC+ acceptable over a full season. In 2026, the Rockies have received neither the offense nor the defensive surplus that once made the arrangement workable.
Willi Castro can cover shortstop, but that is not his job
Castro has appeared at shortstop in 19 games, starting 12 and logging 102 innings. That is enough usage to show that Tovar’s hold on every available inning has loosened — if only slightly.
Castro does offer a clear offensive upgrade. Through 320 plate appearances, the switch-hitter has hit .260/.331/.378 with seven home runs. His 8.4% walk rate is more than three percentage points higher than Tovar’s, and his .331 on-base percentage is nearly 90 points better.
The performance is not without limitations. Castro has struck out in 27.8% of his plate appearances. He currently carries a minus-4 Batting Run Value and has posted a modest .294 expected wOBA. Still, he has provided functional major-league plate appearances.
Making him the everyday shortstop would work against that value. The defensive results have not supported a permanent move, either. In 102 innings at shortstop, Castro has recorded minus-3 OAA, minus-3 Fielding Run Value, minus-2 Defensive Runs Saved and four errors. The sample is limited, but the direction is consistent.
Castro has not stabilized shortstop; he has changed the compromise. His bat is more functional than Tovar’s, but his weaker defense and greater value as a multi-position player make him a substitute at shortstop, not the answer.
Ryan Ritter remains the unanswered question
Ritter received his first extended major-league opportunity in 2025 while Tovar was injured. Across 207 plate appearances, he hit .241/.296/.337 with a 29.5% strikeout rate and weak contact quality. The bat did not establish him as an everyday player, but the glove provided some reason to keep evaluating him.
Ritter played 265 innings at shortstop, where Statcast credited him with one OAA. His overall range ranked in the 75th percentile.
He has shown more offensive viability in Triple-A this season. Across 121 plate appearances with Albuquerque, Ritter is hitting .283/.403/.414 with two home runs, 15 walks and 25 strikeouts. His 20.7% strikeout rate is manageable, even allowing for an expected increase against major-league pitching. He had also begun to show some slugging before an ankle injury sent him to the injured list on April 15 and kept him out of regular Triple-A action until June 16.
Ritter is not knocking down the door, but he has shown enough on both sides of the ball to make another evaluation reasonable. He has also continued to receive the majority of his minor-league defensive work at shortstop, starting 20 games and logging 163.2 innings there this season.
None of that establishes Ritter as an everyday shortstop. It does suggest his glove may be serviceable enough for the Rockies to evaluate whether his offensive profile can survive in the majors.
Continuing to let Tovar search for his previous form against major-league pitching is defensible. But with two minor-league options remaining, a reset in Albuquerque is no longer an extreme response to a temporary slump. His bat has been the least productive at the position, the Rockies remain firmly in an evaluation phase, and Tovar is only 24.
In that context, this may be exactly the right time to give him everyday work away from the pressure of carrying the major-league position while opening a real evaluation window for Ritter.
What makes less sense is a loose platoon that leaves both players short of regular work. Tovar needs everyday repetitions if he is going to rebuild his offensive process and regain his defensive sharpness. Ritter needs them if the Rockies want an actual evaluation rather than another small, inconclusive sample.
Ritter may not be the solution, but another meaningful evaluation is justified. Tovar’s performance has made the competition necessary.
Cole Carrigg creates a different choice
Carrigg has logged three major-league innings at shortstop. His arm strength and athleticism make the position plausible, but that sample tells us nothing about whether he could handle it every day.
That makes Ritter the cleaner alternative to evaluate first. Tovar’s value is concentrated almost entirely at shortstop; Carrigg can provide defensive value in places Tovar cannot.
More talent is applying pressure, but from a distance
Tyler Bell and Ethan Holliday (No. 2 PuRP) provide legitimate long-term pressure, but neither changes the immediate calculation.
His offensive profile also gives Colorado something intriguing.
Bell hit .343/.510/.608 at Kentucky with a 13.5% chase rate, drawing 30 walks against 36 strikeouts while playing through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder.
Holliday brings a different kind of ceiling. The fourth overall pick in the 2025 draft entered professional baseball with considerable power, a patient approach and real uncertainty about how consistently he would make contact against better pitching.
His 2026 performance was beginning to look like a step forward. After striking out in 39.3% of his plate appearances during his brief debut, Holliday lowered that rate to 28.3% while hitting .262/.395/.557 with nine home runs, five doubles, two triples, and 23 walks in 152 plate appearances for Low-A Fresno.
His eventual defensive home remains uncertain. Holliday has the hands and arm strength to continue receiving work at shortstop, but his lateral range, footwork and quickness will ultimately determine whether he can remain there. A move to third base remains plausible. His bat could still make him an impact player there, though it would make him less of a direct answer to Colorado’s shortstop question.
Bell and Holliday carry far more upside than the other lower-level alternatives, but both remain distant from the major-league decision. Bell is expected to require surgery on his injured shoulder, with the timing still to be determined. The recovery will likely sideline him for several months and delay the start of his professional career. Holliday must also complete his recovery from foot surgery and return healthy before continuing his development against more advanced pitching.
Neither solves the present problem. Their presence does give the Rockies another reason to keep evaluating shortstop rather than treating it as permanently assigned.
Two related problems
The Rockies were not wrong to invest in the 2023-24 version of Tovar. None of their alternatives has matched his defensive ceiling, led the National League in doubles or produced 3.7 fWAR at age 22.
That player was worth believing in.
Past success, however, cannot permanently insulate him from present performance.
Tovar has no obvious everyday fallback. Center field at Coors Field is not a realistic alternative; second base would reduce the positional value of his glove; and his bat is nowhere near the standard required at third base, first base or an outfield corner. If he is going to be a valuable everyday player, it will almost certainly be at shortstop.
That leaves Colorado with two connected but distinct tasks: recover Tovar and get more production from shortstop. His contract, age and past success make him worth trying to fix. They do not make the current arrangement acceptable.
The Rockies do not have to give up on Tovar.
They do have to stop waiting passively for the position to fix itself.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 09: Paul Blackburn #58 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 09, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Paul Blackburn had posted a 5.28 ERA in 15.1 innings with the Yankees in 2025. The team, however, saw something in him, something that persuaded them to keep him around despite that ugly number. Then, 2026 came around. The right-hander alternated good and bad outings, but even at his worst, the Yankees were patient. And their patience is paying off big time now.
Blackburn is sporting an amazing 2.22 ERA in 48.2 frames with the Yanks this year, one of the most improved Yankees of the season. If we zoom in closer, we see that his run since the start of June has been unbelievable, with a 1.11 ERA and a 60.3 percent groundball rate. Basically, Blackburn went from being on the roster bubble at one point to one of the most indispensable relievers in the organization. He is now an excellent multi-inning weapon for manager Aaron Boone, and even though the bullpen remains an area of focus ahead of the deadline, having Blackburn pitching like this allows the club to focus on other, more pressing needs.
Blackburn can throw seven pitches, but four of them are key to his success: the sinker, the cutter, the changeup, and the curveball. It just seems that every one of those four serves a specific purpose: the sinker helps him get that GB% up (it is, after all, 56.4 percent for the year as a whole, up from 43.8 percent in 2025), the cutter throws hitters off balance and forces them into weak contact (87th percentile 32.1 hard-hit rate), and the curveball and the changeup help him miss bats.
The curveball has a beautiful 45 percent whiff rate, an increase on the 38.5 percent he had last year with the offering. The changeup misses bats at a 28.6 percent rate, up from 26.2 percent in 2025.
Of course, the increase in velocity from year to year is of immense help. Blackburn’s sinker is averaging 94.2 mph this season, better than the 92.6 mph of 2025. Throw harder, and everything else will play up. Becoming a full-time reliever helps, that’s for sure. The Yankees have helped Blackburn reinvent himself and resurrect his career, and the pitcher is giving them a nice multi-inning option in their bullpen.
Sure, Blackburn’s 37/15 K/BB ratio isn’t really anything to write home about, but he limits the long ball (0.74 HR/9 in 2026) and doesn’t hurt himself with walks too often. He goes out there, throws strikes, and gets the job done almost every time he takes the mound. As you can see in the chart, Blackburn has actually improved his xwOBA against every year since 2024, until reaching a very solid .291 in 2026.
I can’t say I’m not surprised to watch him enjoy this kind of success. We all knew there was some talent in his right arm, but probably not to this extent. Sit back and enjoy the ride while it lasts, but even though he probably won’t finish the season with an ERA in the low 2.00s, the foundation is there to make this the new norm: Blackburn is probably here to stay as a reliable MLB reliever.
