February 2026

There were 1,487 posts published in February 2026 (this is page 99 of 149).

NL Central offseason grades: Are the Cubs the division favorites over Brewers, Reds, Pirates?

With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training this week, our offseason grades roll on with the National League Central. All five teams in this division were active in different ways throughout the winter, with the Cubs, Reds and Pirates making meaningful upgrades to their rosters, the Cardinals embarking on a full-blown rebuild and the reigning champion Brewers executing a series of Brewers-like maneuvers.

This is also a division that has stayed active in the days leading up to camps opening in Arizona and Florida, and we might see a few more moves before Opening Day. But the bulk of the business appears to be behind us. So what did these NL Central clubs accomplish this winter?

Let’s grade ‘em.

Significant outgoing free agents: C Danny Jansen, 1B Rhys Hoskins, LHP Jose Quintana, RHP Erick Fedde, RHP Shelby Miller

Major moves:

  • Retained RHP Brandon Woodruff via qualifying offer 

  • Acquired LHP Angel Zerpa from Royals for RHP Nick Mears, OF Isaac Collins

  • Acquired INF/OF Jett Williams, RHP Brandon Sproat from Mets for RHP Freddy Peralta

  • Acquired LHP Kyle Harrison, LHP Shane Drohan, INF David Hamilton from Red Sox for INF Caleb Durbin, INF Andruw Monasterio, C/INF Anthony Seigler, Competitive Balance Round B Pick

  • Signed OF Akil Baddoo to a 1-year deal

Doubting Milwaukee’s operation might be naive at this point. But for a franchise that’s still looking to break through for its first World Series appearance in decades, it is simply disappointing to see the roster in an objectively lesser state than it was when last season concluded.

That’s not to say the three fascinating swaps won’t yield any positive returns. Zerpa, Sproat, Harrison and even Drohan could all impact the major-league club in some form in 2026, and the Brewers often do well to get the most out of pitchers arriving from other orgs. It’s also reasonable to suggest the Brewers might have sold high on Collins and Durbin after their surprising contributions as rookies. But it’s also fair to say that no matter what president of baseball operations Matt Arnold says, third base is an enormous question in the short term, and replacing a legit ace in Peralta is no small task.

Regardless of Milwaukee’s strategy on the trade market, its complete disregard for free agency is discouraging. Excluding the retention of Woodruff via the qualifying offer, the Brewers have handed out zero guaranteed major-league deals this winter, and they are the only team with that designation (Baddoo received a split deal that does not guarantee him a 26-man roster spot). Splurging in free agency doesn’t always equate to getting better, but Milwaukee’s complete lack of spending stands out this winter, particularly when several other small-market teams spent real dollars.

Tagging Milwaukee with a less-than-stellar hot stove grade doesn’t mean I’m dooming them to a regular season of assured failure, nor will I rule out the possibility of another move or two to round out the roster before Opening Day. The Brewers are still quite good on paper, and there’s reason for optimism on both sides of the ball. But if we’re strictly grading offseason moves, it has been an underwhelming and perplexing winter for the Brew Crew.

Significant outgoing free agents: OF Kyle Tucker, RHP Brad Keller, RHP Michael Soroka, LHP Drew Pomeranz, RHP Nate Pearson, UTL Willi Castro

Major moves:

  • Signed 3B Alex Bregman to a 5-year deal

  • Acquired RHP Edward Cabrera from Marlins for four prospects

  • Retained LHP Shota Imanaga via qualifying offer

  • Signed RHP Phil Maton to a 2-year deal

  • Signed LHP Hoby Milner to a 1-year deal

  • Signed LHP Caleb Thielbar to a 1-year deal

  • Signed RHP Jacob Webb to a 1-year deal

  • Signed RHP Hunter Harvey to a 1-year deal

  • Signed 1B Tyler Austin to a 1-year deal

In signing Alex Bregman to a heavily deferred, five-year, $175 million deal, the Cubs finally flexed the financial might typically associated with a big-market club of their ilk. It’s the kind of addition that carries more weight than just the projected WAR the player brings, as Bregman’s unrivaled baseball IQ and leadership qualities can positively impact the entire roster. Plus, the Cubs finally landing Bregman after a failed pursuit a year ago is a massive organizational victory — and a crucial one in the wake of Kyle Tucker’s departure.

Chicago’s moves on the mound this winter were less straightforward. The offseason started with Chicago retaining left-hander Shota Imanaga via the qualifying offer after declining the three years and $57.75 million remaining on his previous deal, ensuring some short-term rotation stability albeit for a hefty 2026 salary. Rather than spend further in free agency on another starter, the Cubs spent prospect capital to acquire right-hander Edward Cabrera from the Marlins.

Cabrera arrives with an array of promising pros (three years of team control, huge stuff) and troubling cons (lengthy injury history, limited track record of throwing strikes), and the cost to acquire him notably included outfielder Owen Caissie, who appeared to be in line to replace Tucker in right field as soon as this year. That — in tandem with Bregman taking over third base – has led to a lack of clarity regarding the positional plans for sophomore infielder Matt Shaw and Seiya Suzuki, whom the Cubs seemed to prefer in a DH role last year rather than as an every-day outfielder. 

However the position player group shakes out — Austin is another intriguing addition after a prolific half-decade in Japan — manager Craig Counsell should be able to roll out one of the best lineups in baseball. The question is whether adding Cabrera and redesigning the bullpen with a new crop of solid if unspectacular veterans is enough of an upgrade on the mound to vault Chicago into a higher tier of contention in the National League.

With Alex Bregman now leading the offense, the Cubs earned the best offseason grade in the NL Central.
Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports

Significant outgoing free agents: RHP Nick Martinez, RHP Zack Littell, RHP Scott Barlow, OF Austin Hays, OF Miguel Andujar, INF Santiago Espinal

Major moves:

  • Signed 3B/DH Eugenio Suarez to a 1-year deal

  • Signed JJ Bleday to a 1-year deal

  • Acquired OF Dane Myers from Marlins

  • Re-signed RHP Emilio Pagan to a 2-year deal

  • Signed LHP Caleb Ferguson to a 1-year deal

  • Signed RHP Pierce Johnson to a 1-year deal

  • Acquired LHP Brock Burke from Angels in three-way trade that sent 2B/LF Gavin Lux to Rays

The Reds gradually improved their lineup, defense and bullpen over the course of the offseason — no small feat for a team coming off a postseason berth, but also a reminder that Cincinnati’s roster was notably worse than the rest of last year’s playoff field. After unsurprisingly coming up short in its long-shot, free-agent pursuit of local native Kyle Schwarber, Cincinnati pivoted to a collection of smaller transactions to improve its roster in the aggregate, rather than making one humongous splash.

Adding power was paramount for a club that finished 21st in home runs last season — a particularly paltry output when playing half their games at MLB’s second-most homer-friendly ballpark. Credit to Cincinnati for pouncing when the market didn’t materialize for old friend Eugenio Suarez, who rejoins the Reds coming off a 49-homer season, strengthening a lineup that sorely needed more over-the-fence pop. Concerns about Suarez’s defense will be less relevant for the Reds with Ke’Bryan Hayes entrenched at third base; Suarez can focus on mashing, primarily at DH with the occasional infield cameo.

Hayes’ acquisition at last year’s deadline is still a bit of a head-scratcher. His contract (guaranteed $30 million over next four seasons) in tandem with his meek offensive output (63 wRC+ the past two seasons) could be cumbersome for a team on a limited budget, but at the very least, he provides elite defense at the hot corner. New outfielder Dane Myers also brings a plus glove with a weak bat, though his defensive impact will be felt less frequently in a part-time role. Exactly how much playing time Myers and fellow new outfielder JJ Bleday will get remains to be seen, but each should help if deployed selectively.

On the mound, Cincinnati had a ton of innings depart in free agency (Martinez, Littell, Suter, Barlow) and decided to focus its rebuilding of the pitching staff on bolstering the bullpen. That began with retaining Pagan as the closer, and adding Johnson, Burke and Ferguson provided manager Terry Francona with a trio of veteran options to call on late in games. Trading Brady Singer, scheduled to make $12.75 million in his final season before free agency, was rumored as a possibility to ease payroll, but the Reds opted to hold on to the right-hander (their 2025 innings leader), ensuring some stability in a rotation that will be counting on several young arms to step up.

On the whole, the Reds achieved modest upgrades across the roster, even if some major questions remain about how the position-player group will fit together. Solid work.

Significant outgoing free agents: RHP Miles Mikolas

Major moves:

  • Acquired BHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, OF Tai Peete, OF Colton Ledbetter, two Competitive Balance Round B picks in three-way trade with Mariners, Rays that sent INF/OF Brendan Donovan to Mariners

  • Acquired RHP Richard Fitts, LHP Brandon Clarke from Red Sox for RHP Sonny Gray

  • Acquired RHP Hunter Dobbins, RHP Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP Blake Aita from Red Sox for 1B Willson Contreras

  • Acquired RHP Jack Martinez from D-backs for 3B Nolan Arenado

  • Signed RHP Dustin May to a 1-year deal

  • Signed RHP Ryne Stanek to a 1-year deal

  • Selected RHP Matt Pushard in Rule 5 Draft

The rebuild is on. New president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom did not take any half-measures in his efforts to dramatically turn the page on an era of Cardinals baseball that flamed out into unsustainable mediocrity. The quality of the returns netted in St. Louis’ four major trades ranged wildly in terms of the players and contracts involved, but St. Louis broadly accomplished its goal of flipping its accomplished (and expensive) veterans for future assets. 

Considering how far behind the Cardinals have fallen on the mound in recent years, it’s no surprise the four deals focused on adding arms; seven of the nine acquired players are pitchers. The two picks acquired in the Donovan deal should also enhance St. Louis’ ability to reel in a major haul in this summer’s draft, which should add further to a farm system that rates as one of the strongest in baseball.

Grading offseasons for rebuilding clubs is a tricky task, and it feels fair to judge them based on only how well they achieved their organizational goals; evaluating a team in the Cardinals’ position based on how much they improved their major-league roster doesn’t make much sense. As such, this grade is awarded to St. Louis based on its successful unloading of its most glaring trade candidates in exchange for an intriguing assortment of upside and depth. Rather than slow-playing the painful part of the rebuilding process, executing all of these deals in one winter makes the organizational direction clear. Competing in 2026 might be off the table for the Cards, but there’s enough exciting, young talent in the upper levels that a leap back into relevance in 2027 is not out of the question.

Significant outgoing free agents: OF Andrew McCutchen, OF Tommy Pham, RP Colin Holderman

Major moves:

  • Hired Don Kelly as full-time manager

  • Signed 1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn to a 2-year deal

  • Acquired 2B Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum, LHP Mason Montgomery from Rays in three-way trade that sent RHP Mike Burrows to Astros 

  • Signed DH Marcell Ozuna to a 1-year deal

  • Acquired OF Jhostynxon Garcia from Red Sox for RHP Johan Oviedo

  • Signed LHP Gregory Soto to a 1-year deal

  • Signed RHP Jose Urquidy to a 1-year deal

The Pirates unquestionably got better, dealing from their wealth of pitching depth to upgrade the lineup while pushing their payroll above $100 million via multiple free-agent additions. Pittsburgh finished 30th in home runs by a mile last year — its 117 homers were the second-lowest team total of the past decade (excluding 2020) — and responded by adding a trio of former All-Stars with track records of power production: second-base slugger Brandon Lowe, the late-blooming Ryan O’Hearn and veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. Add an outfield prospect with real pop in Jhostynxon Garcia and a switch-hitting speedster in Jake Mangum, and it’s not hard to envision this group of new personnel driving a meaningful step forward offensively. And while the Pirates subtracted from their rotation depth via trade, they added two of the hardest-throwing lefty relievers on the planet in Soto and Montgomery to enhance the bullpen’s ultimate potential.

The “minus” component of Pittsburgh’s offseason grade is rooted in concerns about how all the new pieces fit together, particularly defensively. Lowe’s glove rated as the worst among every-day second basemen last season. O’Hearn is solid at first base, but incumbent Spencer Horwitz is a better fit there, and the addition of Ozuna — who hasn’t played in the outfield since 2023, when he did it just twice — removes the DH spot as a regular option for him. That would seem to push O’Hearn to a less-favorable role as a regular in the corner outfield, where he would join another poor defender in Bryan Reynolds and a wild card in Oneil Cruz, who became a full-time center fielder just last year. The current depth chart also features Nick Gonzales as the starting shortstop, despite the bulk of his reps as a pro coming at second; presumably he’s a placeholder until top prospect Konnor Griffin is ready.

If all the new guys rake in support of what should be a terrific pitching staff led by Paul Skenes, perhaps the defensive deficiencies go unnoticed. But a lot is riding on the new bats to produce in a big way, particularly in the pitcher-friendly confines of PNC Park. And if this ill-fitting collection of hitters is how the Pirates want to unceremoniously move on from Andrew McCutchen — perhaps another reunion is in store, but it’s tough to see after the Ozuna addition — that’s fine, but it better work.

WhatsApp’s Web App Is Getting a Huge Upgrade

While there are a lot of chat apps out there, WhatsApp is the undeniable leader of the pack. The app has over three billion monthly active users, constantly messaging and calling one another across the globe. However, currently those calls are all happening over the mobile app, or maybe the desktop app. Though WhatsApp does have a web app, the service has never supported audio or video calls outside of its downloadable apps—until now.

You can now make calls from the WhatsApp web app

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is slowly rolling out audio and video calls to its web app. At launch, the functionality is coming to individual chats with users who elect to enroll in the WhatsApp web app’s beta, but the company plans to roll out the feature to all web app users over the coming weeks.

WABetaInfo notes that voice and audio calls work about the same as they do in the WhatsApp desktop app. When you open an individual chat in the web app, you’ll now see a video call icon at the top. Click this, and you’ll find two options: one to place a voice call, and one to place a video call. These calls are still end-to-end encrypted, as they are on WhatsApp’s desktop and mobile apps, meaning only the users who are a part of the calls can hear what’s being said. In addition, the web app’s video call client supports Screen Share, so you can share a live stream of your computer’s screen to another WhatsApp contact.

WhatsApp is also reportedly working on group chat calls for web app users, as well. While that feature won’t roll out alongside individual calls, when it does launch, you’ll be able to join group chats with up to 32 people.

If you tend to use the WhatsApp desktop or mobile apps, this might not seem like huge news—but it is pretty substantial for a few subsets of WhatsApp users. One, of course, is the user base that just prefers using WhatsApp in their computer’s web browser—but the other is Linux users. WhatsApp doesn’t actually offer a version of its desktop app for Linux, so those users have to use the web app if they want to run WhatsApp on their computers. That means they’ve never before been able to place calls without pulling out a mobile device.

How to sign up for the WhatsApp web app beta

This feature will soon roll out to all web app users, but until then, you need to be running the WhatsApp web app beta in order to try it.

Luckily, it’s pretty easy to get up and running. To start, open the web app, then head to the settings menu, choose “Help,” then choose the “Join beta” option. This will immediately switch you over to the beta version of the web app. (You should see a “Beta” label on your screen.) Now that you’re running the beta, should you find the option to place calls in individual chats.

Here’s How Long You Should Rest Between Workout Sets

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A typical strength- or muscle-building workout happens in sets. You lift the weight a certain number of times (“reps”), then you put it down for a quick rest before going again. But how long should that rest be? The answer will depend on a few factors, including the purpose of the workout. And a lot of us aren’t resting enough.

Why rest times matter

Let’s talk about the point of rest times. If you can keep moving for an entire workout without ever stopping to rest, you’re probably not doing very effective strength training. Cardio can be continuous; most forms of strength training require that you work so hard you must rest.

So we do our strength exercises in “sets” of some number of “reps.” You do 10 reps of shoulder press, and then put the weight down for a minute or so. By resting appropriately, you give your muscles time to recover so they can do another set. The longer the rest, the heavier the weight you can usually handle in the next set.

But there are pros and cons to long and short rest times. The longer you rest between sets, the more recovered you’ll feel. But the shorter your rests, the more work you’ll be able to do in a given gym session. Choosing the most appropriate rest time for each exercise will get you the best gains in the gym. But the optimal rest time will depend on what kind of exercise you’re doing and what your goals are. So let’s go over some pros and cons of long and short rest times.

When to use long rest times

Longer rests (say, three minutes or more) are best for strength workouts where the goal is to improve both your strength and your skill at lifting heavy weights. After all, you need practice at lifting heavy if you want to be able to lift heavy. After you put a heavy barbell down, you’ll need several minutes for your body to be ready to do another big lift. Long rest times are best for:

  • Compound exercises (those that use many muscles) like squats, deadlifts, snatches, and power cleans.

  • Heavier weights. If you’re working with barbells or doing fewer than 8 reps, you probably want a nice long rest.

  • Ambitious strength goals. If you have a goal in mind—someday bench 225, for example—the kind of training that will get you there will require heavy weights and long rests.

In the three to five minutes you might rest between sets of (say) barbell squats, the ATP in your muscles regenerates. You get some blood flow to bring oxygen and nutrients into your muscle cells, and flush away metabolic byproducts. Resting for several minutes gives you the best chance of coming back to the next set at full strength.

The longer you rest—within reason—the more fully recovered you’ll be for the next set. If you only allow yourself one minute, you’ll still be fatigued when you pick up the weight again. But if you wait longer, you’ll be able to handle more weight.

The downsides of long rest times

The main disadvantage of long rest times is time management. Your workouts will be longer if you rest five minutes between exercises instead of one or two. You may also find yourself getting distracted between sets. You scroll social media for a bit, and somehow it’s been eight minutes since you last touched a weight. Setting a timer can help with this.

Some people get antsy during long rests, and will pass the time by doing pushups or jumping jacks. That kind of defeats the purpose of long rests. Save the supersets for your accessory work afterwards, not the main lift where you’re trying to go heavy.

How long is a “long” rest time?

For an exercise where you’re using large muscle groups (like a squat or deadlift), five minutes is typical once you’re up to your heaviest working weights for the day. Warmup sets don’t need as much time.

For exercises where you’re working on strength but it’s a lighter lift or uses smaller muscles (like overhead press), two to three minutes is usually plenty.

When to use short rest times

When it comes to muscle growth, also called hypertrophy, shorter rests can make more sense. To be clear, strength and muscle growth are related, but not the same thing. If you aren’t interested in lifting the heaviest weight possible, just in making your muscles bigger or your body more “toned,” you would want to pay attention to the best rest times for hypertrophy. These will be shorter than for pure strength. Use short rests for:

  • Isolation exercises (those that only target one muscle group at a time).

  • Lighter weights. “Accessory” exercises with small weights don’t need as much rest time.

  • Training for muscle size when strength is less important. If you don’t care how much weight you’re lifting, and you just want to move a weight and be done with your workout, short rests can help keep the workout moving while still giving your muscles something to do.

Traditionally, trainers say that 90 seconds or less is a good rule of thumb. (The National Academy of Sports Medicine recommends 0 to 60 seconds; the personal training textbooks from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the American Council on Exercise both recommend 30 to 90 seconds.)

But research has shown that short rest periods may not actually be better for muscle growth than longer ones. A 2016 study found that three-minute rest periods actually yielded more muscle growth than one-minute rests. The authors think this is because the men in their three-minute group (yep, the study was only done on men) were able to use heavier weights than the men in the one-minute group. Since the number of sets was the same in both groups, this means the three-minute group lifted more weight.

A more recent meta-analysis also comes down on the side of longer rests. According to the studies they included in the analysis, the authors found that 30 to 60 seconds is likely too short. Resting one to two minutes between sets is best for muscle growth, they say. But according to this, more than two minutes doesn’t really help, and may slow down your workout enough that you get fewer sets in.

The downsides of short rest times

The shorter your rests, the lighter weights you’ll work with. This is fine if you’re trying to make do with light dumbbells, but it means you’re not getting practice with heavier weights. Most of us want to be jacked and strong, so short rest times mean you’re biasing yourself to the muscle size side of the equation.

Very short rest times (less than a minute) may also interfere with your ability to make the biggest gains, as the studies above noted. You may be able to make up for this by doing more sets of the exercise. If you enjoy the go-go-go feeling of short rests, that may be totally fine with you. Add an extra set or two and you know you’re using your time well. For the rest of us, though, slowing down and taking a full minute between sets will be better than rushing it.

How long is a “short” rest time?

One to two minutes is likely the sweet spot, according to recent studies. That’s on the higher end of the recommended 30 to 90 seconds. It’s fine to do some of your rests shorter and some longer, but if you’d like me to tell you what to punch in on your timer, go with 90 seconds.

How to get the benefits of both long and short rest times

Ultimately, you may be best off using a mix of long and short rest times, which is how a lot of strength training programs are designed. Use longer rest times for a few big compound lifts at the beginning of the workout (like squats or bench press) and shorter rest times for circuits, accessories, or isolation exercises afterward (like curls or glute bridges).

Supersets are a great way to split the difference. If you work different muscle groups in two different exercises, you can do one exercise while the other muscles rest. This isn’t your best option if you truly want all your energy and focus to go toward one lift (like if you’re working up to a PR on your bench press) but it’s a great way to do hypertrophy work. For example, try this:

  • Do a set of pull-ups

  • Rest 30 seconds

  • Do a set of pushups

  • Rest 30 seconds

    In this example, if it takes you 30 seconds to do the set of pushups, you’ve rested 90 total seconds in between your first set of pullups and your second set of pullups.

How long to rest between sets of specific exercises

Okay, but what if you want to get stronger and grow muscle? What if you want to stop overthinking the specifics and do whatever rest period makes you look like a normal person at the gym who knows what they’re doing? Here’s a cheat sheet:

  • For pushups and pull-ups: If you do a small to medium number of reps (less than 12), treat them as a strength exercise and wait three to five minutes between sets. If you’re one of those people banging out 20 or 50 at a time, you probably want to take rests of about a minute so that fatigue can make your next set a bit shorter and you can finish your workout in this lifetime.

  • For barbell squats and deadlifts: These are compound lifts that use many muscles in your body. They’re pretty much always done (relatively) heavy, and it’s useful to build strength in these moves. Treat them as a strength exercise and wait three to five minutes.

  • For bench press, overhead press, chest press, and shoulder press: These involve smaller muscles and less weight than squats and deadlifts, but they still qualify as compound, strength-focused exercises. Two to three minutes will be enough, most of the time, but take up to five on heavy sets if you need to.

  • For rows and lat pulldowns: Same as the presses, for the same reasons. Two to three minutes may be enough, but up to five would still be reasonable.

  • For isolation exercises: if you’re trying to feel the burn or the pump, short rests will really help you here. Take 30 seconds between sets.

These are just guidelines, so feel free to experiment. If you want to work on your cardiovascular conditioning, take a little less rest between sets. If you’ve already done a big set of bench presses today, do the rest of your arm and chest accessories with shorter rest periods.

All your questions about rest times, answered

Let’s do a lightning round, since I know rest times are a huge subject of discussion among people who are getting the hang of the gym routine. But first, a plea for you to not overthink this: if you simply rest until you feel ready to go again, you’ll probably do ok.

Is three minutes’ rest between sets too much?

No. If you’re trying to move a heavy weight, you probably want to rest a minimum of three minutes. If you’re training for muscle size (and don’t care as much about strength), you could shorten your rests a bit. Still, it’s not bad to rest too long, just slightly inefficient.

Can you rest an hour between sets?

At that point I wouldn’t call it a rest time, just a different workout. When you come back to the gym after that hour, you’ll need to warm up all over again. I would say if it’s been more than 10 or 15 minutes between sets, or if you feel like you’re physically cooling down, it’s worth doing some kind of exercise just to keep your body ready. This could be pushups while you’re waiting for a bench to free up, for example.

How long should I rest if I’m new to the gym?

As a noob, you’re probably not lifting very heavy (yet). That means you don’t have a lot to rest from. Say you’re doing squats: your body is still learning how to squat at all. You aren’t taking 300 pounds for a ride and needing to rest several minutes to recover.

For that reason, newer people may not need to rest as much. Two minutes between squat sets? Sure, that’s fine if you feel ready. The pitfall here is that if you get used to taking short rests, you could end up working with weights that are too light for you. After your first few weeks at the gym, make sure to do some of your heavier lifts with longer rest times (at least three minutes) and see if you feel fresher.

What happens if I don’t rest between sets?

If you can do multiple sets of an exercise without resting in between, you’re not using an appropriate weight. There’s supposed to be a difference between three sets of 10, and one set of 30. If your workout says to do 3×10, you’re supposed to feel tired enough after that 10th rep that you need to rest at least a minute or two before going again.

And yes, it can be awkward to be standing around in the squat rack, doing nothing or even scrolling on your phone while others are waiting. But remember: Everybody rests between sets! Or at least, they should.

Justin Verlander returning to Tigers on 1-year, $13 million deal

Justin Verlander has agreed to a one-year, $13 million deal to return to the Detroit Tigers, the team announced on Tuesday. 

Of Verlander’s $13 million salary, $11 million will be deferred.

Verlander has not pitched for the Tigers since being dealt to the Houston Astros at the 2017 trade deadline. During his time with the franchise he was a six-time All-Star, was voted 2006 AL Rookie of the Year and was the winner of the 2011 AL Cy Young Award and MVP.

He would spend parts of five seasons with the Astros, winning two more Cy Youngs and two World Series titles in Houston. Verlander then moved on to the New York Mets in 2023 before being traded back to the Astros during that season’s trade deadline and also spending the 2024 season with Houston. 

Last season, the veteran right-hander went 4-11 with a 3.85 ERA and 1.362 WHIP in 152 innings with the San Francisco Giants. 

Verlander, who has 266 career wins, joins a Tigers pitching staff that will also feature Framber Valdez, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and a very excited Tarik Skubal.

The Tigers will also look to also benefit from Verlander’s postseason experience after reaching the ALDS in each of the past two seasons. He has 226 playoff innings pitched, a 1.12 WHIP and 244 strikeouts in 38 postseason appearances.

The ‘Batman: Arkham Shadow’ Meta Quest 3S Bundle Is on Sale

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Meta has made virtual reality (VR) accessible to many more people, offering good VR headsets for much cheaper than the competition. Right now, the 128GB Meta Quest 3S Batman: Arkham Shadow Bundle is on sale for $249 (originally $299.99), the lowest price it has been, according to price-tracking tools. You can double the storage for $375.91 (originally $399.99); that version has dropped to $350 in the past. The bundle includes the Batman game (with a list price of $49.99) and a three-month trial subscription to Meta Horizon+ that’s normally $7.99 a month.

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It’s true, the Meta Quest 3 has better graphics, but it costs substantially more (currently $499.99) than the 3S version. Lifehacker staff writer Stephen Johnson tested both VR headsets to decide which of the two is better, and the Meta Quest 3S was his winner—you can read a more in-depth review of the Quest 3S here. There just isn’t enough of a difference between the two models to justify the additional cost, with the Quest 3S’s graphics looking very close to the 3 and running the same games and apps.

The Meta Quest 3S has a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor, 8GB of RAM, a display resolution of 1,832 by 1,920 (per eye), and a refresh rate of 120Hz. Once you put them on, the horizontal field of view is 96 degrees, and the vertical view is 90 degrees. The audio is stereo, which is nice, and the speakers are compatible with 3D spatial audio. When it comes to battery life, expect up to two and a half hours of juice before having to recharge (expect it to take about two hours for a full charge). I’ve recently got the headset and have to say I’ve never experienced something so immersive (it was my first time using a VR headset). If you’ve been curious about the experience, this is the best time to get your hands on one.

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2026 Fantasy Baseball Catcher Tiered Rankings: Cal Raleigh, William Contreras lead group of ‘Big Ticket’ backstops

With the fresh fantasy baseball season approaching, it’s time to get you some tiered rankings from my Shuffle Up series. Use these for salary cap drafts, snake drafts, keeper decisions or merely a view of how the position ebbs and flows. We’ll kick off the series with catcher.

The numbers are unscientific in nature and meant to reflect where talent clusters and drops off. Assume a 5×5 scoring system, as usual.

Additional positions will follow regularly for the next two weeks.

  • $31 Cal Raleigh, Mariners

  • $24 William Contreras, Brewers

  • $21 Shea Langeliers, Athletics

  • $20 Hunter Goodman, Rockies

Raleigh’s expected regression season will likely bring him down to something like a .235 average with 40 homers. The Mariners will use him every day, giving him DH time when he needs a defensive rest. Last year was more fun on the road, away from the Marine layer: .267/.380/.619, with 32 of the home runs. The depth of the catcher position keeps me from taking Raleigh in Round 2, while still respecting him as a rankings outlier.

Last year was the weakest in four seasons for Milwaukee’s Contreras and he still checked in as the C4, buoyed by his run production and on-base skills. He’s resourceful enough to steal the occasional base and last year’s .260 average is probably his floor. Stepping into an age-28 season, I could consider Contreras at his current Yahoo ADP in the low 60s.

Goodman’s batting average crashed by 59 points on the road, but he also conked 18 road homers and had similar slugging percentages in both columns. The Rockies prioritize him in the lineup, giving him 39 starts at DH. Although the Colorado lineup lacks the depth of past seasons, Goodman at least will be in the top half of the order, where the production is. He’s still a decent value in the mid-80s for Yahoo ADP.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]

  • $17 Ben Rice

  • $16 Agustín Ramírez

  • $15 Salvador Perez

  • $15 Will Smith

  • $14 Drake Baldwin

  • $14 Iván Herrera

  • $13 Yainer Diaz

Ramírez’s Yahoo ADP continues to lag about 50 picks behind his global ADP, and although some of that is noise from two-catcher versus one-catcher formats, it still reflects an opportunity. Ramírez already has plus power, shows the willingness to run, and can at least approach a neutral average as his plate discipline matures.

Although the best hitting backstops will routinely see DH time when they’re not available to catch, Smith doesn’t have that luxury in L.A. with Shohei Ohtani locking up the DH slot. It means Smith will probably have top-five rate stats at the position, but his counting numbers — despite being in a loaded lineup — will be mildly disappointing.

I had to take Rice’s salary down a buck when Paul Goldschmidt re-signed in New York, likely setting up a platoon situation at first base. Rice still gets the heavier side, of course, and you like his career trajectory as he prepares for his age-27 season. You can’t blame the Yanks for giving Rice a partner after he slashed .208/.271/.481 against southpaws, though there’s also the idea of letting him play all the time and see if growth happens. The Yankees rank first and third in runs scored over the last two years, so we like to invest here.

Diaz lost a chunk of his average last year, but bad luck was at play — his BABIP fell by 61 points and his expected stats (.268 average, .465 slugging) validate his bat. You’d like a few more walks, but 18-20 homers are in play, and he’s still holding a career .279 average. Houston’s lineup is no longer a playland — the Astros were 21st in runs last season.

  • $12 Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays

  • $10 Adley Rutschman, Orioles

  • $10 Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks

  • $9 Samuel Basallo, Orioles

  • $9 Kyle Teel, White Sox

  • $9 Francisco Alvarez, Mets

  • $9 Dillon Dingler, Tigers

  • $6 J.T. Realmuto, Phillies

  • $6 Carter Jensen, Royals

  • $5 Austin Wells, Yankees

  • $5 Logan O’Hoppe, Angels

Rutschman was a god as a rookie, very good his second year, tailed off in Year 3 and collapsed last season. Okay, oblique injuries were part of the story, but what especially concerns me is that Rutschman’s career arc closely tracks to Matt Wieters; same team, same position. Wieters had his best WAR seasons at age 25 and 26 but was hurt and/or ineffective the rest of his career. I’ll allow my heart to root for a Rutschman turnaround, but I can’t spend fantasy capital on him.

Realmuto still bats for a credible average, but the power continues to fade — he slugged just .384 last year. He also had a 91 OPS+ in 2025, the first time in a decade he’s been a below-average offensive player. Stepping into his age-35 season, it’s a good time to eschew Realmuto, even with an inexpensive ADP. Player development is not always linear, but player decline almost always is.

I’ll target Alvarez with the Mets, looking for an inexpensive way to tap into what’s likely a top-five offense. Alvarez is still only 24 and just needs a reasonable health runout to push into the top 10 at the position. He’s already given us a 25-homer season, and his walk rate continues to creep forward. 

  • $4 Ryan Jeffers, Twins

  • $4 Tyler Stephenson, Reds

  • $4 Carlos Narváez, Red Sox

  • $3 Bo Naylor, Guardians

  • $3 Sean Murphy, Braves

  • $2 Moises Ballesteros, Cubs

  • $2 Keibert Ruiz, Nationals

  • $2 Freddy Fermin, Padres

  • $1 Carson Kelly, Cubs

  • $1 Edgar Quero, White Sox

  • $1 Joey Bart, Pirates

  • $0 Patrick Bailey, Giants

  • $0 Miguel Amaya, Cubs

Rick Carlisle says Ivica Zubac won’t make Pacers debut ‘for a while’ due to lingering ankle issue

The 13-win Indiana Pacers have the second-worst record in the NBA. This has been a lost season for a team without its centerpiece in two-time All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Haliburton, of course, won’t play the rest of the way, as he’s still recovering from an Achilles tear that spoiled the Pacers’ championship bid in Game 7 of last year’s NBA Finals.

With a top-three pick on the horizon, it’s no surprise Indiana’s in no rush for newly acquired big man Ivica Zubac to make his Pacers debut.

Head coach Rick Carlisle told Indianapolis’ 1075 The Fan on Tuesday that the former Los Angeles Clippers center won’t play in Indiana’s two remaining games before the All-Star break — road contests against the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively — and it could be even longer before he returns to the court.

“I don’t think he’s going to play for a while. He’s got a lingering ankle situation,” Carlisle said, alluding to a left ankle sprain the 7-footer sustained during a Dec. 20 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Zubac, who spent the first nine-plus seasons of his career in L.A. — first with the Lakers after being picked in the second round of the 2016 draft and then with the Clippers after being traded midseason in 2018-19 — expedited his return to the Clippers’ lineup this winter. In fact, despite what Carlisle described as an injury that was deemed to require a four-to-six week recovery, Zubac missed only five games prior to making his way back to the floor for a Clippers squad that was just starting to find a groove after beginning the 2025-26 campaign 6-21.

“This is a guy that’s played 95% of his games since he’s been in the NBA, and he pushed to come back early,” Carlisle said. “And so there’s just something in there still. There’s some discomfort. There’s some swelling. 

“You admire the guy for slugging through, but, at this point, it makes zero sense for him to be out on the floor in an NBA game if he’s not feeling as close to 100% as possible. So I don’t know the timetable. He will not play in these two games, and we’ll see what’s what when we come out of the break.”

Zubac is averaging 14.4 points and 11 rebounds per game this season. He’s shooting 61.3% from the field, he’s got 24 double-doubles, and he’s a reigning NBA All-Defensive second-teamer. 

Carlisle considers the 28-year-old Zubac a top-10 center in the league right now. He also puts former longtime Pacers big man Myles Turner in the same category.

Turner surprisingly left Indiana to sign with the rival Milwaukee Bucks this past offseason.

“Myles was terrific, and Myles could do a lot of things,” Carlisle said Tuesday. “Myles could pick and pop. Myles became a very good roller. Myles had a big body, all that kind of stuff. 

“Zubac, the element that he brings, he’s bigger than Myles, a little longer, I think. His game is more around the basket with brute force and strength and skill. And look, our game’s going to look different with him out there than it did with Myles.”

Carlisle discussed the importance of having the kind of size that Zubac offers in today’s NBA, which he said is predicated on more than just speed.

Zubac is one of the league’s best rebounders. He’s also a renowned screener.

Paired with four-time All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, Zubac could help the Pacers establish some dominance on the glass. 

When Haliburton finally comes back, he and Zubac will surely connect on lobs, too.

Indiana gave up wing Bennedict Mathurin, forward Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and one second-round pick for Zubac and forward Kobe Brown.

Both teams made the trade with the future in mind. The Pacers will take their time with Zubac and his ankle injury.

Bluesky Finally Has Drafts

I’m one of those folks who has completely moved from X to Bluesky, and for the most part, it’s been a pretty seamless experience. It’s not hard to move your following list over; you can upload (almost) all of your old tweets if you want; and the scrolling and posting experience is almost identical to what you’ll remember from the old days of Twitter. The only feature I’ve missed? Drafts.

Finally, drafts have arrived. In a post to the official Bluesky account, the company announced that it’s added drafts to the platform, and that they’re rolling out now. To create a draft, just start writing a post, and instead of tapping the Post button, hit Cancel or Drafts instead and choose Save draft. What you’ve written will be saved as a draft that you can return to later. The feature works for pre-written threads, too (made using the + button on the post screen). To see your saved drafts, open a blank post and hit Drafts before typing anything else. You’ll see a list of your stored drafts, and you can either tap on a draft to open it, or hit the three-dots button to the right of the drift and then Discard to delete it.

Drafts were a big part of Twitter for me—not just because they helped save posts if my connection dropped in the middle of writing them, but because they also gave me some time to consider if I really wanted to post something before taking it live. It’s a handy feature for a platform with such a small character limit, where it might be easy to toss a stray thought out into the ether without really knowing how it might land or if you’ve expressed yourself as well as you could have.

I’m not alone, here: A common trend on Twitter was posting screenshots of draft libraries, to give your followers a peak at the half-formed ideas you didn’t think were quite ready for prime time. It’s a bit of culture I’ve missed in moving over to the new site, and I’m glad it’s now possible once agin.

As for where Bluesky could go next, responses to the drafts announcement include requests for more robust DMs or an edit button, although Bluesky staffers have expressed both logistical and ethical concerns with implementing these. In the meantime, there are third-party tools that try to add some of this functionality, but they do come with wonky formatting that an official solution could probably avoid.

Raptors’ Brandon Ingram will replace injured Stephen Curry in 2026 NBA All-Star Game

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has selected Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram to replace Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, the league announced Tuesday.

Ingram is now an All-Star for the second time in his 10-season career.

Curry is currently sidelined with a lingering knee issue that forced him to exit a Jan. 30 loss to the Detroit Pistons in the third quarter.

The 12-time All-Star point guard has missed the Warriors’ past four games, and Golden State head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Monday before a 114-113 win over the Memphis Grizzlies that Curry will miss Wednesday’s matchup versus the San Antonio Spurs, as well as Sunday’s All-Star Game.

Curry is dealing with an injury the Warriors have been describing as “runner’s knee,” which, according to the National Institutes of Health, can be caused by exposure to “too much or too frequent strain” and features pain around the kneecap.

Before his setback, Curry had been doing his thing. Even at 37, he’s averaging 27.2 points per game. Plus, he already has four 40-point outings under his belt.

He was voted as an All-Star starter and was poised to play in “USA Stripes,” alongside Kevin Durant and LeBron James, during this year’s midseason exhibition, which will introduce a new format with three teams in a USA-vs.-World round-robin tournament.

Ingram will take Curry’s spot on USA Stripes, an eight-player team that looks like this:

  • Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

  • Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

  • Brandon Ingram, Toronto Raptors

  • Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets

  • LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

  • Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers

  • Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

  • Norman Powell, Miami Heat

Ingram is averaging 22 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 47.2% from the field in his first season playing for the Raptors. They traded for him last season, but he missed most of the 2024-25 campaign with an ankle injury.

After acquiring Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto signed him to a three-year extension reportedly worth $120 million.

Injuries have frequently disrupted Ingram’s career, as the former No. 2 overall pick from Duke hasn’t played more than 64 games in a season since his rookie year with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016-17. That said, Ingram has played 52 of the Raptors’ 54 games this season.

Ingram is the leading scorer on a Toronto squad that’s 32-22 and fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Raptors are on track to end a three-season playoff drought this year.

They have an All-Star in Ingram, who’s earned that status for the first time since the 2019-20 season and has scored 30-plus points twice in the past five games.

Ingram is the second replacement in this year’s All-Star Game. Additionally, Houston Rockets center Alperen Şengün will fill in for injured Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Team World.

Braves to place promising young starter Spencer Schwellenbach on 60-day IL with elbow inflammation

The two worst words an MLB pitcher can hear in spring training is “elbow inflammation.” After a full offseason of rest, an early elbow injury can derail a player’s season before it even begins.

The Atlanta Braves were the unfortunate recipient of those words Tuesday, as promising young starter Spencer Schwellenbach will be placed on the 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.

The team is hoping the 25-year-old Schwellenbach is dealing with bone spurs and not a more serious issue.

Even if the team gets “good” news on Schwellenbach, he’ll still miss the first two months of the 2026 MLB season. Players start accruing time on the 60-day IL once Opening Day happens, and that stint can only be backdated by a maximum of three days, guaranteeing Schwellenbach will miss significant time in 2026 even in a best-case scenario.

Since making his major-league debut in 2024, Schwellenbach has flashed future ace upside. As a rookie, he posted a 3.35 ERA over 123 2/3 innings with Atlanta. The advanced stats backed up that performance, making Schwellenbach a popular breakout candidate in 2025. 

He lived up to those expectations early, posting a 3.09 ERA over his first 17 starts last season. But Schwellenbach sustained a fractured elbow in what the team called a “freak accident.” At the time of the injury, Schwellenbach had a 2.2 fWAR and was a candidate to receive Cy Young Award votes if he continued to pitch well down the stretch. 

It was one of many injuries sustained by key Braves players last season. As a result of all those injuries, the team finished 76-86, its worst win total since 2017 — excluding the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.

While the Braves initially believed Schwellenbach could return in September, that didn’t happen. He made his last major-league appearance in late June, and entered the offseason hoping to be fully recovered by spring training. 

The injury puts a damper on both the Braves’ chances in 2026 and Schwellenbach’s development. When he’s been on the mound, Schwellenbach has looked like a future superstar who could carry a team’s rotation. But injuries in two straight seasons have now brought questions about Schwellenbach’s ability to handle a full major-league workload. And given that this is the second significant injury to Schwellenbach’s throwing elbow, there’s no guarantee he’ll show the same upside when he’s ready to return. 

If there’s a reason to be optimistic, the Braves are expected to bounce back in a major way in 2026. The team is projected to win 92.2 games and win the National League East, per Baseball Prospectus’ projections.

If the Braves can live up to that projection — and Schwellenbach’s injury proves to be relatively minor — there’s still a chance he can return in time to pitch meaningful games down the stretch.