While injuries have hit the Cavaliers hard to start the season — Darius Garland, Sam Merrill and Jarrett Allen have missed significant time, while Max Strus has yet to play — Evan Mobley has been a rock this season.
Until now, Mobley strained his calf against the Wizards on Friday night and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks, the team announced.
Mobley is averaging 19.1 points and 9.3 rebounds a game this season, shooting 35.2% from 3-point range. While those counting stats are close to what Mobley did a season ago, he has been less efficient getting there, with a 57.6 true shooting percentage (close to the league average), well off the 63.3 he had last season (and a concern because the Cavaliers needed him to take a step forward. More concerning is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year not being there to protect the rim for a few weeks — the Cavaliers’ defense is 2.9 points per 100 possessions worse when Mobley is off the court. The good news is the Cavaliers should get center Jarrett Allen back.
Mobley has missed just one game so far this season, but if he is out for a month, he will be in danger of not playing 65 games, making him ineligible to defend his title or, once again, make the All-NBA team.
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt, sitting between teammates LeBron James, left, and Jake LaRavia, rarely has played in the last 10 games, but with Austin Reaves injured, the defensive specialist might be an option to join the rotation. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Perhaps Vanderbilt can return to the rotation to help the Lakers’ defensive woes while guard Austin Reaves is out for approximately a week because of a mild left calf strain.
And perhaps Vanderbilt and the Lakers can get some immediate results for shoring up their defensive shortcomings when they face the Suns in Phoenix on Sunday afternoon.
The 6-foot-8 Vanderbilt is hopeful that his opportunity will come against the Suns and he turns that into a positive for the Lakers.
“Oh, yeah, I’m pretty eager,” he said after practice Saturday. “I mean, obviously, I think a lot of the stuff we lack, I think I can help provide on that end.”
In the last 10 games, Vanderbilt had only a three-minute stint against the Philadelphia 76ers because Jake LaRavia took a shot to the face that loosened a tooth.
The return of LeBron James and Vanderbilt’s offensive deficiencies left him out of the rotation. During much of that time the Lakers were winning, which meant Vanderbilt spent time on the bench.
In 15 games, Vanderbilt is three for 10 (26.6%) from three-point range. He was asked how he has been handling things.
“Good,” Vanderbilt said. “Controlling what I can control. Keep showing up to work, doing my part, supporting the team.”
Vanderbilt was asked if coach JJ Redick or any assistants have spoken to him about his role.
“Kind of here and there, I guess,” Vanderbilt said.
Vanderbilt was seen after practice Saturday working with an assistant coach on his shooting, just like he did after practice Friday and like he has done while not playing.
Redick said Reaves, who played against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, wasn’t sure when the calf became an issue, and “we’re obviously gonna be cautious with it.”
“It’s a mild strain, Grade 1, and he’ll be out for a week,” Redick said, adding, “I would venture to say every player is a little bit different, but players now are becoming more cautious — to use that word again — more cautious when they get those diagnosis with the calf. Everything looks clean. It’s not in the deep part.”
The Lakers have looked at the last 10 games during the film sessions as a barometer for their defensive problems. But in reality, the Lakers have not been very good on defense all season while producing a 17-7 record because of their stellar offense.
“It’s been a trending thing even when we was winning, so I think like you said, the defense still wasn’t there, but we was just outscoring everybody,” Vanderbilt said. “So, I think obviously during the loss, it’s an appropriate time to address certain things just so it won’t keep lingering and get worse.”
The Lakers are 18th in the NBA in points given up (116.8), 22nd in opponents’ field-goal percentage (48.1%) and 27th in opponents’ three-point shooting (38.2%).
They will face a Suns team that defeated them Dec. 1 at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers were unable to stop Collin Gillesipie, who had 28 points and was eight for 14 from three-point range, and Dillon Brooks, who had 33 points.
It hasn’t gotten better in the ensuing days. The Spurs loss was the Lakers’ third in the last five games.
“Nobody likes to go watch film after you get your ass kicked,” guard Marcus Smart said. “It’s tough because the film never lies. And it exposed us a lot, which we already knew. We were just winning a lot of games. So it was mitigated that way, but it was straight to it: We have to be able to guard.
“The scouting report against us is we’re not guarding people. And if we want to be great in this league and do what we’re trying to do, you have to be able to guard, especially in the West. These guys are no joke, and they’re coming. And especially [if] you got the Lakers across your jersey. They’re definitely coming with everything they have. So you can’t be expecting any surprises. And that’s what it was. It wasn’t no sugarcoating anything. It was, ‘This is what we got to do.’ We’ve been asked. Let’s fix it.”
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley will miss 2-4 weeks with a Grade 1 calf strain, team announced on Saturday.
Mobley left Friday’s 130-126 win over the Washington Wizards after feeling tightness in his left calf and underwent an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. Hehad recorded 23 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists in over 36 minutes before exiting the game.
The Cavaliers will now add Mobley’s name to a lengthy injury list that includes Jarrett Allen (finger), Sam Merrill (hand), Larry Nance Jr. (calf), and Max Strus (foot).
The 24-year old Mobley leads the Cavaliers in rebounds (9.3 per game) and blocks (1.6) and is second in scoring (19.1) behind Donovan Mitchell through 25 games.
Entering Saturday, the Cavaliers are 15-11 and sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, just behind the Toronto Raptors in a play-in game place.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley will miss 2-4 weeks with a Grade 1 calf strain, team announced on Saturday.
Mobley left Friday’s 130-126 win over the Washington Wizards after feeling tightness in his left calf and underwent an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. Hehad recorded 23 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists in over 36 minutes before exiting the game.
The Cavaliers will now add Mobley’s name to a lengthy injury list that includes Jarrett Allen (finger), Sam Merrill (hand), Larry Nance Jr. (calf), and Max Strus (foot).
The 24-year old Mobley leads the Cavaliers in rebounds (9.3 per game) and blocks (1.6) and is second in scoring (19.1) behind Donovan Mitchell through 25 games.
Entering Saturday, the Cavaliers are 15-11 and sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, just behind the Toronto Raptors in a play-in game place.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported Saturday that the 22-year-old right-hander “is highly coveted in trade talks” with the Mets valuing Tong “highly” but “listening.”
Fellow right-hander Nolan McLean, meanwhile, “is viewed as off-limits” with outfielder Carson Benge “close to that,” Heyman added.
Tong went 2-3 with a 7.71 ERA in five starts this past season. He rose through the Mets’ farm system, starting the year with Double-A Binghamton before elevating to Triple-A Syracuse in August and New York by the end of the month.
Tong’s MLB debut on Aug. 29 against the Miami Marlins was a 19-9 win for the Mets. He allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out six and walking none.
His next four starts were mixed. Tong’s final outing, a 10-3 loss at the Chicago Cubs, saw him last two innings while surrendering five runs on seven hits with two walks to one strikeout.
“Tong could use a little more minor league time, but with improvement in command and refinement of a third and maybe fourth pitch, the sky’s the limit,” DeMayo wrote. “Without that development, there is a non-zero chance for some reliever risk.”
Jansen, 38, played for the Los Angeles Angels last season. His 29 saves were tied for ninth in MLB. He is the second reliever the Tigers have signed this offseason, after the Tigers re-signed Kyle Finnegan to a two-year deal at the winter meetings.
The Tigers acquired Finnegan from the Washington Nationals at last season’s trade deadline. The 34-year-old Detroit native posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.72 WHIP with four saves over 16 games for the Tigers.
The Tigers also traded rookie right-handed reliever Chase Lee to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. This move helped clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Finnegan. Lee, 27, had a 4.10 ERA, 36 strikeouts and a 4–1 record in 2025. The Tigers received 24-year-old left-hander Johan Simon from the Blue Jays in exchange for Lee.
While adding to the bullpen will certainly help the Tigers, the future of Tarik Skubal looms over the franchise. The AL’s back-to-back Cy Young winner finished the season with a 13-6 record in 31 starts, posting a 2.21 ERA with 241 strikeouts and ranking second in Major League Baseball in both categories.
With the 29-year-old’s deal set to expire after the 2026 season, trade speculation has surrounded the ace. Nearly every contender has been, or will be, linked to Skubal this winter.
The New York Mets have agreed to a two-year deal with veteran infielder Jorge Polanco, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced.
Polanco hit .265 with 26 home runs and 78 RBIs this year for the Seattle Mariners. It was the 32-year-old’s second season with Seattle after a decade with the Minnesota Twins.
Polanco’s arrival comes after the departures of outfielder Brandon Nimmo, closer Edwin Díaz and first baseman Pete Alonso left New York without three of its fan favorites. Polanco’s deal is worth a reported $40 million.
Last year, Polanco was mostly a designated hitter and also played second base, but New York’s biggest current need in the infield may be at first after Alonso’s exit. The Mets acquired second baseman Marcus Semien in a trade for Nimmo, and Francisco Lindor is a fixture at shortstop.
Polanco was an All-Star in 2019 for Minnesota, and he hit a career-high 33 home runs in 2021. He had surgery in October 2024 to repair his left patellar tendon, and the Mariners declined his $12 million option for the 2025 season. But they brought him back for $7 million, and he produced one of his best offensive seasons.
The Yankees are re-signing Amed Rosario, according to multiple Saturday reports.
YES Network’s Jack Curry first reported the deal, which is a one-year contract.
The pact is reportedly for $2.5 million. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal were among those to report the salary terms.
Rosario can earn another $250,000 in incentives, according to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo.
Rosario, 30, slashed .303/.303/.485 with one home run and five RBI in 16 regular-season games for the Yankees this past season.
He especially crushed left-handed pitching, slashing .302/.328/.491 with four home runs and 15 RBI in 52 games across two teams.
Rosario is “likely to get reps” behind third baseman Ryan McMahon, against left-handed pitching and elsewhere, Curry added.
New York landed Rosario before the 2025 MLB trade deadline in a July 26 deal with the Washington Nationals.
He signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Nats last January and slashed .270/.310/.426 with five home runs and 18 RBI in 46 games for Washington.
Rosario’s career started with the Mets. He played for New York from 2017-20 before stints with Cleveland (2021-23), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2023) and Tampa Bay (2024), Cincinnati (2024).
The Mets and Padres are “engaging” in trade talks, according to a report Saturday by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Dennis Lin and Will Sammon.
Right-handed starting pitcher Nick Pivetta, outfielder Ramón Laureano and three relievers — right-handers Jeremiah Estrada and Mason Miller and left-hander Adrian Morejon — are San Diego’s reported players in discussions with New York.
The Padres, meanwhile, are reportedly inquiring about the Mets’ younger MLB players and all top prospects.
The Mets had “substantial” trade talks with the Athletics about Miller, whom the Padres ultimately landed at the 2025 deadline in a July 31 deal.
Miller was a 2024 All-Star with the Athletics. In his 22 regular-season games with the Padres this past campaign, he allowed two runs on seven hits (one homer) while striking out 45 and walking 10 across 23.1 IP. The 27-year-old is under club control through the 2029 season.
Meanwhile, Pivetta, 32, signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the Padres after splitting his career’s first leg on the Philadelphia Phillies (2017-20) and Boston Red Sox (2020-24).
In his 31 regular-season games this past campaign, Pivetta went 13-5 with a 2.87 ERA over 181.2 IP. He had a career-high 5.3 WAR and personal-best 0.985 WHIP.
Pivetta has an opt-out clause after the 2026 season, and a player option following the 2027 campaign.
The Baltimore Orioles originally signed Laureano, 31, last February on a one-year, $4 million contract with a team option for the 2026 season. The Padres landed him in a July 31 trade and exercised his club option in early November.
Laureano logged 50 regular-season games with the Padres this past year, slashing .269/.323/.489 while adding nine home runs and 30 RBI. He totaled 24 home runs, 76 RBI and a /.281/.342/.512 slash line in 132 games (82 with Baltimore).
Morejon, 26, was a 2025 All-Star and has been with the Padres for the past decade. He defected from Cuba in October 2015 and signed with San Diego the following July, working through the minor leagues before making his MLB debut July 21, 2019.
In 75 regular-season games this past year, Morejon totaled a career-best 2.08 ERA and 0.896 WHIP across 73.2 IP.
Estrada, 27, has been with the Padres since they claimed him off waivers in November 2023. In two seasons with the Padres, he has a 3.22 ERA and 1.119 WHIP over 139 games (134 IP).
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