The Phillies did not extend the one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer to Alec Bohm, allowing their longtime third baseman to enter the open market without draft-pick compensation attached.
Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline passed without Philadelphia making the offer. The free-agent market officially opened at the same time, allowing Bohm and the rest of the class to negotiate and sign with any club.
Had Bohm accepted the offer, he would have returned for 2027 at more than twice the $10.2 million salary he earned this season. Had he declined and signed elsewhere, the Phillies would have received a compensatory draft pick after the fourth round because they exceeded the competitive-balance tax threshold.
Now, Bohm can sign elsewhere without draft-pick compensation returning to Philadelphia or a penalty being assessed to his new team.
As outlined in our free-agent focus on Bohm, the former third overall pick entered the offseason as one of the Phillies’ most complicated decisions.
Bohm finished 2026 batting .249 with 15 home runs, 29 doubles, 88 RBIs and a .698 OPS over 155 games. Those totals followed the worst start of his career. He was hitting .159 with a .433 OPS when Don Mattingly gave him two days out of the lineup in early May.
From May 9 through the end of the regular season, Bohm hit .274 with 14 homers, 73 RBIs and a .773 OPS. Extended across 162 games, that production translates to approximately 19 home runs and 99 RBIs.
He remained one of baseball’s most effective hitters with runners in scoring position, batting .347 in those situations. He is also one of seven right-handed hitters to drive in at least 85 runs during three of the last four seasons.
“If Alec is not back with us, those 90 runs he drives in every year will be missed,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said at the Phillies’ end-of-season press conference. “You’ll have to pick it up in other ways.”
The Phillies must weigh that production against Bohm’s limited power and defensive value at third base. Bryce Harper will return as their primary first baseman, while Bryson Stott and top prospect Aidan Miller give the organization other possibilities at third.
The decision does not rule out Bohm’s return. The Phillies can continue negotiating with him on a multiyear contract or at a lower annual salary.
Bohm made his preference clear after the Wild Card Series.
“I have no idea what to expect, but I’d love to be back,” he said.
Elsewhere, the Phillies announced several moves affecting their 40-man roster Monday. The Giants claimed infielders Brett Harris and Shay Whitcomb off waivers, while catcher Garrett Stubbs elected free agency. Right-handers Brad Keller and Caleb Kilian, infielder/outfielder Felix Reyes and outfielder Johan Rojas were reinstated from the 60-day injured list.
For now, Bohm will test the market for the first time without a qualifying offer affecting it. The Phillies were unwilling to risk bringing him back at $23.15 million. Whether they are willing to retain him at a different price remains unanswered.
The Baseball Writers Association of America will begin handing out its annual awards next week and the Phillies have several finalists.
Manager Don Mattingly, starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez and closer Jhoan Duran are all in the final three in their respective categories.
Mattingly is a finalist for the National League Manager of the Year award. He took over the Phillies as interim manager when the team was 9-19 on April 28. Under Mattingly, the Phillies had the fourth-best record (79-55) in the majors the rest of the season and earned the third NL wild-card playoff spot. Mattingly was awarded a two-year contract in October.
Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy, who won the award the last two years, and Atlanta’s Walt Weiss are the other finalists for the award. Murphy is considered the favorite after his small-market Brewers led the majors with 103 wins during the regular season and won the franchise’s first World Series title. Voting for all BBWAA awards is done before the postseason begins.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years in 2025, the Braves won the NL East in 2026, Weiss’ first year at the helm.
Mattingly previously won the NL Manager of the Year Award with Miami in 2020. He finished second while leading the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013.
The Manager of the Year Award will be announced next Tuesday.
The NL Cy Young Award will be announced next Wednesday and Sanchez is a finalist for the second year in a row. Last year, he finished second in the voting to Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes. This year, Sanchez is a finalist along with Milwaukee flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski and Atlanta lefty Chris Sale.
Misiorowski is considered the favorite. The right-hander led the majors with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 30 starts. Sale finished second in the NL with a 2.16 ERA.
Sanchez tied for the major-league lead with 18 wins. He was sixth in the NL with a 2.91 ERA and second with 207 innings pitched. His season was highlighted by a franchise-record 50 2/3 innings scoreless streak from April 30 to June 3. The streak was the fifth-longest in major-league history and longest ever by a left-hander.
The NL Reliever of the Year Award will also be announced on Wednesday. Duran is a finalist along with San Diego’s Mason Miller and Milwaukee’s Trevor Megill.
Miller led all NL relievers with a 1.67 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 70 innings. He tied for the league lead with 38 saves, blowing only three. Duran was second among qualifying NL relievers with a 1.82 ERA. He converted 33 of 35 saves chances. Megill converted 30 of 33 save chances and also had seven holds.
Award announcements start Monday with the Rookie of Year Awards and conclude next Thursday with the Most Valuable Player Awards.
In just a few more weeks, teams around the NHL will open for trade business as they find out who and what their rosters really are, and the Philadelphia Flyers, who will have to make an important decision in that regard themselves, have been busy scouting around the league.
Typically, around Thanksgiving, NHL teams tend to assess if they are playoff-caliber or not, and plan their future business accordingly.
The Flyers, who have won just four of their first 17 games this season, are obvious candidates to become sellers up to and through the NHL trade deadline in March. All signs indicate that general manager Danny Briere and Co. will remain patient with the current Flyers roster until the end of the month before making any big decisions.
In preparation of having to make a tough call on some players, the Flyers have been out and about around the NHL, taking in all kinds of different games.
Previously, we noted that Flyers president Keith Jones had traveled to watch recent games, including Devils-Senators, Rangers-Kings, and Blackhawks-Canadiens.
The latter is especially interesting, given that, on Tuesday night, the Flyers had a heavy contingent in attendance for another Montreal Canadiens game.
According to The Hockey News's own Karine Hains in Montreal, Flyers assistant general manager Alyn McCauley, as well as Lehigh Valley Phantoms coaches John Snowden, Nick Schultz, Terrence Wallin, and Patrick McDonough, were all on-site to watch the Canadiens take on the Winnipeg Jets.
Now, the Phantoms crew isn't terribly unusual, given that the Phantoms will be playing against the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, on Wednesday night.
In McCauley's case, though, this is the second time in recent weeks the Flyers have had an executive - McCauley and Jones - at a Canadiens game.
Despite the Canadiens' epic choke in an eventual 5-4 overtime loss to the Jets, they're still sixth in the NHL with a 9-3-3 record, and second in the Atlantic Division behind the 11-4-1 Boston Bruins.
So, if anything, that loss to the Jets reinforces the fact that the Canadiens are in prime position to be buyers on the trade market throughout the year, something the Flyers could help them with.
Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj has long been linked to the Flyers in trade rumors; that seems to be the most obvious connection between the two teams.
The Flyers, in need of centers themselves, aren't in a position to offer the Canadiens an important piece behind Nick Suzuki, though Montreal would surely appreciate Philadelphia's breadth of wingers for depth purposes.
Again, we're still at least 2-3 weeks away from trade season officially getting underway around the NHL, but it's notable that, as they continue to flounder, the Flyers are obviously taking notes around the NHL, doing their due dilligence.
And the longer these struggles continue, the more likely the Flyers are to aim for a big change somewhere along the food chain.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 07: Gage Jump #79 of the Athletics throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning of a spring training game at Las Vegas Ballpark on March 07, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Angels defeated the Athletics 3-0. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
New A’s President of Baseball Ops Taylor Smith has made his first major hire to his front office. The team announced on Wednesday morning the addition of Brewers executive Cam Castro to be the Athletics’ newest General Manager, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
The Athletics are hiring Cam Castro away from the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers as their general manager under new president of baseball operations Taylor Smith, league sources tell The Athletic.
The addition installs Castro as Smith’s #2 in the new-look A’s front office. Bringing in Smith last week to be the new president showed that the A’s are going to prioritize pitching development over the next few years, and Castro’s addition underscores that upcoming emphasis.
Castro joins the A’s after spending the past seven years within the Brewers’ organization. Originally joining as a minor league pitching coach, Castro rose to become their minor league coordinator, then director of pitching development, then finally vice president of player development. That’s quite the rise for Castro, who began his coaching career before finishing college.
If there’s a model to copy in the league right now, it’s the Brewers. Fresh off their first World Series in franchise history, the Brew Crew have been a consistent playoff contender over the past decade. It’s all the more impressive considering they’re a lower-budget team, but that should make Castro’s transition to the A’s much smoother.
One notable way the Brewers have operated and been able to maintain consistent success has been their openness to trading star players before they hit free agency. That’s a strategy that A’s fans have come to know quite well over the years. The Brewers’ model may end up becoming the one the A’s try to emulate the most: develop good pitching, and trade players when they’re a year or two away from free agency, regardless of their importance to winning today.
We’ll have to wait and see how it all unfolds but the A’s are adding another pitching guru to the staff, one that comes with more experience than Smith. These two are going to be joined at the hip and their main goal over the next few years is to finally fix the Athletics’ inability to develop pitching. Once we figure that out and add some arms to a strong position player core, we should be on our way to October baseball before we know it.
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 05: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers celebrates after hitting a home run during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Field on September 05, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Gunnar Word/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026-27 MLB free agent class has hit the market, and so we have the various rankings of the free agents and predictions as to what they will get in the market.
This is a particularly weak free agent class. There’s one guy, Tarik Skubal, who is far and away the top guy in the class. After that, there’s not anyone in his tier, or really, in the tier below him, or even really a clear consensus as to the top player, or players, after him.
Fangraphs has their top 50 free agent list up, with Ben Clemens’ contract predictions, as well as the crowdsourced predictions. Seiya Suzuki, who appears to be the consensus top position player on the free agent market, is #2 on their list, followed by starting pitchers Trevor Rogers and Michael King and NPB third baseman Teruaki Sato. No one outside of the top five is projected to get more than $100M, and the non-Skubal guys barely hit that mark.
Baseball America also has a list of their top 50 free agents, which looks markedly different from Fangraphs’ list. Jazz Chisholm, Suzuki, Randy Arozarena and Freddy Peralta round out their top 5 by Skubal. They have their top 6 free agents — which includes Rogers at #6 — hitting the $100M mark.
Kiley McDaniel’s free agent predictions have Sato, Peralta, Arozarena and Suzuki behind Skubal in the top 5, with only Skubal and Sato reaching nine figures.
MLB Trade Rumors slots Rogers, Peralta, Suzuki and Arozarena behind Skubal, with only the top five reaching the $100M mark.
TJStats offers up rankings without contract predictions. Suzuki and Rogers are #2 and #3 behind Skubal, followed by Adrian Morejon and Chisholm at #4 and #5.
Keith Law also has rankings without definitive predictions, though he does reference in some instances the range where he thinks players should land, contract-wise. He is position-player heavy behind Skubal, with Sato, Brandon Lowe, Suzuki and Arraez going 2 through 5.
The variety in the lists is a reflection, I think, of the class not being strong — the free agents behind Skubal are more above-average than star caliber players, which results in there being more ordinal variation than normal. The lack of nine-figure projections is also an indicator of the weakness of the class — last year, nine players received nine figure contracts, with Kyle Tucker and Dylan Cease both cracking the $200 million mark. Framber Valdez received the ninth-largest contract, at $115 million — if the projections are accurate, no one other than Skubal might get that much this year.
And as a side note, I used the top Rangers’ free agent, Joc Pederson, in the header picture as a nod to Chuck, because I know he enjoys the Joc photos.
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 2: Luka Doncic #77 and Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers high five during the game during the game against the Miami Heat on November 2, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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 Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s a fun time to be a Lakers fan, evidenced by Bill Simmons’ anger about the Lakers. Anything to take his focus off Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown feuding, I guess.
We asked again for questions from you guys and, once again, you answered…or asked? Either way, there’s plenty to talk about in this week’s mailbag!
It might feel like the Lakers have an unsustainable offense, but I think some pretty encouraging numbers push back against that. So, let’s dive into this because there is a lot to this.
First, let’s look at the threes. Sure, many of Luka threes don’t seem sustainable except that it’s Luka taking those threes. But outside of that, the team is getting quality looks from beyond the arc.
The team is ninth in 3-point rate with 46% of their shots coming from beyond the arc. That’s a drastic change from last year when they ranked 22nd at 39.4%.
More notably, the team was dead last in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers attempted and made last year and 24th in 3-pointers attempted overall. This season, it hasn’t even been that drastic of an increase in volume, but it has improved. They’re 16th in 3-pointers attempted, 25th in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers attempted and 19th in makes.
The biggest changes are that they rank second in 3-point percentage, first in catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage and eighth in wide-open 3-point percentage. And yet, they still rank just 15th in the percentage of their points coming from threes.
That’s because they’re still getting to the rim, too. Last season, they were basically, across the board, the best team at scoring once they got to the paint. It’s the benefit of having LeBron James with Luka and Austin Reaves, two great finishers at the rim.
LeBron is, obviously, gone now. But for this specific stat, they replaced him with Walker Kessler, who has feasted at the rim as a roll man. Add in Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes, two players north of the 85th percentile in field goal percentage at the rim, and you see why the Lakers rank second in the league in field goal percentage at the rim and first in field goal percentage in the paint.
To perhaps lay this out a little differently, the Lakers opened the season with Walker Kessler flourishing in the pick and roll. Teams rightly decided that wasn’t sustainable, so they started blitzing ballhandlers on ball screens and working to take away Kessler as a roll option.
The result is open 3-point shooters and the Lakers now have a team capable of punishing teams who leave them open. Certainly, they won’t keep shooting this well, but this is also the type of offense head coach JJ Redick wants to run. He wants a modern offense that puts up lots of threes.
So, don’t expect a change, but also don’t be quite so worried about it being unsustainable.
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 1: Walker Kessler #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers blocks the shot of Collin Murray-Boyles #30 of the Toronto Raptors during the game between the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Lakers on November 1, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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 Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Let’s jump to the other side of the floor now and look at the defense.
The good news is that when you have an offense as good as the Lakers have had, you don’t need to be great defensively to win. The bad news is, notably, bad defenses don’t typically win at the highest levels.
As commenters pointed out, two areas are at least partly responsible for the poor defensive rating: turnovers and rebounding.
The Lakers currently rank 27th in the league in turnovers and 27th in opponent points off turnovers. Teams are taking advantage of the Lakers being sloppy.
They also rank 26th in offensive rebounds allowed. Not surprisingly, they rank 29th in opponent second chance points.
Defensively, they’re great in lots of areas. They’re fifth in steals, fourth in blocks and second in points off turnovers. They’re mostly middle of the road or slightly below average in opponent field goal percentage (17th) and opponent 3-point percentage (23rd). And that’s not based on shooting luck, as teams are hitting 38.8% of their open threes.
The more this group gains chemistry and familiarity, the better they’ll look defensively as well. It’s not as simple as fixing those two aspects and being a good defense, but those are the two glaring outliers right now.
The rotations have been pretty ironclad with Luka and Ausint since last year. Luka is going to play the entire first and third quarters and half of the second and fourth quarters to come in at around 36 minutes.
Austin will have his minutes broken up a bit more as he’ll leave late in the first quarter, return to open the second, then take another break in the middle of the period before returning to close the frame. Then, he repeats that in the second half.
That has been the rotation for the last two seasons for those two. It ensures that one of them is always on the floor, which is the right approach, and keeps both of them around 36 minutes per game.
When you have two elite on-ball players, you want to give both chances to maximize that skill. Austin is a great off-ball player as well, but giving him his own lineups and time on the floor without Luka, and vice versa, means the Lakers will have a full 48 minutes of an All-Star-level player on the floor.
There will be concerns about both of them after the injuries last season. But the Lakers also need them on the floor as well and 36 minutes per game isn’t an unreasonable expectation for a star.
The more likely route for them to get rest is nights off throughout the year. The team already rested Luka once and I imagine that’ll happen with some regularity this season.
It’s definitely fair to be put off by Quentin Grimes’ slow start. Like many, I thought he would get a starting nod to open the season. But perhaps Redick and his staff saw what fans eventually saw when the season started, which was a fair amount of indecisiveness and uncertainty.
The good news is that we are only three weeks into the season and Grimes looked better in the most recent game. It’s a matter of him eventually playing more on instinct rather than thinking through the game, which you can tell he’s doing right now.
I actually think it’d be better for him, and the team long-term, to be in the starting lineup. It gives that group another creator and dynamic player who can drive or shoot. But it’s hard to make the argument to start him based on how he’s currently playing.
We’re still quite a bit away from being too worried about Grimes. Instead, I’d rather celebrate finding two big wins in Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle so far.
I have two reactions to this.
First, I think in this specific play, their judgement was that Thybulle was in an illegal guarding position and committed a foul before any push off occurred. Because there’s simply no way to argue there wasn’t a push off.
Secondly, as will most things that are a point of emphasis to start the year, I don’t suspect it will carry on into the season much. Stars aren’t changing how they play to accommodate the rule change. It’ll just continue business as usual.
Oct 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia (51) reacts during the eighth inning of game one of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Alex Vesia was a fixture in the Dodgers bullpen for the last six seasons, after getting acquired from the Miami Marlins ahead of the 2021 season. So much so that his 367 games pitched are 13th-most in Dodgers history, and seventh-most among relievers in franchise history.
Now, Vesia is one of nine Dodgers free agents, out on the open market for the first time in his career, heading into his age-31 season.
Vesia during this three years eligible for salary arbitration made a totalof $6.9 million, including $3.65 million in 2026. He’s bound to top that three-year total annually with whatever new deal he signs in free agency. Here are some projections for Vesia from various outlets:
But Vesia is arguably the second-best left-handed relief pitcher on the market, behind only Adrián Morejón, who received a qualifying offer from the San Diego Padres. There will definitely be a market for Vesia.
“Vesia peppers the top of the zone with his 90-94 mph fastball that has huge ride, created by his high arm slot, the most vertical arm slot in baseball,” Kiley McDaniel wrote at ESPN. “That unique combination of traits leads to odd angles and more whiffs than you’d expect, as well as pop-ups, but also a number of fly balls and walks. It all adds up to a setup-type reliever who should land a two- or even three-year deal.”
In 2026, Vesia led the Dodgers with 72 appearances and posted a 2.64 ERA, 2.68 xERA, and 31.2-percent strikeout rate, the fifth time his strikeout rate has exceeded 31 percent in six years with the Dodgers. His 13.5-percent walk rate was his highest since 2021.
“The concern here is that Vesia’s fastball velocity has dropped slightly each season, going from a peak of 94.4 mph in 2023 to 92.1 mph in 2026,” Matthew Pouliot wrote at NBC Sports. “It hasn’t been a problem yet, but it eventually will become one if it continues. Still, he’d be a nice fit everywhere.”
Today’s question is twofold: What contract (years and guaranteed money) will Alex Vesia sign this offseason, and with what team will he sign?
RFU chief Bill Sweeney offers full support to Borthwick
England boosted by fly-half Fin Smith returning to training
Steve Borthwick has been given the Rugby Football Union’s unequivocal backing to lead England into next year’s World Cup even if the side flop this autumn.
In September Borthwick’s contract was extended to after the 2028 Six Nations, despite England’s worst ever Six Nations performance this year, to avoid speculation in the buildup to next year’s tournament. But the head coach remains under pressure on the back of five defeats in the last seven matches.
If you blinked, you may have missed Ian Hamilton pitching for the Atlanta Braves in 2026. To the extent anyone remembers him, it’s probably for his three seasons with the Yankees (one of which was very good), but he did have a few cups of coffee with the Braves this season.
How Acquired
In the 2025-2026 offseason, the Yankees non-tendered Hamilton, leading to the Braves scooping him up on a non-guaranteed MLB contract in mid-December.
What were the expectations?
Considering the Yankees non-tendered him, there had to be a reason why. That reason wasn’t very complicated: Hamilton was a replacement level relief arm in 2025, with a 104 ERA-, 103 FIP-, and 105 xFIP-.
Hamilton made just 15 MLB appearances from 2018-2022, but busted out with a 1.1 fWAR season in his first year with the Yankees in 2023. Unfortunately, he took a step back in 2024, and by 2025, wasn’t particularly helpful to a big league team’s cause. Stuff like his xERA also trended downward.
The Braves likely gambled on the idea that even if Hamilton couldn’t get back to 2023 form, even his 2024 form (95 ERA-, 72 FIP-, 90 xFIP-) would suit them quite well, perhaps as a lower-leverage bullpen piece.
2026 Results
Hamilton ended up functioning as a yo-yo piece as the Braves got through the 2026 season. He was cut part of the way through Spring Training and outrighted to the minors, recalled in mid-April, designated for assignment (and eventually outrighted again) six days later, then recalled-DFAed-outrighted again in a two-week stretch in late June and early July.
He threw just an inning in his first stint with the club, and stuck around for three appearances in his second stint. He didn’t really give the team much of a reason to keep him around: he was awful in his one-inning appearance in his first stint (1/2 K/BB ratio in a blowout) and then a mixed bag in his second stint (one great outing, one poor outing, one so-so outing).
All in all, Hamilton completed 4 2/3 big league innings in 2026, his lowest total since 2022. He put up a 184 ERA-, 80 FIP-, and 94 xFIP-, “earning” 0.0 fWAR in the process. He pitched okay, got charged with a bunch of runs, and spent most of his season toiling in Gwinnett.
What went right?
His second stint went pretty well, with a 58 ERA-, 55 FIP-, and 64 xFIP-. You’d think the Braves would have been interested in keeping him around a bit longer after some success against the Padres and Cardinals, but nope. Nor did they see much of a reason to call him back up down the stretch.
His best outing by WPA was a scoreless frame while the Braves were down three runs to the Cardinals. His best outing in terms of pitching was a 14-pitch, strikeout-strikeout-groundout frame against the Padres, also with the Braves down three runs.
What went wrong?
Beyond the above, there isn’t too much to say. His command was terrible (tiny sample). His pitch shapes were bad (tiny sample). His xERA was awful (tiny sample), though that’s not necessarily reflective of pitching performance. His slider had spin deflection marks so insane that it almost feels like a small-sample data error, but those didn’t help him succeed in any fashion. He actually got a fair bit of chase and whiffs when batters chased, but he also struggled to hit the zone or miss bats within it.
And, his first outing of the season, where he came in with a two-run deficit and left with a five-run deficit, didn’t help anything and possibly soured the Braves on him before he could even manage to get going.
On top of that, he didn’t really distinguish himself while waiting for another callup at Gwinnett — the 3.25 FIP is nice-ish, but the above-4.00 xFIP for a 31-year-old in his seventh stint at the Triple-A level, not so much.
2027 Outlook
Hamilton finished out the year at Gwinnett and is now a free agent. Given that he’s been trending down since 2023, and now projects somewhere between straight-up replacement level and below average reliever (if one figures the ghost of 2024 can be evoked once more), he’s squarely in minor league deal territory at this point.
If you are to believe preseason predictions, this game being a showdown between the East’s top two teams could come as a bit of a surprise. Pistons fans knew this team would be good, but many talking heads predicted a falloff this season while everybody was on board with the 76ers being one of the best teams in the league.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the team that was 1st in the East last season is once again competing for the top seed in the East, but talking heads have to make their money somehow. ESPN at least had the foresight to pickup this game and you get what should be a very fun early-season showdown between two teams that have only lost one game each.
The 76ers and Pistons have played once this season and the Pistons won, but it is tough to draw any conclusions since both teams were missing a couple of starters.
Game Vitals
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI When: Wednesday, November 4 at 7 pm EST Watch: ESPN Odds: Detroit (-2.5)
Analysis
The Pistons will be without Jalen Duren and Isaiah Joe, who was already ruled out for this game last night. The Pistons were missing Jalen Duren in the last matchup between these teams and also Ausar Thompson, who they will have back. But, Isaiah Joe did suffer the hip injury that is still keeping him out during the 1st quarter of the last matchup, so the Pistons are trading one injured player for another.
With this being a National TV game and the 76ers getting a day of rest, I would suspect that everybody plays for them tonight. In the last matchup, the 76ers did not have Joel Embiid or VJ Edgecombe, which really put their lack of depth to the test.
Joel Embiid’s size and ability on the glass could become a problem for the Pistons, who will continue to start the undersized Paul Reed and likely use John Collins to back him up. Without Jalen Duren, rebounding was already going to be a problem, but the Pistons have been able to overcome it during his absence.
In the last matchup, the Pistons were able to contain Tyrese Maxey through 3 quarters before he started hitting shots in the 4th. It was a bit of shocking development since the Pistons were without Ausar Thompson, but without some of the other stars for the 76ers, they could focus their defense more on stopping Maxey. The 76ers have a lot of star power, but their biggest offensive threat is arguably Maxey, who can hit shots from anywhere on the court and can use his quickness with the ball to get to where he wants. I would expect Ausar Thompson to draw the Tyrese Maxey matchup which will allow Cade Cunningham to guard Jaylen Brown since he has the size to keep up with him.
I am not really sure what the Pistons are going to do about the Joel Embiid matchup. Paul Reed is outsized by him and also can have some issues with fouling and Joel Embiid has made a living off of bating fouls throughout his career. Paul Reed is going to have to stay disciplined, as I don’t think the Pistons can afford to have heavy minutes of John Collins at center or Tolu Smith. I have full confidence in the Pistons’ ability to matchup with the rest of the 76ers starting lineup, but the most concern I have is this matchup and it very well could swing the game.
If there is one certainty for the Pistons, it is that Cade Cunningham is difficult to slow down, especially with how he is playing now. He is coming off a 33 points masterclass against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday in only 27 minutes where he absolutely took over the game and turned a single-digit lead into a 20-plus point blowout. Cade Cunningham always starts off the season slow, but he seems to be hitting his stride now. His 3-ball is consistently falling as he is shooting 37% from beyond the arc, which is a significant development for his offensive creation abilities and efficiency.
He is going to have to put together another masterclass if the Pistons want any hope to win this game. During Jalen Duren’s absence, the Pistons have been able to win games through their high-level defense, but their offense has left a lot to be desired. With Isaiah Joe out and Duncan Robinson going through a bit of a cold stretch, the Pistons shooting fell off a bit and they went four games in a row scoring 110 points or less.
However, everything seemed to get back on track on Monday against the Hornets, so hopefully that continues.
One player the Pistons are hoping gets back on track is John Collins. He had his best game as a Piston in the last game against the 76ers and has proceeded to score single-digit points in every game since then. With Jalen Duren out, he has had to play a lot more center than he was probably planning on playing, but he has also had difficulties finding a consistent offensive role. Another big John Collins game would be a huge help in this matchup
The Joel Embiid matchup concerns me with the Pistons lack of frontcourt size, but if they can defend Tyrese Maxey like they did in the last matchup, they have a shot to takedown the 76ers and claim the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Lineups
Detroit Pistons (6-1): Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, John Collins, Paul Reed
Philadelphia 76ers (7-1): Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid
Question of the Day
Which of these teams will finish higher in the Eastern Conference at the end of the season?
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 02: Alex Lange #56 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at Kauffman Stadium on September 02, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Twelve Royals farmhands became minor league free agents, including reliever Alex Lange, who had been outrighted off the 40-man roster last week. The other minor league free agents include Scott Alexander, Christian Chamberlain, Grant Gambrell, Isaiah Jackson, Connor Kaiser, Luke Little, Alejo López, Elih Marrero, Matt Moore, Abraham Toro, and Vince Velasquez. Players become eligible for minor league free agency after six seasons if they have not been added to a 40-man roster. A total of 504 players around baseball became minor league free agents this offseason, free to sign a minor league or Major League contract with any team.
Scott Alexander is a familiar name to Royals fans. The 37-year-old left-hander was originally drafted by the Royals in the sixth round in 2010 and made his MLB debut with Kansas City in 2015. He was traded to the Dodgers in 2018 and has pitched for the Dodgers, Giants, and Rockies since then. He has a career 3.36 ERA in 349 big-league appearances over 11 seasons. He returned to the Royals organization in July after pitching in the independent Atlantic League and had a 2.08 ERA in 14 games for Omaha.
Christian Chamberlain was a fourth-round pick by the Royals in 2020 out of Oregon State. The 27-year-old left-hander has spent his entire professional career in the organization, making 130 appearances with a 4.90 ERA. He was pitched in just seven games at Northwest Arkansas this year due to injury.
Grant Gambrell was a third-round pick by the Royals in 2019 out of Oregon State. He was traded to the Red Sox in the Andrew Benintendi trade, but was signed this year after pitching for the Kansas City Monarchs in the American Association. The 28-year-old had a 6.13 ERA in 39.2 innings at Double-A this season.
Isaiah Jackson is a 25-year-old right-hander who signed with the Royals in February 2025 after previously pitching in the Brewers organization. He has had difficulty staying healthy, spending much of the 2025 and 2026 seasons on the injured list. The former undrafted free agent has appeared in just 14 minor league games in his career, with a 7.53 ERA.
Connor Kaiser is a 29-year-old shortstop who signed with the Royals last November. The Blue Valley West grad has appeared in 22 MLB games with Colorado and Arizona in his career. He appeared in just 26 games for Omaha this season, hitting .118 before injuries ended his season.
Alex Lange appeared in 59 games for the Royals in 2026, posting a 6.75 ERA. He has pitched in six MLB seasons, and had 26 saves with the Tigers in 2023, before suffering injuries in 2024 and 2025. He has a career 4.45 ERA in 244.2 MLB innings, with 10.4 strikeouts-per-nine innings.
Luke Little is a 26-year-old left-hander who was drafted by the Cubs in the fourth round in 2020 out of San Jacinto College. He made his MLB debut in 2023 and has appeared in 40 big-league games, posting a 2.97 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 36.1 innings. He was claimed by the Royals organization this summer, and gave up 21 runs in 11.2 innings for Omaha.
Alejo López is a 30-year-old infielder who has appeared in 54 big-league games, hitting .265/.309/.329 with one home run. The Royals acquired him this summer after the Mariners released him, and he hit .307/.375/.404 in 38 games for Omaha.
Elih Marrero is a 29-year-old catcher originally drafted by the Red Sox, and the son of former Royals outfielder Eli Marrero. He was invited to spring training with the Royals, and hit .240/.275/.376 in 41 games for Omaha.
Matt Moore is a 37-year-old left-hander with 13 years of Major League experience with the Rays, Giants, Rangers, Tigers, Phillies, Rangers, Angels, Guardians, and Marlins. He was once the top prospect in baseball and made the American League All-Star team with the Rays in 2013. He has a career 4.39 ERA in 483 big-league appearances and signed a minor league deal with the Royals in June. He appeared in 16 game for Omaha with a 5.00 ERA.
Abraham Toro is a 29-year-old infielder who appeared in 449 big-league games with the Astros, Mariners, Brewers, and Athletics, hitting .223/.285/.356 with 41 home runs. After appearing in the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada, he hit .270/.351/.478 with 19 home runs in 123 games for Omaha.
Vince Velasquez is a 34-year-old right-hander who spent ten years in the big leagues with the Astros, Phillies, Padres, White Sox, and Pirates, making 144 starts and posting a 4.86 ERA in 193 career appearances. The Royals signed him after he was released by the Cubs, and he had a 6.36 ERA in 52.1 innings with Omaha.
Other notable minor league free agents include CJ Alexander, Kolby Allard, Orlando Arcia, Tyler Austin, Cavan Biggio, Will Brennan, Chandler Champlain, Daz Cameron, Tucker Davidson, Clay Dungan, Dane Dunning, Scott Effross, Alex Faedo, Stuart Fairchild, Dominic Fletcher, Carson Fulmer, Garrett Hampson, Robert Hassell, Jon Heasley, Tink Hence, Andy Ibáñez, Edouard Julien, Jarred Kelenic, Dallas Keuchel, Heston Kjerstad, Jackson Kowar, Anthony Misiewicz, Eli Morgan, James Outman, Zach Pop, Jakson Reetz, Sebastián Rivero, Jesús Sánchez, Yolmer Sánchez, Austin Slater, Pavin Smith, Collin Snider, Lou Trivino, Joey Wiemer, Bryse Wilson, Patrick Wisdom, Simeon Woods Richardson
The strange saga concerning the playing status of veteran forward Kristaps Porzingis continues, as the Golden State Warriors are reportedly not paying his $20 million salary for the 2025-26 season because he is not playing.
ESPN.com reported on Wednesday, Nov. 4 that the non-payment stems from Porzingis not rendering services to the team or fulfilling his contract. Porzingis has not played yet this season because of an undisclosed illness that the team has yet to clarify.
The Warriors can seek to trade Porzingis before the Feb. 11 trade deadline, as Porzingis has reportedly leaned toward retirement. The salary for the 31-year-old still counts against the salary cap and any tax apron that the Warriors could possibly pay.
Porzingis' two-year, $40 million deal expires at season's end, making him a prime trade candidate and allowing any acquiring team to shed salary on its own roster to create a roster spot, possibly for a playoff push. According to the report, Golden State is not currently entertaining voiding the remainder of his contract.
Porzingis' timeline in Golden State
The Hawks traded Porzingis to Golden State for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield on Feb. 5, 2026. He played only 15 games with the Warriors and 32 games overall in the 2025-26 season.
Golden State saw enough potential to sign him to a two-year, $40 million extension in June, which came with a player option for the 2027-28 season. He was guaranteed $20 million for this season, but only $3 million was guaranteed in the last year of the deal.
Before training camp started, general manager Mike Dunleavy was called by Porzingis, who informed him he was stepping away from the team.
The team then said Porzingis would be around as he recovered from his illness, but he wouldn't play because of that medical condition.
In 12 NBA seasons, Porzingis has averaged 19.5 points and 7.6 rebounds for the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics, along with the Hawks and Warriors.
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 24: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates during the game against the Nashville Predators at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 24, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Another night, another winnable game flushed down the toilet for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
They played a strong 5-on-5 game against one of the best teams in the league, but went 0-for-6 on the power play, failed to record a shot on goal on an extended 5-on-3 with three minutes to play in regulation, immediately took a penalty after, and then allowed Vegas to score its second power play goal of the game in the closing seconds to turn a 2-1 third period lead into a 3-2 regulation loss.
Honestly, a brutal night, and continues a start that has seen the Penguins win just two of their first 15 games in regulation (and only five games overall) and sit in 15th place (by points percentage) in the Eastern Conference and in 28th place across the NHL.
A few thoughts on all of that.
1. I said this a couple of weeks ago in a similar random thoughts post, but if you were on the train of the Penguins having a down year for draft pick positioning to get the potential future star they need, this might be your year.
We are more than a month into the season.
American Thanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away.
Teams that start off like the Penguins have do not typically make the playoffs. It is getting very late, very early in that regard.
When the season began there were a lot of variables that were going to make or break the Penguins outlook for the 2026-27 season. There was a reasonably high ceiling if a lot of things went right. There was a reasonably low floor if a lot of those things went in the opposite direction. Right now a lot of them are not going right.
2. High on that list is the play of defenseman Declan Carlile. It seems like every time something bad happens, he is at the center of it. That is especially true late in games, in high-leverage situations. The Penguins coaching staff seems to have complete trust in him, and there is not much at this point to validate that trust. I could see what the Penguins were doing with him when they signed him, and what the hope was. I had some hopes for it and thought he had a chance to be a good player. So far, it’s going poorly and I’m not sure how you keep running him out there.
3. Next on the list is Andrei Kuzmenko, and this one is becoming an especially big problem because you do have other people that can easily step in and replace him.
Look, I want the guy to do well. For a lot of reasons. But right now, no matter what spot they put him in, it’s an empty spot. They are not getting anything out of it. He has one assist and nine shots on goal in 11 games. Avery Hayes can bring some energy. Rutger McGroarty could use another look. Hell, even when Elmer Soderblom is healthy enough to play again he should be an option for something in the lineup.
4. If there is a positive development through all of this, and including Tuesday’s game, it is that the first line seems to have found some life. The past two games from them have been, by far, their two best games of the season, and Sidney Crosby has looked more like Sidney Crosby. And now that they seem to be back, everything else has fallen off. Not ideal.
5. Going back to the first point here, I have been workshopping a theory that the best path forward for a rebuild (and I will still argue with anyone in a steel cage match that this IS a rebuild, even if it is not what you thought it would look like in terms of gutting everything down to the ground) is having a random bad year with a roster that isn’t completely gutted. I still need to look into this more. I still need to research it more. But the theory is mostly based around the idea that a lot of this is just luck and good timing.
It’s not enough to just intentionally get really bad for a year or two and get a No. 1 overall pick and a few more high picks around that and wait for Stanley Cups to roll in.
You have to get the RIGHT No. 1 overall pick, and it has to be in the right situation.
This is especially true with the new lottery format and the new lottery rules where the worst record could result in you picking as low as third overall.
Or not being quite bad enough to finish with the worst record to even guarantee that. Maybe you’re only the second-or third-worst team in the league and end up picking fifth or sixth.
If you get your team down to the studs in the hopes landing that next franchise player, it has to be a true generational talent like a Crosby, an Ovechkin, or a McDavid.
Even a really good, or potentially “great” player (Connor Bedard? Rasmus Dahlin?) isn’t going to be enough to make up for how far your organization has to come back. I think that’s why you’re seeing so many of these teams that have gone into these full-scale tanking rebuilds over the past 10-15 years that have never been able to claim out of it. Or are still so far away from climbing out of it. Chicago. San Jose. Detroit. These teams still mostly stink. Look at how long it took Buffalo. It’s taken Ottawa eight years just to become a fringe wild-card team. Anaheim has great young forwards, but it’s not close to a contender.
The closest player any of those teams have to a Crosby/Ovechkin/McDavid level player is Macklin Celebrini, and while he is GREAT, he is still a tier below those guys.
The key, I think, is having one of those bad years that isn’t necessarily an “intentional” tank, getting yourself a top pick, and having that pick come into an environment where there are still NHL-caliber players around and there isn’t as much building to be done.
That’s kind of what happened with Colorado and when it landed Nathan MacKinnon.
That’s kind of what happened with Carolina when it ended up with Andrei Svechnikov.
That’s kind of what happened with Tampa Bay and Steven Stamkos.
Even though those teams ended up with really high picks and franchise players, they were not situations where it was a full-scale tear down. They were not coming into situations where it was going to take a decade to build it back up around them. Those teams still had really good NHL players on them, and were reasonably competitive teams within the previous two or three years.
That’s kind of why I am intrigued by the Islanders with Matthew Schaefer and Toronto with Gavin McKenna. They got their superstars, but they didn’t intentionally light their entire organization on fire to do it. It just kind of happened naturally, and there are still good players around them. They might not be contenders right now, but I want to see how the next few years go for them as opposed to, say, Chicago.
I know Penguins fans like to point to how the Penguins landed Mario Lemieux and Crosby, but those are NHL environments that no longer exist, and circumstances that can never be duplicated. The Crosby situation was an insane sequence of events that had a different lottery format than now, and required a completely lost season from the league to give them the lottery odds they needed … and it all happened around the best prospect since Lemieux entering the league. It was a perfect storm you will never, ever duplicate. You can not. You will not.
Lemieux happened before the draft lottery (and even then it took six years to pay off on a team level).
You are never repeating that again.
Teams that try to repeat aren’t succeeding.
Maybe this Penguins team is bad. Maybe it gets a lottery puck. If it does, they are still going to have competent NHL players on the roster around it and a nearly clean salary cap slate in the coming seasons.
Maybe this team being organically bad is the best thing that could possibly happen.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 02: Giannis Antetokounmpo #7 of the Miami Heat looks to pass against Ziaire Williams #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter of the NBA game at Crypto.com Arena on November 02, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a three-game hiatus because of foot soreness, Ziaire Williams returned to the Los Angeles Lakers’ rotation in Monday night’s 138-117 win over the Miami Heat. Although he didn’t rejoin the starting lineup, he played 15 minutes and continued his highly efficient scoring season with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from deep while adding two rebounds, two assists and a steal.
“I don’t [have an idea what caused soreness]. Kind of just flared up out of nowhere,” Williams told reporters following Monday’s victory. “But we got some of the best doctors in the world and I’m in good hands. I’m here to stay [in the rotation], hopefully, as long as I can and I feel great right now. I’ll be back out there on Wednesday.”
Williams’ pestering point-of-attack defense and reliable play-finishing alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves have been rather valuable for the Lakers during his five appearances this season. Throughout his career, however, he has struggled with injuries and never eclipsed more than 63 games in a season, averaging 53.8 games played across his first five years.
Los Angeles will hope he’s fully past this brief injury spell and can continue providing worthwhile contributions on both ends. At the very least, he seems to have full confidence in the Lakers’ training staff. That’s always encouraging.
Although the sample is small, the Lakers have fared very well with their preferred starting five of Dončić, Reaves, Williams, Matisse Thybulle and Walker Kessler on the floor; in 51 minutes, they’ve outscored opponents by 23 points. While Williams was sidelined, Jake LaRavia assumed his starting spot and that quintet has also been dynamite in its limited run, outscoring teams by 42 points in 37 minutes.
Entering the year, Los Angeles’ biggest question mark within its starting group was on the wings. Through two weeks, the likes of Williams, Thybulle and LaRavia have all answered the call. With Williams now back and LaRavia also playing pretty well, it’ll be interesting to see how head coach JJ Redick handles their minutes and the lineup configurations. We’ll get another look when the Sacramento Kings host the Lakers Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
The Mets continue to add to their major league coaching staff, adding another former player.
SNY's Chelsea Janes confirmsthat New York is hiring A.J. Ellis as the team's strategy coordinator.
Ellis, who played 11 seasons as a catcher with the Dodgers, Phillies, Marlins and Padres, will join Andy Green's staff days after the team promoted Mariano Duncan, who was the bench coach for Double-A Binghamton.
The 45-year-old former backstop previously worked as a special assistant for the Padres front office. He also played 66 games behind the plate for San Diego in 2018 when Green managed.
The Athletic's Will Sammon first reported the hiring and notes that Green and the Mets are looking to fill one more coaching position.
