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If we had told you last year that in the first two months of the 2023 season, the Rangers and Orioles would be in the top five of our Power Rankings while the Yankees and Astros sat on the outside looking in, would you have believed us? Welcome to Week 8!

Now, New York and Houston have hit their stride of late and are by no means not top-five teams, but it’s still quite a sight to behold. The question becomes: How long can Baltimore and Texas keep it up? Will they be able to hold their respective divisional positions over New York and Houston?

Our expert panel has combined to rank every team in baseball based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle, Jesse Rogers, Alden Gonzalez and Joon Lee to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.

Week 7 | Preseason rankings

Record: 36-15

Previous ranking: 1

With their series win against the Brewers, the Rays improved to a ridiculous 21-4 record at home. The group has come back down to earth a bit, but the team still ranks second in all of baseball in run differential at +111, trailing just the Rangers after dropping a 20-1 game to Toronto on Tuesday. Watch out for Yandy Diaz, who’s having the best start to a season of his career with 2.1 Baseball Reference WAR through 42 games, which would be the second-highest bWAR total in his career for a single season. He has hit .322/.425/.599 with 11 dingers so far. — Joon Lee


Record: 31-20

Previous ranking: 2

Bobby Miller was called up for his major league debut out of necessity Tuesday, a product of Dustin May (forearm) and Julio Urias (hamstring) residing on the injured list. And he impressed against one of the best teams in the sport, effectively using his secondary pitches to hold the Braves to one run in five innings and outduel Spencer Strider in the process. Miller is one of three Dodgers pitching prospects, along with Ryan Pepiot and Gavin Stone, who entered this season looking to prove they deserve an extended look in the major leagues. Pepiot is nursing an oblique strain, but Miller and Stone will continue to get starts while Urias and May recover. Their development will be vital. — Alden Gonzalez


Record: 30-19

Previous ranking: 3

Is it time to start worrying about Michael Harris II? After his stellar rookie season in 2022, he has struggled in 2023. After a sixth consecutive hitless game, the Braves benched Harris on Tuesday with his average sitting at .163 with just one home run in 86 at-bats (he missed 19 games in April with a back strain and two more after jamming his knee upon his return, but he says he’s feeling fine now).

The good news: It hasn’t been a contact issue. His strikeout rate is actually lower than last season while his walk rate has ticked up slightly. On the other hand, although he’s not striking out more, his contact rate on pitches in the zone has dropped. He hit .375 and slugged .708 against four-seam fastballs last season but is hitting just .105 against them in 23 PAs. The Braves hope a session with hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and team consultant Chipper Jones will get Harris back on track. — David Schoenfield


Record: 31-18

Previous ranking: 4

While the champion Astros are rolling, the Rangers are still hanging on at the top of the American League West. A weekend sweep of the Rockies helped, as Texas and Houston took top offensive honors for the last week (ending on Tuesday). Five players compiled an OPS over 1.000 during that time frame, led by Josh Jung, who produced a 1.447 mark. Corey Seager has also driven in 10 runs in seven games since he returned. Meanwhile, the starting staff has made up for the loss of Jacob deGrom, as Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Dane Dunning and Jon Gray all spun good outings. It might be late enough in the season to say the Rangers are for real. — Jesse Rogers


Record: 32-17

Previous ranking: 6

Baltimore continues to further legitimize itself week by week. The rotation remains a point of concern, but the Orioles continue to put up strong performances against some of the best teams in baseball, leading to a +43 run differential. Although Adley Rutschman gets a lot of the national recognition for the O’s, Cedric Mullins is having a bounce-back season, hitting .275/.359/.505 with 8 homers, 13 stolen bases and 1.8 bWAR. Another 30/30 seems plausible for the dynamic outfielder. — Lee


Record: 28-21

Previous ranking: 8

The Astros welcomed franchise face Jose Altuve back to the lineup over the past week, and he hit the ground running, reaching base in his first four games with a robust .438 OBP over those contests. Then he got sick in Milwaukee. He left the game early with an undisclosed illness Tuesday and was out of the lineup Wednesday. Still, with Altuve back in action and Houston streaking of late, the champs have been looking a lot more champ-like.

With the Astros reaffirming their perpetual contender status and the Rangers leading the AL West in the standings and all of baseball in run differential, the division race is taking on a distinctly Texas-centric character. It should be a banner summer in the Lone Star State. — Bradford Doolittle


Record: 30-21

Previous ranking: 7

New York keeps rolling when its best players are at the top of their game. Slugger Aaron Judge is raking when healthy, hitting .353/.493/.882 with eight homers since returning from the IL. The rotation has kept cruising behind Gerrit Cole, who ranks among the best pitchers in baseball so far this season, posting a 2.5 bWAR. Reinforcements appear to be on the way, too, as Carlos Rodon rejoined the team in New York and began a throwing program, a precursor to a rehab assignment. — Lee


Record: 26-24

Previous ranking: 5

Toronto has looked like two different teams this season. At points, the Blue Jays have looked like a legitimate World Series contender, such as when they swept the Braves, while at other times, they’ve looked like a team that could finish in last place in their division, like when they went 1-6 against division rivals New York and Baltimore this past week. Something that could affect Toronto’s season in the second half: Hyun-Jin Ryu is hopeful to return to the mound after the All-Star break following last year’s Tommy John surgery. Ryu is in the final season of a four-year, $80 million contract and last pitched on June 1, 2022. — Lee


Record: 29-21

Previous ranking: 11

The Diamondbacks seemed to fall back down to Earth at the start of May but are red-hot once again, winning nine of their past 12 games to somehow put themselves within striking distance of the Dodgers in the National League West. Wednesday’s late loss aside, the best sign from that stretch might be coming from their bullpen. D-backs relievers had the sixth-highest ERA in the majors last year, but they sport a 3.83 ERA over the team’s past dozen games. Andrew Chafin, Miguel Castro and Scott McGough, who make up the back end of the bullpen, have combined to give up only one run in 19⅓ innings during that stretch. Small sample size, sure, but the D-backs will gladly take it. — Gonzalez


Record: 26-24

Previous ranking: 12

Boston strung together series wins against the Mariners and Padres last week while ace Chris Sale strung together four straight quality starts after a rough start to the season. The Red Sox, however, have had to make changes to their rotation, especially after the return of James Paxton from the IL. After moving righty Nick Pivetta to the bullpen last week, Boston did the same with two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber on Wednesday. In nine starts this season, Kluber had a 6.26 ERA. — Lee


Record: 26-24

Previous ranking: 9

The Twins continue to slide toward .500, more or less keeping a division stocked full of sub-.500 teams in the chase as Memorial Day approaches. While their division brethren have earned their poor records with demonstrably poor play, the Twins have been an enigma. Through Tuesday, the Twins were on pace to win 83 games despite a run differential that would translate to a 95-win level of play if we project it out over 162 games. That 12-win gap is the largest in the AL, and it has prevented Minnesota from gaining a cushion in the division chase. So what gives? Part of it, though not all, is a poor record in one-run games, as the Twins fell to 4-10 in those contests with their loss to the Giants on Tuesday. — Doolittle


Record: 25-25

Previous ranking: 17

It’s not exactly accurate to say the Mets saved their season with a five-game winning streak — the final two against the Rays and then a weekend sweep of Cleveland — but it at least temporarily stopped a bad skid that saw the team fall under .500. The most dramatic moment from that span was Pete Alonso‘s three-run, 10th-inning walk-off home run to beat a tough reliever in Pete Fairbanks. Then, the Mets beat another tough closer in Emmanuel Clase with another three-run bottom of the 10th, as Francisco Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor all delivered two-out base hits to win it.

Although the Mets are unbeaten in games they lead heading into the ninth, the pitching has otherwise remained problematic, with the Mets ranking in the bottom third of the majors in ERA. If that doesn’t improve, it’s going to be a .500 season. — Schoenfield


Record: 27-22

Previous ranking: 10

Milwaukee is in the midst of a brutal stretch of its schedule, winning just enough games to stay on pace with Pittsburgh at the top of the division. Series losses to St. Louis and Tampa Bay were mostly close games — besides an 18-1 drubbing by the Cardinals early last week. The Brewers’ offense continues to be its Achilles’ heel — and is especially awful against left-handed pitching. Rowdy Tellez is about the only reliable threat, as he belted two home runs while compiling an OPS over 1.200 over the past week. He needs some help. — Rogers


Record: 28-23

Previous ranking: 15

For a while, the Angels struggled to get much value from young players with affordable contracts. This year, though, has shown that the organization continues to take positive steps in that department.

Logan O’Hoppe, acquired from the Phillies for Brandon Marsh last August, was looking like a cornerstone catcher before suffering a torn labrum. Zach Neto, a first-round draft pick just last year, is playing shortstop on an every-day basis. And Mickey Moniak, the left-handed-hitting outfielder who came over in another August trade with the Phillies (this one for Noah Syndergaard), has been red-hot since rejoining the majors. Moniak, 25, is slashing .419/.438/.935 through his first 10 games, providing a major lift for an offense that is still waiting on some veteran players to produce. — Gonzalez


Record: 25-24

Previous ranking: 13

The Mariners appeared to avoid a big injury when Ty France left Tuesday’s game after getting hit on the wrist with a pitch (after earlier hitting the go-ahead home run). They’re hoping he’ll miss just a game or two, as they don’t have another good first-base option on the roster. Utility man Sam Haggerty isn’t hitting well, so if France needs an IL stint, they might need to make a move (Mike Ford is raking at Triple-A Tacoma, but he’s not on the 40-man roster — plus he’s mostly just a DH).

Meanwhile, second baseman Jose Caballero continues to play well and earn more playing time over struggling Kolten Wong. He has hit a couple of home runs, has drawn some walks and is 6-for-6 stealing bases. Wong has been a complete nonfactor — par for the course for the Mariners, who last year brought in Adam Frazier to play second base only to see him hit poorly. Seattle understandably doesn’t want to give up on Wong, but he’s looking more and more like deadweight. — Schoenfield


Record: 22-27

Previous ranking: 14

The Padres began this week’s three-city road trip with nine losses in their previous 11 games and somehow possessed the seventh-lowest OPS in the major leagues. They are underperforming throughout their lineup, but nowhere more so than at catcher, where Aaron Nola, Luis Campusano and Brett Sullivan have combined to slash just .169/.248/.270 entering the road trip. The Padres’ OPS from behind the plate ranks higher than only that of the Marlins and Guardians. This is a position the team will desperately need to address before the trade deadline, but it’s hard to figure out where to turn. — Gonzalez


Record: 22-29

Previous ranking: 20

It’s not too early to declare that the Cardinals are back — and are once again major players in the division. St. Louis hasn’t lost a series since the beginning of the month, as the team bounced back from a 5-0 loss to the Dodgers last Friday to outscore them 16-10 over the next two games. Paul DeJong has gone off, hitting four home runs last week, while Nolan Gorman took home player of the week honors. Miles Mikolas has looked better on the mound, providing hope that there will be some stability near the top of the Cards’ rotation. — Rogers


Record: 23-26

Previous ranking: 16

Bryce Harper‘s return was supposed to spark the lineup, and although he has hit well since he returned (albeit with just two home runs), the Phillies continue to scuffle on offense. In Harper’s first 19 games since he came back May 2, the Phillies went 8-11. Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott have cooled off after their hot starts (at least Marsh has maintained a high walk rate), and Trea Turner, in his own words, has “sucked.” He’s hitting .250/.295/.392 with five home runs — including a homer in the ninth inning to tie the score in Philly’s walk-off win Wednesday night — for an 89 OPS+, well below a league-average hitter. With six steals, he’s hardly on pace to steal 50, let alone the 70 some predicted. It’s a mess. And this week’s series against the Braves is the first of the season (Philly hasn’t played the Mets yet, either). — Schoenfield


Record: 25-42

Previous ranking: 19

Pittsburgh wasn’t remarkable over the past week — it was midpack in offense and defense — but it has stayed afloat in the division simply playing solid baseball. The Pirates have kept losing streaks, besides a longer one earlier this month, to a minimum as they work through a tough schedule. Baltimore, Arizona and Texas weren’t considered hugely dominant teams back in January, but they’re as good as anyone these days. Pittsburgh went 3-5 over the span of eight games against them — an OK record considering the NL Central has been brutal this year. Shortstop Rodolfo Castro had a good week, producing the Pirates’ lone OPS over 1.000 for a seven-day span ending Tuesday. — Rogers


Record: 24-25

Previous ranking: 23

The Giants reached .500 for the first time since the first week of the season Tuesday, riding a dominant start from Alex Cobb and a big home run from Michael Conforto to defeat the first-place Twins in Minneapolis. The victory marked the Giants’ seventh in a span of eight games and improved their record to 13-8 in May, a month that has seen them struggle offensively but pitch well enough to consistently win games. Cobb and Logan Webb, their top two starters, have combined for a 1.38 ERA in 32⅔ innings in May. — Gonzalez


Record: 21-28

Previous ranking: 18

After winning four of their first five to start the season, the Guardians haven’t been able to string together more than two straight wins at any point since then. Thus it’s been a campaign of two steps forward and, let’s say, 2½ steps back, with Cleveland slipping gradually below the break-even line. After a rough recent road trip, manager Terry Francona reportedly called a team meeting to reassure his clubhouse. That may or may not help, but Francona, by now, certainly has a feel for when these things are needed.

What the Guardians really need, though, are home runs from their home run hitters — they’re barely on pace to clear the 100-homer barrier this year. By contrast, and this is an extreme example because Tampa Bay is on a historic pace, the Rays are on pace to pass 300 dingers. — Doolittle


Record: 22-26

Previous ranking: 21

Chicago ranks so poorly in clutch ratings — worst on offense and third worst in pitching — that positive regression is bound to happen. But will it do so before the season slips away? A weak NL Central has provided the Cubs some room, while the team rides the hot bat of Christopher Morel. He hit eight home runs in his first 11 games, providing some energy while the team lost seven of nine on the road. Right fielder Seiya Suzuki is also quietly heating up. He hit over .400 with an OPS hovering around 1.500 OPS — second only to Morel — during a seven-day span ending Tuesday. — Rogers


Record: 25-25

Previous ranking: 22

Look, we know why the Marlins are hanging around .500: They’re still 15-3 in one-run games. Maybe they’ll keep that up, maybe they won’t, but the bigger issue is this team has to start winning more of the other games. Miami is in the bottom third of the majors in ERA and dead last in runs per game on offense, so while there’s still hope the pitching will come around, it’s difficult to envision this suddenly turning into a playoff-caliber lineup.

Although the Marlins are middle of the pack in batting average (thank you, Luis Arraez), they’re next to last in walk rate, so they simply don’t get on base enough and don’t hit enough home runs. And it’s not even a young lineup: Only the Mets and Dodgers have an older group of position players. Old and unproductive is a bad combination. — Schoenfield


Record: 22-25

Previous ranking: 25

The Tigers’ flirtation with not-terribleness has been bolstered by a solid bullpen performance. It’s not a new story: For all their struggles the past couple of years, they have gotten quality work from a number of firemen. Leading the charge from the relief staff is closer Alex Lange. If you don’t play fantasy baseball or follow the Tigers, you might not have noticed this, but Lange has emerged as one of baseball’s best relievers. Lange was a solid setup reliever last season, but he has earned nine of his 10 career saves in the opening weeks of the 2023 campaign. And he has done it with dominance, posting a 1.27 ERA over his first 21 appearances, with a sub-1.00 WHIP and a strikeout rate of 11.8 per nine innings. — Doolittle


Record: 21-30

Previous ranking: 28

Strange as it might be to say this about a team that’s been on pace for 55-65 wins for most of the season, the White Sox could crawl back into contention for the division title. The White Sox are playing better and have won eight of their past 11 games, results that qualify them as the AL Central’s “hottest” team. The Twins have a strong run differential, yet they haven’t been able to separate themselves from the division, which is a boost to the underachieving ChiSox.

Perhaps most importantly, the White Sox are on the verge of being as close to whole in terms of health as they have been all season. This should be most apparent in the bullpen, where Liam Hendriks is close to returning, Garrett Crochet just made his return from Tommy John surgery, and Joe Kelly has reemerged as a high-leverage option. With a soft upcoming schedule, the time for Chicago to make something of a depressing campaign is now. — Doolittle


Record: 21-28

Previous ranking: 24

Not surprisingly, the Reds are playing their way into the NL Central cellar. A sweep at the hands of the Yankees over the weekend didn’t help matters, as Cincinnati had awful outings from Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft. Ashcraft gave up a whopping 20 hits over the course of two starts while pitching only 10 innings total. Luke Weaver wasn’t much better. As a team, the Reds ranked close to dead last in the majors in ERA over the past week. That tells their whole story right now. — Rogers


Record: 21-28

Previous ranking: 26

One of the bigger surprises of the season is that the Nationals’ rotation has actually been respectable, with their ERA ranking middle-of-the-pack in the majors. That won’t win any awards, but that’s a lower ERA than rotations of several hopeful playoff contenders, including the Orioles, Phillies, Cardinals and Mets. Whether even that moderate success is sustainable is another question, however. The rotation is near the bottom in strikeout rate and strikeout-to-walk ratio. Patrick Corbin has reeled off six straight starts allowing three or fewer runs despite modest strikeout totals, and Josiah Gray continues to limit runs despite giving up too many walks. Take his most recent start: six walks in five innings against Detroit, but only one run. — Schoenfield


Record: 21-29

Previous ranking: 27

Let’s focus this week on one of few Rockies bright sides this week: Elias Diaz, the 32-year-old catcher who was signed to a three-year, $14.5 million extension at the end of the 2021 season. Diaz is slashing a remarkable .343/.396/.517 for the season, providing production at a premium position for a team that is underperforming practically everywhere else in the lineup. Only Sean Murphy, Jonah Heim and Will Smith have produced more FanGraphs WAR (fWAR) than Diaz as catchers this season. The Rockies have mostly struck out while trying to build a core around extensions for C.J. Cron, Ryan McMahon, Kris Bryant, Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela and Daniel Bard. But Diaz’s deal, at least, looks like a bargain. — Gonzalez


Record: 15-36

Previous ranking: 29

Even in a division as bad as the AL Central — in which the Royals, Tigers and White Sox are a combined 6-30 against the AL East this season — eyes in KC ought to be fixed on the seasons to come. This makes the Royals’ center-field situation hard to understand. Since Kyle Isbel was injured, the Royals have given the bulk of the playing time in center to veteran Jackie Bradley Jr., who has a .437 OPS. In fact, the Royals’ overall OPS from center fielders (Bradley, Isbel and Nate Eaton) is easily the worst in baseball.

Meanwhile, Drew Waters has been mashing for Triple-A Omaha since he returned to action May 9, after having gone down with an oblique injury late in spring training. Since he was the Royals’ projected starter at the position in the first place, it seems as if putting him in center sooner rather than later would be the right play — not for this season but for those to come. — Doolittle


Record: 10-41

Previous ranking: 30

On Tuesday, the Athletics dropped to 10-40, the worst start to a season for a team since the 1932 Red Sox. That figure puts them on pace for a 32-130 record, which would be the most losses for a team in a season since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134. Meanwhile, the A’s reached a tentative agreement with Nevada state and local officials on a stadium funding plan, with a funding bill to be introduced in the coming weeks to see how much public funding will be provided to build the new home of the team. — Lee

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‘He looks happy’: Has Juan Soto finally found a home with the Yankees?

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'He looks happy': Has Juan Soto finally found a home with the Yankees?

WHEN JUAN SOTO began to initiate himself with the New York Yankees, his third team in less than two years, the takeaway from those who observed it was how seamless it felt — how comfortable he looked, how easily he found his voice, how quickly it seemed as if he had been there forever.

He’s getting better at this.

“It’s definitely easier than the first time,” Soto said with a laugh earlier this month, about two weeks after his first official workout as a Yankee. “The first time, it was really tough.”

It can be jarring to consider Soto — the accomplishments he has had, the legends he has been compared to, the trades he has been at the center of — and realize he is only 25 years old, younger than Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman, Toronto’s Bo Bichette and Atlanta’s Austin Riley. Before Soto, no player had ever made three All-Star teams and been traded twice before the age of 26.

The latest brought him to his sport’s most decorated franchise, for whom he’ll debut in an Opening Day matchup against the rival Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Thursday afternoon. The Yankees will pair Soto with fellow superstar Aaron Judge in hopes of revitalizing a lineup that often looked listless amid an 82-win, playoff-less season last year. But only the 2024 season is promised. After it ends, Soto will venture into the free agent market, potentially on the move once more.

There was a time, not too long ago, when Soto thought his career would be a steady and continuous ascension, the type reserved for only a select few of the game’s greatest. Debuting at 19, winning the World Series after his age-20 season, claiming a batting title at 21 and drawing comparisons to Ted Williams by 22 will do that. He has since had to grapple with interruption, calamity, imperfection. He believes he has been hardened by it.

“The Nationals showed me the business side of the game,” Soto said, “and I’m just glad they showed me that.”

Soto spent an entire morning crying after being traded away from the Washington Nationals, the team that signed him, shaped him, watched him become a star and helped make him a champion. In the aftermath of his trade from the San Diego Padres 16 months later, in December 2023, he was unemotional, fully adept at navigating the cold realities of professional sports.

“I’ve been growing a lot,” Soto said. “On the business side, I’ve been learning a lot of things — about different organizations, different cultures. I think I’ve been learning from that. I’m happy I’m learning that way, so that whenever I get to one spot I know how to react whenever I get around a clubhouse that is going to be different.”

Barring an unexpected extension with the Yankees, Soto, a Scott Boras client, will become baseball’s most coveted free agent in a little more than seven months. Given the heavy deferrals in Shohei Ohtani‘s contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers — he signed for $700 million, but the present-day value, based on how it impacts the competitive balance tax payroll, sits at $460 million — Soto still has a chance to sign the richest contract in baseball history.

But what he wants more than anything is stability.

“That’s the best thing for me,” Soto said. “Stay in one place and try to, whenever I do this deal, just finish in that one spot.”


THE DETAILS OF professional sports contracts are often public, forcing athletes to live with the pressure of how much money they make. Few, though, have to live with the pressure of how much money they turn down. Soto lived that reality in the summer of 2022, during a 17-day window that began with the revelation that he declined a 15-year, $440 million extension from the Nationals on July 16 and ended with his trade to the Padres on Aug. 2.

The noise didn’t just come from fans and media, but from friends and family, many of them miffed by how anyone, let alone a person with such humble beginnings, could turn down generational wealth.

“It was days,” Soto said, “where I’d wake up and I’d get so many text messages, calls, phone calls, everything, that it just made you not even want to go to the field.”

Roughly 17 months later, the anger over all of it becoming public still feels fresh.

“I was a guy who was loyal to the team,” Soto said. “I always tried to say, ‘Anything we do business-wise, it was just between the team and myself.’ And it was really shocking for me, it was really tough for me. It was really frustrating at the same time, because I really trusted that team. I gave all my trust to be able to negotiate and do things like that, and when you see stuff like that, you just feel so bad. It was really uncomfortable.”

The Nationals’ extension offer, which didn’t come with any deferrals, would stand as baseball’s second-largest contract even today. But its average annual value, $29.3 million, would rank Soto behind 18 other players this season. Given the combined $54 million he will make in his last two arbitration years, Soto projects to do better than that in free agency, especially with another MVP-caliber year in 2024. Any free agent deal exceeding $386 million would net him more money in the aggregate.

Just as big a deterrent as the average annual value for Soto, though, was that the Nationals were for sale at the time.

“You’re being offered a contract from a faceless owner,” Boras said in a phone conversation. “And Juan Soto didn’t want to place his career in that position, because he really wanted to know who he was going to be working with for years to come.”

“People can judge you, but at the end of the day, it’s you who has to feel comfortable,” said retired outfielder Nelson Cruz, a confidant of Soto’s with the Nationals in 2022 who briefly joined him with the Padres in 2023. “That made me really proud of him, to see him figure out, ‘It’s me who has to deal with it.’ It was great to see him grow up as a player, grow up on the business side, because he understood his value and what he’s worth. He’s very educated with that. I hope he gets what he wants.”

Once he arrived in San Diego, Soto said, “all the noise just stopped.” But the 2022 season still saw him finish with only a .242 batting average and a .452 slugging percentage, by far the lowest marks of his career. The Padres won anyway, making it all the way to the National League Championship Series. The ensuing offseason saw them sign Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract. Later, near the end of February, Manny Machado was given an 11-year, $350 million extension.

It seemed like the Padres — also tied long-term to Fernando Tatis Jr., Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish — didn’t have any more millions to give. But Soto said he maintained hope of staying, too. His conversations with owner Peter Seidler made him believe it was possible.

“He really wanted me to be part of the team,” Soto said.

Boras saved his last exchange with Seidler, a short text message from Nov. 2. In it, Seidler, who late in the season had undergone an undisclosed medical procedure, wrote that he was “improving steadily” and that though doctors had told him to stay off his phone, “I’m going to keep in touch with you anyway.” Twelve days later, Seidler died. Sources familiar with the team’s thinking believe the Padres ultimately would have had no choice but to trade Soto; it was their best — and perhaps only — route to adding starting-pitching depth and getting their payroll below $200 million, two clear goals at the start of the offseason. But many wonder if Seidler would have found a way to keep Soto regardless.

“I only know everything that Peter said to me,” Boras said. “Peter Seidler always said to me that Juan Soto will be on his team. He said it 50 times to me — ‘Juan Soto will be on my team.'”


SOTO HAS SAID all the right things about becoming a Yankee. But he hasn’t been as effusive as one might expect for what feels like such a natural fit — a magnetic, star-level player for a premier franchise. Some have rationalized it as another bargaining move, not unlike Soto’s decision to turn down the Nationals’ final offer; a way to maintain leverage in the lead-up to a free agency that will include the crosstown New York Mets, among others, as aggressive suitors.

It might be something else, though: a defense mechanism. Soto doesn’t want to get hurt again, and so he won’t allow himself to.

“That’s how things go,” Soto said. “You definitely love where you’re at, you’re definitely happy, excited with where you’re going to be and how the team’s going to be — but they show you you cannot fall in love, like I did with the Nationals. I was more than excited to be there, and they just cracked everything open and let me go.”

Boras has had precisely 52 meetings with Soto (“I keep track of them,” he said) to go over “the economics of the game and his value in it.” Soto is not just one of the best hitters of this era; at a time when players constantly sacrifice strikeouts to keep up with the high velocities and elevated spin rates of the modern game, his combination of patience and power is unmatched. Soto drew a major-league-leading 412 walks from 2021 to 2023, 136 more than the second-place Kyle Schwarber, but also accumulated 91 home runs, tied for 15th. His adjusted OPS of 157 is the fifth highest all-time through a player’s age-24 season, trailing only Ty Cobb, Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

That he’ll be a free agent at 26 years old only adds to the possibility that his next contract will reach the $500 million threshold that had been so elusive until Ohtani. Soto, though, cares about the length of his new deal at least as much as he cares about the value attached to it. It’ll be the first contract he signs, but he also wants it to be his last.

“At the end of the day, everybody wants to be where they’re going to finish their career,” Soto said. “This free agency was really tough for a lot of players, but I think if you ask any guy in the clubhouse, anywhere, they will be happy to be in a long-term deal and try to finish their career where they can be. That’s the best thing for me — to stay in one place and try to, whenever I do this deal, just finish in that one spot.”

Soto brought up his four most prominent ex-teammates — Machado, Bogaerts, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper. Machado, Bogaerts and Turner each signed 11-year deals that carry them through their age-40 season; Harper signed a 13-year contract after hitting free agency at a similar age as Soto will. All have full no-trade clauses.

“Long contracts,” Soto said, “because they know they’re going to finish their career right there. Anything can happen in the future. Maybe they get traded. But that’s going to be on them if they want to get traded, instead of going to free agency and trying the market again. They just know they’re going to be there for a long time.”


YANKEES GENERAL MANAGER Brian Cashman lowered the expectations early. On the first day of spring training, when he met with the New York media, he essentially stated that, barring something unforeseen, Soto will play out the 2024 season in the Bronx and then become a free agent. It was a reaction to a conversation Boras had with managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner shortly after the trade, during which Boras relayed Soto’s desire to “learn what it’s like to be a Yankee” before making a long-term commitment.

It was also an acknowledgment of the obvious.

“Scott Boras is his agent,” Cashman said plainly. “Scott takes his guys to free agency. That’s typically what he does. It’s just reading the landscape and recognizing that that is the most realistic avenue. It doesn’t mean that’s what’s going to happen. I don’t rule it out. But I just feel like under-promise, overperform is probably, in the New York market, the best thing you can do.”

The Yankees are expected to be aggressive in their efforts to bring Soto back this offseason, even if it means giving him a contract that tops the one signed by their captain, Judge, who landed a nine-year, $360 million deal as a 30-year-old in December 2022.

The results of 2024 could have a lot of sway.

The Yankees are coming off one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory and will be without their ace, Gerrit Cole, until at least May or June while he recovers from what has been diagnosed as nerve inflammation and edema in his right elbow. Soto has never needed to be more of a difference-maker, and the early signs were promising. His first seven Grapefruit League games saw him hit four home runs, leaving his new team in awe.

“I feel like he’s going to kill the ball every time he swings,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said at the time.

“I knew I would enjoy watching him,” Cole said, “but I love watching him.”

There are no questions surrounding Soto’s ability to hit, but there are plenty surrounding his ability to defend, so much so that there are already talks — among fans, but also among scouts and executives — about him eventually transitioning to designated hitter, perhaps sooner than later. It’s the one aspect of his game that could prevent the massive contract he once seemed pre-ordained for, and he knows it.

“I want to show people that I can play outfield, I can play defense,” Soto said. “I saw those comments and everything, that they say I’m not going to be [much] longer in the outfield. But I feel like I can.”

By Statcast’s Run Value metric, Soto was a minus-30 from 2018 to 2023, though the number was heavily skewed by an abysmal showing in 2022. He was worth four outs above average in 2021, but minus-16 in 2022 and minus-9 in 2023. In hopes of getting him closer to the metrics of three years ago, Yankees outfield coach Luis Rojas spent a large portion of spring training working with Soto on pre-pitch techniques in hopes of improving his first step, usually by taking live reads during batting practice. His desire to improve has been obvious.

“I noticed that from the first day we talked,” Rojas said. “You can sense it right away, when a player takes over a conversation and basically owns it. You see the sense of responsibility that he has for his career, in all areas.”

Cruz sees Soto as the prototypical Yankee, for reasons that extend far beyond a short right-field porch. Cruz, 43, spent 19 years in the big leagues and struggled to find someone more focused, more disciplined and more mature than Soto. Those traits, while coupled with a strong demeanor and a hard exterior, have at times distanced Soto from teammates, as some around the Padres can attest to. But Cruz believes they’ll be a major benefit under New York’s magnifying glass.

“The fans are going to love him,” said Cruz, now an adviser with the Dodgers. “He’s the type of player the Yankees are looking for.”

Soto made fast friends with fellow outfielder Alex Verdugo, his new throwing partner and locker mate at the Yankees’ spring training complex in Tampa, Florida. One locker over was Trent Grisham, the veteran center fielder who came over with Soto in the most recent trade. Grisham was on the same Padres team where Soto admittedly struggled to adapt and was surprised to see Soto now so comfortable, so at ease, at such an early stage with the Yankees. He told him as much before the end of the first week.

“He looks happy,” Grisham said a few days later. “He looks excited.”

He’s done this before.

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NHL playoff watch: Potential playoff matchups aplenty on Thursday night

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NHL playoff watch: Potential playoff matchups aplenty on Thursday night

It’s a typically busy Thursday night in the NHL, with 14 games on the schedule. And there are some absolute gems among those 14 contests, including several that could be run back during the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The early window includes three games that could take place in either the first round of the Eastern Conference bracket or further down the road:

A little later, we’ll see a rematch of a first-round matchup from last season (that could potentially be one this season as well), as the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+). Meanwhile, it’s looking increasingly likely that the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings will square off in the first round for a third straight postseason, and those two will take the ice against one another Thursday (9 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+).

Two of the best teams in the Western Conference, the division-leading Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks, will square off Thursday (10 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+), and potentially again in the Western Conference finals.

The eyes of the hockey-loving world will be monitoring Thursday’s main event: A potential Stanley Cup Final matchup between two juggernauts, as the New York Rangers visit the Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+).

It’ll be a busy night, with mathematical implications in the standings and psychological implications for possible matchups later this spring.

As we traverse the final stretch of the regular season, it’s time to check in on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2024 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Thursday’s schedule
Wednesday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
A2 Florida Panthers vs. A3 Toronto Maple Leafs
M1 New York Rangers vs. WC2 Washington Capitals
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 Philadelphia Flyers

Western Conference

C1 Dallas Stars vs. WC2 Vegas Golden Knights
C2 Colorado Avalanche vs. C3 Winnipeg Jets
P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. WC1 Nashville Predators
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings


Thursday’s games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available via NHL Power Play, which is included in an ESPN+ subscription (local blackout restrictions apply).

Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
New York Islanders at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings at Carolina Hurricanes, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames at St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m.
San Jose Sharks at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.
Vegas Golden Knights at Winnipeg Jets, 8 p.m.
New York Rangers at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m.
Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers, 9 p.m.
Dallas Stars at Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m.
Nashville Predators at Arizona Coyotes, 10 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m.


Wednesday’s scoreboard

Ottawa Senators 6, Buffalo Sabres 2
Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Boston Bruins 1


Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 99
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 110
Next game: @ WSH (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 10
Points pace: 111
Next game: vs. NYI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 11
Points pace: 103
Next game: vs. WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 99
Next game: vs. NYI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 98.7%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 90
Next game: @ CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 24.5%
Tragic number: 18

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 82
Next game: vs. NJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 1.4%
Tragic number: 10

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 76
Next game: vs. CHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 7

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 76
Next game: vs. PHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 7


Metropolitan Division

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 114
Next game: @ COL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 109
Next game: vs. DET (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 9
Points pace: 92
Next game: @ MTL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 86.6%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 11
Points pace: 94
Next game: @ TOR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 65.1%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 85
Next game: @ BUF (Friday)
Playoff chances: 11.7%
Tragic number: 13

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 87
Next game: @ FLA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 10.8%
Tragic number: 16

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 83
Next game: vs. CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 1.2%
Tragic number: 13

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 66
Next game: @ PIT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Central Division

Points: 99
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 111
Next game: @ VAN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 10
Points pace: 111
Next game: vs. NYR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 10
Points pace: 107
Next game: vs. VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 103
Next game: @ ARI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.8%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 91
Next game: vs. CGY (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 4.3%
Tragic number: 14

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 89
Next game: vs. SJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 2%
Tragic number: 13

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 74
Next game: vs. NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 47
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 54
Next game: @ OTT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Pacific Division

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 112
Next game: vs. DAL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 12
Points pace: 105
Next game: vs. LA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 11
Points pace: 101
Next game: @ EDM (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.3%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 86
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 10
Points pace: 98
Next game: @ WPG (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 94.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 82
Next game: @ STL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 7

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 82
Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 7

Points: 52
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 59
Next game: @ SEA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 40
Regulation wins: 12
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 46
Next game: @ MIN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

p — clinched Presidents’ Trophy
y — clinched division
x — clinched playoff berth
e — eliminated from playoff contention


Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Macklin Celebrini, a freshman at Boston University.

Points: 40
Regulation wins: 12

Points: 47
Regulation wins: 15

Points: 52
Regulation wins: 18

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 18

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 21

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 17

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 22

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 31

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 28

* The Penguins’ first-round pick was traded to the Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. However, it is top-10 protected.

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Capitals’ Bear enters player assistance program

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Capitals' Bear enters player assistance program

WASHINGTON — Washington Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear has entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

Bear will be away from the team indefinitely while he receives care. The league and union, which jointly run the program, made the announcement Wednesday.

He is fifth player this season announced to be in the program after ColumbusPatrik Laine, Colorado‘s Samuel Girard and Valeri Nichushkin and former teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals put Kuznetsov on waivers after he was cleared to practice, sent him to the minors and then traded him to Carolina.

Bear, 26, has played 24 games since signing a two-year contract with Washington in December. He has been a healthy scratch for the past seven, as the team has won five of those to move into playoff position.

The Capitals recalled defenseman Vincent Iorio as well as winger Matthew Phillips after the news about Bear broke, and with three games left on Tom Wilson’s suspension. They visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

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