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The Philadelphia Phillies need a centerfielder.
With the options they have in right and left field, it'd make sense if the Phillies go after a center fielder at the trade deadline.
However, with this team in its current position and needing to win a World Series within the next year or two before the core continues to age, there's reason to believe that Dave Dombrowski could pursue the best player available.
If that's the case, Jeff Passan of ESPN recently suggested that Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna could be available.
Yes, the Phillies and Braves trading together might not be too likely, but the Phillies have the farm system to get the job done if Atlanta is willing to send him to Philadelphia.
“There's a chance Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta's aggressive president of baseball operations, sees this season not as an anomaly but as a continuation of last year and entertains moving one of the Braves' core players. Absent that, in Ozuna, an impending free agent, the Braves have perhaps the best bat that could be available,” he wrote.
The Phillies and Ozuna would have to get creative in the outfield, which is a bit of a worry given that he isn't a great defender.
However, it's tough to ignore what he can do offensively.
He currently leads the National League in walks and has 10 home runs, 25 RBI, and a 153 OPS+.
After hitting 39 home runs in 2024 and 40 in 2020, the 34-year-old is set to get a huge payday this winter. If the Braves don't plan on being the team that gives him that money, they might be willing to move him for a big haul.
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Yankees Have Trade Pieces for Tarik Skubal Deal
The New York Yankees will be without their ace Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon to start the season. Ryan Yarbrough coming back could lessen the blow in the short term, but if the Detroit Tigers end up trading Tarik Skubal, not only will one of the best pitchers in baseball sure up the pitching depth to start 2026, but the combination of Cole, Skubal, and Max Fried in the postseason would be a three-headed monster. The Trade Chips According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Yankees have the firepower to get a deal done. "The Yankees have the upper-level pitching depth Detroit lacks," Passan writes. Ultimately, it will be up to the Tigers to trade him. Passan also says that Detroit will follow the market and see what's out there. "In the end, the Tigers' decision will be informed by the markets that surround it. If teams can upgrade with a player who is 75% of Skubal at 50% the price, they will. Until that is no longer an option, teams simply won't bend over backward to overpay, regardless of how appetizing a rotation helmed by the ace of aces would be. Anyway, they've got plenty of other options." The other teams Passan sees as having a shot at Skubal are the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, and potentially the Chicago Cubs. The Mariners have the prospects for Skubal, but he sees them as having little desire to trade for him. The Athletic's Jim Bowden also linked the Yankees to Skubal. "Expect the big-market teams with strong farm systems and the financial wherewithal to sign Skubal long-term to make their interest known, teams like the Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Giants, and, yes, the Dodgers," Bowden says. The Boras Dilemma The Tigers may find themselves in the same position the San Diego Padres did when they traded Juan Soto to the Yankees after the 2023 season. Skubal, also a Scott Boras client, will command a massive deal, and spending his whole career in Detroit won't get them any hometown discounts. That usually tends to be the case with Boras' guys outside of Jered Weaver with the Los Angeles Angels, and he is more of an outlier than anything else. It's hard to guess what other teams value, but if this is about the top arms in the Yankee farm system, Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz would likely have to be included. Bryce Cunningham and Ben Hess might be a part of the deal, too. If the Yankees think they have a shot at signing Skubal long-term, then clearing out the farm system does make sense. They probably thought they would with Juan Soto, but the Yankees may have better luck here. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! National Scout Gets Real About Top Yankees Prospect for 2026 Cubs Star Might Not Fit Yankees Yankees' Aaron Judge Wins AL MVP Award Jeff Passan Reveals Best Offseason Move for Yankees Yankees Predicted to Land Padres All-Star
Steelers work out two QBs amid Aaron Rodgers injury
With Aaron Rodgers dealing with a left wrist injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers worked out veteran quarterbacks Jason Bean and Tanner Mordecai on Tuesday, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. The Steelers currently have three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster and zero on their practice squad. Backup Mason Rudolph, and third-stringer Will Howard will both move up a spot on the depth chart for at least a week, leaving the Steelers without a third option should either of them get injured. Bean, 26, signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Kansas in 2024. He did not make the 53-man roster, but stuck around on the practice squad for the entire season. He was waived during final roster cuts this year and did not draw practice squad interest from the Colts or any other team. Mordecai is also a 26-year-old who entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2024. Mordecai finished his college career at Wisconsin and signed with the 49ers last spring. He spent the season on San Francisco’s practice squad and was repeatedly cut and re-signed during training camp as the team balanced their other roster needs. He was waived due to injury a final time during roster cuts. The Steelers did not sign Bean or Mordecai, though that could be coming in the next few days as they continue to assess Rodgers’ wrist. They could also work out other available quarterbacks later this week.
Scotland media react to Scott McTominay display vs Denmark
Scott McTominay’s reinvention since leaving Manchester United has been one of the major stories of the last 18 months in European football. The midfielder has managed, in a single season, to transform himself into the driving force of the Napoli side that went on to win Serie A and restore their status among Italy’s elite. Having swapped Old Trafford for the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in 2024, he quickly became a focal point in Antonio Conte’s system and finished his debut campaign as the league’s Most Valuable Player after steering Napoli to the title. McTominay made 36 appearances for Napoli in 2024/25, scoring 13 goals and registering four assists, comfortably the best return of his senior career, sealing a Ballon d’Or nomination. However, this season has been more challenging for the Scotland international. Opposition sides have clearly adjusted to his late runs and aerial presence, while Napoli themselves have not found the same rhythm. McTominay has still chipped in with goals, but with only a handful of strikes so far and more time spent shuttling between roles than dominating games. Unfortunately it seems the form that lit up Italy has been harder to rediscover, a trend that had also been visible with Scotland after Euro 2024. That backdrop is what made Tuesday night at Hampden so significant. With Scotland needing to beat Denmark to leapfrog them and reach the 2026 World Cup, Steve Clarke’s side arrived into a tense, almost wary atmosphere. However, Scott McTominay took matters into his own hands, opening the scoring inside three minutes. Attacking a cross from Ben Gannon-Doak, the former United midfielder adjusted his body and sent an acrobatic overhead effort skidding into the bottom corner. The finish instantly shifted the mood inside Hampden and reminded everyone why Napoli built their title-winning midfield around him. He raced towards the main stand, arms outstretched, as team-mates piled in behind him and the stadium erupted. The Herald’s reaction to the goal described it as a goal: “which will live long in the memory of everyone who was fortunate enough to witness it”. However, from there, Scotland were forced to suffer. A lengthy VAR check eventually handed Denmark a penalty, converted by Rasmus Hojlund, before the visitors went down to ten men and the game descended into chaos. Lawrence Shankland, Patrick Dorgu, Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean traded goals in a breathless finale that finally ended 4-2 to Clarke’s side. For Scotland, the result ends 28 years of waiting and confirms their place at a World Cup finals for the first time since 1998, with Clarke writing himself into national folklore. For Scott McTominay, it is another landmark in a career that, unfortunately for Manchester United fans, has accelerated since leaving Old Trafford.
Quinnen Williams calls out teammates after Cowboys debut
The Dallas Cowboys just got a glimpse of life with their new star. DT Quinnen Williams had a debut for the ages, and while the Las Vegas Raiders don't have the best offensive line by any means, it was still an encouraging sign. Per PFF, the former New York Jet finished the game with seven pressures, 1.5 sacks and a 21.4 percent pass rush win rate. However, as good as he was, he knew it was going to take much more than just him to turn the Cowboys' season around. Quinnen Williams wants everybody to do their jobs Following the win, Williams put his teammates on notice by stating that it would take a collective effort to take care of business. "I don't think one guy could change anything," Williams said, per the Cowboys' website. "I think the team itself, the guys around you, all eleven on the field, the coaching staff, in general, makes the difference. One man don't [change] nothing. This is not golf. It's not tennis. Everybody on his team has to do the job. Everybody in this organization has to do a job to the best of their ability to win games." The Cowboys added Williams to the mix to fix their perennial woes against the run. They held the Raiders to just 27 rushing yards, and while that might not be sustainable, it was certainly an encouraging sign. Brian Schottenheimer's team is now 4-5-1 for the season and can still make a late-season push for the playoffs, so long as everybody else also steps up like their new star.
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