April 14, 2022
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Baker Mayfield celebrated his 27th birthday by declaring he feels “disrespected” by the Browns after they traded for Deshaun Watson. His ideal gift should be a trade out of Cleveland, to go along with his $18.9 million in guaranteed money.
How Long Can Blue Jays Delay Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Extension?
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
On Wednesday, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched three home runs — his second career three-HR game and first career four-hit game — in the Blue Jays’ 6-4 win over the Yankees.
At +380, Vlad Jr. is the early favorite to win AL MVP. Should he stay this hot and manage to win the award, his value will spike even more — putting pressure on Toronto to pony up for a massive long-term contract.
The longer Toronto waits, the harder it could become to commit the time or cash to him — especially if the terms are comparable to fellow 23-year-old superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. (14 YRS/$340M).
Guerrero Jr. signed a one-year, $7.9M deal to avoid arbitration — making him the 163rd-highest-paid player in 2022.Last season, the Blue Jays handed out the largest contract in franchise history to George Springer (6 YRS, $150M), which is only 25th by total value and 16th by AAV ($29.7M).Complicating matters further for Toronto ($169.5M payroll, 11th in MLB) is teammate Bo Bichette — who’s playing on a pre-arbitration $723,550 salary and also in line for a payday.
After just 143 games, San Diego signed Tatis to the third-largest deal in MLB history, but the 14-year pact is just 27th in AAV ($24.3M) — an incredibly team-friendly deal if his production doesn’t fall off a cliff.
Guerrero still has three years of arbitration remaining and won’t be a free agent until 2026. The question is whether Toronto will lock him in before then.
Charlotte Hornets Spending Low, Underperforming in Michael Jordan Era
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Jordan may have been the GOAT on the court, but his on-court success hasn’t translated to his ownership of the Charlotte Hornets.
With their 29-point loss to the Hawks in the play-in round, Charlotte has now missed six straight playoffs and failed to win a playoff series for 18 straight seasons — that’s tied with the Kings and Timberwolves for the longest active streak in the NBA.
The Hornets had its best season by win total (43) since 2015-16, but it still wasn’t enough.
The Hornets have made the postseason only twice since Jordan bought the team in 2010.Since then, Charlotte has never finished higher than 15th in attendance (2021-22).The team relocated to New Orleans in 2002, then became the Charlotte Bobcats from 2004-2014, finishing in the lottery eight of those 10 seasons.
The 2016-17 campaign ($103M) was the only year in which Jordan’s teams were among the top 10 payrolls since 2010. They had the third-lowest 2021-22 payroll ($122M).
Jordan — whose net worth is $1.7 billion — has seen some return on his initial investment.
He bought the Hornets in 2010 for around $180 million, and they’re currently valued [[link removed]] at $1.57 billion — but that still makes them the fourth-lowest NBA team by value.
With young superstar LaMelo Ball leading the team for the foreseeable future, better days — and returns — could be ahead.
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Clayton Kershaw’s Unique 1-Year Dodgers Deal Hinges On Health
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Clayton Kershaw hurled seven perfect innings on 80 pitches in his season debut on Wednesday — before Dodgers manager Dave Roberts lifted him, costing him a chance at the 24th perfect game in history.
The Dodgers are playing it safe after the 34-year-old missed more than two months of the 2021 season with inflammation in his left forearm and had a shortened spring training due to the lockout.
After his three-year, $93 million contract expired this offseason, Kershaw contemplated signing with his hometown Rangers before returning to L.A. with a uniquely structured contract — based largely on his health.
In March, Kershaw signed for one year, $14.5M with a $2.5M signing bonus, plus the opportunity to earn millions with incentives.If he starts 16 games, he’d receive a $1M bonus with an additional $1M for reaching 20, 22, 24, and 26.A fourth NL Cy Young would bring another $1.5M ($500K for second or third).
A healthy Kershaw will give the Dodgers three aces in the rotation, along with Julio Urias and Walker Buehler, as they seek a second World Series title in three seasons.
Kershaw has the eighth-best odds (+1700) to win the Cy Young, while the Dodgers have the best odds (+475) to win it all.
Making Headlines
Man City
Soccer: Pep Guardiola will appear in a record ninth Champions League semifinal after Manchester City defeated Atletico Madrid 1-0 on aggregate to advance; the Sky Blues will face Real Madrid.
NBA: Mavericks star Luka Doncic is expected [[link removed]] to miss Game 1 against Utah due to a strained calf he suffered in the final game of the season. Also: Gregg Popovich wouldn’t comment on his future after the Spurs were eliminated in the play-in on Wednesday.
NFL: The Packers signed WR Sammy Watkins to a one-year contract worth up to $4M, per multiple reports; Green Bay continues to look for wideout help after losing Davante Adams to Las Vegas.
Golf: Tiger Woods has committed to play in the JP McManus Pro-Am in Limerick, Ireland, on July 4-5 in advance of the 150th edition of The Open 10 days later in Scotland.
Written by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]], Anthony Puccio [[link removed]], Chris Kuc [[link removed]]
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