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A good showing this spring by former Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease helped his value in advance of his trade to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, according to White Sox general manager Chris Getz.

“His last outing in Cincinnati was an impressive one,” Getz told reporters Thursday morning via Zoom. “There was a lot of buzz at that game. Unsurprisingly, teams really stepped up. … Up until yesterday, we didn’t feel like we had a deal on the table that we felt like met the mark, and it finally came together and we moved on it.”

Cease, 28, was traded for three prospects and reliever Steven Wilson. The deal was made after Cease appeared in three Cactus League games, giving up two runs on six hits in 8⅓ innings while striking out 14.

Those numbers are closer to his 2022 regular season, when he finished second in American League Cy Young voting. Last season, he compiled a 4.58 ERA as the White Sox lost 101 games.

“Last year wasn’t Dylan’s best year,” Getz said. “There was a level of concern that perhaps he wasn’t going to get back to who he’s been in the past. Other teams’ comfort levels were raised when they were able to see it in person.”

Cease was the subject of trade rumors all offseason as Chicago is in a mini-rebuild mode, especially on the mound. The five-year veteran has two years of team control left before entering free agency, and Getz wanted full value for him. That meant trading Cease before the season started, though Getz was asked whether he considered waiting until the July trade deadline.

“That’s a risk,” Getz said. “Were we willing to take that? Of course, we were willing to take that into the season. However, there is no denying a lot of things can happen on a baseball field throughout the season. You weigh that risk with the offer that was given to us by San Diego; we felt like that was something that was likely not to be met if we would have taken that into the season.

“We had a highly motivated team that wanted to start the year out with Dylan Cease.”

Getz indicated that two of the prospects the White Sox got in return — pitchers Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte — have a chance to be on the big league team this season, along with Wilson. Outfielder Sam Zavala will begin the season in the lower levels of the minor leagues after hitting 14 home runs and stealing 20 bases at Single-A for San Diego last year. Getz was not able to pry any of the Padres’ top prospects from them, including Jackson Merrill or Ethan Salas.

“There are different ways to go about it. More than anything, very excited about the return we got from the San Diego Padres,” Getz said.

Getz also announced Thursday that right-hander Michael Kopech would begin the season in the bullpen as they intend to transition him into a back-end reliever. Kopech, 27, has struggled with his command and efficiency as a starter over his career. He pitched in three games out of the bullpen last season.

“We were going to run the risk of overtaxing our bullpen and remainder of our pitching staff,” Getz said. “We were looking to find some starters who were looking to be more efficient on the front end to help navigate a season. We know that Michael has the capabilities to get anyone out based on his stuff. … However, the desire to go deeper into games and be more efficient is something we are aiming for.”

The trade of Cease and move of Kopech to the bullpen leaves the White Sox with a new starting staff compared to last season. Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito were traded last summer, while Mike Clevinger didn’t return.

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Purdue RB Mockobee has season-ending surgery

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Purdue RB Mockobee has season-ending surgery

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue running back Devin Mockobee will miss the rest of his final college season after undergoing ankle surgery late last week, coach Barry Odom announced Monday.

Mockobee finishes his career as the fourth-leading rusher in Boilermakers history with 2,987 yards, trailing Mike Alstott, Kory Sheets and Otis Armstrong, a College Football Hall of Famer. Mockobee also ranks in the school’s top 10 in carries with 630 and career 100-yard games with nine.

Odom said Mockobee injured his ankle late in an Oct. 25 loss to Rutgers. He was ruled out of last weekend’s 21-16 loss at No. 21 Michigan following Friday’s surgery.

“We were hoping we would get a little bit better news after they did that procedure on his ankle, but unfortunately, the injury he sustained, he’s played his last game here,” Odom said. “I sure hate that because he is such a wonderful young man, a great leader of this program and a great representative of Purdue University. The things he poured into this program and university since I’ve been here, he will go down as one of the really enjoyable, great guys I’ve had a chance to coach. We’ll be connected forever, and I know this place means a lot to him.”

Losing this season’s leading rusher couldn’t come at a worse time for the Boilermakers (2-7, 0-6 Big Ten). They are mired in a six-game losing streak and remain one of four winless teams in league play. Purdue’s next chance to snap a school-record 15-game losing streak in conference games comes Saturday when it hosts No. 1 Ohio State (8-0, 5-0).

Antonio Harris started against Michigan then rotated with Malachi Thomas. Harris finished with 11 carries for 54 yards and one touchdown while Thomas had 15 carries for 68 yards. Malachi Singleton, a quarterback, also finished with six carries for 24 yards.

Odom did not say whether he would follow a similar game plan against the Buckeyes.

Mockobee joined the Boilermakers as a walk-on from Boonville, Indiana, but quickly emerged as their top rusher in 2022.

He set school freshman records by rushing for 968 yards and posting four 100-yard games while scoring nine times for the Big Ten West Division champions. After losing the Big Ten championship game to the Wolverines, first-time head coach Ryan Walters gave the 6-foot, 202-pound rusher a scholarship.

But Mockobee struggled with fumbles in 2023, starting just four games and finishing with 811 yards and six TD runs. He rebounded by starting all 12 games in 2024 and producing 687 yards rushing and four scores. He had a team-high 521 yards rushing and 4 TD runs in 8 games this season before getting injured.

Mockobee finished his career with 86 receptions for 839 yards and 3 touchdowns and the only completed pass of his career was a TD pass earlier this season.

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Alabama suspends DB Kirkpatrick after arrest

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Alabama suspends DB Kirkpatrick after arrest

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest over the weekend, coach Kalen DeBoer said Monday.

Kirkpatrick was arrested Saturday on three counts of reckless endangerment and one count of attempting to elude and speeding. He was released from Tuscaloosa County Jail on a $1,500 bond.

“Unfortunately, with the information that I have at this time, I talked to Dre, and we need to indefinitely suspend him,” DeBoer said. “He understands there are consequences that come with his actions.”

Kirkpatrick, a sophomore and son of former Alabama defensive back and NFL veteran Dre Kirkpatrick, has eight tackles, including one for a loss, one pass defense and a forced fumble this season.

No. 4 Alabama hosts LSU on Saturday.

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NCAA sends concerns to prediction market Kalshi

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NCAA sends concerns to prediction market Kalshi

The NCAA sent a letter to Kalshi, a company that offers prediction markets on college basketball and football, expressing its concern about the company’s “commitment to contest integrity and the protection of contest participants,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by ESPN.

In the letter, dated Oct. 30, NCAA chief legal officer Scott Bearby asked Kalshi how it monitors collegiate sports markets for integrity concerns and activity by prohibited customers, who it considers a prohibited customer, whether it will report integrity concerns to the NCAA and whether the company will cooperate with NCAA investigations.

“We welcome Kalshi’s stance on its efforts to protect the integrity of NCAA competitions and to reduce instances of abuse and harassment directed at student-athletes and other participants,” Bearby wrote.

The NCAA also asked if Kalshi would ban prediction markets similar to prop bets, which the company began offering this fall.

Prop betting markets, Bearby noted in the letter, heighten “the risk of integrity and harassment concerns.” In March last year, NCAA president Charlie Baker called for a ban on prop bets on college athletes in states with legal sports wagering.

The NCAA also asked Kalshi in the letter to review language on its website that the NCAA says implies a relationship between them.

“Kalshi has robust market integrity provisions required by our status as a federally licensed financial exchange,” a Kalshi spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN. “We value the NCAA’s feedback and are working on adjusting the language on our site. We are currently reviewing and addressing their additional requests.”

Prediction markets like Kalshi have emerged over the past year and are competing with traditional sportsbooks in the betting market. Kalshi is battling multiple lawsuits by state gambling regulators, who allege that the company is violating state laws by offering event contracts that mimic sports bets. Kalshi argues that it does not fall under state jurisdiction and is instead regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a federal agency.

In March, Kalshi announced a partnership with IC360, an integrity monitor used by many collegiate and professional leagues.

The NCAA has faced an increasing number of alleged betting violations by players in recent years. In September, the NCAA announced that a Fresno State men’s basketball player had manipulated his performance for gambling purposes and conspired with two other players in a prop betting scheme. In total, the association has opened investigations into potential betting violations by approximately 30 current or former men’s basketball players.

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