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One week ago, the Rays officially changed hands, with a group led by Patrick Zalupski stepping in for Stuart Sternberg. An introductory press conference was held today, featuring Zalupski and other key personnel, with Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reporting on the proceedings. With the Rays, the natural focus is stadium plans and that was indeed the case today. Sternberg had been trying for years to get a new stadium plan in place. There was a plan to knock down Tropicana Field and replace it with a new stadium complex. That plan appeared to be on the proverbial one-yard line before hurricane damage to the Trop threw the plan off course. The subsequent squabbling between Sternberg and government officials scuttled the plan and soured the relationship to such a degree that this sale was the result. The new ownership group is naturally going to resume that search for a future home. The Trop may be repaired to a playable state by the start of the 2026 season. Even if that does come to pass, the club’s lease there only runs through 2028, leaving the future up in the air. The Zalupski group said today that it plans to pursue an “aggressive and perhaps audacious” plan which would include a fixed roof stadium as part “world class live/work/play experience” in a complex of over 100 acres which would open in time for the 2029 season. The Battery complex which surrounds Atlanta’s Truist Park was cited as “the gold standard” for what the group has in mind. This type of project has become more popular for sports franchises in recent years. By having non-sports businesses in a larger interconnected network of commerce including things like office towers, hotels and restaurants, it diversifies the portfolio and lessens the pressure on the team to be successful. Even if the club is performing poorly and there’s a drop in terms of attendance and/or television ratings, the owners could still be making money off the other elements of the complex. What’s still to be determined is the financing for this plan. Per Topkin, the group acknowledged the need for public contributions. That’s another element that modern sports owners love, as it’s obviously a much nicer arrangement if someone else is putting up the money for your real estate projects. Government officials often feel compelled to comply with such plans out of fear that opposing them will hurt at the ballot box. Just last year, Royals owner John Sherman essentially admitted that he bluffed a threat to take that team out of Kansas City because he thought it would help him sway voters in a ballot measure about stadium funding. Securing that government funding will likely be a key storyline for the Rays in the coming weeks and months. As mentioned, Sternberg’s worsening relationships with public officials made it essentially impossible for him to move forward as owner, which led to this sale. Sternberg’s plan was set in St. Petersburg, meaning he was dealing with officials in that city and officials from Pinellas County. Zalupski’s group is expected to target Tampa, meaning a different city council and also a different county, as Tampa is in Hillsborough County. That could provide some optimism about getting something done but Sternberg also previously explored Tampa without much success. Tampa mayor Jane Castor was present at the press conference today and said the city is “not going to spend tax dollars on building” a stadium. Topkin notes that Zalupski’s group will be meeting with officials from both Tampa and St. Petersburg, perhaps indicating they are keeping their options open or maybe just doing due diligence. Topkin’s report also adds some specific locations which could be fits. If the group is successful in getting a stadium and larger complex built, Zalupski suggests that would be good for the team on the field. “It’s what you have to have in today’s Major League Baseball to be successful,” Zalupski said. “We think without that revenue generation, it’s going to be really, really challenging or nearly impossible to compete with the major markets. So for us, this is critical to building a championship team.” The Rays are well established as one of the lower-spending clubs in the majors. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, their payroll has been in the bottom third of the league for over 20 years. They have still found some success despite that investment, which is often attributed to the club’s cutting-edge approach to analytics. They made the playoffs five straight years from 2019 to 2023, though they’ve dropped to just below .500 in the past two seasons. Combining the club’s analytical bent with some more resources would be a nice boost, though that may take years to come to fruition. At this point, there’s no real way to tell if the Rays owners are genuine in that plan to make more meaningful investments in the team, but Zalupski did elaborate. “We’ve got to deliver this world-class development, generate the revenue to produce a consistent champion,” Zalupski said. “You don’t want to be one year great and five years bad and have to go all in. We want to build a sustainable championship team. I think the revenue generation that can come out of this development, will provide that.” For what it’s worth, Atlanta did ramp up spending after Truist Park opened in 2017. According to Cot’s, their payroll has moved into the top ten recently, after being more middle-of-the-pack in the preceding decade. On the other hand, it was also hoped that the Twins would open up a new era of spending when Target Field opened in 2010, but Cot’s shows that didn’t really happen. It’s unclear what would happen if the new stadium cannot be ready by the start of 2029. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has said the city would be open to a Trop extension but they are also planning new developments of the site which could involve the Trop being torn down, per Colleen Wright of The Tampa Bay Times. Photo courtesy of Kim Klement, Imagn Images View the full article

This week's mailbag gets into the Reds' offense, whether Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, and Jorge Polanco will stay with their respective clubs, trade targets for the Braves' rotation, and whether the Rangers could trade Jacob deGrom. Bill asks: What can the Cincinnati Reds possibly do to fix the mess that is their lineup? They need at least one big bat and probably do not have the money to accomplish that. The Reds' offense ranked eighth in the NL with 4.42 runs scored per game. Let's examine where the lineup stands after the Reds were eliminated by the Dodgers in the Wild Card round. C: Jose Trevino and Tyler Stephenson handled catching duties. 1B: Spencer Steer was the regular this year, but rookie Sal Stewart began taking starts after coming up in September. 2B: Matt McLain was the typical choice, with Gavin Lux starting occasionally. SS: Elly De La Cruz has the full-time job. 3B: Ke'Bryan Hayes took most starts, with a few going to Stewart. Before Hayes was acquired, Santiago Espinal logged innings here. LF: Austin Hays was the top choice, followed by Lux and Will Benson. CF: TJ Friedl has the full-time job. RF: Noelvi Marte took over the starting job. Jake Fraley spent time here before getting injured, and Benson was also in the mix. DH: Of late, it was a Lux/Miguel Andujar time share. Hays also picked up a good number of ABs here. No one on the Reds had a stellar offensive season. Almost every regular fell between a 97 wRC+ and a 109 mark, with 100 being league average. Where can improvements be found? Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription BENEFITS Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco. Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony. Remove ads and support our writers. Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker View the full article

With the Guardians having been eliminated from the postseason, some details about their offseason are now coming to light. Per Tim Stebbins of of MLB.com, right-hander Nic Enright will undergo Tommy John surgery in the coming weeks. That will mean he’ll miss the entire 2026 season. Also, designated hitter David Fry will be undergoing surgery for a deviated septum and a fractured nose. His timeline was not specified. It’s a challenging situation for Enright, a young player who has already been through a lot. He announced in February of 2023 that he was undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He had been with the Marlins at that time after that club took him from the Guardians in the Rule 5 draft a few months earlier. He was returned to the Guardians in June of that year. In 2024, a lat strain limited him to just 17 Triple-A innings, though the results were good. He only allowed two earned runs on nine hits and five walks while racking up 32 strikeouts. The Guards gave him a 40-man spot in November of that year, to prevent him from being scooped up in the Rule 5 yet again. That allowed him to make his major league debut this year, which went quite well. While frequently being shuttled to Triple-A and back, he logged 31 innings in the big leagues with a 2.03 ERA, 23.6% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate. He also had a 1.38 ERA in 13 Triple-A frames. He was placed on the major league injured list in September due to right elbow/forearm inflammation. Presumably, he has spent the past month exploring his options, which has led him to the surgeon’s table. If the Guardians keep him on the 40-man roster through the winter, he could spend all of 2026 on the 60-day injured list. However, there’s no IL in the offseason, so he would need to hold a spot until then. It has also been a challenging year for Fry. He seemed to break out in 2024, hitting 14 home runs in 122 games, leading to a .263/.356/.448 line and 129 wRC+. But shortly after that season ended, he required surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. That was going to cause him to miss time in 2025 and be limited to DH duties when he did return. He was reinstated from the IL at the end of May. He struggled badly, putting up a .171/.229/.363 line this year. His season was then ended in scary fashion when a pitch from Tarik Skubal hit him in the face. It was initially reported that he would recover in six to eight weeks without the need for surgery, though that plan has evidently changed. Ideally, he can heal up in time for a healthy offseason and spring training but perhaps more updates will be forthcoming throughout the winter. Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images View the full article

Image credit: Netflix There’s a new Geralt in The Witcher universe, and it’s one that showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich believes will quickly become the new fan favorite. Henry Cavill — who is best known for playing Superman in the DC Extended Universe — portrayed Geralt of Rivia in the first three seasons of The Witcher. Despite being a fan of the source material, Cavill departed the series in October 2022, with Liam Hemsworth later cast as his replacement. Hemsworth will portray Geralt in the upcoming fourth season, as well as the fifth season, which is already in production. Why will fans forget about Henry Cavill’s Geralt after watching The Witcher Season 4? The Witcher fandom was not too pleased with the Geralt recasting when it was first announced. However, while speaking with Tudum, Hissrich boldly claimed that fans will end up preferring Hemsworth’s take on Geralt over Cavill’s, remarking, “People think of Geralt, and now they have specific images in their mind. Within about 45 seconds, I don’t think you really think about it much more. Liam owns this character.” Of course, Hissrich has been a fan of Hemsworth taking over the role of Geralt since their first meeting. “The very first time that I met with Liam Hemsworth, in my gut, I knew that he would make a perfect Geralt for us in Season 4, because he was able to be very honest with me about the things that really resonated with him in earlier seasons, and also some things he’d like to shift,” recalled the showrunner. “After the Continent-altering events of Season Three, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri find themselves separated by a raging war and countless enemies,” reads the official synopsis for The Witcher Season 4. “As their paths diverge, and their goals sharpen, they stumble on unexpected allies eager to join their journeys. And if they can accept these found families, they just might have a chance at reuniting for good…” Starring alongside Hemsworth in the fourth season of The Witcher are returning cast members Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Princess Cirilla of Cintra, Joey Batey as Jaskier, Eamon Farren as Cahir, Anna Shaffer as Triss Merrigold, Mimî M Khayisa as Fringilla, Cassie Clare as Philippa, and Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz, as well as new addition Laurence Fishburne as Regis. All eight episodes of The Witcher Season 4 arrive on Netflix on October 30, 2025. Originally reported by Lee Freitag at SuperHeroHype. The post The Witcher Boss on Why Fans Will Immediately Forget about Henry Cavill in Season 4 appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. View the full article

Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Heat 2 is moving forward. Heat was released in 1995. Directed by Michael Mann, the epic crime film stars Al Pacino as Vincent Hanna, Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley, Val Kilmer as Chris Shiherlis, Jon Voight as Nate, and Tom Sizemore as Michael Cheritto. In 2022, Mann co-wrote a Heat 2 — which serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the original movie — crime novel with author Meg Gardiner. Mann intended to turn the book into a feature film at Warner Bros. Pictures; however, development on the project has been stalled due to budget disagreements. What is the Heat 2 update? According to The Hollywood Reporter, after Warner Bros. decided to let the movie be shopped around in August 2025, Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists division is now in talks to acquire the rights to the movie. Jerry Bruckheimer, Scott Stuber, and Nick Nesbitt have also now joined the project as producers. The Hollywood Reporter claims that Warner Bros. was willing to make Heat 2 for around $140 million, or, alternatively, for $150 million if Mann would commit to making a Heat 3. The initial budget for Heat 2, however, came in at $230 million before Mann whittled it down to $170 million. How big a budget Heat 2 will get at United Artists is unclear at this time. Paramount and Sony were also interested in acquiring the project before it was acquired by Amazon. No official casting for Heat 2 has been announced at this time, though there have been plenty of rumors going around. One of the more popular names to emerge is Leonardo DiCaprio, while Austin Butler, Adam Driver, and Bradley Cooper have also been mentioned in past articles. No offers have been made to any talent as of yet. A release date for Heat 2, which will be executive produced by Eric Roth and Shane Salerno, has not yet been set. The post Heat 2: Michael Mann Movie Gets Big Update Following WB Budget Battle appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. View the full article

As more book bans and attacks on the First Amendment rights of American citizens continue, so, too, do the lawsuits aimed at stopping these actions. Today, the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina filed a lawsuit against State Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver over unjust book bans due to Regulation 43-170 and a 2025 classroom censorship memo. It was filed on behalf of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians and three public school students under the age of 18. The filing can be read in full here. Regulation 43-170 became law in June 2024. It bans all materials in public kindergarten through 12th grade classrooms if that material contains any “sexual conduct.” The regulation has led to the banning of 22 books across the state, putting South Carolina at the top of the list for most state-sanctioned book bans. The lawsuit challenges the Regulation’s constitutionality. The Regulation does not utilize the Miller Test–the Supreme Court’s three-prong assessment of whether or not something is obscene–in making its determination of whether or not material contains “sexual conduct.” The vagueness in the regulation is its feature, as this allows for broad interpretation and wide, sloppy application. A second piece of the lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of a memo penned and distributed by Weaver on March 14, 2025. The memo bans 14 concepts from being discussed in SC Department of Education materials, including “implicit bias,” “restorative justice,” “cisgender,” and “social-emotional learning.” “The confusion and fear stemming from Regulation 43-170 and Ellen Weaver’s memorandum have been overwhelming,” said Dylan Rhyne, a high school senior in the Charleston County School District and plaintiff in the lawsuit. “I hope that by taking action now, we can restore the safe and welcoming school environment I once knew and make things even better for those to come.” It’s not only the removal of books that have caused difficulty in South Carolina public schools. So, too, has the fear of what targets may come next. Among the actions that have happened in the state as a result of the Regulation include: The end of classroom libraries in some schools, as a result of worry that materials included there may be outside of what the state deems appropriate; Quiet and silent censorship among school librarians who are electing not to purchase new fiction titles for their collection and/or are preemptively removing titles; The addition of 9 restricted titles in Beaufort County Public Schools so students need permission slips to access books like The Kite Runner and The Bluest Eye, titles routinely part of Advanced Placement curriculum; The removal of access to county library digital collections by public schools for fear of potential access to titles with “sexual conduct,” as in Fort Mills. “The “need” for this regulation was manufactured by SC Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver (who has direct, public ties to Moms for Liberty) under the guise of an absence of a ‘uniform process for local school boards to review and hold public hearings on complaints raised within its district,'” explained Jamie Gregory, immediate past president of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians in an interview at Book Riot earlier this year. “In other words, supporters of the regulation didn’t like that local school districts have control over which instructional materials are available in school libraries, so they dubbed this local control as “confusing” since districts may have different local policies and procedures. It’s important to note that the impetus for this regulation originated with Ellen Weaver and her outside legal counsel with ties to the Federalist Society (who was paid over $40,000 of taxpayer money), not the SC State Board of Education.” This is not the first lawsuit in the state of South Carolina over book bans. The ACLU of South Carolina also sued Greenville County over the banning and restriction of LGBTQ+ books for minors in the county’s public library earlier this year. As of writing, 22 books have been permanently banned from all South Carolina public schools. They are: Damsel by Elana K. Arnold Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas Normal People by Sally Rooney The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson Flamer by Mike Curato Push by Sapphire Collateral by Ellen Hopkins Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Hopeless by Colleen Hoover Identical by Ellen Hopkins Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott Lucky by Alice Sebold Tricks by Ellen Hopkins Crank by Ellen Hopkins was not banned, but it requires parental permission before any students may access it in their school library. “Censorship in schools limits students’ ability to think critically and engage with diverse perspectives. K-12 students deserve intellectual freedom that empowers them to explore ideas, question assumptions, and develop critical thinking skills,” said Tenley Middleton, President of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians. “Leadership from the South Carolina Association of School Librarians has persistently sought to engage with the Department of Education and the State Board regarding Regulation 43-170 — to no avail. We stand with the ACLU of South Carolina in denouncing censorship and championing intellectual freedom.” Read a full interview with Tenley Middleton and Jamie Gregory, both members of the leadership team of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians. They discuss the on-the-ground advocacy happening across their state and offer critical insight into the ways that the state’s Regulation has harmed access to materials in public schools for students and done tremendous damage to the library profession. This lawsuit is another example of testing the court’s interpretation of the First Amendment Rights of library users. Last week, a judge ruled that library users and authors do not have First Amendment Rights when it comes to public school and public libraries. That ruling pulled heavily from a decision in the Fifth Circuit from earlier this year, which established no First Amendment Rights for users in public libraries in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. These two cases contradict the prevailing Island Trees School District vs. Pico Supreme Court ruling from 1982, which which held that public school libraries are places for voluntary inquiry and dissemination of information and ideas. View the full article

Photo Credit: Walt Disney Pictures Disney has found its next big fantasy franchise. Walt Disney Studios already has a number of major sci-fi fantasy franchises under its umbrella, including the MCU, Star Wars, and the Avatar movies. Now, the company has acquired another property in a seven-figure deal. What is Disney’s new fantasy movie franchise? Per Deadline, Disney has won an auction for the rights to Impossible Creatures, a fantasy series by author Katherine Rundell. Rundell is now working on adapting the first two books in the series into screenplays. There are five Impossible Creatures novels planned in total, with the first one having been published in 2023. The second installment, titled The Poisoned King, was just recently released last month. “Rundell just became the first U.K. children’s author since J.K. Rowling to simultaneously reach the No. 1 position on the children’s book charts in both the U.K. and the U.S. Her books so far have sold more than four million copies worldwide, and in 2024 she was awarded both Author of The Year and Children’s Book of The Year at The British Book Awards,” Deadline’s article notes. “Rundell signed two 7-figure publishing deals with Bloomsbury and Knopf. What she originally planned as a trilogy has become a five-novel saga and Rundell plans to broaden the franchise with spinoffs and prequel books.” Warner Bros. and Netflix were the other two finalists looking to acquire the rights to Impossible Creatures. “When I read Impossible Creatures, I knew it belonged here at Disney,” Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. “I was immediately drawn into the vibrant world Katherine imagined and the possibilities of what we could do together with this story. Written by Katherine herself, these movies are in the best of hands with our Walt Disney Studios team, and I can’t wait to see this tale brought to the screen.” Walt Disney Pictures‘ Alan Bergman and David Greenbaum added, “Katherine Rundell has masterfully crafted a spectacular and immersive world with Impossible Creatures , and her vision is a perfect match for the Disney storytelling tradition. We are thrilled to collaborate with Katherine and Charles to bring this epic saga to life for audiences worldwide—it’s going to be an extraordinary adventure.” Originally reported by Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype. The post Disney Finds Next Big Fantasy Franchise Following Huge Bidding War appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. View the full article

In March 2025, Golden State’s Steph Curry became the first active player to accept an administrative position. Curry is the assistant general manager for the Davidson men’s basketball team. Since then, players like Trae Young, Damian Lillard, and Terrance Mann have accepted similar positions at their respective schools. On Tuesday, October 7, Celtics’ Jayson Tatum […] The post The Duke Blue Devils named Jayson Tatum their Chief Basketball Officer appeared first on Basketball Insiders | NBA Rumors And Basketball News. View the full article

Steve Adams Good morning! I’ll get going around 1pm CT, but feel free to submit questions ahead of time, as always. Good afternoon! Let’s get underway Derek Do Alec Bohm and A Garcia get non tendered? Not sure either team wants to commit 10+million to them Steve Adams I think Bohm will be non-tendered. Garcia has a chance to be traded somewhere to a team looking to buy low, but a NT is still possible there. I think he’s done with the Rangers one way or another. Brooklyngail Your prediction. Does HSK pick up his option and stay in Atlanta or does he test the market? Steve Adams No, I expect him to head back to the market. He got more than 1/16 when he was fresh off shoulder surgery. Even if it’s another two-year deal with an opt-out, he should be able to lock in more guaranteed money now that he’s healthy — plus the market is devoid of actual shortstop options.Braves could always try to get him to sign on for a new three- or four-year deal before he declines the option, but if my choices are “he exercises it or declines it,” I’m pretty comfortably in the latter camp. Depressed Oriole Mountcastle worth 8 mil in a trade or non tender more likely? Steve Adams I’d lean toward the non-tender, but he’s not a Nate Lowe-esque lock to be non-tendered. I could see a team giving up a negligible return to plug him in at 1B/DH at that price. Squints Does Woody end up back with Brewers next year? Read more Steve Adams No, I fully expect him to turn down his end of the mutual option and land a multi-year deal beyond what the Brewers feel they can pay. Given how adept they’ve proven at finding affordable starting pitching, paying market price for Woodruff coming off shoulder/lat injuries doesn’t seem like the best use of their resources — fan favorite or not. Guest Rank the projected total contract value of the top SP this winter: Bieber, Valdez, King, and Suarez Steve Adams Framber and Ranger are ahead of Bieber and King based on recent health, age and track record. I’d probably go Bieber ahead of King right now just because King’s health is a total wild card and Bieber is healthy/pitching in October.Valdez and Suarez are both comfortable nine-figure guys for me Ian Any realistic landing spots for Alonso other than the Mets? Steve Adams Plenty. I don’t think he’ll be back in Queens. Red Sox, Angels, Reds, Mariners, Padres, Rangers, Guardians all make varying degrees of sense, though skeptical about the Texas fit after the Bochy departure and the “financial uncertainty” talk. Obviously not all of those teams are realistic fits (Cleveland’s not paying him $100MM+), but having some of those clubs on the periphery of the market is enough to keep some of the others bidding more seriously. Pretty good fit in Boston, where Craig Breslow sidestepped when asked if he could commit to Casas as his 1B next year the other day. Adge Do you like Toronto to sign one of Bieber, Framber, King, Cease, Woodruff,or Ranger, Steve Adams I like the Jays to add at least one notable starter this winter, yeah — whether that’s signing one of those guys or trading for a Mitch Keller, Joe Ryan, whoever.Currently they have Gausman, Yesavage, Berrios, Lauer and a bunch of question marks. (Lauer is a question himself, really) And after 2026, Gausman is a free agent and Berrios can opt out. I think they’ll be in the market for multiple SPs MoonbeamMcSwine Does Chaim Bloom “clean house” w/ the Cardinals.. choosing to stock their farm system over competing against perhaps the toughest division in baseball (w/ Milwaukee & Chicago)? Steve Adams I don’t expect too many “untouchables” for the Cards this winter. They’re not moving Masyn Winn or JJ Wetherholt, but beyond the pricey veterans (Arenado, Gray, Contreras) I expect them to be open to offers on Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, JoJo Romero, etc. etc. Larry from Clarksville Can you explain Imanaga’s contract and if you think the Cubs exercise the club option given his alarming home run issues? Steve Adams Cubs have to choose whether to pick up a three-year, $57MM club option — effectively extending him through 2028. If they decline, he can pick up a $15MM player option for 2026 or decline and head to free agency.If Imanaga exercises his player option, the Cubs would have a two-year club option after 2026. If the team declined that, he’d have another player option for 2027. I am increasingly coming around on the idea that maybe they just don’t want to commit $19MM per year to him for another three seasons, which would’ve seemed silly to me a few months ago. I was texting a bit with MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes and Anthony Franco about this last night. Tim, being in Chicago and closer to the situation than I am up in St. Paul, said he still leans toward the Cubs taking the safe route and picking up the option, but yeah … them declining is definitely a scenario that seems plausible now in a way that was not true even in like, July. I think if the Cubs decline their option, he’ll turn down the player option and do better than $15MM on the open market. Adam W. Will Pete Alonso or Alex Bregman get a bigger free agent contract this winter? Steve Adams Bregman, easily Craig Wandy Peralta of the Padres has a 4.45 million player option for 2026. Do you think he exercises the option to remain in San Diego or does he decline and become a free agent? Steve Adams I could see it going either way but I lean toward exercising it since he also has a $4.45MM player option for 2027. He’s guaranteed two years and $8.9MM right now, and the last time he was a free agent (two years younger, throwing a bit harder and with a better K%), the market didn’t exactly love him. Luxury Tax Does contract money changing hands a/effect a teams luxury tax total? If the Reds were to add an expensive player via trade this winter but the former team sends some money with that player, how does the luxury tax “hit” get allocated? All on Cinci because they have the player? readjusted for Cinci because their dollars will be smaller than the contract? *Cinci used as a placeholder since we all know they will never approach even the hint of Luxury Tax waters* Steve Adams The money changing hands impacts the CBT hit. If the Cardinals were to trade Sonny Gray back to Cincinnati for a reunion (sticking with your “this won’t happen” motif), the CBT hit would be recalibrated to reflect what’s remaining on the contract. So for the Cardinals, Gray has been a $25MM CBT hit. He signed a three-year, $75MM deal, and CBT hits are based on AAV.When the player is traded, however, the acquiring team is taxed based on what’s left. Gray would be a $40MM CBT hit for the Reds. If the Cards kicked in $25MM to help offset that, then he’d still count $25MM against the Cardinals’ tax number and $15MM against the Reds’. (That $40MM being derived from Gray’s $35MM salary in 2026 plus the $5MM buyout on his 2027 option) TxDude Will we ever see the Red Sox be a force in free agency like they used to be? I feel like it was always either Boston or New York that all the FAs wanted to sign with Steve Adams They just guaranteed $120MM to Bregman last winter!But I get the question. That was more an opportunistic “soft” (heavy usage of air quotes there, haha) landing for Bregman. I imagine at some point, they’ll be more willing to spend aggressively early in the winter but think the actions of ownership over the past five to eight years have increasingly suggested they prefer not to revisit the “let’s beat the market for a 31-year-old David Price” well anytime soon. So … probably somewhere in between the two extremes we’ve seen. Possibly as soon as this winter, since I do think they’ll look into higher-end SPs Carson Is there a team that would be interested in a Josh Jung trade? He surely has some value with 3 remaining years of club control and a relatively cheap projected $3M ARB1. Steve Adams Absolutely. Tigers, Pirates, Nats, Marlins, Mariners, Royals (move Maikel Garcia to 2B) … I can think of plenty who’d love to roll the dice on Jung, and I do think the Rangers will be open to exploring that possibility this winter. Cleveland Think we could pry one of Adley/Neto with our farm? Steve Adams Neto feels like an extreme long shot. Rutschman a bit more plausible, but Mike Elias has spoken repeatedly — including on our podcast — about how he fully anticipates Adley to be catching in Baltimore next year. He’s naturally stopped short of definitively declaring “I will not trade this player,” but they’d be selling low and Basallo hasn’t exactly shown he’s ready for a full season as a big league catcher yet. O’s also probably aren’t all that keen on dealing Rutschman “just” for prospects.(Nor would the Angels be keen on doing that with Neto, for what it’s worth) PolarBearLeaving? You mentioned Alonso and also Bregman. If what you say is true about Alonso leaving/not being resigned, what about the Mets signing Bregman to play 3rd and Murakami to play 1st. That would certainly change the vibe and core and you might make up some (but not all) of Alonso Steve Adams Yeah I think the Mets will be in on both Bregman and Munetaka Murakami, who, for those unaware, is a 25-year-old (26 in Feb) corner infielder who’s hit 22 homers in 224 PAs in Japan this season and will be posted in the offseason. He also has significant defensive and strikeout concerns, but he’s still going to get paid by a major league team because of the 80 raw power. John Could Cedric Mullins return to the Orioles? Steve Adams If he’s out there in February and hasn’t found a deal to his liking, sure I can see him going back for a year. I wouldn’t predict it as likely, but it’s not as through any bridges were burned there (at least not that I’m aware of) Mr. Skenes Am I pitching for the Pirates next year? Steve Adams Yyyyyyyup Allen Brooks Lee didn’t make a claim to his SS spot after the Correa trade. Are there any SS available in trade? Preferably in the Twins budget Steve Adams They’ll give Lee a full year to show whether he can hack it, and if not, they’ve got Kaelen Culpepper, another former first-rounder and top-100-y guy, coming along relatively quickly @tayyyburrr Lifelong Padre fan here. Does AJ Preller get any credit for at least trying to build a winner? I know “we” haven’t won anything, but being an annual “contender” has to count for something, right?!? Steve Adams Gets credit from me. I wish there were more GMs/presidents of baseball ops like Preller, Dipoto, Dombrowski, etc. I feel like so many baseball ops leaders today operate with a risk-averse approach, so as not to risk their job security. And that’s understandable! These guys are paid enormous seven-figure salaries. But it’s also boring. Give me chaos. Always chaos. It’s more fun. Preller is pure entertainment. And he’s better than his detractors give him credit for. Craig Breslow Would the Royals take Duran straight up for Bubic? Should I? Steve Adams The Royals would. The Red Sox wouldn’t. Three years of control remaining for Duran to one for Bubic. BeBopCola What was your preseason World Series pick and what is it now? Steve Adams Dodgers over Mariners so now I have to stubbornly stick to it! GM job As an impartial non Rockies fan. who would want their GM job given the terrible state of affairs throughout their organization ? They have almost no chance of making the playoffs for many years in the NL West with LA,SD, AZ and SF. Thanks. Steve Adams There’s only 30 of these jobs, first and foremost. So yes, plenty of people would want it. Beyond that, imagine being able to claim your legacy as the person who finally brought winning baseball to Colorado. You’d be a legend.Any front office leader is hypercompetitive and driven by challenge. Turning the Rockies around is an Everest-ian challenge (to use a terrible mountain-related analogy) Jim What prospects would the A’s have to give up in order to get Brady Singer from the Reds? Steve Adams I don’t think Singer would cost a ton in trade. He has a little surplus value, probably, but one year of him at $12MM … it’s not like he’s some raucous, unmitigated bargain. Couple middle-of-the-pack prospects (40 FV types) probably gets it done. He’d cost less than Springs cost them last winter. Natitude Zac Gallen a fit in Washington? Steve Adams I don’t think the Nats will be aiming that high in free agency, but any pitcher who can be reasonably expected to pitch anywhere close to league-average innings is a “fit” in D.C. based on what they have on the depth chart right now.Still amazed that the Nats (and Rockies, especially) passed on Alek Manoah. Don’t get me wrong, he’s probably just bad now, but for a bit more than $2MM, why not take the shot? He has minor league options left! Cards Am I the only cardinal fan that still has high hopes for Gorman? Sure he strikes out a ton and has a low average but I still believe there’s a 40 homer slugger around the corner. Steve Adams I think there should be a balance between “having hopes” and “having high hopes.”Hoping for Gorman to turn into a decent strikeout-prone slugger who’s a defensive liability but hits righties well enough to be a 2-ish win player, sure. But a 40-homer season from a guy whose power has dropped in consecutive seasons and who’s fanned in 34% of his career plate appearances feels ambitious to me. PJ You see Bendix aggressively trying to move Sandy this offseason or has he backed off on the prospect? Steve Adams I see him listening to whatever offers are presented and being content to carry Alcantara into the season if he’s getting low-balled coming off an uneven season. Hector Villanueva Where are earth so the Cubs play Moises next year. I think he’s ready, but he’s not an MLB catcher, they have Busch at 1st, and Suzuki at DH. Steve Adams They don’t need to pencil him in for 600 PAs. They can option him, and injuries will create openings for him. Plus, they could wind up playing Suzuki in the OF more if (when?) Tucker signs elsewhere. Obviously they still have Alcantara, but he didn’t exactly set the world on fire in AAA this year.Even if they were to go with Happ-PCA-Alcantara in the outfield and Suzuki at DH, there’s still a path for Ballesteros to get 300+ plate appearances next year with minimal time at catcher. And come 2027, Happ and Suzuki are free agents, which only makes it easier to get Moises into the lineup. HomerHanky Besides a new manager, what do YOU believe are the Twins biggest needs this off-seeason? Steve Adams An entire bullpen Yates to Rangers? Hi Steve. With Kirby Yates having a lousy year with the Dodgers, do you think a reunion to be the Rangers closer is possible? Steve Adams Plausible enough, but no reason to necessarily think it’s likely Melchez The Rockies need some talent… 1. Trade Kyle Freeland for prospect(s)… 2. Sign aging free agents looking for a chance to build up value and flip at deadline (1B Carlos Santana, DH Marcel Ozuna, CF Cedric Mullins) and 3. what’s stopping them from loading up on rule 5 guys? They have very little on the farm that’s close. Rockies have a long road ahead. Steve Adams I don’t think Freeland nets them much in a trade.A 40-year-old Carlos Santana’s not getting anything at next year’s deadline. Mullins, sure … adding some closer-to-prime-aged pillow guys like that makes sense, but those guys will have understandable concerns about playing at altitude regularly and what it does to recovery and performing on the road. Rule 5? Sure, go nuts. They should have several roster spots to work with, and I agree, why not grab two, three — even four guys if you like them better than what’s in your system? Obviously they won’t all stick, but might as well take some looks in spring training/early in the season. Pontiac bandit Steve, forgot about Owen Cassie in the Cubs OF next year, higher grade prospect then Alcantara. Steve Adams Ah yeah true, brain fart. Point generally still stands though. Two OF spots open post-2026, and injuries create ample opportunity, especially when the OF/DH is a carousel of 3-4 guys. Or rather a carousel of 4-5 guys. Words. Numbers. Hard. Brain no work good. Roper Could the Redbirds and Rangers match up on a Gray-Semien trade? Steve Adams The Cardinals want to create more opportunities for younger players. Bringing Semien aboard when he’s signed for three more years doesn’t really accomplish that. They’d much prefer to just keep Gray and have him eat innings until the deadline. I don’t know’s on 3rd This the year the M’s acually spend big on a hitter(not like the 2/24 Garv got)?? Steve Adams It’s just not really Jerry Dipoto’s preferred method of team-building, but I could see them at least trying to re-sign either Geno or Naylor (former feels likelier, given the prior connection and the fact that he’ll naturally be capped to a shorter term because of the age discrepancy) Cardinals What team do you think would actually take the contract of Sonny Gray? Mets, Giants, Phillies, Braves or Orioles have the money, maybe the Angels or Tigers as outside? Steve Adams I don’t think anyone would take the whole contract $40MM for one year is too steep for Gray — particularly for a team like the Mets or Phillies, who are third-time luxury payors in the top tier of penalty. It’s a 110% tax for them, meaning Gray costs them $84MM for one year. Cardinals need to eat $10-12MM or so just to move him for no return. Probably $15MM+ to get any kind of semi-decent prospect. Twins fan Do you think Lewin Diaz will get MLB interest again after his 50 homer season in Korea? Steve Adams I do Teams passed him around waivers like 10 times a few offseasons ago because they love the glove at 1B and he had power upside. He’s still under 30. I don’t think he’s going to sign a mammoth contract or anything, but yeah I think he has a real chance to get a major league deal Still-Krazy Does Ke’Bryan Hayes have any trade value Steve Adams Reds took basically the whole contract and gave up an actual prospect at the deadline. Hayes hit better in CIN than in PIT (albeit not much better). He could have some marginal value, but the Reds don’t make that trade if they’re not interested in keeping him for the foreseeable future. dub nation..under God can Reds…in any way….sign Schworber? Steve Adams Sure. If they offer more money than the Phillies. Simple, right?! Haha… It’s not likely, but hey, Schwarber’s from Cincinnati area.I would not bet on it, but I imagine they’ll talk to him and give it some kind of try. Dale Would a Taylor Ward for Brady Singer trade make sense? Steve Adams I think there’s some sense to that, yeah. pitching chaos for everyone The best ways to improve Mets defense is let Alonso leave, trade for Hoerner, and move Soto to primary DH. Any of those remotely likely? Steve Adams I think they’ll let Pete leave. The others, not particularly likely. My name jeff Where will nolan arenado get traded to this winter, and what will it take to get him Steve Adams This is framed like Arenado has positive value. He does not. It’ll take the Cardinals eating $30MMish of his remaining contract. Oz No mention of Raisel Iglesias. What kind of contract does he get? Steve Adams No reliever in the past decade has gotten more than 2 years for a free agent contract or extension starting at age 36 or older. So Iglesias is probably capped at two years. The high end of this range is Blake Treinen getting two years and $22MM total.I think Iglesias comes in around 1/14 or 2/20. (If you like that sort of answer, you can research stuff like that within seconds in our Contract Tracker!) Dave Do the Royals cut bait on India or pay him 9 million and hope he doens’t suck again? Steve Adams Non-tender Ang T Would adding 1 yr/$25M be enough to keep Edwin Diaz from opting out of his contract with the Mets? Steve Adams I don’t think so, but he re-upped in Queens really quickly last time, so maybe he’s just motivated to stay put. But I think his market value is $80MMish over four years, and tacking on 1/25 really “only” brings him closer to 3/60. Jason does trevor larnach have any trade value or is he a non-tender? Steve Adams Can see him being flipped for a nominal return. I don’t think he’s netting much, but low-spending/payroll-crunched teams might be intrigued as a change-of-scenery guy and his arb price is under $5MM I’ve got to call it for the week.Tim’s mailbag will run later today (I think) or possibly tomorrow, and Anthony will have a subscriber chat on Friday. I’m on X @Adams_Steve and Bluesky @adams-steve.bsky.social. If you want more opinions from the MLBTR team, you can learn about our Front Office subscription package and sign up here. In addition to ad-free viewing on the site and in the app, you’ll get weekly analysis/opinion columns from Anthony Franco and myself, a weekly mailbag column from Tim Dierkes, weekly fantasy baseball chats and columns with Nicklaus Gaut (during the season), weekly subscriber-only chats with Anthony and with me (where your odds of getting a question answered are much higher), extra insight from Darragh McDonald, access to our Contract Tracker (a vital offseason resource) our Agency Database, our GM Tracker, our ongoing Offseason Outlook series and more. Thanks everyone, and enjoy your week! View the full article

An 82-80 record is nothing to sneeze at in Kansas City, as it represented just the sixth time in the last 31 years that the Royals topped the .500 mark. Still, the Royals took a step back after reaching the playoffs in 2024, and will again be looking to bolster their lackluster offense. Guaranteed Contracts Bobby Witt Jr., SS: $272MM through 2034 (Witt can opt out after each of the final four years of the contract; Royals can trigger $89MM club option for 2035-37 seasons if Witt triggers all player options) Seth Lugo, SP: $43MM through 2027 (includes $3MM buyout of $17MM club/vesting option for 2028) Michael Wacha, SP: $33MM through 2027 (includes $1MM buyout of $14MM club option for 2028) Carlos Estevez, RP: $12MM through 2026 (includes $2M buyout of $13MM club option for 2027) Cole Ragans, SP: $12MM through 2027 (Royals hold arbitration control over Ragans for 2028 season) Option Decisions Salvador Perez, C: $13.5MM club option ($2MM buyout) Michael Lorenzen, SP: $12MM mutual option ($1.5MM buyout) Randal Grichuk, OF: $5MM mutual option ($3MM buyout) 2026 financial commitments (assuming only Perez's option is exercised): $79MM Total future commitments (assuming only Perez's option is exercised): $385.5MM Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projections from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) Taylor Clarke (5.148): $1.9MM Kris Bubic (5.135): $6MM John Schreiber (5.027): $3.8MM Jonathan India (5.000): $7.4MM Kyle Wright (4.151): $1.8MM Kyle Isbel (4.043): $2.7MM Bailey Falter (3.138): $3.3MM Daniel Lynch IV (3.136): $1.3MM Sam Long (3.121): $950K Vinnie Pasquantino (3.101): $5.4MM Angel Zerpa (3.082): $1.2MM Michael Massey (3.068): $2MM MJ Melendez (3.016): $2.65MM Maikel Garcia (2.168): $4.8MM James McArthur (2.150): $800K Non-tender candidates: India, Wright, Falter, Long, Massey, Melendez, McArthur Free Agents Lorenzen, Grichuk, Mike Yastrzemski, Hunter Harvey, Adam Frazier, Luke Maile The Royals got an early jump on their offseason work when they agreed to a contract extension with Seth Lugo just before the trade deadline. Lugo's previous deal allowed him to opt out of the contract's final year and enter free agency this winter, and the Royals seemed to at least test the trade market just in case an extension couldn't be finalized. As it turned out, the veteran righty will now be staying in K.C. through at least the 2027 campaign, further solidifying the Royals' starting corps. The rotation was more good than elite this season, as injuries played a role. Lugo himself missed about a month and a half due to back and finger issues, Kris Bubic's All-Star season was ended by a rotator cuff strain in late July, and 2024 All-Star Cole Ragans was limited to 13 starts and 61 2/3 innings due to a rotator cuff strain of his own. The silver lining to these health issues was that Noah Cameron got the opportunity to break into the rotation, as the rookie delivered a 2.99 ERA over his first 138 1/3 frames in the majors. Better health is obviously no guarantee for 2026, yet assuming the Royals deal with just an average amount of injury misfortune, their rotation looks like one of the more solid on-paper units in baseball. The Royals have fewer questions about their starting pitching than most clubs, due to both a high talent floor and plenty of depth. Mutual options are almost always declined anyway, but Michael Lorenzen probably would've been moving on regardless considering all of the other pitching options on hand. Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription BENEFITS Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco. Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony. Remove ads and support our writers. Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker View the full article

Photo Credit: 20th Century Studios Predator: Badlands has received a surprising MPA rating that has left some fans feeling disappointed. Predator: Badlands opens in United States theaters next month. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, the 20th Century Studios sequel movie stars Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and Elle Fanning. What is Predator: Badland’s MPA rating? Predator: Badlands will receive a PG-13 rating. This makes it the first movie in the main Predator franchise to not be rated R; although, the 2004 Alien vs. Predator crossover movie was also rated PG-13. Some fans were disappointed to learn this news, while others are approaching it with optimism and putting their faith in Trachtenberg. Producer Ben Rosenblatt told IGN that, despite the PG-13 rating, Badlands will still have plenty of alien violence for fans to enjoy. He said that they intended to make a PG-13 film that “feels like an R” in an effort to “broaden out the audience for a movie like this. “We don’t have any humans in the movie, and so we don’t have any human red blood,” he said. “So we’re hoping that’s gonna play to our advantage. We’re going to go as hard as we possibly can within those constraints, and we think we’ll be able to do some pretty awesomely gruesome stuff. But in colors other than red.” It’s worth noting that Predator: Badlands has not yet received an official MPA on FilmRatings.com or 20th Century Studios. While it’s still expected to get a PG-13, the official reasoning behind the rating has not yet been disclosed. The synopsis for Predator: Badlands reads, “Set in the future on a deadly remote planet, Badlands follows a young Predator outcast (played by newcomer Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) who finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Elle Fanning) as he embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.” Predator: Badlands will be released on November 7, 2025. Originally reported by Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype. The post Predator: Badlands MPA Rating Has Fans Disappointed in Sci-Fi Movie appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. View the full article

The Houston Rockets have an open roster spot and will likely file for a $14.1 million disabled player exception (DPE) after star point guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL at an unofficial team minicamp in the Bahamas. If the NBA determines VanVleet is out until mid-June, the league would grant the exception, which would […] The post Rockets Expected To File For $14.1M DPE After Fred VanVleet’s Injury appeared first on Basketball Insiders | NBA Rumors And Basketball News. View the full article

http://blogs.fangraphs.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Quinn-Priester-Bryan-Woo-Logan-Webb.pngCharles LeClaire, Neville E. Guard, Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images This season, four different starters suffered a loss in which they went exactly six innings, struck out exactly six batters, and allowed exactly seven hits, three earned runs, and no unearned runs. Three of them faced the exact same number of batters. But those four pitchers all finished with different pitching lines because they all walked a different number of batters. Our regular season database goes back to 1871, and it contains 241,730 games, each of them unique. In 1927, Bob Smith set a record by facing a whopping 89 batters in a 4-3, 22-inning loss to the Cubs. In 2021, Pablo López became the first starter ever to be charged with a loss after plunking the one and only batter he faced. There may be 50 ways to leave your lover and 5,000 ways to die, but the various ways to lose a baseball game are unconstrained by any such limits. I could keep on going. In 1959, Harvey Haddix was perfect through 12 innings, then lost the game and the perfecto in the 13th. Five years later, Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt .45s pitched the only complete-game no-hitter in history to end as a loss. I bring up these performances because, watching these playoffs, I can’t help but think about pitchers who earn losses despite pitching brilliantly. Just last night in the NLDS matchup between the Dodgers and Phillies, Jesús Luzardo threw six scoreless innings and retired 17 batters in a row, but he took the loss when two inherited runners scored. Last week, Nick Pivetta took the loss after allowing two runs over five innings to the Cubs, and on the same day, Gavin Williams took a loss for the Guardians because he allowed two unearned runs over six innings. Today, we’re specifically looking for the pitchers who put up great numbers across all of their losses during the 2025 season. This doesn’t necessarily mean the pitchers who had the worst run support or defense behind them overall. It just means that specifically during the games they went on to lose, they pitched particularly well. Hard luck losses will always happen. As Jacob deGrom can tell you from long experience, any pitcher good enough to hold the other team to a single run will eventually suffer a 1-0 loss. (In fact, all five of the top spots on that particular Stathead search belong to Hall of Famers, with Walter Johnson and Nolan Ryan tied at 63. Amazingly, Johnson, the second-winningest pitcher of all time, also lost 13 games in which he didn’t allow a single earned run, the highest mark ever.) But it takes a confluence of factors to end the season with great numbers across all of your losses. Just ask Quinn Priester. After years of prospect hype, Preister broke out to the tune of a 3.32 ERA and 13-3 record with the Brewers this season. Although he only lost three games, he ran an ERA of 3.00 in those losses, the best loss-only ERA of any starter with more than one loss. Priester allowed five earned runs over 15 innings in his three losses. He ran a 2.30 FIP, but the Brewers scored a total of two runs in those three games, and errors cost Priester two unearned runs. The Brewers boasted the game’s ninth-best offense and sixth-best defense this season, and they’re on the verge of sweeping the Cubs in the NLDS. That’s just plain bad luck. Logan Webb turned in arguably the best season of his excellent career, finishing fifth among all pitchers with 5.5 WAR, but he knows a little something about bad luck too. He ran a 3.22 ERA and 2.60 FIP overall, making 2025 his fifth straight season with an ERA below 3.50 and an FIP below 3.20. However, it’s easy to imagine things going even better for Webb. He finished 15-11, and those 26 total decisions put him in a tie for the third-most in baseball. As you’d expect, he got so many decisions because he led all of baseball with 207 innings pitched. Webb ran inverse ERAs, putting up a 2.40 mark in wins and a 4.20 mark in losses, but don’t let that fool you. Across his 11 losses, he put up a 2.97 FIP because he struck out 67 batters and walked just 10. The Giants averaged fewer than two runs per game in his losses and exceeded three runs just three times. Seven times this season, Webb earned either a loss or a no-decision despite surrendering two or fewer runs, and he went at least six innings in six of those seven starts. Had a few more bounces gone Webb’s way, he might have ended up with 20 wins and we might have ended up with a good old fashioned shouting match about whether or not Paul Skenes really deserved the NL Cy Young with a 10-10 record and a 1.97 ERA. Speaking of Skenes, the presumptive Cy Young certainly wasn’t terrible over the course of his 10 losses; he ran a 4.29 ERA and 4.23 FIP. However, across those 10 losses, the Pirates scored just 11 total runs – 11 runs in 10 games! Somehow, when Skenes left those games, he’d kept the Pirates within two runs of the lead six times. Unfortunately for him, they would only go on to score two total runs after his departures. Bryan Woo deserves a special mention here. Although he earned his seven losses, running a 4.98 ERA and 5.07 FIP during them, he was the only pitcher in baseball to average more than six innings per start in his losses. Mariners manager Dan Wilson really let Woo work deep, and even more impressive, he didn’t seem to be guilty of just leaving his ace in until he exploded. Woo only coughed up a lead in his final inning in two of those seven losses, and Wilson only pulled him mid-inning once. We’ll finish with another playoff performer in Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow got into 18 games during the regular season, but across his three losses, he held opposing batters to a miniscule .510 OPS. That was lowest mark of the 199 different pitchers with at least three losses this season, and nearly 100 points below Glasnow’s .607 OPS in wins and no-decisions. He allowed just one home run and ran a WHIP of 0.88 in those three losses, but the Dodgers scored a grand total of just two runs in them. All the performances I’ve highlighted here are impressive in their own way, but I’ve also checked the historical record, and we didn’t see anything truly spectacular in terms of bad luck this year. If you run a Stathead search for the pitchers with the best loss-only ERAs of all-time, you’ll find 15 different pitchers who lost at least five games in a season while allowing a grand total of zero earned runs, including Cy Young in 1906. Only two pitchers from this century even crack the top 100. The biggest reason for this is that unearned runs have been dropping precipitously since the beginning of baseball history, as you can see from this graph of UERA (that’s unearned run average, for the uninitiated): http://blogs.fangraphs.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ALNL-Unearned-Run-Average1.png In 1900, 31% of all runs were unearned. This year, that number was just below 8%. This is easy to explain. Fielding has improved dramatically over the years, and as Sam Miller has documented, grade inflation has made its way to the official scorer’s desk, making it harder to earn an error than ever before. Knowing this, you might assume that it would be impossible for one of today’s pitchers to put up a historical season in the bad luck department, but that’s not quite true. If we look at the lowest loss-only ERAs after World War II, we see a whole lot of entries from 1968, The Year of the Pitcher, but a third of the entries are from the past 25 years, and two of them are from within the past decade. Michael Pineda’s 2014 season is at the very top of the list. Pineda went 5-5 with a 1.89 ERA that season. During those five losses, his ERA was still an astonishing 2.08. Unfortunately for Pineda, the Yankees scored just two runs in those five games! Best Loss-Only ERA Since 1946 Player Year ERA L UER OPS Michael Pineda 2014 2.08 5 2 .568 Bob Gibson 1968 2.14 9 8 .580 José Rijo 1991 2.25 6 3 .555 Tom Murphy 1968 2.27 6 3 .480 Sam McDowell 1968 2.34 14 19 .607 Bruce Howard 1966 2.43 5 2 .555 Pedro Martínez 2000 2.44 6 0 .496 Steve Barber 1968 2.5 5 10 .640 Steve Rogers 1973 2.57 5 2 .666 Brett Oberholtzer 2013 2.7 5 3 .661 Pablo Torrealba 1977 2.7 6 3 .653 Jacob deGrom 2018 2.71 9 3 .590 John Denny 1984 2.75 7 4 .630 Clarke Schmidt 2024 2.77 5 3 .626 Dean Chance 1964 2.79 9 3 .664 Bobby Shantz 1957 2.86 5 5 .688 Source: Stathead Minimum of five losses. Unsurprisingly, we also see deGrom’s Cy Young 2018 season on the list. He joins Bob Gibson and Pedro Martínez in making the list while winning the award. deGrom went 10-9, and the Mets scored 11 total runs in those nine games. The line I really want you to notice, though, is Clarke Schmidt’s. Schmidt ran a 2.77 ERA over five losses just last year! Schmidt went 5-5 and the Yankees scored 11 runs in his five losses. However, eight of those 11 runs came after Schimdt had left the game! Even less fortunate for Schimdt, the Yankees went on to win in all six of his no-decisions! The Yankees had no problem scoring runs during Schmidt’s starts. They just weren’t inclined to do so while he was actually on the mound and in a position to benefit from them. All of this is to say that although nobody cracked the list this year, today’s pitchers still have a chance. With the right season-long combination of great pitching, paltry run support, bad defense, and runs from inherited runners, anyone could end up at the top of this dubious Stathead search. They probably wouldn’t consider this good news, though. Source View the full article

(Image Credit: Lionsgate/Universal Pictures) Michael, the long-awaited movie about Michael Jackson, reportedly experienced major changes during reshoots. What changes occurred for the Michael Jackson biopic? Michael’s journey from production to the big screen has been tumultuous. Originally scheduled for a 2025 release, Michael was delayed until 2026 due to reshoots. The movie’s third act reportedly touched on Jackson’s sexual abuse allegations in the early ’90s. However, an agreement between the Jackson estate and the pop star’s accuser was already in place, stating that Jackson’s accuser should not be included in the film. According to Puck’s Matthew Belloni, Michael’s reshoots are complete, and the movie now features a different ending. “Additional photography has now wrapped, and the film ends after Jackson’s triumphant rise to fame in the ’80s,” Belloni wrote. “So all the footage of MJ’s later King of Pop (and scandal-plagued) years, including two weeks of shooting at Neverland Ranch, now owned by Ron Burkle, is unusable.” Due to the first cut being nearly four hours, Lionsgate has considered splitting Michael into two movies. Because of the reshoots and financial gamble, a second movie is not guaranteed. “Producer Graham King’s plan is to make a second Michael movie that would include all that stuff, plus a significant amount of additional, yet-to-be-shot footage with stars Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, and Miles Teller, but that will now depend on — yes, you guessed it — how the film is received by audiences next April,” Belloni added. “If it’s a hit, or if all signs are pointing that direction, they greenlight part two, and if not, producers eat all that unused footage.” Jafaar Jackson stars as Michael Jackson. Jafaar is Michael’s nephew and the son of Michael’s brother, Jermaine. The rest of the ensemble includes Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Kat Graham, Larenz Tate, and Derek Luke. Antoine Fuqua directs Michael from a screenplay by John Logan. Lionsgate will release Michael in the United States, while Universal will handle international distribution. Belloni’s report mentioned that the Michael trailer will be attached to showings of Wicked: For Good in November. Michael opens in theaters on April 24, 2026. The post Michael Jackson Movie Reshoots Significantly Changed Ending, Sequel Not Guaranteed appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. View the full article

Photo Credit: @espncfb / YouTube After Paul Finebaum controversially claimed in last week’s interview with Outlook that he had an interest in running for the Senate, rumors about ESPN banning him emerged. This sparked a range of reactions from fans and even prompted a minor political debate. However, it seems that this report is not true, and Paul Finebaum remains part of ESPN shows. ESPN executive clarifies that Paul Finebaum has not been banned despite rumors Rumors emerged on Monday that ESPN had banned Paul Finebaum from its shows. They followed the controversial interview where Finebaum addressed the possibility of running for a Senate seat. While the possibility surprised many, few expected ESPN to take action. Rumors soon circulated about tension between Finebaum and ESPN. Outkick’s Clay Travis reported that ESPN had frozen Finebaum out of the network. In a X (formerly known as Twitter) post, Travis wrote, “Per sources: Disney/ESPN has removed @finebaum from appearing on @ESPN since his @outkick interview expressing interest in running as a Republican for senate in Alabama. ESPN has canceled all network appearances on all shows, including some that have occurred for a decade plus.” Since Travis’s report, other outlets have refuted the claim that Paul Finebaum was canceled by ESPN. More importantly, ESPN vice president of communications Bill Hofheimer reshared the tweet and wrote, “This is not true at all. The below is TOTALLY FALSE,” confirming that Paul Finebaum remains with ESPN. Sports Business Journal also confirmed that Finebaum will appear on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday morning. The past week’s interview drew significant attention because Finebaum openly supported Trump and expressed interest in politics. Although he has not appeared on any ESPN program since, his return does not seem far off. The post No, ESPN Has Not Banned Paul Finebaum from Its Shows appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. View the full article

Today’s Featured Book Deals $1.99Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-AnstineGet This Deal $2.99Society of Lies by Lauren Ling BrownGet This Deal $1.99Spinning Silver by Naomi NovikGet This Deal $1.99Academy for Liars by Alexis HendersonGet This Deal $2.99Just for the Summer by Abby JimenezGet This Deal $2.99By Any Other Name by Jodi PicoultGet This Deal $1.99There’s Always This Year by Hanif AbdurraqibGet This Deal $1.99Fingersmith by Sarah WatersGet This Deal $1.99The Bog Wife by Kay ChronisterGet This Deal $1.99A Cruel Thirst by Angela MontoyaGet This Deal $1.99A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez, Megan McDowell (trans.)Get This Deal $1.99The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-GarciaGet This Deal $1.99By the Fire We Carry by Rebecca NagleGet This Deal $1.99Heart Berries by Terese Marie MailhotGet This Deal $1.99It’s Elementary by Elise BryantGet This Deal $1.99Cantoras by Caro de RobertisGet This Deal In Case You Missed Yesterday’s Most Popular Book Deals $2.99Awakened by A.E. OsworthGet This Deal $1.99The Gene by Siddhartha MukherjeeGet This Deal $2.99American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond by Jeremy DauberGet This Deal $1.99Babel by R. F KuangGet This Deal View the full article

Photo Credit: Netflix Netflix has officially released The Witcher‘s Season 4 trailer, previewing the upcoming entry in the long-running series. The Witcher Season 4 is set to debut on Netflix on October 30, 2025. “After the Continent-altering events of Season Three, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri find themselves separated by a raging war and countless enemies,” reads the official synopsis for Season 4 of The Witcher. “As their paths diverge, and their goals sharpen, they stumble on unexpected allies eager to join their journeys. And if they can accept these found families, they just might have a chance at reuniting for good…” Check out The Witcher Season 4 trailer below: What does The Witcher Season 4 trailer? The new trailer of The Witcher sees Geralt continuing his search for Ciri. As he looks to reunite with her, Ciri also forges her own path forward and both find their paths beginning to diverge following Season 3’s events. Season 4 of The Witcher will star Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia and will also star Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Princess Cirilla of Cintra, Joey Batey as Jaskier, Laurence Fishburne as Regis, Eamon Farren as Cahir, Anna Shaffer as Triss Merrigold, Mimî M Khayisa as Fringilla, Cassie Clare as Philippa, Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz, and more. The Witcher Season 4 was created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, who returns as showrunner and executive producer. The season was written by Hissrich, Tania Lotia, Rae Benjamin, Troy Dangerfield, Matthew D’Ambrosio, Javier Grilllo-Marxuach, Clare Higgins, and Mike Ostrowski. Originally reported by Anthony Nash on SuperHeroHype. The post The Witcher Season 4 Trailer Features the Debut of Liam Hemsworth’s Geralt appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. View the full article

The return of the Skins Game shows how much has changed in 17 years. The four players are among the top six in the world, it's moving from the California desert to South Florida and it will be broadcast on Prime Video instead of network TV.View the full article

Jon Rahm, who plays in Madrid this week after a short break, said the Ryder Cup was "mentally the toughest week of my career" but also "the most fun I've had."View the full article

Photo Credit: ITN Distribution An upcoming horror flick titled The Ritual House was actually filmed in a real-life haunted location. The Ritual House is a new film directed by Crystal J. Huang. Distributed by ITN and written by Donna Spangler, it stars social media star Lauren Francesca as a character named Courtney Cable. The cast also includes Spangler, Huang, Keiara Scranton, Neil Bentley Fierro, Bron Theron, Anna Yosin, Brandon Lill, Arthur Peng, Curt Clendenin, and David L. Klein. Watch a trailer for the movie below (watch more trailers and clips): What do we know about The Ritual House? The Ritual House was filmed almost entirely inside the real home of two of the movie’s lead actors. The film’s characters were written using the actors’ real names, and many working on the project experienced “chilling events no script could have staged” during production. “Francesca described a terrifying moment when she felt an invisible shove in the backyard, sending her tumbling into the pool. Lights flickered and flashed randomly throughout filming,” a press release for the film reads. “ In one late-night incident, the homeowner discovered the basement light blazing — though no one had entered — and reported strange noises echoing from the shadows. The supernatural activity wasn’t limited to the cast. A longtime housekeeper, asked to stay and care for pets during filming, refused to remain overnight, claiming she saw shifting shadows and felt a ‘presence’ in the halls.” One of Huang’s close friends developed “sudden welts and scratches on his legs” while visiting the set, while some props would randomly shatter or turn on and off without warning. “The Ritual House tells the story of two friends who awaken something ancient after turning their inherited home into a short-term rental,” a description of the movie’s plot reads. The Ritual House will have its world premiere on October 24, 2025, at The Chabot Theatre in Castro Valley, California. It will also launch on Tubi on the same day before arriving on other digital platforms, such as Roku and Fandango at Home, later in October. Source: ITN Distribution The post New Horror Movie The Ritual House’s Set Was Actually Haunted appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. View the full article

Photo Credit: Manoli Figetakis/Getty Images After Ego Nwodim departed SNL, Sherri Shepherd called out the lack of diversity in the late-night sketch comedy show’s Season 51 premiere on her own daytime talk show, urging them to hire a Black comic for the cast. She called it an “emergency.” Here’s what Sherri Shepherd said about SNL needing a Black woman after Ego Nwodim’s departure. Sherri Shepherd asks SNL to cast a Black woman following Ego Nwodim’s departure Sherri Shepherd was quick to notice the lack of diversity in the premiere episode of SNL Season 51. Ego Nwodim’s departure left the episode with no Black women. Though the show hired five new cast members — Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska — Nwodim’s exit came after the new casting. This left little diversity in the group. Addressing this, Sherri Shepherd said, “When I watched Saturday Night Live this weekend, I did notice something was missing: Ego Nwodim left the show. She was their only Black female cast member, so now there are no Black women on SNL. So what do I say to SNL? Y’all gotta hurry up and you gotta find somebody, this is a break glass in case of an emergency. It is an emergency.” She repeatedly emphasized that SNL was the kind of show that needed diversity. “We gotta have representation on that show,” she added. She went on to recall the lack of diversity in the show from earlier years. Shepherd pointed out that the show often lacked enough Black cast members to portray real-life figures. She recalled, “When I cohosted The View, there was no Black woman on the show to play me… There was no Black woman to even play Whoopi [Goldberg] — Kenan Thompson would play Whoopi at the table when they spoofed us!” Shepherd acknowledged that Nwodim’s departure was a big blow, and it might be difficult to find a replacement right away. But she emphasized that there were a lot of talented people out there, and SNL should continue its search for someone to replace Nwodim. “SNL, do not disappoint us. You are charged!” she added. Hopefully, SNL will address this soon. The post Sherri Shepherd on Why SNL Must Cast a Black Woman After Ego Nwodim’s Exit appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. View the full article

Jared Leto as Ares in Disney's TRON: ARES. Photo by Leah Gallo. © 2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. There’s a moment in Tron: Ares where Evan Peters’s character exclaims, “That might be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” It’s funny; I was thinking the exact same thing throughout the entire movie. 43 years after Tron first pulled audiences into the Grid and 15 years after Tron: Legacy brought us back into this world, this movie reminds us that the future still glows neon, and it’s louder, sleeker, and stronger than ever. In many ways, Tron: Ares feels like a risk. It’s a departure from the previous two movies, which primarily set themselves within the world of Tron. The majority of this sequel is set in the real world, but the screenplay from Jesse Wigutow allows the technology we’re familiar with from that world to enter ours. Tron: Legacy featured a very blue and orange color palette, but this movie swaps those colors out for red. Red is everywhere in this movie, and it’s such a phenomenal aesthetic change that works perfectly within this universe. The film is set a few years after Tron: Legacy. Sam Flynn has left his position as CEO of ENCOM, which is now run by Eve Kim (Greta Lee). Her rival CEO is Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), grandson of Ed Dillinger, the antagonist of the 1982 movie. Dillinger creates a super-intelligent program named Ares (Jared Leto), and the movie follows what happens when Ares begins to develop a mind of his own. It’s a fascinating look at the ever-present topic of artificial intelligence, and it’s told in the most entertaining way possible. Tron: Ares makes the bold choice of setting things in our world, so what happens when you take the Light Cycles and the Identity Discs and you throw them into the cityscapes we know and love? Chaos. Pure, unbridled madness. And that’s what I live for. The film is the most grounded and accessible out of all the Trons because we spend so much of it in a world that’s familiar to us. We’re not watching entire set pieces made on computers and green screens. We’re watching practical stunts and effects, background actors running away, and having a hell of a good time. This movie does such a superb job of combining practical effects with visual effects. Joachim Rønning is also a very talented director. It makes sense as to why Disney has continually hired him, after Young Woman and the Sea, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. He understands that in order to sell heightened technologies like we see here, the imperfections are the key to perfection. There are shots that are mounted onto Light Cycles as they’re speeding down the street; when you see a shot like that, you forget that functional Light Cycles (unfortunately) are not real. He’s always doing something dynamic with the camera, especially during the action. One of the early set pieces surrounds two characters on Light Cycles chasing Eve on a motorcycle, and it instantly sold me. It’s one of the best action sequences of the film. We have another shot where the camera is mounted onto a car that Eve is driving, and the camera stays locked onto the side mirror so that we see Eve’s face driving the car while the stunt is being performed. Even if Greta Lee wasn’t actually driving the car in this stunt, little moments like this do an incredible job of selling the idea that she was. I also love when movies move at a breakneck pace. This is a fast-paced, thrilling movie that launches at full throttle and never slows down. Leto turns in a solid leading man performance, but it’s particularly nice to see Lee in this kind of mainstream blockbuster role after Past Lives. There’s a set piece in the movie that pays tribute to the original 1982 Tron perfectly, and made me appreciate that film more. Tron: Ares does tread on some familiar territory, but it’s told in such an entertaining way with so many breathtaking visual effects and a soundscape unlike any other. This movie is electrifying, and as a lover of Tron: Legacy, it didn’t let me down. It’s a very different movie that focuses on new characters, but it all works out to create a stellar cinematic experience that should be seen on the biggest screen possible. SCORE: 9/10 As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 9 equates to “Excellent.” Entertainment that reaches this level is at the top of its type. The gold standard that every creator aims to reach. Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our Tron: Ares review. The post Tron: Ares Review: A Mind-Blowing Sci-Fi Action Spectacle appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. View the full article

http://blogs.fangraphs.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Carlos-Rodon-ALDS-G3-Preview-2025.jpgBrad Penner-Imagn Images The Yankees got absolutely thrashed by the Blue Jays during the first two games of the Division Series, losing Saturday’s opener 10-1 and then again on Sunday, 13-7. To be fair, the first game was tight right up to the seventh-inning stretch, after which the Blue Jays expanded their 2-1 lead with four runs apiece in the seventh and eighth innings, but by the same token, Game 2 wasn’t even as close as that six-run margin suggests. The Yankees not only trailed 12-0 through five innings, but also were no-hit by Trey Yesavage through 5 1/3 innings before breaking through against reliever Justin Bruihl in the sixth. Now, for the second time in less than a week, they’ll turn to Carlos Rodón to face an AL East rival with their season on the line. The 32-year-old Rodón started Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, one night after Garrett Crochet and Aroldis Chapman stifled the Yankees in the opener. Rodón held the Red Sox to three runs in six-plus innings, getting by with more than a little help from his friends. He retired the first six batters he faced before running into trouble in the third inning. Jarren Duran, the lone lefty in the lineup, singled, then Ceddanne Rafaela worked a walk, with Rodón exacerbating the situation with a throwing error on switch-hitter Nick Sogard’s sacrifice bunt. Though he recovered to strike out lefty-masher Rob Refsnyder, both runners scored on a sharp single by Trevor Story. Rodón escaped further damage when he induced Alex Bregman to ground into a double play that began with an acrobatic spin move by second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. After a clean top of the fifth, Rodón was briefly staked to a 3-2 lead thanks to Aaron Judge’s RBI single, but it proved short-lived. Rodón fell behind Story 2-0 to lead off the fifth, then threw him a meatball, a 95.2-mph four-seamer that ended up in the middle of the strike zone and was hammered 381 feet to left field for a game-tying home run. A four-pitch walk to Bregman put him on the ropes, but he recovered by retiring Romy Gonzalez on a popout, then getting Carlos Narváez to ground into an around-the-horn double play. With his pitch count at a reasonable 82, manager Aaron Boone sent Rodón back out to start the seventh, but he walked Nate Eaton on four pitches, threw a wild pitch that sent him to second, then grazed Duran with a 3-0 pitch. Reliever Fernando Cruz managed to clean up the mess without further damage, aided by a stellar diving stop by Chisholm on a Masataka Yoshida infield single that, had it not been stopped, probably would have plated both Duran and Eaton. The Yankees scored what proved to be the decisive run in the eighth, when Chisholm worked a walk against Garrett Whitlock, then raced home on a long single into the right field corner by Austin Wells. For the night, Rodón threw 91 pitches, yielding four hits and walking three while striking out six. He generated 16 called strikes and 10 whiffs, five with his changeup, four with his slider, and one with his four-seamer; both his 28.5% called strike and whiff rate and 11% swinging-strike rate were a bit below his regular season marks (29.5% and 12.4%, respectively), each of which ranked in the 80th percentile or higher among ERA qualifiers. Contact-wise, his average exit velocity of 93.3 mph and 50% hard-hit rate were further off his season marks, though Story’s homer was the only ball the Red Sox barreled. Rodón is coming off a strong campaign, one that represents a vast improvement on the first two seasons of his six-year, $162 million deal, even if it wasn’t quite as dominant as his career-best 18-9 record suggests. He set career highs with 33 starts and 195 1/3 innings, tying for second in the majors in the former and fourth in the latter. Additionally, he ranked seventh among AL qualifiers in strikeout rate (25.7%) and eighth in ERA (3.08). While both his strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate represented slight steps in the wrong direction relative to 2024, he posted the AL’s lowest batting average allowed among qualifiers (.187) and cut his home run rate from 1.59 per nine to 1.01, part of a vast improvement in his contact profile: Carlos Rodón Statcast Profile Season Team EV EV Pctile LA Barrel% Brl Pctile HardHit% HH Pctile ERA xERA 2021 CHW 89.2 38th 18.7 6.6% 67th 36.1% 68th 2.37 2.68 2022 SFG 89.0 35th 19.4 6.5% 66th 39.7% 30th 2.88 2.64 2023 NYY 91.6 2nd 22.1 12.1% 1st 41.6% 30th 6.85 5.32 2024 NYY 90.4 11th 18.1 11.0% 4th 40.9% 32nd 3.96 4.12 2025 NYY 88.6 66th 12.8 7.5% 62nd 38.9% 64th 3.09 3.31 Source: Baseball Savant In Rodón’s first season with the Yankees — one in which he was limited to 14 starts due to forearm and left hamstring strains as well as back stiffness, which required a cortisone shot — he ranked near the very bottom among qualified pitchers in both average exit velocity and barrel rate. Two years later, he was well above average in those departments, with a career-low average exit velo as well as his lowest average launch angle since 2017. That latter mark coincides with Rodón’s vastly improved groundball rate. His 9.6-point jump from 2024 (33.8%) to ’25 (43.5%) ranked third in the majors among pitchers with at least 50 innings in both seasons, behind Griffin Canning (10.2%) and Tanner Bibee (10.1%). That jump owes something to Rodón’s reconfigured repertoire. This year, he regularly used a sinker for the first time since 2018, throwing it 31.3% of the time against lefties, who hit just .119 and slugged .143 against it, while whiffing on 31.9% of their swings, though just 3.2% of the time against righties, who hit .364 and slugged .409 against it, albeit in just 23 plate appearances. http://blogs.fangraphs.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/rodonpitchpct-scaled.png Batters hit groundballs on 57.7% of the 52 sinkers they put into play, the highest rate among Rodón’s offerings save for his curveball, which produced just seven balls in play: Carlos Rodón Groundball Rate by Pitch Type Pitch 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Four-Seamer 33.9% 30.7% 23.9% 25.6% 28.4% Slider 52.9% 40.5% 32.6% 40.0% 48.0% Changeup 34.0% 33.3% 50.0% 56.5% 56.6% Curveball — 50.0% 33.3% 32.0% 71.4% Sinker — — — — 57.7% During Rodón’s media session before the Wild Card Series opener, I asked him about the “new” pitch, which he reintroduced in collaboration with the Yankees’ analytics department and coaching staff. “[When] I came in the league, I had what you call a two-seamer. Back then we didn’t have quite the movement plots that we do now and understanding pitch movement and pitch profiles the way we do now,” he said. “So it was slightly a different pitch, and the grip was slightly different. I had an idea of how to throw what you call a sinker, two-seamer from throwing it eight, nine years ago… we just stumbled upon it and the Yankees pitching department refined it. [Pitching coach] Matt Blake had a hand in that, [assistant pitching coach] Preston [Claiborne] had a hand in that. We went with it.” Rodón’s sinker comes in slightly slower than his four-seamer (averaging 91.9 mph vs. 94.1) with almost a foot more drop (6.3 inches of induced vertical break vs. 17.6 inches) and more arm-side movement (14.6 inches vs. 10.8 inches). Before Rodón’s Wild Card Series start, Boone described the lefty’s evolution, saying, “He is a more complete pitcher, [has] more ways of beating you now.” More: “For the bulk of his career, he was that fastball-slider guy, big four-seam fastball up in the zone with the wipeout slider. As he has navigated these last couple of years and obviously had a lot of success for us the last couple of years, he’s evolved that arsenal a little bit… He still has a four-seam [and] slider that’s bread and butter for him. Now he is incorporating the sinker. The changeup is a really good pitch for him now. He can slow you down and spin it in there. “He has a lot of different ways to go about it now. There’s been a lot of different games where something different has been featured and really been that go-to pitch for him. Add it all up and it has been a really strong year.” The other notable aspect of Rodón’s evolution has been a greater effort to control his emotions. His experience pitching big games, as well as his talking to some of the Yankees’ big-game pitchers of yesteryear, seems to have helped. “I learned fairly quick last year that things need to be in check, and [I need to] save that energy for some extra innings down the road,” he said of the extent to which he dialed back his celebration of strikeouts. After his rough 3 2/3-inning, four-run start against the Royals in Game 2 of last year’s Division Series — a start that began with the very amped-up lefty strutting around after striking out five of the first eight hitters he faced before things escalated — he spoke to Andy Pettitte (now a Yankees advisor) and Gerrit Cole (currently serving as a quasi-assistant pitching coach as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery). “Those two, after that start, got my mind where it needed to be,” he said. As for how all of this will translate to Tuesday’s critical start, Rodón has his work cut out. The Blue Jays tied for third in the majors with a 111 wRC+ against lefties, and in the two times they faced Rodón — both at the Rogers Centre, within a span of 22 days — they chased him after five labor-intensive innings: On June 30, Rodón burned through 96 pitches, allowing five hits and three walks but just two runs while striking out four. Boone brought him out to start the sixth with the Yankees ahead 2-1, but pulled him after he yielded a leadoff double to Davis Schneider, then watched the bullpen melt down to allow four runs in what ended up as a 5-4 defeat. On July 21, six days after Rodón threw a scoreless inning in the All-Star Game (his first appearance in three trips to the Midsummer Classic), he threw 107 pitches, allowing six hits, five walks and four runs, all in the fifth; the big blow was a two-run double by Bo Bichette, who is out of commission for this series due to a left knee sprain. After Rodón won a 14-pitch battle (!) to get Schneider to pop up for the second out, throwing errors by third baseman Oswald Peraza and shortstop Anthony Volpe made the last two runs unearned. To Boone’s point about Rodón’s having different go-to pitches in different outings, in the first of those two starts against Toronto, his four-seamer (37.5%) and slider (34.4%) accounted for nearly three-quarters of his offerings, while in the second, his four-seamer (50.5%) and changeup (25.2%) made up over three-quarters of his pitches. The Jays were all over that slider, hitting .364 and slugging .545 against it while whiffing on just 5.3% of their swings, but they hit a more modest .222 and slugged .333 against the four-seamer, whiffing on 21.4% of their swings. Rodón threw his sinker just 8.2% of the time in those two games, with batters swinging at just six of the 17 he threw them, whiffing on two (one for strike three), fouling three off, and hitting one 100.1 mph to center field for an out. If manager John Schneider matches what he did against the left-handed Max Fried on Sunday, the only lefties in the Blue Jays lineup might be center fielder Daulton Varsho (who went 4-for-5 overall, with two doubles in two at-bats against Fried, plus two homers off righty Will Warren) and second baseman-turned-shortstop Andrés Giménez (who struck out and singled against Fried). Varsho hit for a respectable 99 wRC+ in 56 plate appearances against lefties this year and owns a career 90 wRC+ against them; Giménez managed just a 39 wRC+ in 86 PA against them this year but similarly owns a 92 wRC+ against them for his career, with his defensive advantage over Bichette helping to offset the loss of the latter’s 143 wRC+ against lefties this year. Righties Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (163 wRC+ against lefties), Ernie Clement (146 wRC+), and George Springer (132 wRC+) gave lefties a hard time, and both Alejandro Kirk (113 wRC+) and Davis Schneider (106 wRC+) were at least solid. Particularly with Tim Hill the only lefty reliever the Yankees are carrying in this series, having a platoon disadvantage isn’t going to be much of a concern for Toronto. Rodón recognizes the challenge, saying in his media session on Sunday, “There’s not a lot of miss. They’re tough to strike out. They force action. They put the ball in play. They make teams play defense. They’re pretty athletic. There’s also slug within the lineup. And it makes it tough. There’s times where you need a strikeout, and just the miss isn’t there. They seem to have a really good understanding of the zone as well. So the chase is low… they have a good idea of what they want to do at the plate.” Regarding that lack of swing-and-miss, the Blue Jays had the majors’ third-lowest swinging-strike rate (9.4%) and lowest strikeout rate (17.8%), with players such as Clement (10.4% strikeout rate), Kirk (11.7%), and Guerrero (13.8%) particularly difficult to punch out. That said, Toronto’s 28.9% chase rate was actually the majors’ ninth-highest mark, though the Jays did have the highest out-of-zone contact rate (63.6%) by four full percentage points — which generally works in a pitcher’s favor. Kirk’s .305 average and .356 slugging on pitches outside the zone were by far the best marks on the team. There’s no getting around the fact that the Blue Jays — who will counter Rodón with Shane Bieber — are squarely in control of this series, after winning the division on the basis of their 8-5 series advantage during the regular season. For as well as Rodón has pitched in 2025, and for as well as he may end up pitching Tuesday night, it still may not be enough for the Yankees to stave off elimination. Source View the full article

October 7th and 8th are Amazon Prime Days, and that means a whole lot of sales for members, including on books and Kindles. We’ve included some of the most exciting sales on hardcovers, paperbacks, and book boxed sets below, but there are a lot more to explore. Check out our Daily Book Deals page for ebook sales. There are some categories of books that have a ton of titles on sale during Prime Days. Take a browse through the cookbooks section and children’s books section to start with. Most Dungeons and Dragons books are also on sale today. Here’s a pro tip: most of these titles are on sale even without a Prime membership, but it’s a slightly smaller discount. So it’s worth browsing even as a non member. Now, let’s get into the books! Prime Day Deals $8The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu MandannaGet This Deal $9The Reformatory by Tananarive DueGet This Deal $7Normal People by Sally RooneyGet This Deal $10Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. ButlerGet This Deal $112The Lord of the Rings Deluxe Illustrated by the Author by J. R. R. TolkienGet This Deal $30The Hobbit Illustrated by the Author by J. R. R. TolkienGet This Deal $25The Complete Poppy War Trilogy Boxed Set by R. F. KuangGet This Deal $15The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. JemisinGet This Deal $22A Game of Thrones 5-Book Boxed Set by George R. R. MartinGet This Deal $83The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill WattersonGet This Deal View the full article

A number of teams (and their fanbases) have already turned their attention towards the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so it’s worth taking a look at the players who’ll be available at each position. We’re moving to second base, where the eligibility cutoff is players who either logged at least 50 innings at the position this season or have primarily played there in their careers. Every shortstop could theoretically play second base, and there’ll be teams that have interest in Bo Bichette and/or Ha-Seong Kim on the right side of the infield. They’ll be covered in greater detail with the shortstop preview, so we’ll limit this to true second basemen and/or utility players. Ages listed are for the 2026 season. Previous entries in this series: catcher, first base Everyday Players Gleyber Torres (29) Torres hits the market for a second straight season. He chose a one-year, $15MM pillow contract with the Tigers last time. Torres was coming off a relative down season in his final year with the Yankees. He’d hit .257/.330/.378 across 665 plate appearances, and while that was weighed down by a slow start, teams clearly weren’t making the kind of long-term offers he’d sought. The stint in Detroit started brilliantly. Torres hit .281/.387/.425 in the first half and was named the AL’s starting second baseman at the All-Star Game. The numbers dropped significantly after that, as he limped to a .223/.320/.339 finish amidst Detroit’s near collapse. He ended the year with numbers that were only a little better than he managed in 2024: .256/.358/.387 with 16 homers over 628 plate appearances. Torres is a bat-first second baseman who is a good but not great hitter. He’s young enough to have a shot at a four or even five years, but that would’ve been easier to see if his numbers hadn’t crashed in the second half. Free agency generally hasn’t been kind to second basemen in recent years, especially those who aren’t capable of or willing to play other positions. Torres has been adamant about sticking about the position in the past and seemingly rebuffed interest from the Nationals in moving to third base last offseason. It’s not clear if he’ll be more open to moving around the diamond in his second trip to free agency. The Tigers could make Torres a qualifying offer, which will reportedly come in around $22MM. That looked quite likely early in the season but now seems borderline. The Giants, Angels, Reds, Royals, Astros and potentially Nationals could all be involved if Detroit lets him walk. Jorge Polanco (32) Polanco’s contract technically contains a $6MM player option, but he’s going to decline that and hit free agency. The Mariners surprisingly re-signed him on the heels of a disappointing 2024 season. Seattle attributed the down year to a knee injury through which he’d played that required postseason meniscus surgery. They’ve been proven right with a resurgent year from the switch-hitting infielder. Polanco drilled 26 homers and 30 doubles with a .265/.326/.495 slash line in the regular season. He’s carried the hot bat into October, blasting a couple solo homers off Tarik Skubal on Sunday night to help the Mariners even their Division Series against Detroit. While Polanco can still hit, he’ll face questions about his defensive workload over 162 games. Seattle initially planned to play him at third base, believing that not needing to navigate the second base bag would be easier on his knee. That lasted five games before renewed soreness and an oblique injury led the M’s to use him as a full-time designated hitter for a while. He began mixing in second base work in June and played there regularly for the final three weeks of the season. He logged a little under 300 innings at the keystone overall. Polanco is eligible for a qualifying offer. Seattle probably wouldn’t want to commit $22MM at the beginning of the offseason, but he has played so well this year that it’s at least a long shot possibility — especially if he helps carry the lineup on a deep playoff run. Luis Arraez (29) Arraez also isn’t expected to start 100+ games at second base, though that’s not because of injury. He’s simply not a good defensive player. The Padres have pushed him mostly to first base over the past couple seasons. He only started 10 games and logged 82 innings at second base this year. It’s unlikely teams would want to live with his glove there on an everyday basis, but he could get part-time work while playing mostly first base as he has done in San Diego. Readers are surely familiar with Arraez’s unique offensive skillset. He’s the sport’s best contact hitter and one of the few players who can be expected to hit close to or above .300. The throwback style doesn’t include many walks or extra-base hits, which becomes more of an issue as he falls further down the defensive spectrum. Baseball Reference has valued Arraez around one Win Above Replacement in consecutive seasons. His free agency will be a test case for how much teams still care about batting average. Multi-Positional Types Willi Castro (29) Castro was one of the better utility players available at the deadline. The switch-hitter had turned in a .250/.335/.398 line over two and a half seasons in Minnesota. He looked to be on track for a solid multi-year contract as free agency approached. Things have gone sharply downhill since he was traded to the Cubs, however. Castro hit .170/.245/.240 in 34 games with Chicago. That dropped his season batting mark to .226/.313/.366 through 454 trips to the dish. Adam Frazier (34) The lefty-hitting Frazier was also traded at the deadline. His numbers picked up after the move. Frazier carried a .255/.318/.336 slash in 78 games with the Pirates. He turned in a league-average .283/.320/.402 line in nearly 200 plate appearances in his second stint with the Royals. He finished the year with a .267/.319/.365 line over 459 trips to the plate. Frazier doesn’t take many walks or hit the ball hard, but he’s a plus contact hitter who still grades as a competent defender. Luis Rengifo (29) Rengifo has some similarities to Castro. He’s a switch-hitter, relatively young for a free agent, and has had a couple above-average offensive seasons. He has played all over the field but isn’t an especially good defender anywhere. The bat has been good enough to make up for that in previous years. Rengifo combined for a .273/.323/.431 slash in almost 1300 plate appearances between 2022-24. However, he ended the ’24 campaign on the injured list after undergoing wrist surgery, and he’s now coming off the worst full season of his career in ’25. While he appeared in a personal-high 147 games, he managed just a .238/.287/.335 batting line. He should still command a big league deal based on his track record, but it’ll likely be a one-year contract. Miguel Rojas (37) Teams know what they’re getting from Rojas, a rock solid defensive infielder who can play a fine shortstop, second base or third base. He’s coming off a second straight decent offensive season, hitting .262/.318/.397 across 317 plate appearances. Rojas isn’t going to put many balls in the seats, but he makes a ton of contact and has enough juice to pick up 20-25 doubles. Amed Rosario (30) The Yankees acquired the righty-hitting Rosario from the Nationals at the deadline — one of two utility pickups (along with José Caballero) to complement lefty-swinging infielders Ryan McMahon and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Rosario hit .303 in 16 games in pinstripes and finished the year with a combined .276/.309/.436 line. He has a lifetime .298/.336/.464 slash versus lefty pitching, which should get him another low-cost big league deal. Team Options Ozzie Albies (29) The Braves control Albies on a $7MM option that comes with a $4MM buyout, making it a $3MM decision. That’s still an easy yes even with Albies coming off a second straight middling year and suffering a season-ending hamate fracture. They’re not going to cut their longtime second baseman to save what amounts to low-end utility player/middle reliever money. Brandon Lowe (31) Lowe isn’t going to get to free agency either. The Rays have an $11.5MM club option, a bargain for a middle infielder coming off a 31-homer season. He’ll probably be in trade rumors because this will be his final year under club control and that salary is a bit steep by Rays standards, but Tampa Bay would be able to find a solid trade return even if they’d rather reallocate the money. Minor League Deal Candidates Tim Anderson (33) Orlando Arcia (31) Jon Berti (36) Cavan Biggio (31) Paul DeJong (32) Kyle Farmer (34) Garrett Hampson (31) Kiké Hernández (34) Jose Iglesias (36) Scott Kingery (32) DJ LeMahieu (37) Nicky Lopez (31) Dylan Moore (34) Brendan Rodgers (29) Josh Rojas (32) Chris Taylor (35) Luis Urías (29) View the full article