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Deebo Samuel recently asked the 49ers for permission to seek a trade, but it's possible what he really wants is a release.
Samuel has one more year on his contract -- he most likely wants an extension. Any team that trades for him would have to know that. And he can refuse to sign an extension with any team he doesn't want to play for, which means he would be a one-year rental. I'm guessing no team wants to trade a draft pick for one year of a disgruntled Deebo.
That's why Matt Barrows of The Athletic expects the 49ers to release Samuel, not trade him.
"There could be a team out there that wants to get ahead of a second team to get him, but Deebo Samuel's agent is going to tell that team 'No, he doesn't want to play there,' in which case it's over," Barrows said on his podcast. "So, I think that releasing him and allowing him to kind of choose his next home is probably the way this is going to go."
Samuel recently showed up to the Super Bowl wearing a Kelly green A.J. Brown Eagles jersey, so maybe he wants to join the Super Bowl champs. He also showed up looking noticeably overweight. According to the SF Standard's Tim Kawakami, Samuel was as much as 20 pounds overweight at times during the season.
Who would trade for a 29-year-old wide receiver who needs to lose at least 20 pounds?
I'm guessing Samuel will get released and then sign a one-year prove-it deal with a contender before entering free agency again in 2026.
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The Green Bay Packers decided to cut cornerback Jaire Alexander last month, a rather frustrating move considering the Packers didn’t really have much of an answer to replace him. One of the primary reasons Green Bay released Alexander was because of his inability to stay healthy, as the two-time Pro Bowler played in just 14 games over the last two seasons and 34 over the last four. He refused to take a pay cut, and the Packers did not feel justified paying that much money for a guy who was rarely on the field. Well, Green Bay was kind of validated in its decision to move on from Alexander in training camp, as the 28-year-old is already sidelined in Baltimore Ravens camp due to swelling in his knee, via Jason B. Hirschhorn of The Leap. Alexander is going to have his knee drained and is expected to practice on Tuesday, but the fact that he is already experiencing injury issues in Baltimore is evidence that the Packers made the right move. Of course, it would have been nice if Green Bay cut Alexander back in March rather than in June, as it would have given the team a better opportunity to add another cornerback, either via free agency or the NFL Draft. Yes, the Packers signed Nate Hobbs, but the general consensus at the time was that he was being added to play alongside of Alexander; not to replace him. Green Bay has very limited proven depth at the position, and had the Packers known for sure they would be parting ways with Alexander earlier in the offseason, perhaps they would have been more inclined to bring in another corner. When healthy, Alexander is terrific. During his last healthy campaign in 2022, he racked up 56 tackles, five interceptions and 14 passes defended en route to a Pro Bowl appearance, but that’s just the thing: it’s rare that the former first-round pick isn’t dealing with some sort of injury.
Ryan McMahon Only Needed 2 Games With the Yankees to Embarrass Aaron Boone
Only eight plate appearances into his New York Yankees career, Ryan McMahon has already been more productive than the team’s previous third base options. What might sound hyperbolic or outright false at first glance is actually true, at least from a certain point of view. Analytics — specifically, Wins Above Replacement — proves that argument, and it’s one that Yankees manager Aaron Boone should be ashamed of. McMahon went 2-for-3 with a two-run double in Sunday’s victory over the Phillies, giving him four hits in his first eight at-bats. FanGraphs ruled that McMahon is already worth 0.2 fWAR through two games in a Yankees uniform. Amazingly, McMahon has a higher fWAR than the trio of DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza, and Jorbit Vivas, who have played a combined 148 games in the infield thus far. LeMahieu provided -0.1 fWAR over 45 games before being unceremoniously cut earlier this month, while Vivas (-0.2) is currently at Triple-A. Peraza and his -0.6 fWAR remain on the active roster, though he’s shifted into a bench role. Baseball-Reference has been slightly more generous, giving Peraza -0.2 bWAR. Boone stuck with LeMahieu and Peraza until he couldn’t anymore, and it’s partly why the Yankees have dropped to 5 1/2 games back in the AL East. Injuries and age took their toll on LeMahieu, who only played second after returning from calf and hip problems. Peraza owns a .152 average and .452 OPS in 170 plate appearances. We’ll see if McMahon can elevate the Yankees, who open a pivotal four-game set with the rival Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
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.
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Blue Jays' John Schneider Provides George Springer Update After Orioles Game
The Toronto Blue Jays (63-44) have the best record in the AL for many reasons, but veteran outfielder George Springer is one of the main ones. The 35-year-old is slashing .291/.383/.506 with 18 homers and 57 RBI over 101 games this season. He leads the team in homers after hitting 19 in 145 contests last year. Springer also came into Monday's matchup with the Baltimore Orioles ranked 11th in baseball with an .893 OPS and a six-game hitting streak. However, the 6-foot-1-inch, 220-pounder not only lost that streak on Monday, but he was involved in an unfortunate incident. Springer left the contest after getting hit in the head by a pitch in the ninth inning. Blue Jays manager John Schneider provided an update about the four-time All-Star postgame, via MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. “It kind of got him in his shoulder, then helmet, which…thankfully, he was able to turn a little bit, too," he said. "I just had a chance to talk with him. He’s with the doc right now getting evaluated.” Toronto lost the contest 11-4 and is now on a two-game losing streak after winning its previous four. The Blue Jays and Orioles will play a doubleheader on Tuesday, with the first game rescheduled from April 11. Right-handed pitcher Charlie Morton (6-8, 5.48 ERA) will start the afternoon affair for Baltimore, but Toronto has not yet listed a starter. However, southpaw pitcher Eric Lauer (6-2, 2.61 ERA) will start for the Blue Jays in the evening game, while the Orioles' starter is undecided for that one.
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