The Bronx Bombers are living up to their nickname in 2022, riding their booming bats to the top of the majors.

On Monday, the Yankees belted another three homers in a road victory over the Orioles, their MLB-best eighth game with at least three — a trend largely responsible for 21 wins in their last 25, a 5.5-game division lead over the Rays, and the best record in baseball (26-9).

New York’s pitching staff has been stellar — an AL-best 2.72 team ERA — but the bats have led the way, specifically those of Anthony Rizzo (10 HRs), Aaron Judge (10), and Giancarlo Stanton (12). 

The Yanks have allotted a combined $56 million of their AL-leading $246.1 million payroll for their Big Three — and each slugger has delivered.

• Stanton ($23M), Judge ($17M), and Rizzo ($16M) all rank in the top eight in homers, RBI, and slugging percentage in the AL.
• It’s the first time in franchise history — 8th all-time in MLB — that three Yankees have hit 10-plus HRs through the first 35 games of a season.
• The Bombers lead the AL in HRs (52), OBP (.325), slugging (.424), OPS (.749), at-bats per HR (22.21), and run differential (+73) — scoring a league-leading 51.4% of runs via the long ball.

While the Bombers have secured Stanton (through 2028) and Rizzo (through ’23) for the time being, they notably didn’t extend Judge before the season — which could come back to haunt them next year if he demands a deal north of $200 million. 

For now, a sixth consecutive postseason trip seems inevitable for the Yanks, who still seek their first World Series win since 2009. 

They have the best odds to win the AL pennant (+275) and second-best (+600) to win the World Series behind the Dodgers (+475).

The Avalanche’s offense was one of the NHL’s most potent during the regular season, but their most effective weapon in the playoffs has been a defenseman.

Cale Makar was an offensive juggernaut in Colorado’s first-round sweep of Nashville, accumulating 10 points — the most in the NHL at the time — and averaging the most points per game in the postseason (2.5).

The fourth-overall selection in the 2017 draft has been even better than advertised — and his team-friendly contract should provide excellent long-term value.

• Last summer, Makar signed a six-year, $54M extension that gave him the NHL’s fourth-highest cap hit among defensemen ($9M).
• But next season, he’ll be bumped down to ninth, and then 10th after that — creating more cap space for Colorado.
• Makar (86) trailed only Roman Josi (96) for defenseman points this season and had the fifth-best plus/minus (48) at any position.
• The 23-year-old is currently competing with two 31-year-olds (Josi and Victor Hedman) as a finalist for the Norris Trophy.

After dominating Nashville, Makar and co. turn their attention to St. Louis — a historically favorable matchup.

The Avs have won seven consecutive playoff games against the Blues dating back to the 2001 Western Conference Finals — the longest such streak in franchise history.

The Suns were able to brush off questions about Deandre Ayton’s future in a superb regular season, but after another postseason failure — this time in an embarrassing Game 7 rout at home — the urgency is mounting.

On Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Ayton doesn’t feel “valued” by the organization — and that several teams are ready to put down an offer sheet that Phoenix might not be able to match.

The Suns passed on giving the 2018 No. 1 pick (career 16.3 PPG, 10 RPG, 60% FG) a five-year rookie max extension worth $207 million with incentives. That means he’ll be a restricted free agent this summer — and with Phoenix already committing large contracts to other players, the 23-year-old could be as good as gone.

• Phoenix already has $128.3 million on the books for next season.
• When Devin Booker inevitably makes an All-NBA team, he’ll be eligible for a four-year, $211M supermax extension — the largest in Suns history.
• Chris Paul will be on the payroll for the next three years for $90M.

The Suns are also paying Mikal Bridges ($90M) and Landry Shamet ($43M) over the next four years — making Ayton’s claims of being undervalued even more substantial.

Phoenix can match any offer Ayton receives, but with restricted cap space and lacking a score-first player to complement Booker, maybe it’s best for both parties to move on.