Yankees banking on improved defense helping fill Juan Soto absence
NY Post
In the immediate aftermath of Juan Soto choosing the Mets, Brian Cashman addressed media and scanned through his roster for areas of need.
The Yankees could look to upgrade at plenty of offensive spots to compensate for the run creation they had just lost. They also could pivot toward run prevention.
“Add to the pitching, improve the defense,” said the general manager, who has aimed for a more complete team after his top-heavy club won the AL pennant last season.
The Yankees have brought in bats with résumés and pitching arms with questions but who have been dominant. How about the new-look defense?
On paper at least, the Yankees project as a more sound defensive team largely because they have subtracted their two greatest deficiencies in center fielder Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres (even if they have not yet replaced the latter).
The Yankees’ greatest defensive difference from 2024 to 2025 should be seen in center, where Cody Bellinger is not the defender he was with the Dodgers but should be a significant step up from Judge.
NFL fans were mortified by when referees levied an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Texans in the third quarter of Saturday’s AFC divisional round game against Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City — a game the Chiefs went on to win 23-14.
At various points of this up-and-down season, the Rangers almost certainly would have found a way to lose a game like the one they played Saturday night against red-hot Columbus at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks already were without injured center Karl-Anthony Towns — the No. 2 rebounder in the NBA — when the No. 2 rebounder on their team headed for the locker room clutching his left shoulder in the third quarter of Friday’s home loss to the Timberwolves.
Travis Kelce had some jokes following the Chiefs’ 23-14 home win over the Texans in the AFC divisional round.
The Rangers have put the noise and distractions behind them. It has been about hockey and only about hockey since the calendar flipped to 2025.
The Mets are suddenly in the same place strategically trying to replace Pete Alonso as the Yankees were when Juan Soto left for the Mets. Cue, the irony.
The Knicks viewed January as an opportunity to beef up their overall record with a stretch of 12 out of 14 games slated to be played at home, but the Garden has been anything but a party so far for Tom Thibodeau’s team this month.
ORCHARD PARK — The hardy souls across western New York and inside Highmark Stadium never ask for much, just that elusive first Super Bowl championship, but first Josh Allen with the ball in his hands last on Sunday night.
Mitchell Robinson hasn’t spoken with the media since undergoing ankle surgery in May, but every now and then, he offers an update on social media on a rehabilitation process that now has stretched into the second half of the Knicks’ season.
In the immediate aftermath of Juan Soto choosing the Mets, Brian Cashman addressed media and scanned through his roster for areas of need.
For a team that often boasts about its slew of strong perimeter defenders, the Knicks certainly do give up a ton of points outside their 3-point line.
The Jets completed interviews No. 13, 14 and 15 for their head coach opening on Friday.
The Rangers haven’t wavered when describing their games for the past few weeks.
One former front office executive is suggesting foul play foul play in the Dodgers’ signing of Roki Sasaki.
No one is more taken with the idea of a “Prime Time” sequel in Dallas than Jerry Jones.
SALT LAKE CITY — At the end of the 2024-25 regular season, this three-game road trip could be a difference-maker for the Rangers.
With less than a month before players begin reporting to spring training, the market is still moving like molasses. If fans are frustrated by the ultra-slow pace, imagine how free agents feel.
Precious Achiuwa didn’t start. But he finished.