#free agency

The Los Angeles Dodgers are still in a position to compete despite their quiet offseason. But they could drastically increase their World Series odds by pulling the trigger on a high-profile trade. The MLB trade market has moved fairy slow for the most part with the exception of a few deals. With that being said, could the Dodgers stun the MLB…

Depending on who you ask, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in year two or three of their rebuild, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that the early returns on the Thunder's investment in the draft is paying off sooner than expected, even though two of their top picks in the 2022 NBA Draft haven't played much or at all. According to Basketball…

The Los Angeles Angels need to make improvements to their roster if they want to make a run at the postseason and convince Shohei Ohtani to stay past this season. The Angels need to make improvements to their pitching staff and also acquire a corner outfielder. Another thing they should do is upgrade their middle infield. This free agency class has…

The Los Angeles Dodgers are still looking to shed a few million (especially after acquiring Miguel Rojas) so they can have a comfortable cushion under the first luxury tax threshold in the event they need to make an addition or two at the trade deadline. All of their strategic, financially-conscious decision making over the last few months has…

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Do you have a question that you'd like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? Submit it here. You can also or text Hoynsie at 216-208-4346 for a two-week free trial. Hey, Hoynsie: With all the improvements the Guardians made last year with the hiring of hitting coach Chris Valaika, what happened with Franmil Reyes? -- Jim Harris,…

Al MVP 2022 Aaron Judge is currently a free agent, and which team is he going to land is still the biggest question in the MLB world. Notably, the Yankees are not the only team in the race to land Judge on their team. National League's San Francisco Giants is one of the top running teams who want Judge to sign for them. Last week, Judge reportedly…

Now that the 2022 season is over for the New York Mets, we have been looking back at the year that was. After taking a more general view of the offense, pitching, and coaching staff, it's time to take a deeper dive into the Mets' players. This series will take a look at every player on the roster for the Mets at the end of the season from A (Pete…

Today was the deadline for teams and arbitration eligible players to exchange contract figures. The San Francisco Giants had thirteen arbitration eligible players to start the offseason, and back in October I reasoned that they should focus on eight of those players. About a month later, the team said they'd planned to retain nearly all of…

LOS ANGELES - Both the Yankees and Mets will look into a trade for suddenly available superstar Juan Soto, sources tell The Post. That should surprise no one as his availability represents a rare chance to acquire an all-time talent at age 23. That said, the early speculation around the game is that it won't be easy for anyone to complete a…

Rudy Gobert's game has taken off in Karl-Anthony Towns' absence, and with an exploitable matchup tonight against the beaten-down Suns, our free NBA picks love Minnesota's big man to put up another impressive stat line. Photo By - USA TODAY Sports Despite picking up an unlikely win against defending champion Golden State on Tuesday, the Phoenix Suns…

The San Diego Padres have assembled one of the deepest lineups in baseball following their acquisiton of Xander Bogaerts. Already equipped with Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Juan Soto, the Padres now have four (4!) superstars headlining the top of their lineup. While San Diego's star-studded roster promises to create fireworks on the…

We are less than two weeks into the 2023 calendar year, but we've got bold predictions of a litany of things that will go down in Major League Baseball over the course of the next 11.5 months. Most of our predictions are about things that will happen during the 2023 MLB season, of course. A breakout rookie. An unlikely MVP. A surprise AL West…

One thing Yankees fans know about Gary Sánchez: even in his darkest times, with the highest number of balls bouncing behind him, the slugger still struck fear in the hearts of the Boston Red Sox. As Sánchez sits on the shelf for an excruciatingly long time this offseason - his first shot at free agency - it feels as if he'll either end up on a team…

TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing Toronto FC announced Thursday that they've signed forward Adama Diomande, adding to their depth as head coach and sporting director Bob Bradley further remolds the squad. The move, which saw Diomande go through waivers, reunites Bradley and the Norweigan attacker after they previously worked together at multiple…

A pair of teams seeking more victories in the win column will face off on the ice in the Windy City as the Colorado Avalanche take on the Chicago Blackhawks for some Thursday night action. It is time to check out our NHL odds series where our Avalanche-Blackhawks prediction and pick will be revealed. It is rare to see a defending champion like the…

Welcome to NHL99, The Athletic's countdown of the best 100 players in modern NHL history. We're ranking 100 players but calling it 99 because we all know who's No. 1 - it's the 99 spots behind No. 99 we have to figure out. Every Monday through Saturday until February we'll unveil new members of the list. Martin St. Louis' decorated playing career…

For all the talk about how division races supposedly don't matter as much as they used to -- and I can think of a couple No. 1 and No. 2 seeds who would very much disagree with you -- it still means something to be able to call yourself a champion. I guarantee you there are Guardians fans who have 2022 AL Central champs shirts. It might not be the…

Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees remain alive in the postseason, but free agency rumors persisted throughout the season after he rejected a contract extension worth a reported seven years and $213.5 million at his Opening Day deadline. By all accounts, Judge and his agent, Page Odle, maintained their stance of not further discussing a contract…

A lot has been said about Jack Hughes over the last few weeks. He's been given several titles and labels during this heater he has been on..... A Goal Scorer, Otherworldly, Playmaker, The Big Deal. If I wanted to use a now-dated Game of Thrones analogy, I'd argue he is indeed The Prince that was Promised. If I wanted to use an even more dated…

When drafting Tampa Bay Rays players for a fantasy team I usually go by this principle: do I have to? Like in years past, the Rays have a core group of players that need to be drafted and started in all formats. Wander Franco (80 ADP), Tyler Glasnow (86), Shane McClanahan (33), Randy Arozarena (38), Jeffrey Springs (186), and Drew Rasmussen (187)…

First shortstop Carlos Correa was going to leave the Minnesota Twins to sign a 13-year, $350 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. But concerns over Correa's earlier ankle injury prompted the Giants to back out of the deal after setting up the news conference to announce it. Awkward! That prompted billionaire fanboy Steve Cohen to swoop…

The New York Mets reportedly have concerns about Carlos Correa's surgically repaired leg. Although the leg hasn't given Correa much trouble during his big league career, teams are weary to dish out a long-term contract to the star shortstop. It was the primary reason for Correa's deal with the San Francisco Giants falling apart. So what should…

In a saga that's had more twists and turns than a typical race day at the Monaco Grand Prix, it appears that Carlos Correa has finally figured out where he's going to be playing baseball for the next few seasons. It won't be in San Francisco for 13 years and $350 million and it won't be in Queens for 12 years and $315 million, either. Instead, the…

Twenty years ago, the Yankees would spend like drunken sailors and throw caution to the wind in free agency. There was an abundance of all-star caliber shortstops who hit the free agent market over the past two offseasons, and the Yankees passed on every single one of them. Sitting in the wings is their top prospect Anthony Volpe, who looks to take…

Spencer Torkelson and newly signed free-agent Ronald Acuña Jr. will team up to help the Detroit Tigers break their 45-year World Series drought... in 2029. That's the fanciful prediction of MLB.com, which set out to project the next 10 World Series winners. Author Will Leitch said the Tigers are "too motivated of a franchise, with too desperate of…

While the Carlos Correa negotiations remain in a deadlock, the Blue Jays made (some) headlines yesterday by inking Brandon Belt to a one-year deal worth $9.6 million, per multiple. Belt, a longtime fixture of the Giants' offense, is expected to play first base and serve as Toronto's designated hitter. That means he'll be sharing time with Vladimir…

This has been the weirdest free agency saga in a long time. Nothing quite matches it off the top of my head, at least not in baseball. I'll start by saying this: I think Carlos Correa is a fucking stud and every organization in baseball should be hellbent on acquiring a talent like him any time a talent like him becomes available to sign. In the…

MINNEAPOLIS -- Not once, but twice this offseason, it looked like the Twins were out of the Carlos Correa sweepstakes for good. For the second offseason in a row, the Twins have stunned the baseball world by reportedly agreeing to terms with Correa, this time on a long-term deal guaranteeing six years and $200 million, a source told MLB.com's Mark…

Yesterday, I looked into how the predictions at FanGraphs, both crowdsourced and those produced by me, matched the contracts awarded to free agents this offseason. Today, I'd like to dive into a few cases where I made mistakes in individual player predictions, as well as a few I think I did well on. In each case, I'll try to come up with some…

Gareth Bale announces retirement from professional soccer LAFC forward Gareth Bale has announced his retirement from professional soccer after an esteemed 18-year career, the Welsh superstar announced Monday. Bale, 33, joined LAFC last June after leaving Spanish powerhouse side Real Madrid. He scored one of the most memorable goals in MLS history,…

Major League Baseball's offseason has officially crossed the halfway point. All but five of our top 50 free agents are off the board. The trade market is still open, of course, but the biggest story on that front this offseason has concerned who hasn't been moved rather than who has. Coming into the offseason, the expectation was that the Los…

The New York Yankees already made a splash in free agency by poaching an All-Star from the San Francisco Giants (in more ways than one). Now, they've continued their offseason by signing a front office executive who won multiple World Series titles with the Giants. Brian Sabean, who worked with New York in 1980s and 1990s, recently re-joined the…

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Guardians still need a catcher. Manager Terry Francona said patience is required and that executives Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff will deliver a backstop. That is a good thing because as Casey Stengel said a long time ago, "If you don't have a catcher, you're going to have a lot of passed balls." The winter meetings…

WASHINGTON - The Nationals face an uncomfortable reality they've been all-too-familiar with over the years: Stephen Strasburg is hurt again. He hit the IL on Tuesday for the 15th time in his career and fifth time over the last three seasons. It came after he missed the first two months of the season recovering from last summer's thoracic outlet…

WHO: Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs WHAT: 2022 NBA Summer League WHEN: 5:00 PM CT HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: ESPN/92.9 FM ESPN MEMPHIS PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS: MEMPHIS: Kennedy Chandler, Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia, Santi Aldama, Xavier Tillman SAN ANTONIO: Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, DJ Stewart, Robert Woodard II, Dominick Barlow After…

With the All-Star break in the rearview, the 2022 MLB season is about to kick into high gear. The MLB trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and this year's deadline could see one of the game's best players get moved in Juan Soto. Once the deadline passes, the race for the playoffs will be on with just over two months of the regular season…

After a solid start to the 2022-23 NBA season in October, the San Antonio Spurs have gone all-in on tanking for Victor Wembanyama. In fact, the Spurs have gone 8-24 since November started and are currently second-to-the-last in the entire Western Conference. They are just 2.5 games ahead of in-state rivals the Houston Rockets. We're not convinced…

SAN DIEGO -- "What does it mean?" That is a question the Giants asked themselves over and over again for the last month, through endless rumors, eye-popping quotes in a magazine article, a misspelled and misinformed tweet, and a 13-second video that rocked the baseball world a few days before Thanksgiving. For months, the Giants had prepared to…

Bryan Reynolds, an All-Star center fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, made a formal trade request earlier this month after the two parties were unable to come to terms on an extension. Here, the Pirates hold the most sway. Reynolds' contract will be managed by the team, and they don't appear to be interested in trading him. Far before Reynolds…

SAN DIEGO - Here's one thing that is not a secret: The Tigers, for way too long, struggled in the realm of player development. They did not produce enough international hitters. They did not find and develop international talent. When their rebuild began around 2017, the farm system was largely barren. And as has been well-documented, the Tigers…

This article was written by Kirsten Staple, who is part of the Professional Hockey Writers Association x To Hockey With Love Mentorship Program. This program pairs aspiring writers with established members of the association across North America to create opportunities for marginalized people that do not traditionally get published on larger…

This offseason has the potential to go many different ways for the Cubs. There are a multitude of players at the top of the free agent market that would fit well on this Cubs roster. Jed Hoyer's front office could also opt to make a big trade this winter, leveraging some of the organization's young talent to acquire impact players at the big-league…

The lingering storyline and elephant in the room - for Minnesota and MLB at large - is Carlos Correa's situation with the Mets. The shortstop agreed to terms with Steve Cohen and New York more than two weeks ago, but still no contract has been signed as the Mets - like the Giants before them - ran into concerns in Correa's physical. It's a bizarre…

The Cincinnati Reds have parted ways with slugger Mike Moustakas. The veteran third baseman was signed by the Reds to a four-year contract prior to the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The signing has not worked out too well for Cincinnati, as the slugger hit for an average below.250 in each of his three seasons with the Reds and hit fewer than 10…

Speaking of next year's free agents, Ian Happ is maybe now more inclined to bet on himself and not agree to an extension right now. If he has a repeat 2022 season, or improves, then he'll likely beat what Andrew Benintendi got from the White Sox, a five-year, $75 million contract. Speaking of contract extension, how about the Cubs get one done as…

With the new year upon us, one can expect a bold year from Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes, so here are some hot-take predictions that could be on the way in 2023. The Montreal Canadiens currently have some of the best odds to win the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery as we speak, and it might even get better as they continue into the dog days…

The MLB offseason is winding down as we are getting closer and closer to pitchers and catchers reporting to start another full baseball season. We have seen some big moves made across the board this offseason, as playoff teams tooled up their rosters to make another series push at a title in 2023. Here are the early World Series odds with a little…

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to try and break out of the giant shadows cast by the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the AL East ahead of the 2023 season. While general manager Ross Atkins and president Mark Shapiro have undergone heavy criticism for not pulling the trigger in the past, they have made some solid moves this winter, ahead of a…

Between 2012 and 2018, Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale made the All-Star Team all seven seasons and finished between second and sixth in the AL Cy Young Award in all seven. He's also played in exactly 11 games over the last three seasons. Raking in $90 million in salary those three seasons from the Red Sox, he's been one of the biggest financial…

With the 2022 MLB All-Star festivities in the books, it's time for a quick round of bold predictions before the second half of the season gets underway on Thursday. What follows are 10 bold predictions for the remainder of the 2022 season, focusing mostly on individual players rather than teams since there will be plenty of postseason predictions…