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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
New York sports reporter puts Mets Juan Soto's age under microscope, 'good chance he's not 26'
New York sports reporter puts Mets Juan Soto's age under microscope, 'good chance he's not 26' originally appeared on The Sporting News The New York Mets have been struggling lately, coming off an embarrassing series against the Atlanta Braves. The Mets lost both games in which they held leads — including one where they blew a six-run advantage. 'The free-falling New York Mets suffered what might have been their worst loss of the season (so far?) on Wednesday night, Aug. 13, when they blew a six-run lead and fell to the Atlanta Braves 11-6,' USA Today's Steve Gardner wrote. 'After reeling off a seven-game winning streak from July 20-27, the Mets have now lost 12 of their past 14 games and have gone from leading the National League East division by 1½ games to trailing the first-place Philadelphia Phillies by 5.' Though the team has been losing ground in the NL East race, they still hold a four-game lead in the wildcard standings. However, a new conspiracy theory is emerging in New York: Juan Soto might not be as old as he claims. 'Does he look 26? When you're 26, you have a youthful glow... I think there's a good chance he's not 26, I'll say it," WFAN's Brandon Tierney speculated about Soto's age. Soto is one of the best hitters in the game, which was clear in the offseason when multiple teams vied for him before the Mets landed him with a massive contract. 'Superstar outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets are in agreement on a 15-year, $765 million contract, sources told ESPN on Sunday night, the largest deal in professional sports history,' ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp While questioning a player's age may seem far-fetched, this isn't the first time Soto's age has been doubted. He made his MLB debut at 19 and has quickly established himself as one of the game's top talents, showing exceptional patience and power at the plate. Tierney's wild theory seems silly — unless proven otherwise.
USA Today
30-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
When is the 2025 MLB trade deadline? Date, time, latest rumors
The MLB trade deadline is always a circled event on baseball's calendar, with contenders trying to beef up their lineups or pitching staffs ahead of a potential postseason run. This year, teams are getting a head start instead of waiting until the last minute. A flurry of action has already occurred in the days leading into the 2025 deadline. The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Detroit Tigers are the among the teams chasing a playoff spot to make recent moves. More are likely to join the fray over the next 24 hours with big-spending teams like the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Philaldelphia Phillies all expected to be buyers. The wait is on to see if any of the starting pitchers or impact position players rumored to be available will actually be dealt (and which contenders improve their World Series chances the most). Here's what to know about the 2025 MLB trade deadline, including the date and time, top candidates to be traded and the latest rumors and deals: MLB TRADE DEADLINE TARGETS: 8 most impactful players who could move When is the MLB trade deadline? The 2025 MLB trade deadline is set for 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31. notes the date can change from season-to-season. The commissioner can set the deadline for any date between July 28 and August 3, depending on what conflicts with the fewest MLB games. MLB trade deadline candidates Here's some of the top players who could be on the move ahead of Thursday's deadline Expert MLB daily picks: Unique MLB betting insights only at USA TODAY MLB trade deadline rumors, trades MLB TRADE DEADLINE 2025: Live updates, rumors on latest trades across the league Contributing: Steve Gardner, USA TODAY Sports
The Herald Scotland
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
True All-Stars make grade by putting up full season's worth of stats
Should a player's reputation or a half-season's worth of stats be the primary measuring stick for All-Star recognition? Or would it be better to use an entire season's worth of stats to determine which players really deserve to be honored? That's why we have our own All-Star tradition: the unveiling of our Full-Season All-Stars. With some major assistance from here are the statistical leaders from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. (Players listed at their primary position in 2025 with a minimum of 20 games to qualify. Our selections for AL and NL starters are in bold.) Catcher Cal Raliegh is far and away the best offensive catcher in the game. He blows away everyone over the past full season (July '24-June '25) — Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner) July 7, 2025 There's no question who the best catcher in the game is right now. Cal Raleigh leads the majors in home runs this season, but he's not just swinging for the fences. He's getting on base, occasionally stealing them and scoring runs too. His numbers over the past calendar year, especially among his positional peers, are eye-popping: 53 home runs, 121 RBI, 103 runs and 11 stolen bases. No one's even in the same ballpark. It's much closer in the National League, where All-Star starter Will Smith and non-star William Contreras are neck-and-neck. (Mask-and-mask?) Smith has a 16-point edge in batting average, but Contreras tops him in the other four major fantasy categories. First base No doubt about the AL's top first baseman, but the stats (July '24-June '25) prefer someone other than Freddie Freeman as the most deserving starter in the NL. — Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner) July 7, 2025 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. may not be putting up MVP-type numbers this season, but he's been incredibly consistent. His scorching second half in 2024 helped put him far above the AL competition in every offensive category except stolen bases. And he's the only one at the position with more than 100 runs scored over the past calendar year. Once again, the battle is much closer in the NL. Pete Alonso gets the nod over Matt Olson by the slightest of margins. Alonso leads in homers (35 to 32) and runs (91 to 87), while Olson tops all first basemen with 109 RBI (to Alonso's 107). ASG starter Freddie Freeman has a higher batting average, but can't touch either one's power numbers. Second base Do we think of Ketel Marte as a power hitter? The full-season stats (July '24-June '25) make a clear case who the top sluggers are at 2B in each league. — Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner) July 7, 2025 It's been pretty clear for a while that Ketel Marte is the best second baseman in the majors. Over the past full season, he leads the position in home runs (36), ranks second in RBI (83) and batting average (.300) and fourth in runs scored (84). Brendan Donovan may be his closest NL competition. In the AL, Brandon Lowe stands out. Finally healthy (149 games), Lowe leads all AL second basemen in homers (33), RBI (84) and runs (90) over the past year. Shortstop Lindor or Elly at short for the NL? Such a close call when you look at a full season's worth of stats from July '24 to June '25. — Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner) July 7, 2025 AL All-Star starter Jacob Wilson tops all shortstops with a .339 average, but Bobby Witt Jr. is second at .317 - in addition to his league-leading 31 homers, 100 RBI and 106 runs. Witt's 30 stolen bases complete the package and put him far ahead of everyone else. Honorable mention: Jeremy Pena, who cracks the position's top 10 in all five categories. Not much separates Francisco Lindor and Elly De La Cruz in the NL. Lindor has a better average (.281 to .273) and more homers (36 to 29), but De La Cruz is ahead in RBI (96 to 94) and he pulls away with big margins in steals (49 to 27) and runs (117 to 105). Third base No doubt in either the AL or NL on who's the best at the hot corner offensively. Check out these full-season stats from July '24 to June '25. — Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner) July 7, 2025 Even at age 32, Jose Ramirez continues to put up stellar numbers. He very nearly makes it a clean sweep in the AL with a .293 average, 29 homers, 92 runs and a whopping 47 steals. The only category Ramirez doesn't come out on top is RBI, where he trails Isaac Paredes 83-80. Alex Bregman also makes a strong showing in everything but steals. In the NL, Manny Machado is a deserving All-Star starter, ranking second overall at the position in average (.288), homers (32) and RBI (107). But look at what Eugenio Suarez has done over the past year. He far outpaces everyone at the hot corner with 50 home runs, 138 RBI and 110 runs. A horrible first half of 2024 obscures what a tremendous offensive force he's been. Outfield So many ways to highlight Aaron Judge's brilliance. But who else deserves to start the All-Star Game in the AL ourfield? It's not as easy as it is to pick out the NL's top three. (Combined stats from July '24 through June '25.) — Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner) July 7, 2025 Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge is in a world of his own. Not only does he lead all American Leaguers with 57 home runs 129 RBI and 130 runs scored over the past calendar year, he tops the major leagues with a .343 average over that span as well. But who joins him in the AL outfield? Riley Greene is a deserving starter, ranking highly in average (.287), homers (28) and RBI (96). And Lawrence Butler may have started slowly in 2025, but his full-season numbers (.274, 31 HR, 83 RBI, 100 runs, 27 steals) certainly hold up. In the NL, Corbin Carroll leads Juan Soto 41-40 in homers and 131-120 in RBI. Carroll's 31 steals cement him in the top spot, but Soto certainly deserves a place on the All-Star roster. Jackson Chourio is also deserving, ranking in the overall top 12 in all five statistical categories. Sorry, James Wood and Pete Crow-Armstrong. You have to wait your turn. Also, we can't forget designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, whose 57 home runs over the past full season are tied with Judge for the most in the majors. Ohtani also leads everyone with 149 runs and 54 stolen bases. And despite batting leadoff, he's third in RBI with 122. Pitcher When it comes to pitching, is volume more important than efficiency? Picking the top 3 starters in each league forces one to wrestle with that question. — Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner) July 7, 2025 It's easy to recognize dominance when it's displayed so clearly by Tarik Skubal. He's far and away the best pitcher in the game, and the full-season stats bear that out. Skubal is the only one to reach 19 wins and he leads the majors with 254 strikeouts. Throw in a 2.29 ERA and league-leading 0.87 WHIP and the result is a strong candidate for a second consecutive Cy Young award. Elsewhere in the AL, Framber Valdez has 18 wins, a 2.30 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 209 whiffs. While Jacob deGrom might win on ratios (2.04 ERA, 0.91 WHIP), he cedes the third spot to Carlos Rodon who has 226 K's and 16 wins, despite a slightly higher 3.16 ERA. Zack Wheeler deserves top billing in the NL. He leads the league with 248 whiffs, plus his ratios are equally impressive (2.32 ERA, 0.91 WHIP). Not even broken ribs can keep Chris Sale from making the cut. He remained healthy until late June, giving him enough time to rack up 221 strikeouts to pair with a stellar 2.23 ERA. Wheeler also has 15 wins to Sale's 13. Meanwhile, it's hard to hold Paul Skenes' paltry 11 wins against hm. He has 210 whiffs and ranks second in the NL to Hunter Greene in both ERA (2.02) and WHIP (0.90). Among the closers, Emmanuel Clase's ridiculous finish to 2024 gives him the edge over Josh Hader. Clase trails in saves 45-40, but his 1.91 ERA is nearly a full point lower. In the NL, Ryan Helsley has the best combination of production (8 wins, 35 saves) and effectiveness (2.35 ERA). Who has the best overall statistics over the past calendar year? With a big assist from @TheBigHurtHQ, here are the 5x5 #fantasybaseball leaders from July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025. More here as we use the numbers to pick the most deserving All-Star starters: — Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner) July 7, 2025 Contributing: Matt Cederholm,
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Columbia to expand in SoCal with $2B acquisition of Pacific Premier
This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter. Tacoma, Washington-based Columbia Banking System amplified its push into Southern California on Wednesday, announcing it would acquire Irvine-based Pacific Premier Bank in a $2 billion, all-stock transaction that it expects to close in the second half of this year. The deal marks Columbia's second multibillion-dollar acquisition since October 2021, when it agreed to purchase Oregon-based Umpqua Bank for $5.2 billion. Though Columbia was the acquirer, the company's retail bank network uses the Umpqua brand. Columbia is walking that back in Wednesday's deal, though. The company plans to tag its network as Columbia Bank later this year 'to ensure brand clarity as Umpqua Bank deepens its expansion throughout the West,' it said. The name change would align the retail brand with the holding company, as well as its wealth management and advisory arm, its private bank and its trust team, Columbia said. Acquiring Pacific Premier would add roughly $18 billion in assets to Columbia and accelerate the bank's expansion in Southern California 'by approximately a decade,' said the lender, which would crack the top 10 in deposit market share in the area. The combined entity would count about $70 billion in assets after the transaction closes, the banks said. The deal would also avail Columbia clients to Pacific Premier's homeowners association banking and custodial trust verticals, the banks noted. Pacific Premier clients, by the same measure, would gain access to Columbia's treasury management products and wealth management services. "This combination truly establishes the leading banking franchise in the Western region,' Columbia CEO Clint Stein said Wednesday in a statement. 'It is a natural and strategic fit that strengthens our competitive position in Southern California, enhances our service offerings, and elevates our performance.' Columbia said it expects to gain roughly $900 million in value creation after $146 million in transaction expenses. The bank projected it would earn back its tangible book value dilution within three years. As part of the deal, Pacific Premier stockholders will receive 0.9150 of a share of Columbia common stock for every Pacific Premier share they own. That comes out to $20.83 per share, based on Columbia's closing stock price of $22.77 from Tuesday. Three Pacific Premier directors, including the bank's CEO, Steve Gardner, will join Columbia's board once the transaction closes. Pacific Premier stockholders will own roughly 30% of Columbia's outstanding shares from that point, the banks said. The deal's $2 billion value easily makes it the most valuable banking tie-up of 2025 so far – matching the richest deals completed in 2024 (UMB's $2 billion acquisition of Heartland Financial, and SouthState's $2 billion purchase of Independent Bank). It also continues the momentum in mergers and acquisitions after the Federal Reserve and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency last week gave the final approvals necessary to close Capital One's $35.3 billion purchase of Discover. 'We are thrilled to have the opportunity to join Columbia, a company whose culture, business model, and credit discipline align with our own,' Gardner said. 'The combination of these two companies operating in growing markets provides a great opportunity for our teams to continue to deliver high-quality, relationship-based banking products, services, and expertise to our clients, and to continue to generate long-term value for our stockholders.' Recommended Reading WaFd to buy Luther Burbank in $654M deal to enter California Sign in to access your portfolio
Los Angeles Times
25-04-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Pacific Premier Bancorp Acquired by Umpqua Bank in $2 Billion Deal
Columbia Banking System Inc. announced plans to acquire Irvine-based Pacific Premier Bancorp Inc. in a transaction value of approximately $2 billion. Columbia Banking System will merge the bank with its subsidiary Umpqua Bank and plans to rebrand as Columbia Bank later in the year. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2025. 'The combination of these two companies operating in growing markets provides a great opportunity for our teams to continue to deliver high-quality, relationship-based banking products, services, and expertise to our clients and to continue to generate long-term value for our stockholders,' said Steve Gardner, chairman, chief executive and president of Pacific Premier Bank, in a statement. The merger valued Pacific Premier at $20.83 per share based on Columbia's closing stock price of $22.77 on April 22. Following the completion of the acquisition, Pacific Premier shareholders will own approximately 30% of Columbia's outstanding shares of common stock. The combined company will have $70 billion in assets and operate 350 branches across the Western United States. Three Pacific Premier directors, including Gardner, will join the Columbia board upon the completion of the transaction. 'It is a natural and strategic fit that strengthens our competitive position in Southern California, enhances our service offerings and elevates our performance,' said Clint Stein, chief executive and president of Columbia, in a statement. Piper Sandler & Co. acted as financial advisor to Columbia. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP acted as legal advisor to Columbia. Pacific Premier Bancorp was advised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc. as financial advisor and Holland & Knight LLP as legal advisor. Information for this article was sourced from Umpqua Bank.
