Oct 3, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins chief executive officer Derek Jeter addresses the media at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter spent six seasons together with the New York Yankees, so the two got to know each other quite well. Well enough, at least, that Jeter could get away with making a pretty brutal joke about Sabathia’s birthday.
Sabathia celebrated his 42nd birthday on Thursday, and his former Yankees teammate did not forget about the big day. Jeter sent Sabathia a social media message, though he wished Sabathia a happy 50th birthday instead.
Sabathia’s response was to threaten to delete Jeter’s account and clarify that he is absolutely not 50.
Sabathia’s final MLB season was only three years ago in 2019. He can rightly point out that pretty much nobody has the longevity to pitch well into their 40s, so nobody can accuse him of being that old.
Sabathia and Jeter are clearly close. In fact, it was Sabathia who helped shed some light on Jeter’s abrupt exit from the Miami Marlins earlier this year.
Oct 24, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) against the Houston Texans in the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Many people once questioned whether Kyler Murray made the right financial decision by choosing football over baseball, but the star quarterback now has 230 million reasons to feel like the choice was a wise one.
Murray agreed to a massive contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday. The deal is worth $230.5 million and includes $160 million guaranteed. Murray is now second in the NFL in average annual salary at $46.1 million, behind only Aaron Rodgers.
Before Murray entered the NFL Draft, the Oakland A’s took him with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. He would have had a $4.66 million signing bonus. The A’s offered him an additional $14 million in an attempt to convince him to forget about football.
Murray still made much more money on his rookie deal with the Cardinals than he would have in his first MLB contract. The risk was always what would happen down the road. MLB stars make more guaranteed money than NFL stars. If Murray became a bust, he would have been looking at backup money or worse with his second NFL contract.
Instead, his new average annual salary is almost the same as the entire A’s payroll.
Perhaps Murray would have become the next Mike Trout. However, the path to MLB stardom is typically a very long one. It would have been years before Murray had a chance to make the same type of money playing baseball that he is now making with the Cardinals. It turns out he knew what he was doing all along.
Jul 16, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher addresses the media and answers questions during SEC football media day at the College Football Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Not long ago, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher suggested that his relationship with former boss Nick Saban was over and done with. That appears to have changed, at least as of Thursday.
Fisher spoke at SEC media day about his relationship with the Alabama coach, and suggested that the two are like brothers who fight occasionally.
“You get two competitive guys that have a disagreement or whatever… we both can grow from that,” Fisher said Thursday, via The Athletic. “We’ve been very good friends for a very long time. You know who you fight with the most? Your brothers, the people you’re closest to.”
That is pretty far away from where Fisher suggested things were two months ago. After Saban essentially accused Texas A&M of buying its recruits, Fisher unloaded on the Alabama coach and said he and Saban were “done.” That said, not too long after, Fisher was already showing signs that he was backing down from his fury.
Saban, for his part, says he has no issues with Fisher. That will not change the narrative surrounding their scheduled meeting on Oct. 8, which should draw plenty of interest.
Jan 25, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea (5) warms up before the game at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Basketball’s favorite 70-inch-tall player has officially called it a career.
Former Dallas Mavericks guard JJ Barea spoke this week with Puerto Rican outlet El Nuevo Dia and revealed that he is retiring from the sport.
“I’m ready,” said Barea, as translated by Sports Illustrated. “Last year it worked my head and I wasn’t ready. This year, yes, and I am calm about finishing. I gave it my all.”
The 38-year-old Barea had spent the last two seasons playing in his native Puerto Rico. But he will go down in NBA lore for his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks. Barea played for Dallas from 2006 to 2011 and again from 2014 to 2020 (with a three-year run on the Minnesota Timberwolves in between). The 5-foot-10 guard became a beloved player in Dallas, helping them to the 2011 title and even famously getting the better of LeBron James that year.
Barea also played the role of irritant during his NBA career but now retires having earned the respect of both the basketball community as well as of men of average height around the world.
Jun 11, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Juan Soto (22) stands in the dugout during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Nationals are having no trouble finding interested teams for outfielder Juan Soto.
Seven teams have already reached out to the Nationals for preliminary talks about a Soto trade, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Teams like the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers are unsurprisingly mentioned as having talks with the Nats. The Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants have also had talks with the Nats. One of these teams had already been named as a potential frontrunner in Soto rumors.
Nightengale notes that the Nationals do not feel that they must move Soto prior to the trade deadline if the right deal does not come along.
What these initial offers might have looked like is unknown, but any team is going to have to give up a huge amount of assets to even have a chance of acquiring Soto. Teams may also have to be prepared to take on a bad contract to get the outfielder.
Soto is available after turning down a 15-year contract offer from the Nationals worth $440 million. He remains under team control for two more seasons after 2022.
Aug 22, 2019; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) prior to a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns are in need of depth at the quarterback position in case Deshaun Watson is suspended, and they hosted two well known veterans on Thursday.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Browns held workouts with Josh Rosen and AJ McCarron. They also hosted some other veterans as they await a decision on a potential suspension for Watson.
Rosen, the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of UCLA, signed with the Atlanta Falcons prior to last season after — coincidentally — McCarron suffered a season-ending injury. Rosen spent the year as Matt Ryan’s primary backup.
McCarron was placed on season-ending injured reserve after he suffered a torn ACL in the Falcons’ second preseason game. The former Alabama star has an interesting history with the Browns. Cleveland tried to trade for him in 2017 but botched the paperwork. There was talk that the deal may have been sabotaged after an internal disagreement.
Jacoby Brissett is expected to start for the Browns in Week 1 if Watson is suspended. There was some talk about Cleveland potentially trading for Jimmy Garoppolo, but that sounds unlikely.
Aug 29, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
It has been three months since Deebo Samuel asked the San Francisco 49ers to trade him, but the star wide receiver remains on their roster. The Niners have presumably made some effort to sign Samuel to a long-term extension, but Samuel will expect at least one big change if he remains in San Francisco.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media said on “The Rich Eisen Show” this week that Samuel does not want to be used as a hybrid wide receiver/running back next season. The speedster is not opposed to taking handoffs, but he does not want to run the ball up the middle and take a beating like a traditional tailback.
“He is a dynamic player. He is a great weapon. He is not a running back and he does not want to be a running back,” Rapoport said. “Would he like to take the ball on end-arounds and stuff? Yes, I think he would, but he would not like to have 10 carries up the middle.”
You can hear more from Rapoport below:
When Samuel first requested a trade, the belief was that he was unhappy with his contract. That may have been true, but Rapoport reported back in April that Samuel was unwilling to negotiate with the 49ers because he no longer wants to play in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. If Shanahan assures Samuel that he will use him as a more traditional wideout, perhaps Samuel will be much more open to signing a new deal with San Francisco.
Samuel caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns in his breakout season last year. He also carried the ball 59 times for 365 yards and another eight scores. He was utilized much more as a running back late in the regular season and into the playoffs.
Samuel carried the ball five or more times in each of San Francisco’s last eight regular season games. He had 27 rushing attempts compared to just 14 catches during the postseason. That obviously did not sit well with him.
Some comments Samuel’s trainer made this week hinted at what the future may hold for the star wideout.
Sep 26, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) walks on the field before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
The trade market for Jimmy Garoppolo could heat up now that he has been cleared to practice, and there is reportedly at least one surprise team that has entered the mix for the veteran quarterback.
The Atlanta Falcons are among the teams that have contacted the Niners about Garoppolo, according to multiple reports.
Matt Ryan is no longer in Atlanta after the Falcons traded him to the Indianapolis Colts. They immediately brought in Marcus Mariota, who has a long history with Falcons coach Arthur Smith. Then, Atlanta drafted former Cincinnati star quarterback Desmond Ridder in the third round.
Ridder has reportedly been impressive throughout the early part of the offseason. He is competing with Mariota for a starting job, and Smith had high praise for the rookie during minicamp.
If the Falcons are genuinely interested in Garoppolo, that is probably not a good sign for Mariota.
Dec 5, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) warms up before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports
Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals have been discussing a long-term contract extension throughout the offseason, and the two sides have finally reached an agreement.
Murray and the Cardinals have agreed to a massive new contract, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network first reported. The deal is worth $230.5 million over five years and makes Murray the second-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The $160 million guaranteed is second in NFL history behind Deshaun Watson’s $230 million with the Cleveland Browns.
This is the first offseason that Murray is eligible for a contract extension, and he had been openly seeking one. The former first overall pick created some drama back in February when he scrubbed all references to the Cardinals from his social media pages. That led to some unflattering reports about Murray, and the 24-year-old seemed to regret his approach.
None of that matters now, as Murray will be the quarterback in Arizona for years to come.
Dec 19, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) smiles after defeating the Atlanta Falcons at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
There have been some questions this offseason about whether the San Francisco 49ers believe Trey Lance is ready to start, but it seems as though they have been answered.
Jimmy Garoppolo has been cleared to practice after rehabbing from shoulder surgery. The Niners have reportedly given his agents permission to seek a trade, which signals that the team is committed to Lance. ESPN’s Dianna Russini said on “Get Up” Thursday that she asked a 49ers source about the team’s quarterback situation and received a very firm response.
“This source wrote back, ‘What else do I need to say to you to make it clear that Trey Lance is our quarterback?’ I was sensing a little bit of frustration with me, but I think the point is they are moving on,” Russini said. “They want to trade Jimmy Garoppolo.”
The Niners may have to be patient with Garoppolo. With the exception of the division rival Seattle Seahawks, there are not really any teams with an obvious need for a starting quarterback. That could change if there are injuries in training camp.
A report earlier this offseason claimed 49ers coaches were not impressed with Lance’s development. Those concerns, if real, appear to be overblown.
