Top MLB Prospects Who Could Be Prizes of 2019 Blockbuster Trades

The 2019 Major League Baseball trade deadline won’t be all about brand-name veterans. Some of the league’s best prospects might also change hands ahead of July 31.buy nfl jerseys

We’ve pointed to eight specific young talents who are worth keeping an eye on as potential trade chips in blockbuster deals. In some cases, this is strictly speculative. Others, however, have already appeared in trade rumors either in the past or more recently.16acb22b07bdbe21c71008a9c44e24aa_crop_exact

Although they’re still neck-and-neck with the Chicago Cubs in the race for first place in the National League Central, the Milwaukee Brewers have gone just 10-10 in June.official nfl jerseys

The Brewers’ slide is happening largely because their insistence on carrying a low-risk starting rotation is finally backfiring. Their starters have an MLB-worst 6.59 ERA for the month.womens nfl jerseys

If the Brewers are going to seek a substantial fix for this problem on the trade market, they might have to ready themselves to part with 19-year-old shortstop Brice Turang.

Milwaukee drafted Turang out of Santiago High School with the No. 21 overall pick just last year. He’s since demonstrated an outstanding hit tool with a .291 average and .395 on-base percentage at the low levels of the minors. He’s also a plus runner with the goods to stick at shortstop.nfl nike jerseys

There are questions about Turang’s power potential, however, and it’ll be several more years before he’s ready for the majors anyway. He’s therefore far more expendable than Milwaukee’s top prospect, 22-year-old infielder Keston Hiura.

Elsewhere in the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals’ own much-maligned starting rotation has turned a corner with a 3.42 ERA in June. nfl jerseys for sale

Yet the Cardinals must be careful about concluding that their rotation’s struggles (e.g., with a 4.48 ERA) through the first two months of 2019 are a thing of the past. Their rotation might not necessarily need depth, but Miles Mikolas’ regression does point to a need for a reliable ace.

As long as the NL Central lead remains reasonably in sight, this is where the Cardinals might be comfortable trading Dylan Carlson.

The 20-year-old outfielder isn’t as well regarded as third baseman Nolan Gorman, but his stock is rising by way of an offensive breakout for Double-A Springfield. Through 70 games, he’s slashing .280/.363/.493 with 31 extra-base hits. He also boasts an arm that’s racked up 32 assists in four seasons.authentic nfl jersey

But since Carlson is at best an average runner, he profiles more as a corner outfielder than a center fielder. He’s looking up at a somewhat crowded depth chart at those spots, so the Cardinals may conclude that he works better as a trade chip than as a long-term building block.free nfl jerseys

Erik Gonzalez, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates

Stats: 56 PA, .208/.296/.292, 3 XBH, 2 RBI, 6 BB, 12 K

Potential Replacement: Cole Tucker nike nfl jerseys sale

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Erik Gonzalez from the Cleveland Indians during the offseason and handed him the starting shortstop job out of spring training. As a career .263 hitter with a sub-.300 on-base percentage and a 79 OPS+ in 275 big league plate appearances, little was expected from his bat.nfl authentic jerseys china

However, his defense was viewed as good enough to take the hit offensively, with the thought being he could still provide positive value with steady glovework at a premium position.

So far, he’s produced zero DRS and a minus-13.9 UZR/150.hi-res-15eaaa1e4b33a811ce827514b829aa5b_crop_exact

Those below-average defensive metrics, coupled with his offensive ineptitude, have made him a minus-0.2-WAR player in the early going.

And the peripherals provide little hope his offensive game will turn around. Among 193 qualified hitters leaguewide, he ranks second in soft-contact rate (34.2 percent) and 192nd in hard-contact rate (18.4 percent).cheap personalized nfl jerseys

Meanwhile, shortstop prospect Cole Tucker is hitting .340/.426/.547 with six extra-base hits in 12 games at Triple-A Indianapolis.

It’s only a matter of time.

Stats: 69 PA, .129/.203/.161, 2 XBH, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 13 K

Potential Replacement: Dawel Lugo

Veteran Josh Harrison looked like an excellent low-cost addition to the Detroit Tigers, both on the field and in the clubhouse when he was signed to a one-year, $2 million deal in February.

“He’s a positive person, a leader who has proven himself at this level. He’s another guy who can help improve our situation this year, and maybe beyond,” manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters during spring training. “He helps us not only as a player on the field, but he’s a teacher. nfl jerseys official If we’re going to have some young players on the field, he can help them, too.”

Unfortunately, the early returns have been less than encouraging, as his .nfl best jerseys 364 OPS ranks dead last among 193 qualified hitters.

For a rebuilding Tigers team, keeping Harrison around in a utility role makes sense, as his value stretches beyond his on-field production.

However, it might now be worth it to consider giving someone else the bulk of the playing time.buy nfl jerseys online

Prospect Dawel Lugo has a chance to be the long-term answer at second base, authentic nfl jerseys from china and the 24-year-old is off to a hot start at Triple-A, hitting .333/.412/.533 with six extra-base hits in 12 games.

Houston Rockets’ Dominant Start to Playoffs Is Worse for Utah Jazz Than It Seems

From the first time James Harden had the ball in Sunday’s 122-90 win over the Utah Jazz, it was clear he’d face the gimmicky defense the Milwaukee Bucks threw at him in the regular season.nike nfl jerseys from china

Ricky Rubio basically sat on his left shoulder. He wasn’t just trying to take that direction away from Harden. He was all but begging him to go right, as seen in this tweet from NBC’s Brody Logan:

Even in a 32-point drubbing, several things went right for the Jazz.womens nfl jersey

They more than doubled Houston’s attempts from the line (27 to 12).best price nfl jerseys
They had Harden somewhat contained.hi-res-456a6e27becfb7f564abbac73092b47a_crop_north
Ricky Rubio went 5-of-11 for 15 points.
Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 12 rebounds on 8-of-10 shooting.

That first bullet point could become a trend—the Jazz actually topped the Rockets in both free-throw attempts and free-throw-attempt rate this season—but it’s not likely to be that lopsided.

The huge disparity had a lot to do with Harden only getting to the line three times. In Houston’s gentlemen’s sweep of Utah last season, he took 8.6 free throws per game. Good luck keeping him off the stripe.

As for Rubio, his numbers are encouraging but maybe a bit of a mirage. He was more efficient than usual and scored a few more points than his season average. But Houston will live with Rubio jumpers all series.nfl jerseys women

The Rockets will stay home on Gobert’s rolls to the rim and hug up on Donovan Mitchell whenever Rubio has the ball. Letting either of them get loose would be far more damaging than a solid game from the pass-first point guard.

And then there’s Gobert. Individually, he was great. Last year, he was fine, too. In the five-game series against Houston, he averaged 12.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks while shooting 71.4 percent from the field.

But Utah was minus-19.0 points per 100 possessions when Gobert was on the floor in that series—the worst net rating of any player on the team, according to NBA.com. Sunday, he was a team-worst minus-23.the authentic nfl jerseys

Houston may have figured out the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.official nfl nike jerseys

Playing Derrick Favors more at the 5 might help. His net rating against Houston last postseason was still comfortably in the red, but minus-9.3 is better than minus-19.0. On Sunday, he was the only Jazz player with a positive plus-minus.where to get nfl jerseys

He’s a bit more switchable on the perimeter than Gobert, but this honestly might just be grasping at straws. The Rockets will still funnel him plenty of the same pick-your-poison scenarios as the one seen above.nfl jerseys china nike

And again, this all happened on a night during which Harden was relatively contained. Things can go better for the Rockets than they did Sunday, especially when he clicks.clearance nfl jerseys

“I’ve literally seen every strategy defensively teams can possibly do,” Harden said during the postgame press conference.nfl jersey for sale

This is likely more of an off night than any sort of solution Utah has discovered. And that’s terrifying for anyone in Houston’s path.

NBA Power Rankings: Final Regular-Season Edition Entering 2019 Playoffs

For our final regular-season edition of NBA power rankings, we’re still considering each team’s record, advanced metrics and health. real nike nfl jerseys Though it may seem like all it should take to organize the 30 teams into an order reflective of the league’s hierarchy is a glance at the standings, we know that’s not true.nike nfl jerseys on sale

Some teams stumbled into the postseason, while others surged late to secure a seed. Even those in the lottery aren’t necessarily as good or bad as their final record shows.

Recent play, then, still matters. Weighing the last few weeks against a team’s full-season numbers is the only way to get an accurate picture of where each team ranks right now. And, as a point of clarification, this week’s games barely matter at all because, with seeding largely decided, many teams rested their stars.where can i buy authentic nfl jerseys

Just like that, the 2018-19 NBA regular season is over.

If you blinked, you missed it.where to buy nfl jerseyhi-res-a429ab91c3f54ebb65b5473d4a12cc03_crop_north

30. New York Knicks (30)buy nfl jerseys from china

It seemed like every other Mitchell Robinson highlight this year featured the swat-happy rookie blocking a three-point attempt. No surprise: He set the NBA record in that statistic.

The Knicks finished 2018-19 with the worst record and lowest offensive efficiency in the league. They spent more time at No. 30 in our rankings than any other team. But hey, at least they have a rookie center worth watching.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers (29)

It feels right that Cleveland surrendered 124 points to the Hornets in its final game of the season on Tuesday. That loss, the Cavs’ 10th in a row, is exactly how you’d expect the team with the worst defensive rating in league history to go out.china nfl jerseys nike

On the plus side, Larry Nance Jr. quietly developed playmaking chops and a serviceable three-point shot this season. Even more encouraging, Collin Sexton dramatically altered his shot profile for the better over the final two months of the year, swapping out mid-rangers for threes and layups.women nfl jersey

Finally, Cedi Osman leaves you with this: a strong metaphor for the Cavs’ 2018-19 season.women’s authentic nfl jerseys

Calipari seals lifetime deal to finish career at UK

The NCAA tournament set up nearly perfectly for NBA draft evaluation, as a huge number of first-round prospects advanced to the Sweet 16. This set the stage for a series of high-profile games in which players faced arguably the highest level of competition in their careers with huge stakes.nfl jerseys cheap jerseys

Considering the small sample size of the college season –china nfl jerseys cheap  and how infrequently scouts get to watch elite prospects matching up against players with NBA-caliber length and athleticism — it seems foolish to cover your eyes and throw tournament performances out the window (like some suggest because of past overreactions).

Kentucky has agreed to a contract extension with head coach John Calipari that will see him finish out his career with the Wildcats, a school official told ESPN. The deal would be a combination of a head-coaching extension and a paid role as an ambassador after his retirement.i

“We can confirm that the University of Kentucky has agreed to terms on a long-term contract with Coach Calipari to finish his career at Kentucky,” a school spokesperson said.

Calipari also confirmed the news on his radio show.

“It has nothing to do with the other stuff … people call every year,” he said. “They presented it to me and I appreciate it.”

“Where else would I want to coach?” he added.
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Calipari, whose current contract at Kentucky runs through 2024, is the highest-paid basketball coach in the country, with total compensation of $9.2 million this year, according to the USA Today Sports database. He also receives a reported retention bonus of $2.6 million in each of the next three Julys.

Kentucky went 30-7 this season, earning a 2-seed in the NCAA tournament and advancing to the Elite Eight before losing to Auburn 77-71 on Sunday.nfl nike jersey

Calipari has been to four Final Fours with Kentucky,nfl jerseys nike  in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015, winning the national where can i get nfl jerseys cheap hampionship in 2012. The loss to Auburn marked the third season in a row the Wildcats have advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament but fallen short of the Final Four.

Calipari, 60, has a 305-71 record at Kentucky and official lifetime record of 708-209. He has led his teams to the NCAA tournament 20 times in 27 seasons, with four official Final Fours and one title.authentic nfl jersey cheap

Calipari has twice taken teams to the Final Four only to have the wins vacated by the NCAA. His 2007-08 Memphis team, which lost to Kansas in the title game, was forced to vacate all 38 wins from the season, including five NCAA tournament wins, because star player Derrick Rose’s SAT scores were invalidated. Calipari’s UMass team’s Final Four appearance in 1996 was erased after it was determined star player Marcus Camby had accepted money from two sports agents.nfl jersey store

American League Central

Chicago White Sox: RHP James Shields

The Chicago White Sox are clearly a year or more away from contention in the American League Central, despite their stable of young talent. They employ the 36-year-old James Shields, a useful pitcher for a contender but a disposable asset for a rebuilding squad.nfl online store

The ChiSox won’t be able to command a king’s ransom for Shields, who owns a 4.53 ERA. The veteran posted a 3.38 ERA in May and a 3.82 ERA in June, however, and has extensive postseason experience with the Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals.

Chicago won’t net any blue chips for Shields, but a contender looking for back-of-the-rotation buttressing will answer the phone.

Cleveland Indians: 3B Nolan Jones

The Cleveland Indians ought to run away with the AL Central without any additions. At the same time, they could add to a bullpen that ranks 28th in baseball with a 5.13 ERA.

Enter a move for the Padres’ Hand, the Baltimore Orioles’ Zach Britton or any number of other late-innings arms.

The Tribe should resist dealing catcher and top prospect Francisco Mejia or right-hander Triston McKenzie but could leverage Singe-A third baseman Nolan Jones to strengthen a squad that hasn’t hoisted a Commissioner’s Trophy since 1948.

Detroit Tigers: SS Jose Iglesias

The Detroit Tigers are in unambiguous rebuild mode even after a decent start. Shortstop Jose Iglesias is a pending free agent who’s hitting .272 and would be a solid role player for multiple buyers.

The 28-year-old won’t light the world on fire, but he hit .304 in June and could add depth for clubs such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals.

Kansas City Royals: 3B Mike Moustakas nike nfl store

The last-place Royals have already traded outfielder Jon Jay to the Diamondbacks and swapped reliever Kelvin Herrera to the Washington Nationals.

Next up could be third baseman Mike Moustakas, who has 17 home runs in 86 games and could interest contenders from the Atlanta Braves to the Cardinals with his combination of pop and postseason experience.

The 29-year-old would also be a minimal obligation with a $15 million mutual option and $1 million buyout left on his contract.wholesale nfl

Minnesota Twins: 2B Brian Dozier authentic nfl football

The Minnesota Twins lost 103 games in 2016 and won the American League’s second wild-card berth in 2017. This year, they’re stuck somewhere in the middle.

Yes, Minnesota could contend in the anything-goes AL Central, but more realistically, the small-market Twins should stock up for next season.

As such, they could move second baseman Brian Dozier, who’s hitting only .223 but boasts 18 doubles and 13 home runs and has drawn interest from the Dodgers, per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan.

Dozier would be a rental, but his power pedigree from the middle infield will elicit a look-see from virtually every contender.nfl store online

Cincinnati Bengals

Key assistants: Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, offensive line coach Frank Pollack

Lewis is a respected defensive mind whose defenses have almost always been strong in Cincinnati, and he deserves credit for getting to the playoffs in seven of his 15 seasons as the Bengals’ head coach. However, he’s failed to win a playoff game in a decade-and-a-half there, and he’s won just 13 total games the last two seasons with a talented team. nike jersey nfl cheap

Among six head coaches who have been in their current roles at least 10 years, Lewis is the only one without a Super Bowl victory, let alone a playoff win.

At Head Coach Ranking, only Jackson ranked lower in terms of clock management, while only Jackson, Chuck Pagano and Steve Spagnuolo ranked lower when it came to in-game adjustments.

Lazor’s offense performed terribly last season and didn’t fare much better when he held the same title in Miami. There are high expectations for Austin, but he didn’t exactly put together championship defenses in Detroit. cheap youth nfl jerseys

They do get a little credit for recently stealing the well-reputed Pollack from the Cowboys, but that doesn’t make this a good staff.

Head coach: Adam Gase (16-16)youth nfl jerseys cheap

Key assistants: Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, defensive coordinator Matt Burke

Gase’s offenses performed exceptionally well in Denver, but that was with Peyton Manning under center.
And the Bears ranked in the bottom dozen in terms of scoring and yardage during his only season there. He does deserve some love for getting a strong run out of quarterback Ryan Tannehill before injuries cost the veteran the end of his 2016 campaign and all of 2017, but the Miami offense still ranked poorly both seasons.youth nfl jerseys

In terms of game-planning, only Joseph fared worse at Head Coach Ranking.

The 37-year-old Loggains might be considered a bit of an up-and-comer, but he didn’t deliver in two seasons as Chicago’s offensive coordinator, and the jury is still out on Burke after his first season running things on the other side of the ball.

There’s at least room for this staff to grow, but it’s hard to get too fired up about any of the primary coaches in Miami.

Head coach: Jon Gruden (95-81)

Key assistants: Offensive coordinator Greg Olson, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, offensive line coach Tom Cable

This is a tricky one because Gruden has been out of football so long. He still deserves some credit for winning a Super Bowl 16 years ago, but let’s keep in mind that he went 45-51 while failing to win another playoff game during the six seasons that followed that championship campaign.

Has the game passed him by? It’s a fair question to ask, especially considering some of the odd moves he’s made this offseason.

Olson is a retread who hasn’t run a high-ranking offense since he was in St. Louis in 2006, and Cable didn’t do much to fix the Seahawks’ offensive line, but at least Guenther joins the fray with a strong resume from his time in Cincinnati.

There’s a lot of hype surrounding this staff, but it might be tremendously overrated.

Should NFL Teams Finally Give Up on Jay Cutler?

On April 27, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported veteran quarterback Jay Cutler was likely to retire. It was an expected outcome given Cutler’s mediocre results in 2016 and 2017. But as has happened with many quarterbacks wavering between retirement and continuing their careers, it appears Cutler may not be done.

In a conversation posted July 2 with his wife, reality television personality Kristin Cavallari, Cutler said he can’t be sure he’s 100 percent done and that he wouldn’t know until September. That would imply he could return to the NFL as an injury replacement.wholesale jerseys nfl

If Cutler does come back, he’ll probably want to come back as a starter, and that’s where things get complicated. He retired after the 2016 season, his last with the Chicago Bears, to start a career in broadcasting. But when Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was lost for the 2017 season to an August knee re-injury, the appeal of working with head coach Adam Gase—who had helped Cutler to a career year in Chicago in 2015—was too great to turn down. china jerseys nfl

Cutler was at his best when Gase kept him straight, both in a mechanical sense and by outlining how he needs to read defenses. Gase seemed to have an intrinsic sense of how best to deal with the downsides of Cutler’s skill set.cheap china nfl jerseys

Though he has one of the best arms of his generation and he’s more mobile than he’s given credit for being, Cutler has two major issues that have stood in the way of his development. First, he’s what you call a “see it and throw it” quarterback—he doesn’t throw with anticipation consistently. That means his play-designers need to adapt by focusing on route concepts that result in easy openings for receivers. Otherwise, Cutler will throw the ball into coverage in ways you’d expect a rookie quarterback to get chewed out for.real nfl jerseys for cheap

Cutler’s second issue is he has a supreme belief in his arm and his ability to make throws other quarterbacks can’t. While he’s proved to be correct occasionally, that’s also kept him from dealing with the mechanical issues he needs to fix to throw with consistent placement and velocity. Throughout his career, Cutler has thrown far too many passes flat-footed when he should have driven the ball with his lower body. He also tends to throw with touch with a motion similar to a fadeaway jumper in basketball, which increases the margin for error on such throws, especially in the red zone.

Darius Slay, Detroit Lions

While most shutdown cornerbacks have a short shelf life due to the demands of the position, there are exceptions to every rule.

Aqib Talib, who’s coming into his 11th NFL season,nfl jersey for kids  can still bring it against receivers who were in grade school when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took him in the first round of the 2008 draft.

It took a while for Talib to match his discipline and football acumen to his athleticism, but once he did, he became nearly impossible for any receiver to beat on a regular basis. Though he was tasked to play off the ball more last season—which goes against his physical, press-coverage style—he still allowed only 250 receiving yards, per Monson. He also hasn’t allowed a catch longer than 32 yards over the last two seasons, according to Monson.nfl kid jerseys

Talib is as aggressive as they come at the cornerback position, but he’s learned to offset the potential dangers that come with that aggression. He’s become a technician who can mirror receivers and jump routes with precision.nfl jerseys for kids on sale

After the Broncos traded him to the Rams in March, Talib now once again has a defensive coordinator in Wade Phillips who will deploy him in ways that best suit his talents. Phillips wants his cornerbacks challenging receivers physically all the way through the route, and no one in the league does that better than Talib.
Of everyone featured here, Darius Slay is likely talked about the least.

He tied with Titans safety Kevin Byard for the league lead in interceptions last season (eight), but there doesn’t seem to be much talk about his rightful status among the NFL’s best cornerbacks. He also had an incredible 26 passes defensed in 2017.nfl kids jersey

A second-round pick out of Mississippi State in 2013, Slay amassed two picks per season every year from 2014 through 2016, but that doesn’t mean he’s only coming around now. Slay was just as good in 2016 in coverage, but he didn’t have the same number of interception opportunities.

When you watch Slay’s tape—especially if you watch a reel of his interceptions—you’ll see a player with an uncanny knack for when a quarterback doesn’t have the velocity to make the throw he’s attempting, or when a receiver is about to make a turn for a catch in his route. He’s especially good at playing bail coverage, which allows him to keep his eye on the quarterback as he’s trailing a receiver down the boundary.kids jerseys nfl

It’s hard to play off the ball as much as Slay does and still be a shutdown cornerback—by definition, off-the-ball defenders are going to give up easy catches underneath. But when it counts, Slay has the timing, quickness and physicality to erase big plays on a consistent basis. kids nfl football jerseys

Houston Texans: Watson Back at It

If there’s one thing fans of the Houston Texans most wanted to see as OTAs got underway, it was the return of a certain player to the practice field.

That player wasn’t even J.J. Watt, as much as they all love them some No. 99.nfl clothing for kids

No, the biggest storyline in OTAs for the Texans was easily the return of quarterback Deshaun Watson, who saw his breakout rookie season cut short last year by a torn ACL.

Watson wasn’t a full participant in practice, but according to Herbie Teope of NFL.com, he did take part in individual and 7-and-7 drills.

“My knee feels well,” Watson told reporters. nfl clothing for women “I’m comfortable to be able to go out there and throw and do some things on air and get the timing down with the receivers.”

Watson did go on to caution that there’s no definitive timetable for the training wheels coming off. “There’s really no timeline on ACLs,” Watson said. “It just depends on how that person feels.”

Still, any step in the right direction for Watson is a welcome sight and then some.

The good news for the Indianapolis Colts is that Andrew Luck is in much better shape from all indications than he was at this point a year ago.

The bad news is that Luck still isn’t doing what earned him a $130 million contract extension from a team—throwing a football.

As a matter of fact, as Zak Keefer reported for nfl clothing for men  the Indy Star, Luck may not begin throwing a full-sized ball until after veteran minicamp concludes later in June.

However, head coach Frank Reich continues to insist he isn’t concerned about the Week 1 status of his star quarterback.

“I’m not worried at all,” he said. “I’m completely comfortable with him throwing when he’s ready, when the doctors say he’s ready. I’ve been around long enough time, he’s been around the league a little bit, he’s totally engaged in every aspect of what we’re doing mentally, the physical part for a guy like him, now you gotta work at it, but I’m not worried about that. I’m comfortable with the process in place.”cheap nfl clothing

For his part, Luck said he’s trying to avoid repeating the missteps from his lost season in 2017.

“I don’t want to repeat those, maybe, missteps,” Luck said. “Some things just take time, and I’ve learned that. And when I do get the urge to do something a little silly, I talk to myself and say, ‘It’s not worth it right now.'”nfl clothing store

The Colts can parrot the “nothing to worry about”wholesale nfl nike jerseys  line until the cows come home, but until Luck is on the field throwing passes, fans of the team are going to do just that—worry.

A lot.