The Philadelphia Phillies have reached an agreement to re-sign catcher J.T. Realmuto to a three-year, $45 million deal, according to multiplereports on Friday.
Signing Bichette might have meant Realmuto going elsewhere and likely would’ve led to the Phillies trading third baseman Alec Bohm. But Bichette landed with a division foe, and so Philadelphia is bringing back Realmuto, who is still one of the most reliable backstops in the majors.
Last season, his seventh with the Phillies, Realmuto made an MLB-high 132 appearances behind the plate. On one hand, he’s not a top-notch framer. On the other, he has maintained quite a bit of zip on the ball, as evidenced by his tying for the fastest pop time to second base in the major leagues in 2025, per Statcast. Plus, he’s known for his processing ability and in-game communication with pitchers.
As a hitter, Realmuto has been a lineup staple in 11 MLB seasons, counting the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign, and he has mashed double-digit homers in all of them.
This past season, he hit .257 with 12 home runs, 26 doubles, 1 triple and 52 RBI. That said, his .700 OPS was his lowest since 2015 when he was a rookie with the Miami Marlins.
Even so, when it mattered most, Realmuto supplied offense that was practically absent from the top of the Phillies’ lineup in the playoffs. In fact, during the NLDS against the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, he went 6-for-17 with two doubles, a triple and a home run.
Realmuto earned All-Star recognition in 2018 with the Marlins and in 2019 (when he blasted a career-high 25 long balls) and 2021 with the Phillies.
There are some questions about the wear and tear Realmuto has experienced to this point in his career. Since he joined the Phillies in 2019, he has caught 1,183 1/3 more innings, the equivalent of approximately 131 games, than anyone else in MLB, according to The Athletic.
Each week during the 2025-26 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.
Last time: ]
Golden State is 9.2 points per 100 meaningful possessions better when Kuminga is off the court this season, according to Cleaning the Glass. It was 3.5 points per 100 possessions better last season.
What is clear: The Warriors no longer believe in Kuminga. They tried to trade him last season to no avail. They engaged in a prolonged contract negotiation over the summer, when they did not want to commit long-term salary to their No. 7 overall selection in 2021. Instead, Kuminga signed a short-term deal, including a $24.3 million team option for next season, that was supposed to make him easier to trade.
And here we are. On Thursday, Kuminga’s new contract became trade-eligible, so he simultaneously demanded a trade from the Warriors. It did not take Golden State by surprise. This was always the plan.
Having watched this theater unfold before them over the past year, the rest of the league’s 29 teams must now decide: If the Warriors do not want him, then why should we? And it is a good question to ask.
After all, what player, other than Kevin Durant, has gone on to great success after leaving the Warriors? Even Durant has not been able to find a similar level of success as to what he enjoyed in Golden State.
It should be easy to thrive in the Warriors’ system. Curry’s gravity has allowed countless players to thrive, including Andrew Wiggins, who won a title playing the role that Golden State would like Kuminga to fulfill.
The Warriors gave up on Wiggins in the end, too, and look how that turned out for him.
Which brings to mind Kelly Oubre Jr. He arrived in Golden State for the 2020-21 season having averaged similar numbers to Kuminga through his first five seasons. The Warriors had high hopes, starting him for the majority of the year, but they gave up on him after a single season. They were 11.7 points per 100 possessions better without Oubre in the lineup, so they let him walk at the end of his rookie contract.
Nobody was going to trade anything of value for Oubre then, just as no one may be willing to part with much of significance for Kuminga. That does not mean Kuminga and Oubre are not good at basketball.
Upon leaving the Warriors, Oubre signed a two-year $25 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets, and they failed to make the playoffs in either of those seasons. He has since inked for the mini mid-level exception with the Philadelphia 76ers, for whom he has forged a role as a bit player on the fringiest of contenders.
And maybe that is Kuminga’s destiny. That is for him to determine, not us.
But …
Determination: Fact. Jonathan Kuminga is a good basketball player, as all replacement-level NBA players are, and he has value in the exact right situation. What that situation is, exactly, is yet another question.
Bo Bichette entered his walk year with one goal in mind: To prove he could still be an elite hitter after an injury-riddled 2024. He accomplished that goal last season and was rewarded handsomely for it on Friday.
Bichette is expected to play third base in Queens, which is currently occupied by Brett Baty. The deal features no deferrals, a full no-trade clause and opt-outs after the first two years, according to Jon Heyman.
Infielder Bo Bichette and the New York Mets are in agreement on a three-year, $126 million contract, sources tell ESPN.
After losing the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, the Mets pivot quickly and get one of the best players left on the market. @WillSammon was first on the deal.
Coming into the 2025 MLB season, it was not a guarantee that Bichette would receive a major deal when he hit the market. Despite five previous seasons in which he slashed .299/.340/.487, he experienced a down year in 2024, hitting just .225/.277/.322 over 336 plate appearances. While his defense still graded out fine, Bichette was among the worst hitters in baseball in 2024.
There were a few reasons for that. In June of that year, he landed on the injured list due to a calf issue. He was able to return but quickly aggravated the injury, leading to a longer stint on the IL. Bichette once again worked his way back, only to break his finger one game into his second return from the calf injury.
While that explained his second-half struggles, his slow start in the first half was more of a concern. Bichette appeared to be healthy entering the 2024 season, so there wasn’t a clear explanation for his early performance. Was he already a player in decline, or did a slow start spiral out of control due to injuries?
Bichette definitively answered that question in 2025. The shortstop returned to his hit-happy ways, slashing .311/.357/.480 with 18 home runs over 628 plate appearances. It was his best offensive performance since his rookie season, when he clubbed 11 home runs in 212 plate appearances.
While Bichette is capable of superstar production, injuries have been an issue for the infielder. In addition to his injury-riddled 2024, Bichette missed time in 2023 due to knee and quad injuries, and he missed most of the playoffs in 2025 after sustaining another knee injury.
Other than 2024, Bichette has performed despite those injuries. Following his knee injury in September, he was able to return in time to play in the World Series. Despite being less than 100 percent, he hit .348 across seven World Series games. He even smacked a three-run homer off Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series.
Thanks to his bounce-back year, Bichette was given a qualifying offer from the Toronto Blue Jays. He declined that offer, knowing he would make far more on the free-agent market.
And he was proven right. The Mets will shell out $126 million for Bichette, who has proven multiple times that he’s a legitimate top-of-the-order hitter.
Injuries remain a concern with Bichette moving forward. But as long as he stays on the field, he should be a perennial down-ballot MVP candidate in the short term.
WASHINGTON, DC — January 16, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting applications for the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program, which aims to encourage students at the Congressionally created 1890 land-grant universities to pursue careers in food, agriculture, and natural resource sciences. The application deadline is March 8, 2026.
HOUSTON — By the time the Oklahoma City Thunder drilled their third triple in the span of a 60-second early fourth-quarter stretch, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, livid from his team’s compounding mistakes, stormed the court heading straight for Reed Sheppard.
Sheppard, the culprit for two of the three wide-open looks — a mixup in coverage and communication — could only hang his head while Udoka admonished the second-year guard all the way to his seat on the bench, before attempting to salvage what was left of the game.
Houston’s accumulation of mistakes had turned a rather tight contest up until that point into a nine-point deficit the Rockets never recovered from. But Udoka’s outburst wasn’t simply an isolated incident in a lengthy regular season. It was a clear reminder of the gap that exists between both franchises, an illustration of the razor-thin margin for error against the elite — and a possible indication that Houston’s prior stance toward the trade market might need revisiting weeks before the deadline.
“Every game matters for us and we haven’t been playing our best,” Udoka said following Houston’s 111-91 blowout loss. “Regardless of record or whatever, we need to continue to focus on what we’re doing.”
Thursday night’s offensive fiasco was a microcosm of the issues surrounding this talented Rockets team as of late. The Thunder’s defensive game plan was simple: swarm Kevin Durant first and foremost, sending extra help on drives and potential pull-ups and lean on physicality to mitigate Alperen Şengün’s impact around the elbows. For nearly 40 minutes, Durant had no room to breathe, with arms, feet and everything but the kitchen sink in his way — that he finished with just 19 points on 23 shots is no surprise, nor is Şengün’s 14 points on 15 shots.
“I felt like I missed some good shots to be honest,” Durant said. “But they swarmed the paint, we got up 104 looks. My shot-making is supposed to inspire the whole group so when I’m not making shots, it takes away from us. I just gotta be more prepared and fundamentally sound. A few shots I rushed or was looking for a foul. I just gotta be better.”
Kevin Durant struggled to find clean looks against Oklahoma City on Thursday, a snapshot of Houston’s growing offensive issues.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS
But just how Houston labored — struggling to capitalize on 4-on-3s, failing to take full advantage of its dominance on the offensive glass (25 points from 23 offensive rebounds) and another anemic shooting night (29% from 3, 33% from the field) — told a larger story of where this team needs fixing. The Rockets are about as deep of a basketball team as any of their rivals in the Western Conference, but are dealing with roster inconsistency and a lack of a quarterback that is starting to catch up with them.
A little over a month ago, the Rockets were second in the West with a strong 15-5 record. They have gone 8-10, are currently losers of five out of their last seven, have a bottom-10 defense and, as of the new year, are 28th in offense. That they even sit in sixth place (23-15), half a game outside of the play-in, is a miracle and testament to the sheer individual talent on the roster.
(Dig a bit deeper, and their underlying numbers aren’t great, either. Since Dec. 5, Houston is 22nd in field-goal percentage, 26th in free-throw rate and 29th in turnover rate, per Cleaning the Glass. The Rockets are also a bottom-10 unit in passes made, assists, potential assists and drives per game. Combine that with the league’s second-slowest pace and you have a lethargic, inefficient, mistake-prone offense. That should be the furthest thing from reality on a team with two potential All-Stars.)
Prior to the season, Houston laid forth a playmaking-by-committee plan; more opportunities for Şengün, Durant and Amen Thompson — along with Sheppard. But at essentially the halfway point of the season, it’s clear that Fred VanVleet’s absence is greater than previously advertised. Udoka’s quest for a sufficient in-game organizer has seen him call on JD Davison, a two-way scrappy guard, ahead of Sheppard, the No. 3 pick from the 2024 draft, over the past two games. It shouldn’t come as a surprise — Udoka has made decent usage out of his array of undersized guards, including veteran Aaron Holiday — but the Rockets’ desperation plays only further undermine their contention hopes over the next few months.
For what it’s worth, the Rockets’ brass hasn’t signaled any aggressive intention to upgrade their current roster as they have in seasons past, opting not to react to what they deem a containable slump. The Rockets weren’t interested in Trae Young prior to him being dealt, nor are they interested in Ja Morant or a more experienced veteran like Chris Paul. They’re also less inclined to chase expensive names like LaMelo Ball or Darius Garland because of the potential complications that accompany blockbuster deals of that nature.
Houston, according to team sources, has had discussions with around half the league — with more incoming and outgoing calls expected over the next 10 days as the Feb. 5 trade deadline draws closer — but doesn’t have any firm offer in either direction that is cause for serious internal discussion. What they do have is an understanding of what they are willing to do and an inkling of what teams want. For instance, the Rockets received a number of calls surrounding Tari Eason prior to him becoming a starter, sources say — as well as inquiries on summer additions Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela — but nothing, as mentioned earlier, was concrete.
Their current cap constraints (Houston is hard-capped at the first apron) limit what they’re able to do on the open market, but the Rockets have signaled a willingness to move some of their draft capital if the right upgrade presents itself. Houston has a total of nine future first-round draft picks, including control of future firsts from Phoenix, Brooklyn and Dallas — as well as a slew of second-round picks.
At a glance, Houston’s cautious approach to the trade deadline is understandable given the current climate. But, if negative results persist and their slide down the standings continues, changes are likely to occur. And regardless of what is presumed to be atop the wishlist — proficient point guard help or wing scoring — the Rockets as currently constructed are a few notches below a championship roster and could benefit from an arrival or two before the window slams shut.
With a few months to go before the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Team USA’s roster is taking shape. After commitments from stars such as Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes, the team announced that Clayton Kershaw, who announced his retirement at the end of the 2025 season, will make one last appearance in the WBC. Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton and Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement also recently joined the squad.
They will join a star-studded group which also includes Bryce Harper, Bobby Witt Jr. and Cal Raleigh, among many others.
With 25 players committed to the roster, here’s how things are shaping up for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic
Team USA roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic
Team USA position players
C – Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
C – Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
1B – Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
2B – Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers
3B – Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
3B – Alex Bregman, Chicago Cubs
SS – Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
INF – Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays
OF – Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
OF – Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
OF – Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs
OF – Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
DH – Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies
Team USA pitchers
SP – Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
SP – Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
SP – Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
SP – Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins
SP – Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants
SP – Nolan McLean, New York Mets
SP – Clay Holmes, New York Mets
SP – Matthew Boyd, Chicago Cubs
RP – Mason Miller, San Diego Padres
RP – Griffin Jax, Tampa Bay Rays
RP – Garrett Whitlock, Boston Red Sox
RP – Garrett Cleavinger, Tampa Bay Rays
RP – David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates
RP – Gabe Speier, Seattle Mariners
RP – Griffin Jax, Tampa Bay Rays
The 2026 World Baseball Classic will begin March 5 and run through March 17. Team USA will be looking for redemption after falling to Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan in the final back in 2023.
Samson Nacua, a wide receiver like his brother Puka, has played in the UFL after finishing his college career at BYU. (Photo by Stew Milne/UFL/Getty Images)
The LA County Sheriff’s Department told NBC4 that Samson Nacua, 27, took Thiero’s car thinking it was his brother’s SUV, which is the same model and color and only about one or two years older.
The car, originally reported stolen, was tracked to the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood.
Not only was Samson Nacua arrested, but so was Trey Rose, another 27-year-old who was in the car. Rose told deputies he didn’t even know that the car was reported stolen, the LASD said, per NBC4. He reportedly was swiftly cleared once investigators acquired more information about the incident.
Thiero recognized that it was a mistake and chose not to push for prosecution, according to NBC4, which also reported that deputies ultimately requested the LA County Attorney’s Office reject the case.
He played his college ball at Kentucky and Arkansas. So far with the Lakers, he’s appeared in 15 games, averaging only 5.8 minutes and 1.3 points across those outings.
As for Samson Nacua, he’s a wide receiver like Puka. And he, too, played at BYU. That’s where he finished his college career, following his stay at the University of Utah. Between the two schools, Nacua spent five seasons, amassing 1,344 receiving yards and 15 total touchdowns along the way.
He went undrafted in 2022 and has tried to catch on in the NFL since.
While Puka Nacua has starred in the league, Samson has played in the USFL and the UFL, including for the Michigan Panthers. While playing for the Panthers last year, he was notably suspended one game for slapping a fan.
The NFL coaching carousel is off to a roaring start, and a dark-horse candidate for head coaching and offensive coordinator jobs has surfaced after the Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel.
The Dolphins finished 7-10 this season, and McDaniel immediately had a growing list of suitors for his services as a head coach or an offensive coordinator. The Ravens coaching search is off and running, and could have upwards of 15 initial candidates before owner Steve Bisciotti narrows it down to a final group. Entering Sunday afternoon, the Raiders had interviewed Klint Kubiak,Kevin Stefanski,Vance Joseph, Davis Webb, and Matt Nagy.
The team announced that they had completed an interview with the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator on Sunday. A popular candidate in this cycle, Nagy has interviews scheduled with the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and Ravens.
McDaniel will get his shot later on this week.
We have completed an interview with Mike McDaniel for our head coach position. pic.twitter.com/31SpeCoLXJ
Hired away from the 49ers as a relative unknown in 2022, McDaniel immediately delivered back-to-back playoff appearances in his first two seasons with the team. Miami started the season 1-6, then won five of its next six games and had hopes of a playoff appearance, but the Dolphins collapsed down the stretch, going 1-3 over their last four games.
In Baltimore, he’d have an MVP quarterback, a dominant running game, viable passing-game options, and solid players on a rebuilding defense.
On3’s Pete Nakos logged a prediction Thursday for LSU football to land safety Faheem Delane out of the transfer portal. He would be the third transfer defensive back to sign with LSU.
The brother of LSU safety Mansoor Delane, Faheem, played in 13 games for Ohio State as a true freshman in 2025, including the game against Indiana in the College Football Playoffs. He finished with 12 sacks and one tackle for loss on the season. Delane logged 81 defensive snaps for the Buckeyes.
Delane hails from Olney, MD, and played high school football at Good Counsel. As a four-star prospect in the 2025 signing class, he was No. 6 at his position and No. 2 out of the state of Maryland, per Rivals’ Industry Rankings.
BREAKING: On3’s @PeteNakos has logged an expert prediction for 𝐋𝐒𝐔 to land 6’1 S Faheem Delane from Ohio State.
The freshma defensive back totaled 12 tackles this season.
As a transfer, Rivals gives Delane a four-star rating as the No. 10 safety in the portal. He brings three years of eligibility off a season in which he gained crucial game reps for one of the top teams in the country. LSU desperately needs to rebuild its defensive back room and Delane would be a great addition.
