For much of the season the Boston Red Sox appeared to be heading toward another middling season that likely would have led to the club selling off impending free agents at the upcoming July 30 trade deadline.
However, after an impressive run to get out of the .500 hole they previously had been stuck in, the Red Sox have vaulted into the buying conversation.
If Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow plans on making a splash, he'd likely do so by bolstering the rotation with Garrett Whitlock out for the season.
It's been reported that the first time leader of baseball operations would prefer to balance out the staff with a southpaw, making Los Angeles Angels ace Tyler Anderson a perfect trade target. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand would agree, linking the Red Sox to the left-hander as well as the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals as "potential fits" with the rumor mill heating up.
"Anderson has rebounded from a down year with the Angels in 2023, posting a 2.48 ERA in his first 15 starts of '24," Feinsand wrote Saturday. "He’s signed for $13 million this season and next, but given the need for rotation help around the league, the Angels figure to have suitors if they opt to move the southpaw. Anderson has been excellent of late, pitching to a 2.00 ERA in 45 innings over his past seven starts."
On top of the veteran's aforementioned 2.48 ERA (169 ERA+), he's also recorded a 63-to-41 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .206 batting average against and a 1.18 WHIP in 94 1/3 innings.
It's worth mentioning that his 89.1 mph fastball, reliance on balls put in play and high walk rate should be strongly considered but you cannot question his incredible results to open the campaign.
Would Breslow make the move to acquire Anderson? His preference of a lefty is notable and while the extra year of team control will drive up his price tag -- it also would mean that he would grab a potential frontline starter for 2025 with Nick Pivetta on an expiring contract.
Given the 34-year-old's age and lack of velocity, he won't cost Boston any of the big three prospects -- which should be the only truly off limits players in the farm system. If the price is right, Anderson could be the perfect addition to join pitching coach Andrew Bailey's staff.
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The 2025 season may be over for two members of the Red Sox pitching staff on the 60-day injured list. In speaking with the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey and other reporters Sunday, Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora both indicated that left-hander Patrick Sandoval and right-hander Liam Hendriks aren’t likely to pitch this year. Sandoval underwent an internal brace procedure on his left UCL last July, so the southpaw was guaranteed to need at least a full year of recovery time. Because brace procedures generally require 12-13 months of rehab rather than the 13-15 month timelines associated with full Tommy John procedures, there was some thought that Sandoval could potentially make it back before the end of the 2025 campaign. However, Cora indicated last week that Sandoval’s throwing progression had been scaled back from bullpen sessions to just games of catch. The setback has now seemingly elongated Sandoval’s timeline to the point that he almost surely won’t be fully ramped up (after bullpens, simulated games, minor league rehab games, etc.) to be ready before the end of September. The Angels chose to non-tender Sandoval last winter, and the Red Sox signed him to a two-year, $18.25M free agent deal. Just $5.5M of that salary was owed for 2025, as the idea was that Sandoval would be missing at least the first four months of the season anyway. While this outcome isn’t unexpected, it is surely a disappointment to Sandoval that his UCL injury has continued to leave him on the sidelines. Hendriks can sympathize, as the closer’s battle with cancer and then a Tommy John surgery limited him to five MLB innings in 2023 and then cost him the entirety of the 2024 season. Similar to Sandoval, Hendriks’ hopes of a late-season return were dashed by some continued arm soreness, and then his return in 2025 was delayed by elbow inflammation during spring training. Upon finally returning to the mound and making his official Red Sox debut, Hendriks posted a 6.59 ERA over 14 games and 13 2/3 innings before hip inflammation sent him back to the IL in late May. Hendriks signed a two-year, $10M deal with the Red Sox in February 2024 that, like Sandoval’s contract, was backloaded. He earned $2M while rehabbing in 2024 and then is earning $6M this year, plus there is a $2M buyout of a $12M mutual option for the 2026 season. The Sox are a lock to decline their end of the option given Hendriks’ continued injury owes, and the former three-time All-Star will probably have to settle for a minor league deal in free agency this coming offseason.
In a move that seems faster than a speeding bullet, the new 2025 Superman movie will be available to watch at home just over a month after it hit theaters on July 11. According to multiple outlets, including World of Reel, the new Superman reboot movie will be available for video-on-demand (VOD) purchase starting very soon. In fact, the movie will almost certainly still be in theaters when you can watch it at home. Superman Streaming/VOD release date DC Studios' Superman, directed by James Gunn and starring David Corenswet, will be available for purchase digitally starting on August 15, 2025. This means that just over 30 days after its first theatrical release, the new Superman is coming home. To be clear, this is not the same as streaming on HBO Max, but it does mean you'll be able to pony up a certain amount of money (close to the price of two movie tickets) to watch the movie at home. Purchase of VOD movies generally happens on iTunes, Amazon, and other platforms. DC vs. Marvel VOD releases If this home video release seems quick, it is. For comparison, the last two Marvel superhero movies had nearly two months, not one, between theatrical release and VOD release. Thunderbolts* hit theaters on May 2, and was on VOD on July 1. Meanwhile, Captain America: Brave New World was in theaters on February 14, and on VOD on April 15. Both of those films were deemed, in the eyes of box office pundits, to be failures, while Superman is generally considered to be a success.
Night one of SummerSlam 2026 ended with a bang. Seth Rollins came back from what now appears to have been a fake injury, cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase against CM Punk. The WWE fanbase had long postulated the idea of Rollins returning at SummerSlam. His return felt like low-hanging fruit. Yet, despite the expectations, both Punk and Rollins played the situation perfectly. Now, as we head into night two of SummerSlam, there is a new World Heavyweight Champion in town. When speaking at the SummerSlam post-show, Paul "Triple H" Levesque admitted, albeit in kayfabe, that he wasn't pleased with Rollins falsifying injury reports to get the upper hand on Punk. "Seth Rollins is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers," Levesque said. "And he comes out, goes through none of it and takes the World Heavyweight Championship. My hats off to Seth Rollins. That’s a smart way to do business. Not thrilled about bogus medical reports, but we’ll deal with that down the line." Not everyone will be happy with Rollins becoming the new champion. They will feel like Punk was robbed. Or that WWE creative took the easiest route possible. And in truth, they're probably right. However, sometimes the best way to progress a story is to go with the most obvious segue. The fact is, everyone came away from the SummerSlam main event with some form of emotion. The story being told worked; it made people feel. And now, the storyline moves on to how Punk and Rollins — two heated rivals — will move forward. A future title match is all but guaranteed, yet it's the story, week after week, month after month, that will captivate people. WWE used SummerSlam as a jumping-off point, and now, we could see the very best of CM Punk, likely culminating in a main-event title match at WrestleMania 42. So, yes, Rollins' win was a deflating moment for many, but what comes from that moment will keep wrestling fans talking for the next six to 12 months, and that was likely the whole point.
It's feeling like 2012 all over again. SummerSlam 2025 ended with shock and nostalgia when Brock Lesnar returned unannounced and dropped John Cena with a thunderous F5, just as Cena was addressing the crowd during his retirement tour. The moment felt poetic, mirroring the night after WrestleMania 28 in 2012, when Lesnar returned to WWE for the first time in eight years and F5’d Cena, launching a brutal and unforgettable rivalry. This attack wasn’t just for show. With Cena’s farewell tour expected to end in December, the timing of Lesnar’s return feels intentional. WWE is known for delivering emotional, high-stakes finales for its legends and this could be the setup for one last epic clash between two of the most iconic figures in company history. Their rivalry has always delivered, from their battles in 2012–14 to the infamous “Suplex City” beatdown at SummerSlam 2014. Now, with both men nearing the end of their in-ring careers, fans may be getting a final chapter in this storied feud. Whether it culminates at the Royal Rumble or on the grandest stage of them all at WrestleMania 41, the anticipation is real. Lesnar has been off WWE TV for nearly a year, making this return even more impactful. For Cena, who has been embracing his final run with open arms, a showdown with Lesnar is a fitting, full-circle moment. It’s the kind of storytelling WWE thrives on — legacy vs. legacy, pride vs. redemption.
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