You can still be active even when it's cold outside.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
Before the 2024 NFL season the Las Vegas Raiders signed defensive lineman Christian Wilkins to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency to make him a key part of their defensive line. On Thursday, just one year later, the Raiders are releasing him. It is also a situation that is likely to get messy in the coming weeks due to a grievance that Wilkins has filed with the NFLPA. At the center of his release — and grievance — is Wilkins' rehab from a foot injury that cut short his 2024 season after just five games. The Raiders wanted Wilkins to correct the issue with surgery. Wilkins opted not to have the surgery, and as the rehab continued to drag on, there was uncertainty of when he would be able to get back on the field. As recently as Tuesday Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said there was no definitive timeline on when that would be. Just 48 hours later, Wilkins was released, with the Raiders attempting to void the remaining $35.2M in guarantees that he was owed on his contract. Wilkins spent the first five year of his career with the Miami Dolphins, and turned a career-year performance in 2023 into a big-ticket free agency contract with the Raiders. The hope was that he could form a dominant 1-2 punch with Maxx Crosby, and for the five games he played he showed the ability to do that. He was just never healthy enough to continue the rest of the season. Now Las Vegas is going to be left asking what could have been, while Wilkins tries to get the money he believes he is owed. Wilkins will turn 30 in December, and if anyone is confident in his ability to come back from the injury, he could still land on a new team and potentially play a big role.
The Toronto Blue Jays didn't cool off in their first road game since the All-Star break, rolling to an 11-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. The teams will play the second game of a four-game series on Friday night. Toronto was held scoreless until the sixth, then racked up all of its runs in a three-inning span. The Blue Jays, who had a 10-game winning streak shortly before the break, have won six of seven games since the Mid-Summer Classic. "These guys have been relentless," Toronto manager John Schneider said. "I've heard a lot of talk about us being a gritty team that isn't sustainable. I think the exact opposite. I think we're gritty as hell, but I think a lot of the stuff that we're doing is going to lead to a lot of wins." Jose Berrios (6-4, 3.87 ERA), who will start for the Blue Jays on Friday, has a 2-1 record in four July starts despite a 7.11 ERA. He collected a victory on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants despite being charged with four runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Berrios was pulled after just three innings in his previous outing, when he allowed four runs and five hits against the Athletics. Before that, he posted eight quality starts in 10 outings. The veteran right-hander is 7-3 with a 4.23 ERA in 16 career appearances (15 starts) against Detroit. He had a no-decision against the Tigers on May 18 after giving up two runs and eight hits in six innings. Detroit's Keider Montero (4-2, 4.28 ERA) will make his 15th appearance and ninth start of the season. Montero has gotten plenty of chances to seize the No. 5 spot in the rotation, vacated when prized rookie Jackson Jobe required Tommy John surgery, but hasn't secured it. Following a sharp six-inning stint against Tampa Bay on July 7, Montero gave up three runs and five hits in three-plus innings against the Seattle Mariners on July 12. In his first post-All-Star-break outing, Montero allowed four runs, four hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings against the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The second-year right-hander faced Toronto once last season, surrendering five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Tigers still hold an eight-game lead in the American League Central but they are playing more like cellar-dwellers. They have lost 10 of their last 11 games, including four straight. Detroit is 1-6 since the break, having scored just 13 runs during that span. The Tigers were limited to a Jahmai Jones solo homer on Thursday until they scored three meaningless runs in the ninth. The team and its fans were spoiled by a glorious three months, and now the club is dealing with adversity for the first time this season. "You know, it's been 11 days, but it feels like it's been a lot longer, and I think maybe that's because of the (All-Star) break," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "A lot of it is just the way that baseball is. We can choose to bring that garbage into tomorrow, or we can reset and get back after it. "I know this team, I know the conversation around it over the last couple weeks. We've got to piece it back together."
Damion Baugh spent his rookie season in the NBA playing for the Charlotte Hornets. The 24-year-old had averages of 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 32.3% from the field in 15 games. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Hornets will now waive Baugh. Via Scotto: "The Charlotte Hornets are waiving two-way player Damion Baugh, league sources told @hoopshype . Charlotte is waiving Baugh to clear a spot for the addition of Antonio Reeves on a two-way contract." ESPN's Shams Charania had first reported that the Hornets were signing Reeves. Via Charania: "The Charlotte Hornets are signing guard Antonio Reeves to a two-way NBA deal, sources tell ESPN. The 2024 Pelicans second-round pick averaged 6.9 points and 40% 3-point shooting in 44 games as a rookie last season."
Well-known Boston Celtics fan and long-time NBA analyst Bill Simmons did not like it when the Milwaukee Bucks released Damian Lillard, calling it a disaster. “I thought what Milwaukee did was one of the most desperate, reckless moves that I can ever remember,” Simmons said. “I hated it, I don’t understand it. I think it’s a disaster.” That was a week ago. Now, he makes an opposite claim about the Bucks offseason. He even believes that they have a chance to win it all in the Eastern Conference. “The team’s gonna be pretty good. They actually had a really good offseason when you consider the second best player on the team who [is supposed to] make $50 million is gonna miss the whole season,” he said. “The Cole Anthony thing was a big deal. He’s a rotation guy. They kept [Gary] Trent for nothing. He’s a rotation guy. They’ve added together a team that in a weak conference with the best player in the game [Giannis Antetokounmpo]. I think they have at least now more of a punchers chance.” Video starts at 47:47: Milwaukee Bucks’ offseason so far Most analysts are not that sold about the Bucks offseason. Over at Yahoo! Sports, they graded the team’s 2025 summer moves with a “C” but most of the explanation is about they squandered their future by choosing to pay Damian Lillard in the next five years. General manager Jon Horst and head coach Doc Rivers feel optimistic. They think they have a chance to contend and surrounded Giannis Antetokounmpo that fit his style. Myles Turner is the biggest name among the new players, signing him for $108.9 million for four years. He will take the spot vacated by Brook Lopez who is now with the Los Angeles Clippers. Another main agenda for the team over the summer is re-signing GTJ and Bobby Portis, two of the bench players who played well for them in the latter part of the elimination and the postseason. They also retained AJ Green and Kevin Porter Jr. – two viable option for Antetokounmpo in the three point line.