#player-performance

#player-performance

The New York Islanders have had one heck of a resurgent season. Entering Friday night's action, the Isles are one point off the Metro Division lead. That's a huge difference over last year's frustrating season. That's nothing to sneeze at. It's been the product of several key players turning things around. For instance, Ilya Sorokin is back to his Vezina Trophy-caliber play. Anders Lee looks rejuvenated and reinvigorated. Bo Horvat, recent injury notwithstanding, is playing at career-best levels.

Third baseman Maikel Garcia and the Kansas City Royals are finalizing a five-year contract extension, sources told ESPN on Friday, locking up the Gold Glove winner with the team that saw him develop through its system into an All-Star. The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a club option for a sixth year, sources said. It secures Kansas City one of the best left sides of the infield, with Garcia secured long term and perennial All-Star Bobby Witt Jr. signed through at least 2030.

There was a lot of optimism that perhaps Giménez could return to the form he had in 2022 when he slashed .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs in 557 plate appearances. His month of March was encouraging, as he hit three home runs in his first five games, but his play dropped like a rock from there. As a whole, the second baseman slashed .210/.285/.313 with seven home runs in 369 plate appearances for a career-worst 70 wRC+.

The list of teams connected to Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte continues to grow. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Mariners and Pirates are among the teams interested in dealing for the three-time All-Star. Heyman also linked the Red Sox, Rays, and Tigers to Marte, echoing this morning's report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale. Those squads join the Phillies and Blue Jays, who reportedly inquired about Marte last month.

Where's my beer,

The Dodgers recently picked up the $10 million option that ensures Muncy will play a ninth season with the organization. That had long been viewed as the most likely outcome, though it was also plausible the sides would come to terms on a new contract extension. During an appearance on the "Foul Territory" show, Muncy said he would still be open to signing a contract extension with the Dodgers if the opportunity presents itself:

There's no doubt Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is having his worst season under coach Mike McDaniel, and that's with him being healthy all season - at least in terms of not having to miss games. Sunday's game against the Saints was just awful from him: 12 of 23 for 157 yards, an interception, another throw that maybe should've been called a pick on review and four sacks.

When Mikel Merino joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad in August 2024, few thought they would ever ask if he could be their number nine. He arrived at Emirates Stadium as a 28-year-old Spain international midfielder with more than 200 La Liga appearances and a Euros title to his name. Not once had he played as a striker. But little more than a year on, Merino is a serious contender to be Arsenal's main frontman

In the summer, it seemed Rafael Leao would be transformed by Massimiliano Allegri, and the Portuguese is now shining brighter than ever for AC Milan. Players like Leao are far more difficult than they are easy. Of course, it can be easy, but working out where to make them stand out is the challenging bit. For Allegri, the star is a striker, and so the change was made in the summer.

with the game tied at one apiece, when the Sharks let things get away from them. Vegas reeled off three quick unanswered goals and suddenly it was 4-1. But the good news is that unlike previous iterations of this team, this one rallied back and didn't let the minutes tick by to do it. By the end of the period, San Jose had scored two answering goals of its own and was chasing down a third.

The opposing defense was as stiff as the wind in Cleveland. The 49ers cut right through it. It wasn't pretty, but it was a marginal-stress road victory against an elite unit the kind of win that a playoff team should author against the Browns. Here were the studs and duds from the Niners' 26-8 win, which gave them nine wins on the campaign and a foot into the NFC playoff bracket.

Alavés' goal was a bit of a surprise, but the team handled the situation very well. We stuck to our game plan, I think we dominated, and in the end, we managed to win,

He is a big guy. He has to be a physical and hard player to play against. He is going to make and score his goals around the net, right? A little more puck touches in the offensive zone from the forecheck, and then getting to the net front and winning those battles there and tipping pucks. He has good hand-eye. He has the capability of putting the puck in the net.

Kampf was a serviceable piece for Toronto during the height of the Core Four era. Kampf was part of the replaceable depth pieces that supported the big guns. However, Kampf's role on the team gradually diminished as his limited scoring vaporized, and his defensive play didn't warrant a lineup spot. The situation came to a head this season when Kampf didn't even make it out of training camp.

The Royals have signed infielder Jonathan India to a one-year, $8MM deal for the upcoming season, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. India had been widely viewed as a non-tender candidate on the heels of a poor first season in Kansas City, but he'll return and hope to rebound in 2026. He'll be a free agent next offseason. India, 29 next month, posted career-worst marks in most categories during his first season as a Royal.

"I did have some initial nerves," Henderson said. "But it was more excitement to come in and get started."

Fans love a good comeback story, and baseball arguably produces the most of any sport. Each season, there are at least a handful of players who once built strong reputations, only to fall on hard times -- through underperformance or, more often, injury -- and are forced to start fresh with a new club. Then, somehow, they manage to rediscover what made them great in the first place.

That said, for that hefty price tag, Nylander better be delivering in all facets of his game. BREAKING NEWS: He's not. Not that he's known for his defensive acumen, but there's no question Nylander can do a lot more without the puck. Even by his standards, he's looked lost far too frequently to start the 2025-26 campaign. Yes, the points have been there, but he hasn't controlled games the way he has in the past.

On pace for under 40 points on the season, Miller is at the center of all the Rangers struggles on offense this season. With just four goals and nine points through the first 20 games, the Rangers look to have acquired 2017-2018 Miller and not 2024-2025 Miller. Rumblings that JT Miller is injured, and has been since the preseason, have taken center stage as we try to explain away his struggles. But if JT Miller is injured, then he needs to sit.

The Blue Jays acquired Hernández before the 2017 trade deadline, with the outfielder breaking out in June of 2019 after a stint in Triple-A. Over his next 1660 plate appearances from Jun. 5, 2019, until the end of the 2022 season, Hernández slashed .277/.332/.525 with 96 home runs, for a 131 wRC+. During that span, he earned MVP votes in 2020 and 2021, the same two years he won a Silver Slugger for the outfield. He also earned his first All-Star Game nomination in 2021.

Things started quite positively, with the Rossoneri having a few early chances, and the first goal came inside 10 minutes. Christian Pulisic was slipped in by Magrassi - with a delightful ball, we should add - and he slotted it under the 'keeper's legs. The following 20 minutes were quite back and forward, with Virtus threatening a little more with time, and they eventually made the Diavolo pay.

Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan figures to be one of the most sought after trade candidates this offseason. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Royals and Guardians are two of the clubs interested in acquiring him. Goold also mentions that the Yankees and Dodgers had interest prior to the deadline, which perhaps indicates they would be interested again.

sometimes we know in advance who the best quarterbacks will be in a given season. Other times, however, it takes us a little while to figure things out. We headed into 2025 with far less known star power than usual, but even the guys we thought would shine -- Clemson's Cade Klubnik (fourth in the preseason top 100 players list), LSU's Garrett Nussmeier (eighth), Penn State's Drew Allar (17th), South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers (19th),

Harper had a good season in 2025 but it wasn't close to a career year which included a 3-for-15 performance in the postseason. "He's still a quality player. He's still an All-Star-caliber player," Dombrowski said last month. "He didn't have an elite season like he's had in the past. I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good."