ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 01: Luis García Jr. #26 of the New York Yankees reacts after hitting a double during the sixth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 01, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The New York Yankees didn’t really make too much noise before the 2026 trade deadline. They added a slugging first baseman in Luis García Jr., an outfielder in Heliot Ramos, and not much else. They failed to bring in significant additions to the rotation and bullpen, which was ‘addressed’ with cheap free-agent signing Michael Fulmer and waiver claim John Schreiber well after August 3.
For this exercise, let’s focus on the major trades, namely García and Ramos, and a third player who was called up from Triple-A Scranton but has been, essentially and for all intents and purposes, a post-deadline acquisition: shortstop George Lombard Jr.
Luis García Jr.
The lefty slugger has been the best player the Bombers acquired at or around the trade deadline. The 26-year-old masher started his breakout in the nation’s capital and continued it in the Bronx. He has hit, before Friday’s game, a robust .292/.337/.500 with five home runs and a 132 wRC+ in pinstripes.
García had flirted with above-average power numbers in the past, but he had never put together such a strong season until 2026, making him a bit of a gamble for the Yankees. So far, it’s safe to say it has paid off big-time, as he has given the team a reliable, productive left-handed slugger to plug and play in the middle of the lineup.
During times when the Yanks missed some key power hitters, including the still-absent Aaron Judge, García has proved to be a useful hitter.
Heliot Ramos
While García’s arrival has been a hit, the same can’t be said about Ramos. The outfielder is struggling to the tune of a .141/.286/.266 with a home run, a 27.3 percent strikeout rate, a 61 wRC+, and -0.5 fWAR. He has been with the Yankees for a month, yet he’s already their least valuable position player by fWAR.
If we see Ramos’ performance with the Yankees without context, he has been a disaster. However, it’s important to point out that since August 20, he has been hitting a solid .227/.370/.455 with a homer, two doubles, and a 136 wRC+ in 27 plate appearances. His expected stats also suggest he’s been quite unlucky in New York; he’s got a perfectly solid .338 expected wOBA as a Yankee. See, for instance, the hardest-hit double play ball in the majors this year:
Perhaps if we give him some more time, his overall stat line would look a lot better.
Ramos isn’t much of a defender, and he isn’t particularly fast, either, but in time, he’ll prove that he’s a fine hitter with power. His role will undoubtedly diminish when Aaron Judge returns from injury, though.
George Lombard Jr.
The Yankees decided to start the Lombard clock on August 4, right after the deadline. And what a ride it has been. He started his MLB tenure on fire, with highlight-reel defensive plays and two homers in his first four games.
After a few weeks, his offensive performance started to diminish, and he had a .253/.310/.367 line with a 90 wRC+ on Tuesday, when he had to depart a game after injuring his knee. He dodged a bullet and, after missing a few days, returned to the lineup on Friday.
The Yankees are committed to letting him develop at the MLB level. After all, he made light work of Double-A and Triple-A pitchers this year.
Lombard is the Yankees’ shortstop of the future. He’s an extremely young player, and he may make mistakes in bunches, but the potential is there for him to impact games both offensively and defensively (and on the basepaths, too) for a long time.
Grant Napear spent 31 years calling Sacramento Kings games. Then one tweet blew up his career.
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Bonneville International Corp. was within its rights to fire the longtime Kings announcer after he responded to former NBA player DeMarcus Cousins with an “All Lives Matter” message during the nationwide protests following George Floyd’s death.
Napear wrote: “ALL LIVES MATTER … EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!” NBAE via Getty ImagesNapear sued, arguing that the company had punished him for personal political expression that had nothing to do with his work. NBAE via Getty Images
Napear was off work in May 2020 and watching coverage of the protests when Cousins, a Black former Kings star then playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, asked him on Twitter, now known as X: “What’s your take on BLM?”
Napear replied that he was glad to hear from Cousins, then wrote: “ALL LIVES MATTER … EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!”
Cousins, a Black former Kings star asked Napear on Twitter, now known as X: “What’s your take on BLM?” Getty ImagesFloyd was killed in police custody in Minneapolis. Getty Images
That was enough to cost him both of his broadcasting jobs.
Bonneville, which employed Napear as a KTHK radio host and the Kings’ play-by-play announcer, suspended him the next day and fired him one day later.
Napear sued, arguing that the company had punished him for personal political expression that had nothing to do with his work.
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected that argument, saying Bonneville could take action to protect its public reputation.
The three-judge panel pointed to Napear’s status as a public figure and the language in his employment contract, which required him to maintain “a high standard of care and level of responsibility” on social media because it could affect the company’s “public image and reputation.”
Napear sued, arguing that the company had punished him for personal political expression that had nothing to do with his work. Getty Images
The judges said California law does not appear to “prevent employers from limiting employees’ political expression undertaken within the scope of their employment such that it impacts the public reputation” of the employer.
They also concluded that Napear’s Twitter activity “involved his celebrity persona such that his statement fell within the scope of his professional capacity.”
Napear’s attorney, Matthew Ruggles, fiercely disputed that conclusion.
“Grant Napear actually owned that Twitter account, had published approximately 38,500 tweets before he tweeted ‘All Lives Matter…Every Single One,’ and that tweet was not made on-air, during work, or as part of any radio show,” Ruggles told The San Francisco Chronicle. “It was Grant’s personal expression, and that issue should be decided by a jury, not the court.”
Marchers cross the Brooklyn Bridge demanding police reform after a commemoration to honor the anniversary of George Floyd’s death. Getty Images
Ruggles said he will seek a rehearing before the full appeals court and, if that fails, ask the Supreme Court to review the case.
The ruling upheld US District Judge Dale Drozd’s decision to dismiss Napear’s lawsuit without a trial.
Napear isn’t the first sports broadcaster to lose a job over social media. Getty Images
Napear spent the next five years podcasting before returning to radio last August as a daily host on Fox Sports Radio in Sacramento.
He had also faced controversy for defending disgraced former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling and later calling former broadcast partner Doug Christie a “coward” for not defending him after his 2020 firing.
Napear isn’t the first sports broadcaster to lose a job over social media.
Former major league pitcher Mike Bacsik was fired by a Dallas radio station in 2010 after a disparaging post about “Mexicans in San Antonio.”
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IT’S BEEN A WHILE: A win today will be the Cubs’ third in a row. They have not won three straight since Aug. 9-12, when they won at Kansas City, 10-2, and after a day off won at Washington, 8-6 and 12-6. They have played 21 games since the last of those wins, going 9-12, including back-to-back wins twice, Aug. 17-18 at home vs. the White Sox and Aug. 23-24 at Seattle, then Arizona. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
DAY vs. NIGHT: The Cubs are just 31-30 in day games, a stark difference from their 49-32 at night. They are 9-14 in day games on the road but 7-9 in day games on the road following night games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
GETTING AHEAD AND STAYING AHEAD: The Cubs never trailed in their wins Thursday and Friday. They had not done that in consecutive games since July 27-28, when they won at St. Louis, 7-3 and 10-2. They have played 35 games since then, going 19-16. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
JUST ONE RUN: The Cubs have allowed one run in each of the last two games. They had allowed no more than one in back-to-back games twice before this season, April 19-20 and June 12-13. They have given up one or zero runs in 15 total games, one of every 9.5 they have played. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Frank Schwindel’s seventh-inning grand slam, his third homer in a series against the Pirates in which he went 10-for-18 and was named NL Player of the Week, erased an 8-7 deficit and gave the Cubs a 11-8 win over the Pirates at Wrigley Field. It happened five years ago today, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021.
In the words we used to use all the time for Kyle Hendricks: “All he does is get guys out.”
That really does apply to Javier Assad, who returns to make this start. The assumption I make is that the Cubs are pushing Clay Holmes, whose turn it would have been today, back so he can start in Milwaukee sometime next week.
Assad has been up and down from Triple-A Iowa multiple times this year. However, in the major leagues since May 1, here are his numbers: 2.24 ERA, 0.995 WHIP, 6.0 percent walk rate. A few too many home runs (12 in 64.1 innings) but out of his 17 outings since May 1, he allowed one or no runs in 12 of them and the Cubs are 15-2 in those games.
Go get ‘em, Javier.
Ryan Gusto was an 11th-round pick of the Astros in 2019 and came to the Marlins at the 2025 Trade Deadline in the deal that sent Jesus Sanchez to Houston.
He’s been in 19 games (14 starts) this year with middling results. Gusto pitched four innings in relief against the Cubs June 28, 2025 in Houston and allowed seven hits and four runs, including a two-run homer by Seiya Suzuki.
Please visit the Marlins site Fish On First. If you do go there to interact with Marlins fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 15: Outfielder Drew Burress #8 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets leads off first base during the Spring Classic college baseball game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on April 15, 2025 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
For all the talk about resurgent players (Lawrence Butler, Zack Gelof, Jacob Lopez), back sliding players (Luis Morales, Jack Perkins), and a hitting core with elite talent but only decent results (Nick Kurtz/Shea Langeliers/Jacob Wilson/Tyler Soderstrom/Brent Rooker), the A’s fortunes in the near future may lie with some prospects who are fast-tracking themselves towards 2027 relevance.
Without a doubt the A’s have a projected lineup for 2027-28 that could be imposing but so far has only been “middle of the pack” and with even less of a doubt the pitching has been bottom of the barrel in most statistical categories.
What the A’s are hoping to accomplish is to mirror, somewhat, the Chicago White Sox’ arc, rising from the depths of 100 loss territory to challenge for the division title soon after. On one hand, the White Sox did take 2 years, not 1, to go “last to first” but on the other hand they were coming from a record 121 losses.
This quartet of A’s prospects have in common that they would not normally be on a “2027 ETA” timeline and that they are very much poised to make an impact in 2027. And if they do, the A’s could be putting an awful lot of star talent on the field. In alphabetical order:
Jamie Arnold
Arnold is a key one to watch simply because he is a starting pitcher and nowhere is the need greater for the A’s than the front of the rotation. Arnold was just drafted in 2025 and only debuted in April, 2026 with an aggressive promotion to AA Midland.
Perhaps partly as a result of the aggressiveness of the assignment, Arnold sputtered some at the outset but he has come on like gangbusters of late and recently earned a promotion to AAA. With a 2.31 June ERA, a solid 3.54 ERA in July, and and a stellar 1.57 ERA in August, Arnold put a bow on his second half surge with 5 shutout innings in his PCL debut.
With a handful of AAA starts under his belt to end this season, it’s not inconceivable Arnold could vie for a spot in the A’s rotation out of camp in 2027, with the more likely outcome that he will be on the Gage Jump “first man up” track. Either way Arnold has a good chance to significantly impact the 2027 rotation, hopefully along side Jump, JT Ginn, and Jacob Lopez.
Drew Burress
2 months ago Burress hadn’t even yet been drafted by the A’s and yet his debut in Stockton has been so fantastic it’s not hard to envision a scenario where he begins the 2027 season at AA (or gets there within the first month) and forces his way up to the big leagues mid-season.
If this sounds overly aggressive, remember that Kurtz and Wilson shot through the minors at this rate and Burress matches their 1st round pedigree. In 26 games so far, Burress is crushing pitching to the tune of a .314/.453/.637 slash line with 7 HR and 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts.
The 28.5% K rate needs some work, and A ball is nowhere near MLB, but if Burress gets to AA in April and picks up where he is leaving off in September, he could well be in the big leagues sometime in 2027 giving the A’s another explosively athletic outfielder.
Leo De Vries
De Vries only started his pro career in 2024 and he did so at age 17, which would suggest a typical ETA of around 2029. But De Vries is no typical prospect, ranked top 3 in all of MLB.
Only injuries (finger, shoulder) stopped him from being a possible call up in 2026 and if he is fully healthy come spring training, the question will be “when” not “if” he will be called up to the big leagues in 2027.
Devin Taylor
Taylor is mashing and hasn’t let up all year, starting in A+, continuing in AA, and now making a mockery of AAA. At Lansing, Taylor earned a promotion by hitting .292/.425/.436 in 57 games. At Midland he found yet another gear, slashing .323/.409/.534 with 14 HR in 68 games. In 3 AAA games he’s 6 for 14 with 2 HR.
There are questions around Taylor’s LF glove, but if he can rake at the big league level the A’s can find a spot for the LH slugger even if it’s heavily utilizing the DH position, just as the Astros have done with the elite hitting/shaky fielding Yordan Alvarez and the Phillies have done with the similarly profiling Kyle Schwarber.
Already the A’s have quite a bit of enviable raw talent on the field with Kurtz at 1B, Wilson at SS, Langeliers at C, Soderstrom in LF, Henry Bolte in CF, Gelof somewhere on the infield and Butler looking, for the past half season, like the player the A’s saw and quickly inked to a multi-year extension.
Add Arnold, Burress, De Vries, and Taylor throughout the season and 2027 could have a plethora of star upside — upside that needs to be harnessed, mind you, upside that has to stay healthy. But in terms of potential to impact the AL West? These fast-trackers could be changing the landscape in a big way. Soon.
There have been moments over the past couple of weeks that have made us question South Africa’s status as the standard bearers in world rugby. After this helter-skelter third Test victory that ensures they cannot lose the series, we have an emphatic answer. The Springboks’ power is unrivalled. The All Blacks’ panache has taken them mightily close but South Africa remain on their perch.
A consolation score for New Zealand at the death rescued some pride but flattered the All Blacks – and afterwards it was confirmed that their captain Ardie Savea will miss the final Test. A second-half masterclass from the Boks, the relentless kind that leaves even opponents as worthy as these suffocated, gasping for air, confirms what was taken as read before this series started – South Africa remain the hot favourites for next year’s World Cup.
Fans of the Detroit Red Wings were stunned when news broke in early June that captain Dylan Larkin had officially requested to be traded, despite having five years left on his contract.
About a month and a half earlier, Larkin and the Red Wings missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th consecutive season. It was also the third straight year they failed to hold onto a comfortable lead in the standings after entering March in a strong position.
It's now been three months since the trade request was made public, and as of September 5, he remains on the roster. Reports also emerged that Larkin would only accept a trade to the Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild, or Florida Panthers.
This further tied the hands of now-former GM Steve Yzerman, who vacated his role in an equally surprising move just over a month later in mid-July.
The Red Wings are less than two weeks away from the start of Training Camp (Sept. 17), and still haven't named Yzerman's successor. With each passing day, the chances of Larkin still being with the club by the time Camp begins grows stronger.
Larkin, who recently turned 30, has only played five postseason games, all of which were in 2016 during his rookie season.
Understandably, he wants an opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup while he's still in the prime of his career. He got a taste of what that experience could be like when he helped Team USA capture its first Olympic gold medal since 1980 at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
However, Larkin's apparent stubborn refusal to expand his trade list is proving to be a major miscalculation on his part.
Simply put, the Golden Knights, Wild, and Panthers did not have the type of assets the Red Wings were looking for in a Larkin trade. Unless Larkin is willing to expand his list of teams, his other option may be to reach an agreement with Yzerman's eventual successor and withdraw his trade request - at least for now.
There's also no way he isn't aware that a good portion of the Red Wings fan base did not take kindly to his trade request, and that he reportedly limited Detroit's options of trading him to only three teams.
The Red Wings open the regular season at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 2 against the New York Rangers. If Larkin remains in the Detroit lineup, he's almost certain to hear loud boos cascading down from large swaths of fans who viewed his trade request as a betrayal.
While Larkin's teammates may be more willing to view his trade request as a business decision, plenty of Red Wings fans are unlikely to see it the same way.
Larkin had every right to ask for a trade, but Detroit was under no obligation to make a deal if the offers did not meet its expectations.
By reportedly limiting his preferred destinations to just three teams and refusing to expand that list, Larkin has put himself in a difficult position.
If he had known he would still be on Detroit's roster on Sept. 5, with Training Camp less than two weeks away, he might have approached the situation differently.
But he didn't. And now, he's likely going to have to deal with an increasingly awkward situation.
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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country.
These sorts of surveys can be pretty fickle, especially when the Wild Card standings are changing nearly on a daily basis.
To recap: I asked you on Tuesday where you thought the Cubs would finish the regular season. At the time, the Cubs held the first Wild Card spot. They have since fallen out of that spot and trail the Phillies by half a game. I’d think most of us would agree that if it’s Cubs/Phillies in a Wild Card series, we’d like those games to be played at Wrigley Field.
And a plurality of voters in the SB Nation Reacts survey said that’s what will happen:
Fortunately, most of you are optimistic enough that the Cubs will, in fact, make the postseason — only four percent were negative enough to vote “miss the postseason.”
Should be an interesting ride the rest of the way. Three weeks to go.
The national questions asked of SB Nation Reacts respondents all had to do with home runs.
This includes both leagues, but Kyle Schwarber and Pete Crow-Armstrong have both hit more home runs than anyone in the American League. And, in fact, this race has tightened considerably since the survey was taken. Schwarber’s last home run was Aug. 26 in Seattle; since then he’s 4-for-23 with no long balls and still has 40.
Meanwhile, PCA has gone wild over the last week. Since Aug. 26, when he trailed Schwarber 40-33 in the home run race, the Cubs center fielder has batted .344/.382/.906 with six home runs, including his three-homer day against the Reds, and now trails the Phillies DH by just one.
Again… should be an interesting race the last three weeks and if these two teams meet up in the Wild Card round… something else to watch!
This is more just a matter of opinion. In general, 40-45 has been the high range for homer hitters in recent years, though Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh, among others, blasted through that on their way to 60+ home run seasons.
It looks like this one will be right. Schwarber and PCA might be the only ones to top 40. Junior Caminero, Matt Olson and Yordan Alvarez all have 37, so they could hit that mark as well, as could Hunter Goodman (36) and Ben Rice (35).
If the purchase is approved by MLB, it would give Kroenke control of a team in each of the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB — making him the first owner to do so.
Kroenke also owns several soccer teams, including Arsenal in the English Premier League and the Colorado Rapids in MLS, as well as the Colorado Mammoth in the National Lacrosse League.
Using the most recent Forbes valuations available and including Forbes’ $2.8 billion Angels valuation, Kroenke’s sports portfolio would total $25.7 billion. That’s a total valuation above other sports magnates, such as Josh Harris and the Glazer family.
Harris’ ownership stakes include the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils — a portfolio that equals roughly $15.5 billion by Forbes valuations.
Meanwhile, the Glazer family’s joint portfolio of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Manchester United totals $13.8 billion via Forbes.
Madison Square Garden Sports, which owns the New York Knicks and Rangers, sits just behind the Glazer family at $13.75 billion.
The Angels, who Kroenke has agreed to buy at a valuation well above Forbes’ estimate, would become the fourth-most valuable team in his portfolio, behind the Rams, Arsenal and Nuggets.
The premium Kroenke agreed to pay is among the heftiest in recent baseball transactions.
The three most recent MLB control-sale agreements have all valued franchises well above their preceding Forbes estimates, with the Angels going 43% above their latest valuation as of March 2026.
The San Diego Padres sale earlier this year went 26% above the team’s valuation, while last year’s Tampa Bay Rays sale went 36% above.
Those are in contrast with the earlier sales of the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets, both of which went for near their Forbes valuation.
Kroenke, however, isn’t alone in putting large sums of money into sports franchises.
Reported franchise transaction values have totaled $34.5 billion in 2026 to date, including the Los Angeles Lakers’ $12.5 billion transaction value and the Seattle Seahawks’ $9.6 billion sale.
The Padres deal was worth just under the Angels total at $3.9 billion, while the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx went for a joint total of $4.5 billion.
Combined, those five deals have set a record, beating the previous highs of $23.8 billion in 2025 and $21 billion in 2023.
And while new owners aren’t always an improvement, Angels fans have reason to hope: Kroenke’s teams have all won at least one league championship during his ownership, the most recent being Arsenal’s 2026 English Premier League title. Will the Halos join that circle?
Methodology: Team values are the latest Forbes estimates and represent full franchise enterprise values, not owners’ individual equity stakes. The Kroenke total includes the pending Angels acquisition and excludes the Colorado Mammoth, which Forbes does not value. Franchise transaction data are from J.P. Morgan through 2024 and USA TODAY analysis of Spotrac and league/team reports for 2025-26. J.P. Morgan determined the transaction universe and year placement through 2024. For 2025-26, USA TODAY assigned deals to the year their definitive sale agreement was announced.
Nick Blankenburg remains unsigned as of Saturday morning.
The defenseman was acquired by the Colorado Avalanche in March as their seventh defenseman, with Colorado sending a 2027 fifth-round pick to Columbus in the deal.
When Blankenburg first arrived, though, things didn’t exactly go smoothly.
Blankenburg scored his first goal as an Av on the same night that Josh Manson and even head coach Jared Bednar suffered injuries.
At The Hockey News, we pointed out some of the early issues in his game. He was making too many mistakes, jumping too far into the offensive zone and occasionally getting caught out of position. For a player trying to establish himself with a new team, it wasn’t the ideal start.
But somewhere along the way, something clicked.
Blankenburg started playing with more confidence. His skating looked more purposeful. He was making quick, accurate passes, getting pucks out of trouble and showing more of the offensive ability that made him an intriguing player in the first place.
The change was noticeable enough that, following Colorado’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on April 11, we asked Blankenburg what had changed.
It was also the night he scored his first goal in an Avalanche uniform.
Blankenburg pointed to conversations he had with several teammates who recognized that he was playing a little too cautiously and encouraged him to trust his game.
“Just getting more comfortable. I’ve been having conversations with multiple different people about it,” Blankenburg admitted. “Just trying not to overthink. Trying not to think too much on the ice and just go out and play my game and be assertive and competing. I think the rest will take care of itself.”
It did.
Five days later, Blankenburg scored again, finding the back of the net against the Seattle Kraken in Colorado’s final regular-season game before the playoffs.
Then came the biggest moment of his Avalanche tenure.
Despite receiving limited ice time, Blankenburg made the most of his opportunity in Game 1 of Colorado’s second-round series against the Minnesota Wild. In a wild 9-6 Avalanche victory, he jumped into the offensive zone before Valeri Nichushkin found him with a beautiful backdoor pass.
Blankenburg buried it.
Then he went flying into the glass in celebration.
It wasn’t just his first career playoff goal. His parents, Karl and Karin, were in the stands to see it happen.
For a defenseman who had arrived in Colorado with something to prove, it was another sign that he was starting to find his game at exactly the right time.
“He’s a good player,” Nathan MacKinnon said. “Obviously he’s undersized, but he battles. He’s got a good shot. He gets picks through the o-zone, which is huge for us. He’s playing well.”
Head Coach Jared Bednar saw much of the same thing.
“He’s a real competitive guy. Smaller in stature but competitive,” Bednar said. “He has the ability to contribute offensively. There’s a lot of similar attributes to say a guy like Sam Malinski. He has the ability to be shifty and hang onto pucks to create shooting lanes in the offensive zone. He has the ability to join the rush.”
That combination is what made Blankenburg such an interesting player for Colorado.
“He’s a difficult match. You don’t see too many guys that can play with the kind of jam that Blankenburg plays with defensively and then still get up and go on the offensive side of it.”
Bednar did have one obvious caveat.
He wanted to see more consistency from Blankenburg, particularly when it came to knowing when to join the rush and when to stay home. His offensive instincts can be an asset, but the Avalanche can’t afford to give up chances the other way because a defenseman got too aggressive looking to make a play.
That, ultimately, may be part of the reason Blankenburg remains unsigned. Or it could be that the Avalanche want to shift a bit towards the physicality side, which the team obviously lacked this past postseason.
However, Blankenburg deserves another shot.
As Mile High Sticking recently suggested, Colorado could simply give Blankenburg a professional tryout contract, commonly known as a PTO.
A PTO doesn’t require the Avalanche to make a significant commitment. It gives Blankenburg a chance to come into training camp, compete for a job and show that the player Colorado saw toward the end of last season is the player he can consistently be.
The Avalanche already know what the downside looks like and Noah Juulsen has already been signed for the next two years, but bringing Blankenburg could fit just fine on the Eagles as well, if he’s willing to play down a level.
Maybe Blankenburg earns a contract. Maybe he doesn’t.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 04: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros forces Lars Nootbaar #21 of the Arizona Diamondbacks out at second and throws to first for a double play in the sixth inning at Daikin Park on September 04, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Diamondbacks Prospect Has Award Winning Homer Spree The Amarillo Sodpoodles’ Avery Owusu-Asiedu has had himself a great time since being promoted to AA. The outfield prospect has now homered in four consecutive games for the second time in a month. The feat hasn’t been done for a few years now and was done by the Dodgers’ Will SMith.
Sal Stewart Stands as Clear NL ROY Favorite The Cincinnati Reds might have themselves another Rookie of the Year winner. Sal Stewart is certainly making his case, but he cannot rest on his laurels as this competition could go down to the wire.
NL Central Could Sweep Awards The Brewers might have the Cy Young winner, joining the Reds with the Rookie of the Year and the Cubs with the likely NL MVP. The division could even end up with the NL Manager of the Year.
This ump stopped the game & made Cardinals rookie Hancel Rincon straighten his hat, saying nobody will wear it like that on his field. Quickly followed up by the worst revenge call I’ve ever seen.
May 21, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; Georgia pitcher JT Quinn (22) makes a pitch during the game with Oklahoma in the second round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
The Tides brought the lumber with double-digit runs and hits, plus nine walks, overcoming an early 4-0 deficit for a runaway victory. Rece Hinds was the hitting star, reaching base five times on four singles and a walk, and he scored three runs. Six other batters had one hit apiece, including Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Creed Willems. Weirdly, despite scoring 10 runs, the Tides had only five RBIs. That’s because Jacksonville committed six (!) errors to hand Norfolk a bunch of gift runs.
Michael Forret had another uninspiring Triple-A start. He lasted three innings and gave up three walks, three hits, and two runs, and uncorked two wild pitches. I get why the O’s wanted to bring Forret back to the organization, but I feel like they would’ve been better off keeping Tyler Wells. Long reliever Christian Heberholz also gave up three runs, but relievers Gerald Ogando, Anthony Nunez, and Yosver Zulueta worked a scoreless inning apiece. Nunez struck out all three batters he faced.
As usual for this loaded Baysox staff, they delivered a great pitching performance. This time it was right-hander JT Quinn who tossed five scoreless innings, striking out five. He has a 2.50 ERA in four Double-A starts. Four relievers kept the Sea Dogs at bay for the rest of the night.
Former Orioles farmhand Morgan McSweeney, whom the O’s released in 2024, made the start for Portland. Frederick Bencosme tagged him for a solo homer and Victor Figueroa added an RBI single. Vance Honeycutt had a double, a walk, and two stolen bases. Griff O’Ferrall contributed a pair of singles, while Aron Estrada took a rare 0-for-4. Wehiwa Aloy did not play.
High-A: Frederick Keys 9, Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) 5
The Keys pulled off an impressive come-from-behind victory in Brooklyn. Trailing 5-1 in the eighth, they erupted for a seven-spot in the frame, then added an insurance run in the ninth. Impressively, they scored all seven of those eighth-inning runs with two outs. Five consecutive batters reached base, starting with a Braylin Tavera two-run double and capped by a Yasmil Bucce three-run homer.
The top of the Frederick lineup did nearly all the damage, with the first four batters combining for eight of the club’s nine hits. That included a 3-for-5, two-RBI performance by Jaiden Lo Re, a Randal Diaz homer, and a pair of hits by leadoff man and 2026 second-round pick Ty Head, playing his fourth game since his promotion to High-A.
Keys starter Twine Palmer and reliever Ben Vespi gave up five runs before relievers Chandler Marsh, Teddy Sharkey, and Braeden Sloan worked a scoreless inning apiece to finish off Frederick’s comeback.
The Shorebirds were the only O’s affiliate to lose, as a three-run rally in the top of the ninth came up just short. Delmarva had 11 hits, and every batter in the starting lineup had at least one, but they stranded 11 runners in the game. Catcher Miguel Rodríguez and shortstop Jemone Nuel combined to drive in all four runs. First round pick Eric Booth Jr. went 1-for-5 atop the lineup.
Right-hander Braden Smith, the Orioles’ 15th round pick this year, made his first professional start. He worked two innings, giving up three hits, three walks, and two runs.
Middlesbrough defeat QPR, Norwich and West Brom win
Nicky Hayen has told his under-fire Burnley players they need to dig deep to come through “a really difficult situation” after a 2-1 defeat at home by Bristol City left them rock bottom of the Championship.
The Turf Moor crowd vented their anger – most vehemently towards the owner, Alan Pace – after Aaron Ramsey’s 56th-minute opener for the Clarets was overturned by an 82nd-minute header from Rob Dickie and a brilliant stoppage-time strike from City substitute Yu Hirakawa.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 29: Martín Pérez #33 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the second inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies at Truist Park on August 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a solid win Friday night in the battle of the aces, the Braves now face what sure seems like a disadvantageous pitching matchup Saturday, with Martin Perez facing Zack Wheeler.
Wheeler has been mostly back to his normal self coming back from injury this season, though with a slightly elevated, but still low walk rate. He has struggled a bit over the last month or so, with walks in particular. The Braves’ offense would do well to pay attention to his command and be a little patient at the plate. Wheeler still utilizes a true six-pitch arsenal with his four-seamer as a primary but a sweeper, sinker, splitter, curve, and cutter all mixed in and serving as solid pitches. He also maintains elite extension in the 97th percentile. If the Braves get lucky, Wheeler will still be struggling with command and will pair some of those walks with a homer or two.
Perez continues to muddle through the 2026 season performing admirably as a veteran innings-eater and has been rewarded with a 3.05 ERA that is more than a bit lucky. The Phillies have struggled on offense this year and have historically struggled against lefty pitching, with this year being no different. This is a good matchup for Martin with that platoon advantage, but that won’t make us any more comfortable watching him face Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 21: George Lombard Jr. #96 and Spencer Jones #78 of the New York Yankees celebrate the win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on August 21, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I’m a personal believer in wearing the lowest possible number as a player. No infielder should have a number greater than 25, and 25 should only be worn by a first baseman. Numbers in the 30s and 40s are for pitchers, and your outfielders fill out the rest. That is the Way Baseball Numbers Should Work.
Of course, the Yankees have retired 21 numbers, every single one-digit, and 15 of those 21 are below #25 — yes, I’m finally correctly counting Whitey Ford, who I always forget when listing off the retirees by memory. Add that to the 25 other guys that are on the present roster, when you get added to the big-league club there aren’t that many options to put on your back. In 2016, Aaron Judge ran into this problem, eventually deciding to keep the #99 issued to him in spring training. That #99 will likely be the next number the Yankees retire, and I think it’s a part of what’s made him one of the faces of baseball over the past decade.
Now we have a pair of rookies filling out the middle of the Yankee order, both of them sporting unusual jersey numbers for much the same reason that Judge did. George Lombard Jr. is #96 and Spencer Jones #78, George one of three MLB players to sport those digits this year and one of them was Quad-A relief depth Yovanny Cruz for these same Yankees. Jones wears a slightly more popular number, even if I only know one of the other guys who share 78:
And despite my penchant for lower numbers (I’m #24 myself), I love what Lombard and Jones have done, even if it was by accident. It’s difficult to stand out on the current Yankee roster — ok, it’s difficult to stand out on what the ideal current Yankee roster is. Even if you’re a threeish win player, pretty good, you’re going to end up behind the big three in the rotation, Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and of course the captain himself. This goes triple when you try and stand out in the annals of Yankee history itself.
#78 and 96 allow the youngsters to carve out a bit of their own identity, just a little. It probably isn’t going to last. Ben Rice was issued #93 for his first taste of MLB in 2024, and once he carved out a permanent role for himself on the team switched to the much more sensible, and aesthetically pleasing, #22. If Jazz doesn’t return to the team this winter, #13 becomes an obvious option for George if he can stick to the roster, ditto for #12 if the club lets Trent Grisham walk. #78 is a little more of a reasonable number albeit one more for relievers than starting centerfielders, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jones switch down as well.
*Kramer's moviefone voice* "well why don't you just tell me what number isn't retired"
With a club as numerically complicated as the Yankees, picking something a little funky and unconventional makes me like you just a little more — indeed, perhaps more than GLJ’s current performance deserves. We’ve seen how Judge has been able to take a strange jersey assignment and make it his own. I’m not asking either Spencer or George to be Aaron Judge, just to want to be as much of an individual in an org that sometimes squashes that.
Feb 26, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) slams his stick into the boards as he is replaced by goaltender Nico Daws (50) in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A key point in the New Jersey Devils’ struggles during the 2025-26 season revolved around one thing: goaltending. To outside eyes, it might seem like the Devils have done nothing to resolve that issue, but Sunny Mehta’s trade of Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers was a true addition by subtraction situation. In Jake Allen, the Devils have a goaltender who has had two solid seasons for them, albeit in a high-end backup role. But the Devils have other goaltenders in Nico Daws and David Rittich who may be factoring into a better team goaltending outlook. Let’s dive in.
Goal: Handle a 42-Game WorkloadWithout Getting Injured
The number one issue for whether the Devils’ current goaltending situation will work out revolves around Jake Allen’s ability to play a high number of games. If Allen can play half of the NHL season without getting hurt or seeing any major performance dips, it might not even be necessary to carry three goaltenders. Since the 2018-19 season, when Jake Allen was the 28-year old starter for the St. Louis Blues, Allen has only played 42 games once: in 2022-23, when he had an .891 save percentage and a 3.55 goals against average behind a horrendous Montreal defense. Since joining the Devils in 2024, Allen has a .904 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average in 77 starts and 81 games.
The most recent season, in which Markstrom was hurt for much of October, was Allen’s most games played since that 2022-23 season. Allen had a .903 save percentage and 2.74 goals against average in 36 starts and 37 games, which is right in line with the rest of his Devils tenure. But, diving into that a bit more: Allen had a .912 save percentage when he was the primary team goaltender in the first half of the season. Due to Markstrom’s injuries, Allen played 21 games out of the team’s first 40, and he had an 11-8-1 record (with another team win when he was pulled due to cramping). Over the rest of the season, Allen played 16 out of the team’s 42 games and had an .891 save percentage with a 6-9-1 record.
Per Natural Stat Trick, Allen was very good throughout the entire season, with 15.71 goals saved above expected. 11.92 of those goals saved above expected came in the first half of the season, with the rest coming in the second half. This, of course, indicates that Allen had a much tougher per-game workload than Markstrom had. Compared to Markstrom, Allen had a higher goals against average (3.04 vs. 2.87) in the second half despite having a better save percentage (.891 vs. .883). Maybe if the Devils give Allen the kind of defense they were trying to pull Markstrom across the finish line with, he can last a season without breaking down at all.
Nico Daws
Goal: Make It Unnecessary to Carry a Third Goaltender
In Nico Daws’s career, the 25-year old German goaltender has a 24-24-1 record with an .898 save percentage and 2.96 goals against average. All things considered, that is well within regular backup range in today’s NHL, which featured a league average save percentage of .893 in the 2026-27 season. But I am interested by whether Daws can be more than just a 20 or 30-game backup if he is used in a rotation that does not either have him sitting for long stretches or playing every single game for periods of time. That has been his career experience so far, for the most part.
When Nico Daws was first called up in the 2021-22 season, he played a few games here and there in October and February, putting up a .918 save percentage in six games with a 3-1-0 record. Daws was kept up in March and April, and from that last game in February, he played 20 out of the team’s 23 games. During that stretch, he only had an .891 save percentage with an 8-11-1 record. Breaking that down by stretches before a rest game looks like this:
First nine games: .901 SV%, 4-5-0
Next five games: .872 SV%, 2-3-0
Next five games: .892 SV%, 2-3-0
Last game: .885 SV%, 0-0-1
After getting hip surgery following the season, Daws’s usage pattern did not change in the 2023-24 season. Again, he was leaned on for long stretches that saw his performance dip over time. He had a relatively normal first eight appearances with an .895 save percentage and 3-5-0 record. Then, he played seven games in a row in February. Over the first four, he had a .942 save percentage, including his legendary Metlife Stadium performance when he stopped 45 of 48 shots. Most organizations would probably remember to sit a goaltender right after that game, considering his recent hip surgery, but he pressed on for three more games where he had an .800 save percentage, including two games giving up five or more goals.
Since being relegated to third goaltender status in the Markstrom-Allen regime, Daws has had a .925 save percentage and 2.02 goals against average in nine games with a 5-2-0 record in seven starts. In this period, Daws has only had to make consecutive starts once: the team’s 4-0 loss to Boston at the end of the last season in which Daws had an .846 save percentage.
Of course, Daws will have to make occasional consecutive starts if he’s going to share the net with Jake Allen alone. But the more Daws can reduce the need for a third goaltender, the more he can establish himself as a true NHL goaltender and possibly never get sent back to the AHL throughout the rest of his career. Sheldon Keefe might really just need to purely alternate their starts.
David Rittich
Goal: Play Every Game Like It Could Be His Last
David Rittich is in a different spot of his career than Jake Allen or Nico Daws are. Allen has a long-term contract and Daws is only 25. Rittich, by comparison, is 34 years old and coming off of two seasons where he had a save percentage under .900. Of course, Rittich has had positive goals saved above expected numbers in two of the last three seasons, but he has been incredibly inconsistent. He has been so inconsistent that I am not sure how much value he brings to a three-goalie tandem if he cannot play to a level that demands regular starts. And even then, I am not sure how much appetite I have for an all-or-nothing goaltender after experiencing Jacob Markstrom for two seasons. From HockeyViz, Rittich has clearly had very strong and very weak periods since joining Los Angeles in 2023-24.
Further negative streakiness could largely end Rittich’s career at this point, so he needs to make certain that he is at the top of his game every time he steps on the ice for the New Jersey Devils this season. With a contract that is under the threshold to be buried in its entirety in the AHL, Rittich has no protection from waivers. It would cost the Devils nothing. So, if Jake Allen and Nico Daws look like they can play 84 games without him, why would they keep him in the NHL? And if they need a spot starter, and Jakub Malek outplays him in the AHL (if Rittich goes unclaimed), why would they be certain to use Rittich as the third goaltender?
Goaltending is a fun position, though, in the sense that performance usually dictates opportunity. If Rittich plays like he did in the first half of his Islanders tenure, he could make something out of this situation and extend his career further.
Roster Hopefuls
As I noted in last week’s article, the Devils’ defensive depth is stacked. And with the length of that article, I thought it would be wise to separate them a bit into returning veterans and hopeful depth. We are starting off here with Declan Chisholm.
Declan Chisholm
Goal: Prove Sunny Mehta Right
Sunny Mehta is a big fan of Declan Chisholm. It does not even sound like Mehta believes Chisholm should be the seventh defenseman on the team, saying on Spittin’ Chiclets that “at times, he’s kind of dynamic offensively.” And as JP Gambatese pointed out when he was acquired, microstat tracking indicates that Chisholm does actually do a lot of good things with moving the puck in transition. Of course, Chisholm only played 26 games last season for Washington after playing 66 for Minnesota in the previous year, so I do not think we should pencil Chisholm in above Brenden Dillon just yet. But in Chisholm we have one of Mehta’s first big proclamations: that this is a guy who has been overlooked by just about everyone else and just needs a proper shot to show how good he is.
Let’s see if he can do it.
Vladislav Kolyachonok
Goal: Force a Platoon with Dillon or Chisholm
Personally, I have just as intrigued by Vladislav Kolyachonok, who was signed in free agency, than I have been by Declan Chisholm. Both players have been about as productive as the other in the NHL so far, but Kolyachonok has two things going for me: he’s a year and a half younger and seems to have a little more luck getting the puck into the net. Kolyachonok has five goals in 87 NHL games, averaging only 13:58 per night, while Chisholm has six goals in roughly 800 more NHL minutes played. Kolyachonok largely does this through seeing-eye shots (which is a skill), but he has scored some good-looking goals as well.
What Kolyachonok does not have going for him as much is that Chisholm has played enough to actually have more sample size in his analytic profile. So while Kolyachonok looks good in his minutes so far, that could change if he were more exposed over a larger sample. Still, I would like to see it put to the test at some point, but his best hope is to play well enough in camp that he gets a handful of games on the third pairing in the regular season.
Seamus Casey
Goal: Force a Defenseman Trade
Unlike players acquired by Sunny Mehta, Seamus Casey does not have a good analytic profile in the NHL, per public models. He has weak shot impacts, but has not played very much: not many conclusions can really be drawn from this data yet, even fewer than can be said about Chisholm or Kolyachonok. Also unlike players acquired by Sunny Mehta, Seamus Casey is a true blueline goal scorer, and he already has eight points in 16 NHL games.
Unfortunately, Casey’s time outside of the NHL has not been so smooth. Over the last two seasons, Casey has only played 59 games in the AHL due to injuries, putting up 37 points in that span. Frankly, you would want to see more. But Utica has been an utter mess under the neglect of Tom Fitzgerald and Dan MacKinnon, and it’s rather difficult to judge anyone’s production there, especially for an oft-injured player like Seamus Casey.
Now with Mehta and Birch at the helms of the NHL and AHL teams, Casey actually has one thing going for him in Mehta’s excitement for Declan Chisholm. The right side of the defense is more ironclad. No matter what you think of him, Dougie Hamilton is a Sunny Mehta player, and he isn’t being traded regardless of what goes on elsewhere on the roster. Brett Pesce and Johnny Kovacevic also have full trade protection this season which weakens considerably in the offseason. But if Seamus Casey plays so dynamically that Sheldon Keefe could be convinced to give him games, we could be looking at some Chisholm-Casey third pairing games this year instead of Chisholm-Kovacevic or Dillon-Kovacevic.
Of course, Seamus Casey is waivers-exempt. If he plays any NHL games this season, he will lose his exemption next year. So with how many NHL-capable defensemen there are in the mix for the Devils this season, he is going to have to show out in training camp to get that kind of play. And if he does get that far, the only way he sticks on this roster is by playing so well that Sunny Mehta trades a left-handed defenseman to make him the extra defenseman on the roster.
Anton Silayev
Goal: Throw a Wrench Into All of This and Push for a Top-Four Role
I have no expectation that Anton Silayev will be an NHL defenseman this season. However, I believe that he is already good enough to be one. Silayev has already played 187 regular season games in the KHL along with 19 playoff games. He only turned 20 in April, though. At his age, coming off a season where he played lesser minutes because of a new coach that overprioritized veterans, it may be in his best interest to start off with the Utica Comets where he can play 21, 22, or 23 minutes per game, possibly even mixing in some power play time in there.
But I think Anton Silayev was a tenth overall pick for a reason. If he comes into camp looking like a massive mobile beast on the blueline, I do not think the Devils should stop him from playing NHL minutes. But we do have to be aware of the realities on the blueline. As it is, the only truly tradeable contracts who are not obviously valued by Mehta are Brenden Dillon and Jonas Siegenthaler. All players listed above here, other than Seamus Casey, are waivers-eligible. The Devils might be able to sneak Vladislav Kolyachonok to Utica, but they won’t have any luck trying that with Declan Chisholm. If Silayev’s play demands a roster spot, a trade will be necessary.
But Silayev should only get this chance now if he can be given top four minutes. If Jonas Siegenthaler stays above him on the depth chart, there would be no reason to have Silayev play 16, 17, or 18 minutes per night, especially as Luke Hughes possibly pushes up to 24 or 25 minutes per night. The Devils can get Dillon, Chisholm, or Kolyachonok to provide something between fine and good third-pairing play, so they do not need to ask Silayev to possibly stunt his development by playing that role.
But be aware, he’ll be here sooner than later.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the goals I set for the players in this article? Do you agree or disagree with them? Do you have any extras? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
