The Los Angeles Dodgers and their longtime manager Dave Roberts are closing in on a contract extension, ESPN reports.
Alden Gonzalez writes:
“Roberts and the Dodgers have been in serious talks on a new deal since around the start of February. Despite being far apart in some stretches along the way, the two sides are expected to lock in a new deal before the Dodgers leave for Japan, where they will open their season, next Wednesday.”
Roberts, 52, has completed nine seasons as Dodgers manager, and he’s enjoyed an elite level of success over that span. Across those nine seasons, Roberts has guided the Dodgers to a cumulative record of 851-506, nine postseason appearances, eight division titles, five 100-win seasons, four pennants, and, of course, two World Series titles — one in the abbreviated 2020 season and one last year.
Dodgers slow down Shohei Ohtani’s pitching rehab as he ramps up hitting after shoulder surgery Matt Snyder Dodgers slow down Shohei Ohtani’s pitching rehab as he ramps up hitting after shoulder surgery Roberts’ winning percentage of .627 is tops all-time among those who have managed at least 1,000 games in MLB. As well, he ranks 12th all-time in most games over .500 (344 and counting), and his 56 postseason wins rank sixth all-time. He’s currently under contract with the Dodgers through the end of the 2025 season.
Speaking of that 2025 season, the Dodgers and their star-laden roster will be angling to become the first repeat champion in MLB since the 1999-2000 New York Yankees. At the same time, Roberts will try to become the 11th manager ever to win at least three World Series titles.
The Seattle Mariners will be without a member of their vaunted rotation to begin the season. Right-hander George Kirby has been shut down with shoulder inflammation, the team announced Friday. Kirby has not been bouncing back well between outings and was sent for tests, which revealed the inflammation. He will start the season on the injured list.
“We did an MRI. MRI looks great. No structural concerns whatsoever. And I will repeat that, zero structural concerns,” GM Justin Hollander said. “There is some inflammation in there that we need to get out. Much to George’s chagrin, we’re going to take the ball out of his hands. George wants to keep going … We will shut George down and work on getting the inflammation out.”
Hollander added the injury is “more like a week-to-week thing than a day-to-day thing,” and the Mariners will proceed with the big picture in mind rather than doing whatever gets Kirby back on the mound the quickest. He dealt with shoulder inflammation in 2020 and again as a minor leaguer in 2021, though this will be his first ever stint on the MLB injured list.
player headshot team logo George Kirby SEA • SP • #68 ERA 3.53 WHIP 1.07 IP 191 BB 23 K 179 View Profile The Mariners have one of the best rotations in baseball. Their 1-5 can match up with any team. The depth behind that top five is not great, however, and it will be tested early the season while Kirby is sidelined. Seattle’s rotation depth chart looks something this:
RHP Logan Gilbert RHP George Kirby (will start season on injured list) RHP Luis Castillo RHP Bryce Miller RHP Bryan Woo RHP Emerson Hancock RHP Jhonathan Díaz (cleared waivers in February) RHP Casey Lawrence (37-year-old journeyman) RHP Logan Evans (never pitched above Double-A) Hancock is the odds-on favorite to slide into Kirby’s rotation spot. He’s struggled to establish himself at the big league level since being the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 draft. Hancock, 26 in May, has a 4.71 ERA in 15 MLB starts the last two years.
The Mariners have been criticized about their lack of spending, including by their former players, and the lack of investment in the offense means the club’s margin of error isn’t large. Losing Kirby for any length of time is a major blow. Seattle’s chances revolve around their rotation being great, and now they’ll be without on their top starters to begin the regular season.
Kirby, 27, made his MLB debut in May 2022 and has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since. Last year he threw 191 innings with a 3.53 ERA and an MLB-best 7.78 K/BB ratio. Over the last two seasons, Kirby has walked only 42 batters in 381 2/3 innings. His 0.99 BB/9 those two years is easily the lowest in baseball.
The Mariners went 85-77 and missed the postseason by one game in 2024. The snapped their two-decade postseason drought in 2022, but have missed the postseason the last two years.
Last month the Toronto Blue Jays failed to reached a long-term contract extension with first baseman and franchise player Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero set a Feb. 18 deadline for talks (Toronto’s first full squad workout) and the two sides were unable to reach a deal. He will become a free agent after the season and will test the open market.
“We didn’t get an agreement. Now they’re going to have to compete with 29 other teams,” Guerrero said following his self-imposed deadline. “… They had their numbers, I had my numbers. It’s just business, like I always say. Things happen. We’re all good.”
Guerrero confirmed the Blue Jays offered a $340 million extension early in the offseason, before Juan Soto changed the landscape with his record 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets. We don’t know what Toronto offered at the Feb. 18 deadline. We do know what Guerrero asked for though. He confirmed this week he sought a deal worth less than $600 million.
Here’s what Guerrero told ESPN’s Enrique Rojas and Ernesto Jerez earlier this week:
“It’s much less than Soto. We’re talking about many fewer millions than Soto, more than a hundred million less. … It was the same number of years [as Soto’s contract], but it didn’t reach [$600 million]. The last number we gave them as a counteroffer didn’t reach 600,” Guerrero said.
“I know the business. I lowered the salary demands a bit, but I also lowered the number of years. … I’m looking for 14 [years]. I would like 14, 15, even 20 if they give them to me, but doing it the right way.”
Guerrero, like Soto, is entering his age 26 season. Soto was a year younger than Guerrero when he hit free agency and his 15-year contract takes him through his age 40 season. Guerrero said he asked for “the same number of years” as Soto, meaning a 15-year deal that takes him through age 41. For a star player in his mid-20s, a deal that takes him to age 40 is not an unreasonable ask.
Prior to his extension deadline, we listed Guerrero as one of 10 extension candidates entering spring training, and we workshopped an offer that came out to $585 million. Here’s the write-up:
These days, stars get signed through age 39 (Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge) or 40 (Soto, Manny Machado). That’s the magic number. To sign Guerrero through age 39, it would be a 13-year deal starting in 2026. Call it $45 million a year and that’s $585 million total. And given the leverage Vlad Jr. has over the Blue Jays, that could become 14 years at closer to $50 million per year real quick. Crazy? Yeah, maybe, though contracts for stars in their mid-20s always always wind up larger than expected. Remember, at this time last year, we were talking about Soto maybe cracking $500 million. Whatever you think Guerrero will get, take the over.
Guerrero said his offer to the Blue Jays was the same number of years as Soto (15) but also worth less than $600 million, so less than $40 million per year. Soto ($51 million), Shohei Ohtani ($46.1 million after deferrals), Judge ($40 million), and Alex Bregman ($40 million before deferrals) are the only $40 million per year position players in baseball right now.
Phillies’ Bryce Harper would change positions for right first baseman; could that include Vlad Guerrero Jr.? Mike Axisa Phillies’ Bryce Harper would change positions for right first baseman; could that include Vlad Guerrero Jr.? Whether giving Guerrero a 15-year deal worth close to $600 million is a smart baseball move is a separate matter. Given the contract landscape for star players in their mid-20s, Guerrero and his camp were not being unreasonable by seeking a contract that locked him up through age 40 and approached $40 million a year. That’s what it costs to sign top players this young.
Last season, Guerrero authored a .323/.396/.544 batting line with 44 doubles and 30 home runs. That earned him a sixth-place finish in the AL MVP voting on a last-place team that went 74-88 and missed the postseason by 12 games. Since his MLB debut in 2021, Guerrero’s 137 OPS+ is the seventh highest among the 41 players with at least 3,000 plate appearances.
Guerrero is not the only core Blue Jays player scheduled to become a free agent after his season. Chris Bassitt, Bo Bichette, and Chad Green will also hit the market. Toronto has money to spend. They’ve pursued several big-name free agents in the last few years, including Ohtani and Soto. They just have a hard time getting players to take their money.
The Indiana Pacers are trying to get their mojo back after a difficult start to the season.
The Pacers were the surprise of last year’s NBA season but have struggled to get it going this year. However, Indiana entered Sunday having won three straight, bringing their record to 13-15, good for the No. 8 seed in the East.
A new report from Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz this week indicated that Indiana might want to make another trade to bolster its frontcourt, even after adding Thomas Bryant.
“The Indiana Pacers are … trading for Thomas Bryant from the Miami Heat to add some center depth given the season-ending injuries to both Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman,” Swartz said on Monday.
“This still puts Indiana one big behind their original total, however, and the team faces the uncertain future of Myles Turner, a free agent in 2025.”
“(Robert) Williams (III), 27, is under contract next season at a reasonable $13.3 million and is one of the best rim protectors in the NBA when healthy.”
A former Boston Celtic, Williams III is very much available on the market, as the Portland Trail Blazers are looking to move either him or Deandre Ayton.
The New Orleans Pelicans’ 2024-25 campaign has been miserable from the start, but there’s a particular acquisition that could help the organization compete at a higher level.
A former Golden State Warriors superstar would instantly upgrade the Pelicans’ roster.
“The Dallas Mavericks, however, are a win-now team and were on (Jimmy) Butler’s short-list of preferred destinations,” Piston Powered’s Josh Cornelissen wrote Friday.
“They could very well justify making a move for Butler to form a three-headed monster of Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic and Butler. To do so, however, they need to move a lot of mid-tier salaries.”
“The Heat aren’t necessarily interested in a pu pu platter of veteran contracts, and the best two players the Mavericks would like to send out — Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford — are duplicitous with the two stars remaining in Miami, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. So a third team is needed.”
“The New Orleans Pelicans could be a third team, one who needs a starting center and could benefit from an elite shooter like Thompson.”
“They also have a former All-Star wing in Brandon Ingram who is younger than Butler and likely will be less expensive to re-sign next summer.”
“Ingram and Daniel Theis could route to the Heat from the Pelicans alongside Naji Marshall, while Gafford and Thompson could come to the Pelicans.”
“The problem is that all of the teams involved need to avoid adding money, which is where the Pistons step into the chat.”
“If this construction was being negotiated by the three teams (what a conference call that would be) one of the teams would call up the Pistons and see what the cost of their cap space would be. In this scenario, that player would be Maxi Kleber.”
“In ESPN’s version of the deal, the Mavericks pay a 2025 first-round pick (lottery-protected, although the odds of the Mavs falling out of the playoffs are slim to start) for Detroit to take back Kleber, who is owed $11 million both this season and next.”
“Jimmy Butler to Dallas, Klay Thompson to New Orleans, Brandon Ingram to Miami. The Pistons and their fans must be prepared to be a part of these star-studded trades but not actually landing the stars.”
“The hope is that stockpiling draft assets means setting themselves up to draft such a star in the future, someone to grow alongside Cade Cunningham. That’s their best path to long-term contention.”
While Thompson’s numbers are down from a season ago, the four-time NBA champion and Warriors legend still plays to his strengths in Year 14.
As a dynamic three-point shooter who constantly moves without the ball, Thompson averages 14.3 points per contest on 41.5% field goal shooting and 38.3% long-range shooting.
With Ingram boasting an impressively high trade value and looking for a fresh start, swapping Ingram for Thompson would be logical for the Pelicans this season.
The Miami Heat have been in NBA headlines every day due to Jimmy Butler rumors.
But what if Miami pulled off a shocking trade that didn’t involve Butler, possibly even for another superstar?
It seems unlikely, but the Heat aren’t that far removed from reaching the NBA Finals two seasons ago, and they might feel that going all-in with this core is the best path forward.
If that’s the case, don’t rule out Heat exec Pat Riley calling up the Charlotte Hornets in January, a notion introduced by Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz this week.
“If the Heat keep Jimmy Butler (or maybe even if they don’t), (LaMelo) Ball is an intriguing talent to go after,” Swartz said on Monday.
“Adding in Ball’s elite playmaking and scoring skills would help boost Miami’s offense closer to that of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, the top-three in the NBA.”
Would Ball fit into Heat culture? It’s hard to imagine a pick-and-roll combo of Ball and Bam Adebayo being anything other than dangerous, with or without Butler in the equation for Miami.
The Los Angeles Lakers could acquire a steady veteran point guard this season with the perfect trade package.
A future Hall of Fame San Antonio Spurs contributor with zero championships on his resume may soon receive a call from the Lakers.
NBA OFFICIAL HIGHLIGHTS
“Los Angeles is a middle-pack team as things stand, but the Lakers believe that they can go on another title run,” Newsweek’s Matt Levine wrote Thursday.”
“The Lakers still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster, giving themselves some hope if they can reach the postseason.”
“But once they get there, the roster needs an upgrade if they truly want to contend. Los Angeles needs more help on the defensive end of the floor while also improving their three-point shooting.”
“In this new trade scenario (D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jarred Vanderbilt, and two future draft picks to the Spurs for Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes) the Lakers make a deal to land a multi-time All-Star guard who has been on their radar for some time now.”
“The team also lands a wing that can shoot the three-point shot well and defend at a high level.”
“This trade would be a little bit of a risk due to Paul’s health, but if he’s healthy, he could help this team. Paul can help take a load off James in running the team down the stretch of games.”
“Even at his age, Paul has continued to play at a high level. For the year, he has averaged 9.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game.”
“The veteran is on an expiring contract so Los Angeles wouldn’t be tied to him for a long time. This could finally get the All-Star to the Lakers after so many years of being linked together.”
“Barnes could greatly help this team with its wing defenders. Although he isn’t the same player he once was, he would instantly be the best option for Los Angeles.”
“During the season, Barnes averages 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He has also shot 44.7% from beyond the 3-point line this year.”
“All in all, this deal could give the Lakers a better chance to compete in the Western Conference. It will be up to general manager Rob Pelinka to get a deal done this season while also maintaining flexibility down the line.”
Paul may not be the superstar he was in his prime, but in Year 20, the 12-time All-Star is still an impactful NBA contributor.
Paul nearly averages a double-double on a Spurs squad headed in a positive direction.
In Los Angeles, Paul would enjoy utilizing his elite basketball acumen and pick-and-roll creativity to dissect defenses nightly.
If the Lakers are interested in landing an experienced guard with one of the wisest minds in the game, Paul should undoubtedly be considered.
The Milwaukee Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard in their victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. Antetokounmpo was listed out due to back spasms while a calf strain held Lillard out.
Additionally, Khris Middleton is still on a minutes restriction and only played 23 minutes. Their statuses should be monitored ahead of the Bucks’ next game on Monday night in Chicago.
Numerous reports have noted Milwaukee’s early-season willingness to make a trade, with their most notable weaknesses being the backup center position along with perimeter defense. Middleton’s $31.6 million cap hit would allow for more optionality in trade negotiations because of the current second apron restrictions limiting their front office. However, according to a recent report from Brett Siegel of Clutch Points, “The Bucks have zero interest in trading Khris Middleton at this time, sources said.”
The Bucks unwillingness to move on from Middleton makes sense as he is the ideal catch-and-shoot, 3-and-D complement alongside Antetokounmpo. Albeit a small sample, the 33-year old is currently averaging a career-high 5.7 assists. Middleton’s defensive impact has still been effective despite his ramp-up period–the three-time All-Star is snatching 1.2 steals per game in his first six appearances this season.
Middleton is shooting 40 percent from three on 3.3 attempts per game, but his midrange appears to be slightly uncalibrated at the moment. His two-point shooting percentage is just 33.3 percent. This number should eventually regress as his role increases and the sample size grows though. Because of assumed impending regression, a small sample, and Middleton working himself back from offseason ankle surgeries, his current production from midrange is not concerning.
After their win against Washington, Middleton reflected on his ramp-up process, “Still got a little bit to go, but tonight definitely felt like the best night I’ve had thus far. Always great to get a couple 3s going, mid-range going.”
Coach Doc Rivers shared a similar sentiment as he claimed this was the best rhythm Middleton has played with so far this season.
The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Cup championship on Tuesday night in Las Vegas, proving they belong amongst the league’s elite tier of contenders.
Their front office has the opportunity to further solidify the team’s standing before the February 6th trade deadline, despite obstacles of various second apron restrictions.
Recent reports have revealed that the Bucks are targeting a lob threat to complement Brook Lopez. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors have already been active on the trade market by acquiring Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets. The Bucks and Warriors early-season activity on the trade market could lead to a deal between the two playoff-hopeful organizations.
A trade could look similar to the following proposal:
Connaughton and Wright are primarily included to help match salaries. Additionally, the draft capital involved could be consolidated to entice an opposing front office into parting with win-now talent. Because the Warriors are in playoff contention, a deal of this magnitude is unlikely as Podziemski and Looney are key rotations pieces.
The 28-year old Looney would act as the lob threat the Bucks’ front office is currently seeking. Not to mention, Looney is a Milwaukee-native. The 6-foot-9 big man would provide the Doc Rivers-led Bucks with a cromulent backup to Lopez. Currently, they are relying on Bobby Portis to play out-of-position. This season, Looney has taken 85 shots within five feet of the basket while only attempting 22 shots from farther. However, he is not the lob threat who the Bucks desire with zero alley-oops at this point in the season.
Podziemski, who also hails from Wisconsin, would provide the Bucks with another reliable ball-handler. The second-year guard finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting a season ago. The 21-year old is shooting just 27.1 percent from three on 3.7 attempts per game this season after shooting 38.5 percent on 3.2 attempts per game as a rookie. Regression may be approaching as the sample size grows. Podziemski would fortify the depth in Doc Rivers’ rotation and would be extremely beneficial financially as he is on an affordable contract and clearly belongs in an NBA rotation.
