One down, two to go.
That's the math if you're in Illinois men's basketball fan still holding out hope – and wouldn't you be? – that Cal wing Andrej Stojakovic chooses Champaign as his next college destination.
On Sunday, Stojakovic – who has been in the transfer portal for since April 17 – made it official that he won't be returning to Berkley in the fall, posting the following to his X social media account:
— Andrej Stojaković (@AndrejSto2) April 27, 2025
Not long after that news came more from CBS Sports college basketball expert Jon Rothstein: Stojakovic has whittled his list of transfer options down to three – including Illinois.
Source: Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic has cut his list to the following programs.IllinoisNorth Carolina StanfordA final decision is expected this week.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 27, 2025
A number of schools were rumored to be in the mix for Stojakovic over the past 10 days, but Illinois and North Carolina have hung around throughout. Oddly, Stanford emerged late and remains among Stojakovic's top three; he began his career with the Cardinal and had a mixed bag of a freshman season in Silicon Valley.
We've already discussed at length how Stojakovic, a high-scoring 6-foot-7 sophomore wing, would fit in with the Illini, particularly as compared to other top targets on the radar of Illinois coach Brad Underwood and his staff. Although he wouldn't be the program's last addition ahead of the 2025-26 season, Stojakovic would likely be the most significant – and perhaps the biggest offseason addition overall for the Illini.
In any case, the wait is seemingly nearly over. Of Stojakovic's transfer choice, Rothstein wrote on his own X account: "A final decision is expected this week."
More must-reads:
The Milwaukee Brewers are contenders in the National League, but that doesn't mean they can't get better. Milwaukee currently has a 64-44 record and are off on Thursday. Although the Brewers won't take the field on Thursday, that doesn't the front office isn't going to be active at the very least. The trade deadline is set to pass on Thursday night at 6 p.m. ET. Milwaukee acquired catcher Danny Jansen but has been quiet since. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand shared a column early Thursday morning highlighting storylines to follow and one centered around how much the Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles will sell. In the process of discussing the Orioles, Feinsand noted that Milwaukee is a fit for All-Star slugger Ryan O’Hearn. "Will the Diamondbacks and Orioles control the Deadline? The two teams with the most noteworthy expiring contracts, Arizona and Baltimore, have already been active in the lead-up to the Deadline," Feinsand said. "...Baltimore’s group is led by Ryan O’Hearn, who made his first All-Star team this summer and appears to be a solid fit for a number of contenders, including the Red Sox, Brewers and Rangers. Cedric Mullins is having a subpar year, but the center fielder showed what he can still do over the past five games, going 8-for-16 with two home runs, four doubles and seven RBIs along with some highlight-reel catches." O'Hearn has 13 homers and 43 RBIs this season in 94 games. He's been great and would add some more pop to the Brewers' lineup, although position fit is more up in the air. He can play first base, either corner outfield spot, and DH. Right now, the Brewers have Andrew Vaughn at first base and Rhys Hoskins should be back at some point. Christian Yelich has seen plenty of time at DH. It's unclear exactly how O'Hearn would fit, but his bat would help for sure.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates traded one of their long-tenured players to one of the better teams in the American League. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the Pirates traded right-handed relief pitcher David Bednar to the New York Yankees and that the deal is pending a physical. Bednar struggled at the beginning of this season, with a 27.00 ERA in three appearances against the Miami Marlins over the first series of 2025. This came after he struggled in 2024, blowing seven saves in 30 opportunities and posting a 5.77 ERA, as he lost the closer role at the end of August. The Pirates sent Bednar down to Triple-A Indianapolis on April 1 and brought him back up on April 19, where he returned and found his best form once again. He has allowed just seven earned runs allowed over 37.0 innings pitched in 39 appearances for a 1.70 ERA, with 50 strikeouts to eight walks. Bednar also went a perfect, 17-for-17 on save opportunities and had 23 consecutive outings from May 24 to July 26 that he didn't give up an earned run. He won NL Reliever of the Month honors for June, with a 2-1 record in 10 appearances, five saves in five opportunities, no earned runs allowed over 10.0 innings pitched, allowing four hits, three walks, one intentional walk and a run, but no earned runs and posting 16 strikeouts over 36 batters faced. Bednar has one more year of team control with his third year of arbitration before hitting free agency after the 2026 season, which made his value higher than normal. Bednar hails from the Pittsburgh area, playing for Mars High School in Mars, PA. and then pitched for Lafayette. The Padres selected him in the 35th round, the 1,044 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. He pitched in the Padres minor league system for three years before earning a call-up to the Padres on Sept. 1, 2019. He also pitched for the Padres in the 2020 season with a 7.11 ERA and five strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work. Pittsburgh landed Bednar in a three-team trade back on Jan. 19, 2021, sending starting pitcher Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres for left-handed pitcher Omar Cruz, right-handed pitcher Drake Fellows and outfielder Hudson Head and got catcher Endy Rodríguez from the New York Mets Bednar would star for the Pirates, earning back-to-back All-Star nods in 2022 and 2023. He also led the National League in saves in 2023 with 39. He also pitched for Team USA at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, finishing with the silver medal. He earned his 100th save with the Pirates in his final outing at PNC Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 26, as the home fans praised him for his great performance. Bednar is one of six Pirates pitchers all-time that have at least 100 saves. This includes Roy Face (1953, 1955-68) with the franchise record of 188, Kent Tekulve (1974-85) in second with 158, Mike Williams (1998-2001, 2002-03) in third with 140, Dave Gusti (1970-76) in fourth with 133 and Mark Melancon (2013-16) in fifth with 130. His final game came against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on July 28, as he allowed an earned run, but got the save in the 6-5 win. Bednar finishes his time with the Pirates with a 14-21 record in 276 appearances, a 3.01 ERA over 275.1 innings pitched, 335 strikeouts to 94 walks and a 1.44 WHIP. The Pirates have also traded third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds and left-handed relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson to the Seattle Mariners ahead of the deadline.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a few hours left until the trade deadline. After landing a few prospects in a three-team deal with the Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays, and reuniting with Brock Stewart by way of the Minnesota Twins, there is still chatter among the baseball world as to what the Dodgers will do next. Recently graduated top prospect Dalton Rushing has established himself as the new backup catcher for the defending champions after being called up in May, and LA parting ways with longtime backstop Austin Barnes. With the rumor mill churning like never before, the 24-year-old catcher was linked to a few contenders ahead of this exciting deadline. Manager Dave Roberts recently spoke on Rushing being involved in these rumors and what he thinks will happen to the backstop. "I just don’t see a world in which he’s moved anyway and I think he’s smart enough to realize that," Roberts said. Rushing was raking in Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, batting .308/.424/.514 with a .938 OPS across 31 games. He added five home runs and 17 RBIs during this time. With a clear need to bring up another strong bat, Barnes was designated for assignment and Rushing was called up. So far in his MLB debut, Rushing is hitting .200 with a .545 OPS through 29 games. Although his early struggles are common for recently called up prospects given the expectations and pressure on the young man, it is certainly not a sign that the Dodgers would look to trade him. Catching prospect Hunter Feduccia was flipped on Wednesday as a result of the Reds and Rays deal, further shrinking the catching depth in the Dodgers organization. Parting ways with Rushing before he has shown his fullest potential in the majors makes less sense as the days go on, and it doesn't look he will be in a different uniform beyond Aug 1.
The hype around Eugenio Suarez at the trade deadline has been circulating for quite some time, and now, the 34-year-old third baseman has been dealt to the Seattle Mariners, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Suarez has bounced around the major leagues through a 12-year career, including a stop in Seattle for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In that span, Suarez tallied 267 hits, 53 home runs and 183 RBIs. In Passan's report, the trade is pending a medical review. Suarez was hit on the right index finger by a pitch while playing on Monday in Detroit. There were no fractures revealed in his CT scan and MRI exam he got after leaving the game. Suarez has not played since that game on Monday. Suarez joins a Seattle team that is fighting in the AL West race, trailing five games to the Houston Astros. The Mariners are also clinging to the third AL Wild Card spot, tied with the Texas Rangers and in the playoff pack with the Yankees and Red Sox. Suarez in Seattle also means that two of the top home run hitters in baseball will team up on the same lineup card. Cal Raleigh leads the league with 41 home runs and added a Home Run Derby title to his 2025 season accolades. Suarez sits in fifth place in MLB with his 36 homers. Suarez is the first player in MLB history to be traded in-season after reaching 35 home runs, as reported by Yahoo Sports. MLB.com's Daniel Kramer reported shortly after the Suarez trade news broke that the return to Arizona will be Tyler Locklear and pitching prospects Hunter Cranton (No. 16) and right-hander Juan Burgos (No. 17), according to Kramer. Locklear made his MLB debut last season and played 16 games with the Mariners, putting together seven hits and a .156 batting average in 49 plate appearances. Suarez will not have a chance to see his former team as Arizona and Seattle don't meet this season, but the veteran first baseman will likely get a chance to expand upon limited playoff experience, and he'll do so playing his best baseball.
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