Bob Melvin suggests Giants' efforts weren't ‘enough' in loss to Blue Jays
Bob Melvin suggests Giants' efforts weren't 'enough' in loss to Blue Jays originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
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Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shaikin: Home again? Why Kenley Jansen could be a good trade match for Dodgers
Kenley Jansen signed his first professional contract with the Dodgers 21 years ago. He was Clayton Kershaw's catcher in rookie ball. He has been honored as an All-Star four times. He has saved more games than all but three men in major league history, all of them Hall of Famers. He won a World Series with the Dodgers. For all that Jansen has accomplished in his two decades in pro ball, there is one thing he has not experienced: He never has been traded. That could happen in the coming days, with baseball's trade deadline next Thursday. As we talked about that possibility Friday at Angel Stadium, and about how the sport can be a cold business at times, he dropped 11 words that stood out. 'I thought,' he said, 'I would play my whole career with the Dodgers.' Maybe you can go home again. Read more: With trade deadline looming, Dodgers showcase revived offense in win over Boston The Dodgers are urgently shopping for right-handed relievers. In Anaheim, Jansen is enjoying a season that by some measures is his best since 2021, his last season with the Dodgers. First things first: Jansen did not sign with the Angels just to rack up saves. He is 36 saves shy of 500, a milestone reached only by Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. 'I came here with one goal in mind,' Jansen said, 'and the goal was to help this team turn around, to end that playoff drought. That's what I'm here for. 'If they move me, I'd definitely feel disappointed we didn't accomplish it.' But let's be real: The longest playoff drought in the majors is likely to hit 11 years. The Angels would have to pass six teams to sneak into the last wild-card spot in the American League playoffs. The Angels demoted their fifth starter this month. They have been running bullpen games because they had no one in their farm system ready to fill the vacancy. They only have two starters you could pencil into their 2026 rotation. They need pitching depth, and it would be organizational malpractice not to get some by trading their pending free agents, Jansen included. For the Angels, the optimal outcome would be a team desperate for a closer overpaying to get Jansen. However, such a team would be more likely to overpay for the marquee names on the market, including Jhoan Duran of the Minnesota Twins, Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians and Felix Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles, with a second tier led by David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers hate to overpay. Jansen has 17 saves and one blown save, with a 1.00 earned-run average in save situations and a 3.19 ERA overall. The latter is his lowest ERA since 2021. By ERA+, a statistic that accounts for league and ballpark factors, Jansen was at 131 entering play Friday — or 31% better than league average. The only Dodgers relievers with an ERA above 131+, entering play Friday: left-handers Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer. Dodgers relievers entered play Friday throwing 49.2% of the team's innings pitched; the highest percentage of any major league team. Vesia, Anthony Banda and the injured Tanner Scott rank among the top 20 in appearances. Ben Casparius, who earned his first major league save Friday, ranked second among major league relievers in innings pitched. In an ideal world, the Dodgers would enter the playoffs with four primary right-handed relievers: Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech, Brusdar Graterol and Evan Phillips. Phillips is out for the season. Treinen could return from the injured list next week, with Kopech possibly to follow next month and Graterol in September, but it is risky to count on injured players to return healthy and effective. In a major league career that started in 2010, Jansen never has been on the injured list because of an elbow or forearm issue, and his two stints for shoulder inflammation were brief. The Dodgers could drop Jansen into their mix of high-leverage right-handers. They would not want Jansen if he would want to be the unquestioned closer. He is getting the job done as a closer, and he is getting closer to 500 saves. But the Dodgers' analysts would probably take note of his career highs in exit velocity and hard-hit balls, and a .795 OPS against left-handers that compares unfavorably to his .601 career mark, and might want to spot him against a run of right-handers. Could be the sixth inning, could be the ninth. Read more: Beyond the bullpen, how aggressive will the Dodgers be at the MLB trade deadline? Whether it's the Dodgers or any other contending team, would Jansen consider a role outside the ninth inning? 'At that point, it's just about getting rings,' Jansen said. 'My goal is to win. You play for that, always. I understand there is a milestone I am close to. But, at the end of the day, it's what you play for. You play to win. You play to win a World Series. 'If I have to go throw the sixth, seventh, eighth, I would do it. I'm a professional. I would do what I do best, and that is pitch.' Jansen said he hasn't given up on this Angels team, or this Angels season. He would love to win in Anaheim. The Angels could help him do that: Trade him for another pitching piece that could help them next year, then sign Jansen again over the winter. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
USA Today
12 minutes ago
- USA Today
New York Giants' Brian Daboll named one of NFL coaches under most pressure in 2025
There are quite a few NFL head coaches who will be under the gun this season. On average, there are six to eight vacancies every offseason that need to be filled due to coaches being fired. Last January, the New York Giants, after completing a deflating 3-14 season, decided they didn't want to be in the market for a new head coach and general manager. Co-owner John Mara decided to keep both head coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen despite losing 25 of their last 34 games. "I had a conversation with (partner) Steve Tisch, and we spoke some more over the weekend. We came to the decision that staying with both of them is the best course of action for us right now. I think in Brian's case, he was the Coach of the Year two years ago. That didn't disappear all of a sudden. I still believe he can do that again," Mara said. "In Joe's case, I thought we had an outstanding draft class this year. I thought we had a really good free agency period. I really like the staff that he's put together and built. I think that they're the right two guys to lead us going forward. I understand, believe me, that that's not going to be the most popular decision in Giant land. But we believe it's the right decision for us going forward." Schoen appears to have had another strong draft and has fortified the quarterback position with veterans Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and rookie Jaxson Dart. The Giants' offense will likely be better in 2025. For a team that lost eight games by one score or less in 2024, the upgraded offense should lead to more wins. That doesn't mean that the pressure is off Daboll, however. Mara did say that he was "running out of patience" and that if he were in the same position this year that he'd take the heat for it. In a recent breakdown focusing on the players, coaches, and GMs under the most pressure this year, ESPN's Bill Barnwell listed Daboll as a candidate for the hot seat. Two years ago, a pair of first-time head coaches in the NFC led their teams to unexpected playoff berths, but they've gone in different directions since. While Daboll and Kevin O'Connell unsurprisingly took a step back in their second season, O'Connell's Vikings returned back to the playoffs in his third season with a 14-win campaign, all while cycling through a series of different quarterbacks because of injuries. The Giants decided to entrench around quarterback Daniel Jones, but they went 9-25 over the past two seasons, including a 3-13 mark with Jones before they cut him late last season. Did that unexpected run to the 2022 divisional round raise expectations too quickly? Daboll didn't suddenly forget how to scheme open throwing lanes or create conflicts for defenders with the quarterback run game. He was never able to coax the same level of play out of Jones, though, who didn't always have the sort of help a quarterback would want. The move to sign Drew Lock as a potential replacement delivered predictably unsatisfying results. Did the Giants get fooled by hiring a guy who was adjacent to Josh Allen -- he previously was the Bills' offensive coordinator -- then falling further in love with him because Jones posted a career-low outlier of an interception rate (1.1%) in 2022? The clock is ticking on Daboll's chances of proving he wasn't a one-year mirage in New York. The Giants finally overhauled their quarterback room, flirting with Matthew Stafford before signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. They used their first-round pick on Jaxson Dart, who represents the long-term prospect they presumably expected to draft in 2023 before Jones' career season in 2022 sent them in another direction. If Dart shows promise, Daboll will be able to make the case that his continued employment is the best thing for his quarterback's future. If not? He should be in demand as an offensive coordinator elsewhere, but his time in New York will likely come to an end. Mara once warned that Daboll could go from "Bono to Bozo" real quick, and flatlining again in 2025 would almost certainly result in the coach's firing.
Forbes
23 minutes ago
- Forbes
Was MLS Right To Suspend Lionel Messi For Missing The All-Star Game?
HARRISON, NEW JERSEY - JULY 19: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami looks on during the second half ... More against the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium on July 19, 2025 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by) Lionel Messi caused a stir in Major League Soccer this week when he failed to appear for the league's annual All-Star game and was suspended for Inter Miami's next league game as a result. Messi and his Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba were absent for the event, having originally been selected for the MLS All-Star team for a game to face off against counterparts from Mexico's Liga MX. In a press conference on Friday, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas said the decision for Messi and Alba not to play in the All-Star exhibition match was made by the club. This forced MLS to enforce its rule that any All-Star player who fails to participate in the game 'without prior approval from the league' will be suspended for their team's next match. A statement from MLS, released on Friday evening, read: 'Inter Miami CF's Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi will be unavailable for the club's match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26, due to their absence at this week's Major League Soccer All-Star Game. 'Per league rules, any player who does not participate in the All-Star game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete in their club's next match.' The press conference from Jorge Mas came shortly after, and further stoked the fires of this debate around the All-Star game and Messi's involvement, or lack of. Was Messi Right To Miss The All-Star Game? All-Star games are an American sporting tradition, but sometimes, in soccer, which brings sporting cultures from around the world to US shores, there is confusion around what the game is actually for, who it benefits, and if it is necessary. This is especially the case now that the number of games players are being asked to play is regularly increasing due to participating in domestic football, international football, and the introduction of new, expanded tournaments like FIFA's Club World Cup and the Leagues Cup in MLS and Liga MX. Messi and Miami naturally prioritised the Club World Cup at that time, and MLS will have wanted him to, as the league hoped for a good showing on the international stage. Inter Miami delivered this by reaching the Club World Cup knockout stages. The Club World Cup is a tournament unlike any other, so you could argue there should be a place for such a diverse, competitive global soccer festival in the calendar. When it comes the the All-Star game, and indeed the Leagues Cup, they can feel like unnecessary additional games in the middle of the season. Inter Miami have now prioritised an MLS regular season game, and everything that comes with that, over an All-Star exhibition. What if Messi played in the All-Star game and got injured? That wouldn't have been good for the league either. Ultimately, you can understand why Inter Miami decided Messi and Alba should skip the game, but you can also understand why others in MLS will question why Miami at times appears to view itself and its players as above the rest of the league. But maybe it is also making some important points. CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 16: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF and teammate Jordi Alba #18 enter the ... More pitch for the second half during the MLS match between FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami CF at TQL Stadium on July 16, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by) Should MLS Have Suspended Messi? This is an easier one to answer. If the rule is in place, then it should be applied. If anything, it was surprising that the decision to suspend Messi and Alba for the game against FC Cincinnati was made so late, which suggests there might have been some doubt that it would be applied, but eventually the right decision was made. Messi is an obvious star of the league and of the sport in the United States, but shouldn't be above it. You can argue whether the rule should exist in the first place, but if it is there, it should be applied. Messi has already been given special treatment by the league in that he has not been made as accessible to the media as other players are, but it is important that the league treat Messi the same way they would any other player in the interests of consistency and fairness. What Will It Mean For The Supporters' Shield Inter Miami's game against FC Cincinnati is an important game in the race for the 2025 Supporters' Shield, which is awarded to the team that finishes top of the overall MLS standings at the end of the regular season. Cincinnati currently sits top of the standings, and was helped by a recent 3-0 home victory against an Inter Miami team that did feature Messi when the teams met just over a week ago. Inter Miami is playing catch-up following the Club World Cup and has several games in hand, and the schedule threw up an immediate chance to get revenge. Cincinnati's own star player, Evander, who did attend the All-Star event, was the standout player in that previous game and scored two of the goals in the 3-0 win. He'll be present, and Messi won't, which means their stars' no-show at the All-Star match puts Inter Miami at a disadvantage in this important regular-season game. Messi's absence from the All-Star game has certainly caused a stir and brought attention that the league might not otherwise have had at this time. Whether this kind of attention around something fairly trivial and very specific to US sports culture is good or bad for the MLS is up for debate. It could be said that Messi and Miami made the right decision for him to miss the All-Star game, and the league made the right decision to suspend him as a result, but now that all of this has played out, maybe the whole idea of a mid-season All-Star game needs to be revisited.
