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The Tampa Bay Rays can normally be viewed as one of the preeminent pitching factories in MLB. They have shown an uncanny ability to take the most unlikely of pitchers, prospects or otherwise, and turn them into viable options at the Major League level.
While that has been the case for the better part of the last two decades, 2025 has been, well, different. While the team as a whole has struggled to reach .500, the pitching staff has been simply ... mediocre?
Now they are missing a major piece in Shane McClanahan, but to be fair, he has not pitched in the regular season since 2023. Without him, no other pitcher on the roster has been able to stake their claim as a consistent force to be reckoned with on the mound.
Shane McClanahan -
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) March 22, 2025
19 months out from his 2nd Tommy John surgery. Never like seeing this kind of dead arm reaction in throwers, especially coming off TJ.#TampaBay #RaysUp
pic.twitter.com/rvdepkRC5X
A recent article from Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report took a look at all 30 pitching staffs in MLB, and ranking them from best to worst. For the Rays, they placed 17th on the back of their mediocrity.
"The Rays are just kind of perfectly mediocre," Miller wrote. "As of Monday morning, not a single pitcher on their staff had a WAR (neither on FanGraphs nor Baseball Reference) above 0.7 or below negative-0.3. Pete Fairbanks has been stout at closer, though. Shane McClanahan logged seven scoreless innings in spring training, but hasn't pitched in the regular season in nearly two years. Getting him back would be huge."
Entering Friday, the staff ranks 12th in MLB with an ERA of 3.84. Most of that has come from the bullpen, however, as the rotation holds an ERA of 4.10, 18th in MLB, while the relief corps holds a 3.42 mark, eighth overall.
The last complete game by a Rays pitcher was Ryan Yarbrough in June 2021, in New York
— Tampa Bay Tay (@TayVictoria8) May 15, 2025
McClanahan holds a career ERA of 3.02 across 404.2 innings over three seasons. Getting him back on the mound would work wonders for a pitching staff that, to this point in 2025, has just been... meh.
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Cubs in danger of making enormous trade-deadline mistake
Boasting a 62-44 record in the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs are still searching for a way to pull ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers took sole possession of first place in the division from the Cubs in an 8-4 win on Monday. Chicago will get its chance before the three-game set is over, but if the Cubs should fall to the Brewers, the trade deadline will be viewed as essential for their World Series chances. Several rumors of Chicago’s interest in starters, relievers and third basemen have swirled nonstop. And while they have shown interest in several quality names — Mitch Keller, Eugenio Suárez, MacKenzie Gore — some of their other trade targets are less than ideal. Among their worst sources of interest (if not, the worst) is struggling Braves reliever Raisel Iglesias, who is in his walk year. Hiding behind his shining 2.99 career ERA is a rather shocking, career-high 4.97 ERA, to which he has pitched this season. He is still a strikeout pitcher, having accumulated 46 Ks in 41.2 innings, but his run prevention capabilities have seemingly deteriorated. It was only last season when Iglesias posted a stellar 1.95 ERA. Since then, his home run total doubled, from surrendering just four last year to eight so far this year. His opponent batting average has also jumped, from .160 to .250. Iglesias is no stranger to success. He threw to ERAs south of 3.00 in eight of his 11 MLB years. However, this season, he just doesn’t appear to have it. Any team that trades for Iglesias in the last year of his contract would be betting that he can return to elite form before the season is over. Taking a risk on a pitcher like Iglesias in his current condition, especially when there are several other more reliable arms on the market, would be ill-advised. And for the Cubs, who are in a win-now position, having secured one guaranteed year of Kyle Tucker, taking a gamble on Iglesias could easily risk everything they worked for this season.
NBA Fans Send Love To Steph Curry After Heartbreaking News
On Monday, Steph Curry's grandmother (Candy Adams) passed away. His mother (Sonya) made the announcement (via Instagram). She wrote: "Heaven gained an angel, and we lost our heart. Today we say goodbye to our beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. A woman who taught us to love fiercely, laugh often, and keep family at the center of everything. Her love lives on in every hug we give, every story we tell, and every lesson she left us with. As Luther said, “A house is not a home when there’s no one there to hold you tight.” You were our home and now your love lives in all of us. Rest easy now, we’ll carry you with us, always. ❤️ I love you Mommy" @49ers_Throwback: " for Curry family." @warriorstalk: "Sending out our condolences and prayers " @WarriorsMuse: "May she rest in peace Prayers go out to Steph, Sonya, and the rest of the Adams/Curry family " @Simpli_Wundaful: "My Condolences to the entire family" @CarolNetti49500: "Your Grandmother is Beautiful RIP sweet lady." @Kit10star: "O steph. Sorry to hear ur grandma left this world. Heavens gain I am sure. Much l8ve" @Corebreezy_: "May her soul rest in peace, sending my prayers to the curry family️" @KDawnSeven: "Prayers up and sincerest condolences to Steph and his family " Curry (who is 37) is coming off another All-Star season for the Golden State Warriors. Next year will be his 17th in the NBA.
WNBA Icon Rebecca Lobo Makes Demand Involving Indiana Fever Star
All eyes were on College Park Center for Monday night’s primetime matchup between the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty. The stars came out to support the Wings in their home matchup against the defending champs. This included Paige Bueckers’ rumored girlfriend, Azzi Fudd, who had a special message for the Dallas rookie during the game. Rebecca Lobo's Intriguing WNBA Proposal WNBA legend Rebecca Lobo was also watching the matchup intently. What caught the attention of the Hall of Fame center was the incredible performance of Wings star Arike Ogunbowale. Ogunbowale made history on Monday after a first-half performance that was literally for the books. The four-time All-Star joined Caitlin Clark as the only two players in the last 20 years to record at least 10 points and 10 assists in a single half. Ogunbowale had 15 and 10 at the break, leading Dallas to a 63-36 lead over the Liberty. Ogunbowale’s eye-catching performance drew an immediate reaction from Lobo during the game. According to the 51-year-old, she would like to see Ogunbowale go toe-to-toe against Indiana Fever star Kelsey Mitchell. “Give us a 1-on-1 game between Arike Ogunbowale and Kelsey Mitchell during next year’s All Star Weekend,” Lobo posted on X. Ogunbowale finished the game with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting, a rebound, 14 assists, one steal and two triples in 32 minutes of action. The Liberty mounted an impressive comeback attempt, but the Wings held on for a 92-82 victory. Kelsey Mitchell Has Been Tearing It Up for the Fever Much like Ogunbowale did on Monday night, Mitchell also led the charge for the Fever in their last game. The three-time All-Star went off in Sunday’s 93-78 victory against their biggest rivals, the Chicago Sky, at United Center. Mitchell dropped 35 points on the Sky on 12-of-19 from the field, along with two rebounds, six assists, three steals and seven triples. With Caitlin Clark missing time due to a lingering groin injury, Mitchell has stepped it up for the Fever, firmly establishing herself as one of the top guards in the WNBA today. Lobo clearly sees Mitchell as one of the best one-on-one players in the league, and she’s now demanding a showdown against Ogunbowale. To be clear, there is currently no one-on-one competition in the WNBA All-Star weekend. This could be something the league considers for next year’s festivities, though, and a Mitchell-Ogunbowale clash would not be a bad idea at all.
LA Lakers have inside track to sign 2x All-Star in new buyout deal, it would complete their roster
The Los Angeles Lakers could make yet another addition to their roster this offseason. After a poor postseason run, the Los Angeles Lakers have been active this summer in hopes of bolstering their roster. In fact, general manager Rob Pelinka has already made some key additions to the roster, including Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, and Marcus Smart. Signing an elite center was arguably the most important task for Pelinka this offseason, and he fulfilled it with the arrival of Ayton. However, one could argue that the Lakers still need a quality backup center. Luka Doncic could recruit Nikola Vucevic to the Los Angeles Lakers While the Lakers re-signed Jaxson Hayes, a player of Chicago Bulls star Nikola Vucevic’s caliber would undoubtedly be a major upgrade. Moreover, with Vucevic being on the Lakers’ radar for years, it means that the organization rates him highly. Previously, the Bulls didn’t indulge in a trade with the Purple and Gold around Vucevic. It has led to Vucevic’s trade value diminishing so much that he is expected to complete a contract buyout with the Bulls. The Laker Nation would love to sign the 34-year-old, and Luka Doncic can help in this quest. How? Well, Doncic and Vucevic share the same agent in Bill Duffy. This means that if Vucevic completes a buyout, the Lakers could have the upper hand in negotiations. The 2x NBA All-Star has given the last five and a half seasons of his career to the Bulls, but it’s obvious that their time together is about to end sooner rather than later. Adding fuel to the fire were former Orlando Magic star Evan Fournier’s comments. Fournier ridiculed the Bulls while taking a shot at Vucevic after the latter called out his move overseas. Luka Doncic has already proven he can recruit stars Ahead of his first full season with the Lakers, Doncic is doing everything in his power to bring back the glory days for the Lakers. He has already undergone a massive transformation to silence his critics. Additionally, Doncic has been actively involved in recruiting players for the Lakers. Smart admitted Doncic was a huge reason behind his decision to sign with the Lakers. Ayton also acknowledged Luka’s role in his decision to join the Purple and Gold. Let’s not forget Ayton also has the same agent as the Slovenian superstar. So, Doncic has already given the inside track for one star; there’s no reason to doubt he would do the same in Vucevic’s case.
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