<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Derek-Jeter-Avisail-Garcia-Kyle-Schwarber.jpg"></figure><h1>RUMOR: Marlins chasing World Series champion’s big bat after Avisail Garcia signing</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-04T08:24:21-08:00">December 4th, 8:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-04T08:25:10-08:00">December 4th, 8:25am</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a freelance sports journalist and full-time editor for ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP, he's writing predictions across the European soccer and NBA world for bettors at Sports Betting Dime, one of the fastest-growing sports betting sites in North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Miami Marlins made their first big splash of the offseason, signing slugger Avisail Garcia to a multi-year deal. As the MLB lockout begins, they’re still preparing for their next move.</p><p><a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mlb/miami-marlins/article256235807.html">According to Craig Mish of The Miami Herald</a>, the Marlins are planning to make a run at 2016 World Series champion Kyle Schwarber, who split time with the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox in 2021.</p><p>Schwarber, who won a ring with the Cubs five years ago, had a pretty decent campaign last season, hitting .266 with 32 home runs and 71 RBI’s. He was a nice addition to the Red Sox at the deadline, helping them advance to the ALCS.</p><p>The Marlins are also keeping an eye on Nick Castellanos, but he’s likely too expensive for them,<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/reds-news-nick-castellanos-becomes-hottest-mlb-free-agents-opt-out-decision/"> despite having Miami roots</a>. As for Schwarber, he’ll be looking for around $60 million across three years, but it remains to be seen if Miami would be willing to pay that number for the former first-round pick.</p><p>Acquiring a starting outfielder is definitely a top priority for the Marlins, especially after bringing in Garcia to play center. Schwarber and Castellanos both play the corner outfield positions.</p><p>Another name that’s circled around the organization as a possible reinforcement is veteran Eddie Rosario, who became a postseason hero for the Atlanta Braves as they went on to win the World Series. His left-handed bat, experience, and formidable defense may come in handy.</p><p>In a nutshell, the Marlins will be doing everything imaginable to make sure their roster is a whole lot better once spring training rolls around. They almost hit the jackpot with Starling Marte, but he ultimately decided to take more money from the New York Mets.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RUMOR: Marlins chasing World Series champion’s big bat after Avisail Garcia signing

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Mets-Curtis-Granderson.jpeg"></figure><h1>Ex-Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson considered for manager</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T20:02:01-08:00">December 3rd, 8:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-03T20:02:01-08:00">December 3rd, 8:02pm</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Marist College '22 | Victor Cruz and RJ Barrett are my GOATs</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Mets are turning to a familiar face in the midst of their search for a new manager. Curtis Granderson is a candidate for the position, according to Robert Murray of Fansided.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Curtis Granderson is among the names under consideration for the New York Mets’ managerial opening, according to sources familiar with the situation.</p><p>— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1466972617815035906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 4, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Granderson spent four seasons with the Mets. He was one of the most important hitters on their 2015 National League Pennant-winning squad. The right fielder led the team in hits, bases on balls and on-base percentage and was second in home runs, OPS and slugging percentage. He was a strong playoff performer in the 2015 postseason, particularly in the <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2015_WS.shtml">World Series</a> where he hit three home runs in five games.</p><p>Overall, Granderson played for 16 years in the major leagues, earning three All-Star nominations and a Silver Slugger with the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees. He retired from baseball in 2019 and has no experience as a big-league manager.</p><p>Hiring a manager with no experience is the definition of a bold move, especially for a team that has playoff ambitions. If Granderson can connect well with the players then the Mets could have something special. But it could go wrong if Granderson finds himself outmatched as a tactician and motivator.</p><p>The Mets have interest in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-new-york-has-preliminary-interest-in-five-candidates-for-manager/">five names</a> for their manager search already, all of which have experience as a manager or coach. Now that the roster has been fortified with Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha, New York needs to find the guy to lead them all.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ex-Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson considered for manager

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Mets-Buck-Showalter-Brad-Ausmus.jpeg"></figure><h1>Mets have ‘preliminary interest’ in five candidates for manager</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T16:27:47-08:00">December 3rd, 4:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-03T16:27:47-08:00">December 3rd, 4:27pm</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Marist College '22 | Victor Cruz and RJ Barrett are my GOATs</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Mets’ search for a new manager is underway. After retooling their roster with some splashy acquisitions in free agency, the franchise is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-new-yorks-strategy-for-new-manager-search-revealed/">turning its attention</a> to searching for a skipper, and they could have interviewers in place as early as next week.</p><p>According to <a href="https://sny.tv/articles/mets-preliminary-list-of-managerial-candidates-martino">Andy Martino of SNY</a>, the Mets are showing “preliminary interest” in five names: Buck Showalter, Brad Ausmus, Joe Espada, Don Kelly and Matt Quatraro.</p><p>Showalter has the most experience as a manager, first becoming one in 1992. He won three Manager of the Year Awards in 20 years with four different teams (the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles) and has an all-time record of 1,551-1,517.</p><p>Ausmus had an 18-year career with four different teams as a big-league catcher, earning one All-Star nod and three Gold Gloves. He managed the Detroit Tigers from 2014 to 2017 and managed the Los Angeles Angels in 2019, posting a winning percentage of 48.6 percent across both stints.</p><p>Espada, the Houston Astros’ bench coach since 2018, played in the high levels of the minor leagues from 1996 to 2006. Martino reported that there is some “early buzz” around Espada, who has experience working with Mets general manager Billy Eppler when they were both working in the front office of the Yankees.</p><p>Kelly played in the major leagues as an outfielder for nine years, most of it with the Tigers, before retiring in 2016. He is currently the bench coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates and was formerly the first base coach for the Astros.</p><p>Quatraro has been with the Tampa Bay Rays since 2018, first as a third base coach and then as a bench coach. He spent four years as the Cleveland Guardians’ hitting coach and has experience as a minor league manager.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets have ‘preliminary interest’ in five candidates for manager

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Yankees-Gary-Sanchez.jpg"></figure><h1>2 reasons why the Yankees couldn’t give up on Gary Sanchez</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T12:21:59-08:00">December 3rd, 12:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-03T12:21:59-08:00">December 3rd, 12:21pm</time><address><a>Tim Capurso</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees recently announced that they had tendered the contract of catcher Gary Sanchez, effectively returning the backstop to the Bronx for another season. Sanchez’s career as a Yankee has been a roller coaster filled with crazy feats of strength at the plate as a hitter and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-gary-sanchez-costly-bonehead-play-gets-angry-reactions-from-fans/">mind-bogglingly bad</a> moments behind it as a defender. However, for all his warts, Sanchez was still one of the most talented prospects to come out of the Yankees system in quite some time. There are two reasons why the Yankees couldn’t give up on Sanchez and that talent.</p><p><b>Giving up On Sanchez Would Signal Another Organizational Failure </b></p><p>Think about it. The Yankees just had to stomach letting go of two guys who were in their organization for quite some time, Clint Frazier and Tyler Wade. No one was going crazy over Wade, but both he and Frazier were supposed to be contributors at the big-league level for the Yankees.</p><p>Neither player ever made good on the potential they showed, and a lot of the heat is being applied to the Yankees’ shortcomings as developers of talent. New York hasn’t been the best at identifying talent and drafting players- and when they do, the players the Yankees select either end up as trade bait or they fail to <i>get better </i>while moving up in the organization.</p><p>The Yankees couldn’t and <i>cannot </i>let that happen with Gary Sanchez. This is a guy who the Yankees <a href="https://nypost.com/2018/03/08/one-yankee-says-gary-sanchez-is-like-a-young-manny-ramirez/">touted</a> as one of their best hitters, a guy who they believed could hit .300 someday. Yankees fans are laughing at that sentence right now because Sanchez has never even sniffed a .300 batting average, aside from his 2017 campaign.</p><p>Can anyone honestly say that Sanchez has lived up to the hype that accompanied him after he burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2016? Sanchez has fallen short of expectations and some of that blame should go his way, but it’s also an organizational problem, a development problem.</p><p>Letting Sanchez go would require the Yankees to admit another organizational failure, something they didn’t want to do.</p><p><b>Sanchez’s Offense Is Worth It Compared To The Alternatives</b></p><p>Gary Sanchez is a below average defender. He has a strong arm but has been poor at blocking balls behind the plate and hasn’t graded favorably as a pitch framer. So, what does he do well?</p><p>Sanchez is one of the best offensive catchers in baseball when healthy. Per FanGraphs, Sanchez leads all catchers in home runs, is third in slugging percentage, fifth in RBI, and sixth in wOBA (Weighted On-Base Average) since the 2016 season.</p><p>Even with his subpar defense, that is a tremendous offensive advantage to have at a position where seldom few move the needle with the bat. Not only that, but the free agent market for catchers was incredibly thin this season, with few players drawing the Yankees’ interest.</p><p>The only sensible option over Sanchez would be someone like Willson Contreras of the Chicago Cubs- and there’s even some debate as to if that’s a clear upgrade for New York.</p><p>Look, Sanchez has and probably will continue to frustrate Yankees fans. But the Yankees couldn’t give up on his talent and admit failure. Plus, they couldn’t realistically envision any of the less-than-ideal free agent options moving the needle at the catcher spot.</p><p>That’s why Gary Sanchez will be back with the Yankees in 2022.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2 reasons why the Yankees couldn’t give up on Gary Sanchez

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IG-Model-Brittany-Renner-gives-speech-on-sliding-into-her-DMs-to-JSU-Tigers-thanks-to-Deion-Sanders.jpeg"></figure><h1>IG Model Brittany Renner gives speech on sliding into her DMs to JSU Tigers, thanks to Deion Sanders</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T11:14:38-08:00">December 3rd, 11:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-03T11:24:00-08:00">December 3rd, 11:24am</time><address><a>Karl Rasmussen</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NCAA Football</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-news-deion-sanders-drops-truth-bombs-on-unlikely-coaching-stint-at-jackson-state/">Jackson State Tigers head coach Deion Sanders</a> was looking for a unique way to send a message to his team, and he came up with just that. Sanders recruited famous Instagram model Brittany Renner to come and give a speech to the football team, and one of the focal points was the topic of sliding into her DM’s.</p><p>Renner’s speech, which was shared <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CXALcZtgLh9/">via Sanders’ Instagram account</a>, warned the Tigers’ players about the dangers that come with being a high-profile athlete.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CXALcZtgLh9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by COACH PRIME (@deionsanders)</a></p></div></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>In his caption, Sanders acknowledges that his approach is by no means standard, saying “The message may not be for everybody but trust me it’s for somebody.”</p><p>Sanders has shown during his time at Jackson State that he wants to do more than coach his players, but guide them to become better young men. Bringing Renner in for a chat with the squad was just one of his unique ways of achieving that.</p><p>Renner’s speech featured a ton of funny moments and had the team laughing and cheering along with Sanders. At one point, the model can be heard saying, “Honey, my DM’s are like a Nike store, there’s nothing but checks,” which prompted a hilarious reaction from Sanders. Renner goes on to encourage the athletes to figure out “who loves you for you.”</p><p>Renner is very popular on social media, boasting 4.6 million followers on Instagram. She is reportedly has a child with Charlotte Hornets forward P.J. Washington, though the pair have since <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hornets-news-brittany-renner-takes-shot-at-pj-washington-for-not-giving-her-100k-for-business-gets-trolled/">split up in what was a dramatic ordeal.</a></p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

IG Model Brittany Renner gives speech on sliding into her DMs to JSU Tigers, thanks to Deion Sanders

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Yankees-Masahiro-Tanaka-MLB.jpg"></figure><h1>Masahiro Tanaka makes final decision on return to Yankees in 2022</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T08:31:31-08:00">December 3rd, 8:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-03T11:03:25-08:00">December 3rd, 11:03am</time><address><a>Tim Capurso</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees were very involved in the Justin Verlander sweepstakes, as the club was clearly looking for a dependable No. 2 starter. There were <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanHoch/status/1455890604412518402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1455890604412518402%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fyanksgoyard.com%2F2021%2F11%2F08%2Fyankees-mlb-insider-weighs-potential-masahiro-tanaka-return%2F">some rumors</a> that Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, who went back to pitch in Japan last season, would return to the Yankees. Tanaka has made his final decision on where he’ll pitch in 2022.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Masahiro Tanaka Declines To Opt-Out, Will Pitch For Golden Eagles In 2022 <a href="https://t.co/byCkdIzn7c" target="_blank">https://t.co/byCkdIzn7c</a> <a href="https://t.co/Mrdya0AFyt" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/Mrdya0AFyt</a></p><p>— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) <a href="https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/status/1466796478890917892?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 3, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>So, Masahiro Tanaka will pitch in Japan in 2022. Tanaka’s contract with the Rakuten Golden Eagles contained an opt-out for the 2022 season, but Yahoo Japan reports that the 33-year-old will return to his native country, rather than possibly pitch for the Yankees.</p><p>Tanaka, who cited his level of comfort and safety in this country as one of the reasons he left the Yankees for Japan, was perhaps still of that same opinion.</p><p>Or maybe the MLB lockout and the uncertainty that would place over any potential <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-yankees-re-sign-three-key-players-for-2022-season/">contract talks</a> with the Yankees played a part in Tanaka’s decision.</p><p>It certainly wasn’t an issue of fit, as Tanaka and the <a href="http://fanatics.93n6tx.net/4egLon" rel="noopener">Yankees</a> were a great match for each other. The ace right-hander came to New York after signing a seven-year, $155 million deal. New York was never too big for Tanaka, who went 78-46 with a 3.74 ERA in 1,054 1/3 career innings across seven seasons.</p><p>A big-game pitcher, Tanaka rose to the occasion for New York in the postseason a few times, as evidenced by his career 3.33 ERA in 10 career playoff starts.</p><p>It’s sad news for the <a href="http://foco.vegb.net/yR4O93" rel="noopener">Yankees</a> and their fans, though Tanaka was always going to do what was best for he and his family, as he should have. Yankees fans and the MLB world wish Tanaka the best of success in 2022.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Masahiro Tanaka makes final decision on return to Yankees in 2022

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Astros-Justin-Verlander-MLB.jpg"></figure><h1>The great ‘mystery’ surrounding Justin Verlander’s new Astros deal with lockout underway</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T08:00:06-08:00">December 3rd, 8:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-03T08:00:06-08:00">December 3rd, 8:00am</time><address><a>Tim Capurso</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros signed starting pitcher Justin Verlander to a two-year, $50 million deal before the MLB lockout. However, MLB Network reporter Jon Heyman points out the great ‘mystery’ involved with the Verlander-Astros agreement amid the lockout.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This remains a mystery. No one has responded why Verlander deal wasn’t made official. <a href="https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@mlbtraderumors</a> points out Verlander isn’t listed on the Astros roster on <a href="https://t.co/cPHPZHdy07" target="_blank">https://t.co/cPHPZHdy07</a> The great pitcher remains a free agent and nothing can be finalized now until the lockout ends. <a href="https://t.co/yyuGsGvw3i" target="_blank">https://t.co/yyuGsGvw3i</a></p><p>— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1466784848249606150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 3, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>That is… interesting. Justin Verlander signed with the Astros but the deal still hasn’t been made official. Now, the two parties have to wait until the MLB agrees upon a new CBA for the deal to officially occur.</p><p>What’s particularly interesting is the fact that Verlander isn’t even listed on the Astros roster on MLB.com, as noted by Heyman. That means that Verlander, one of the prized starting pitchers available this offseason, is still technically a free agent.</p><p>That will make fans of teams like the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays, MLB teams that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-new-yorks-offer-to-justin-verlander-before-reuniting-with-astros-revealed/">were interested</a> in the services of Verlander, very happy.</p><p>Heyman also notes that no one has responded to his queries about the Verlander-Astros deal. This is a very fishy situation. It almost seems like Verlander is keeping his options open, or the Astros really weren’t as close to resigning him as they thought and prematurely released news about it.</p><p>Either way, the great Justin Verlander- Astros mystery is sure to be in the news if and when the MLB agrees upon a <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-lockout-everything-to-know-about-baseballs-first-work-stoppage-since-1994-95/#:~:text=In%20the%20sphere%20of%20Major%20League%20Baseball%2C%20a,on%20hold%2C%20a%20lockout%20also%20means%20no%20trades.">new CBA</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The great ‘mystery’ surrounding Justin Verlander’s new Astros deal with lockout underway

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/texas-rangers-even-after-all-that-spending-will-they-actually-improve.jpg"></figure><h1>Texas Rangers still have a long way to go, even after spending over $500 million in MLB free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T07:46:18-08:00">December 3rd, 7:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-03T07:47:39-08:00">December 3rd, 7:47am</time><address><a>Steve DiMatteo</a>Steve DiMatteo has covered baseball for the Associated Press, MLB.com, Sports on Earth, and a variety of other publications, and currently hosts the California Penal League Podcast, which can be found on &lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-penal-league/id1544819281"&gt;Apple Podcasts&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4IzpoxSYqUECyRpr5Bq6i4?si=lBZC_5QyTkyNiVEVpB7zZQ&amp;dl_branch=1"&gt;Spotify&lt;/a&gt;, and wherever else you get your podcasts. You can also &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/steve_dimatteo"&gt;follow him on Twitter here&lt;/a&gt;.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Texas Rangers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/four-reasons-rangers-are-crazy-for-giving-500-million-to-corey-seager-marcus-semien/" rel="noopener">have spent a truly absurd amount of money</a> in free agency so far this offseason, a record in fact. With more than $500 million now committed to free agents, including Marcus Semien, Jon Gray, Corey Seager and Kole Calhoun, the Rangers are looking to vastly improve upon their dismal 60-102 season.</p><p>The sick thing is the Rangers might not even be done (well, at least when the lockout is over — whenever that is), as they’ve been connected to Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson (good luck making that happen within the division) and apparently the entire Cincinnati Reds pitching staff (Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, or Tyler Mahle) in potential trade talks.</p><p>So the Rangers are trying to skip their rebuilding phase altogether and start contending in the now-loaded AL West. But how much better will they actually be?</p><p>As things are currently constructed, probably not much.</p><p>Though Gray does help improve the Rangers’ pitching staff, the rest of it is effectively in shambles. The Rangers had a 4.79 team ERA last season — third-worst in the American League — and their best pitcher by a mile, Kyle Gibson, was shipped off to Philadelphia at the trade deadline. Jordan Lyles (5.15 ERA), Mike Foltynewicz (5.44 ERA), Kolby Allard (5.41 ERA), Dane Dunning (4.51 ERA) and Taylor Hearn (4.66 ERA in 11 starts and 42 total appearances) all collectively had a rough go of it in 2021.</p><p>The good news is that there will be plenty of turnover in 2022. Lyles has since signed with the Baltimore Orioles and Foltynewicz is a free agent. Texas could also find some relief in the form of Cole Winn, who was the Rangers’ first-round pick in the 2018 draft and has already ascended to Triple-A. In 86 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last season, Winn sported a 2.41 ERA with 107 strikeouts and ultimately looks projected to slot in near the top of the rotation.</p><p>Then, of course, there is Gray, who the Rangers signed away from the Colorado Rockies to the tune of a four-year, $56 million contract. Gray has shown flashes in the past, most recently in a solid 2019 season, but the 30-year-old’s career 4.59 ERA (with a higher career ERA away from Coors Field) should temper expectations. Over time, he should fill the middle of the rotation as the Rangers continue looking for a true ace. Will that be Jack Leiter in a few years? Texas sure hopes so.</p><p>All of this is not something any team can come back from in just one or two seasons. Pitching numbers that grotesque are a top-to-bottom systemic issue, and it takes time to rebuild a pitching staff almost entirely from scratch.</p><p>And this isn’t even mentioning the offensive side of things. The Rangers had the lowest OPS in the majors last year at .670. Adding Seager, Semien and Calhoun will surely help, but it will take years to rebuild one of baseball’s worst offenses — and that’s if everything goes right.</p><p>As for the rest of the AL West, it’s pretty darn good. The Houston Astros remain, well, the Astros, while the Mariners made a big free-agent splash of their own, signing reigning AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to a five-year deal (and they don’t look to be done spending, either). The Angels are always in the hunt as they desperately look for more pitching themselves. Long story short, it’s going to be a long, uphill climb for Texas.</p><p>So will the Rangers be better in 2022? No doubt — it would be nearly impossible to be worse. The good news for them is that they likely found the bottom and are making moves that should help them begin to build a core that can compete a few years down the road. They might even be able to sniff the playoffs sooner than later thanks to a potential expansion of the playoff field.</p><p>But there are no doubt going to be plenty of lean years ahead.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Texas Rangers still have a long way to go, even after spending over $500 million in MLB free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Padres-Nick-Castellanos-Fernando-Tatis-Jr.jpeg"></figure><h1>Padres’ pursuit of All-Star outfielder interrupted by MLB lockout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-02T18:17:23-08:00">December 2nd, 6:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-02T18:17:23-08:00">December 2nd, 6:17pm</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Marist College '22 | Victor Cruz and RJ Barrett are my GOATs</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres wasted their massive amount of talent last season. Superstar shortstop Ferando Tatis Jr. had an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-padres-star-fernando-tatis-jr-tops-all-mlb-list/">MVP-caliber season</a> but it wasn’t enough to even get the Padres a winning record.</p><p>San Diego already needed to make some big moves this offseason, and that was before losing closing pitcher Mark Melancon to their division rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks, in free agency. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Padres showed strong interest in All-Star right fielder Nick Castellanos before the MLB lockout ensued.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padres?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Padres</a> showing strong interest in free agent outfielder Nick Castellanos but nothing imminent with pending lockout.</p><p>— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1466202840733564930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The 29-year-old Castellanos had the best season of his career in 2021, posting an OPS of .939 and hitting 34 home runs, which tied for <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2021-batting-leaders.shtml">seventh-most</a> in the National League. He received an All-Star nomination and a Silver Slugger Award, each the first of his career.</p><p>Last season, the Padres offense posted a below-average slugging percentage. Castellanos may not be able to replicate what he did last season but he could still provide some help by occupying one of the corner outfield spots. He could possibly take 33-year-old Tommy Pham’s spot in the outfield and move Wil Meyers to left field.</p><p>The main issue with Castellanos is that he is a weak defender. He is also bad at drawing walks. The Padres will have to seriously weigh the one season he showed as a great slugger with those weaknesses before signing him to a large contract.</p><p>It’s unclear when Castellanos will get the chance to hit drives into deep left field again, or if San Diego will continue to pursue him once the lockout gets resolved. But his hitting skills would be a big help for the Padres.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ pursuit of All-Star outfielder interrupted by MLB lockout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Mets-Max-Scherzer-Steve-Cohen.jpeg"></figure><h1>Mets’ strategy and timeline for hiring new manager, revealed</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-02T17:31:57-08:00">December 2nd, 5:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-02T17:31:57-08:00">December 2nd, 5:31pm</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Marist College '22 | Victor Cruz and RJ Barrett are my GOATs</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Mets lost several key players in free agency this offseason. But they were one of the biggest spenders, making arguably the biggest splash by signing <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-max-scherzer-reveals-steve-cohens-refreshing-message-that-drew-him-to-new-york/">superstar pitcher Max Scherzer</a>. They also bolstered their outfield with Starling Marte and Mark Canha and added All-Star infielder Eduardo Escobar.</p><p>Still, New York has a huge hole to fill in their manager spot. They have yet to find a replacement after letting Luis Rojas go after two seasons at the helm. According to <a href="https://sny.tv/articles/mlb-insider-explains-mets-managerial-search-baseball-night-in-ny">SNY’s Andy Martino</a>, their search for a new manager took a back seat to free agency.</p><blockquote>“Basically, they’re at square zero, square 0.5. They haven’t begun the process yet,” Marino said. “It was a very intense focus on player acquisitions until this deadline of the lockout. Today was actually occupied in figuring out how to be an organization during the lockout. There’s a lot of things that the Mets have to figure out — what they can say to the press, who they can talk to, what they can do.”“But obviously, [general manager Billy Eppler] has his ideas, [team president Sandy Alderson] has his ideas. I’m sure [team owner] Steve Cohen has some ideas, or at least questions. And really, over the next couple days, they’re gonna get more serious about having these conversations, getting a list together. The earliest we probably see an interview would be next week. But at this point, since they have little else to do and can’t make any trades or sign any players, next week sounds like a realistic time to actually start these interviews.”</blockquote><p>The Mets went 77-85 last season and lost a few of their key pitchers to free agency. Adding Scherzer to the rotation alongside Jacob deGrom is a hugely impactful move, but New York still has needs to address.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets’ strategy and timeline for hiring new manager, revealed

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Marcus-Stroman-Cubs-Mets.jpg"></figure><h1>Marcus Stroman’s heartfelt message to Mets after signing with the Cubs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-02T10:21:23-08:00">December 2nd, 10:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-02T10:22:44-08:00">December 2nd, 10:22am</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a freelance sports journalist and full-time editor for ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP, he's writing predictions across the European soccer and NBA world for bettors at Sports Betting Dime, one of the fastest-growing sports betting sites in North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-chicago-in-serious-talks-with-free-agent-pitcher-marcus-stroman/">The Chicago Cubs signed Marcus Stroman to a 3-year, $71 million deal</a> on Wednesday, which ended his three-year tenure with the New York Mets. While he did clash with fans and even the front office over the last week after he sent out a few brutally honest tweets, Stroman still loved his time with the Mets and<a href="https://twitter.com/STR0/status/1466464545648439298"> he expressed it on Thursday:</a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">HUGE THANK YOU to the <a href="https://twitter.com/Mets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Mets</a> and the city of New York for the last few years! Created some friendships that will last forever. Thank you to the staff and coaches for always helping me prepare to the highest degree. Nothing but love to all the fans who supported us through it all!</p><p>— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) <a href="https://twitter.com/STR0/status/1466464545648439298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The right-hander was one of New York’s most reliable arms across the last few seasons, but 2021 was arguably his best year after sitting out 2020 due to the pandemic. Stroman made 33 starts, posting a 10-13 record and 3.03 ERA, proving to be one of the best starters in the National League.</p><p>The Mets evidently chose to go in a different direction, despite Stroman voicing his desire to return to the team. They went out and signed Max Scherzer to a mega-deal which now gives them a scary 1-2 punch of Mad Max and Jacob deGrom. NY is also still looking to bolster their rotation with another arm, but those negotiations have come to a halt because of the MLB lockout.</p><p>The Cubs however will be very pleased to be getting Stroman. Chicago basically blew up their roster at the trade deadline and will be looking to speed up this rebuild. The former Duke standout can be a top of the line starter for Joe Maddon’s squad and has already voiced how excited he is to pitch at Wrigley Field:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">New kid can totally sit with us at lunch 👍 <a href="https://twitter.com/STR0?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@STR0</a> <a href="https://t.co/3Ow9R0dCFg" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/3Ow9R0dCFg</a></p><p>— Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCubs/status/1466246363977555971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Mets fans also loved Stroman. He will be missed and it’s clear the veteran has nothing but love for the city.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Marcus Stroman’s heartfelt message to Mets after signing with the Cubs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/response-to-petty-lockout-move.jpeg"></figure><h1>MLB stars’ hilarious response to petty lockout move</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-02T09:52:46-08:00">December 2nd, 9:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-02T11:17:18-08:00">December 2nd, 11:17am</time><address><a>Karl Rasmussen</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-rob-manfred-drops-8-word-truth-bomb-on-lockout/">MLB is officially in a lockout</a> after the owners and the Players’ Association <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-rob-manfred-mlbpa-trade-barbs-as-lockout-begins/">failed to come to terms on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement</a>. Thus, free agency is on hold, players are no longer allowed to work out at their team’s facilities, and effectively, the league is on pause.</p><p>Well, in a rather bizarre move, MLB removed all of the player images from its website, and all of the team’s websites, replacing them with a generic grey silhouette in the shape of a baseball player.</p><p>Players began to take notice of the change and had a hilarious response of their own. Multiple MLB stars took to social media and changed their Twitter avatars to the grey silhouette, taking a not-so-subtle shot at Rob Manfred and the league.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">MLB’s website removed player photos from roster pages because of the lockout. </p><p>In response, some players are changing their profile pics. <a href="https://t.co/kCvDOoW9kt" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/kCvDOoW9kt</a></p><p>— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/BRWalkoff/status/1466455565375197187?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Among the initial players to alter their avatars were Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito, Seattle Mariners slugger Mitch Haniger, New York Mets right-hander Taijuan Walker, and San Diego Padres hurler Joe Musgrove, and many more began following suit.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="und"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewProfilePic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#NewProfilePic</a> <a href="https://t.co/monyD2CDeL" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/monyD2CDeL</a></p><p>— Joe Musgrove (@itsFatherJoe44) <a href="https://twitter.com/itsFatherJoe44/status/1466427501626941440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>This marks the first time Major League Baseball has undergone a lockout since the 1990 season and it seems as if players are not pleased by the lack of progress made between the two sides. The 1990 lockout did not result in the cancellation of any regular-season games. However, the two previous lockouts, in 1981 and 1972 respectively, both resulted in games being canceled.</p><p>It’s unclear whether or not the length of the 2022 season will be impacted by the lockout, or if the two sides will iron out their differences before long.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB stars’ hilarious response to petty lockout move

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MLB-Rob-Manfred.jpg"></figure><h1>Rob Manfred drops 8-word truth bomb on lockout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-02T08:19:47-08:00">December 2nd, 8:19am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-02T08:21:20-08:00">December 2nd, 8:21am</time><address><a>Tim Capurso</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The MLB has entered a lockout, the first of its kind in 26 years. Commissioner Rob Manfred <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-rob-manfred-mlbpa-trade-barbs-as-lockout-begins/">took shots</a> at the Player’s Association in a letter to the fans earlier Thursday morning. He later spoke point-blank about the lockout, offering an eight-word truth bomb on what it means for baseball.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Manfred on lockout: “It’s not a good thing for the sport. It’s not something that we undertake lightly. We understand it’s bad for our business. We took it out of a desire to drive the process forward to an agreement now.” Said MLB didn’t sense urgency, wanted to apply pressure.</p><p>— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) <a href="https://twitter.com/chelsea_janes/status/1466423646835073039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Manfred may not have approached this situation in the best way possible, but he is right about one thing. The lockout is very bad for the MLB. Neither the owners, who make millions of dollars and want more in revenue, or the players, who make millions of dollars and want more in salary, are going to come out of this <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/why-is-there-an-mlb-lockout-and-what-does-it-mean-for-baseball/ar-AARoarl?ocid=uxbndlbing">lockout</a> looking good.</p><p>To make matters worse for Manfred, the MLB seems to be falling behind its counterparts, at least in terms of fan interest. Add that waning interest to a work stoppage and it’s a potential recipe for disaster for the MLB.</p><p>Thinking about this MLB lockout in <i>those </i>terms, it makes sense why Manfred and the MLB would push for a lockout this early. It applies some pressure to the Player’s Association and players, who want nothing more than to take the field come April.</p><p>However, if the players don’t budge and there are no signs of an agreement, then Rob Manfred and the MLB will be in for some bad business for quite some time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rob Manfred drops 8-word truth bomb on lockout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Red-Sox-Hunter-Renfroe-Jackie-Bradley-Jr..jpg"></figure><h1>Red Sox trade Hunter Renfroe to Brewers to get back Jackie Bradley Jr. right before lockout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-02T06:24:37-08:00">December 2nd, 6:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-02T06:59:57-08:00">December 2nd, 6:59am</time><address><a>Tim Capurso</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The MLB lockout began early Thursday morning, with no free agent or trade acquisitions allowed to be made during the work stoppage. The Boston Red Sox swung a <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32767308/boston-red-sox-send-hunter-renfroe-milwaukee-brewers-jackie-bradley-jr-two-prospects">last-minute trade</a> right before the lockout began, sending outfielder Hunter Renfroe to the Milwaukee Brewers for postseason hero Jackie Bradley Jr.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jackie Bradley Jr. is headed back to the Boston Red Sox in the deal for Hunter Renfroe.</p><p>— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1466264438609043456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Nothing like a good old-fashioned buzzer-beater of a trade right before the MLB lockout. Nicely done by the Red Sox and Brewers here. In all seriousness, this is a good trade for both sides, with Hunter Renfroe and Jackie Bradley Jr. fitting in well with their new respective teams.</p><p>Renfroe was a very underrated part of a strong Red Sox team, as he posted the second 30-homer season of his career while driving in a career-best 96 runs for Boston. Renfroe should help to solidify the middle of the Milwaukee order, which got a bit thinner after the departures of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/marlins-rumors-miami-seeking-another-big-bat-after-landing-avisail-garcia/">Avisail Garcia,</a> who enjoyed a breakout year, and Eduardo Escobar, who left for the New York Mets.</p><p>As for the Red Sox, they’ll get back a postseason hero in Jackie Bradley Jr., who won the 2018 American League Championship game MVP as Boston cruised to a World Series title, in return for Renfroe. Bradley is a below-average bat but continues to be one of the best center fielders in the MLB, rating 12 runs above average in the field, per MLB Trade Rumors.</p><p>The swap of Renfroe for Bradley could be one of those rare trades that works out for both the Red Sox and Brewers. And it happened right at the buzzer before the work stoppage.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Red Sox trade Hunter Renfroe to Brewers to get back Jackie Bradley Jr. right before lockout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MLB-Rob-Manfred-MLBPA-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Rob Manfred, MLBPA trade barbs as lockout begins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-02T05:37:26-08:00">December 2nd, 5:37am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-02T05:56:26-08:00">December 2nd, 5:56am</time><address><a>Tim Capurso</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The MLB <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-mlb-lockout-imminent-as-talks-come-to-abrupt-end/">lockout</a>, the league’s first work stoppage in 26 years, began early Thursday morning as the CBA expired with no new deal in place. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred released a letter to fans explaining the state of affairs, though the letter contained some barbs directed at the MLBPA, who responded in turn with some criticisms of their own.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Read a letter from the Commissioner: <a href="https://t.co/P4gRGSlfsu" target="_blank">https://t.co/P4gRGSlfsu</a> <a href="https://t.co/zI40uGLTni" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/zI40uGLTni</a></p><p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1466274904433696775?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is not-so-subtly explaining to baseball fans why the lockout was necessary because of the actions of the players and the MLBPA while basically pledging his full support for the owners. For someone who desires compromise, a strongly worded letter bashing the MLBPA is probably not a great start from the leader of the sport.</p><p>And the MLBPA didn’t hesitate in responding to Manfred.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Statement from the Major League Baseball Players Association: <a href="https://t.co/34uIGf762W" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/34uIGf762W</a></p><p>— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBPA_News/status/1466275975474421761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>“Fair to all parties” means mostly fair to the players, whose main gripe, among others, seems to be with how clubs and MLB owners can use the minor league service time rules to their advantage so as not to pay players large contracts. Is that fair to the players?</p><p>Maybe not, but one can bet that public perception of the MLBPA and players likely won’t be great after over a billion dollars were doled out to free agents during the early portion of the MLB offseason, as pointed out by Manfred.</p><p>Regardless of who is right, both the MLBPA, Rob Manfred and the owners are coming out swinging in a lockout that <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1466293816319565826">doesn’t seem near a compromise</a> at the moment.</p><p>MLB fans just hope that it doesn’t threaten the start of the season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rob Manfred, MLBPA trade barbs as lockout begins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MLB-news-Carlos-Correa-agent-reveals-teams-he_s-heard-from.jpeg"></figure><h1>Carlos Correa agent reveals teams he’s heard from</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-01T19:49:34-08:00">December 1st, 7:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-02T09:00:16-08:00">December 2nd, 9:00am</time><address><a>Jon Conahan</a>Penn State 22'</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/1466236399292719105">Mark Berman, of Fox 26 Houston,</a> got an inside scoop on who has reached out to Carlos Correa and his agent.</p><p>According to Berman, Correa’s agent has heard from the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and the Atlanta Braves.</p><p>It would make sense for all of these teams to go out and get the best shortstop left on the market. Although Correa is going to come at a hefty price, he is well worth everything he is asking for.</p><p>Let’s take a look at how Correa can improve each of these teams.</p><p><b>Yankees</b></p><p>It’s obvious that the New York Yankees are at the top of the list for teams who need an elite shortstop. If the Yankees want to compete for a World Series, they need to start spending money like the Yankees used to.</p><p>Although there has been some bad blood between Correa and the Yankees, they need to forget about everything that happened and go sign the best possible player on the market. If the Yankees can sign Correa, they will be much better than a season ago.</p><p>The Yankees have not had an elite shortstop since Derek Jeter. There’s no reason to not have the bad guy come in and be the face of the franchise next to Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole.</p><p><b>Dodgers</b></p><p>The Dodgers are looking to do this because they lost Corey Seager to the Texas Rangers. The Dodgers aren’t necessarily a team that needs to go out and get Correa. They already have an All-Star in Trea Turner. As everybody knows, the Dodgers like to spend money more than anybody else in the MLB. If there is a free agent out on the market that they feel can improve their team, they’re going to do everything they can to get him. He is also another one who has bad blood with the Dodgers, possibly even worse than the Yankees.</p><p>At the end of the day, if a team wants to win a World Series, they need the best players in baseball. He’s not a necessity for this Dodgers team like he is for the Yankees, but he is somebody who can help their ballclub.</p><p><b>Red Sox</b></p><p>This is an interesting one for the Red Sox, but they could move Xander Bogaerts to second base. Xander is not one of the better defensive players in the MLB, so moving him over to second might give him more value.</p><p>The Red Sox lost in the American League Championship Series a season ago to the Houston Astros. Boston is already one of the best offensive teams in all of baseball. Adding Correa would make their lineup almost unstoppable.</p><p>It could be a good fit as Boston will definitely welcome the Yankee villain. Boston is another team that is not afraid to spend money. It could help their team defensively as Correa is one of, if not, the best defensive shortstop in all of baseball.</p><p><b>Braves</b></p><p>This one could come as a surprise to some people, but it makes sense. If the Braves were to not sign Freddie Freeman, they need a first baseman. Whether the first baseman is Jorge Soler or All-Star Austin Riley. If they did this, they can still keep Ozzie Albie’s at second base, Dansby Swanson at shortstop, and possibly move Carlos Correa to third base. He clearly has the arm strength to be able to play third, so it makes sense that they would put him at the hot corner.</p><p>It would be a very interesting decision from the Braves’ standpoint to let go of their franchise star Freddie Freeman, after winning a World Series title a season ago. Freeman isn’t even asking for that much money. It should be a no-brainer that the Braves give him the money he wants.</p><p><b>Cubs</b></p><p>Correa to the Cubs doesn’t make much sense. They are in no way, shape, or form, ready to contend for a World Series title. Them wasting $350-plus million on one player would make no sense from an organizational standpoint. With all that money, the Cubs can go out and get nine players who are more than serviceable to help them compete now. They <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-chicago-in-serious-talks-with-free-agent-pitcher-marcus-stroman/">signed</a> Marcus Stroman on Wednesday, which shows that they do want to add some pieces to try to contend in the near future.</p><p>Correa would definitely help them, but it would not be smart to spend that much money on one guy.</p><p>Whatever team he decides to go to, the team is getting arguably the best shortstop in baseball. Many people do not like his antics, but at the end of the day, teams want to win, and Carlos Correa has done that his entire career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Carlos Correa agent reveals teams he’s heard from

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MLB-news-Mets-Angels-and-Padres-among-teams-interested-in-Kris-Bryant-thumbnail.jpeg"></figure><h1>Mets, Angels, Padres among MLB teams interested in star slugger Kris Bryant</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-01T16:58:03-08:00">December 1st, 4:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-01T16:58:35-08:00">December 1st, 4:58pm</time><address><a>Karl Rasmussen</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Many of the big-name MLB free agents have already decided where they will be playing ball in 2022, but there are still a handful of marquee players remaining on the open market. One of the best bats yet to sign with a new club is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockies-rumors-colorado-interested-in-kris-bryant-amid-trevor-story-talks/">free-agent third baseman Kris Bryant</a>.</p><p>According to <a href="https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1466201498375929858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1466201498375929858%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">MLB insider Jon Heyman</a>, with the MLB lockout rapidly approaching, the market for Bryant has begun to gather steam. Heyman reports that the Mets, Angels and Padres have all expressed interest in the veteran corner infielder, while the Astros, Mariners, Rockies, and Phillies have all checked in with the 29-year-old.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mets, Angels and Padres are among many teams to have shown interest in star free agent Kris Bryant, whose marketing is now percolating, Mariners, Phillies, Rockies, Astros among others who have checked in.</p><p>— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1466201498375929858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Among all the teams interested in Bryant, none are overly surprising. The Mets have been one of the biggest spenders in the offseason thus far, and both the Angels and Padres are seeking out the piece they need to be true contenders in 2022.</p><p>While the Rockies seem to be torn between a full-on rebuild and the pipe dream that is their World Series hopes for this season, the Mariners, Phillies and Astros could all be serious threats in October if they’re able to land Bryant.</p><p>Bryant played his entire career as a member of the Chicago Cubs until he was traded by the organization at the deadline. He was acquired by the San Francisco Giants and played a key role in the team’s big second half and NL West title. In 2021, Bryant slashed .265/.353/.451 with 25 home runs, 73 RBI, and 10 steals.</p><p>The four-time All-Star enjoyed his best season in 2016, when he was named the National League MVP after he hit 39 home runs and drove in 102 runs while logging a .939 OPS.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets, Angels, Padres among MLB teams interested in star slugger Kris Bryant

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/LaMarr-Hoyt-White-Sox-Padres.jpeg"></figure><h1>Former MLB pitcher LaMarr Hoyt passes away at 66 years old</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-01T16:17:59-08:00">December 1st, 4:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-01T16:17:59-08:00">December 1st, 4:17pm</time><address><a>Katie Francis</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former White Sox and Padres pitcher LaMarr Hoyt passed away on Monday after battling a longterm illness. The baseball community is mourning the loss of Hoyt, who pitched in the MLB from 1979 to 1986.</p><p>Hoyt had his most successful career during his time with the Chicago White Sox. He pitched for Chicago from 1979 to 1984. In this time, Hoyt became a highly decorated pitcher. He was the AL wins leader in 1982 and 1983, won the AL Cy Young Award in 1983, and was an All-Star in 1985.</p><p>The White Sox <a href="https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1466105810480685079?s=20">sent their condolences</a> to Hoyt’s family and friends on Twitter Wednesday afternoon.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The White Sox send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of LaMarr Hoyt, who passed away on Monday in Columbia, S.C. following a lengthy illness. The 1983 A.L. Cy Young Award winner was 66.</p><p>— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) <a href="https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1466105810480685079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Most recently, Hoyt pitched for the San Diego Padres. He finished his career with the Padres from 1985 to 1986. The Padres <a href="https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1466105810480685079?s=20">posted</a> about the loss to Twitter, as well as their condolences:</p><blockquote>“The Padres mourn the loss of former AL Cy Young winner and NL All-Star LaMarr Hoyt. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Padres mourn the loss of former AL Cy Young winner and NL All-Star LaMarr Hoyt.</p><p>Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time. <a href="https://t.co/6S1LbfP9hb" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/6S1LbfP9hb</a></p><p>— San Diego Padres (@Padres) <a href="https://twitter.com/Padres/status/1466132546467426304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Hoyt made his mark on the MLB during his time in the league. Along with his multiple awards and accomplishments in Chicago, his records are impressive. His career win-loss record is well above 0.500 at 98-68, with 681 total strikeouts.</p><p>This tragic news in Major League Baseball is followed up by news of a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-mlb-lockout-imminent-as-talks-come-to-abrupt-end/">probable league lockout</a>.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Former MLB pitcher LaMarr Hoyt passes away at 66 years old

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MLB-news-Major-League-Baseball-lockout-imminent-as-talks-come-to-abrupt-end-thumbnail.jpeg"></figure><h1>MLB lockout imminent as talks come to abrupt end</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-01T15:49:07-08:00">December 1st, 3:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-01T15:49:07-08:00">December 1st, 3:49pm</time><address><a>Kendall Capps</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There have been talks about a possible lockout from the Major League Baseball owners for a while now. Well, it became much clearer Wednesday that that is exactly what is going to happen. The MLB Owners met with the top Players Union officials <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1466130558011031559">for seven minutes before talks broke down and everyone left.</a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">After a seven-minute meeting with top union officials, MLB negotiators are leaving the hotel where bargaining has taken place. It’s unclear whether they’ll return. And if they don’t, that could be the last discussion before a lockout.</p><p>— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1466130558011031559?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Leaders from both sides met once again at the Four Seasons Dallas at Las Colinas. At the end of the seven minute meeting, the head of the Players Union was told talks were off for the day. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-rob-manfred-addresses-potential-lockout-with-nearing-cba-deadline/" rel="noopener">Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire at midnight, Wednesday night. </a></p><p>This was the end of three days of negotiations between the sides. Ultimately, they never appeared close to a deal, prompting the owners to walk out.</p><p>This all comes amid a furious free agency period that saw big name players moving teams all of over the league. During the free agency frenzy in recent days, teams had guaranteed over $1.6 billion to players this off season.</p><p>Of course, the potential lockout comes down to economics. One of the key sticking points was the competitive balance tax. The Union had initially proposed a threshold of $248 million and had reduced that number to $245 million. Owners had moved their offer from $210 million to $214 million. This is the tax that kicks in for owners if they are essentially trying to buy championship players.</p><p>It may seem counter productive, but players want that number to be higher so owners will feel more inclined to pay the players more money.</p><p><a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32764835/major-league-baseball-lockout-appears-imminent-negotiations-end-abruptly">ESPN’s Jeff Passan also broke down</a> one of the other key sticking points that was shot down Wednesday.</p><blockquote>In the seven-minute session, the union rejected a proposal by the league to drop certain issues — including any change of the six-year reserve before a player can reach free agency — from discussions.</blockquote><p>It appears we are headed toward a certain lockout. That would be MLB’s 9th work stoppage in the history of the league and the first since the Player’s Strike in 1994-1995.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB lockout imminent as talks come to abrupt end

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Chicago-in-_serious-talks_-with-free-agent-pitcher-Marcus-Stroman.jpeg"></figure><h1>Cubs sign free-agent pitcher Marcus Stroman</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-01T15:31:19-08:00">December 1st, 3:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-01T16:08:00-08:00">December 1st, 4:08pm</time><address><a>Karl Rasmussen</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the impending MLB lockout merely hours away, teams are hard at work trying to finalize some last-minute deals before transactions are frozen. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/mlb/chicago-cubs/roster">Chicago Cubs</a> are one of the team’s reportedly looking to make a move before the buzzer, as they look to beef up a roster that they tore apart at the deadline.</p><p>It was reported on Wednesday that the Cubs were in “serious talks” with free-agent starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, and it looks as if the two sides have come to terms on a deal. Stroman took to Twitter to announce the deal himself, showcasing his excitement about heading to his new team.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="es">CHICAGO! <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Cubs</a></p><p>— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) <a href="https://twitter.com/STR0/status/1466193605878501376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Stroman had a successful 2021 campaign with the New York Mets, logging a 10-13 record, with 158 strikeouts, and an impressive 3.02 ERA across 33 starts. It was a big year for the 30-year-old, who had opted out of playing in the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign.</p><p>Stroman was acquired by the Mets at the trade deadline in 2019 in a swap with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Duke University product spent the first six years of his career in Toronto before being dealt to the Amazins.</p><p>While the Cubs seem far off from contention, Stroman could be a reasonable bridge to Chicago’s starters of the future. Clearly, he doesn’t seem too worried about the project they’re building in the Windy City, as he was fired up to announce his decision to join the organization.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chicago has always been one of my favorite cities. Culture and passion everywhere. Beyond excited to pitch in front one of the best fan bases in all of sports. Thank you to everyone in the city for the warm welcome. I can feel it. Let’s get to work! <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Cubs</a></p><p>— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) <a href="https://twitter.com/STR0/status/1466194831680618502?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p> </p><p>Stroman has started 173 games throughout his career, logging a career record of 61-60, with a solid 3.63 ERA. He’s fanned 853 batters across 1,028 innings on the mound. He made his lone All-Star appearance in 2019 with the Blue Jays, just prior to being offloaded to the Mets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs sign free-agent pitcher Marcus Stroman

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Sixers-Thunder-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-Ben-Simmons.jpeg"></figure><h1>RUMOR: Sixers’ front office has discussed Ben Simmons, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade with Thunder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T18:11:55-08:00">December 3rd, 6:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-03T18:11:55-08:00">December 3rd, 6:11pm</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Marist College '22 | Victor Cruz and RJ Barrett are my GOATs</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia 76ers have not fared too well without Ben Simmons this season. The absence of Simmons and several other injuries to key players, including a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sixers-news-joel-embiid-grim-update-on-post-covid-struggles/">case of COVID-19 for Joel Embiid,</a> has caused the Sixers to post a .500 record through 22 games.</p><p>Without the stout defensive talents of Simmons alongside Embiid, Philadelphia’s defense has dipped to the <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2022.html#advanced-team::11">18th-most efficient in the league</a> and their offense hasn’t been able to make up for it. The trade market is mostly dry right now but the Sixers look to be in serious need of a true second star.</p><p>According to ClutchPoints’ Dave Early, the Sixers have discussed the possibility of swapping Simmons with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The scoring abilities of the 23-year-old wing would make him a terrific fit with Embiid and the Sixers.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Have heard that the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sixers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Sixers</a> recently held internal talks about acquiring Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a potential Ben Simmons swap. OKC is also a key team to watch as a facilitator in a potential multiteam deal. <br>Nothing likely, just something to watch.</p><p>— DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidEarly/status/1466840805709070339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 3, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Thunder have no real motivation to trade away Shai, as they just inked him to a long-term contract and have no other serious scoring threats besides him. Still, Sam Presti isn’t one to say no to obtaining extra draft picks, and Philly has some in both the first and second rounds they could offer. Simmons is also a more accomplished young star than Gilgeous-Alexander is.</p><p>Aside from Gilgeous-Alexander, the best hope the Sixers have at making an upgrade is trading for Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum. With the Portland Trail Blazers not yet showing any sign of an impending fire sale any time soon, Philadelphia’s options are slim.</p><p>Prying Gilgeous-Alexander away from Oklahoma City would give the Sixers a young star to work with. It could cost them a few picks in addition to Simmons to land him, but his talents would make it worthwhile.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RUMOR: Sixers’ front office has discussed Ben Simmons, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade with Thunder

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Paul-George-Reggie-Jackson-Eric-Bledsoe-LeBron-James-Anthony-Davis-Russell-Westbrook-Clippers-Lakers.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Tyronn Lue makes surprising Clippers lineup change for game vs. LeBron James, Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T18:17:32-08:00">December 3rd, 6:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-03T18:18:24-08:00">December 3rd, 6:18pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LOS ANGELES – The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/clippers/" rel="noopener">LA Clippers</a> come into Friday night’s showdown against <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/lebron-james/" rel="noopener">LeBron James</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/lakers/" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Lakers</a> having lost seven of their last 10 games. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/tyronn-lue" rel="noopener">Tyronn Lue</a> has seen enough. </p><p>Ahead of Friday’s game, Lue revealed a chance in the starting lineup: Reggie Jackson, Paul George, Marcus Morris, Serge Ibaka, and Ivica Zubac.</p><p>That’s right, the Clippers are going big and pulled Eric Bledsoe from the starting unit against the Lakers.</p><p>With Paul George out due to rest on Wednesday vs. the Sacramento Kings, Lue ran a different starting lineup, starting Bledsoe with Jackson, Morris, Ibaka, and Zubac.</p><p>“I thought we got off to a decent start,” Lue said of the big lineup he started for the first time all year Wednesday. “Got off to a good start, was up 10 or 12 at some point and then in that third quarter they really hurt us. I thought they got out in transition, we turned the basketball over, and we couldn’t get back so the start was pretty good. We just gotta continue to build off that.”</p><p>Friday’s game was supposed to be a lighter challenge with LeBron James ruled out, but he’s since cleared NBA protocols and will play. The change in James’ status likely played a factor in the Clippers wanting to, one, match the Lakers size, and two, add more shooting in the starting lineup.</p><p>“LeBron at any position is a problem,” <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1466952428733931524?s=20" rel="noopener">Tyronn Lue added on the Lakers star</a>. “When they go small and put him at the center, that’s kind of funky. When they put him at the center, now you got a five man who can roll, you can’t switch onto him, but also when he rolls, they hit him in the short roll, he can make the plays and the passes to get guys open shots so it does cause a problem.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"LeBron at any position is a problem. When they put him at the center, now you got a five man who can roll, you can't switch onto him, but also when he rolls, they hit him in the short roll, he can make the plays and the passes to get guys open shots."</p><p>Ty Lue on LeBron James <a href="https://t.co/vF2arr5CHD" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/vF2arr5CHD</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1466952428733931524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 4, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Tyronn Lue also said wanting to keep the bench trio of Terance Mann, Luke Kennard, and Isaiah Hartenstein played a part in wanting to start Ibaka, but now the team will get its first look at Bledsoe with the second unit.</p><p>The Lakers have won three of their last four games and have been playing much better of late, so Friday’s showdown should be fun. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Tyronn Lue makes surprising Clippers lineup change for game vs. LeBron James, Lakers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Day63.00.10.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Andre Iguodala drops truth bomb on ‘stopping’ Lakers star LeBron James</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T20:12:59-08:00">December 3rd, 8:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-04T09:28:10-08:00">December 4th, 9:28am</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala has had plenty of battles with Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, and if there’s one thing he has learned throughout those showdowns, it’s the fact that King James can’t be stopped.</p><p>However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to guard LeBron.</p><p>During his appearance on <a href="https://twitter.com/TheVolumeSports/status/1466459651558440961" rel="noopener">The Draymond Green Show</a>, Iguodala shared how Andrew Wiggins approached him to ask for tips on stopping the Lakers leader. His answer is simple: you can’t.</p><blockquote>“I gave him some pointers. Like, it’s really not about stopping him because you can’t. It’s about beating him to the spot when he gets there. That starts when [Stephen Curry] shoots. So as soon as Steph shot the ball, I would be looking for LeBron like, ‘All right. Where is he at? At what point attack will he be taking the ball out of bounds?’ That’s the first thing that went on my mind,” the Warriors swingman explained, via <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/andrew-wiggins-asked-andre-iguodala-183221842.html" rel="noopener">Yahoo Sports</a>.</blockquote><p>It’s not hard to see where Andre Iguodala is coming from. After all, everyone knows the Lakers star is a freak athlete. It’s even safe to say LeBron James is the most complete player to step on the court. He can shoot, rebound, pass and defend all at an elite level, thanks to his basketball IQ and sheer athleticism.</p><p>Even at age 36, he continues to be a difficult player to defend, using his basketball smarts to consistently beat his defenders night in and night out. While he has been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/injuries" rel="noopener">riddled with injuries</a> and COVID-19 this season, LeBron has certainly impressed in the games he played in with the Lakers.</p><p>He may no longer be the same superhuman everyone knows, but Iguodala’s comments still rings true to this day. If you want to guard LeBron James and make life hard for him, don’t try to “stop” him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Andre Iguodala drops truth bomb on ‘stopping’ Lakers star LeBron James

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Warriors-news-Klay-Thompson_s-hilarious-roast-of-Jonathan-Kuminga-during-IG-Live-on-boat.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Warriors star Klay Thompson’s hilarious roast of Jonathan Kuminga during IG Live on boat</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T14:25:21-08:00">December 3rd, 2:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-03T14:25:21-08:00">December 3rd, 2:25pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Klay Thompson is back on his boat and doing IG Live. However, as it appears, he doesn’t want his healthy Golden State Warriors teammates like Jonathan Kuminga watching him.</p><p>Apparently, Kuminga jumped into Thompson’s <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1466882266857148427" rel="noopener">IG live on Friday</a>–perhaps in a show of support to his veteran teammate. Nonetheless, he received nothing but roasting from the other half of the Splash Bros. as Thompson told him to get out of his live.</p><blockquote>“JK get off my live!” Thompson exclaimed. “…Kuminga get in the gym.”</blockquote><p>Sorry, rook! Klay Thompson is a bit strict when it comes to practice. He basically doesn’t want his Warriors teammates wasting time on his little show when they can work out on their game instead.</p><p>Besides, Thompson knows the Warriors are in  a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-steve-kerr-savage-reaction-to-klay-thompson-championship-or-bust-remark/" rel="noopener">“championship or bust” season</a>, so he needs everyone on the Dubs to keep their eyes on the prize and not on their phones.</p><p>The 31-year-old sharpshooter is expected to return this December, with previous reports pointing to a comeback some time in the week of Christmas. His return to play is expected to give Golden State a massive boost, especially as they remain one of the best teams in the NBA at 18-3–only behind the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the West and the league.</p><p>When he is fully practicing with the Warriors, here’s to hoping Klay lets Jonathan Kuminga join his IG Live.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Klay tells Kuminga to get off his IG Live and "get in the gym" 😂</p><p>[via <a href="https://twitter.com/KlayThompson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@KlayThompson</a> / IG] <a href="https://t.co/W4B0RywQnP" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/W4B0RywQnP</a></p><p>— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1466882266857148427?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 3, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Warriors star Klay Thompson’s hilarious roast of Jonathan Kuminga during IG Live on boat

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Warriors-news-Klay-Thompson_s-latest-boat-IG-Live-session-features-call-for-NBA-to-return-to-Seattle-1.jpeg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Klay Thompson gives update on his return while driving his boat</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-12-03T14:53:12-08:00">December 3rd, 2:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-12-03T14:53:12-08:00">December 3rd, 2:53pm</time><address><a>Justin Bell</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has not played in an NBA game in almost two and a half years, but according to him, <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1466877162066223107">that is about to change</a>. The former finals MVP and three-time NBA champion can be seen casually driving his boat–which he has been on quite a bit recently– but this time, he is talking about his return to the court, which has been a long time coming since he first injured his knee on June 13, 2019. Since then, Thompson also tore his Achilles which delayed his return even further. Alas, all that time could be coming to an end by the end of the year, according to the man himself.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Klay says "it's hard to gauge" when he'll be back, but hopefully in the next few weeks or a month</p><p>[via <a href="https://twitter.com/KlayThompson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@KlayThompson</a> / IG] <a href="https://t.co/AlctOadChj" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/AlctOadChj</a></p><p>— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1466877162066223107?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">December 3, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While it may be “hard to gauge” when Thompson will be returning, the same cannot be said about his Warriors team. Golden State is very easy to gauge; they are one of the best teams in the NBA right now and currently have the best record in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-klay-thompsons-latest-boat-ig-live-session-features-call-for-nba-to-return-to-seattle/">NBA</a> without Thompson. When Klay returns, this season could have the makings of yet another Golden State title run.</p><p>Just in case you forgot, Thompson is a five-time all-star who is one of the best shooters of all time and a great defender. Even though he has never made an all-NBA first-team defensive unit, he has been on the second team once and the third team twice. Putting him next to Draymond Green and Stephen Curry in the Warriors’ starting unit is the perfect fit and we are all about to see the Golden State puzzle back together soon, get your popcorn ready.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Latest MLB News