Once again, rumor time has struck the Valley, as online discussion has continued to escalate. With teams continuing to get eliminated from the first round, new shakeups are being hypothesized every single hour over on Twitter. That leaves us today with our latest discussion that has hit the Suns’ world, as fans have clung to a new name that may be hitting the market.

It is expected that the Trail Blazers will field plenty of external trade interest in Jrue Holiday, per @JakeLFischer

(https://t.co/wvquLcpJ48) pic.twitter.com/Ebttw1wdVb

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 2, 2026

Even with the Trail Blazers exceeding expectations, similarly to Phoenix, and beating them in the Play-In tournament, some shakeup seems likely for this Northwest franchise. With the emergence of Scoot Henderson in the first round of the playoffs and Damian Lillard gearing up to return, the question of Jrue Holiday remaining in Portland continues to grow.

The guard was traded there just last year from the Boston Celtics, who were looking to shed salary to drop below the second apron. I wonder if that sounds familiar, Suns fans? Anyways, the guard this offseason could also see another change of scenery, from the recent reporting of Jake Fischer.

For a team in Phoenix with already a surplus of guards, you would think this means they turn away from this, but with his complementary fit alongside Booker, the question is: should they? That is why today we are back with another breakdown of how this could be done for the Suns and whether they should consider it.

How could it get done?

Looking at Jrue Holiday’s contract is pretty taxing. The veteran guard is owed $72 million over the next two seasons with a player option in his final year. With making just under $35 million this year, the only two ways it could realistically get done. You either trade Jalen Green in a one-for-one trade or the combination of Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen.

Which would make the most sense?

As we noted above, the Blazers’ main motivation for moving Holiday off was to give their guard room more freedom, so taking Green back makes zero sense on their end. Unless it was a three-team deal (which, if you want to get creative, let me know down below), it’s virtually impossible.

This leaves us with the package of O’Neale and Allen, who would bring some quality depth and three-point shooting to a team that could benefit from it. Portland was 28th for three-point range last season, hitting 34.3%. And they were dead last in the NBA in bench three-point shooting, where they were 32.0%. Adding O’Neale and Allen would help in this area.

Even if this makes sense for the Blazers and Holiday is a good stylistic fit for the Suns, there are concerns.

Why does it not get done?

For multiple reasons, this package doesn’t get it across the finish line. Mainly on the Suns’ end, as they now take on Holiday, and they face the surplus guard problem. With Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin wanting to resign, this forces them into a Jalen Green trade.

One that the league now knows they are forced to make: with low-ball offers from other GM’s, potentially leaving Phoenix with holes in other areas if they do not accept those deals. Not only that, but you add the age and injury history of Holiday in recent years, and that becomes an issue. With him being 36 going into next year, that does not push forward the youth movement the Suns want to embrace either.

Unfortunately, there is something in the water in Phoenix, as everyone who has come here via trade has suffered an injury. Even if they are completely healthy in their previous endeavors, they always run into some issues here. The guard, who is also going to be in his 18th year, would be a great fit both on the court and playstyle-wise, but has too many concerns with his large dollar amount.

With the league only getting younger and deeper, Holiday would not solve one of those issues for this team and leave an even bigger hole in another spot. Even if his ability to be a perfect locker room fit and culture guy would be a nice addition, it is not worth the cost for the Suns. I do see the benefit of him being the point guard, and of him embracing the team’s defensive hard work and hustle as well. He would definitely make things easier on Booker, but at what cost?

Especially in their position, Holiday is an addition to put you over the top for a championship, as he did for the Bucks and Celtics. The Suns are just not in that spot right now, which is why, even if he is one of my favorite fits alongside Booker, I say it is a no-go.

If Holiday proves he is still a solid player once he is off that contract, I would absolutely LOVE to have him as a secondary guard on a cheaper deal, but the price is not worth the risk in this instance.

Let me know your thoughts down below. Would you entertain a trade for Jrue Holiday for this Suns team?

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look for a strong start in their second-round series against the Detroit Pistons.

Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!

Go Cavs!

There are so many intriguing matchups and lineup decisions we are going to see as the Detroit Pistons face off with the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. I’m not sure which is my favorite, or which one is the most important. Jarett Allen vs. Jalen Duren? We are all curious what kind of Duren we will get after his offensive no-show against the Orlando Magic. Allen, meanwhile, was the hero of Game 7 for the Cavs, but the Toronto Raptors don’t have the size Detroit can throw at him. Perhaps it is Ausar Thompson vs. James Harden (or maybe Donovant Mitchell). We know Ausar can guard anyone in the NBA, but can he stay out of foul trouble when Cleveland’s stars are forcing the issue? Conversely, what about Duncan Robinson, who I am sure Cavs’ players will be hungry to switch onto and try to hunt on defense.

Will we have some different unsung heroes for Detroit? Is this a series where Ron Holland can make a mark? How much bigger of a role will Isaiah Stewart have against Cleveland’s double-big lineup. Cleveland’s guards can’t contain Cade Cunningham, but Kenny Atkinson surely knows that as well, and is likely fully prepared to throw Dean Wade and a bunch of other looks at him. How will Cade respond? Just about everything intrigues me about this matchup, and I hope the game lives up to how interesting the unknowns are. I’ve had my fill of gross-looking slugfests, thank you.

Game Vitals

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Peacock, NBC
Odds: Pistons -3.5

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (0-0)

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Cleveland Cavaliers (0-0)

James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

The Detroit Pistons host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET tonight on NBCSN. Then the Oklahoma City Thunder play the Los Angeles Lakers at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC (WRC-TV).

Enjoy the basketball and the constant playing of John Tesh songs.

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh had missed three games due to tightness on his right side. There was speculation that Raleigh may be heading to the injured list, but he is making his return to the lineup Tuesday night, batting second against the Atlanta Braves.

Raleigh had been sidelined since Friday, listed on the team’s injury report with side soreness, and there were reports Monday that the catcher would undergo an MRI to determine if he would need a stint on the injured list to fully recover. While Raleigh had the MRI, the results have not been released.

It remains to be seen if Raleigh is fully healthy. Seattle could be having him DH to get him some game reps to see how he has progressed in recovering, but for now, it looks like he has avoided an immediate stint on the IL.

The catcher was asked about the injury Monday. He downplayed it and said, “Everything is good, just taking it day by day.”

Manager Dan Wilson was asked about Raleigh’s health Monday, and he said his catcher was in a good spot and that a decision on his heading to the IL would be “forthcoming here in the next day or so.”

Raleigh made MLB history in the 2025 season, hitting 60 home runs, the most for a catcher in a single season. He hasn’t sustained that success into the early part of the 2026 campaign. Raleigh, however, has seven home runs in 33 games, but is batting just .186 with a .652 OPS.

If an NBA season was a theme park, the Boston Celtics’ 2025-26 would be its roller coaster. 

As they entered the season, some pundits — myself included — wondered aloud if it’d be better to tank in hopes of securing a high draft pick for next season, when presumably Jayson Tatum would be back from an Achilles tear. 

(We’ll get back to Tatum shortly.) 

Instead, the Celtics flourished under Jaylen Brown, remaining thoroughly in the playoff picture and looking like a team no one in the East wanted to play. 

Then they traded a chunk of their team at the trade deadline to get under the luxury tax limit, which seemingly went against their success. 

ASSOCIATED PRESS

On the heels of, well, getting worse in order to save money, Tatum was surprisingly ready to return ahead of schedule. It seemed Boston perhaps found a way to both save money and get better. 

Well, uh, about that …

The second-seeded Celtics then lost in the first round to the Philadelphia 76ers, a team they’ve been so used to taking behind the wood shed. Boston is now left looking for answers for next season. 

(Yes, Celtics fans. You can exhale now. Lord knows we all need to.) 

What’s next? 

Let’s get into it. 

2025-26 finish 

Record: 56-26, second in the Eastern Conference. Eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. 

Highlight of the season 

Jaylen Brown won’t like this, given how much he did for the Celtics all year, but the highlight is the return of Tatum, and it’s not even remotely close. No one knew what type of condition he’d be in. Whether he’d have physical issues or a slow ramp-up. But he came in, and immediately proved to be very much the same player. That’s huge. 

In 16 regular-season games, Tatum averaged 21.8 points, 10 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Sure, it was disappointing he missed Game 7 with knee stiffness, but in his six playoff games he posted 23.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He’s going to be just fine next year.

Players signed for next season 

Jayson Tatum

Jaylen Brown

Derrick White

Sam Hauser

Payton Pritchard

Hugo Gonzalez 

Luka Garza

Baylor Scheierman

Key free agents

Nikola Vučević (UFA) 

Neemias Queta (team option) 

Projected salary

$172,968,312

Draft picks 

Nos. 27 & 40

Draft focus: While the draft is never a place to think need, the Celtics must at least consider using their selections on a big man. They’re short up front and don’t have a lot of depth, so frontcourt size should be a priority. 

Roster-building tools

They should have the Tax-MLE handy, pending no major moves. Vučević hasn’t been taken care of yet, and picking up team options on up to six young players will increase the cap hit. The Celtics will need to step carefully here. 

Needs and goals 

The goal is a title, and that remains in play. Boston needs help up front and could stand to find more point guard depth. Given how much money they have on the cap, it’s difficult to see them make a big play for someone, however, unless they’re willing to attach draft equity. But that could be in play considering how poorly this season ended.

NEW YORK — To hear Nick Nurse tell it, it all came back to those high ball screens.

Time and again in his postgame remarks after a tip-to-tail annihilation to tip off the 2026 Eastern Conference semifinals, the Philadelphia 76ers head coach pointed to a string of defensive possessions early in Game 1 on which it seemed his team had absolutely no answer for what the New York Knicks were trying to do.

“I mean, we had, I think, five or six mid pick-and-rolls in a row that they scored on in pretty much every way they could,” Nurse said. “Came off [the screen], hit a 3. Didn’t get through the screen, got a lob. Hit a couple floaters down the lane. I think they scored six straight times off that, and that kind of extended [New York’s lead] a little bit.”

Nurse was right on. The Knicks scored on six consecutive possessions midway through the first quarter — a lob dunk for Mitchell Robinson, a pair of midrange pull-ups sandwiching a driving layup by Jalen Brunson, a pull-up Brunson 3, and a catch-and-shoot 3 in the strong-side corner by Deuce McBride — to take early control of the game.

“I think, most importantly, the ball was going in, and I got a rhythm,” Brunson said of the hot start that propelled him to a game-high 35 points, a performance reminiscent of the way he torched Philly’s drop coverage in New York’s Round 1 victory in 2024. “My teammates did a good job of setting screens and getting me open.”

When you take a look at how the Knicks got him open and scored on those plays, there’s one common denominator: They all came after involving Joel Embiid in the action, forcing him to prove he could contain the roll, bother the ball-handler or (ideally, for Philadelphia) both.

He could not:

On the possession after McBride’s corner 3, Nurse instructed reserve forward Justin Edwards to intentionally foul Robinson — a strategy that a number of opponents have deployed to try to limit the defensive, offensive-rebounding and rim-running effectiveness of the Knicks’ backup center, a notoriously poor free-throw shooter.

It was also just about the only way the Sixers could get a stop.

“[The opportunity] just presented itself,” Nurse said. “Subbed him in, they were in the bonus, figured … and I think it was right on the end of that famous pick-and-roll series I’m talking about. It was a chance to try to stop their momentum a little bit.”

It worked in the short-term; after four missed free throws on the next two New York offensive possessions, Knicks head coach Mike Brown subbed Robinson out, bringing in lightly used third-string center Ariel Hukporti for a short stretch. In the bigger picture, though, it didn’t: Robinson checked back in for the final two minutes of the quarter and the Knicks finished strong by, once again, going right at Embiid in the pick-and-roll:

“We were just not physical enough,” said Embiid, who finished with 14 points on 3-for-11 shooting with four rebounds, no blocks and no steals in 24 minutes. “I thought they were too comfortable. We’ve got to do a better job.”

Joel Embiid under attack

Doing a better job of making the Knicks uncomfortable will require Embiid to do a significantly better job of making his presence felt when they attack him in the pick-and-roll. New York’s ball-handlers — chiefly Brunson, who established an early rhythm by hunting Embiid off the bounce, but also Mikal Bridges, among others — drew a bull’s-eye directly on the chest of the former NBA MVP, betting that if they could make him navigate traffic and guard in space, they’d be able to get just about whatever shot they wanted, whenever they wanted. The story of Game 1 was that they were pretty much dead on.

According to Synergy Sports Technology’s tracking, New York shot 11-for-14 from the field on plays after forcing Embiid to defend the ball-handler in the pick-and-roll, scoring 29 points in 16 possessions — a monstrous 1.81 points per possession — when targeting the big fella in the two-man game. That, to put it mildly, is an unsustainable figure for the Sixers if they want to have any chance of pouring some cold water on a Knicks offense that’s been scorching hot for the last four games.

“I just feel like we were a full step slow tonight,” Nurse said. “Defensively, we just seemed like we were chasing everything. Didn’t guard the ball well enough, didn’t contest shooters well enough. They were obviously picking us apart, just moving a lot better than we were.”

They were certainly moving better than Embiid. Whether he was limited by the left knee he banged up in Game 7 against Boston, the right hip contusion with which he was listed on the pre-Game 1 injury report, or fatigue after playing 112 minutes across three consecutive elimination games in five nights just three and a half weeks removed from an emergency appendectomy, Embiid clearly wasn’t covering ground as well, as quickly or as decisively as the Sixers would prefer. That made him a defensive liability for Brunson to exploit early, often, ruthlessly and relentlessly.

“Our guys did a good job of setting screens for him, and Jalen’s pace and his change of speed, all that stuff, with the basketball was really good,” Brown said. “You know, they like to play in a drop, and [Brunson] was able to come off and get a couple of pocket 3s because we had good screens. And when he did that, it made them come up the floor a little bit, and then he was able to get by them.”

Nurse opened the series by playing his defensive matchups straight, with Embiid guarding Towns — the sort of center-on-center matchup that has typically allowed the Knicks to unlock the Brunson-KAT two-man game to great effect. Sure enough, New York went right to work, with Brunson rejecting Towns’ screen to go one-on-one against rookie VJ Edgecombe with Embiid out of the play, and Towns stepping back to drill a 3 with Embiid two steps too far off to contest the shot:

After Towns picked up two quick fouls and Robinson checked in, the Knicks stuck with the script, allowing Brunson to walk into a clean pull-up 3 that missed before what Nurse termed the “famous pick-and-roll series” that helped stake New York to an eight-point lead after the first quarter.

When Embiid checked back in midway through the second, the Knicks stayed committed to the game plan. Even when the initial screening action didn’t produce a clean look for the ball-handler or roll man, being able to draw Embiid out of the paint opened up opportunities for dribble penetration and second-side action, which New York capitalized on to generate one-on-one drives out of the corner for Anunoby and Josh Hart with no help defense or rim protection on the interior:

When New York was able to reset quick enough to get Brunson the Embiid switch, he roasted the big fella in space for a runner. When Nurse toggled the coverage, having Embiid try to blitz the pick-and-roll up top, Hart was ready to provide an outlet, reverse the ball to Anunoby in the corner, and create an open catch-and-shoot 3 for Bridges ahead of Philly’s scrambling rotations. When Embiid came up to try to hedge and recover, Brunson just went early, crossed over with another reject, hit the gas and got another paint touch for another finish. And when they went back to drop, Brunson just walked right back into another pull-up 3:

Before Game 1, Brown said he expected the 76ers to cross-match a smaller defender onto Towns and station Embiid on a wing — likely either Hart or Anunoby — to try to protect Embiid in the pick-and-roll. When Nurse did go to that look, New York was prepared for it, patiently and persistently cycling through screeners and moving the ball until they got what they wanted:

“You know, you see a lot of that during the course of the season, and so you keep working with it with your guys,” Brown said of the development of the scintillating read-and-react rhythm with which his Knicks are playing offense right now. “You keep showing your guys film of it, and it’s something that you address. We have actions where, if teams are cross-matched, we can try to get the guy that we want in the pick-and-roll. Doing stuff like that throughout the course of the year while showing them film, hopefully, at this point in the season, gets them to a point where they’re comfortable enough and they can continue trying to attack it the right way.”

New York repeatedly attacked those looks the right way, and the results were devastating: The Knicks posted a 160.4 offensive rating with Embiid on the court in Game 1, according to NBA Advanced Stats.

“It wasn’t any fun to sit there,” Nurse said. “It wasn’t any fun to be a part of, to be honest, and watch. But it’s 0-1. Doesn’t really matter if it’s six points or 36, or whatever the hell it was. It’s 0-1, and we’ve got to wash that one away and get back, and we’re gonna have to provide much more energy and physicality and that kind of stuff.”

How will the Sixers respond?

Nurse has buttons to push and levers to pull on the offensive end. Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were able to get Towns, Robinson and Anunoby into foul trouble in the first half. That aggressiveness could bear more fruit in Game 2, especially if Maxey — whom, as Brown noted, missed some makeable shots more than the Knicks necessarily clamped him down — can get going early.

The Sixers generated a number of good looks early in the second quarter, with Paul George targeting New York’s bigs in the pick-and-roll; they also made some hay when they finally showed a renewed interest in making Brunson work on defense, whether by putting him in actions or allowing the rookie Edgecombe to attack him off the bounce. If Philly can hit those notes — and if the vicissitudes of shot variance that saw the Knicks dramatically overperform their expected shot quality in Game 1 while the Sixers dramatically underperformed it, according to PBP Stats’ metrics, level out a bit — the scoreboard could, too.

“Yeah, we had breakdowns tonight,” George said. “But they also shot the s*** out of the ball.”

Dismissing what New York did in Game 1 as just an outlier heater, though, would be a step too far. The Knicks — ninth in effective field-goal percentage and eighth in true shooting percentage during the regular season, and top two in bothcategories alongside Oklahoma City in Round 1 — can knock down good looks if they keep getting them like they did in Game 1 …

… and if the Sixers can’t find a way to either hide Embiid or get more out of him on the defensive end, New York’s shot diet very well might remain awfully tasty.

“Our defense was not good today,” Embiid said. “We’ve got to do a better job defensively.”

The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics went to a Game 7, which saw the Sixers advance with a road win. That exciting first-round series picked up plenty of viewers along the way.

The final game between Philadelphia and Boston averaged 11 million viewers between NBC and Peacock, according to the NBA. This made it the most-watched first-round Game 7 in history and the most-watched first-round game overall in the past 27 years.

The NBA added that the entire first round of this year’s playoffs was the most-viewed opening round in the past 33 years, averaging 4 million viewers.

Boston took the first game of the series, but Philadelphia bounced back in Game 2 to even the slate. The Celtics then won back-to-back games to reach the infamous 3-1 series lead. It looked like the series was over after Game 4, as Boston was on the road but still secured the impressive 128-96 win, its second 32-point win of the series.

The 76ers responded by winning three straight games, two of which came on the Celtics’ home court. Game 7 saw them emerge victorious 109-100, capping off a historic comeback. It is just the 14th time in NBA history that a team has come back from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven series.

Before their historic win, Philadelphia had an NBA record 0-18 mark when trailing 3-1 in a series, while Boston was 32-0 when leading 3-1. The 76ers had lost six consecutive playoff series against the Celtics before their 2026 first-round win.

Philadelphia advanced to take on the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals. The Knicks won Game 1 of that series with a 137-98 blowout Monday.

With April officially behind us, MLB announced its first batch of monthly awards, celebrating the individuals in each league who have gotten off to the fastest starts in 2026. This week, we’re taking stock in the three major awards races, acknowledging who has performed the best in the early going while also recognizing who is in the strongest position to remain relevant in the push for these accolades throughout the duration of the season. 

First up, a look at the Most Valuable Player landscape, and whether the first month-plus of action has given us any reason to believe Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani won’t three-peat as the best players in their respective leagues. It’s not just that these two megastars have claimed MVP honors in each of the past two seasons, but at least one of them has won the award in each of the past five seasons. Will that finally change in 2026? Let’s get to it. 

AL MVP

The contenders

Aaron Judge

The standard Judge has set as Maybe The Best Right-Handed Hitter Ever invites a level of scrutiny that no one else could possibly be held to, but it is worth noting that his OPS merely starts with a 1.0 (1.057) instead of a 1.1 as it has over the previous three seasons (1.117). By this point last year, Judge’s offensive output was already miles ahead of the rest of the league, setting the tone for another historic season culminating in his third AL MVP award. He hasn’t separated himself to the same degree this year, but Judge, who turned 34 last month, has generally looked like his otherworldly self as the captain of the AL-best Yankees, and maintains a share of the league lead in homers (14) to no one’s surprise. If we are going to nitpick, it’d be pointing out that Judge’s strikeout rate (27.1%) is a tick elevated and he is not currently jockeying for a batting title the way he has been the past few seasons. Otherwise, the most glaring obstacle in Judge’s path to a three-peat is the unlikely reality that he doesn’t even lead his own team in OPS. Which brings us to …

Ben Rice

After proving plenty last year in his first full season as a key cog in the Yankees’ lineup, Rice has upgraded his game across the board to become one of most dangerous bats in the sport. His underlying data was already terrific, but there was still some question about whether the lefty-hitting Rice would be an everyday player or still be shielded against certain southpaws, whom he was notably less effective against last season. That skepticism extended all the way into the start of this season when Rice sat against four of the first six lefty starters the Yankees faced, even as he had gotten off to a ridiculously hot start. By now, though, there’s little doubt, as Rice has demolished righties (.333/.455/.718) and lefties (.367/.457/.867), cementing himself as the Yankees’ No. 2 hitter ahead of Judge. With designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list and veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt showing minimal signs of impact in his age-38 season, there is zero reason Rice shouldn’t be in the lineup every day. Rice leads all qualified hitters with a 224 wRC+ (1.214 OPS), which surely won’t sustain, but speaks to his ascent to worthy co-star status alongside Judge atop the lineup. 

There’s a long way to go to stay relevant in the MVP discussion, but there is recent precedent of a non-Judge Yankee earning due respect from voters, as Juan Soto finished third in his lone year in the Bronx. Regardless of where Rice finishes on MVP ballots, his rise from 12th-round pick out of Dartmouth to this caliber of major-league mashing is one of the best stories in baseball. 

Yordan Alvarez

If Rice’s rapid rise to the top of the offensive leaderboards has come as a shock, Alvarez’s return to such statistical territory has been anything but. Injuries may have derailed Alvarez and the Astros in 2025, but everything he had demonstrated with the bat in his career prior suggested that Alvarez was one of the best hitters on the planet. And this year, now healthy, he seems to have gotten even better, dropping his strikeout rate to a career-low 11.7% and improving his batted ball profile to enable more consistent slugging. He leads the AL in hits and total bases, and perhaps most encouragingly considering his history, Alvarez has been durable, starting all 36 of Houston’s games batting second.

Without much defense or baserunning value added — Alvarez has made eight starts in left field, and 28 at DH — he will need to continue to rake at an outlier level to stay in the MVP mix for the whole season. That’s what he did in 2022 en route to a third-place finish behind Judge and Ohtani, but those efforts were magnified coming for a dominant Houston team that would eventually win the World Series. The 2026 Astros do not appear to be on nearly as promising a trajectory, but if Alvarez can continue to dominate at the plate to this degree, his case should be taken seriously, whether Houston continues to wilt or climbs its way back into a playoff race. 

In the hunt

Mike Trout

For all the injuries that have limited Trout’s playing time over the past half-decade, the most discouraging thing about Trout’s 2025 was that for the first time in his career, he was healthy but not special. His 130 games marked the most he had played in a single season since 2019, but his strikeout rate spiked to a career-high 32%, his OPS was a career-low .797 and he played zero games in center field. All of it screamed that a sharp if unwelcome decline was officially in progress … or so we thought.

Trout has returned to center field in 2026 in his age-34 season, and his bat looks rejuvenated as well, restoring him toward the top of the WAR leaderboards where he has resided for the bulk of his legendary career. 

Trout has started all but one game batting second for the Angels (31 in center, four at DH), and has markedly improved his contact rates from the troubling marks he showcased a year ago, lowering his strikeout rate to a more palatable 23.6% while walking at a career-high 21.7% clip. Trout is also crushing the ball when connecting, running a 23.5% barrel rate that ranks fourth in MLB behind only Aaron Judge, James Wood and Juan Soto. Playing for a bad Angels team (13-23 entering Tuesday) hasn’t prevented Trout from being a part of past MVP discussions, so if he can stay healthy — one of the biggest ifs we have in the sports — this slug-happy, on-base machine version of Trout is fully capable of hanging around the MVP race, even if he doesn’t offer the speed or defense that he used to. 

Bobby Witt Jr.

It took until his 28th game of the season for Witt to hit his first home run of the season — and he’s added only two more since — but the Royals’ superstar shortstop is such a difference-maker in every other aspect of the game that he still ranks as one of the most valuable players in the American League. While his 112 wRC+ lags behind the other star position players atop the fWAR leaderboard, Witt’s spectacular glovework at shortstop has made him the second-most valuable defender in baseball behind only Pete Crow-Armstrong. The standout defense at a premium position plus impact baserunning (he has already stolen 11 bags in 13 tries) ensures Witt will remain a part of this conversation regardless of any sort of power outage at the plate.  As for his chances of actually winning MVP as many expect he will at some point, that will certainly require an uptick in offensive output and a Kansas City surge up the standings. There’s still time for both to happen, but right now, another strong placement on the ballot looks likelier than Witt claiming the award. 

Shea Langeliers

Langeliers has been by far the most consistent and productive player for a first-place A’s team looking to make some noise after a multi-year rebuild and move to a new city. He’s not quite on a Cal Raleigh-esque pace, but Langeliers leads all catchers in homers with 10, and his 176 wRC+ ranks fourth in the American League behind only Rice, Alvarez and Judge. The pure power isn’t anything new — Langeliers’ 82 long balls from 2023-2025 ranked second among backstops behind only Raleigh’s 124 — but the overall production has taken an impressive leap, which could thrust him into MVP consideration rather than just the “you know who’s pretty underrated?” discussions he has occupied for years. 

Yandy Díaz, Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda

If the Rays maintain their unexpected push toward being one of the teams to beat in the AL, one of their top hitters could become the face of their surprising success. That could be a familiar veteran like Díaz, whose batting title earned him a sixth-place MVP finish in 2023, and who is again hovering near the top of the AL leaderboards in batting average and on-base percentage. Perhaps Aranda, a first-time All-Star last year and current RBI leader in the AL, continues to prove the potency of his left-handed bat. Or maybe it’s Caminero, the electric 22-year-old who mashed his way to 45 homers and a ninth-place MVP finish last season. All three have a path toward being in the discussion if the Rays keep winning, but their current numbers pale in comparison to the competition, so there’s also a lot of work to do. 

Kevin McGonigle, Munetaka Murakami

We’ll talk more about these two when we dive into the Rookie of the Year races later this week, but both merit a brief mention here. McGonigle already looks like the Tigers’ best all-around player, and if he is the driving force behind Detroit’s first division title since 2014, expect him to be in the MVP discussion as well. As for Murakami, the strikeouts may soar to stratospheric levels, but if the Japanese sensation can challenge for the home run title as the star slugger on a notably more competent White Sox club? That could carry a sizable narrative heft that propels Murakami into MVP conversations. 

NL MVP

The contenders

Shohei Ohtani

With four MVPs already in his trophy case, Ohtani appears to be more focused on claiming the elusive Cy Young Award for the first time. A side effect of the quest may be lesser production offensively, but even if Ohtani’s bat declines to a more mortal level of good, that production combined with a Cy Young-caliber season would still make him the MVP favorite, barring some historic showings from his competition. 

That said, it will be interesting to see who else in the loaded Dodgers lineup could vie for MVP votes, especially with prior winners Freddie Freeman (.754 OPS) and Mookie Betts (on IL) not exactly at the forefront, and a slow start from lucrative free-agent addition Kyle Tucker (.711 OPS). The first few weeks introduced a stunning possibility in Andy Pages, but he has cooled off dramatically, with a .556 OPS and zero home runs over his past 19 games. Instead, the most dependable offensive engine has been mainstay Max Muncy, who received down-ballot votes in 2018, 2019 and 2021, but has fallen behind his more famous peers in the lineup in terms of MVP recognition in recent years. That could change in 2026, as Muncy’s .969 OPS ranks third in the NL. 

Matt Olson

To some degree, Olson has become more synonymous with his streak of consecutive games played (818 and counting) than his actual performance. His start to 2026 should serve as an emphatic reminder that he is not just an ironman, but one of the best power hitters of his generation. Olson reached 300 career home runs Monday in Seattle, launching his NL-leading 12th of the season in a rare loss for the MLB-best Braves (25-11). Atlanta’s resurgence has been one of the biggest stories of the season and Olson has been at the center of it, leading MLB in RBI, runs scored, doubles and total bases, looking more like the version of himself that finished fourth in NL MVP voting in 2023 when he led MLB with 54 homers. If the Braves keep thriving to this degree, this could be Olson’s best chance to break into the inner-circle of MVP candidates, perhaps even pushing Ohtani if Atlanta can seize the top seed in the NL away from the defending champs. 

Olson has not been alone in Atlanta’s efforts to build an early cushion atop the NL East, and several other Braves bats deserve acknowledgement. Second-year backstop Drake Baldwin has been fabulous in his follow-up to his Rookie of the Year campaign, Ozzie Albies is delivering quite the bounceback and Michael Harris II is hitting the ball harder than ever while playing excellent defense in center field. Olson is the lock, but the Braves are trending toward several MVP vote-getters — and that might not even include former MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., who has yet to heat up. Good times in Atlanta. 

Elly De La Cruz

After finishing eighth in NL MVP voting in his second major-league season, De La Cruz trended in the wrong direction in Year 3, which is a hilarious thing to say about someone who played all 162 games and hit 22 home runs while stealing 37 bases as a shortstop. But that was a fair assessment considering what De La Cruz had demonstrated early in his career, which hinted that he could make a run at multiple MVP awards rather than settle for down-ballot consideration. This season has been a positive step back toward fulfilling the enormous hype, as De La Cruz looks better at the plate than ever before while continuing to play outstanding defense. The switch-hitter’s dramatic improvement batting right-handed this season could be the key to unlocking his MVP potential, as De La Cruz is now dangerous no matter who he is facing, affording ample more chances to change the game with his power and/or speed. A 30 HR/30 SB season seems all but certain — if not 40/40 — and from a possible Gold Glove shortstop? Sounds like an MVP candidate to me. 

Nico Hoerner

The Cubs are another team off to a blistering start with multiple position players who could claim to have the most compelling MVP case on the roster, but we’ll give Hoerner the nod here for now. Strictly offensively, Seiya Suzuki (173 wRC+) and Ian Happ (146 wRC+) have been more impactful. But Hoerner, too, is swinging a hot bat (career-high 135 wRC+) while providing unrivaled defense at second base and outstanding baserunning, amounting to an all-around package of skills that have him ranked fourth in the NL in fWAR behind only Olson, De La Cruz and Brice Turang. A crucial component of Chicago’s success on both sides of the ball, Hoerner is validating Chicago’s decision to sign him to a $141 million extension before he could reach free agency this coming winter. 

Brice Turang

Turang had Team USA players and coaches buzzing during the World Baseball Classic, and he’s continued to shine in the early going for the Brew Crew. A speedster with strong contact skills but minimal pop earlier in his career, Turang has found his power stroke in a big way, and is suddenly a full-blown wrecking ball in the batter’s box. He ranks in the upper echelon in xwOBA, average exit velocity and hard-hit rate, and has a ridiculous 18.8% walk rate, all while playing wonderful defense at the keystone. Milwaukee (18-16) may not be off to as strong of a collective start as it would like, but Turang’s continued ascent toward superstardom should not be ignored. This guy is outrageously good. 

In the hunt

Corbin Carroll

It’s been a safe bet in recent years that a D-backs hitter or two will be involved in the periphery of the MVP discussion, with Carroll and second baseman Ketel Marte the most frequent candidates. While Marte has been one of the bigger disappointments thus far, Carroll has been outstanding as hoped, all the more impressive considering he missed nearly all of spring training due to hamate surgery. Carroll’s strong start and prior track record of elite play earns him the official mention here among the Snakes’ MVP candidates over April’s NL Player of the Month Ildemaro Vargas, the 34-year-old utilityman enjoying the hot steak of his life. I don’t think Vargas is going to win NL MVP, but I would be delighted to be wrong. 

CJ Abrams

Like De La Cruz, Abrams is another shortstop on pace for a 30 HR/30 SB season, but he ranks on the opposite end of the defensive spectrum, with abysmal advanced metrics punishing his WAR totals and hampering his overall value added. Both Abrams and James Wood are remarkable talents headlining the Nationals’ lineup, but both have serious volatility in their profiles (the whiffs, in Wood’s case) that are likely to limit their chances at being in MVP discussions until those shortcomings in their games are cleaned up. 

Jordan Walker

Now this is the Walker a lot of us hoped he could be after his stellar showing as a 21-year-old rookie in 2023. But Walker was so bad the past two seasons that it felt increasingly unlikely that he was going to live up to the sky-high promise from his prospect days. Instead, Walker has burst back on the scene as a bona fide slugger for St. Louis in Year 4, pummeling the baseball with authority, ranking in the 95th percentile or above in xwOBA, average exit velocity, barrel rate and bat speed. Even if the strikeouts are elevated, this is the kind of right field power bat Walker was supposed to be, and his re-emergence has changed the complexion of the Cardinals’ lineup for the better. 

Mickey Moniak

Cool, a former No. 1 overall draft pick is leading the NL in OPS (min. 100 plate appearances) — what’s the big deal?

It’s been a winding road for Moniak since being taken with the top pick out of a San Diego high school a decade ago, but he’s found a home in Colorado, where he has maximized his left-handed swing to tap into some serious power. He’s doing almost all of his damage against right-handers and mostly at altitude, but he’s been so incredibly productive in those opportunities that he deserves a shoutout here, even if he is the least likely within this article to actually receive votes by the end of the season.