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Bleacher Report released their opening day lineup predictions for all 30 teams, and they have the Pittsburgh Pirates landing veteran outfielder Adam Duvall.
Duvall spent the 2023 season with the Boston Red Sox after he was signed to a one-year contract as a free agent last winter.
The 35-year-old was productive in 92 games in his lone season in Boston. Duvall ended the year with a .247/.303/.531 slash with 24 doubles, two triples, 21 home runs and 58 RBIs.
For his career, Duvall has essentially been a league-average player with a .763 OPS across 10 seasons. He was a Gold Glove recipient in 2021 en route to winning the World Series with the Atlanta Braves and was named an All-Star in 2016. In addition to the Red Sox and Braves, Duvall has spent time with the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and Miami Marlins.
Duvall has previous experience in all three outfield positions. Most of his time has come in left field, where he’s accumulated 52 defensive runs saved in his career. Last season, most of Duvall’s defensive work came in center field, where he did not make any errors but posted minus-five DRS in 61 games.
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has said that the Pirates would still like to add to their position player group this winter.
“We would still like to add to our position player group,” said Cherington when speaking to members of the media over Zoom last month. “We feel good that we can go into the season with the group we have, but we don’t want to be satisfied with that, either. We want to keep hunting for upside, both in the rotation and in the position player group.”
Duvall fits the Pirates both due to his profile and price tag. Even after the team acquired outfielder Edward Olivares, they should still be looking for defensive help in the outfield. Along with his adequate abilities as a defender, the Pirates would be getting a boost to their lineup.
In Bleacher Report’s projected lineup, they have Duvall in right field and batting sixth behind fellow outfielder Jack Suwinski.
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Pitching, to say the least, has been a throbbing headache for the Atlanta Braves over the course of the 2025 season. The starting rotation, outside of Chris Sale, is unrecognizable from Opening Day, and the bullpen has been a revolving door except for a couple of mainstays. However, some younger arms who are coming through the system provide an opportunity to ease the pressure as soon as next season. More options mean the Braves will be better able to absorb the next blow. At this point, the assumption can’t be that the team can just get healthy and get going. Triple-A Gwinnett features some arms that should be ready to step up in 2026. Standouts include prospect JR Ritchie, Dider Fuentes, Hayden Harris, Rolddy Muñoz, Lucas Braun and Blake Burkhalter. Ritchie has been a rising prospect in the making throughout the season. After starting the season in High-A Rome, he’s made his way up to Triple-A and represented the organization in the All-Star Futures Game. Fuentes made his debut this season. Some who watched him might be hesitant to include him on the list, but keep in mind he was called up prematurely. Before his season ended due to a shoulder injury, he was starting to find his footing in Triple-A In the short term, these are young options to turn to. Eventually, the plan is that they become mainstays. Braun and Burkhalter both made their way to Triple-A this season and have put on solid performances. The tricky thing will be to find spots for them in the rotation. Ritchie and Fuentes appear to be the first two in line, but having options isn’t a bad thing. At any time, they could need the extra help. However, if they want to see Major League action, their services could be more useful in the bullpen. The Braves have been using certain relievers as long relief options, most notably former prospect Dylan Dodd. These two could become young additions to the bullpen and provide an option as a spot starter if need be. Harris and Muñoz recently made their Major League debuts and provide potential additions to the bullpen long term. Unlike Braun and Burkhalter, these two are already used as relievers, even in the minor leagues. This fast-tacks them to a spot in the majors. They could help provide stability to a team that’s been shuffling the deck and seeing the bullpen get up there in age. All the key arms in the bullpen are 30 years or older. Raisel Iglesias and Pierce Johnson are 35 and 34, respectively. It could help to have some youngblood added to the backend of the bullpen. Both arms, especially Harris, have developed a solid track record. Harris has had a sub-1.00 ERA for virtually the entire MLB season. Like Ritichie, he took part in the Futures Game. This isn’t meant to be a full substitute for getting external help, nor should it. If the Braves have a chance to bring in proven options, it’s the wise move to make. However, having the depth built in-house creates a more stable game plan for the pitching staff. There are fewer reasons to scramble since there is help ready and waiting that will eventually become Plan A as well. The headache is relieved en route to them becoming normal contributors. It’s a bit of an idealistic way to view the situation, but it’s still a potential luxury they haven’t exactly had as of late. More From Atlanta Braves on SI
Packers Get Good News Regarding TE Tucker Kraft’s Knee Injury
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The NFL’s Week 3 action begins with the Buffalo Bills taking on the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. Following Thursday Night Football, Sunday’s slate presents some fun matchups for fantasy football. Ending the Week 3 lineup will be an exciting matchup featuring the Detroit Lions vs the Baltimore Ravens. Who’s worth a start and who’s worth benching this week? Here are five players to start and sit entering Week 3. Five Players to Start 1. Rome Odunze vs. Dallas Cowboys – No. 30 vs WRs (NFL Fantasy) Considering the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants had a thrilling 40-37 showdown last week, definitely start Rome Odunze. Last week, in a 52-21 loss against the Lions, Odunze was targeted 11 times and caught seven passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. In the Cowboys’ matchup against the Giants, New York’s receivers did very well. Malik Nabers scored 37.70 points. He caught nine passes on 13 targets for 167 yards and two touchdowns. 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According to StatMuse the Patriots are 8-2 against the Steelers in their last 10 matchups. 3. Jonathan Taylor vs. Tennessee Titans – No. 22 vs RBs (NFL Fantasy) After a 165 yard performance vs the Denver Broncos, Jonathan Taylor will face the Tennessee Titans in a AFC South matchup. His 165 yard game netted him 29.5 points against a good Broncos defense. The Titans are currently giving up an average of 5.4 yards per carry. Seeing these numbers should give fantasy owners plenty of confidence to start Taylor against the Titans. Last time the Colts played the Titans on Dec. 22, 2024, Taylor rushed for 218 yards and three touchdowns. 4. James Cook vs Miami Dolphins – No. 27 vs RB’s (NFL Fantasy) James Cook is another running back on this list that’s coming off another 100+ yard performance. Not only did he score two touchdowns but he rushed for 132 yards vs the New York Jets. The Dolphins are coming off another bad game and are on a short week. With little time to truly fix their run game, Cook can take advantage of a good situation. Though he’s only averaged 37.3 rushing yards vs the Dolphins, there’s optimism he can have his first big game against Miami on Thursday night. 5. Kyle Pitts vs Carolina Panthers – No. 30 vs TEs (NFL Fantasy) With Michael Penix and Kyle Pitts’ chemistry continuing to grow, Pitts is finally inching towards becoming a trustworthy start. Though he hasn’t had a big game yet this season, Week 3 looks to be ideal against the Panthers. His four catches for 37 yards in a 22-6 win may seem disappointing, but there’s hope that he can bounce back. Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride averaged 13.0 yards per catch in Week 1 against the Panthers. Even Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange average 14.8 yards per catch against the Panthers defense. If Pitts gets big receptions in space he could be a threat in fantasy football this week. Five Players to Sit 1. Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. Las Vegas Raiders – No. 5 vs RBs (NFL Fantasy) Even with his expectation to take more snaps in the absence of Austin Ekeler, sitting him this week may be the best option. The Raiders are only allowing an average of 13.20 points to running backs. Having to face Maxx Crosby should caution fantasy owners from starting Croskey-Merritt. Last week, Chargers backs Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton combine for 10.3 fantasy points. 2. Garrett Wilson vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers – N0. 5 vs WRs (NFL Fantasy) With Justin Fields missing Week 3 due to his concussion, there’s a reason to feel unsure about starting Garrett Wilson. After last weeks disappointing performance against the Bills, Wilson will face a well-rounded Buccaneers secondary. Facing a secondary of Antoine Winfield, Jamel Dean, Tykee Smith, Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish makes it a difficult decision to start Wilson. 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The Chicago Bears are 0-2 to begin the 2025 NFL season and the new era with head coach Ben Johnson. The Bears lost a heartbreaker in Week 1 to the Minnesota Vikings, 27-24, in Chicago. Week 2 was much, much worse, as the Detroit Lions – Johnson’s former employer- blew the Bears out with a 52-21 final score. Johnson is not happy early on, and he held nothing back while discussing the Bears’ practice habits. “Our practice habits are yet to reflect a championship caliber team,” Johnson said ahead of Week 3. Well, veteran defensive lineman Grady Jarrett heard that feedback and had a response on Thursday, via CHGO Bears. “As a coach, you always want to challenge them to be better. We always want to put our best foot forward…Up to this point, we haven’t won a game,” Jarrett said. “He our head coach, he our leader, and if he said it wasn’t good enough, then we had to answer the call.” The Week 2 loss was so lopsided that Caleb Williams was removed in the fourth quarter in a surprising turn of events. Still, Johnson made his feelings clear about the way the team has practiced so far this season. Jarrett, on the other hand, is a veteran end who entered the thing in 2015, and he took the high road and showed support for his head coach despite the comments. In Week 3, the Bears face the Dallas Cowboys at home, which will be a tough test. It will be interesting to see how the team responds, especially after the new head coach just threw his players under the bus not even one month into the regular season. After that, the Bears face the Las Vegas Raiders on the road before a Week 5 bye, and the hope is that Chicago can find a way to get a victory sooner rather than later.
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