#player-performance

#player-performance

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.

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),

It may come as no surprise that when it comes to the trade market, Nationals All-Star left-hander MacKenzie Gore is viewed as one of the top prizes on the block this offseason. Accordingly, he ranks at the very top of Adams' top 40. Trade speculation swirled around Gore heading into the trade deadline this past season, but on the heels of two brutal drubbings in the span of three starts leading up to August 1, Nationals interim general manager Mike DeBartolo was unable to find a suitor he felt was fitting for Gore and the team stood pat on the 6'2" southpaw.

It has been a tough fall league for the Glendale Desert Dogs. They dropped five of their six contests last week, moving into last place in the league, and the Atlanta Braves prospects haven't done much to help them out. Jim Jarvis and Luke Sinnard had a strongly positive impact on the team, but only in limited playing time, and elsewhere Braves players struggled to have good days.

Raptors rookie Collin Murray-Boyles returned to the lineup after missing the first two games for the Raptors. He finished with 0 points, 2 rebounds and 0/4 from the field in 13 minutes. Scottie Barnes put up 33 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal in 33 minutes but it wasn't enough. Sandro Mamukelashvili added 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench.

After a summer filled with drama and trade rumors, Robertson and the Leafs agreed to a one-year deal. This was seen by many as a prove-it deal. The last chance for Robertson to prove he can be a constant contributor in the lineup. The hope was that not being guaranteed a spot in the future would light a fire under Robertson and finally have him live up to his potential.

However, one player who has impressed a lot and overall this season is Fermin Lopez, who is seemingly making a case for becoming the club's number one choice in the No. 10 position. Fermin, after all, is one of the few players who have performed well for Barcelona lately. He notably scored a hat-trick in the win over Olympiacos, while the Spaniard quietly produced one of the better performances for Barcelona in the defeat to Real Madrid.

The third-year defensive end is reportedly a healthy scratch for the first time in his career on Sunday, an indication of just how far he has fallen since the Patriots drafted him in the second round in 2023. He was projected to thrive under Mike Vrabel, after a tough year in the Jerod Mayo era, but we have yet to see that come to fruition.

It was a disappointing season, though Kansas City really performed rather admirably considering that they got just 13 starts out of staff ace Cole Ragans while found himself sidelined for the second half by an injury of his own. While health in the rotation helped to sink the team this year, it's possible that the team's deep arsenal of starters could help them reinvent the team on the trade market as they look ahead to 2026.

Live From the Blue Seats is back-recorded on Wednesday night (Dave forgot to post to ask for questions), before last night's loss to San Jose-as Rob and Dave discuss the Rangers biggest needs amid their inconsistent start to the season. The Vincent Trocheck injury hurts, but the Rangers scoring depth was absolutely gutted last season and in the offseason and simply hasn't been replaced. The top-six isn't scoring consistently and both Will Cuylle and Alexis Lafreniere look lost.

It's way too early to label a game as a must-win for the Miami Heat, but there's no question that all eyes will be on Bam Adebayo heading into their second game of the season against the Memphis Grizzlies. And this is not necessarily about the fact that the Heat have now gone winless through their first six preseason games, and then in the season opener.

You're too much.

Arsenal legend David Seaman has praised summer signing Viktor Gyokeres for getting better as he's gone on after two goals against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League this week. The Sweden international arrived at Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon this summer with a big reputation, having scored a frankly ridiculous 97 goals in 102 games in his two years in Portugal.

Along with getting results, Bayern have shown dominance by playing an expansive style of football. Harry Kane is leading from the front in the attack. The English forward has scored 19 goals for Die Roten across all competitions. He looks better from last season, which is remarkable since he chipped in with 55 goals and assists in 51 appearances last campaign. Kane already has 22 goals and assists in 11 games across all competitions.

Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is effectively contracted to the club until 2030 after it was revealed the midfielder signed an extension during his 10-month suspension for gambling offences. Tonali joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July 2023 on a five-year contract, but saw his first season prematurely ended when his ban was handed down in October. According to multiple reports, the Italy international then approached the club about taking a pay cut.

Skating with Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson on the left wing of the second line, Lapierre gave the Capitals 10 minutes and 47 seconds of dependable, if not dominant, hockey. The Capitals held positive differentials in shot attempts (+15), shots on goal (+9), scoring chances (+10), and high-danger chances (+5) with the 23-year-old forward on the ice.