Mike Gianakos Articles - Page 7

The Los Angeles Angels’ infield is banged up as the team prepares for the season opener. Starting shortstop Zach Neto is still recovering from shoulder surgery with no timeline for his return to the lineup. Third baseman Anthony Rendon underwent hip surgery and is out indefinitely. And his replacement at the hot corner, Yoan Moncada […]

The Philadelphia Phillies finished with a 95-67 record in 2024, winning the NL East for the first time in 13 years. This season the Phillies are considered one of the biggest threats to the Dodgers’ World Series hopes, as the team boasts an excellent, deep rotation and All-Star-caliber players throughout the lineup. Although Kyle Tucker […]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is entering the final year of his contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. While most teams would have prioritized retaining a superstar player entering his prime, the Blue Jays failed to extend Guerrero during the offseason. But despite the team’s poor handling of the situation, a deal could still get done. Jim […]

The Cincinnati Bengals entered the offseason with major question marks around three of their star players. The Bengals surprised many in the NFL when they re-signed both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to four-year extensions. But Trey Hendrickson’s future with the team remains up in the air. With negotiations for a new contract at a […]

The moment star right fielder Juan Soto signed with the Mets in free agency this offseason, the New York Yankees realized they were facing an uphill battle in their quest to return to the World Series. Since then a spate of injuries has decimated the Yankees’ rotation and significantly weakened the team. Although New York […]

The Texas Rangers are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 season, as the team missed the playoffs after winning the World Series the previous year. Rangers’ veteran ace Jacob deGrom is healthy to start the season and the team also boasts exciting young pitching prospects Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker in the rotation. […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers are still waiting to find out who will start at quarterback for the team in 2025. The Steelers have a contract offer on the table for Aaron Rodgers but the veteran passer is taking his time deciding on his next NFL home. Should Rodgers choose Pittsburgh, he’ll have a little more protection […]

The Kansas City Royals reached the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons last year. Royals fans have renewed hope in the team thanks in large part to rising star Bobby Witt Jr. In 2024, he became the only shortstop in baseball history with multiple 30/30 seasons. And expectations are even higher in 2025 […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off the 2025 MLB season in Japan, where the team dominated the Chicago Cubs in the two-game Tokyo Series. But the Dodgers were forced to start their season without Mookie Betts. The star shortstop was scratched from the series due to a mysterious illness. Nearly a week later Betts is […]

Juan Soto’s Yankees career was brief but memorable. After the San Diego Padres traded Soto to New York prior to the 2024 season, he helped lead the Bronx Bombers to the World Series. Along the way Soto made his fourth career All-Star Game, won his fifth Silver Slugger Award, finished third in AL MVP voting […]

The Cincinnati Bengals surprised many in the NFL world when the team inked both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to massive, four-year extensions. And since the signings, the Bengals have been feeling themselves, taking a victory lap after one of the offseason’s biggest moves. Chase agreed to a $161 million deal that makes him the […]

The New York Jets admitted defeat after the 2024 season. The team’s overly optimistic self-assessment of being just a quarterback away from competing for a championship was shattered by organizational dysfunction and poor play. When the new season kicks off in September, New York will have a new head coach, new general manager and new […]

The Tennessee Titans hold the top pick in the upcoming NFL draft after a 3-14 finish in the 2024 season. While the team has played their draft strategy pretty close to the vest, Tennessee has increasingly shown signs of its interest in Cam Ward. The Titans sent a major signal when they brought a massive […]

Jayden Daniels had a memorable debut season with the Washington Commanders, leading the team to the NFC Championship Game and taking home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. During some downtime in the offseason, Daniels attended USC’s matchup against UNC Greensboro in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. However, after the Trojans […]

One week before their season opener against the San Diego Padres, the Atlanta Braves signed Alex Verdugo to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. Although the veteran outfielder was coming off the worst season of his career in 2024, his poor showing in free agency surprised many observers. Throughout his career, Verdugo has been, for the […]

The Philadelphia Phillies boast a strong starting rotation in 2025 as new addition Jesus Luzardo is slotted in between staff ace Zack Wheeler and dependable veteran Aaron Nola. The team also has high hopes for its fifth starter. However, Ranger Suarez’s sore back is jeopardizing his availability for the start of the season. Suarez first […]

The San Diego Padres had the best record in baseball over the second half of the 2024 season. The Padres’ post-All-Star Game stretch helped them secure the top Wild Card berth in the National League and the team reached the NLCS, where they suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Dodgers. San Diego is gearing up […]

The Chicago White Sox are preparing for the 2025 season tasked with GM Chris Getz’ incredibly underwhelming mandate to win more games than last year. Of course, the White Sox only won 41 games in 2024 as the team set the record for the most losses in a season with 121. Unfortunately, Getz’s laughably low […]

Juan Soto was the subject of a bidding war this offseason as teams vied for the four-time All-Star’s services. In the end, the New York Mets landed Soto on a massive 15-year, $765 million contract. But in the ninth inning of Thursday’s Grapefruit League matchup against the Washington Nationals, the coveted right fielder was just […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the offseason on a mission to find an offensive playmaker. The Steelers were able to land DK Metcalf in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, finally adding a WR1 opposite George Pickens. Once Metcalf was in Pittsburgh the team signed him to a five-year, $150 million extension. However, in the NFL, […]

Last season the Atlanta Braves learned you can never have too much depth, as their roster was decimated by injuries. With that in mind, the Braves signed Alex Verdugo, taking a shot on the former New York Yankees left fielder with a one-year, $1.5 million deal. Verdugo had strangely not received much interest as a […]

In an offseason filled with unprecedented free agent signings, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ acquisition of Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki stood out. The hype surrounding the 23-year-old sensation is palpable and he quickly became the favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year honors. But after one MLB start, the odds have changed. Washington Nationals […]

The Toronto Blue Jays have been unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension with star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. this offseason. The two sides failed to find common ground after the Blue Jays’ most recent offer, causing negotiations to come to a halt. But despite the impasse, team president Mark Shapiro predicted […]

The Arizona Diamondback made a surprise run to the World Series in 2023, ultimately losing to the Texas Rangers 4-1. After missing out on the playoffs last season, the Diamondbacks bolstered their starting rotation, landing prized free agent Corbin Burns on a six-year, $210 million contract. But despite adding one of baseball’s best pitchers this […]

Aaron Rodgers has drawn serious interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants this offseason. The veteran quarterback has standing offers to join the teams and both the Steelers and Giants are willing to wait as Rodgers takes his time deciding on his NFL future. But should the 41-year-old quarterback decide that he’s […]

The Seattle Seahawks will be nearly unrecognizable when they take the field in 2025. The team has been overhauled this offseason with several longtime members of the organization traded or released. Even quarterback Geno Smith was shipped to the Raiders as Seahawks made a concerted effort to trim their salary cap. On Wednesday, Seattle made […]

After a number of twists and turns and months of negotiations, the Cincinnati Bengals re-signed Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term extensions. And now that the deals are done, the Bengals are feeling themselves. In a recent post, Cincinnati wrote, “Actions speak louder” and included a montage of various football take havers including Stephen […]

The New England Patriots beefed up their defense this offseason, improving all three levels with headline grabbing contracts. But the Patriots failed to add talent on the other side of the ball, as new head coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged the team whiffed on offensive free agents. Now that the initial free agency frenzy has ended, […]

After missing significant time since joining the Texas Rangers two years ago, Jacob deGrom is looking to return to form in 2025. The two-time Cy Young winner was off to a great start with an excellent spring training debut. However, his second Cactus League outing didn’t go quite as smoothly. deGrom took the mound against […]

The New York Mets had a busy offseason as the team made a splash in free agency. After a surprise run to the NLCS in 2024, the Mets bolstered the roster by signing star right fielder Juan Soto to a $765 million contract that should keep him in New York for the rest of his […]

The New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers are vying for the services of Aaron Rodgers. The future Hall of Famer has standing offers from the Giants and Steelers, but he’s taken his time choosing his next NFL home. While Rodgers is contemplative by nature, the lengthy free agency decision is partly due to the […]

The Cleveland Browns need a quarterback. The team is attempting to transition away from Deshaun Watson despite his massive contract. And Watson’s Achilles recovery setback this offseason will help Cleveland usher in a new QB era. While Russell Wilson is the Browns’ top choice to take over under center, they’re developing an unexpected backup plan. […]

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes burst onto the scene in 2024. One year after dominating college baseball at LSU, Skenes was mowing down hitters in the majors with his sizzling triple digit four-seam fastball and devastating splinker. The sensational debut earned Skenes NL Rookie of the Year honors and a third-place finish in Cy Young […]

The Atlanta Falcons are rostering a highly-paid, aging quarterback who was benched for poor play last season while recovering from an Achilles injury. But for some reason, the team isn’t all that motivated to move him. The Falcons have not been engaging in trade talks for Kirk Cousins this offseason despite several teams being in […]

The Minnesota Vikings have been linked to Aaron Rodgers since Sam Darnold left the team for the Seahawks in free agency. While the Vikings would likely be Rodgers’ first choice, as the team offers him the best opportunity to get to the Super Bowl in the next two years, it’s still unknown how serious Minnesota […]

Lance McCullers Jr. reached a remarkable milestone in his quest to return to a Major League mound. In a moment 868 days in the making, McCullers threw a pitch for the Houston Astros. It was his first game action since the 2022 World Series. And his former teammates showed their support by reaching out before […]

The Cincinnati Bengals kept the core of the NFL’s top passing offense together as the team re-signed Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to contract extensions. While it appeared that negotiations were at a standstill, an agreement was reached Sunday that will keep the two wideouts in Cincinnati for four more years. The Bengals’ decision to […]

The New York Yankees appeared to lose Paul Goldschmidt to injury when he was forced to leave a spring training game early on Monday. But New York received a rare bit of positive injury-related news in the latest update regarding the veteran first baseman. While Goldschmidt received treatment on Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone expects him […]

Aaron Rodgers has drawn interest from multiple teams this offseason. The veteran quarterback currently has standing contract offers from the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants. But Rodgers is taking his time deciding on his next team, angering some NFL reporters with his slow process. However, fellow NFL insider Jay Glazer has come to […]