In an apparent attempt to remake their bullpen midseason, the New York Mets have reportedly added a pitcher with an All-Star pedigree.

The Mets are acquiring relief pitcher Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to a Wednesday evening report from Jeff Passan of ESPN. They will reportedly send pitcher Frank Elissalt, pitcher Nate Dohm and infielder Jesus Baez to Missouri in return.

Helsley, 31, has spent his entire seven-year career with the Cardinals. He has 105 saves with the club, ranking sixth in the history of the franchise.

In 2024, he led MLB with 49 saves in a National League-best 62 games finished. In 2025, he has a 3.00 ERA, a 3-1 record, 21 saves and 41 strikeouts in 36 innings. His acquisition comes hours after New York traded for San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Rogers.

The Mets, after a protracted slump, have been playing much better of late. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games, though they remain an eyelash (.001 in winning percentage) back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East race.

MatériaMais Notícias

Classificado para as quartas de final do Campeonato Paulista, o Santos ainda não definiu o local do duelo contra a Portuguesa. A diretoria do Peixe tenta um acordo com o Corinthians para mandar a partida na Neo Química Arena, casa do rival, decisão que desagrada o elenco e o técnico Fábio Carille.

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos

Após a vitória de virada diante da Inter de Limeira por 3 a 2, o comandante revelou em entrevista que a preferência dos atletas é sempre atuar na Vila Belmiro. No entanto, não descartou a possibilidade de decidir a classificação na capital paulista.

– Minha preferência e dos atletas é sempre de jogar na Vila, aqui é a nossa casa. O Palmeiras já se classificou em primeiro lugar, São Paulo ou São Bernardo deve passar em primeiro. Acho muito difícil que a Polícia libere dois jogos à tarde na capital no mesmo dia. Mas no meio de semana jogar em São Paulo é uma realidade – disse o treinador.

continua após a publicidade

A definição sobre o mando de campo deve ser anunciada pelos dirigentes do clube nos próximos dias. Dono da segunda melhor campanha na fase de grupos do Paulistão, o Santos terá uma semana livre para treinamentos antes de encarar a Lusa, em duelo que vale vaga para a semifinal do torneio estadual.

Tudo sobre

Campeonato PaulistaFutebol Nacional

Glasgow Rangers finally confirmed their new head coach on Monday afternoon after a search that lasted just over two weeks, following the sacking of Russell Martin.

The Light Blues decided to part ways with the former Scotland international after their 1-1 draw with Falkirk, but they were unable to have a manager in place for their next Scottish Premiership match against Dundee United two weeks later.

Danny Rohl has, now, come through the door at Ibrox, though, and will be in charge of the Scottish giants when they face Brann in the Europa League on Thursday.

The German head coach has signed a deal that will take him through to the summer of 2027, having left Sheffield Wednesday at the start of this season.

After five wins in 18 matches so far this season in all competitions, supporters are understandably lacking in patience and want to see an instant improvement in the team’s form.

So, with this in mind, what can the fans at Ibrox expect from Rohl once his team walks out onto the pitch to play their first game against Brann on Thursday?

What Rangers fans can expect from a Danny Rohl team

The word ‘pragmatism’ is often misused in football. It gets used as a substitute for saying a manager plays defensive or passive football that is awful to watch, instead of the actual meaning of the word, which is to play logical football that makes sense with what you have at your disposal and who you are up against.

Rohl, fans may be pleased to read, is a pragmatist in the literal sense of the word. The German tactician, who worked as an assistant at Bayern Munich and for the German national team, changes his tactics and style of play to give his team the best chance of winning.

An interesting example of this came in March when Sheffield Wednesday travelled to Norwich City. They went direct in the first half, attempting to use physicality to gain possession, and found themselves 2-0 down at the break.

At half-time, Rohl brought on Nathaniel Chalobah and Michael Smith and looked to take control of the game in possession, dominating in midfield, and it led to a brilliant comeback to secure a 3-2 win, capped off by a winning goal from Djeidi Gassama.

League finish

20th

12th

Points

53

58

xG

50.2

62.7

Goals scored

44

60

Goals conceded

68

69

xGD

-8.4

-0.2

As you can see in the table above, the Owls significantly improved from the start of Rohl’s tenure to the end of it, as a result of his pragmatism and willingness to adapt and evolve his side.

Despite his willingness to change styles and formations, one thing that was almost a constant for the German boss was that he played with one striker. Per FBref, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 4-1-4-1, 5-4-1, and 3-4-3 were his most-used formations in the Championship last season.

This suggests that, irrespective of what style he chooses to go with for each match, he is likely to go with one central striker in his team for the Light Blues.

With this in mind, there is a centre-forward on the books at Ibrox who could find himself on the chopping block when the January transfer window opens for business.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The first player Rohl should look to brutally ditch from his Rangers squad after the turn of the year is Brazilian forward Danilo, as it seems unlikely that he will play a major role for the new head coach.

Why Rangers should sell Danilo in January

Rangers splashed a whopping £8m on Youssef Chermiti and another £4.2m on Bojan Miovski to bolster their options in the number nine position.

This means that the club have spent over £12m on two strikers to be ahead of Danilo in the pecking order, which makes him the third-choice striker for a manager who predominantly wants to play with one player in that role.

Danilo, therefore, is in a difficult position at Ibrox. That is further evidenced by the fact that he has not played a minute in the Scottish Premiership since August, and has been an unused substitute in four of his last five appearances in the matchday squad.

The Brazilian striker started against Motherwell on the opening day of the season, and pundit Kris Boyd immediately stated that it was not working with him in the team.

Danilo has scored one goal and provided one assist in 11 appearances in all competitions this season, per Transfermarkt, so it is hard to disagree with Boyd’s assessment.

The £26k-per-week centre-forward, who was once described as being “sloppy” on the ball by pundit Steven Thompson, is also a constant injury concern for the Light Blues, as he has missed far too many games through injury in the last couple of years.

Type of injury

Broken cheekbone

Knee injury

Knee injury

Date of injury

September 2023

December 2023

September 2024

Return date

October 2023

May 2024

November 2024

Days out

43

171

65

Matches missed

9

32

12

As you can see in the table above, Danilo has missed 53 matches through injury since his move to Ibrox to join Michael Beale’s side from Feyenoord in the summer of 2023.

This means that there should be doubts over both his durability and his quality in a Rangers shirt, which is not a good combination for a player who reportedly earns £26-per-week.

Therefore, Rohl should immediately sell the Brazilian striker from the squad when the January transfer window opens for business, to save money on wages and bring in funds to bring in players in other positions.

As the manager typically likes to play with one centre-forward, it makes logical sense to go with Miovski and Chermiti, who were both signed in the summer, and sell Danilo instead of paying a third-choice striker £26k-per-week to sit on the bench, or miss out on the matchday squad.

Danny Rohl can help "complete" Rangers star emulate Lewandowski at Ibrox

Danny Rohl could unearth his next Robert Lewandowski in this Rangers star at Ibrox.

ByDan Emery Oct 20, 2025

Aston Villa are now exploring a move for an “extraordinary” goalkeeper as a replacement for Emiliano Martinez, with Unai Emery considered an admirer.

Villa looking to sign Martinez replacement

Martinez is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers in the world, winning the Yashin Trophy in 2023 and 2024, so it is no surprise that Emery has chosen to reintroduce the 33-year-old to the starting XI, despite him pushing for a move to Manchester United during the summer.

The Argentinian was keen to complete a move to Old Trafford on deadline day, but Man United ultimately ended up signing Senne Lammens, who kept a clean sheet on his debut against Sunderland.

However, having pushed for a move in the summer, the controversial goalkeeper’s future remains in doubt, with it recently being revealed that he has lost faith in Emery, amid the slow start to the season.

According to a report from Spain, Aston Villa have now set their sights on a new goalkeeper, with Martinez’s future in doubt, having identified Real Madrid’s Andriy Lunin as a target, and there are signs that a deal could be possible.

Lunin has made it clear he wants to leave the La Liga side, having been left frustrated with his role as a back-up to Thibaut Courtois, given that, at 26-years-old, he needs to be playing regular first-team football.

It is suggested that Madrid could hold out for around €30m (£26m) for the Ukrainian, making him a relatively affordable option for Villa, with it previously being revealed that Emery is personally keen on signing him.

"Extraordinary" Lunin could be fantastic Martinez replacement

Although the Madrid shot-stopper has fallen behind Courtois in the pecking order, he has previously proven himself at the highest level, making 12 Champions League appearances, including eight en-route to the Spanish side’s 2023-24 triumph.

Aston Villa set to make January approach for £52m Champions League "monster"

Villa are expected to make a move for a “freak athlete”.

By
Dominic Lund

Oct 14, 2025

Courtesy of his performances that season, the former Zorya Luhansk man also received very high praise from CBS Sports’ Nico Cantor.

Whenever called upon over the past year, the Ukraine international has been solid, recording a clean sheet percentage of 42.9%, which places him in the 97th percentile, when compared to other goalkeepers.

Given his age, however, Lunin needs to be a first-choice goalkeeper, so a move to Villa Park would make perfect sense, and Aston Villa should no doubt make an approach if Martinez makes it clear he still wants to leave.

MLB announced on Tuesday that Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras will be suspended for six games, and he will be fined an undisclosed amount for his actions against an umpire on Monday.

Contreras has elected to appeal the suspension and will play until the appeal is resolved.

The incident between Contreras and plate umpire Derek Thomas occurred in the seventh inning of Monday night's 7-6 St. Louis win over the Pirates. The first baseman didn't agree with a called third strike during an at-bat, prompting him to look at Thomas. The umpire then ejected Contreras from the game, which sparked a heated reaction from the Cardinals player. As he was pushed back by the Cardinals staff toward the dugout, Contreras tossed his bat toward the field as he continued to yell at Thomas, and the lumber hit one of his own coaches.

The scene didn't end there. Once Contreras returned to the dugout, an entire bucket of Hi-Chew was thrown onto the field, but i's unclear whether Contreras tossed the bucket of candy or not.

As of now, Contreras will compete in Tuesday night's game vs. the Pirates as he's appealing his suspension. Hopefully he can keep his temper under control during this game.

تحدث أحمد سليمان، عضو مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، عن ملف محمود بنتايج، الظهير الأيسر للفريق الذي أنذر النادي بفسخ التعاقد بسبب مستحقاته المتأخرة.

وكانت الفترة الأخيرة شهدت حديث عن دور سليمان في حل الأزمة خاصة بعد خطوبة اللاعب وابنة عضو مجلس الإداراة.

وقال سليمان عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “مهم أن نفصل الأمور الشخصية عن النادي، فالقصة أنه إنسان مؤدب ومثقف ومحترم ومتعلم، ولم أجد تلك الأخلاق في كثير من الشباب”.

طالع.. بعد أرض أكتوبر.. الزمالك يواجه صدمة جديدة بشأن مصيف مرسى مطروح

وأضاف: “لست مسئولًا عن ملفه مع نادي الزمالك، هناك نظام في النادي ومشرفون وإدارة كرة، وهذا شيء جيد وتم توضيحه من قبل، حاليًا أصحاب القرار باتوا محدودين، وفي وقت سابق كانت الأمور مفتوحة”.

وتابع: “يعيب جون إدوارد عدم حديثه، ولابد كل فترة أن يوضح، ولابد أن يظهر للتوضيح للناس، صحيح أن المال مهم، لكن في الفترة الأولى عملنا حسب الإمكانيات، وتعاقدنا مع عبد الله السعيد وأحمد حمدي وبنتايج وناصر ماهر ومحمد شحاتة”.

وأتم: “المشكلة أن الطموح كان كبيرًا وتم التعاقد مع عدد من اللاعبين بأموال كثيرة، بعدها حدثت أزمة الأرض فأصبح هناك عجز مالي”.

Taylor Ward is lucky he has attentive teammates.

The Los Angeles Angels outfielder ran headfirst into the left field wall while attempting to chase down a fly ball off the bat of Houston Astros second baseman Ramon Urias in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ward missed the ball, but got a face-ful of the wall and fell to the field in a heap.

He eventually got up and signaled to the Angels' bullpen that he needed help, and the team's relievers responded, rushing out to check on him and provided a towel to soak up the blood running down his face.

Video is below.

That is a scary scene.

The outfield at Daikin Park can be difficult to navigate due to its intricate angles.

Ward left the game and was replaced in left field by Luis Rengifo, who moved from second base, with Christian Moore taking over that spot.

Despite Ward's absence, the Angels won the game 3-0. Hopefully, he winds up being OK.

MatériaMais Notícias

A derrota do Flamengo na Libertadores fez os torcedores relembrarem as outras equipes comandadas por Paulo Sousa, Vítor Pereira e Jorge Sampaoli. Para os rubro-negros, o trabalho de Tite é “nota zero”. Confira as reações abaixo.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFora de CampoInternautas perdem a paciência com jogador do Flamengo: ‘Menos um’Fora de Campo07/05/2024Fora de CampoMauro Cezar critica jogador e solta o verbo em derrota do Flamengo: ‘Atuações ridículas’Fora de Campo07/05/2024Fora de CampoJornalistas detonam Tite durante jogo do Flamengo: ‘Atuação concorre para pior do ano’Fora de Campo07/05/2024

➡️ Siga o Lance! Flamengo no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Rubro-Negro

Tudo sobre

FlamengoFora de campoFutebol NacionalTite

This is not news, but the NFL runs sports, runs the country and runs most of our lives. Sundays are sacred and all the numbers prove this.

According to Sports Media Watch, NFL game windows averaged 20.5 million viewers through the first three weeks of the season, up 10% from last year.

The NFL also knows how to market itself better than any company in existence. On the flip side, Major League Baseball is absolutely horrific at marketing itself.

So, allow me to help MLB with a marketing issue. The final day of the regular season needs to be pushed to Monday in order to get away from going head-to-head with the NFL.

Baseball is smart in having every game on the final day of the season begin at 3 p.m, ET. The sport should keep that concept. Move the final day of the regular season to Monday, having every game begin at 4 p.m. ET, leading into , to create a mega sports day.

The shortsighted take against this change is that people have to work on Mondays.

First off, it’s much easier to compete with someone’s job than the NFL. Secondly, in this day and age of streaming, everybody can watch games on their phones, computer, tablets, etc. Being at work isn’t the hindrance it once was.

Get a bunch of games on that Monday on as many national outlets as possible.

Using this year as a guide, here’s how the final day of the season would look next season if I was in charge of baseball’s TV situation. 

Mets vs. Marlins would air on Fox.

Reds. Vs. Brewers would air on NBC.

Rays vs. Blue Jays would air on ESPN.

Orioles vs. Yankees would air on MLB Network.

Tigers vs. Red Sox would air on ESPN2.

Rangers vs. Guardians would air on Peacock.

Those were the games that had the most on the line this past Sunday. Think about the juice and buzz baseball would’ve had if those four games aired Monday at 4 p.m. with all them being available across the networks, leading into a  doubleheader.

Instead, baseball played these games at the worst possible time on Sunday—right in the middle of the NFL day. To make matters worse, the games began during the "Witching Hour," as Mike Francesa coined the 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. window, when the 1 p.m. games go haywire.

I can assure you that most people who were watching the ending of Chargers-Giants or Eagles-Bucs weren’t thinking about baseball’s final day of the season at 3 p.m. on Sunday. 

Move the finale to late Monday afternoon, leave Tuesday open in case you have to play some tie-breaker games and begin the playoffs on Wednesday. Play the best-of-3 wild card on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Give teams Saturday and Sunday off. Begin the Division Series on Monday. It’s a no-brainer.

Tarik Skubal won his second consecutive Cy Young award on Wednesday, but his future in Detroit remains murky. While Skubal has emerged as one of the best pitchers in MLB over the last few years and a key part in Detroit making back-to-back postseason appearances, he has just one more year under the Tigers’ control and is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season.

The Tigers still have time to try and extend Skubal, but recent reports have suggested that the two sides are not closely aligned on a deal, with Jon Heyman of the reporting last month that the sides were $250 million apart on an extension.

More: Top Tarik Skubal Trade Destinations

If Skubal and the Tigers cannot get any closer on a deal, Skubal will become a free agent in 2026. Alternatively, if the Tigers realize a deal won’t get done, they could try to trade him to ensure they get a return for the ace.

With trade rumors surrounding Skubal, Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg said Wednesday, “We love Tarik, obviously. It’s pretty obvious what means to this organization. He’s a fantastic pitcher, he’s a Detroit Tiger. We’re never going to talk about our players in the context of trades, but we’re lucky to have him. He’s been a huge piece to what we’ve done.”

When pressed further about whether it’s an obligation to listen to calls regarding Skubal if they don’t have him signed beyond the next season, Greenberg replied, “Again, it’s not something we’re going to discuss in this context, and I’d say that about any of our players. He’s got one year of control, that’s part of the process as it is for everybody in this system. He’s a Tiger. We’re fortunate to have him. That’s the reality right now.”

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, who is the team’s decision-maker, had a similar message last month when addressing Skubal’s future. He said in October, “I can’t comment on our players being traded, I can’t comment on free agents and I can’t comment on other teams’ players. So I’m going to respond by just not actually commenting on it. … He’s an incredible pitcher and we’re lucky to have him. That’s all I can say on that.”

Skubal himself said Wednesday, via Evan Petzold of , “Contract extension stuff is a little bit different, but trade stuff is out of my control. I've given everything I have to this organization. I want to be a Tiger for a very long time. … I love Detroit. Hopefully, I'm here. That's where I'm at with all of that."