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Billy Eppler believes Mets can reach ‘sustainability’ without tanking: ‘That’s another part of our goal’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:18 GMT

KANSAS CITY — The Mets don’t want to rebuild and they don’t want to spend years at the bottom of the standings in order to acquire prospects. But they also don’t see a path to contention this or year or next, so in order to get those coveted prospects, the Mets had to sell.The club traded four players ahead of the deadline Tuesday and in total parted with six in the last week and seven in the last two months. That would put them firmly in the “seller” category, but in a sense, they actually bought prospects. They paid down the salaries of players in order to obtain better prospects in return. GM Billy Eppler is confident the Mets can turn things around in a span of two to three years. It’s a much shorter timeline than a full-blown rebuild.“To get to the sustainability that we always talk about, we were going to have to do that organically,” Eppler said on a Zoom call. “There are lots of ways to do that and I think some of t...

Mets deal 3-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander back to Astros

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:18 GMT

KANSAS CITY — Justin Verlander is going back to the Houston Astros.The Mets have traded the right-hander back to Houston hours ahead of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, the team announced. The Mets are getting a pair of highly-touted outfielders in return, Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford.The 40-year-old three-time Cy Young Award-winning Verlander signed a two-year, $86.66 million deal with the Mets as a free agent during the winter meetings in December. The contract also carries a vested option for a third season worth $35.33 million. His signing with the Mets solidified them as bonafide contenders in the National League, but that status didn’t last long.Verlander pitched well in 16 starts with the Mets, going 6-2 with a 3.15 ERA, but the veteran ace looked like a different version of himself than the one who won a Cy Young Award and a World Series with the Astros last season. He started the season on the injured list with a teres major strain in his right should...

Framber Valdez throws 16th no-hitter in Astros history in 2-0 victory over Guardians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:18 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Framber Valdez threw the 16th no-hitter in Houston Astros history in a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night.Hours after the Astros reacquired ace Justin Verlander from the New York Mets, Valdez allowed just one baserunner on a walk in the fifth inning, but still faced the minimum thanks to a double play in that frame.Gabriel Arias grounded out to start the ninth before Myles Straw lined out to center field. Cam Gallagher then lined out to Jeremy Pena to end it and set off the celebration.Valdez (9-7) raised his arms above his head and then clapped as a huge smile crossed his face. He’s the first left-hander to throw a no-hitter for Houston. The 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic had pitched five complete games, including two complete game shutouts before Tuesday’s gem.The no-hitter was the third in the majors this season. New York Yankees right-hander Domingo Germán pitched a perfect game at Oakland on June 28, and Matt Manning, Alex La...

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyers say attempt to jail him before trial is wrong

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:18 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried said Tuesday that prosecutors are wrong to seek his detention prior to trial because their arguments are built on “innuendo, speculation, and scant facts.”The written submission in Manhattan federal court was a response to the prosecution’s claim last week that no bail conditions can stop the onetime cryptocurrency power broker from trying to improperly influence the potential jury pool for his October 2 trial.Bankman-Fried, 31, has been free on a $250 million personal recognizance bond since his December extradition from the Bahamas to face charges in New York that he defrauded investors in his businesses by diverting millions of dollars from their intended purpose. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.At a hearing last week, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan told lawyers to submit written arguments before he decides if Bankman-Fried must be jailed or can remain confined to his parents’ Palo Alto, California, home, where his e...

Firefighter killed in B.C. called ‘vital’ member of the team

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:18 GMT

The young Ontario firefighter who died last week in British Columbia has been identified as Zak Muise in an online obituary and tribute by the firefighting contractor he worked for.Big Cat Wildfire shared a photo of Muise in his uniform and called him a “vital member” of one of its crews.The 25-year-old died Friday as he helped battle the massive Donnie Creek wildfire in northeastern B.C.RCMP have said he was killed when his heavy-duty ATV rolled over a steep drop on a gravel road in a remote area about 150 kilometres north of Fort St. John.A brief online obituary posted on the website of a Waterford, Ont., funeral home in the name of his family says Muise is survived by his parents and five older siblings.It says Muise was “loved by many,” and the family is grateful to all firefighters and other first responders “who are still fighting.”It says a funeral is scheduled for later this month in Simcoe, Ont., and that a public memorial in B.C. is also...

How new assistant coaches will have big impact for the Texas Longhorns this season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Just like having depth on a player roster, it helps to have depth in the coaching staff. Texas Longhorns head football coach Steve Sarkisian knows that and made some important support staff hires over the summer.During his season-opening press conference Tuesday, Sarkisian spoke at length about three assistants he hired to help all three phases. With a ‘John Wick mentality,’ Texas Longhorns get started at fall camp Wednesday On defense, Sarkisian brought in Payam Saadat, a former associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Portland State in the FCS-level Big Sky Conference. Saadat's pedigree goes back to 1995 when he began his coaching career at Santa Monica College, three different stints at Cal Poly, NCAA Division II programs Western Washington and Central Washington and Army West Point. Saadat's expertise is in the flex style defense, a scheme that was popularized by the University of Arizona coach Dick Tomey in the 1990s as the "Arizona Desert Swarm," led...

Connecticut’s Thomas dominates Lynx in Sun win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:18 GMT

Alyssa Thomas is one of the best players in the world.The Minnesota Lynx learned firsthand Tuesday just how good she can be.Putting up a line never before seen in the WNBA, Thomas had her second straight triple-double with 21 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and 12 assists as Connecticut beat the Lynx 79-69 in Uncasville, Conn., to end Minnesota’s three-game winning streak.It’s the fifth triple-double of the season for Thomas, ninth of her career and the first time in league history a player had at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and no turnovers. Such a line has only happened three times in NBA history.“She just imposed her will, and we had no answer,” said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who didn’t think her team would be so easy to play against. “She took over at both ends, defensively just being disruptive, and her team fed off of that. Then offensively … our bigs were ineffective in guarding her in any kind of way that was providing any kind of resistance.”Lynx rookie Diamon...

Driver of stolen car possibly killed in fiery Coon Rapids crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:18 GMT

Anoka County authorities are working to identify a driver who died in a fiery weekend crash in Coon Rapids involving a reportedly stolen vehicle.According to the sheriff’s office, Coon Rapids and Anoka police responded to a 4:40 a.m. Sunday 911 call reporting a burning vehicle in the 10400 block of Mississippi River Boulevard Northwest.Police discovered that the vehicle had left the roadway and struck a tree. An adult victim was found dead in the wreckage.The driver’s identity has not yet been confirmed. The vehicle was reportedly stolen in Coon Rapids, though law enforcement was not involved in pursuing it at the time of the crash, the sheriff’s office said.The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office is assisting the sheriff’s and police agencies in investigating the incident.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | The election-meddling indictment against Trump is sprawling. Here’s a breakdown of the case Crime & Public Safety | Teen pleads ...

Clippers throttle Saints 15-7

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:18 GMT

The St. Paul Saints continued to struggle at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday night, losing 15-7 to the Columbus Clippers in Game 1 of a six-game series.The Saints, 16-12 in the second half of the Triple-A baseball season, lost four of six games to the Clippers in a May series at Huntington Park, and lost nine of 12 games there in 2022.St. Paul got off to a strong start Tuesday when Andrew Stevenson led off the game with a solo home run to right, his 13th of the season, to lead 1-0. Jair Camargo made it 2-0 in the second inning with a 432-foot solo homer to left-center, his 15th of the season.But the Clippers took control the rest of the game, scoring 15 unanswered runs. Columbus did the most damage in the fifth inning, sending 12 men to the plate to produce eight runs. The Clippers added three more runs in the sixth and two in the seventh to push their advantage to 15-2..The Saints battled back as best they could, scoring five runs in the ninth before running out of ga...

Twins snap five-game losing streak with win over Cardinals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:18 GMT

ST. LOUIS — On a day when the Twins’ front office made no trades, professing its faith in the group of players in the clubhouse, that group responded with a win, snapping its five-game losing streak.It took some luck to do so, though. With some help from the St. Louis Cardinals, the Twins won 3-2 on Tuesday night in the series opener at Busch Stadium.Minnesota Twins’ Matt Wallner scores during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)The Twins scored their first run in the fifth inning on a Tommy Edman throwing error. It should have been the third out of the inning. Instead, it allowed Michael A. Taylor to reach first base safely, and Ryan Jeffers scored on the play.In the bottom half of the frame, third baseman Jorge Polanco, who endured a tough day at his new position, threw a ball away. Cardinals designated hitter Jordan Walker reached third on what appeared to be a three-base er...