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A former Philadelphia Phillies backstop and two-time All-Star selection is set to hang up his cleats this weekend.
Wilson Ramos, who has not appeared in an MLB game since late in the 2021 season, will sign a contract with the Washington Nationals to retire with the franchise he spent most of his career with, according to MASN's Dan Kolko.
The 37-year-old catcher hit .271 with 136 home runs, 534 RBIs, and a 15.3 WAR (according to Baseball Reference) in 990 games across his entire MLB career. In addition to stints with the Nationals and Phillies, Ramos spent time with the Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Guardians.
Ramos spent the back half of the 2018 campaign with the Phillies after being acquired in a trade with the Rays. He was a productive hitter in his brief time with the team, slashing .337/.396/.438 with eight doubles, one home run, and 17 RBIs across 33 appearances behind the plate.
Ramos originally signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent in 2004, and it would be six years before he broke into the big leagues. He played just seven games for the team before being dealt to Washington, where he stayed for the next six years.
Ramos had his best individual campaign in 2016, the year he was named to the National League's All-Star Team and won a Silver Slugger. That season, he hit .307 with 22 home runs, 25 doubles, and 80 RBIs. He finished the year, his final one with the Nationals, with an .850 OPS and a 3.1 WAR.
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What Current Pitching Prospects Indicate for Braves Future
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
Cleveland Browns may be without a Pro Bowler against the Packers, and Green Bay suffers legit scare on Thursday
The Cleveland Browns have their attention on the Green Bay Packers with their first NFC opponent coming to town in Week 3. Cleveland opened the season with two AFC North losses against the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens and will now look to get right against perhaps the league’s best team. Green Bay has had the best defense this season through two games the league has and they bring a good quarterback with Jordan Love. Cleveland looks like they’ll get RT Jack Conklin back this week against the Packers, while DT Mike Hall did not participate on Thursday as part of his plan returning from the knee injury. It could be another week before the former second-round pick is out there. Joel Bitonio has not practiced yet this week with a back injury and tomorrow will tell whether or not he will be able to play against the Packers. Returner DeAndre Carter returned to practice for the Browns on Thursday from concussion protocol. The Packers suffer scare with one of their offensive stars Tucker Kraft is one of the league's more underrated tight ends and he suffered a knee tweak at practice on Thursday that was a scare, but he is expected to be fine. The star tight end had 124 yards and a touchdown against the Washington Commanders last week and will be a major weapon that the Packers and Love will look to target. Cleveland’s defense is allowing 146 passing yards per game through two games, which is third in the NFL. The Browns' offense will have to give the defense a chance to stay in this one at home. If Cleveland doesn’t have Bitonio against the Packers, they’ll be turning to backup offensive lineman Tevin Jenkins. Cleveland’s defensive front has been maybe the best in the NFL through the first two games, so they’ll only benefit when they put Hall’s interior rushing ability into the mix. It just may be too early for that to happen in Week 3 against Green Bay. window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-424').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-424').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*');
Maple Leafs have strong reason to believe they can sign Connor McDavid
Connor McDavid has still not extended his contract with the Edmonton Oilers as he enters his eighth and final year of his current agreement. McDavid, 28, will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in 2026 if he does not reach an agreement with the Oilers, and according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Toronto Maple Leafs are wondering "what’s happening" with the Canadian center. “Just like 15 other teams around the NHL, until Connor makes his decision, there are teams that are gonna want to know, ‘Do we have to keep our powder dry for the summer of 2026?’ The Leafs are among them,” said LeBrun. In fact, there is a strong reason to believe that Toronto could sign McDavid, and it is that the Oilers player has recently made statements that could be an important clue about what the future holds for him. The center's words, curiously, are very similar to what Mitch Marner used to say at the time, before moving to the Leafs from the Vegas Golden Knights. Is McDavid's speech a farewell from Edmonton? In September 2024, Marner seemed committed to Toronto, without giving many details about his true intention. “It’s another year of wanting to be the best you can be and help this team win hockey games,” he said then, via the NHL official website. "That’s where my mind is, it’s not thinking of a contract year, and you have to be doing this and that. It’s just another hockey year where you want to be the best you can be to help this team win hockey games and get to the ultimate goal," added Marner. For his part, McDavid's speech goes practically along the same lines. "I’ll take my time and go through everything. I have every intention of winning in Edmonton. It’s my only focus," he said at the end of August of this year, via Sportsnet. "I want the group to be as focused and dialed in and ready to roll from Day 1 as much as possible, and we don’t need any distractions," added McDavid. Unfortunately for the 28-year-old Canadian, his contractual situation has already become a big distraction. History tells us that it is more than likely that in 2026, the center will be defending another jersey.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow has a worrying complication for surgery
The timeline for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's return from a toe injury is murky, and the star has a complication that could delay his surgery, pushing back the time he can play again this season. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Burrow is set to have surgery on his toe on Friday, but that could be pushed back based on how much swelling the quarterback is experiencing. Joe Burrow's swelling is another complication for the Cincinnati Bengals A three-month recovery would put Burrow's return date around Week 16, when the Bengals are set to play the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 21. If the swelling doesn't go away soon, he could miss more time this season. Every game is precious for a Cincinnati team that entered the season believing it could contend for the playoffs. However, the Bengals will be fortunate to be in the chase for a wild-card spot without Burrow for the majority of the season. The Bengals started the season 2-0 with wins over the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars, but backup quarterback Jake Browning will have his hands full in the coming weeks, starting with the Minnesota Vikings and elite defensive coordinator Brian Flores on Sunday. Browning went 21-of-32 for 241 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in the Bengals' 31-27 win over the Jaguars. The turnovers are an issue, and Cincinnati needs to consider pulling off a trade for a quarterback like Jameis Winston of the New York Giants or Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons if it hopes to make the postseason.
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