Handing out 2026 midseason grades for all 30 MLB teams  —  It's time for first-half grades, so let's just get right to it — especially since we've technically passed the halfway point, as teams are reaching the 90-game mark of the 2026 Major League Baseball season.  —  After all, we had a World Cup game to watch!

What I'm hearing on Mets: Trading a catcher could fetch a bounty  —  ATLANTA — With so many contending teams needing help at catcher, the New York Mets are poised to receive interest in Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are likely to trade either player.

2026 MLB draft: One big question and intel for all 30 teams  —  Happy MLB draft week!  —  This year's draft will take place Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia as part of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game festivities hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Zack Wheeler's agent criticizes MLB for All-Star snub of Phillies pitcher  —  Not long after Zack Wheeler had undergone a thrombolysis procedure to remove a blood clot near his right shoulder, his longtime agent tried to crack the pitcher's steely exterior.  The clot could have formed in his heart or his lungs last August.

How a mental skills coach helped Max Muncy emerge as an All-Star again  —  LOS ANGELES — Max Muncy has grown used to looking over his shoulder, but in the winter of 2020, he looked directly at the man he now credits with saving his career.  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off a World Series title …

MLB Trade Deadline buzz: Top targets for contenders and which teams should sell  —  We are less than a month away from the Aug. 3 trade deadline and contending teams know their biggest needs and which players they hope to target in deals.  Teams expected to be sellers will be listening …

Rogers signs agreement to become 100 percent owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment  —  Rogers Communications Inc. signed a $4.35 billion agreement to become the 100 percent owner of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors …

Healthy Cardinals in thick of wild-card race, Rangers' reality and more MLB notes  —  As the St. Louis Cardinals ponder their deadline strategy, they must factor in one of the season's most remarkable developments, knowing it partly explains their unexpected success.

Aston Villa's Amadou Onana sustains ACL injury during Belgium's World Cup win  —  Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana is set for a lengthy spell out after sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during Belgium's World Cup win over the United States men's national team on Monday.

Adou Thiero sidelined by wrist injury before Lakers win summer league game with Spurs  — 6 min Click here to listen to this article … - Second-year forward Adou Thiero sat out the Lakers' California Classic finale with a right wrist injury, watching from the bench as plans to sharpen his shooting were put on hold.