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Jed Hoyer will have to do everything in his power to make sure that the Chicago Cubs are in a position to compete for a World Series at the trade deadline.
The Cubs have a great chance to compete for a World Series this season, but only if they make the correct moves. Obviously, that's much easier said than done, but this is Hoyer's job, and he needs to do it the right way.
Reports have been polarizing around baseball, with some suggesting that Hoyer won't do what's needed, but others suggesting otherwise.
According to Bruce Levine, the top Cubs insider in the game, things sound promising. Levine added that he’s spoken to people around the league, and there are trades to be made for Hoyer.
“I’ve been talking to a lot of people over the last four or five days about possible trades, and everybody says it’s there for Hoyer,” Levine said, per Chi City Sports. “There’s that money that they didn’t spend on (Cody) Bellinger or the Red Sox third baseman, right? Alex Bregman. That was another $30 million times four.”
More importantly, Levine added that there's money to spend. There have been questions on whether the Cubs would be willing to spend with the best of them, but that's what it sounds like will happen.
“So, there’s money there for Hoyer to spend,” Levine said. “It’s up to him to decide how he wants to do that, and is it going to be an ace starting pitcher?… Do they need a little fortification with offense? It’s right there. Maybe, they can do a little of both as they start, hopefully, pushing away from the rest of the division.”
As long as the Cubs are willing to take on big contracts if a star is available, that's all that matters at the deadline. They can't be cheap, regardless of which direction they take.
More must-reads:
- Yankees have finally found their third baseman in Ryan McMahon
- All signs point to Yankees moving on from Anthony Volpe
- The 'Multiple 100-RBI MLB seasons' quiz
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Yankees have finally found their third baseman in Ryan McMahon
After years of speculation and nothing materializing, the New York Yankees have at last acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman. Pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz are headed to the Mile High City in return. They were the number eight and 21st-ranked prospects in the Yankees' farm system, per MLB.com. Given the Yankees' struggles at the third-base position over the last few years, bringing in a guy who was an All-Star in 2024 and will be much more reliable is a win. Former MLB player and current analyst Cameron Maybin certainly believes that, as he was pushing the McMahon-to-New York narrative over the last week and feels it could be a great fit for both sides. "The third baseman they need plays in Colorado...I'm telling you! Defensively more than adequate and Taylor made for the ballpark offensively," Maybin wrote on social media. Maybin went on to mention how McMahon will feel reinvigorated joining a World Series contender like the Yankees after the last six-and-a-half years of being at the bottom in Colorado. The 30-year-old is not having his best season, slugging 16 home runs and 35 RBI with a .217 average through 100 games with the Rockies, per MLB.com stats. However, he's consistently been a 20-plus home run hitter who drives in runs at a strong rate and has a large sample size of doing so. Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez (.252 average, 36 HRs, 86 RBI) has seemed to be No. 1 target for most teams, and for good reason, but given the Yankees' current situation and weaknesses, McMahon made more sense. Not only does he play a better third base, which New York desperately needs, but he has another two years of control after 2025, whereas Suarez would have been a rental. The acquisition cost was nothing crazy, and adding a lefty bat with some power to potentially take advantage of the short porch at Yankee Stadium is always a bonus. Some may not be satisfied until they see McMahon positively impacting the New York Yankees, but rest assured, this is a very solid pickup.
Nick Saban responds to speculation about coaching return amid NFL rumors
Shortly after former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback and current college football analyst Greg McElroy shared that someone "in the know" believes there's a possibility Nick Saban — who retired in January 2024 — might return to coaching, NFL insider Albert Breer suggested that the Dallas Cowboys could be a potential destination for the seven-time national champion. According to Mike Rodak of 247Sports, Saban was asked during a Friday appearance on Fox News if he intends to come out of retirement. "No, I'm really happy with what I'm doing right now," Saban responded. "It's exciting to still be involved in the game. It's exciting for me to work with athletic directors, conference commissioners, people in Congress to preserve the integrity of our game and continue to be able to create opportunities to help young people create value for their future that will help them be successful in their life, which is what we always try to do as a coach." Saban, now working as an ESPN analyst, will be 74 in October. Per Christian Datoc of the Washington Examiner, President Donald Trump could consider having Saban "lead a new commission examining problems arising with the growth of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and coinciding changes to the NCAA transfer process." Meanwhile, it's thought that Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones could look to hire a big-name candidate if first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer fails to impress during the 2025 campaign. Additionally, Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd recently hinted that Saban could be interested in becoming the head coach of the Cleveland Browns if the team selects Texas quarterback Arch Manning as the first pick in the 2026 draft. "There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching," Saban added during Friday's segment. "I enjoy what I'm doing. I did it for 50 years. I loved it. I loved the relationships with the players. I loved the competition. But it's another station of life now. I enjoy what I'm doing right now and want to continue to do it — spend more time with my family, my grandchildren, my children. It's been really, really good." The "right now" portion of Saban's comments attracted the attention of Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, who was quick to point out he did not say "no for good" regarding a return to coaching. In short, it seems that rumors about Saban's future could hover over the college and pro football communities through at least the rest of the year.
Raiders HC Pete Carroll expands on decision to release DT Christian Wilkins
For the first time since the Las Vegas Raiders' shocking release of DT Christian Wilkins on Thursday, head coach Pete Carroll fielded questions about the move. "To make our decision, we watched our way through the whole thing," Carroll told the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vinny Bonsignore. "We're keeping really clear with what we said. I think there was no clear path to his return, and we just had to move on." Wilkins was injured in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos last season, suffering a foot injury that would put him on the IR after five games. It was not what the Raiders had hoped for after then-general manager Tom Telesco signed him to a four-year, $110 million deal in March 2024. Initially, Wilkins did have surgery, but wasn't healthy by the time organized team activities started, and his rehab proved to be a "challenging process" as described by Carroll a few months ago. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Las Vegas reportedly wanted Wilkins to undergo another foot surgery, but he declined, which led to the release of the six-year pro from Clemson. The Raiders are attempting to void $35.2 million in remaining guarantees that Wilkins was owed on his contract. The NFLPA filed a grievance against Las Vegas as a result. Wilkins was brought in to help star pass rusher Maxx Crosby create problems for opposing offenses. The Raiders got a brief look when Wilkins recorded 17 tackles, two tackles for loss, six quarterback hits and two sacks before he got injured in the second quarter. The injury was unfortunate for Las Vegas, which had counted on Wilkins to produce similar results, as he had in his last three seasons with the Dolphins, recording 17 sacks, including nine in 2023. Perhaps Raiders GM John Spytek saw this coming when the silver and black selected Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues in the 2025 NFL Draft. While there is still time to find the next player to fill the void left by Wilkins, there is a massive hole in the interior line.
CeeDee Lamb just dropped the hammer on his teammate regarding his Oklahoma Sooners and their biggest rival
There's no secret that the Oklahoma Sooners have the best QB alumni of players currently in the league, with guys like Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield, Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, and Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray. But, they also have some very good other players around the league who are considered the best at what they do, or near the top of their position. CeeDee Lamb, the Dallas Cowboys receiver, is one of the best players in the entire NFL.' He played at Oklahoma, and let's just say he's certainly not afraid to let everyone know where his college allegiance is, and he's definitely not afraid to let everyone know how much he hates their biggest rival. On Twitter, one of his teammates, former Texas Longhorns defender DeMarvion Overshown, posted a picture of Lamb holding up a hand sign that would be mistaken for a Longhorn hand sign. He definitely wasn't doing it in reference to the team that wears burnt orange. CeeDee Lamb sets the record straight to DeMarvion Overshown you do realize, i’m showing the back of my hand right? Me and Texas will never go together, sorry. CeeDee Lamb, during his time at OU from 2017 to 2019, established himself as one of the top wide receivers in college football. In fact, many thought he was the best, especially after seeing what he did to the teams he played, where he quite literally made plays that you only see on video games. Playing for the Sooners, he recorded 173 receptions, 3,292 yards, and 32 touchdowns over three seasons, showcasing his elite route-running and playmaking ability. As a junior in 2019, he earned First-Team All-American honors and was a Biletnikoff Award finalist, highlighting his dominance before being selected 17th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2020 NFL Draft. Against Texas, he won two of the three games he played, once as a freshman in 2017, when the No. 12-ranked Sooners beat Texas 29-24, and the other in his last season in 2019, when the No. 6 Sooners beat No. 11 Texas 34-27. And, you may all remember the infamous play against Texas, where he weaved between and somehow avoided what felt like the entire Longhorns secondary for a touchdown. So, no, the two will never go together.
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