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The Arizona Diamondbacks signed a pitcher this week that was involved in one of the most hated trades in Oakland A's history: The Josh Donaldson deal.
Following the 2014 season, the A's front office felt that the team was headed for a decline after a Wild Card Game exit against the Kansas City Royals, and without the resources to supplement the roster available to them, they instead decided to trade away many of their seven All-Stars from the previous season.
One of the biggest pieces of those teams was Donaldson, who had finished fourth and eighth in the AL MVP voting in 2013 and 2014. In November of '14, he was sent to the Toronto Blue Jays for a package that included Kendall Graveman, Franklin Barreto, Brett Lawrie, and Sean Nolin. Less than a decade later, the A's would trade another franchise centerpiece third baseman to the Jays in Matt Chapman.
Graveman ended up being arguably the best piece of the deal for the A's, finding a spot in the rotation in 2015 and turning in decent seasons with the team. When he reached free agency in 2018, he was out the door as the A's began to compete again. He'd miss the 2019 season, but showed back up in 2020 with the Seattle Mariners, pitching out of the bullpen in nine of his 11 appearances.
Turns out he was pretty good in relief. In 2021 he turned to relief pitching full-time, and posted a 1.77 ERA on the season, and was even traded by the Seattle Mariners (where he'd had a 0.82 ERA in 33 innings at the time) to the Houston Astros.
Following that year, he'd hit free agency again, this time signing on with the Chicago White Sox, only to be traded back to Houston in 2023 for prospect Korey Lee. From 2021-23 as solely a relief pitcher, Graveman put up a 2.74 ERA across 187.1 innings pitched. The productivity is certainly there. At this point in his career, it's how healthy he will be that is the question.
Graveman missed the 2024 season after undergoing right shoulder surgery prior to the season, but it's being reported that the Diamondbacks have seen him throw and believe he is fully recovered. According to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert and Brian Murphy this is a big-league deal for one year and $1.35 million. Jesse Rogers of ESPN has reported that the deal could increase to $3.3 million with incentives.
Arizona appears to have the late innings taken care of with 23-year-old Justin Martinez slotted into the closer's role, and lefty (and former A's pitcher) A.J. Puk also in the mix. Graveman's inclusion in the bullpen, at least for now, appears to be for depth, which is a scary premise for opposing teams.
If Graveman is able to pitch close to how he was before his injury, then this group of arms in the bullpen could certainly rival the best groups in the game. Given the contract, this is a nice buy-low addition for the D-Backs as we head into 2025.
More must-reads:
- Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani reaches yet another incredible milestone
- Padres already demoting one of their trade-deadline acquisitions
- The 'MLB playoff home run leaders' quiz
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Why Red Sox may regret extending rookie Roman Anthony
To say that the Boston Red Sox are keeping MLB fans and analysts on their toes this season is an understatement. Almost two months after trading the face of their franchise, Boston signed MLB’s No. 1 prospect, Roman Anthony, to an eight-year, $130 million extension. Between trading Rafael Devers and locking Anthony up through 2034, the Red Sox have been the boldest MLB team this season by far. But will this move pay off? Fans expected Sox owner John Henry to spend money on the team during the offseason, but no one anticipated a massive mid-year pact with a rookie would occur. Anthony has only played 46 MLB games, during which he has slashed .283/.400/.428 with 19 RBIs and two home runs. While his rapid ascent through the minor league and hot start to his professional baseball career are beyond what fans could’ve asked for, Anthony’s extension is still premature from a financial perspective. With a $16.25 million AAV on his contract, the Sox have piled high expectations onto a player who recently turned 21 years old. For Anthony’s sizable and long-term commitment to be worth the investment, he should produce an annual 2.0 WAR at least and earn at least three or four All-Star, Gold Glove or Silver Slugger Awards by the end of his contract. For reference, Marcell Ozuna and Kyle Tucker received contracts within $250,000 AAV of Anthony’s contract AAV, according to Spotrac. All three achieved this criterion before they were rewarded with lucrative agreements. Weighing these standards against Anthony’s newness to MLB, it’s nearly impossible to say Boston’s decision-making was backed by more than just impulse. Somehow, Anthony isn’t the first rookie the Red Sox extended this year. With five games of baseball under his belt, Boston closed an eight-year, $60 million deal with Kristian Campbell, who was MLB’s No. 6 prospect at the time. While Campbell’s $7.5 million AAV is drastically different from Anthony’s, the Sox’s strategy to hoard young players before they’ve had enough time to prove themselves isn’t logical. Keeping Anthony off the free-agent market for the next decade may be the best risk the Sox have ever taken, or it may be one of the most expensive decisions made. Anthony must deliver the high-performance projections his contract sets for his early extension to pay off, but odds are, Boston is putting the cart before the horse.
Sophie Cunningham, Sparks HC react to third incident of object tossed onto court
Over the past couple of years, the WNBA has seen a major uptick in ratings and overall fan engagement. Unfortunately, that has also come with negative attention. It may have reached a new low, as there have now been three separate incidents in which a fan has thrown a sex toy on the court. This time, it nearly hit Indiana Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Cunningham had already joked about it on social media, and given her outspoken nature and reputation as a bit of an instigator, she didn't shy away from it: She also laughed it up on her Instagram story: Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, however, didn't think it was a laughing matter. Following the game, she put the fans on blast for their "stupid" behavior. "It's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Roberts said, per Yahoo Sports. "It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid." There's no place for any of this in sports, much less in women's sports. The league needs to crack down on this and take the necessary measures to prevent it from happening ever again. The WNBA is finally thriving after years of surviving, and while the fans will eventually grow to respect the product, not all publicity is good publicity.
NFL Hall of Famer reveals why he chose to join Deion Sanders' Colorado coaching staff
Oilers' new signing ranked among NHL's worst contracts
Despite boasting a core of elite contracts that include Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, the Edmonton Oilers saw their overall contract value rankings take a hit in a recent article by The Athletic. Dom Luszczyszyn looks at every team and its contract situations each season. The Oilers ranked 8th overall, but that dropped them down the standings, largely due to the new eight-year, $3.9 million AAV deal handed to forward Trent Frederic. In a recent analysis evaluating NHL contract efficiency, Frederic’s deal earned a D-grade — one of the lowest marks handed out — alongside the much-maligned Darnell Nurse contract. He was signed to the new deal this offseason after arriving to the Oilers via a trade at the deadline. Injured, but in the lineup for the playoffs, he wasn’t exactly the most effective forward. The Oilers believe he has a lot more to give and GM Stan Bowman bet on the forward. Frederic’s extension, which carries a modest annual cap hit but stretches through 2033, is projected to offer just a +20.1% positive value while delivering a -$15.2 million total surplus over its duration. Frederic’s ranking is particularly glaring when placed next to the six A-grade contracts on the Oilers’ books. No other forward has a grade lower than a C. The team also has four different A-grades, an A for McDavid and an A+ for Draisaitl. Combined with team-friendly deals for stars like McDavid and Draisaitl, Edmonton remains one of the league’s most efficient teams in terms of contract value. Will the Oilers shed either of these bad contracts? According to this ranking, Frederic and Nurse deals are two glaring liabilities. Don’t expect the Oilers to move off either contract anytime soon. Bowman said of the Frederic deal: “…he’s a very unique player with the skillset that he has. He’s a big guy, he’s a physical player, he’s not afraid. He’s got that intimidation factor where he’ll go to the other team’s bench and challenge anybody, like stop messing around with our group. That’s something that I find, you either have that or you don’t. … And he’s scored, you know, he scored what, 18 goals twice in a row at a fairly young, younger age. So I think he’s got the game in him. And I think when you add all that up, it comes down to he’s a very unique player. It’s not like if we passed on Frederic, we’ll just go get so-and-so, who’s maybe a little different, but the same type of player. Not a lot of guys like that out there. They just aren’t anymore.” As for Nurse, there was talk that the Oilers approached him and others about their no-move clauses, and Nurse declined to waive his. The hope is that he elevates his game, and with the rising salary cap, his deal doesn’t look like such an albatross. With several key contracts set to expire soon — including McDavid’s — and questions lingering around term for others, the Oilers need to be cautious with long-term commitments. As it stands, the Frederic deal is a warning sign that not every extension is created equal, even on a Cup-contending roster.
Novak Djokovic sparks major concern ahead of U.S. Open
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the 2025 Cincinnati Open, creating a bigger hurdle for himself ahead of the upcoming U.S. Open. The withdrawal means the World No. 6 is set to slip further in the ATP Rankings, with Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur on the verge of surpassing him with their performances in the Toronto Masters. If Djokovic doesn't arrive at Flushing Meadows as a top-six seed, his path to a record-breaking 25th major will become more arduous. Furthermore, Djokovic will enter the U.S. Open with zero hard-court preparation, having not played a match in 44 days. In his last outing, he was destroyed in straight sets by World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semifinal at Wimbledon, following which the 38-year-old expressed grave concern about his fitness levels for the rest of the year. "I guess playing best-of-five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically," he said. "The longer the tournament goes, yeah, the worse the condition gets." As he alluded to, Djokovic ran out of gas at the first three majors of the year, losing in the semifinals all three times after his body started to break down. The worrying trend has persisted even with Djokovic prioritizing majors over other ATP events, fueling chatter that the 24-time major winner may be nearing the end of his career. Djokovic's lack of activity is best highlighted by the fact that he has played only 35 matches in 2025, his fewest in a year (through August) since his injury-plagued 2017 season and fewest overall since 2005. The chances of Djokovic winning his fifth U.S. Open title seem like a pipe dream at this point, especially given his recent record against top seeds Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Last year, he lost in the third round to Alexei Popyrin, his earliest loss at Flushing Meadows since 2016.
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