EU Clears Liberty Media's Dorna Sports Merger
The European Commission unconditionally approved Formula One owner Liberty Media's FWONA 0.25%increase; green up pointing triangle bid for Dorna Sports more than six months after deciding to launch an in-depth probe of their merger plans.
The commission said on Monday it decided the deal doesn't raise competition concerns, adding that Formula 1 and Dorna's MotoGP do not compete closely in their respective markets for the licensing of sports broadcasting rights. It also said that both groups would still face competitive pressure after they merge and broadcasters would still be able to license different types of sports with large audiences.
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New York Times
28 minutes ago
- New York Times
Should we buy breakout catcher seasons from Hunter Goodman, Carson Kelly?
Catchers are having an offensive surge this season, with numerous breakouts around the league. Looking at catcher OPS over the past few seasons compared to league average, the gap has been narrowing every year. And, so far this season, catchers are actually outperforming the MLB average OPS by 9 points: *Catcher OPS calculated among catchers with a minimum of 100 plate appearances. Data from FanGraphs Backstops like Cal Raleigh and Will Smith are major contributors to this shift in offensive production, but the catcher position is also deeper than in seasons past. Several lesser-known breakout catchers are supporting and contributing to this trend. Let's dive into some of them and determine whether they can maintain their year-to-date performances. Advertisement 2025 stats: .842 OPS / 27% K Rate / 5% BB Rate Age: 25 Bats: Right Key question: Can Goodman's power continue to carry him, even if his whiffs and walks do not improve? Biggest strength: Goodman is showing elite power with a 116.2 max exit velocity (tied for 14th in MLB) and 52% hard hit rate (25th in MLB). His contact quality is much improved over last season, particularly against fastballs. He is slugging .468 against them so far, with a high .559 xSLG. This improvement is backed by a 94.4 mph average exit velocity and a 23-degree launch angle, a strong pairing for consistent power. Area for improvement: Goodman has an aggressive approach, but it can often be too aggressive, leading to chases and poor swing decisions. His below-average contact skills are exacerbating the poor results of his swing decisions by frequently causing him to fall behind in the count. Pitchers can capitalize on his aggressive approach — Goodman is easily tempted by high fastballs and breaking pitches down and away. His results against breaking and off-speed pitches look strong, but are not backed up by his contact quality against them. His xSLG is significantly worse than his actual SLG, which indicates Goodman has had some luck: Data from Baseball Savant Outlook: While Goodman's power is real, he needs to work on his plate discipline. Pitchers with good command are already exploiting his approach. Without making some adjustments (adjustments are unlikely), regression is likely as we head toward the second half of the season. 2025 stats: .725 OPS / 26% K Rate / 3% BB Rate Age: 26 Bats: Right Key question: Is Dingler's power enough to overcome his plate discipline issues at the MLB level? Biggest strength: While Dingler does not have a ton of raw power, he does well at translating the power he does have. His .465 xSLG is almost 100 points better than last season and is better than his actual .424 SLG. He also has a high 46% hard hit rate, both of which indicate that the power he has shown so far is not just a result of luck. He's done a great job of putting the ball in the air consistently and limiting ground balls. This is true against fastballs and off-speed pitches. Advertisement Area for improvement: Dingler's biggest area for improvement is plate discipline, especially against breaking pitches. His 3% walk rate is tied for the second-worst in baseball among players with at least 200 plate appearances this season, and pitchers are now throwing breaking pitches to Dingler 39% of the time (more often than league average), as Dingler often chases pitches well off the plate: The video shows a slider that starts and ends well off the plate. Dingler's combined run value against sliders and sweepers is a poor -5 runs, and his 49% whiff rate against sweepers is the second worst in baseball. Outlook: So far, Dingler's ability to barrel and elevate pitches has helped offset his poor swing decisions. But looking ahead, the plate discipline issues, especially against breaking pitches, limit Dingler's ceiling. 2025 stats: .795 OPS / 25% K Rate / 12% BB Rate Age: 26 Bats: Right Key question: Is Narváez's sound approach and results against fastballs enough to overcome his results against other pitch types? Biggest strength: Narváez has two strengths to highlight: plate discipline and his results against fastballs. He's shown an ability to walk consistently at the MLB level, and it's backed by his walk rates in the minors. His in-zone swing decisions are above average, and he does a good job of limiting chase. He does the most damage when he's attacking fastballs. His .420 SLG is backed by his almost identical .419 xSLG, and his 63% hard-hit rate against four-seamers ranks second among qualified catchers. He is benefitting from seeing fastballs 60% of the time, more often than average. This raises an interesting question: If fastballs are the only pitch he is doing damage on, then why are pitchers leaning on fastballs so heavily? Advertisement My guess is that it has to do with count leverage. Because of his above-average plate discipline, Narváez is finding himself in favorable counts more frequently than others. If we break down his success against fastballs by count, we can see that pitchers are leaning on their fastballs when they are in tight spots and behind in the count: Data from Baseball Savant This suggests that Narváez is not just waiting for a fastball; he is forcing a pitcher to throw them, which helps with predictability. So far, he is capitalizing. If Narváez continues to command the zone this well, it will be interesting to see whether pitchers start taking more risks in terms of throwing their breaking and off-speed stuff in unfavorable counts. Area for improvement: Narváez is not having the same success against non-fastballs. His contact quality drops significantly — his xSLG drops below .400, and his whiff rates jump to over 30%. Narváez will need to find a way to adapt, as this is a clear area for pitchers to exploit. Data from Baseball Savant Outlook: Narváez's plate discipline and contact quality against fastballs provide him a strong foundation to build upon and should help him continue to have competitive at-bats. That being said, when pitchers start mixing in more breaking and offspeed pitches in-zone to Narváez, he will need to find a way to adapt, make even more refined swing decisions and improve his contact quality against them. Until then, his offensive ceiling is limited. 2025 stats: .817 OPS / 17% K Rate / 14% BB Rate Age: 30 Bats: Right Key question: Did Kelly make any changes that support his offensive improvements? Biggest strength: Kelly has improved his contact quality against fastballs, he's making better swing decisions by swinging in-zone more without increasing his chase rate, and he is whiffing less. Advertisement Comparing his mechanics this season to last, Kelly made some adjustments to his pre-pitch and load positions. Kelly is now starting more closed and with his front heel raised during his pre-pitch setup. In terms of flat foot versus heel raise, I am unsure if there is any meaningful impact on the swing, and it may simply be a matter of the hitters' comfort level with the starting position. Looking at his load position, Kelly is showing more counter-rotation and has his elbow in a slightly lower position than in 2024. These changes are allowing Kelly to simplify his mechanics while putting him in a more hitter-ish position to release and make quality contact. Also of note is his plate discipline. Looking at the difference between Kelly's zone swing rate and chase rate, he ranks third among all catchers with at least 90 PAs (the higher the better, MLB average is 39%): Data from Fangraphs The difference between in-zone swing and chase rate is a good measure for plate discipline, as it demonstrates the ability of a hitter to swing at strikes and to lay off pitches out of the zone. Area for improvement: Kelly needs to make quality contact at the bottom half of the zone. He gets his best results when he makes contact on pitches that are middle and upper third in the zone. Looking at his batted balls with a launch angle of at least 10 degrees (minimum for a line drive), there is a noticeable gap in the lower third of the zone: If we look at the location of Kelly's swinging strikes, suddenly the lower third is filled: Kelly is unable to get the same consistent quality contact off pitches thrown to the lower third of the zone. As a result, pitchers who command well can throw in-zone until Kelly proves he can do damage against these pitches. Outlook: While Kelly started the season hot, he is beginning to regress. Since May 2, Kelly has a .547 OPS (down from 1.347 OPS in March and April). Even though his adjustments have simplified Kelly's mechanics, they have not proven to be a solution to making quality contact in the lower third. Until that issue is addressed, opposing pitchers will be able to exploit this and limit Kelly's offensive output. 2025 stats: .734 OPS / 17% K Rate / 7% BB Rate Age: 23 Bats: Right Key question: Can Ramírez sustain having a league-average offensive profile (above average for a catcher) if pitchers continue challenging him on the edges of the zone? Biggest strength: Ramírez has above-average contact quality against both fastballs and non-fastballs. His raw power is above average for a catcher, and he's done a great job of translating it during games. He has an average exit velocity above 90 mph against all pitch types, and his production is backed up by his xSLG. Advertisement What really separates Ramírez from other young catchers is his well-rounded offensive profile. In addition to having power, he has a low whiff rate, better than average strikeout rate, and he doesn't expand the zone too frequently. Even though his walk rate is slightly below average, he is showing sound swing decisions, especially on pitches in the heart and chase regions. Graphic from Baseball Savant Area for improvement: Ramírez's biggest area of improvement is on pitches in the shadow region of the zone, which is the hardest region to improve upon. Among qualified hitters, he ranks 246th in swing performance in this zone. While he can effectively take pitches out of the zone and do damage on mistakes to the heart, he struggles with pitches on the edges and with borderline strikes. Outlook: While Ramírez's stats don't jump off the page, his well-rounded profile is allowing his tools to play up at the position. His power, bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline provide him with a strong floor. Improving in the shadow zone would take Ramírez to the next level. 2025 stats: .818 OPS / 22% K Rate / 4% BB Rate Age: 26 Bats: Right Key question: Is Amaya's breakout real, or is it more about matchups? Note: Amaya was placed on the 10-day IL on May 25 and is expected back around the All-Star break. Biggest strength: Amaya is dominating against fastballs this season with an elite .626 xSLG and 13% whiff rate against. Looking at the radial chart below, we can see how consistently Amaya is making hard contact against fastballs (the darkest section indicates barreled hits). Area for improvement: Amaya has two major areas of improvement: his plate discipline, especially against breaking pitches, and his inability to do damage against lefty pitchers. Starting with his plate discipline, Amaya's walk rate is the lowest of his career, and his chase rate is the highest of his career. This has a lot to do with the types of pitches he is seeing. Amaya performs significantly worse against non-fastballs than he does against fastballs, and as a result, he is seeing fastballs much less frequently this season. Data from Baseball Savant Unlike Carlos Narváez (discussed earlier), Amaya does not have the same plate discipline ability that forces a pitcher to throw fastballs. Many of these non-fastballs Amaya is chasing are not competitive pitches and land well out of the zone. In terms of damage against lefties, Amaya has reverse splits. Looking at his career splits, there is a major difference when it comes to OPS. Data from Fangraphs This gap has widened this season, with a .516 OPS versus LHP compared to a .896 OPS versus RHP. Outlook: Amaya's success is real, but it is platoon-based. The Cubs are using him in favorable matchups by limiting his at-bats against lefties. This opportunity has allowed Amaya's success to surge. As long as this role continues and he returns from the IL healthy, he should remain a valuable contributor. Examining the mix of players and their skills — from power hitters to disciplined ones — the catcher position has more depth and diversity than in the past. Not all of these catchers will be able to keep up their breakout pace. But, more importantly, there does seem to be a league-wide shift in what MLB clubs are looking for in their catchers. As pitch framing becomes less of a priority, we might see the trend of rostering offensive catchers continue. (Top photo of Hunter Goodman: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
Hamilton Spectator
41 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada signs new security and defence partnership with Europe
BRUSSELS - Canada and the European Union opened a new era of transatlantic co-operation Monday with the official signing of a security and defence partnership at a joint summit in Brussels. The agreement commits Canada and Europe to collaboration on defence and is a step toward Canada participating in the continent's massive new defence procurement program, known as ReArm Europe. Prime Minister Mark Carney, who travelled to Brussels for the Canada-EU Summit, is pursuing more options for defence procurement as Canada seeks to reduce its reliance on the United States. Carney met with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the summit, before the final deal was signed. Costa said Canada and the EU are 'looking at the world through the same lens' and this meeting has taken the partnership to a new level. Von der Leyen told Carney he was 'here among friends.' She said Canada and the EU are two strong democracies bound by historic ties and connected by a 'dynamic, fair and open' trade partnership. She said the EU wants not just to reaffirm the friendship and partnership with Canada but also to reshape it. She said the agreement is the 'most comprehensive' ever completed. 'We know we can count on you and you can count on us,' she said. Carney said the leaders are putting into practice some of what they discussed at the G7 and have been working on for years. Carney said the deal is crucial for Canada and 'shows a way forward.' Under the terms of the agreement, Canada and the EU will hold an annual 'security and defence dialogue' involving top officials. The agreement also commits both partners to expanding co-operation in support of Ukraine, improving Canadian military mobility in Europe and enhancing maritime co-operation in regions of 'mutual interest' like the Indo-Pacific. Canada will need to sign a second agreement with the European Commission before it can take part in the 150-billion-euro ReArm Europe initiative. The security and defence agreement also pledges further collaboration on emerging issues in cybersecurity, foreign interference, disinformation and outer space policy. Carney also met with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever ahead of the Canada-EU Summit. De Wever said that Canada's partnership with the EU is vital now because 'we've woken up in a world that doesn't look that friendly anymore.' A government official briefing reporters on the trip said the partnership is expected to make procurement easier and more affordable, while also allowing Canada to diversify its sources of equipment. On Tuesday, Carney travels to The Hague for the NATO summit, where member nations will decide whether to fully endorse a substantial increase in the defence spending target, from two per cent of GDP to five per cent. Carney said earlier this month Canada would increase its defence spending this year to meet the two per cent target for the first time since it was established in 2014. This report was first published by The Canadian Press on Jun 23, 2025.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
EU and Canada Sign Security Pact as Carney Pivots From US
The European Union and Canada have signed a security partnership that moves them closer to cooperation on military purchases, as Prime Minister Mark Carney aims to reduce his country's dependence on the US for defense. Canada sees the move as a first step toward participation in the 27-member bloc's €150 billion ($173 billion) joint-purchase loan pool dubbed Security Action for Europe (SAFE), part of its proposed €800 billion ReArm Europe initiative. Access to SAFE still has to be negotiated and requires purchase-by-purchase agreements led by European partners.
