Latest news with #KenRosenthal
New York Times
16 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
The knuckleball's return? Plus: Sorry for the jinx, Aaron Judge
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. How much does a 'small market' team go for these days? We're about to find out. Plus: New hope for knuckleballers in the Tigers system, a reminder on something catchers can't do, and Ken (… sigh …) Ken jinxed Aaron Judge, you guys. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to the Windup! Yesterday was a big day for buying sports teams. First, the Rays announced that ownership was in 'exclusive negotiations' with a group headed by Jacksonville-based real estate developer Patrick Zalupski, likely signaling the end of a somewhat tumultuous last year for current owner Stu Sternberg. Last summer, things were looking up, with the team and the city of St. Petersburg in agreement on a $1.3 billion stadium deal. But that was before Hurricane Milton tore the roof off Tropicana Field, forcing the team to temporarily move to George Steinbrenner Field — the Yankees' spring training facility — for 2025. Advertisement It also set back the funding process; the city was, understandably, preoccupied with more urgent matters. But the Rays contended that the delays would increase the cost (since the timeline would be shorter) and the city should pay for the overage. No go. Ultimately, the Rays scuttled the agreement, city officials called for Sternberg to sell, and other owners and commissioner Rob Manfred also pressured him to sell. By then, it was not exactly a surprise. The reported value of the team is $1.7 billion. Meanwhile … if you think Dodgers owner Mark Walter has spent a ton on free agency recently, get a load of this: He just went out and got LeBron James and Luka Dončić, too. Well, sorta. He has agreed in principle to purchase the Los Angeles Lakers for somewhere between $10 billion and $12 billion. Either would be a global record for a sports franchise. And lastly: BIG NEWS! John Fisher is selling the team!! … The soccer team. Not the A's. Nuts. Two Saturdays ago, while covering Red Sox-Yankees for Fox, I learned something interesting about Aaron Judge's offensive approach. Nothing earth-shattering, nothing that would earn me my long-awaited Pulitzer, but a decent angle I felt was worth pursuing. I couldn't talk to Judge that day, but I did some other interviews for the story during the week. We had Red Sox-Yankees again last Saturday, so I knew I would get another crack at Judge. I was on a mission. And I spoke with him before the game, completing my reporting. What could go wrong? At the time, Judge was the hottest hitter on the planet, batting .390 with 26 home runs. Any angle on him was a good angle, right? I wrote the story Sunday and planned to publish it Monday, excited to get it out there. Faithful readers will notice the story still has not appeared. Advertisement After the Yankees were swept by the Red Sox last weekend, we decided to hold off, thinking the timing was not appropriate. If we had published, our readers would have lit me up in the comments, saying, 'Not now, idiot!' and other such niceties. Mind you, I'm quite accustomed to readers lighting me up in the comments. But publishing the Judge story after the Yankees were swept would have been the journalistic equivalent of robbing a grocery store with two dozen cops standing outside. We figured we'd delay the story a day or two, then publish as soon as Judge got hot again. Well, we've waited. And waited. And waited some more. And now, I'm starting to wonder whether this sucker will ever see the light of day. Since I interviewed Judge, the day after he hit a dramatic, game-tying shot off Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, he is 1-for-19 with 11 strikeouts. His batting average has dropped from .390 to .366. And the Yankees have lost six straight games, getting swept by the Red Sox and dropping the first three games of four against the Los Angeles Angels. Their lead in the AL East is down to 1 1/2 games. I know what you're thinking: I jinxed Judge. Fair analysis. I also jinxed the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers, whom I predicted would meet in the World Series. Both will be lucky to make the playoffs. Jinxing, I guess, is what I do. But enough about my victims. What about me? I've got 1,700 glorious words waiting to be filed. What you eventually will read, if Judge ever snaps out of it, will be a different version. Revisions will be necessary. Words like 'historic' and 'Superman' and 'godlike' will need to be deleted. At this point, I'm just hoping the story appears before the All-Star break. Or before the decade is over. All you Yankee fans in a tizzy over the team's slump, I feel your pain. Maybe it's just me — after all, I once suggested a 621-foot 'crevasse' for a stadium — but I adore the weird and esoteric parts of this great sport. So of course I love the knuckleball. The pitch is — pardon a reference I'm not proud of — too weird to live, too rare to die. Except, in recent years, it has seemed rather dead. Adrian Morejon throws one once in a while. Matt Waldron threw it regularly last year, but he's back in the minors. The last knuckleballer to stick around? R.A. Dickey, who last pitched in 2017. Advertisement I know the game has changed, but c'mon — Dickey won 20 games and a Cy Young award in 2012. Charlie Hough, Tim Wakefield, Phil Niekro and Hoyt Wilhelm pitched an average of 22.5 seasons throwing it. Surely baseball hasn't completely tossed it aside, right? Take heart. Cody Stavenhagen has a great story today about Kenny Serwa, a 27-year-old who was recently called up to Double A in the Tigers organization. Serwa throws two versions of the pitch: one is slower. The other? It's the hardest knuckleball in Statcast history, at 88.5 mph. Throw in a sinker, cutter, curveball and mid-90s fastball, and … I'm intrigued. Stavenhagen does a brilliant job not only of telling Serwa's story, but also explaining why the pitch has fallen out of favor in big-league front offices. It's for the same reason it can be such an effective weapon: It's unpredictable. Citing physics professors, former big-leaguers and the folks at Tread Athletics, Stavenhagen fills us in on the kid who was playing indie ball and delivering pizzas in Chicago last year. Here's hoping he makes it. The baseball world is a little weirder when there's a successful knuckleballer hanging around. I see this same play crop up once in a while online, and the comments are always similar: 'I didn't know you couldn't do that!' 'First time I've ever seen that' or 'What a stupid rule.' I have no opinion on the stupidity of the rule, but it is a rule! Here, watch this GIF and see if you can tell what Luis Torrens does wrong: The Braves take a 2-0 lead when Luis Torrens uses his mask to scoop the baseball and the runners on 2nd and 3rd are both awarded a base [image or embed] — Baseball GIFs (@ June 18, 2025 at 4:42 PM That's right: Torrens attempted to corral the ball with his mask. You can't do that. He knew it, too — if you watch again, you can see him attempt to drop the mask quickly, hoping the umpire missed the infraction. Home plate umpire Edwin Jimenez was on it, though. And unfortunately for the Mets, there were runners on second and third when it happened. Each was awarded one base, increasing the Braves' lead to 2-0. Advertisement It was but the latest Mets catching scenario to give fans a bit of agita. Francisco Alvarez made some miscues the night before, and his power has been nonexistent this year. The Mets say they're not yet inclined to send him to the minor leagues to sort it out, though — as Tim Britton reports — that's … yet. And of course, it's all magnified by the fact that last night's 5-0 loss gives the Mets a five-game losing streak. NL East lead down to one game. Thought we were done with the All-Quarter Century Team? Not quite! Jayson Stark and Tyler Kepner — along with help from fan voting — have now assembled a full 40-man roster. The Dodgers are expected to announce plans to assist the immigrant community in Los Angeles. This comes on the heels of some controversy earlier this week, when singer Nezza said a team official told her not to sing the national anthem in Spanish. After comments over the weekend about how the Nats' losing streak — now 11 games — is 'never on the coaches' … is manager Davey Martinez on the hot seat? Pete Crow-Armstrong's great season with the bat might be overshadowing it, but his defense has been special this year in Chicago. Tragedy in Florida: Orioles minor leaguer Luis Guevara was killed in a jet ski accident. Keith Law has his list of the biggest draft misses from 2015, and Melissa Lockard has notes from this year's MLB Draft Combine. After a stunning three-run, two-out ninth-inning rally to walk off Arkansas, LSU is advancing to the College World Series final. They'll face Coastal Carolina. On the pods: The 'Rates & Barrels' crew talks about Cal Raleigh's MVP case and the importance of good communication. Programming note: No newsletter tomorrow — we're taking today off from writing in observance of Juneteenth. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ken Rosenthal Shreds Red Sox for Rafael Devers Trade
Ken Rosenthal Shreds Red Sox for Rafael Devers Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Boston Red Sox shocked the world when they traded away disgruntled superstar Rafael Devers. The timing was alarming, with the team just wrapping up a three-game sweep against the New York Yankees. The finger-pointing is even more polarizing. Whether the team or Devers is to blame is all anyone can talk about. Advertisement MLB Hall of Famer and fan-favorite David Ortiz blamed Devers' ego, in a roundabout way, for the failed relationship. Meanwhile, team legend Manny Ramirez defended Devers, contradicting Ortiz in the process. On Tuesday, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal shared his opinion on the Devers trade, admitting the three-time All-Star could have acted more appropriately. Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael DeversPeter Aiken-Imagn Images 'Yes, Devers made mistakes here, and yes, he perhaps should have acted in a different way,' Rosenthal said on the latest episode of Foul Territory. However, Rosenthal quickly shifted the blame on the Red Sox for sparking issues with Devers, which he believes led to the slugger's demoralized mindset. Advertisement 'This all started when they failed to include him in communication when they were going after [Alex] Bregman. That's how it all started. And they turned a player, who they've known since he was 16 and has always had a reputation as kind of a sweet guy, into somewhat of a sourpuss. That is on them.' Rosenthal then scoffed at the idea that Devers was a bad influence on Boston's young prospects and is holding the organization accountable for the trade. 'This whole situation that they determined they had to rectify because, of course, he was going to pollute the minds of their young players. That's on them too. They initiated with their actions and lack of communication. To me, this is as much, if not more, on the Red Sox than it is on Rafael Devers." Advertisement Devers has yet to speak about his departure from Boston. But with the latter scheduled to visit the San Francisco Giants this Friday, he will have an opportunity for some on-the-field revenge sooner rather than later. Related: What Red Sox Legend Manny Ramirez Said About Rafael Devers Trade This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB Insider Blasts Red Sox for Rafael Devers Trade
MLB Insider Blasts Red Sox for Rafael Devers Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It finally happened. Rafael Devers was a thorn in the side of Boston Red Sox management for the entire year. It started with the move to DH in the wake of signing Alex Bregman. Devers protested, insisting on playing third base. Then, after Devers was thrown into the DH spot, Triston Casas was lost for the year. Devers was asked to play first base. Again, he protested. The end result: Devers was traded to the Giants for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, Jose Bello and James Tibbs III. Advertisement What does this mean for the Red Sox? MLB insider Ken Rosenthal didn't exactly paint a rosy portrait of this trade. In a recent piece from The Athletic, he had this to write: 'The only question that matters, in the wake of the Boston Red Sox showing Rafael Devers who's the boss, is this: Are the Sox a better team? 'For 2025, it's difficult to imagine the answer is yes. Beyond that, the Sox might come out ahead, but only if chief baseball officer Craig Breslow puts the team's savings on Devers — some $235 million over the next eight-plus seasons — to good use. Based on Breslow's performance thus far, including his dubious return for Devers from the San Francisco Giants, believe it when you see it.' Jun 1, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers (11) shown in the dugout before the game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images The headliner, Hicks, is a hybrid starter/reliever who boasts a heater that can top 100 mph, but comes with an ERA of 6.47 this season. The Red Sox needed pitching; however, it remains to be seen if this will actually help. Kyle Harrison, who is also a starter/reliever hybrid, owns a 4.56 ERA this year. The other two trade chips are lower-level prospects and probably won't be of any help this season. Advertisement Rosenthal notes that unloading Devers' contract could bring new possibilities if they effectively use his money, but the outlook for this year didn't get better as a result. For Rosenthal, this trade came way too early. 'This had to happen now? It could not wait until the offseason? By holding off, the Sox might have given themselves a better chance to continue their 2025 revival. They then could have shopped Devers to the entire industry this winter while also using him as a hedge against the possible departure of third baseman Alex Bregman, who is an opt-out waiting to happen.' Rosenthal also lists several recent Breslow deals that turned sour rather quickly, like that of James Paxton and the Chris Sale-Vaughn Grissom trade. In his mind, this is just another one of those. 'The Sox clubhouse will be fine without Devers. He was too quiet to be considered a leader, and some players reportedly were put off by his refusal to play first. But removing Devers' bat in the middle of a pennant race because club officials considered him, what, insubordinate? Advertisement 'Let's see how that goes. Let's see if the Red Sox cut off their nose to spite their face.' Related: Red Sox Urged to Acquire Cubs' Kyle Tucker Amid Rafael Devers Trade This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Your guide to the Rafael Devers trade. Plus: Shohei Ohtani back on the mound tonight
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. We have our first absolute stunner of the year: Rafael Devers to the Giants for Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks and two minor leaguers. Plus: Shohei Ohtani returns to the mound … tonight?! I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! So this is how the saga ends: The Boston Red Sox traded the 28-year-old Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Jordan Hicks, LHP Kyle Harrison and two minor leaguers — 22-year-old OF/1B James Tibbs III and 20-year-old RHP Jose Bello. Wow. First up: let's take a look at the players: Know what's funny? The Giants could currently use a first baseman, and third baseman Matt Chapman is currently on the IL. No idea if Devers will pack his glove, or if he'll bump Wilmer Flores from DH to first base. Meanwhile, in Boston, this clears a lane for Masataka Yoshida to return from a shoulder injury that has kept him on the shelf all season. He's been capable of swinging a bat for a while now, but can't yet throw. From my latest column: The only question that matters, in the wake of the Red Sox showing Devers who's the boss, is this: Are the Sox a better team? For 2025, it's difficult to imagine the answer is yes. Beyond that, the Sox might come out ahead, but only if president of baseball operations Craig Breslow puts the team's savings on Devers — some $255 million over the next eight-plus seasons — to good use. Advertisement Based on Breslow's performance thus far, including his dubious return for Devers from the Giants, believe it when you see it. There is no drama like Red Sox drama, and their latest messy divorce with a star player is one that figures to generate debate for some time. Only the Red Sox could upstage themselves after sweeping the Yankees for their third straight series win over a division rival and fifth straight victory overall. This had to happen now? It could not wait until the offseason? By holding off, the Sox might have given themselves a better chance to continue their 2025 revival. They then could have shopped Devers to the entire industry this winter while also using him as a hedge against the possible departure of third baseman Alex Bregman, who is an opt-out waiting to happen. But nope, the Sox were giddy to find an immediate taker for Devers, and perhaps for good reason. The Giants assumed the remainder of Devers' 10-year, $313.5 million contract in only its second year, yet still parted with four players. Sure, Devers' contract is likely to age poorly. But he is still only 28. And good luck to the Red Sox replacing one of the top 10 to 15 hitters in the game, no matter how many precious prospects they push to the majors. More Betts angle: 'It's just crazy' — Betts reacts to former teammate's trade. February 2024: Devers calls out the Red Sox front office for not investing more money in the roster. Feb. 15, 2025: Red Sox do invest more money in the roster, signing third baseman Alex Bregman. This is presumably not what Devers meant. Feb. 17: Devers says he's not moving off third base. March 13: After conversations with manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, Devers says he is, in fact, moving off third base. May 8: After an injury to first baseman Triston Casas, the team talks to Devers about playing first base. He speaks out again, saying, 'They can't expect me to play every single position,' and adding: 'They put me in this situation, and they told me that they didn't want to allow me to play any other position. Now, I think they should do their jobs, essentially, and hit the market and look for another player. I'm not sure why they want me to be in-between the way they have been.' May 9: Red Sox owner John Henry flies to Kansas City to meet up with the team and have a conversation with Devers. May 12: After getting out to a rough start to the season, Devers' bat heats up, earning him AL Player of the Week honors. Ken says the Red Sox should just leave Devers alone and let him be a successful DH. Advertisement May 23: Bregman injures his quad, creating a (temporary) opening at third base. Cora says the team is going to … just leave Devers alone and let him be a successful DH. June 15: Devers homers as the Red Sox sweep the Yankees. After the game, he is traded to the Giants. I'll let Jen McCaffrey take the story from here. Speaking of the Giants … Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper … What do they have in common? They were all heavily pursued by the Giants the last time they hit free agency. Another commonality: None of them actually signed with the Giants. It's not that San Francisco hasn't signed any free agents. Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman and Willy Adames exist. But Devers is a different echelon. On last night's ESPN broadcast, Clayton Kershaw called him a 'top-10' hitter in the league 'at worst.' Since his debut in 2017, Devers has hit 215 home runs. Nobody has hit more than 111 (Mike Yastrzemski) in a Giants uniform over that time. Hits? Devers has 1,136, almost 500 more than the Giants' leader (Brandon Crawford, 645). Pick a category: Runs, doubles, RBIs … nobody's close. Of course, one factor is that Devers has played 1,053 games since his debut, and nobody has played more than 762 games (Crawford) for the Giants since then. But that's actually a supporting argument for this trade. Devers is signed through 2033. He could be the team's first real long-term superstar since … well, the guy who made this trade. Even after losing two of three in L.A. over the weekend, the Giants are just two games behind the Dodgers. If there's a time to go for it, it's now. More trade analysis: Keith Law tells us how the pieces fit, including Hicks and Harrison on the Boston pitching staff, while our trio of writers dish out trade grades with more analysis. On Saturday, Ohtani said he could be back on a big-league mound before the All-Star break. Well, now he'll be the opener tonight against the Padres. More on this tomorrow. After seven scoreless innings Saturday, Clayton Kershaw is just 12 strikeouts away from 3,000. For Father's Day, our Cardinals writer Katie Woo wrote a lovely tribute to her dad. Kiké Hernández spoke out on the protests in Los Angeles over the weekend. Meanwhile, singer Nezza sang the national anthem in Spanish at the Dodgers game. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB insider reveals Los Angeles Angels rejected NL West team's blockbuster Shohei Ohtani trade offer
The landscape of Major League Baseball could look vastly different today if the Los Angeles Angels had traded Shohei Ohtani to a National League West team three years ago — and it wasn't the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Athletic's MLB insider Ken Rosenthal revealed on the 'Foul Territory' podcast that the Angels and San Diego Padres were discussing an Ohtani trade in 2022, which would have brought one of the best young hitters in the game to the Halos. Advertisement 'They had every opportunity to trade Ohtani and they didn't do that. Jackson Merrill was, at one point, part of the talks between the Padres and Angels when they were discussing Ohtani,' said Rosenthal. With talks failing to progress, the Padres pivoted to Juan Soto and made a blockbuster trade with the Washington Nationals for the superstar. In the deal, the Padres gave up: Outfielder James Wood Shortstop C.J. Abrams Left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore Outfielder Robert Hassell III Right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana First baseman/designated hitter Luke Voit Wood is emerging as a franchise cornerstone, Abrams has developed into an All-Star, Gore has turned into Washington's ace, while Susana and Hassell are the organization's No. 2 and 11 prospects, respectively. While Soto had two-and-a-half years of control at the time of the trade compared to Ohtani's one-and-a-half, it's fair to say the Angels could have received a similar package for the two-way superstar, including Merrill. Advertisement 'The packages likely would have been similar — this was Shohei Ohtani. Merrill was part of it,' noted Rosenthal. 'Whether he would've been part of the final deal, hard to say, we don't know. The mere fact that they could've made that kind of deal for Ohtani, well it just shows that they missed on an opportunity.' After six seasons with the Angels and failing to make the playoffs despite winning AL MVP twice, Ohtani signed a then record-breaking 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season. He proceeded to become the first player ever to hit at least 50 home runs and steal 50 bases, win his first NL MVP, and capture a World Series title. If the Angels had traded Ohtani in 2022, they might not be mired in the AL West basement once again and could instead be looking toward a bright future with Merrill, and possibly Wood, Abrams and Gore.
