With sources saying the Falcons won’t give receiver Julio Jones a contract extension this season, it remains to be seen if he reports on time to training camp next week.
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Sources: Falcons not giving Jones new deal
With sources saying the Falcons won’t give receiver Julio Jones a contract extension this season, it remains to be seen if he reports on time to training camp next week.
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Sources: Falcons not giving Jones new deal
The Ravens will pick up 2015 first-round pick Breshad Perriman’s $649,485 roster bonus on Saturday, a source told ESPN. There are still no guarantees that he will make the season-opening 53-man roster.
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Source: Ravens to pick up Perriman’s bonus
LOS ANGELES (CBS SPORTS) — The Dodgers have reportedly acquired All-Star infielder and pending free agent Manny Machado from the Orioles in exchange for a package of five prospects. Multiple outlets are reporting the deal as done. Machado had been one of the most coveted names leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline. In addition to the Dodgers, the Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Brewers had been heavily linked to Machado in recent days. In Los Angeles, Machado figures to be the primary shortstop — the position left vacant by Corey Seager’s season-ending Tommy John surgery. That means Chris Taylor would slide over the second base, thus filling what’s been a trouble spot for the Dodgers all season. In the end, the Dodgers in Machado are adding one of the best power hitters in baseball to an offense that already leads the National League in home runs. Machado, who just recently turned 26, is batting .315/.387/.575 (164 OPS+) for the season with 24 home runs in 94 games played. For his career, he owns an OPS+ of 121 across parts of seven major-league seasons. While he’s been a primary third baseman for most of his career, this year he switched back to his original position of shortstop Machado is owed $6.3 million for the remainder of the season, and as mentioned he’s eligible for free agency this coming offseason. Considering the Dodgers have Seager and Justin Turner installed at shortstop and third base, respectively, through at least the 2020 season (when Turner’s contract expires), they’re likely viewing Machado as a temporary fix. Given that Machado seems bent on testing the market, it’s possible he wouldn’t be open to signing an extension even if the Dodgers had such interest. According to multiple reports, the Dodgers will not be receiving any cash in the deal. However, they do remain just under the luxury-tax threshold, which is in keeping with their recent organizational goals. The SportsLine Projection Model was already high on the Dodgers for the rest of the season and has them as the leader in World Series probability in the National League. The forecast gives the Dodgers a bit of a boost, going from 94.1 wins without Machado to 94.6 with the addition of the infielder. Postseason odds go from 94.7 to 96.5 percent with Machado. As far as winning the World Series? The Machado trade raises the Dodgers’ chances from 23.7 to 24 percent. On the Orioles’ side of things, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic names the five prospects they’ll receive: outfielder Yusniel Diaz (Dodgers No. 4 prospect coming into this season), third baseman Rylan Bannon (Dodgers No. 27 prospect), right-hander Dean Kremer (Dodgers No. 28 prospect), right-hander Zach Pop, and infielder Breyvic Valera. The headliner for Baltimore is Diaz, a 21-year-old product of Cuba who was a consensus top-100 prospect coming into the season. In 2018, he’s put up strong numbers in his first taste of Double-A. He profiles as a strong on-base threat at the highest level. Left to question is whether he’ll hit for power and whether he’ll be able to stick in center field. Bannon, 22 and a former eighth-rounder, has a strong .961 OPS on the season, albeit at hitter-friendly Rancho Cucamonga of the Cal League. He projects as a solid hitter with enough glove to stick at third. Kremer, 22, has solid velocity and life on his fastball, and he also has command of a slider and curve. His changeup could develop into a usable pitch at the highest level. This season, he’s put up strong numbers at Rancho. Pop, a 21-year-old relief prospect, has an ERA of 0.33 and more than a strikeout per inning across two seasons in the low minors. Valera, who’s spent time with the big-league club in 2018, is a 26-year-old switch-hitter who can play second, third, and the outfield corners. He hasn’t produced in limited action at the major-league level, but in the minors he showed good bat-to-ball skills and speed on the bases. — Dayn Perry, CBS Sports Writer
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Manny Machado Traded To Dodgers For 5 Prospects
Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey is planning to protest social injustice and police brutality this season, despite the NFL’s new anthem policy.
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Titans’ Casey to protest despite anthem policy
WASHINGTON (CBS SPORTS) — Trade buzz surrounding Orioles infielder Manny Machado is at an all-time high right now, and according to multiple reports he’s likely to be dealt before play resumes coming out of the All-Star break. Indeed, Baltimore may already have a deal in place with the Dodgers: Can report with more certainty: Machado to #Dodgers happening. Among remaining questions, in addition to specifics of return beyond OF Yusniel Diaz: How much money, if any, #Orioles will send #Dodgers to secure a better package and help ease LAD’s luxury-tax concerns. — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 18, 2018 It’s also worth noting that CBS Sports HQ baseball insider Jim Bowden reported that Machado is not expected to be a member of the O’s once their season resumes after the All-Star break and that he’ll be dealt to a National League team. Bear in mind that the Orioles have a somewhat complicated recent history when it comes to signing off on players’ medicals, so some hurdles may remain. As for those tax concerns that Rosenthal notes, the Dodgers conducted their entire offseason with the goal of resetting their competitive balance tax status and thus not paying those penalties. Given that Machado is owed the balance of a $16 million salary for 2018 and given that the Dodgers are right up against the tax threshold, they’ll need some cash from Baltimore or to send a pricey contract the other way. That, in turn, means the Orioles can ask for more on the prospect front. Machado makes sense given that the Dodgers lost franchise shortstop Corey Seager to Tommy John surgery, and that in tandem with the lack of production at second base has left them thin in the infield. Adding Machado and installing him at short would allow the Dodgers to shift Chris Taylor from short to second base and thus plug that hole. As for Machado’s merits, he’s in the midst of a career year. At the break, he’s batting .315/.387/.575 (164 OPS+) with 24 home runs in 96 games. He’s also returned to his original position of shortstop this season. While returns are mixed on his fielding at that premium spot, he has proved capable of manning it on a daily basis (notable given his past knee injuries). Machado is also a pending free agent, and by all accounts he’s determined to test the market. Given that the Dodgers have Seager and Justin Turner installed at short and third, respectively, they can sensibly take Machado on as a temporary fix. Rosenthal spoke to Machado about the rumors during Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Nationals Park. Here’s what he said on what may be his last day as an Oriole: “I just try not to think about it, to be honest. I try to enjoy this moment with the American League guys and just enjoy this with these guys that I’ve played with for a long time. “It’s been a tremendous honor to wear this uniform. They gave me an opportunity to come up and play in the big leagues — that’s everyone’s dream. They gave me that. They gave me the opportunity to play shortstop again. The organization has done everything, so if this is the last time, hopefully I treated them well and did everything I could for this organization. “I’m just trying to enjoy this off day tomorrow. I mean, I don’t know if I’m going to get a call or not, but I’m just trying to enjoy this last off day. As of now, I haven’t heard of anything.” The SportsLine Projection Model was already high on the Dodgers for the rest of the season and has them as the leader in World Series probability in the National League. The forecast gives the Dodgers a bit of a boost, going from 94.1 wins without Machado to 94.6 with the addition of the Orioles infielder. Postseason odds go from 94.7 to 96.5 percent. As far as winning the World Series? Machado would raise the Dodgers’ chances from 23.7 to 24 percent. No, that’s not a huge difference, which reflects two facts: we’re well past the midpoint of the season, and SportsLine was already quite bullish on the Dodgers moving forward. — Dayn Perry, CBS Sports Writer
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Machado Expected To Go To Dodgers For Yusniel Diaz Package
Nemanja Bjelica, who had agreed to a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, informed the team Tuesday that he will stay in Europe this season, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
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Sources: Bjelica spurns 76ers, stays in Europe
Defensive end Ziggy Ansah did not come to an agreement with the Lions and will play with the franchise tag this season in the last year of his contract.
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Lions’ Ansah doesn’t get deal before deadline
There are several implications of another franchise tag, starting with Le’Veon Bell likely being done in Pittsburgh after this season.
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What no deal means for Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers
As expected, a long-term deal between the Los Angeles Rams and franchised safety Lamarcus Joyner was not reached by Monday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, meaning Joyner is scheduled to become a free agent after this season.
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Rams, Joyner fail to reach long-term deal
Defensive end Ziggy Ansah won’t come to an agreement with the Lions and will play with the franchise tag this season in the last year of his contract, league sources say.
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Lions DE Ansah won’t get new deal, sources say
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Albert Pujols hit two home runs to tie Ken Griffey Jr. for sixth place on the career list with 630, and the Los Angeles Angels rolled to an 11-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night. Tyler Skaggs pitched six strong innings for the Angels in his return from the disabled list. Pujols hit a two-run shot in the first and a solo drive in the sixth. He also had three hits to pass ex-Angel Rod Carew and move into a tie for 25th all-time with Rickey Henderson at 3,055. It was the 50th multihomer game for Pujols, who went back-to-back with Justin Upton in the sixth. David Fletcher also homered in the first off Mariners starter James Paxton, who left the game with lower back stiffness after Pujols connected. Paxton (8-4) gave up three runs and three hits in two-thirds of an inning, throwing just 17 pitches in his final start of the first half. Skaggs (7-5), who missed nine games with a hamstring strain, gave up one run on five hits with five strikeouts and a walk. The left-hander has allowed one earned or less in six consecutive outings, the longest such streak from an Angels starter since George Brunet in 1968. Fletcher hit the first home run of his career and gave the Angels their third leadoff home run this season. Ian Kinsler had the other two. Upton’s home run was his 18th and gave the Angels a commanding 8-1 lead in the sixth. The Angels took two of three from Seattle and have won three of their past four series. The one they lost was last weekend in Seattle. The Angels had lost five of their last six against the Mariners before the series began. The Mariners grabbed a 1-0 lead on Kyle Seager’s RBI single in the first inning, but it was all Angels after that. After Fletcher’s homer, Pujols’ two-run shot gave the Angels a 3-1 advantage. Kole Calhoun made it 4-1 in the second on a sacrifice fly, and the Angels increased their lead to 5-1 in the fifth on an RBI single from Kinsler. Mike Trout scored three runs and stole a base, making him the second player all-time, along with Joe Morgan in 1974, to compile 100 hits, 80 walks and 15 steals before the All-Star break. Mariners infielder Andrew Romine entered as a pitcher in the eighth to face his former team and the right-hander retired Trout (fly ball) and Pujols (grounder) before giving up a two-run single to Kinsler, who had three hits. TRAINER’S ROOM Mariners: LHP Marco Gonzales (bruised left calf) was getting treatment after he was hit by a comebacker Wednesday, and manager Scott Servais said the 10-game winner will be pushed to the back half of the rotation after next week’s All-Star break. … RHP Felix Hernandez (lower back stiffness) will come off the disabled list next week and pitch at the front of the rotation when the second half of the season begins. Angels: RHP Garrett Richards has elected Tommy John surgery over a conservative treatment option for his damaged ulnar collateral ligament and will miss the remainder of the season. … OF Chris Young (left hamstring strain) was given a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection but has not started baseball activity after he was placed on the 10-day disabled list July 4. UP NEXT Mariners: RHP Christian Bergman, who threw seven scoreless innings May 16 in his only major league appearance this season, will be recalled Friday to start the series opener at Colorado. Angels: One week after recording a career-best eight strikeouts against the Dodgers at home, right-hander Felix Pena (1-0, 3.63 ERA) will get another crack at them Friday in Los Angeles. (© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Pujols Hits 630th HR, Ties Griffey For 6th; Angels Rout M’s
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Albert Pujols hit two home runs to tie Ken Griffey Jr. for sixth place on the career list with 630, and the Los Angeles Angels rolled to an 11-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night. Tyler Skaggs pitched six strong innings for the Angels in his return from the disabled list. Pujols hit a two-run shot in the first and a solo drive in the sixth. He also had three hits to pass ex-Angel Rod Carew and move into a tie for 25th all-time with Rickey Henderson at 3,055. It was the 50th multihomer game for Pujols, who went back-to-back with Justin Upton in the sixth. David Fletcher also homered in the first off Mariners starter James Paxton, who left the game with lower back stiffness after Pujols connected. Paxton (8-4) gave up three runs and three hits in two-thirds of an inning, throwing just 17 pitches in his final start of the first half. Skaggs (7-5), who missed nine games with a hamstring strain, gave up one run on five hits with five strikeouts and a walk. The left-hander has allowed one earned or less in six consecutive outings, the longest such streak from an Angels starter since George Brunet in 1968. Fletcher hit the first home run of his career and gave the Angels their third leadoff home run this season. Ian Kinsler had the other two. Upton’s home run was his 18th and gave the Angels a commanding 8-1 lead in the sixth. The Angels took two of three from Seattle and have won three of their past four series. The one they lost was last weekend in Seattle. The Angels had lost five of their last six against the Mariners before the series began. The Mariners grabbed a 1-0 lead on Kyle Seager’s RBI single in the first inning, but it was all Angels after that. After Fletcher’s homer, Pujols’ two-run shot gave the Angels a 3-1 advantage. Kole Calhoun made it 4-1 in the second on a sacrifice fly, and the Angels increased their lead to 5-1 in the fifth on an RBI single from Kinsler. Mike Trout scored three runs and stole a base, making him the second player all-time, along with Joe Morgan in 1974, to compile 100 hits, 80 walks and 15 steals before the All-Star break. Mariners infielder Andrew Romine entered as a pitcher in the eighth to face his former team and the right-hander retired Trout (fly ball) and Pujols (grounder) before giving up a two-run single to Kinsler, who had three hits. TRAINER’S ROOM Mariners: LHP Marco Gonzales (bruised left calf) was getting treatment after he was hit by a comebacker Wednesday, and manager Scott Servais said the 10-game winner will be pushed to the back half of the rotation after next week’s All-Star break. … RHP Felix Hernandez (lower back stiffness) will come off the disabled list next week and pitch at the front of the rotation when the second half of the season begins. Angels: RHP Garrett Richards has elected Tommy John surgery over a conservative treatment option for his damaged ulnar collateral ligament and will miss the remainder of the season. … OF Chris Young (left hamstring strain) was given a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection but has not started baseball activity after he was placed on the 10-day disabled list July 4. UP NEXT Mariners: RHP Christian Bergman, who threw seven scoreless innings May 16 in his only major league appearance this season, will be recalled Friday to start the series opener at Colorado. Angels: One week after recording a career-best eight strikeouts against the Dodgers at home, right-hander Felix Pena (1-0, 3.63 ERA) will get another crack at them Friday in Los Angeles. (© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Pujols Hits 630th HR, Ties Griffey For 6th; Angels Rout M’s
Ryan Mayer MLB teams have already passed the midway point of the season in terms of games played. However, next week, when teams take a few days off for the All-Star Break, will mark the unofficial halfway point. With the Midsummer Classic scheduled for next Tuesday, July 17th, it’s a good time to look back on the season to date, recalibrate some predictions for the postseason, and examine some of the most interesting storylines as the July 31st trade deadline approaches. In order to do that, we caught up with four CBS Local sports anchors to get their thoughts on who the first-half MVP was, what potential trades they see their teams making and predictions on how the pennant races will shake out. There were a variety of answers to the MVP question, but one player did get multiple votes. That would be Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout. “Even though the Angels aren’t great, Mike Trout is, and it’s hard to argue with the season that he’s having, that he isn’t the best player in baseball,” said Mark Viviano of WJZ in Baltimore. “That makes him the most valuable. He’s got my vote.” KYW in Philadelphia’s Don Bell agrees with Viviano’s assessment, adding that Trout’s Wins Above Replacement number of 6.9 at the halfway mark puts him on pace for the best season of his career. However our other two anchors, WBBM in Chicago’s Ryan Baker and CBS 11 in Dallas-Fort Worth’s Keith Russell had different picks in the A.L. race. Russell’s choice was a bit more outside-the-box. “I think it’s Boston’s J.D. Martinez”, said Russell. “I know that a guy who predominantly plays D.H. has never won MVP, but this may be the year. When you’re in the top five in batting average, lead the majors in home runs and RBI, does it really matter that you don’t play the field?” For Baker, his eyes are set on Houston, and their diminutive but powerful second baseman. “Jose Altuve. I can’t think of a player that does more for his team than Altuve, both at the plate and on the field with the energy he brings,” said Baker. With the trade deadline looming on the horizon, MLB teams have differing strategies, depending on their record and short-term future. Some teams, like the Orioles, White Sox and Rangers are likely to be sellers at the deadline, while the Phillies and Cubs are expected to be among the teams looking to add a piece or two for the stretch run. We asked the guys who they thought could be on the move for their respective franchises. “The Orioles are a team that are trading away some of their best players,” said WJZ’s Viviano. “Manny Machado, Zach Britton, Adam Jones, Brad Brach, all these guys as free agents are probably going to find their way out of town because the Orioles are going to go into a rebuilding mode.” Viviano, along with many others in the baseball world, is expecting Machado to be dealt prior to the deadline, KYW’s Don Bell is just fine with that, saying he wants the Orioles superstar to come to Philly. “The place to go would be Baltimore to get Manny Machado,” said Bell. “You know he’s a free agent at the end of the year and it would be a short-term rental, but it would add a huge pop to their lineup, and it would potentially help them win the division for the first time in seven years. Meanwhile, down in Texas, CBS 11’s Russell wants to see the Rangers deal away one of their beloved veterans, not because he’s under-performing, but rather to give him a shot at winning a ring. “I would personally like to see the Rangers trade away Adrian Beltre,” said Russell. “I know how great Beltre is. I know he’s going to be in Cooperstown one day. But that’s why he deserves a shot to win a World Series ring.” In Chicago, WBBM’s Baker is watching a pair of teams with opposite needs going into the deadline. The Cubs could be buyers, while the White Sox, are continuing to rebuild. “I know Cubs have some issues with their starting rotation: Yu Darvish’s health, the reliability of Tyler Chatwood and Kyle Hendricks taking a step back this year, but I really don’t see Theo [Epstein] making a big trade for an arm,” said Baker. “But, if he does so, one guy who I think might be expendable is Ian Happ.” “On the other side of town, one guy who’s come off the disabled list and is really looking like the All-Star that he was last year is Avisail Garcia,” said Baker. “He would be the one guy I would potentially look to trade if I can get another nice haul in return.” For more of the guys’ opinions on the first half and looking ahead to the rest of the season, take a look at the video above.
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Who Is MLB’s First-Half MVP?
NEW YORK (AP) — Pinch-hitter Brandon Nimmo launched a three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning and the New York Mets got another dominant outing from All-Star Jacob deGrom in a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night. Amed Rosario, who had two of New York’s four hits, began the winning rally with a two-out double off Mark Leiter Jr. (0-1) — the first hit for the Mets since the fourth inning. Jose Reyes walked and Nimmo drove Leiter’s next pitch well over the wall in right-center for his first career walk-off RBIs. It was New York’s third game-ending homer in the last six days. Jose Bautista beat Tampa Bay with a grand slam last Friday, and Wilmer Flores connected Monday in the series opener against Philadelphia to help the Mets earn a four-game split. In his final scheduled start before heading to the All-Star Game next Tuesday in Washington, deGrom scattered five hits and matched his longest outing of the season. He struck out seven and lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.68. Still, the right-hander has only five wins on the season. He’s allowed just one earned run over his last 16 innings but has consistently been hurt by a lack of run support from an anemic New York offense all year. This time, at least, the Mets didn’t let deGrom’s gem go to waste. Robert Gsellman (6-2) pitched a scoreless inning for the win. (© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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DeGrom Dazzles, Nimmo Hits Walk-Off Homer As Mets Top Phillies In 10
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rookie left-hander Eric Lauer came within one out of his first career complete game before allowing Max Muncy’s home run, and Wil Myers homered for the sixth time in four games to lead the San Diego Padres over the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 on Tuesday night. Austin Hedges had a three-run shot for the Padres. Lauer (5-5) took a three-hit shutout into the ninth inning, facing the heart of the Dodgers’ order after having thrown 101 pitches. He got Enrique Hernandez to fly out to center and Justin Turner to fly out to deep left before Muncy drove a 1-1 pitch into the seats in left, his 21st. After throwing 115 pitches, Lauer made way for Kirby Yates, who struck out All-Star Matt Kemp to end it. Kemp struck out four times. Lauer struck out a career-high eight and walked two in winning consecutive starts for the first time. Myers, who has played in only 28 games this season due to injuries, has heated up after a second stint on the disabled list. He hit three home runs Saturday in a 20-5 loss at Arizona, hit another in the 16th inning on Sunday to give the Padres a 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks, and then homered in the ninth inning of an 8-2 loss to Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers on Monday night. His homer Tuesday night, to left-center on a 2-1 pitch off Rich Hill (2-4), was his eighth overall. Hedges hit his fourth of the season earlier in the inning, off the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse in the left field corner at Petco Park on a 1-2 pitch. Jose Pirela drew a leadoff walk and Freddy Galvis singled ahead of Hedges’ homer. Eric Hosmer just missed homering in the third, when center fielder Cody Bellinger leaped to make the catch at the fence. Hill allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings, struck out seven and walked one. The teams finished the game in a quick 2 hours, 18 minutes. Padres center fielder Manuel Margot made a nice diving catch of Justin Turner’s fly ball in the seventh and then made a sliding catch of Chris Taylor’s sinking liner to end the eighth. UP NEXT Dodgers: RHP Kenta Maeda (5-5, 3.24), the scheduled starter for the third game in the four-game series, is 4-3 with a 4.70 ERA in 10 career starts against San Diego. Padres: Rookie LHP Joey Lucchesi (4-4, 3.27) is 1-1 with a 1.26 ERA in his last three starts. (@Copyright 2018. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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2 Padre Home Runs Eclipse Muncy Dinger To Beat Dodgers, 4-1