#defense

#defense

The main target to strengthen the defence line is undoubtedly the Italian Alessandro Bastoni. At 26 years old, the Inter Milan defender has established himself as one of the best center-backs on the continent.

Matthew Boyd made his first start of the spring and allowed a 2nd-inning run on a single by Sam Haggerty after Pete Crow-Armstrong lost a Tyler Wade fly ball in the high Arizona sky that dropped in for a double. Chicago evened the score on an RBI single by infield prospect Jefferson Rojas in the bottom of the frame.

I found that across the seven mocks provided, roughly 85% of Dallas' first-round projections are defensive players. Surprisingly, linebacker appears most often, showing up in four different projections. Names like Sonny Styles, Cashius Howell, and CJ Allen surface repeatedly. When multiple analysts independently land on second-level defenders, it shows that evaluators see a structural need. Right behind linebacker is the secondary. Caleb Downs has appeared more than once as a potential first-round selection. I've seen other mocks lean toward versatile defensive backs or pure cornerbacks like Mansoor Delane.

The European Union's foreign policy and security chief, Kaja Kallas, has said she is working on a "new European security strategy" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The strategy will address "all dimensions of European security" to better deal with the threat of Russia and a more hostile geopolitical era.

The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks may have been the two best defenses in football over the last few months. While all of the pre-game hype was centered around quarterbacks Drake Maye and Sam Darnold, the defenses have delivered with two very strong performances. The Patriots found themselves down 3-0 at the end of the first quarter despite the fact that a few big plays had been enough to get them into Seahawks territory multiple times.

Though I wouldn't go so far as to say it is the predominant "identity" of the Chicago Cubs of recent vintage, I do think it's important to note that the Cubs have typically sported one of the better defenses in baseball going back at least a decade. Defense was critical to the 2026 championship run, as a lot of the excellent pitching was really an excellent combination of pitching and defense.

With the absence of Bo Bichette, Andres Gimenez appears to be the perfect candidate to fill the shortstop void for the foreseeable future. From 2022-2024, was the best defender in baseball, registering 7.9 BWAR, topping teammate , who posted a 7.7 mark during that same stretch. Though he has spent the majority of his career at second base, he possesses the tools necessary to make a full-time shift to shortstop and command the Blue Jays' infield defensively. Daulton Varsho

Boston Red Sox Kiner-Falefa is a former Gold Glove winner, but doesn't have a lot of pop at the plate. The Red Sox are reportedly bolstering their infield with a versatile veteran just ahead of spring training. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Red Sox have signed Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a one-year contract - with the former Yankee expected to log reps all across Boston's infield.

He is a great player. We know that. But also such a great teammate. He was kind of in and out of the lineup here, but not because he didn't deserve to be playing. He is a great player, as I said, and never complained about anything. He just showed up every day, worked hard, and was a part of it. He was a big piece of the room. It is great to see him have success there.

CHICAGO The Sharks have been one of the NHL's most surprising and talked-about teams so far this season. They've had some rough spells, for sure, but it's largely been one feel-good moment after another as they've become playoff contenders after two straight years of finishing in the league's basement. Now the Sharks are dealing with the other side of that coin: enhanced expectations and added pressure.

We did a lot of really good things in that game. I think we gave up six chances at five-on-five. You don't lose those games a lot of the time. We did a lot of good things, but the one area of the game we still need to improve upon is the costly turnovers that end up in goals or cost you in general.