MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Sunday night said the league was closing in on a deal to cover the final three years of its legacy TV contract with ESPN.
Manfred dropped in on the Sunday Night Baseball booth during the fourth inning of the Little League Classic matchup between the Mariners and Mets, and during an exchange with ESPN’s Karl Ravech, the MLB boss intimated that a new deal could be announced well before the postseason begins.
“We’re having very detailed conversations with a number of parties, including ESPN,” Manfred said as New York batted with a 3-1 lead over Seattle. “We hope to have it resolved in the next couple of weeks. It’s a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle, but we will have it resolved in the next few weeks.”
In response to Manfred’s update, Ravech said, “I put my hand up for hoping that we stay involved.”
Manfred had hoped to have a deal secured in time to make a formal announcement during last month’s All-Star Game in Atlanta, but the process of finding a possible replacement for ESPN (which triggered its opt-out option on the Sunday night package in February) has been complicated by a flurry of interest from prospective partners, including NBC Sports and Apple. Also up for grabs are the Home Run Derby and the American and National League Wild Card Series.
As for ESPN, while the incumbent wanted out of the latter portion of its original $550/year media deal, chairman Jimmy Pitaro hasn’t been shy about his willingness to assemble some sort of reconfigured arrangement with MLB. To that end, ESPN has been kicking the tires on an opportunity to license the out-of-market MLB.tv package.
Aligning Bristol with a delivery system for local MLB games is consistent with Pitaro’s oft-stated desire to secure a portfolio of the league’s in-market rights. Pitaro first broached the subject last summer during an on-campus ESPN media scrum.
Wherever the ESPN package lands, the deal will expire at the end of the 2028 MLB season—at which point Manfred says he’ll combine the league’s local and national rights into a newly configured package.
During his Sunday night drop-in, Manfred also discussed the potential for a broad realignment of MLB, one that would presumably eliminate the canonical AL and NL in favor of a more travel-friendly geographical clustering.
The hypothetical realignment would coincide with the expansion of MLB to 32 franchises. In one scenario, a four-club “Northeast” division would include near-neighbors the Yankees, Mets, Phillies and Red Sox, while a “Mid-Atlantic” cluster would house the Nationals, Orioles, Pirates and Guardians.
“I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign,” Manfred said. “I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN, because … that 10 o’clock time slot where we sometimes get Boston-Anaheim would now be two West Coast teams. And so that slot, [which has been] a problem for us sometimes, becomes a real opportunity for our West Coast audience.”
Should such a shakeup occur, it would likely happen after Manfred steps down from his post in January 2029, when his term in office expires.
For some, dark mode is a helpful way to use devices with bright screens at night. For others, dark mode is an aesthetic choice, and they use the theme throughout the day.
OS-level dark mode, the ability to match the theme of all apps and windows on your device, is the dream, but it’s just that for Windows 11 users. Even with its system dark theme, Windows 11 has plenty of elements that are still light mode only. Your eyes might be perfectly adjusted to gray and black windows, when all of a sudden, you’re blinded by a bright white window. Madness.
Microsoft’s dark mode experiments
That might be changing, however. As discovered by phantomofearth (via The Verge), Microsoft is working on adding dark mode to some previously light mode-exclusive elements. Specifically, that includes file operation dialogs like copying, access denied, and delete multiple items.
Phantomofearth notes that these dark mode dialogs are present in the preview build for Windows 11 version 26100.5061 (26100.4946 is the current public build at this time) and notes that this is still clearly a work in progress, as some elements here are still in light mode. (Take note of the “Continue” and “Skip” buttons on the Folder Access Denied window.)
Still, it’s a big improvement. Users running the latest public build in dark mode will be met with bright white file operation dialogs any time they try to delete multiple items or try to run a task they don’t have permission for. Any Windows Insiders running 26100.5061 will have their eyes spared.
The Verge’s Tom Warren notes that Microsoft has not made any announcements regarding this dark mode expansion, so it’s really up to each user how to interpret these tests. Microsoft could be making some incremental changes, or they could be laying the groundwork for a true dark mode upgrade in a future update. Warren stresses that three key Windows 11 elements—The Control Panel, Run prompt, and file properties UI—still only have light mode windows, so there are definitely opportunities for Microsoft to improve dark mode here.
As the Yankees continue their push for the postseason, the club is getting healthier.
According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, the Yankees are expected to activate infielder/outfielder Amed Rosario off of the injured list ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against the Rays in Tampa, the first contest of a quick two-game series.
Rosario, acquired from the Washington Nationals ahead of the trade deadline, appeared in four games with the Yanks before suffering a shoulder injury on Aug. 8 while trying to track down a ball in right field and crashing into the Yankee Stadium wall.
In those four games, the versatile Rosario had three hits in seven at-bats, including a double and one RBI.
It’s been a solid season overall for the former Mets top prospect, who has slashed .277/.315/.432 with five home runs and 19 RBI in 50 combined games between the Nats and Yankees.
While the Yankees have not yet officially activated Rosario, the club did announce that catcher J.C. Escarra has been optioned to Triple-A, which opens up the roster spot for Rosario.
Escarra, 30, has played in 40 games with the Yankees, posting a .629 OPS with two home runs and 11 RBI.
Los Angeles Lakers fans can breathe a sigh of relief, because Luka Dončić is alright. Dončić was reportedly cleared to play for Slovenia on Tuesday, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
It’s a promising update for Dončić, who left Saturday’s EuroBasket exhibition game against Latvia after a teammate fell on his knee. Dončić limped off the court and did not return to that contest.
While the situation looked scary, those fears dissipated quickly. Reports emerged suggesting Dončić’s injury wasn’t serious, and that he wanted to return vs. Latvia. Slovenia’s staff did not allow Dončić to return. He was spotted sitting on the bench with ice wrapped around his knee the rest of the contest.
Despite the injury scare, Dončić was able to return to practice Monday. He apparently came out of that practice looking like himself, leading to Dončić reportedly being cleared to play Tuesday. Slovenia will take on Great Britain.
In preparation for the NBA season, Dončić is taking part in the EuroBasket tournament for Slovenia. The tournament is in its exhibition stage now. Slovenia won’t play its first official game of the event until Aug. 28, when it opens against Poland. The fact that Dončić is expected to take part in an exhibition game Tuesday is a good indicator he’s feeling back to normal following Saturday’s injury.
Dončić signed a three-year, $165 million max contract with the Lakers in early August. After joining the team in a shocking trade from the Dallas Mavericks last season, Dončić put up his usual numbers in 28 games in Los Angeles. Dončić, 26, averaged 28.2 points and 8.1 rebounds following the trade.
Following the team’s early playoff exit, Dončić has committed himself to working even harder this offseason. The star guard reportedly dropped roughly 31 pounds thanks to a new training regime.
For all his success in the NBA, Dončić has faced questions about his offseason conditioning throughout his career. If he can put those concerns to bed, it’s possible Dončić can unlock an even greater level during the 2025-26 NBA season, a terrifying thought for opposing defenders.
It’s impossible to sugarcoat the stretch the Mets are starting to come out of.
After a seven-game winning streak gave them a 62-44 record at the end of play on July 27, New York had a 2-14 stretch, dropping them from first place in the NL East to a spot where they’ll need a very hot finish to overtake the Phillies and win the division.
During the aforementioned stretch, the Mets were nearly no-hit, saw lead after lead evaporate, watched their starting pitching struggle badly, and lost all seven of the one-run games they played.
The Mets dealt with a combination of very poor performance with a dash of some really unfortunate events and bad luck mixed in (losing seven one-run games in a row is bonkers). It was the kind of bad run that is hard to believe while it’s happening.
Despite all that went wrong over the last few weeks, though, the Mets are still very much in the driver’s seat when it comes to reaching the postseason — up two losses on the Reds for the third Wild Card spot, within striking distance of the Padres for the second spot, and one hot streak from being right back in it for the NL East title.
They started to right the ship this past weekend against the Mariners, taking two of three games from a very hot team as New York rode strong pitching and a revitalized lineup that is starting to click again.
Let’s assess how things are going for the 2025 Mets and what’s to come…
The good
The Mets are oozing with talent and are relatively healthy as they enter the stretch run. And no one will care about what they did in the first few weeks of August if they wind up back in the postseason, where they would be incredibly dangerous.
As has been the case all year, the success of the offense will likely rise and fall with the performances ofFrancisco Lindor,Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo — and all four of them started to heat up as the Mets came out of their malaise over the last week.
That’s not a coincidence.
New York Mets infielder Francisco Lindor (12) hits a single against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
The bottom of the lineup has been better lately, especially with Francisco Alvarez (the Mets are holding their breath about his thumb) being a different hitter since he returned from a stint in the minors. But this team will likely go as far as the top of their lineup will take them.
The starting pitching is also beginning to stabilize after failing to provide much length or effectiveness for most of New York’s 2-14 spiral.
Kodai Senga was sharp his last time out, Clay Holmes looked very good on Sunday night against Seattle, and Nolan McLean gave the team a real jolt when he fired 5.1 shutout innings during his big league debut on Saturday at Citi Field — looking not only like a pitcher with the stuff to succeed at this level, but like someone who has the temperament for it as well.
Then there’s Edwin Diaz, who is in the midst of a lights-out campaign. In 48.0 innings over 47 appearances, Diaz has a 1.69 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 70 strikeouts — a rate of 13.1 per nine. He has been nearly untouchable in 22.2 innings since June 6, with a 0.79 ERA.
Another real bright spot lately has been lefty reliever Gregory Soto, who hasn’t allowed an earned run in 8.1 innings since being acquired from the Orioles.
One cause for concern right now would be the combination of Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley not immediately becoming the dominant 1-2 punch the team hoped would be a bridge to Diaz.
Rogers has a 1.93 ERA in 9.1 appearances, but he has just one strikeout during that span and has been much more hittable with New York than he was for San Francisco. Rogers has given up 13 hits in those 9.1 innings after surrendering just 38 in 50.0 innings earlier this season for the Giants. Meanwhile, Helsley blew back-to-back late leads last Thursday and Friday and has a 7.11 ERA since being acquired from the Cardinals.
Both Rogers and Helsley have stuff that is too good for them to get hit this much, so the expectation should be that they’ll stabilize — and Helsley started to do so with a scoreless inning on Sunday night while striking out a pair.
New York Mets relief pitcher Tyler Rogers (71) pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Citi Field / Brad Penner – Imagn Images
Meanwhile, even with the rotation being better lately, it would still be very helpful if they were able to provide more length. No team can withstand its starters giving as little length as the Mets have, which has caused a serious ripple effect and put the bullpen in a really bad spot.
Holmes, who is miles past his previous innings total, might simply be a five-inning guy for the remainder of this season, and could possibly wind up in the bullpen before the year is over.
David Peterson had been giving 6.0 or more innings regularly until recently, so a bounce back there should be expected. But the Mets need more from Senga and especially Sean Manaea, who has a 4.78 ERA and has pitched past the fifth inning just once since returning from his injury on July 13.
Another big shot in the arm could be provided by Mark Vientos, who possesses game-changing power but has yet to put things together this year. Vientos catching fire and taking over the main designated hitter duties while getting some starts at third base would seriously lengthen the lineup.
What’s to come
With the trade deadline in the past, McLean up, and impact position players like Jett Williams and Carson Benge almost certainly not debuting until 2026, the group that the Mets have now will closely resemble the one that will get them to the playoffs or not.
One big exception is the potential debut of Brandon Sproat, who could possibly join McLean in the rotation at some point if New York goes to a six-man staff or if Holmes is eventually shifted to the bullpen for the remainder of the year.
There’s also a possibility the Mets use Sproat out of the bullpen if there’s a need there.
While Jonah Tong has been the most dominant pitcher in minor league baseball this season, it’s hard to envision him getting the call this year unless he’s utterly dominant in Triple-A (where he shined in his first start over the weekend) and the Mets wind up dealing with multiple injuries.
As far as the schedule New York will have to navigate to reach the postseason, it isn’t easy.
Following a six-game road trip this week against the Nationals and Braves, the Mets play 19 of their final 32 games against teams that are fighting for playoff spots — including seven games against the Phillies, three against the Tigers in Detroit, three against the Reds in Cincinnati, three against the Cubs in Chicago, and three against the Padres at Citi Field.
The other games aren’t cupcakes, either, including seven against the plucky Marlins and a three-game set against a Rangers team that isn’t contending but remains dangerous.
The Mets, who made the playoffs in 2022 and 2024, have never had a four-year stretch where they made three postseason appearances. To change that, they’ll have to lock in down the stretch and take it.
