There’s no denying that Didi Gregorius had a rough campaign in 2021, as he struggled on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he hit .209/.270/.370, resulting in a wRC+ of just 68, the lowest such mark of his career outside of an eight-game cup of coffee in his 2012 debut. On the defensive side of things, all the advanced metrics agreed that he wasn’t at his best, as his DRS was -10, his UZR was -2.6 and his OAA was -17. Those struggles were significant enough that he may not have a firm grip on the Phillies’ shortstop job in 2022. In a year-end press conference, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had this to say on the matter: “It very well could be him. But he knows, we’ve had a discussion with him that he needs to be better. And we’re in a position where we also are going to be open-minded to what’s going to take place at shortstop next year. It could be internal, could be him if he comes back." If the club no longer views Gregorius as their answer at shortstop multiple possibilities open going forward, as Dombrowski laid out. As for the “internal” option he mentioned, the most likely candidate is Bryson Stott, who spent the bulk of last year cruising through Double-A pitching. In 80 games, he hit .301/.368/.481, for a wRC+ of 130. After getting promoted to Triple-A, he got into 10 games and hit .303/.439/.394. In 26 games at the Arizona Fall League, he put up a line of .318/.445/.489. It certainly seems feasible that Stott could join the big league club in 2022 and bump Sir Didi off his throne and to another position. With Jean Segura at second base, Gregorius could potentially help out at third. Alec Bohm also struggled in 2021, but should be given a chance to rebound based on his youth, prospect pedigree and excellent rookie season in 2020. If the NL adds the DH, that could lead to Gregorius being used in utility role, playing various infield positions as other players are rotated through the DH slot in addition to seeing some time at DH himself. But Dombrowski also said that Gregorius could be the shortstop “if he comes back,” seemingly implying that there’s a chance Gregorius is wearing a different jersey in 2022. Despite a legendary crop of superstar free agent shortstops, there are a handful of teams that have stayed out of the sweepstakes thus far and could potentially be interested in Gregorius. He has just one year and $15.25M remaining on his contract and is about to turn 32, meaning a return to his previous form is certainly not out of the question. Coming into the offseason, the Yankees were widely expected to be in the hunt for a big-ticket shortstop acquisition after moving Gleyber Torres over to second base. However, they have been rumored to be eschewing a large expenditure in that area, reportedly believing that prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza can provide them with an internal solution. But Volpe is yet to play above High-A and Peraza has only eight games of Triple-A experience. Bringing Gregorius back to the Bronx would be a fun story and also make some sense, as he could diversify a righty-heavy lineup with his lefty bat while holding down shortstop until one of the kids takes his spot. The Astros have taken a similar approach, seemingly content to wait for prospect Jeremy Pena and uninterested in splurging on an expensive free agent shortstop to replace Carlos Correa. But Pena only played 30 Triple-A games in 2021 and just 37 games in total. It would probably be unwise to expect him to simply jump up to the majors and take over as the full-time shortstop without a hitch. Having someone like Gregorius on hand would be a better fallback option than Aledmys Diaz, who hasn’t played more than nine games at shortstop in a season since 2018. The Rockies don’t yet have a replacement for Trevor Story, who seems unlikely to return in free agency. There are internal candidates such as Ryan McMahon and Brendan Rodgers, but they are capable of playing elsewhere on the diamond, meaning it would be quite easy to fit Gregorius into the equation. Perhaps playing his home games at Coors Field could help him get his groove back at the plate. The Angels have improved their pitching staff this offseason but still have question marks on the infield, with Tyler Wade and David Fletcher currently penciled into the middle of the diamond. With the club clearly in win-now mode as they try to take advantage of their best remaining years of the Trout-Ohtani combo, they could grab Gregorius and bump Wade into a utility role. If the Phils can find a taker for Gregorius, it could clear the deck for Stott or perhaps an acquisition in free agency. Carlos Correa and Trevor Story remain unsigned and will need to find new teams once the lockout is complete. As a big-market team with an uncertain shortstop picture, the Phillies stand out as one of the teams that could theoretically be a fit for them. The club’s Opening Day payroll is currently projected to be $181M, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. That’s about $10M shy of last year’s number, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. It’s possible the club decides to push the budget a bit farther this year, but finding a taker for some or all of the $15.25M owed to Gregorius would give them more wiggle room to address shortstop along with other areas of weakness, such as center field, left field and the bullpen.
LeBron James will be out of action for a third consecutive game and could be out longer due to "general swelling" in his left knee, according to Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel. The Lakers are set to meet the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, but James traveled back to Los Angeles after an MRI revealed the swelling. While Vogel said it's too early to know if James will be available for a Wednesday home game against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers coach said James will be out as long as the swelling persists. James, 37, sat out an eight-game stretch in November due to an abdominal injury and missed two games in October due to an ankle injury. In the 36 games he has played this season, James has averaged 29.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds. The Lakers are 19-17 in games with James in the lineup and 5-9 without him. While the Lakers will be without James, the team got good news when Vogel revealed Anthony Davis will be back from a wrist injury that kept him out of action Friday. Davis missed more than a month with a knee injury before returning Tuesday. After scoring just eight points in his first game back, Davis scored 31 and pulled down 12 rebounds in a Thursday loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. On Thursday, James was named a starter for the Western Conference in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. James is now an 18-time All-Star, just one behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the record.
The Denver Nuggets have won four in a row and continue to be a marvel as they win games due to the brilliance of center Nikola Jokic. There was supposed to be some anti-"Joker" backlash this season after last year's MVP campaign, but he is probably more worthy of the award this year. He is keeping the team afloat and then some. Giannis Antetokounmpo won the NBA MVP the two seasons prior to Jokic and remains one of the most dominant players in the league. These two players could not be a greater contrast in style, though. The Bucks have dealt with injuries all season long, but they are pretty whole right now. They have won four of their last five games. This game is taking place at the same time as 49ers vs. Rams, so you are free to switch back and forth. I suppose it is good that the Packers were eliminated last week so the local folk can enjoy their defending NBA champions against one of the best players in the world without distraction. Milwaukee was -6.5 and won by 11 points at Denver back in November. Game Info Denver Nuggets (27-21) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (31-20) Sunday, January 30, 2022 7 p.m. ET Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Bally Sports Wisconsin Betting Odds Spread: Nuggets +6.5 (-110), Bucks -6.5 (-110) Total: 227.5 Moneyline: Nuggets +228, Bucks -276 Best Bet Bucks -6.5 I am a big fan of Jokic and his versatile game, but the Bucks are a tough matchup for the Nuggets. They can put Bobby Portis on him, and he is an active and aggressive defender who will bring down his efficiency. That and the Bucks have so much more depth than the Nuggets eventually comes through. Jokic actually missed the game the first time these teams played. Of course, having him is everything for Denver, but he is not going to change the outcome on Sunday. Grayson Allen over 2.5 three-pointers (+140) I think Allen might have finally shed his Public Enemy No. 1 label, which was well-earned at Duke. On this Bucks team, he fits in nicely as an outside shooter who creates space for Giannis, Khris Middleton and others. Over the last eight games, he has made 3+ three-pointers four times. That and this nice payoff makes this a nice value prop for this game featuring a couple of the game's biggest stars.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be out of action until at least the All-Star break due to an ankle sprain, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Gilgeous-Alexander, 23, is the team's leading scorer with an average of 22.7 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game this season. The Thunder are second-to-last in the Western Conference with a 14-34 record and have won just one game since New Year's Eve. Gilgeous-Alexander suffered his ankle injury in the third quarter of Oklahoma City's 113-110 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. He went down hard after a foul and made two free throws before limping to the locker room. According to ESPN, Gilgeous-Alexander was in a walking boot and on crutches after the game. Luguentz Dort is the only other Thunder player averaging more than 12 points per game (16.3). The Thunder acquired Gilgeous-Alexander in a 2019 trade that sent Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers. His 2021 season ended in March due to a plantar fascia tear, but the Thunder gave Gilgeous-Alexander a five-year max extension in August worth $172 million.
Tim Weah did not make the trip to Canada for the United States Men's National Team's crucial World Cup qualifying match, the team announced Saturday. USA's match on Sunday against Canada is between the two teams at the top of the table in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. At the end of the round, the top three teams will advance to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Weah, 21, received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but contracted the virus before he was scheduled to receive his second dose, according to USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter. "Due to the time of when he got COVID, he wasn't able to get that second shot yet," Berhalter said Saturday, via ESPN. "However, in France, he is listed as fully vaccinated because in France, the one shot plus COVID means you're vaccinated and you're OK. As a technicality, it wasn't acceptable in Canada. This is something we can't control, the nuances of COVID protocol, and we just have to deal with it." Weah plays in France for Lille of Ligue 1 and has been a member of the USMNT at the senior level since 2018. In November, he scored the United States' only goal in a 1-1 draw against Jamaica. Canada is at the top of the qualifying table with 19 points, just one point ahead of the United States. Mexico is just behind in third place with 17 points.
A couple months after Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma to become the head coach at USC, ESPN reported Saturday that the Trojans' starting quarterback Jaxson Dart is transferring to Ole Miss. Dart entered the transfer portal earlier this month immediately after former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams visited USC. Williams entered the transfer portal in January and hasn't yet made a decision about his future school. Ole Miss finished the 2021 season with a 10-3 record and lost in the Sugar Bowl to Baylor, 21-7. The Rebels were led by senior quarterback Matt Corral, who is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Dart earned snaps early in his true freshman season in 2021, but missed time after suffering a meniscus tear. He returned before the end of the season and finished the year as the Trojans' starter. Dart finished the 2021 season with nine passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Kansas City Chiefs released cornerback Damon Arnette less than 24 hours after he was arrested Friday night on multiple charges, including assault with a deadly weapon. Arnette, 25, was a first-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, but appeared in only 13 games with the team. He was released in November 2021 after a video surfaced showing the cornerback brandishing a gun and making death threats. He was signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad a month after his release, and signed a reserve/futures deal with the Chiefs last week. On Friday night, nine days after signing with Kansas City, Arnette was arrested in Las Vegas and booked on five separate charges. Arnette was drafted 19th overall by the Raiders, despite general manager Mike Mayock acknowledging the team had "significant concern" about his character. Mayock was fired earlier this month after three seasons as the Raiders' general manager.
The White Sox’s long-awaited deal with Cuban slugger Oscar Colas became official earlier this month, when he agreed to a $2.7 million signing bonus as international free agency opened. Notably, while there’d been some talk of the 23-year-old Colas working as a two-way player, he’s made clear since his signing that he’ll be working as strictly an outfielder with the White Sox (link via Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago). “Pitching is in the past for me,” Colas told reporters through the team’s interpreter. Colas adds that it was an “easy decision” and that the White Sox were far more interested in his potential as an outfielder than on the mound. Indeed, ChiSox special assistant Marco Paddy tells Duber and others that Colas is “not really a pitcher” and that his development on the mound would have taken considerably longer. While it’d have been a fun story to see a highly touted young talent such as Colas strive to become a two-way player, the “Cuban Ohtani” moniker that was placed upon him always seemed rather misguided and, frankly, unfair to Colas himself due to the expectations associated with the nickname. As we noted at the time Colas was declared a free agent by MLB, to liken a player with all of 3 1/3 professional innings pitched (during the 2018-19 Cuban National Series) to Ohtani never made much sense, catchy and marketable as the narrative might’ve been. Colas is reportedly able to reach 95 mph with his fastball, and perhaps there’s some raw pitching talent that could have been refined. However, by the time Ohtani was this age, he’d amassed 543 innings of 2.52 ERA ball in Nippon Professional Baseball and was on the cusp of jumping directly to the majors. None of that is to downplay Colas’ potential for big-league success with the bat. By all accounts, the 6’1″, 220-pound slugger has huge raw power from the left side of the dish and could eventually settle in as a productive big-league hitter. Baseball America’s Ben Badler noted recently that even though he’s improved his conditioning since leaving his native Cuba, Colas is likely to settle in as a left fielder or first baseman due in part to questions about his outfield range. Considering his age and prior professional experience in Cuba and in Japan, Colas is more advanced than your typical amateur who would sign during the international period in MLB. That said, he also hasn’t played a game in the CNS or in NPB since 2019, so there’s surely some rust to shake off as he reacclimates. It’s possible he’ll be a quick mover, although the White Sox already have a fairly crowded collection of players in the mix in the outfield corners, at first base and at designated hitter. Jose Abreu is locked in at first base, leaving the outfield corners and DH work to fall to Eloy Jimenez, Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets. Chicago also has fleet-footed Adam Engel as an option at all three outfield positions, and corner outfield prospect Micker Adolfo is out of minor-league options, meaning he cannot be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. It’s not an immediate issue anyway, as Colas will need some time in the upper minors before he’s an option in the big leagues, but some eventual turnover among that group of corner bats/DH options is inevitable.
Before the 2021-22 NBA season even began, John Wall and the Houston Rockets agreed to go their separate ways. The plan was simple: Wall would sit out, and Houston’s front office would attempt to quickly find a trade. Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan. A deal never materialized, and Wall’s reluctance to take a supporting role led to him essentially being shelved for the entirety of the year thus far. That has led to some angry back-and-forths between Wall and the organization. Over the past few weeks, rumors started to emerge about a possible agreement that would land Wall with the Miami Heat or Los Angeles Clippers. There appears to be just one roadblock preventing that from occurring: The Rockets and Wall cannot agree to buyout terms. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, this appears to be an issue that there is no way around. “The L.A. Clippers and the Miami Heat are among the teams known to have interest in Wall should he become a free agent, but Wall and the Rockets have conceded that buyout talks, to this point, are unrealistic with so much money left on Wall’s contract. He is earning $44.3 million this season and holds a player option for next season worth $47.4 million.” Assuming the Heat and Clippers are a no-go, the Boston Celtics continue to be a very viable option for Wall. But that’s pretty much where it ends. Obviously there has also been some chatter about a Russell Westbrook-for-Wall swap involving the Los Angeles Lakers, but it’s hard to see that becoming a reality. For better or worse, it feels like Wall will finish this season out as a member of the Rockets.
Canada all but punched a ticket to the 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 win over the United States on Sunday that dropped the latter into a precarious position with only a handful of matches left to earn a spot in qualifying. The match was a battle between the two teams at the top of the table in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. With the victory, Canada improved to 22 points while the United States stayed at 18 points. Mexico and Panama -- who have 17 points and 15 points, respectively -- both have an opportunity to improve their positions with matches Sunday. Canada jumped out to an early lead with a goal from Cyle Larin in the seventh minute. The second goal for Canada came late in stoppage time in the second half. Despite the final score, the United States dominated possession for most of the match and finished with 13 shots compared to Canada's eight. The hero of the match was Canadian goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who made several great saves to keep the clean sheet. The United States will have an opportunity to bounce back with a match against last-place Honduras on Wednesday. Canada will play El Salvador.
