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It feels like no matter what the St. Louis Cardinals do, someone out there is still cooking up mock trades and other things of that nature to send players out of town.
St. Louis just had a nine-game winning streak snapped and didn't wait around long to start another one. The Cardinals dropped the first game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday and stormed back with a 14-7 win on Wednesday night.
The Cardinals are right on the Chicago Cubs' tail in the National League Central with a 24-20 record. The Cardinals are just one game behind the Cubs in the standings. There's a lot to like about this team. A nine-game winning streak isn't sustainable, but the way the team is winning games are. The offense has been clicking all season as well as the starting rotation. The bullpen had some bumps early but has turned things around of late. This is a team that could be in the mix for a playoff spot this summer.
That could put an end to all of the wild speculation that is out there right now. With all of it, sometimes it's hard to know what is real or not. For example, there are a million mock trades to send Nolan Arenado to the New York Yankees. While this is the case, insiders have continuously said it's unlikely and not going to happen. The Athletic's Mark Puleo and Brendan Kuty weighed in and said the same.
"Potential trade candidates," Puleo and Kuty said. "It still feels unlikely that the Yankees would trade for the St. Louis Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado, considering they had little interest in him in the offseason, and since it’s not out of the question that Lombard could be the Yankees’ starting third baseman as early as next season. It would be difficult to see the Yankees jamming up third base the next two years with Arenado. Plus, the Cardinals are 23-19, a game back in the National League Central. And don’t expect the Boston Red Sox to look to unload Rafael Devers to their rivals."
More must-reads:
- All signs point to Yankees moving on from Anthony Volpe
- Injured Phillies pitcher takes big step toward return
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
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New suitor emerges for Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez
The Arizona Diamondbacks have plenty of suitors for third baseman Eugenio Suarez. A new team has reportedly entered the market for his services. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies have reached out regarding Suarez. While Lauber did not provide any indication as to whether or not those talks have gained traction, the Phillies are an intriguing suitor for the Diamondbacks' third baseman. The Phillies' interest may be a recent development. Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated on Friday that the Phillies could emerge as a suitor in the wake of third baseman Alec Bohm landing on the injured list with a fractured left rib. Suarez is in the midst of what is arguably his best season thus far. He has produced a .249/.321/.587 batting line in 421 plate appearances entering Saturday with 36 homers and a major league-leading 87 RBI. Suarez would be more than just another powerful bat in the lineup. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and first baseman Bryce Harper are both left-handed hitters — adding Suarez would provide more balance in the batting order. He would also provide a counter against opposing managers bringing in a lefty reliever to face Schwarber and Harper. The biggest question would be how the Phillies would handle an eventual logjam on the roster. Bohm is expected to return from the IL in mid-August and would not have a clear path to regular at-bats if Suarez were acquired. Schwarber could theoretically return to left field to open up playing time at the DH spot, but his outfield defense is mediocre at best. However, as the Phillies are also looking to upgrade the outfield, where Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh have been disappointments, adding Suarez could solve several problems in one fell swoop.
Browns make curious decision with rookie QB Shedeur Sanders
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
Rangers Sign Former Stanley Cup Champion to Tryout Agreement
The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
Chris Long Lauds Tua Tagovailoa for Owning Up After Getting Caught Red-Handed About His Reading Habits
After a string of disappointing seasons, Tua Tagovailoa is heading into what feels like a do-or-die year. To be at his best, he sure needs to be focused on self-improvement, and well, you can count the QB’s reading habit as a big part of that. Whether it’s to mentally chew on a good story or to find an inspirational quote, Tua says that books have helped him keep his mind right. Through reading and also podcasts, the Miami Dolphins quarterback says he’s taking full advantage of his downtime this offseason. Tua decided to flex this self-improvement journey in his latest interview at training camp. “I watch a good amount of podcasts, listen to like a good amount of audiobooks as well. I’m reading a book right now. So, that’s kind of like my process before I got to bed, kind of helps with the dreaming aspect of it,” he told the media via The Hochman, Crowder Solana Show. It all sounds like a solid process. Especially before bed, reading is a great activity to help one sleep. It also reduces blue light exposure, which helps the body naturally wind down. Reading basically engages the brain in a relaxing way that helps quiet the mind. However, in an immediate follow-up question asking what he was reading, Tua got exposed. “I don’t know what I’m reading … funny,” Tua said. If you’re going to lie to the media about reading, we recommend that you at least know a random book title to back yourself up. Clearly, Tua was trying to impress everyone by looking more intelligent as a reader. But it was promptly thrown right back in his face. Still, hey, at least he didn’t lie once confronted about it! That’s what former player Chris Long lauded Tua for the most in reaction to the clip. “I actually have a lot of respect for Tua not trying to lie in that situation. Sometimes you have to take a sack, and to me, that was very mature of him,” Long said on the Green Light Podcast. At the same time, though, Long suggested that Tua always have a fallback book to get out of those situations. “I wouldn’t have gotten myself into that situation. You’ve got to have a book in your back pocket,” he professed. It’s a great strategy that many fake readers employ. Long recommended saying a simple book like Lord of the Flies. That said, Long’s co-host, Nate Collins, suggested that maybe Tua is making a major transition in life, and the book that he’s reading would give that away. So, perhaps he wasn’t comfortable sharing the book title. The funniest part about Long’s advice for Tua, though, was that when he was asked what his fallback book was, it took him a while to remember as well. “Uh, there’s a book right now that I’ve been reading, it’s been in my car for f**king 6 weeks.” It’s the classic answer that we all give when we act like we’re reading something. Before he knew it, Long backed himself into the exact situation Tua was in. But he was able to wiggle out of his jam by remembering the name of his book, “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari. All in all, this is a good lesson to all you fake readers out there. Remember to always have the title of a book in your back pocket if you don’t want to look as foolish as Tua. But also don’t continue to lie if you get caught red-handed, not knowing what the book is about. It’s always more respectable to be upfront, like the quarterback was.
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