March 2025

There were 1,679 posts published in March 2025 (this is page 28 of 168).

LeBron James talks retirement, Michael Jordan, Doncic trade and more

Mar 24, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks on against the Orlando Magic in the second quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

LeBron James is bringing back his “Mind the Game” podcast, but with two-time MVP Steve Nash filling in the place of J.J. Redick, who is now busy coaching LeBron and the Lakers.

To promote that, LeBron is doing some media stops, and one of them was a lengthy, in-person interview on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ on ESPN. If you missed it, here are a few highlights from the conversation.

• On when he might retire: “For me, it’s about my mind. I’m all about the process. If it gets to the point where I don’t feel like showing up to the arena five hours in advance. Or I don’t feel like training. Or I don’t feel like studying the scout sheet of guys. If it gets to that point, I’ll know, ‘You know what, Bron, that’s a wrap.’ I will be able to tell.”

• On Luka Doncic trade: “I can’t put myself in his shoes because I’ve never been traded before. But I can have a sense and be a human being to know: You commit to a franchise for seven years and you feel like, ‘This is the place where I’m going to be.’… And then out of nowhere, bam, you just get traded. I don’t give a damn where you’re going… That’s a shock to your system.”

• On his relationship with Michael Jordan: “We don’t talk. Because I’m still playing. I’m still playing, I’m still focused on my craft right now…

“I think it’s because I’m still playing. And MJ, we all know MJ. Even if you don’t know him personally, he is one of the most ruthless competitors there is and until I’m done and he doesn’t have to look at me running up and down wearing the No 23 and every time my name is mentioned, it’s mentioned with his.”

• On his son, Bronny James: “For me as a dad, it doesn’t matter if he never scores, ever. For me as a dad, I’m just super proud of him, period, as a young man. For me as a mentor and as a teammate of his that wants to see him thrive because I have seen the work he’s put into the game, I am super proud of his development to where he is now… starting off the G League season with just trying to figure it out and now, 39 [points] and even when I talked to him, he was more pissed off at the technical free throw that he missed more than anything. He was like, ‘I could have had a 40 ball, and I missed that damn technical free throw.’ So, the kid, he’s awesome.”

Top 50 people who will impact the 2025 MLB season: Nos. 25-1

This is a list not of the 50 best players in MLB — Rob Manfred does not play baseball — but, rather, of the top 50 people set to influence the 2025 MLB season. Think of these individuals as the predominant characters in your favorite TV show, with the season premiere airing on Thursday.

On this list are All-Stars, prospects and some players you’ve maybe never heard of, as well as owners, managers, front-office execs and four guys named Jackson (that’s one more than last year).

The hope is that this list — here’s the first half, Nos. 50-26 — helps you sort out what to know and whom to care about as the 2025 MLB season begins.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]

Neither of these Cooperstown-bound icons appeared in the Tokyo Series against the Cubs. Betts was sent back to the States due to a serious stomach issue that caused him to lose 18 pounds. He’s only now starting to turn a corner. Freeman was a late scratch due to a rib problem, the same ailment he played through during the World Series. Both are expected to be in the lineup on Opening Day, but these early-season hurdles are a reminder that Betts and Freeman aren’t young bucks anymore.

Betts, who turns 33 in October, will be the second-oldest every-day shortstop in baseball this season, behind only San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts. Freeman, 36 in September, is the third-oldest first baseman, behind Cleveland’s Carlos Santana and New York’s Paul Goldschmidt. Eventually, age-based decline will arrive, as it does for every player. And with age, injuries become more frequent.

Is this the year that happens for either Betts or Freeman? Because at this point, time seems to be the only force powerful enough to stop Mookie, Freddie and the Dodgers.

Smith was just 4 years old when Altuve joined the Astros as an international free agent back in 2007. In the nearly two decades since, the diminutive Venezuelan has completely reshaped the organization that took a chance on him — two World Series titles, seven ALCS appearances, seven AL West crowns and, one day, a statue outside the stadium. But the tides of change are crashing all around Altuve, the only holdover from the 2017 championship squad. After stalwarts Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker departed in the winter, Altuve, who turns 35 in May, is tasked with keeping the Astros’ competitive window propped open.

Smith should help that cause. Drafted 13th overall by the Chicago Cubs in 2024, the Florida State product has had quite the supersonic rise. Despite appearing in just 32 minor-league games for Cubs affiliates last season, Smith was the key return in the trade that sent Tucker out of Houston. Offensively, Smith looked like a game-changer in spring training and made the big-league club out of camp. Smith played third in college and during his brief pro stint last year but has since moved to right field, where things will surely be a little choppy as he gets used to his new surroundings. Still, the bat could be magic. Astros teammate Mauricio Dubon even referred to Smith as “the next 60-homer guy.” That’s preposterously high praise considering that only six players have ever cranked 60 in a year, but it shows just how much hype there is around Smith right now.

[2025 MLB preview: Expert picks for World Series, Cy Young, MVP, more]

The Cubs are one of only three teams to not have a single player with an fWAR above 5.0 since 2021 (the lowly White Sox and injury-plagued Twins are the others). That stat perfectly encapsulates the problem on the North Side — and why the Cubs pushed the chips in to acquire Tucker, who will be a free agent at season’s end.

He’s not the most scintillating personality, but Tucker rakes like a true superstar. His .888 OPS since 2021 is 10th in baseball behind a cavalcade of MVP candidates such as Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Betts. Another superb campaign should put Tucker, still only 28 years old, on the precipice of a landmark contract that should eclipse the $300 million mark. What that means for the Cubs is anyone’s guess.

The four-letter network has been carrying MLB games since 1990, but it opted out of that contract in February, which means 2025 could be the final season of “Sunday Night Baseball.” There’s still a chance that ESPN and MLB renegotiate a new deal for a smaller figure; part of the rationale behind the network’s opt-out was the $550 million per year price for MLB rights. That’s a massive sum compared to the $85 million per year that MLB charges AppleTV and the $10 million it charges Roku.

Elsewhere in the TV right world, things are very much in flux. For fans, however, 2025 presents a refreshing, encouraging new era of ballwatching. Fans of 27 teams (all but Houston, Baltimore and Washington) can watch their favorite clubs in-market on MLB.TV, without the infuriating blackouts that for so long frustrated fans across the country. That, amid all the confusion around local TV carriers, bankruptcies and the ESPN situation, is unequivocally a good thing.

Being an ace in this economy? Preposterous. These days, pitchers are trying with all their might on every single pitch. That means starters run out of gas more quickly than ever, and teams are wary of letting starters work three times through a lineup. As such, starting pitchers are throwing fewer and fewer innings. That dynamic makes it significantly more difficult to bestow the “ace” label on any given hurler.

But here are two dudes who, by the end of the season, could be members of the upper, upper echelon. DeGrom, of course, has been there before. His run with the Mets from 2018 to 2021 was historically dominant: 1.94 ERA across 91 starts, with 774 strikeouts in 581 innings. Since then, however, injuries have limited him to 20 starts. But during spring training, deGrom looked like deGrom. If — and that’s an if the size of Jupiter — he stays healthy, watch out.

For Yamamoto, it’s a similar deal. The Japanese 26-year-old was phenomenal in his debut season last year, but he spent a stretch on the IL and finished the season with just 90 innings across 18 starts. That 5 IP per start rate is well below what anybody would consider the “ace” threshold. Still, the stuff is so scintillating that if the Dodgers let Yamamoto off the leash, he could certainly challenge for the NL Cy Young Award.

Ask a big leaguer who the best pitcher in the world is, and most will say Skubal. Some will say Zack Wheeler or Paul Skenes or “healthy deGrom,” but Skubal is easily the most common answer. That’s because the reigning AL Cy Young has two different, elite fastballs that sit around 97 mph, with a devastating changeup to boot.

A year ago, Skubal’s brilliance helped carry an undermanned Tigers team to a surprise postseason run. What can he do for an encore? Here’s the list of pitchers to win consecutive Cy Youngs: deGrom, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson (four straight), Greg Maddux (four straight), Jim Palmer, Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez.

It’s also worth noting that Skubal is set to hit free agency after the 2026 season. Another stupendous year should put him in line for either a massive extension with the Tigers or a huge deal in free agency. Considering the uncertainty swirling around the 2026 CBA negotiations, which appear likely to initiate a lockout, perhaps Skubal will look to play it safe and cash in soon.

Here’s a ranking of most games started at third base since 2017.

  1. Nolan Arenado

  2. Eugenio Suárez

  3. Matt Chapman

  4. Alex Bregman

  5. Rafael Devers

Baseball has changed a lot over the years, but it still holds that only one (1) individual can play third base at a time. Unless that changes before Opening Day, the Red Sox have a fascinating situation on their hands.

When the Sox signed Bregman this offseason, it was generally assumed that he would move to second and Devers would stay at the hot corner. But Devers’ history of defensive mediocrity coupled with the breakout of infield prospect Kristian Campbell means that Bregman now projects to be the every-day third baseman. Devers, when asked about that possibility early in spring training, gave a firm “no” about moving to DH. And yet here the Red Sox are, on the cusp of the season, with their Plan A revolving around Devers as the regular designated hitter.

This storyline has been a bizarre, perplexing undercurrent to what has otherwise been an invigorating offseason in Boston. The Red Sox, no matter how they’re aligned, should be really good! But if Cora, one of the game’s most respected skippers, can’t keep everyone happy, this could get a bit messy. Either way, it’ll be fun to follow.

Henderson and De La Cruz were featured on this year’s “MLB The Show” cover alongside Skenes, a good sign that they’ve officially ascended to superstardom. That Witt wasn’t included probably points to him getting his own cover at some point. This trio of small-market shortstops, all of whom are young enough to remain on their parents’ insurance, is not the future of baseball. These dudes are the present.

Henderson and Witt both made the Full Leap™ in 2024. De La Cruz, who led MLB in strikeouts, did more like a half-leap, though 25 homers and 67 steals are nothing to sneeze at. And while Henderson was excellent, Witt posted a truly all-time great season, a season that, if Aaron Judge didn’t exist, certainly would’ve earned him AL MVP.

Since the beginning of the Integration Era, here’s the list of players Witt’s age (24) or younger to post an fWAR higher than the 10.4 he delivered last year:

  • Mickey Mantle, 11.5 fWAR, 1956

As the kids say: That’s it. That’s the list.

Even so, you could rank this trio in any order heading into this season. De La Cruz, chase issues and all, probably still has the highest ceiling of this group. Henderson’s offensive numbers could take another little step forward with the Orioles moving their left-field wall in. Witt was the second-least efficient base stealer in MLB last year, despite being the fastest player in the league. This preposterous triumvirate is just getting started; a clutch playoff moment or two, and they’ll enter a whole other echelon.

The 23-year-old Japanese flame-thrower dominated the non-Soto portion of the offseason because (1) he’s immensely skilled and (2) he was available at a supremely low price, thanks to the international amateur market. In the end, unsurprisingly to many, the Dodgers secured yet another generational Japanese pitching talent.

But at this point, Sasaki is significantly less polished than his teammate Yamamoto was upon joining the Dodgers last winter. As showcased in his tantalizing yet volatile outing in the Tokyo Series against the Cubs, Sasaki is overflowing with ability and rough around the edges. His fastball sat in the upper 90s but had spotty command. His butterfly splitter is a unicorn offering, but he doesn’t always know where it’s going. Sasaki could be a runaway Rookie of the Year, or he could get sent to Triple-A to iron some stuff out. He’s going to be great eventually, but what happens in Year One is a total mystery.

In 2023, this swashbuckling duo was stupendous. Strider led MLB with 281 strikeouts. Acuña stole 73 bases, smashed 41 taters and won NL MVP. Atlanta finished with 104 wins, the best record in baseball.

In 2024, Strider made just two starts before ligament damage in his elbow required season-ending surgery. Six weeks later, Acuña tore his left ACL while running the bases. The Braves, without a top-five hitter and top-five pitcher on the planet, went on to win just 89 games.

Neither of these players will be on Atlanta’s Opening Day roster. Strider, who made two spring training starts, is expected back by late April. Acuña’s comeback should be complete by early summer. How these two play upon their returns will have an enormous impact on the Braves and, by proxy, the entire league.

At this time last year, Skenes was in Indianapolis. He made seven Triple-A starts — including one in Toledo witnessed by just 2,805 fans — before earning the call on May 11. From that point forward, Skenes was a sensation, a mustachioed mountain with a triple-digit fastball. His starts, particularly his starts at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, were Events. Skenes started the All-Star Game, won the NL Rookie of the Year and established himself not just as one of the game’s best arms but also as one of the faces of the sport. All that in just 23 starts.

So what does the encore look like? Skenes is capital-F famous now; he went on Seth Meyers and guest-hosted “College GameDay” and attended the Super Bowl in the offseason. He enters the new year with two new pitches: a two-seam fastball and a cutter. Everyone and their step-cousin is picking him to win the NL Cy Young — and for good reason.

None of that can or will make the Pittsburgh Pirates a competitive baseball team. As a starting pitcher who plays once a week, Skenes can do only so much. Last year showed us that even if the Pirates stink, every Skenes start is relevant. But if the Buccos can hang around the playoff picture and Skenes remains excellent in Year Two, it’ll raise the entertainment value even more.

Neither of these future Hall of Famers is getting worse at baseball. Judge will turn 33 in April; Harper will be 33 in October. The Phillies slugger remains a lock for an OPS around .900, while the Yankees captain is coming off perhaps the greatest offensive season ever by a right-handed hitter. Aging, in the physical sense, still feels a few years off for this pair. Yet the grains of sand inch ominously down the hourglass. That’s because both Judge and Harper are missing something important: a championship.

The Yankees and Phillies enter 2025 with title aspirations and the rosters to actualize them, but there’s an unfortunate possibility that this duo already missed their best shot — Harper in 2022, Judge in 2024. Winning a World Series is incredibly difficult. Ted Williams never did it, nor did Ken Griffey Jr. or Tony Gwynn. Their legacies aren’t sullied as a result. They remain legends of the sport, enshrined forever in upstate New York.

But for Harper and Judge, the stakes feel different. Maybe that’s a product of the demanding markets in which they play. Maybe it’s because they’ve been the faces of baseball for years. This will be Harper’s seventh season in Philly, equaling his tenure in Washington. Judge will be the second-oldest position player on New York’s Opening Day roster. And while both are hamstrung by the realities of this sport — one superhero does not a parade make — Judge’s and Harper’s palmarès remain unsatisfyingly incomplete. And they’d be the first to tell you as much.

$765 million.

That number, that unthinkable, ludicrous, convention-pretzling number, will follow Soto for the rest of his life. Anytime he fails — a strikeout, a baserunning flub, an outfield misplay — somebody in the crowd or watching on TV will unleash a quip about the price. Such is life as a well-paid public figure. A fair price, you’d think, for $765 million.

For so long, any conversation about Soto unavoidably routed back to his impending free agency. How much could he make? How long would the contract be? Where would he go? Now, with those questions finally answered, Soto (and the rest of us) can turn the focus elsewhere.

Because success for Soto and the franchise to which he’ll be linked for the next 15 years will be defined on the diamond. Mets owner Steve Cohen has not been shy about his dream of biting into the Yankees’ Big Apple stranglehold. Outbidding the crosstown rivals for Soto was a landmark moment in Queens, but only dog piles and parades will truly turn the tide.

Which brings us back to Soto, who earned that generational wealth because he’s a generational force. For the Mets to validate the project and live up to the supersonic expectations, they’ll need the $765 million man to earn his keep. Considering Soto’s track record, that’s a damn good bet.

Whatever Shohei Ohtani does this season will make headlines. Same goes for Rafael Devers, Paul Skenes and Vlad Guerrero Jr.
Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports

Guerrero’s 2025 will resemble Soto’s 2024, except in Toronto instead of New York City. The Blue Jays and their star first baseman failed to reach an extension before a self-imposed February deadline. Both parties have said they don’t expect to resume negotiations during the season, so as to avoid any major distractions.

Just last week, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro told reporters, “I think we’re going to sign him. I think we’re going to extend him.” But that optimism, at this point, doesn’t feel particularly grounded in reality. Toronto has failed, time and time again, to secure a major free agent to pair with Guerrero. The organization’s inability to secure him to an extension before he reaches the open market must be seen as an institutional failure born of near-sighted procrastination. And now, they’ll have to bid against the financial juggernauts of the sport.

If the Jays, projected by most systems as a .500 club, are supremely out of the playoff picture by the trade deadline, Guerrero’s name will dominate headlines. If Guerrero, who finished sixth in MVP voting last year, puts together another impressive season, his price will only increase. He won’t catch Soto’s $765 million, but $500 million is certainly in play.

There are endless avenues to explain the scope and scale of Ohtani’s influence, but let’s keep it simple. Here is a human being whose athletic greatness has energized nations, reshaped local economies and rewritten the rules of the sport itself.

One of the many wonders of Ohtani is the constant newness he brings. That he could launch 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season was inconceivable 12 months ago. Then he did it. This year, Ohtani’s story once again contains a new chapter: his return to the mound. The two-way dynamo hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since undergoing elbow surgery in September 2023. He has thrown bullpen sessions but has not yet faced live hitters as the Dodgers continue to slow-play his pitching comeback.

How Ohtani balances his two existences will be fascinating to watch. Can he handle the logistical and physical rigors of building his arm back up while simultaneously maintaining such offensive excellence? Are there enough hours in the day to do both? Is there enough fuel in the tank? Doubting Ohtani, at this point, seems futile and ill-advised. But this is a genuinely new challenge for the man who has already conquered so much

However it plays out, Ohtani will dominate headlines and highlight reels all season. And we, the viewing public, lucky to live through this, will follow every last turn in the tale.

Top 50 people who will impact the 2025 MLB season: Nos. 25-1

This is a list not of the 50 best players in MLB — Rob Manfred does not play baseball — but, rather, of the top 50 people set to influence the 2025 MLB season. Think of these individuals as the predominant characters in your favorite TV show, with the season premiere airing on Thursday.

On this list are All-Stars, prospects and some players you’ve maybe never heard of, as well as owners, managers, front-office execs and four guys named Jackson (that’s one more than last year).

The hope is that this list — here’s the first half, Nos. 50-26 — helps you sort out what to know and whom to care about as the 2025 MLB season begins.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]

Neither of these Cooperstown-bound icons appeared in the Tokyo Series against the Cubs. Betts was sent back to the States due to a serious stomach issue that caused him to lose 18 pounds. He’s only now starting to turn a corner. Freeman was a late scratch due to a rib problem, the same ailment he played through during the World Series. Both are expected to be in the lineup on Opening Day, but these early-season hurdles are a reminder that Betts and Freeman aren’t young bucks anymore.

Betts, who turns 33 in October, will be the second-oldest every-day shortstop in baseball this season, behind only San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts. Freeman, 36 in September, is the third-oldest first baseman, behind Cleveland’s Carlos Santana and New York’s Paul Goldschmidt. Eventually, age-based decline will arrive, as it does for every player. And with age, injuries become more frequent.

Is this the year that happens for either Betts or Freeman? Because at this point, time seems to be the only force powerful enough to stop Mookie, Freddie and the Dodgers.

Smith was just 4 years old when Altuve joined the Astros as an international free agent back in 2007. In the nearly two decades since, the diminutive Venezuelan has completely reshaped the organization that took a chance on him — two World Series titles, seven ALCS appearances, seven AL West crowns and, one day, a statue outside the stadium. But the tides of change are crashing all around Altuve, the only holdover from the 2017 championship squad. After stalwarts Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker departed in the winter, Altuve, who turns 35 in May, is tasked with keeping the Astros’ competitive window propped open.

Smith should help that cause. Drafted 13th overall by the Chicago Cubs in 2024, the Florida State product has had quite the supersonic rise. Despite appearing in just 32 minor-league games for Cubs affiliates last season, Smith was the key return in the trade that sent Tucker out of Houston. Offensively, Smith looked like a game-changer in spring training and made the big-league club out of camp. Smith played third in college and during his brief pro stint last year but has since moved to right field, where things will surely be a little choppy as he gets used to his new surroundings. Still, the bat could be magic. Astros teammate Mauricio Dubon even referred to Smith as “the next 60-homer guy.” That’s preposterously high praise considering that only six players have ever cranked 60 in a year, but it shows just how much hype there is around Smith right now.

[2025 MLB preview: Expert picks for World Series, Cy Young, MVP, more]

The Cubs are one of only three teams to not have a single player with an fWAR above 5.0 since 2021 (the lowly White Sox and injury-plagued Twins are the others). That stat perfectly encapsulates the problem on the North Side — and why the Cubs pushed the chips in to acquire Tucker, who will be a free agent at season’s end.

He’s not the most scintillating personality, but Tucker rakes like a true superstar. His .888 OPS since 2021 is 10th in baseball behind a cavalcade of MVP candidates such as Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Betts. Another superb campaign should put Tucker, still only 28 years old, on the precipice of a landmark contract that should eclipse the $300 million mark. What that means for the Cubs is anyone’s guess.

The four-letter network has been carrying MLB games since 1990, but it opted out of that contract in February, which means 2025 could be the final season of “Sunday Night Baseball.” There’s still a chance that ESPN and MLB renegotiate a new deal for a smaller figure; part of the rationale behind the network’s opt-out was the $550 million per year price for MLB rights. That’s a massive sum compared to the $85 million per year that MLB charges AppleTV and the $10 million it charges Roku.

Elsewhere in the TV right world, things are very much in flux. For fans, however, 2025 presents a refreshing, encouraging new era of ballwatching. Fans of 27 teams (all but Houston, Baltimore and Washington) can watch their favorite clubs in-market on MLB.TV, without the infuriating blackouts that for so long frustrated fans across the country. That, amid all the confusion around local TV carriers, bankruptcies and the ESPN situation, is unequivocally a good thing.

Being an ace in this economy? Preposterous. These days, pitchers are trying with all their might on every single pitch. That means starters run out of gas more quickly than ever, and teams are wary of letting starters work three times through a lineup. As such, starting pitchers are throwing fewer and fewer innings. That dynamic makes it significantly more difficult to bestow the “ace” label on any given hurler.

But here are two dudes who, by the end of the season, could be members of the upper, upper echelon. DeGrom, of course, has been there before. His run with the Mets from 2018 to 2021 was historically dominant: 1.94 ERA across 91 starts, with 774 strikeouts in 581 innings. Since then, however, injuries have limited him to 20 starts. But during spring training, deGrom looked like deGrom. If — and that’s an if the size of Jupiter — he stays healthy, watch out.

For Yamamoto, it’s a similar deal. The Japanese 26-year-old was phenomenal in his debut season last year, but he spent a stretch on the IL and finished the season with just 90 innings across 18 starts. That 5 IP per start rate is well below what anybody would consider the “ace” threshold. Still, the stuff is so scintillating that if the Dodgers let Yamamoto off the leash, he could certainly challenge for the NL Cy Young Award.

Ask a big leaguer who the best pitcher in the world is, and most will say Skubal. Some will say Zack Wheeler or Paul Skenes or “healthy deGrom,” but Skubal is easily the most common answer. That’s because the reigning AL Cy Young has two different, elite fastballs that sit around 97 mph, with a devastating changeup to boot.

A year ago, Skubal’s brilliance helped carry an undermanned Tigers team to a surprise postseason run. What can he do for an encore? Here’s the list of pitchers to win consecutive Cy Youngs: deGrom, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson (four straight), Greg Maddux (four straight), Jim Palmer, Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez.

It’s also worth noting that Skubal is set to hit free agency after the 2026 season. Another stupendous year should put him in line for either a massive extension with the Tigers or a huge deal in free agency. Considering the uncertainty swirling around the 2026 CBA negotiations, which appear likely to initiate a lockout, perhaps Skubal will look to play it safe and cash in soon.

Here’s a ranking of most games started at third base since 2017.

  1. Nolan Arenado

  2. Eugenio Suárez

  3. Matt Chapman

  4. Alex Bregman

  5. Rafael Devers

Baseball has changed a lot over the years, but it still holds that only one (1) individual can play third base at a time. Unless that changes before Opening Day, the Red Sox have a fascinating situation on their hands.

When the Sox signed Bregman this offseason, it was generally assumed that he would move to second and Devers would stay at the hot corner. But Devers’ history of defensive mediocrity coupled with the breakout of infield prospect Kristian Campbell means that Bregman now projects to be the every-day third baseman. Devers, when asked about that possibility early in spring training, gave a firm “no” about moving to DH. And yet here the Red Sox are, on the cusp of the season, with their Plan A revolving around Devers as the regular designated hitter.

This storyline has been a bizarre, perplexing undercurrent to what has otherwise been an invigorating offseason in Boston. The Red Sox, no matter how they’re aligned, should be really good! But if Cora, one of the game’s most respected skippers, can’t keep everyone happy, this could get a bit messy. Either way, it’ll be fun to follow.

Henderson and De La Cruz were featured on this year’s “MLB The Show” cover alongside Skenes, a good sign that they’ve officially ascended to superstardom. That Witt wasn’t included probably points to him getting his own cover at some point. This trio of small-market shortstops, all of whom are young enough to remain on their parents’ insurance, is not the future of baseball. These dudes are the present.

Henderson and Witt both made the Full Leap™ in 2024. De La Cruz, who led MLB in strikeouts, did more like a half-leap, though 25 homers and 67 steals are nothing to sneeze at. And while Henderson was excellent, Witt posted a truly all-time great season, a season that, if Aaron Judge didn’t exist, certainly would’ve earned him AL MVP.

Since the beginning of the Integration Era, here’s the list of players Witt’s age (24) or younger to post an fWAR higher than the 10.4 he delivered last year:

  • Mickey Mantle, 11.5 fWAR, 1956

As the kids say: That’s it. That’s the list.

Even so, you could rank this trio in any order heading into this season. De La Cruz, chase issues and all, probably still has the highest ceiling of this group. Henderson’s offensive numbers could take another little step forward with the Orioles moving their left-field wall in. Witt was the second-least efficient base stealer in MLB last year, despite being the fastest player in the league. This preposterous triumvirate is just getting started; a clutch playoff moment or two, and they’ll enter a whole other echelon.

The 23-year-old Japanese flame-thrower dominated the non-Soto portion of the offseason because (1) he’s immensely skilled and (2) he was available at a supremely low price, thanks to the international amateur market. In the end, unsurprisingly to many, the Dodgers secured yet another generational Japanese pitching talent.

But at this point, Sasaki is significantly less polished than his teammate Yamamoto was upon joining the Dodgers last winter. As showcased in his tantalizing yet volatile outing in the Tokyo Series against the Cubs, Sasaki is overflowing with ability and rough around the edges. His fastball sat in the upper 90s but had spotty command. His butterfly splitter is a unicorn offering, but he doesn’t always know where it’s going. Sasaki could be a runaway Rookie of the Year, or he could get sent to Triple-A to iron some stuff out. He’s going to be great eventually, but what happens in Year One is a total mystery.

In 2023, this swashbuckling duo was stupendous. Strider led MLB with 281 strikeouts. Acuña stole 73 bases, smashed 41 taters and won NL MVP. Atlanta finished with 104 wins, the best record in baseball.

In 2024, Strider made just two starts before ligament damage in his elbow required season-ending surgery. Six weeks later, Acuña tore his left ACL while running the bases. The Braves, without a top-five hitter and top-five pitcher on the planet, went on to win just 89 games.

Neither of these players will be on Atlanta’s Opening Day roster. Strider, who made two spring training starts, is expected back by late April. Acuña’s comeback should be complete by early summer. How these two play upon their returns will have an enormous impact on the Braves and, by proxy, the entire league.

At this time last year, Skenes was in Indianapolis. He made seven Triple-A starts — including one in Toledo witnessed by just 2,805 fans — before earning the call on May 11. From that point forward, Skenes was a sensation, a mustachioed mountain with a triple-digit fastball. His starts, particularly his starts at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, were Events. Skenes started the All-Star Game, won the NL Rookie of the Year and established himself not just as one of the game’s best arms but also as one of the faces of the sport. All that in just 23 starts.

So what does the encore look like? Skenes is capital-F famous now; he went on Seth Meyers and guest-hosted “College GameDay” and attended the Super Bowl in the offseason. He enters the new year with two new pitches: a two-seam fastball and a cutter. Everyone and their step-cousin is picking him to win the NL Cy Young — and for good reason.

None of that can or will make the Pittsburgh Pirates a competitive baseball team. As a starting pitcher who plays once a week, Skenes can do only so much. Last year showed us that even if the Pirates stink, every Skenes start is relevant. But if the Buccos can hang around the playoff picture and Skenes remains excellent in Year Two, it’ll raise the entertainment value even more.

Neither of these future Hall of Famers is getting worse at baseball. Judge will turn 33 in April; Harper will be 33 in October. The Phillies slugger remains a lock for an OPS around .900, while the Yankees captain is coming off perhaps the greatest offensive season ever by a right-handed hitter. Aging, in the physical sense, still feels a few years off for this pair. Yet the grains of sand inch ominously down the hourglass. That’s because both Judge and Harper are missing something important: a championship.

The Yankees and Phillies enter 2025 with title aspirations and the rosters to actualize them, but there’s an unfortunate possibility that this duo already missed their best shot — Harper in 2022, Judge in 2024. Winning a World Series is incredibly difficult. Ted Williams never did it, nor did Ken Griffey Jr. or Tony Gwynn. Their legacies aren’t sullied as a result. They remain legends of the sport, enshrined forever in upstate New York.

But for Harper and Judge, the stakes feel different. Maybe that’s a product of the demanding markets in which they play. Maybe it’s because they’ve been the faces of baseball for years. This will be Harper’s seventh season in Philly, equaling his tenure in Washington. Judge will be the second-oldest position player on New York’s Opening Day roster. And while both are hamstrung by the realities of this sport — one superhero does not a parade make — Judge’s and Harper’s palmarès remain unsatisfyingly incomplete. And they’d be the first to tell you as much.

$765 million.

That number, that unthinkable, ludicrous, convention-pretzling number, will follow Soto for the rest of his life. Anytime he fails — a strikeout, a baserunning flub, an outfield misplay — somebody in the crowd or watching on TV will unleash a quip about the price. Such is life as a well-paid public figure. A fair price, you’d think, for $765 million.

For so long, any conversation about Soto unavoidably routed back to his impending free agency. How much could he make? How long would the contract be? Where would he go? Now, with those questions finally answered, Soto (and the rest of us) can turn the focus elsewhere.

Because success for Soto and the franchise to which he’ll be linked for the next 15 years will be defined on the diamond. Mets owner Steve Cohen has not been shy about his dream of biting into the Yankees’ Big Apple stranglehold. Outbidding the crosstown rivals for Soto was a landmark moment in Queens, but only dog piles and parades will truly turn the tide.

Which brings us back to Soto, who earned that generational wealth because he’s a generational force. For the Mets to validate the project and live up to the supersonic expectations, they’ll need the $765 million man to earn his keep. Considering Soto’s track record, that’s a damn good bet.

Whatever Shohei Ohtani does this season will make headlines. Same goes for Rafael Devers, Paul Skenes and Vlad Guerrero Jr.
Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports

Guerrero’s 2025 will resemble Soto’s 2024, except in Toronto instead of New York City. The Blue Jays and their star first baseman failed to reach an extension before a self-imposed February deadline. Both parties have said they don’t expect to resume negotiations during the season, so as to avoid any major distractions.

Just last week, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro told reporters, “I think we’re going to sign him. I think we’re going to extend him.” But that optimism, at this point, doesn’t feel particularly grounded in reality. Toronto has failed, time and time again, to secure a major free agent to pair with Guerrero. The organization’s inability to secure him to an extension before he reaches the open market must be seen as an institutional failure born of near-sighted procrastination. And now, they’ll have to bid against the financial juggernauts of the sport.

If the Jays, projected by most systems as a .500 club, are supremely out of the playoff picture by the trade deadline, Guerrero’s name will dominate headlines. If Guerrero, who finished sixth in MVP voting last year, puts together another impressive season, his price will only increase. He won’t catch Soto’s $765 million, but $500 million is certainly in play.

There are endless avenues to explain the scope and scale of Ohtani’s influence, but let’s keep it simple. Here is a human being whose athletic greatness has energized nations, reshaped local economies and rewritten the rules of the sport itself.

One of the many wonders of Ohtani is the constant newness he brings. That he could launch 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season was inconceivable 12 months ago. Then he did it. This year, Ohtani’s story once again contains a new chapter: his return to the mound. The two-way dynamo hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since undergoing elbow surgery in September 2023. He has thrown bullpen sessions but has not yet faced live hitters as the Dodgers continue to slow-play his pitching comeback.

How Ohtani balances his two existences will be fascinating to watch. Can he handle the logistical and physical rigors of building his arm back up while simultaneously maintaining such offensive excellence? Are there enough hours in the day to do both? Is there enough fuel in the tank? Doubting Ohtani, at this point, seems futile and ill-advised. But this is a genuinely new challenge for the man who has already conquered so much

However it plays out, Ohtani will dominate headlines and highlight reels all season. And we, the viewing public, lucky to live through this, will follow every last turn in the tale.

Yankees option RHP Yerry De Los Santos among flurry of injury moves

The Yankees‘ 2025 Opening Day roster is coming into focus, and after Wednesday’s moves, it’s likely the bullpen has been decided.

The team announced they optioned RHP Yerry De Los Santos to Triple-A, making room for Yoendrys Gomez and Brent Headrick to take the final two bullpen spots as internal options.

De Los Santos had a very good spring, pitching to a 1.93 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP over 9.1 innings across eight appearances. However, De Los Santos had minor league options, something Gomez didn’t. But that doesn’t mean Gomez isn’t good; the 25-year-old righty has not allowed a run in 11.1 innings pitched (seven appearances) while striking out nine batters.

As for Headrick, although he had an option, he is a left-hander that will allow the Yankees to carry two southpaws alongside Tim Hill. The 27-year-old Headrick has struggled a bit this spring, allowing seven runs over 11.1 innings pitched but he had back-to-back scoreless outings in his final tuneups of camp.

In addition to the roster move, the Yankees made a flurry of injury designations.

The team placed RHP Clayon Beeter (shoulder), RHP JT Brubaker (rib), RHP Scott Effross (hamstring), Jonathan Loaisiga (elbow surgery recovery), RHP Clarke Schmidt (rotator) and RHP Ian Hamilton (illness) on the 15-day IL to start the season.

DJ LeMahieu (calf) and Giancarlo Stanton (elbow) were placed on the 10-day IL, which is a good sign for the Yankees. They don’t believe either hitter will miss more than the first week of the season before they can return. Both are retroactive to March 24 so they can potentially return on April 3.

The Yankees begin the season at home against the Milwaukee Brewers at 3 p.m. on Thursday. Their Opening Day roster will not be due until then.

Frustrated coach Will Hardy unloads on Jazz: ‘You are a member of a team. This is not about you.’

Utah’s young core had an impressive first half Tuesday night, leading Memphis 65-64 at the break. That was the last of the good play by the Jazz for the night.

Utah was outscored 76-38 in the second half of what became a blowout loss, shooting less than 40% and getting outworked in every aspect of the game. In his postgame press conference, Jazz head coach Will Hardy unloaded on his team, with quotes via Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

“Pass the mother******* ball. Run back on defense. When it’s time to communicate what we’re doing on defense, you should do it at a volume louder than I’m talking to you right now. When there is a loose ball, you need to want it more than the other team. You are a member of a team. This is not about you. This is not a personal workout for you.”

While the Jazz are tanking this season and have the second-worst record in the league, a culture of effort and accountability can still be established — Mark Daigneault did that in Oklahoma City, and when the talent started to come, that team blossomed. That’s the foundation Hardy is trying to build in Utah, and he wasn’t feeling it during the second half Tuesday night.

“I’ve talked a lot about how we carry ourselves meaning something to me, and those words are not hollow. That second half was really disappointing, and it’s not representative of who we want to be as an organization. It’s not representative of who I want us to be.

“There are very few times where I’ve been disappointed in our group, and tonight I’ll drive home disappointed. But we have to all wake up tomorrow and get back to work. And it is one game. It is one half. I understand that, and I’ll get some sleep and wake up tomorrow with perspective. But during the game, perspective is for the birds. The lights are on, you’re competing. You’re representing an organization, representing a fan base, our community. That was just unacceptable.”

It’s been a rough season in Utah, but this is a franchise and an ownership/management team that doesn’t want to have a lengthy rebuilding process, they want to turn this around fast. Some of that will depend on the luck of the lottery balls and the team’s player development skills, but some of turning this around is about building a culture.

Will Hardy is trying to ensure the Jazz players live up to that standard.

LeBron James tells Pat McAfee it was ‘my job’ to defend Bronny against Stephen A. Smith

Lakers star LeBron James directs a teammate during a game Monday against the Magic in Orlando, Fla. (John Raoux / Associated Press)

The LeBron James-Stephen A. Smith feud doesn’t look like it will be ending anytime soon, as the Lakers superstar trashed Smith on the network that employs the “First Take” host.

Appearing on Wednesday’s episode of ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” James talked about his confrontation with Smith during a timeout at a Lakers game this month and how Smith has addressed the incident multiple times.

“He’s like on a Taylor Swift tour run right now,” James said. “It started off with [Smith saying], ‘I didn’t want to address it. I didn’t want to address it. I wasn’t going to address it, but since the video came out, I feel the need to address it.’ Mother— are you kidding me? If there’s one person that couldn’t wait until the video had dropped so you could address it, it was your a—. Like, seriously?”

Smith has characterized the interaction as James “making sure I mind what I say about his son,” a reference to James’ oldest son and Lakers teammate Bronny James. Smith previously said on air that Bronny should play in the G League this year rather than split time with the NBA.

“I am pleading with LeBron James as a father: Stop this,” Smith said on the Jan. 29 episode of “First Take.” “Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.”

Read more:Lakers’ Bronny James scores career-high 39 points in G League game: ‘I belong out there’

Smith walked back his criticism a bit after Bronny had a good game. But James told McAfee that Smith had “completely missed the whole point.”

“Never would I ever not allow people to talk about the sport, criticize players about what they do on the court,” James said. “That is your job to criticize or be in a position where if a guy’s not performing, that’s all part of the game.”

But, James added, “when you take it and you get personal with it, it’s my job to not only protect my damn household but protect the players. … And I know he’s gonna be happy as hell. He’s gonna be smiling from ear to ear when he hears me talking about him again. Oh my God. He’s gonna get home and get some ice cream out of his f— freezer and sit in his chair in his tighty whities on the couch.”

Oddly enough, Smith already responded to a different part of the James interview before the show even aired. A clip from the prerecorded interview was released ahead of the full show. In it, James proclaimed Milwaukee Bucks star “Giannis Antetokounmpo would have 250 points in a game in the ‘70s.”

Read more:Stephen A. Smith says LeBron James confronting him was ‘weak’: ‘I was talking about you,’ not Bronny

Smith addressed the comment Wednesday on “First Take” before the entire James interview aired.

“Here’s the problem with what LeBron James did. It’s still disrespectful to the previous eras. And there’s no call for it,” Smith said. “And so when he does what he does on that level, that’s him passive-aggressively, yet again, finding a way to take shots because inherently he has a problem with himself being compared to dudes from previous eras.”

Even though he had no way of knowing Smith would say any of that, James told McAfee after making his comment about Antetokounmpo: “I would be able to play in any era.”

Smith has yet to publicly respond to anything else from the James interview.

Read more:Stephen A. Smith: ‘I might have been wrong’ about Bronny James’ NBA readiness

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Luisangel Acuña earns final spot on Mets’ 2025 Opening Day roster: report

The Mets are naming infielder Luisangel Acuña to the 26-man roster for Opening Day, according to multiple reports.

The 23-year-old infielder has reportedly been told that he will be named the final player to the club’s roster ahead of New York’s first game of the 2025 MLB season against the Houston Astros on Thursday.

This likely means that outfielder Alexander Canario is the odd man out and, since he is out of options, will be placed on waivers by noon tomorrow when the Mets’ Opening Day roster is due.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns announced that Brett Baty, Hayden Senger, Max Kranick, and Huascar Brazoban had been informed that they made the Opening Day roster.

However, Stearns did not announce the decision on Acuña, saying the team was “ensuring we stay open to what might be out there.”

“This is a highly active time of year as players are on waivers, players have assignment clauses, players have upward mobility clauses, players take their [opt-]outs and become free agents,” he said from Houston. “Players become available at the last minute before rosters are submitted and the last thing we want to do is tell a player that they are on the Opening Day roster and then have to walk that back before rosters are due.

“So we’re just gonna make sure that we explore all possibilities before we announce anything final.”

Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza indicated that Baty will be getting “a lot of playing time” at second base.

Acuña made his MLB debut at the end of last season, collecting 12 hits in 39 at-bats over 14 games with three home runs and six RBI. He appeared in nine games during the Mets’ postseason run, mostly as a late-inning replacement, and went hitless in three at-bats with two strikeouts. During 131 games at Triple-A Syracuse last year, Acuña knocked in 50 runs with 33 extra-base hits and a .258/.299/.355 slash line (.654 OPS) with an impressive 40 steals on 54 attempts.

This spring, he had 13 hits in 52 at-bats (.250 average).

“I think he had a nice spring training,” Stearns said. “Luisangel is a very, very gifted defender. I’m glad he got some additional exposure to third base. I think that was important for him and towards the end of camp, he started to play a strong third base, and that was great to see.

“Offensively, I think we saw some really good signs. We saw some ability to go the other way, we know he’s got some pop in the bat when he gets to his pull side. And then we also saw where there still needs to be some growth, and he’s very aware of that as well.”

Canario was solid during the spring for the Mets – 11 hits in 36 at-bats with three home runs and eight RBI and a 1.030 OPS – but keeping him would have meant that the Mets would begin the season with only four infielders on the 26-man roster.

He was acquired in a cash deal with the Chicago Cubs in late February. The 24-year-old appeared in 21 games with the Cubs the past two seasons, tallying 12 hits in 45 plate appearances with five extra-base hits, eight RBI, and a .857 slugging percentage.