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MLB insider shares if Yankees' Juan Soto could sign extension during season
Add well-known MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today to the list of noteworthy individuals who believe star New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto won't sign a contract extension this summer and will instead reach free agency after the World Series.
"While Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said he’s interested in engaging in contract talks with right fielder Juan Soto and agent Scott Boras to avert free agency, with Soto saying he’s willing to listen, the cold truth is there is absolutely zero chance Soto will sign before he’s a free agent," Nightengale wrote for an article updated on Sunday afternoon.
Eyebrows were raised when it was learned last week that Steinbrenner said during a podcast episode that he wants Soto "here for the rest of his career." Soto later insisted that his "door has always been open" regarding potential in-season contract negotiations, but multiple reporters have since suggested there's little chance that Boras would let the 25-year-old sign an extension that would eliminate the possibility of a bidding war involving at least the Yankees and New York Mets.
Big-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen is expected to heavily pursue Soto this coming fall.
"He turned down a 15-year, $440M contract offer from the Washington Nationals two years ago," Nightengale added about Soto. "So, what’s another six months? Soto can keep on hitting, sit back, and watch the bidding war emerge between the Yankees and Mets. Let’s see who blinks first and gives him $500 million."
Soto joined the Yankees from the San Diego Padres via a December trade and has emerged as a legitimate Most Valuable Player candidate while featuring for what began Monday as a 33-15 club.
As of late Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Soto as the overall betting favorite at +225 odds to claim the American League MVP Award. That same outlet had the Yankees third among the betting favorites at +600 odds to win the World Series.
Across his first 48 games with the Yankees, Soto batted .311 with a .963 OPS to go along with 11 home runs and 37 RBI. He recorded his first multi-homer game as a Yankee in this past Saturday's 6-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.
More must-reads:
- Carlos Rodon showing he finally feels at home with Yankees
- Watch: Aaron Judge blasts 13th home run in Yankees' seventh straight win
- The '2023 MLB home run leaders' quiz
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Pete Alonso gets awesome gift from Mets after breaking HR record
Pete Alonso is officially the New York Mets' all-time home run king, and the team has pulled out all the stops while crowning its slugger. Alonso hit the 253rd and 254th home runs of his Mets career in the team's 13-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. He surpassed previous franchise record-holder Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 home runs with the Mets from 1983-1990. Prior to Thursday night's game against the Braves, the Mets presented Alonso with a custom painting that was made from 253 baseballs. The portrait shows Alonso in the home-run trot from his 253rd homer. That was not the only gift the Mets had for Alonso, either. They also gave him a new Ford F-150 truck. Alonso entered free agency last offseason but did not generate as much interest as he had hoped. He wound up returning to the Mets on a two-year, $54M deal. The second year is a player option, and Alonso is widely expected to opt out. One Mets player suggested that Alonso's new home run record could inspire the 30-year-old to re-sign with the team, but New York would have to pay up to make that happen. Alonso entered Thursday batting .272 with 28 home runs and an MLB-leading 98 RBI. His relationship with the Mets seems strong at the moment, and the gifts may have helped solidify it even further. That does not mean Alonso is going to offer any type of hometown discount.
NFL Draft intel: Big Ten QB's elite arm turning heads among scouts
Each week, Yardbarker monitors the 2026 NFL Draft, scheduled for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. From an Indiana quarterback to a Louisville wide receiver, here are five players we're tracking: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates listed Mendoza (6-foot-5, 225 pounds) as their No. 5 QB on "First Draft" on Wednesday. Yates gushed over his arm. "This kid is legit," Yates said. "He makes a lot of cool throws. He makes a lot of very confident throws that I'm not sure other quarterbacks would even see." That's one reason the California Golden Bears transfer produced in 2024 without stellar weapons. The program had no offensive players selected in the 2025 draft, but he completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns in 11 games. Imagine what he could do at Indiana, which made the College Football Playoff last season. Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti has said Mendoza's arm is stronger than former starting QB Kurtis Rourke's (now with the San Francisco 49ers). He tied for the FBS's 10th-most passing TDs (29 in 12 games) last season. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier On Aug. 8, LSU HC Brian Kelly confirmed Nussmeier has chronic patellar tendinitis in his left knee. The coach downplayed the injury. While not season-ending, Yates believes it will concern teams. "Get ready for a long medical conversation surrounding Garrett Nussmeier from late February into March prior to the predraft process," he said on "First Draft." The injury hasn't affected Nussmeier's odds of being the top pick in the draft. As of Thursday, FanDuel Sportsbook lists him as the favorite (+340) to go No. 1 overall in 2026. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder may dispel the medical questions if he excels again in 2025. Last season, he ranked fifth in the FBS in passing yards (4,052 in 13 games). Clemson QB Cade Klubnik In his latest mock draft, The Ringer's Todd McShay has the Cleveland Browns taking Klubnik (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) with pick No. 1. "If the Browns are picking No. 1 in 2026, it means none of their quarterbacks did enough to claim the job long term, including Shedeur Sanders, despite his impressive preseason debut," wrote McShay. "Enter Klubnik, who's calm in chaos and has enough mobility and arm strength to succeed at the next level." Jacksonville Jaguars fifth-year QB Trevor Lawrence is the only Clemson player to be taken No. 1 overall in the draft. Klubnik could lead the No. 4 Tigers to a national championship, like Lawrence did during the 2018 season. The senior finished with the nation's third-most passing TDs (36 in 14 games) in 2024. With star wide receivers Antonio Williams and Bryant Wesco Jr. returning, Klubnik could have another big year. The wideouts combined for 16 TD catches last season. Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq Sadiq (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) should assume a bigger role after the Los Angeles Rams took former Ducks TE Terrance Ferguson (pick No. 46) in the 2025 draft. CBS Sports' Mike Renner ranked Sadiq as his No. 1 TE and believes he could go higher in the draft than Ferguson. "Even if he's on the smallish side by NFL standards, it did not show up much as a run-blocker," wrote Renner in a story published Wednesday. "Sadiq's play strength was unique for a true sophomore and should only improve as his career progresses. A potential top-20 talent with development." Sadiq — who had just two touchdown catches in 14 games last season — isn't considered a first-rounder yet. Tankathon's latest mock draft has the Carolina Panthers selecting him with pick No. 70 in the third round. His stock could skyrocket if he produces better numbers. Louisville WR Chris Bell Bell (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) may check the boxes for NFL teams when evaluating WRs before the draft. The Athletic's Dane Brugler rates him as his No. 2 WR. "With his strong, muscular frame, Bell passes the eye test walking off the bus," wrote Brugler in a story published Thursday. "He uses his physicality to be a possession target who can make tough grabs over defenders. And with his 4.4 speed, Bell can separate vertically or create explosive plays after the catch." Per Brugler, Bell must expand his route tree to improve his draft stock. He must also prove that he can succeed without QB Tyler Shough (now with the New Orleans Saints). Bell could still be productive after recording a career-high 737 receiving yards in 13 games last season. He has been named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list. The award recognizes college football's top WR.
Big Brawl Ignited By Unexpected Steelers Player As Things Got Heated With Buccaneers
The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a joint practice at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday ahead of the two team's second preseason game on Saturday. The game this weekend won't feature a ton of starters from either side, so the scrimmage was the best opportunity to see what the matchup looked like with both team's starters on the field. Unfortunately, local media was not allowed to report much from the practice session, but it did come out that Pittsburgh struggled on defense, and a little brawl broke out between the two sides at one point. Practices ahead of the season always get heated, and while the Steelers were in Latrobe, the team had its fair share of inter-squad brawls. However, things especially get chippy during joint practices. This has been seen around the NFL going on every week, and most of them have some fireworks. That was the case on Thursday for Pittsburgh, as punter Cam Johnston picked a fight with Tampa Bay during a special teams period. A lot of the special teamers for Pittsburgh got in on the action during practice, as Johnston, Christian Kuntz, and Corliss Waitman all got involved in the brawl. It has been said that Johnston was not happy with how close a defender was to hitting his plant leg on a punt, which is not something you want to see, let alone during a practice period. It is definitely understandable why Johnston would have the reaction that he did during practice on Thursday. It is the same exact scenario that ended his 2024 season during the first game of the year. A blocker was rushed back into him while he was punting, and he suffered major damage to his knee that he has spent the last year rehabbing. He does not want an instance like that happening again, especially not during practice. Johnston finds himself in the middle of a position battle with Waitman, who happens to be the player that was able to pull him out of the fight during practice. Both punters will likely have starting jobs somewhere during the 2025 season, with Johnston being the favorite to stay in Pittsburgh. Waitman filled in nicely in 2024, and he has made a name for himself within punting circles in the league. The organization might look to trade one of the punters, which would probably end up being Waitman due to his lower salary. Steelers Seemed To Struggle In Joint Practice With Buccaneers As mentioned, reporting during practice was not allowed on Thursday, but it seems like Pittsburgh struggled when going up against Tampa Bay, especially in the two-minute drill. The defense had issues dealing with the talented wide receiver room of the Buccaneers, and the offense struggled to get anything going outside of a dominant seven shots period. Things are going to need to improve mightily before the regular season begins at the start of September, because after just one joint practice, this team seems like it might be more of the same of what has been seen in years past. Pittsburgh went all-in on winning during the 2025 offseason as it made significant upgrades on both sides of the football. Those upgrades don't seem to be paying off quite yet, but there is still a ton of time for that to change as the organization prepares for its second preseason game of 2025.
Steelers Offense Learned Harsh Truth About Themselves During Joint Practice With Buccaneers
The Pittsburgh Steelers recently finished up a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium prior to their Preseason Week 2 matchup against each other. It's always nice to go against someone other than your own defense for a change, and the idea is that there is a lot for both teams to benefit from in seeing someone else on the other side of the line of scrimmage. It also helps that the two teams won't play each other in the 2025 regular season, so they can practice everything that they want to without necessarily giving plans away. Sometimes, the good thing about joint practices is understanding where your team still might be limited. After practice concluded and interviews were finished, the conclusion seemed to be that the Steelers still have a long way to go before being ready for the regular season, as reported by ESPN's Brooke Pryor. Outside of a dominant seven shots drill, it seemed like the Steelers had a rough practice. While filming most of practice was banned, there were some photos of wide receiver Mike Evans beating new defensive back Jalen Ramsey clean to the corner of the end zone for an easy score. Of course, there is still a little bit of time for the Steelers to clean up everything and put on a good show for Week 1. Resting most of their starters for Preseason Week 2 may not the greatest idea for that, however. After this game, there will be one more week of preseason before a week with no games. After that, it's put up or shut up time for this revamped team. Obviously, when you have a brand new starting quarterback and top wide receiver, it can take some time for the whole offense to click as a collective unit, although that's not an excuse for the pass that DK Metcalf reportedly dropped during the two-minute drill. Now is not the time for the team to take things easy. With a short week of practice between Preseason Week 2 and 3, the cleanup phase could come during the upcoming week without NFL football. Steelers Hopefully React To Wake-Up Call Like Young Receiver Did During training camp, wide receiver Roman Wilson was a bit underwhelming to start, and his spot on the roster was suddenly questionable. That was exactly what he needed to realize that he had to work nonstop if he wanted to reach his potential. Since then, he has performed well and has made a case for a spot in the starting lineup, let alone the 53-man roster. That's exactly how the whole team needs to respond. Even Aaron Rodgers, the starting quarterback, needs to work like his job is on the line if he wants to gain chemistry with his new receivers, even though there is likely zero chance that he gets cut, or even benched. If they try to coast through the season, the infamous non-losing season streak may finally come to an end, and massive changes will have to be made.
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