YANKEES CONTACT CUBS ABOUT NICO HOERNER FOLLOWING ALEX BREGMAN’S $175M SIGNING
The Yankees are targeting Nico Hoerner! After the Cubs signed Alex Bregman, New York is moving fast to upgrade their middle infield.
The Yankees have been almost too quiet this offseason, which is frustrating if you’re a fan waiting for fireworks. Still, they’re not just sitting around. They’ve checked in with the Cubs about Nico Hoerner and even put an offer out for Cody Bellinger.
There’s more. Carlos Lagrange, their young pitcher, just cracked the top 10 list for right-handed pitching prospects in all of baseball. People are starting to see him as a future star. But let’s get into the main stories.
New York’s front office seems to have switched gears after the Cubs grabbed Alex Bregman. That signing opened up a possible trade path, and the Yankees wasted no time targeting Hoerner for the infield. Honestly, it’s a pretty clear sign they’re done ignoring Anthony Volpe’s struggles—he just hasn’t delivered at shortstop, either at the plate or in the field, and the team knows it can’t afford weak links if it wants to win now.
Hoerner isn’t flashy, but he’s steady. He makes contact, plays Gold Glove defence, and runs the bases hard. He’s the type of player who shows up every day and does his job. Sure, he won’t come cheap—the Cubs will want a top pitching prospect—but the Yankees seem ready to pay for some reliability.
At the plate, Hoerner’s not a slugger, but he’s consistent. He’s finished the last five years with a wRC+ between 102 and 109, which tells you exactly what you’re getting.
On the Bellinger front, things are stuck. The Yankees put a hefty $160 million offer on the table because they love how much he brings on both sides of the ball. But they’re refusing to go to seven years, and they’re not budging. With other contracts around the league backing them up, the Yankees are playing hardball. Now it’s just a waiting game—either Scott Boras blinks, or the Yankees move on. Even though both sides would like to make it work, the team’s preparing for life without Bellinger just in case.
Now, about Carlos Lagrange. He’s become impossible to overlook. The kid throws 103 mph, and he’s shot up the rankings into the top 10 right-handed pitching prospects. Not bad for someone who flew under the radar not long ago. His fastball is electric, and his other pitches keep getting better.
He still needs to work on his command, but scouts are excited about his changeup and breaking stuff. There’s a real chance he hits the majors by 2026, maybe even sooner if he keeps improving this fast. Whether he ends up in the Yankees’ rotation or gets moved in a big trade, Lagrange has made the team’s pitching depth a whole lot stronger.
EXECUTIVE "EXPECTS" JOE BURROW TO REQUEST OFFSEASON BENGALS EXIT NOW
Bengals in crisis: Explore why Joe Burrow is tired of losing and if the Chase-Higgins era is officially over in Cincinnati.
An NFL executive thinks Joe Burrow is ready to move on from the Bengals this offseason. According to him, Burrow’s tired of losing, and he wants a real shot at winning.
This past season didn’t help things. The Bengals missed the playoffs again, mostly because Burrow, 29, sat out nearly the entire year with a turf toe he picked up in Week 2. He hasn’t played a postseason snap since the 2022 AFC Championship loss to Kansas City.
Burrow’s still under contract until 2029, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation. “I could see him trying to get out,” the exec told SportsBoom. “Honestly, I kind of expect it. That’s a tough place to win, and he really wants to win.”
The Bengals’ track record is rough. They’ve never won a Super Bowl, and they’ve only made it to the big game once in the last 37 years.
Burrow was the first pick in 2020 and dragged the team to Super Bowl LVI in his second season, but they lost to the Rams. Since then, the Bengals have missed the playoffs three years straight. Even so, head coach Zac Taylor keeps his job, with owner Mike Brown backing him to stick around through 2026. But nobody’s sure if Burrow will still be his quarterback, and it’s not just Burrow. Guys like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have shaky futures, too.
“This is it,” an anonymous GM said about the Bengals’ situation. “They’re not trading for a star like Maxx Crosby. The defence is terrible. This is probably the last year Chase and Higgins are both around. It’s all coming to a head.”
Back in December, Burrow was asked if he could see himself not returning to Cincinnati next year. He said, “I can’t see that, no.” When pressed about whether he’s thought about playing elsewhere long-term, he admitted, “You think about a lot of things.”
He even suggested there’s friction inside the organisation. “It feels like everybody’s trying to stop me from playing football, and I’m fighting it, fighting everybody else,” Burrow said. “I just want to play ball; that’s all I want to do.”
SACRIFICE REQUIRED: MIKE BROWN’S NON-NEGOTIABLE RULES FOR REBUILDING THE KNICKS' WINNING CHEMISTRY
Are the Knicks contenders? Read Mike Brown’s championship claim, the KAT shooting crisis, and how to beat the dominant Pistons.
The New York Knicks kicked off this season with a lot of hype. After last year’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals, everyone figured they’d be pushing for a real shot at the title this time.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown isn’t shying away from that talk. He’s convinced this team can win it all. Sure, they've looked sharp in his first year at the helm, but it hasn’t been smooth the whole way. They started strong with 23 wins and 9 losses and even grabbed the NBA Cup. Then, out of nowhere, they crashed into a 2-9 skid that almost derailed everything.
After that rough patch, they rattled off eight straight wins, but since then, it’s been a lot of back-and-forth. One night they look like contenders, the next they’re just average. Even with the ups and downs, they’re sitting in third place in the East, just a game and a half behind the Celtics.
Brown still believes in his squad, despite all the turbulence. “I truly believe it,” he said Thursday. “We’re a championship team. But you have to be playing your best basketball;contenders; everyone has to be on the same page. Sacrifice is non-negotiable. If even one guy isn’t buying in, that wrecks your chemistry, and chemistry is everything. You need to want to compete every night. And you have to believe.”
He knows the pressure is there, but he keeps bringing it back to belief and accountability. “Even when things go south 2-7, 2-9, you can’t just believe in the process; you have to believe in each other. And everyone, starting with me, has to be held accountable.”
The Knicks have had their moments, but they still don’t look settled. Karl-Anthony Towns is having the worst shooting year of his career. Mikal Bridges can’t seem to find his rhythm, on offence or defence. It doesn’t help that tough, physical teams have given them nightmares. The Pistons, who are running away with the East, have manhandled the Knicks in all three matchups, outscoring them by a whopping 84 points combined. That’s not just a bad night; that’s a glaring talent gap the Knicks need to close.
If they want to be a real championship threat, everything has to come together. Right now, it’s obvious they’re still adjusting to a new system, and time is running out. The playoffs are coming fast. If they don’t figure it out soon, belief alone won’t be enough.
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