Welcome to the other side of the MLB trade deadline. We finally know the contours of the rosters that will be vying for spots in October. And that means it’s time for our power ranking of World Series contenders. (We’re defining “contenders” here as teams who entered Thursday in possession of a playoff spot—apologies to potential dark horses such as the Angels and Cubs.) To the list!
1. Atlanta Braves
Ronald Acuña Jr. has consistently been among the best hitters in MLB this season.
Robert Scheer/IndyStar Staff-USA TODAY Sports
Yannick Ngakoue can be the missing piece for the Chicago Bears defense.
Arguably the top defensive free agent is off the board, as pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue signed a one-year deal worth $10.5 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The #Bears are signing former #Colts star pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue to a 1-year, $10.5M deal, sources say, giving them a weapon off the edge they’ve been seeking. Ngakoue has never played for Matt Eberflus, but he’s played in his system before. It should be seamless. pic.twitter.
Seattle is always stunning this time of year, and I’m starting the West Coast swing of my camp tour. Here are five takeaways from Seahawks camp …
The team’s sophomore class has hit the ground running. They’re playing faster than they were a year ago. The corners. The tackles. And one guy in particular that’s worth watching is former second-round pick Boye Mafe, who looks ready to take a nice step in his second NFL season.
After reports circulated on Thursday night that Washington and Oregon were mulling an exit to the Big Ten, and that Arizona was finalizing a deal to head to the Big 12, it appears that the Pac-12 may be aiming to save itself after all.
Oregon and Washington’s exit from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten lost momentum overnight, according to a report from Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic. ESPN’s Pete Thamel added to that report, noting that with a Pac-12 meeting set for 10 a.m. ET, there’s optimism that the league’s new grant of rights could be signed.
Taylor Swift gave Kobe Bryant’s daughter a rare souvenir from her Eras Tour.
Taylor Swift has made it to Los Angeles for record-breaking Eras Tour, where he she played the first of six dates at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night. Famous faces have been popping up at Swift’s tour since it began earlier this year, and on Thursday, Vanessa Bryant had a front row seat with her daughters. Swift and Kobe Bryant were friends before his passing in a tragic helicopter accident in 2020, and the superstar singer made it a point to recognize his family.
Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is getting the largest contract on average and guarantees for any defensive player in NFL history at the age of 34.
The Netflix documentary Johnny Football, which chronicles the life of former Texas A&M and Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel, will be released Tuesday.
USA Today was among the groups that gained early access to the film, and it also had an exclusive one-on-one interview with Manziel. One of the topics covered by USA Today was the suicide attempt that he unveiled in the film.
Manziel said that shortly after the Browns released him in March 2016 he decided he wanted to kill himself.
Next up for SI Fantasy’s 2023 staff predictions is SI Fantasy/Betting senior editor Craig Ellenport:
Top Sleeper: Skyy Moore, WR, Chiefs
The last time we saw Skyy Moore on the gridiron, he was scoring a touchdown in the Super Bowl. That’s a nice momentum-builder heading into his sophomore season. It was the only touchdown of Moore’s rookie season, but the Chiefs could afford to bring him along slowly. With JuJu Smith-Schuster moving on, that’s 101 targets from Patrick Mahomes up for grabs. Kansas City has other weapons, but Moore can do some damage from the slot position.
Hype is truly off the charts for the Detroit Lions, and fans can’t get their hands on tickets fast enough.
The Detroit Lions finished last season 9-8, and the team narrowly missed making the playoffs. Now, the Lions are the favorite in the NFC North.
Fans are expecting the best season in a very long time. Dan Campbell has the squad trending up, and fans are ecstatic for whatever is coming.
You don’t have to believe me. The ticket sales data tells the entire story.
The Detroit Lions and Dan Campbell face huge expectations in 2023. (Photo by Scott W.
Austin Ekeler said it, but you can safely bet Justin Herbert and the the Chargers as an organization all would be in some level of agreement — of course there’s pressure on the star quarterback. One could argue that there’s always pressure on the signal-caller (there is), but obviously, for Herbert, that all hits a bit differently this year.
Herbert, who signed a record-setting five-year, $262.5 million contract extension this offseason, will make an average of $52.5 million per year.
