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The Tigers announced Friday that they’ve optioned right-hander Matt Manning to Triple-A Toledo. That ends the three-horse race for the final two spots in manager A.J. Hinch’s rotation. Right-handers Casey Mize and Reese Olson will open the season on the starting staff behind lefty Tarik Skubal and righties Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty. Detroit also reassigned non-roster right-hander Drew Anderson to minor league camp.
Detroit’s talented trio of right-handers didn’t make the decision easy — at least not regarding spring results. Each of Mize, Olson and Manning pitched between 14 2/3 innings and 16 innings this spring, and none posted an ERA north of Olson’s 3.68. Olson posted the best blend of strikeout and walk rates in camp (22.6% and 6.5%, respectively). Mize notched the lowest ERA but the highest walk rate. Manning was perhaps done in by the six home runs he yielded in 16 innings.
While Manning won’t open the season in the rotation, it’s likely that he, Mize and Olson will all make their share of starts in Detroit this season. Mize is in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery and back surgery. He’ll be on an innings limit of some degree. Injuries in the rotation are also a virtual inevitability. Even with Manning opening the year in Toledo, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him start 15-plus games in the bigs.
Mize, 27 in May, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft. He showed plenty of promise in 2021, tossing 150 1/3 innings of 3.71 ERA ball with a below-average 19.3% strikeout rate but a strong 6.7% walk rate and a similarly encouraging 48.1% ground-ball rate. That looked to set the stage for Mize to seize a long-term spot in the Detroit rotation, but he unfortunately suffered a UCL tear early in the 2022 season. He wound up undergoing Tommy John surgery and, while he was rehabbing that procedure, underwent surgery to address a nagging back issue that had been plaguing him for some time. He’s still under club control for three seasons.
Olson, 24, made his big league debut with Detroit last season and quickly impressed. In his first 103 2/3 MLB frames, he turned in a 3.99 ERA with average or better strikeout (24.4%), walk (7.8%) and ground-ball (42.8%) rates. Olson also supported those rates with solid marks in swinging-strike and opponents’ chase rates. The Tigers control him all the way through 2029.
The 26-year-old Manning was Detroit’s first-round pick back in 2016. He’s pitched in parts of three big league seasons, logging a 4.37 ERA with a 16.1% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and 41.6% grounder rate. Manning hasn’t missed bats at the levels expected throughout his time as a top-ranked prospect, but he’s shown solid command and kept the ball in the yard nicely to this point in his career. He’s also had frequent bad luck with injuries, including a 2023 season in which he broke his foot twice after being struck by a comeback line drive. He’s under club control through 2027 and will remain a notable piece of the Tigers’ rotation puzzle in the foreseeable future, even if he starts this season out in Toledo.
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Highly anticipated Chicago Cubs game cancelled
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Former Steelers RB Najee Harris seemingly takes shot at Pittsburgh after arriving in Los Angeles
Steelers lose their third free agent of the week to same team following departure of once-promising trade acquisition
The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Mike Williams from the New York Jets at the 2024 trade deadline. The move provided immediate dividends, as the Steelers won a game against the Washington Commanders thanks to a catch from Mike Williams in his first career game with the Steelers. Unfortunately, that was the highlight of his time in Pittsburgh ,and now he's headed back to where it all started... Chargers sign third former Steeler of the Week, WR Mike Williams "BREAKING: The Chargers are signing WR Mike Williams to a 1-year deal worth up to $6M as he returns to Los Angeles — where he spent the first seven years of his career, sources tell NFL on FOX. Williams is back catching passes from Justin Herbert." - Jordan Schultz, Fox Sports In case you missed the first two, Donte Jackson and Najee Harris headed to the West Coast earlier in the week. Jackson will be a bit of an acquired taste in Los Angeles and for HC Jim Harbaugh. After receiving him in a trade that sent Diontae Jackson packing, many were skeptical of trading for an often-injured corner who is smaller and slighter than what the Steelers normally covet. Najee Harris averaged less than four yards per carry during his time with the Steelers, and he never had that second gear that Pittsburgh saw at Alabama. However, Harris also never played with a good offensive line and was asked to be the bell cow for an offense that changed running schemes multiple times. And still, he reached over 1,000 yards and five-plus rushing TDs every year in Pittsburgh, all the while not missing a start, much less a game. Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh has a type at RB, and Najee Harris fits that type. A road grader with a ton of durability and power, he’s exactly what the Chargers want their lead back to look like. So it’s a move that brings Najee Harris back to his home state of California and brings the Los Angeles Chargers closer to being the offense they want to be: A smashmouth team that throws off play action. As for Mike Williams, the familiarity with the Chargers and the fact that the team still has a need at the WR position made this move easy to see coming.
Browns insider predicts trade with Giants, stunning QB move
The Cleveland Browns possess the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They are likely hoping that Miami's Cam Ward, the "consensus" No. 1 quarterback in this year's class, remains available after the Tennessee Titans make their selection with the first overall pick. However, Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand and NFL reporter Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com believe the Titans will take Ward with the draft's top pick. Thus, Grossi predicted in his latest mock draft that the Browns will trade their No. 2 selection to the New York Giants for pick No. 3 and choice No. 65 this year, along with a 2026 third-round pick. Grossi thinks this could result in the Giants taking Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders at No. 2 and the Browns landing Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart with the third pick. Following the NFL Scouting Combine, some speculated that the Browns could select Sanders with the second pick and that the Giants would "reach" for Dart at No. 3. Sanders has been linked with the Giants since at least December. Still, numerous reports revealed that some teams don't view him as a first-round prospect after he allegedly "hit the wrong notes in combine interviews." Perhaps there's reason to believe the Browns are one of those clubs. As of Thursday afternoon, the Giants and Browns continued to be mentioned as potential landing spots for veteran quarterbacks such as Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins, even though the Atlanta Falcons seem serious about not releasing Cousins anytime soon. Grossi wrote that "signing either Cousins or Wilson might be the clearest signal yet of the Browns taking a position player other than quarterback with their first pick," and ESPN's Field Yates thinks Cleveland could draft Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter over both Sanders and Dart. Interestingly, Dart's supposed rise in draft stock has coincided with Sanders sliding down the board in mock drafts. It's difficult to know what to believe during the draft process's "smokescreen season," but it's worth noting that NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY shared on March 5 that at least "one team source" had Dart ranked ahead of Sanders following the combine. It remains to be seen if the Browns or Giants would be bold enough to select Dart over Sanders with the second pick in the draft.
Toronto Maple Leafs Have a Serious Problem They Can't Ignore Anymore
The Toronto Maple Leafs are making a solid, though inconsistent push for a deep playoff run but one concerning factor needs to change if they want to succeed. It's not a good thing when you're 17 games away from the playoffs and there are still come major concerns about your offensive production. When led by a team of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander aren't coming out with an explosion of offence it starts to get worrying. The team has relied heavily on the 'Core Four' for the majority of their offensive outbursts in recent seasons, but they've had a bit of trouble scoring, at least at the rate they should. William Nylander has 36 goals, John Tavares has 27, Auston Matthews with 23, and Mitch Marner with 21. That's first, second, fourth and fifth in team scoring (goals) which isn't a good look for the bottom half (though that's an issue all season) but Matthews had 69 last season. Is he dealing with an injury? Has he lost his touch? No clue, but something isn't clicking with the captain. Yes he missed 15 games this season with injuries but at the end of the day, he needs to produce more and if he's hurt; get it looked at BEFORE the playoffs. Also, we're tired of the same stuff not working. What's the definition of insanity? Toronto needs to split up their roster. Mitch Marner deserves to run his own line, as does Auston Matthews and John Tavares. William Nylander is a much better one on one option and can fit in about any situation (except with Tavares, it's time to end that). Here's how the Maple Leafs could balance things out a bit more: Knies - Matthews - Domi Nylander - Laughton - Marner McMann - Tavares - Jarnkrok Lorentz - Kampf - Robertson Yes, it looks weird, it looks disjointed, but humor this lineup for a moment. Max Domi has historically played well with Auston Matthews, and gives him a reason to get the ball rolling (if he does what he did Thursday, that's huge) and gives them a chance to rekindle that chemistry. Scott Laughton bumps up to 2C alongside Marner and Nylander to provide a hybrid line of standout defense and incredible offense. Marner and Laughton are both playmakers, we know what Nylander can do, and the team's defense can allow the Swede to get more of his beloved breakaways. John Tavares gets a bit less pressure on his shoulders, and can bring a huge offensive punch to the bottom half of the lineup. He and Bobby McMann work well together, and Calle Jarnkrok is great defensively and provides some secondary offense as well. Nick Robertson hits the fourth line as the sparkplug alongside the rough and tumble Lorentz and the defensively minded Kampf. Each line can do damage, with a playmaker and scorer on each line. There's respectable to very solid defense throughout, and it allows a better flow come playoff time. These things will both allow Toronto to balance the lineup more, and give the 'Core Four' more of an opportunity to shine in their own ways. Bunching it all up hasn't worked. If they spread things a little thinner, maybe things will last longer in the postseason.
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