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Two Los Angeles Dodgers players confirmed they were officially going out on top by retiring after the Dodgers' World Series win over the New York Yankees. The two players helped the Dodgers win their eighth title, and celebrated during the team's victory parade in Los Angeles on Friday.
Reliever Daniel Hudson announced his retirement on Wednesday after the Dodgers became victorious. Hudson previously won the World Series in 2019 with the Washington Nationals, but returned to the Dodgers for the 2024 season to go after another ring.
"This was the only reason I came back," Hudson said of the World Series. "To go out on top. And that's what's happening."
Hudson pitched in two games during the Dodgers' World Series victory. Hudson appeared for the first time this World Series in Game 3, allowing one hit and no runs while striking out two over 0.2 innings. He did struggle in his final appearance, giving up four earned runs during the Dodgers' lone World Series loss in Game 4.
Over his final season, and his fourth overall season as a Dodger, Hudson went 6-2 with a 3.00 ERA, 63 strikeouts, and 10 saves over 65 games.
Outfielder Kevin Kiermaier previously announced his plans to retire after the 2024 season before he joined the Dodgers. When Kiermaier was still a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, he announced his plans to hang it up after the season.
Kiermaier was traded to the Dodgers less than a week later, and would go on to win his first career World Series as his last hurrah. The Dodgers left Kiermaier off of the World Series roster, but he did appear in four games during the National League Championship Series. Kiermaier recorded two runs during the 2024 postseason.
"What a time to be alive!" Kiermaier wrote on X after the World Series. "Endin my career out as WORLD SERIES CHAMPS! All credit goes to my amazing teammates! Thank you Dodgers for the best opportunity i could ever hope for! Champs forever!"
What a time to be alive! Endin my career out as WORLD SERIES CHAMPS! All credit goes to my amazing teammates! Thank you @Dodgers for the best opportunity i could ever hope for! Champs forever!
— Kevin Kiermaier (@KKiermaier39) November 1, 2024
Kiermaier hit .203 with 12 hits, seven runs, one home run, and eight RBIs over 34 games with the Dodgers after he was traded to the team. The 34-year-old goes out a four-time Gold Glove winner, a Platinum Glove winner, and most importantly, a World Series champion.
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Dodgers facing potential trade decision amid Blake Snell news
Left-handed starting pitcher Blake Snell is in his 10th major-league season after making his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016. Snell spent time with the San Diego Padres, then signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants after the 2023 season, which he later opted out of to enter free agency in 2024. The 32-year-old veteran signed a five-year, $182M contract this offseason with the Los Angeles Dodgers after an exceptional 2024 campaign. Snell earned such a lucrative contract thanks to his outstanding career to date, which includes two Cy Young Awards and an All-Star appearance. Over 213 career starts, he owns a 77–58 record, a 3.18 ERA and 1,372 strikeouts. Snell was placed on the injured list on April 6 (retroactive to April 3) with left shoulder inflammation after experiencing discomfort during a bullpen session; he had made only two starts for the Dodgers before the injury. After four minor-league rehab outings, manager Dave Roberts announced on Sunday that Snell is expected to rejoin the rotation next week. With his return looming, the Dodgers have decided to shift to a six-man rotation but now face a decision on right-hander Dustin May’s roster status. May returned to a full-time starting role for the first time in two seasons and has struggled. On Sunday against the Boston Red Sox, May allowed four runs in five innings of work, and he entered the start with an ERA of 4.73. May’s name has surfaced in trade rumors, and he is a candidate to potentially be moved to the bullpen. He is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
Packers starter hits back at Matt LaFleur, calls for 'bus fine'
Matt LaFleur is earning the ire of several of his Green Bay Packers players early in training camp. On Tuesday, LaFleur punished offensive tackle Rasheed Walker for his altercation with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare. However, the most interesting interaction of the day came between LaFleur and tight end Tucker Kraft. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, LaFleur called out Kraft for two questionable fumbles during the first week of practice. Both "fumbles" came after the play was over or when the ball fell out of bounds. "Certainly, we all know what kind of player Tucker Kraft is and can be," LaFleur said. "He can’t allow Evan Williams to reach around and punch a ball out, so it is challenging everybody and hopefully that makes us that much better.” The third-year tight end took issue with LaFleur calling him out in front of the media and blamed the coaching staff for implementing practice rules that made it easy for offensive players to fumble. "I’d say a lot of the times — there’s certain rules you play with in practice, like just letting the defense punch repeatedly," Kraft said. "You’re not allowed to stiff-arm. I guess all I have are excuses. Yes, I am working on not fumbling the ball in practice." Schneidman said Kraft answered the question with a tone of sarcasm. Kraft was frustrated that he couldn't defend the ball by stiff-arming a defender trying to poke the ball from his undefended arm. Kraft acknowledged that during practice, he has to "play by the rules" LaFleur makes and is trying to work on having a "yes sir, no sir" attitude with his head coach. He then made a vague reference about a "bus fine" and accused LaFleur of throwing him under the bus in front of the media. Schneidman believes the tight end might actually be calling for Green Bay to fine LaFleur after his discouraging quote Tuesday morning. "So yes, the Packers’ third-year tight end might be calling for his head coach to be fined — not by the league, of course, but by the team — for what he perceived as throwing him under the bus," Schneidman wrote. "Is Kraft being serious about fining LaFleur? "Probably not. Is he peeved LaFleur called him out? It sure seems like it." LaFleur might do better to have a conversation with Kraft before dragging his name into news conferences with reporters. It's clear Tucker doesn't see eye-to-eye with LaFleur about fumbles. This is a good reminder to those getting overly excited or nervous reading practice reports that what happens at practice should be taken with a grain of salt. Most likely, Tucker is going to be fine.
NFL analyst says teams should be 'extremely scared' of this franchise in 2025
While the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders have garnered a lot of attention lately, there is one NFC team that has quietly been flying under the radar. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a one-score game to the Lions in the divisional round in 2023 and followed that up with another one-score loss to QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders last season, proving how close they have been to the ultimate prize in the two seasons with Baker Mayfield under center. In an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" Tuesday morning, analyst and former player Ryan Clark offered high praise for Mayfield and what the Buccaneers are capable of. "Baker Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback in this league," Clark said. "Baker Mayfield is a football player. And when I say that, I know people at home are gonna be like, 'Duh, he gets paid to play football.' No, not all quarterbacks are seen as football players. Not all quarterbacks are embraced in the locker room as one of us." Clark sees the Buccaneers as a team the rest of the league should be paying attention to because of who they have returning and the close calls in the playoffs the last two seasons. "This is a team that's been on the cusp the last two years," Clark said. "Now you think about some of the pieces they've added, the confidence in their quarterback and the way that he plays, and Todd Bowles with another year to understand winning at a high level at the head coach position. This is a team you better be extremely scared of because they're stacked and they're confident." Mayfield has been sensational during his time with the Buccaneers. Although he did throw 16 interceptions, Mayfield accounted for the third-most passing yards (4,500) in the league last season and has thrown the most TD passes (69) in the last two seasons, per StatMuse. To add even more incentive for Mayfield, the team restructured his contract, which is set to expire after the 2026 season, to include $30M in guaranteed salary for that season. The Buccaneers return a lot of production on both sides of the ball, in addition to bringing in first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, who topped 1,000 receiving yards twice at Ohio State and accounted for 26 total TDs. While Tampa Bay allowed the 17th-most points per game (22.7) last season, it returns the majority of its defensive production. On top of that, the offseason acquisition of veteran LB and two-time Pro-Bowler Haason Reddick, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal, should be a welcomed addition for a franchise that had some question marks on defense last season. The Buccaneers are projected to have the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFL this season and have the best chance to win the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season, according to ESPN Analytics. If Mayfield can cut back on his turnovers and the defense can create more pressure on opposing QBs, the Buccaneers could be a threat in the NFC once again as they look to put their recent nail-biting losses in the postseason behind them.
Ex-Packers Star May be About to Lose his Starting Job
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones was a virtual nonfactor against the Packers last season, but Green Bay may be seeing a little less of the veteran back in the pair of meetings against their NFC North rivals this season. In two games against the Packers, Jones rushed for 140 yards but failed to reach the end zone in either game, as the Vikings swept the season series against Green Bay. However, there’s a chance Jones may already have been supplanted in Minnesota’s backfield. Ex-Packers RB Aaron Jones Splitting Reps with Jordan Mason Early in Vikings training camp, Jones might be losing his grip on Minnesota’s No. 1 running back role. Multiple reports say Jones is splitting carries with Vikings newcomer Jordan Mason, who Minnesota acquired in an offseason trade with the San Francisco 49ers. “The news is noteworthy but not particularly surprising,” Ryan Smith points out for Pro Football Focus. “Given that the team traded for Mason in March and then signed him to a two-year, $7 million fully guaranteed deal that could reach up to $12 million. Seifert believes that Mason and former Pro Bowler Aaron Jones will have a near 50-50 split in terms of playing time this season. “Last year, both Jones (76.5 PFF rushing grade) and Mason (76.1) ranked among the top 20 running backs in the league in PFF rushing grade. Jones has shown the ability to be a more dangerous threat through the air, as evidenced by his 70.6 PFF receiving grade last year and nearly 2,500 career receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.” Jones, in his first season with the Vikings, rushed for a career-high 1,138 yards and five touchdowns. If Minnesota takes a backfield by committee approach, it could bring out the best in both backs, after Jones was the Vikings’ lead-dog in 2024 and Mason wound up emerging as an explosive option in San Francisco after Christian McCaffrey’s season-ending injuries.
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