Go ahead, you can say it: Craig Breslow botched the Rafael Devers trade.

The trade seemed odd when it was first reported last June. Boston’s front office (albeit a different group of personnel) had made it a point to secure Devers’ future with the organization and was open with the player about his role in the clubhouse. Then Breslow took over, and all of those plans (and promises) were torn up. Now, suddenly, he was being shipped out of town completely.

Understanding that Boston’s priority was simply to get out of Devers’ remaining contract, the return the team received ultimately looked underwhelming. Months later, it looks even worse as three of the four players the Red Sox acquired in the trade are no longer with the organization.

Outfield prospect James Tibbs was the first to move, getting shipped to the Dodgers (along with outfielder Zach Ehrhard) at the trade deadline for right-hander Dustin May. Tibbs played in 30 games with Double-A Portland after joining the Red Sox organization, hitting .207/.319/.267 in 138 PA, while May would make five starts (and one relief appearance) with Boston, posting a 5.40 ERA across 28.1 IP.

Right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks was next to be sent out, being dealt to the White Sox (along with right-hander David Sandlin, two players to be named later, and $8 million in cash) for right-hander Gage Ziehl. Hicks pitched to an 8.20 ERA over 18.2 IP with the Red Sox after the trade.

Left-hander Kyle Harrison joined them as a “former Red Sox” on Monday. The southpaw was traded (along with left-hander Shane Drohan and infielder David Hamilton) to the Brewers for infielders Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler, and a Competitive Balance Round B pick in next summer’s draft. Harrison made just three appearances for Boston last season (totaling 12.0 IP), but had solid numbers at Triple-A Worcester (a 3.75 ERA over 50.1 IP in 12 starts).

That activity leaves right-hander Jose Bello as the lone piece remaining in the Boston organization from the Devers trade. The 20-year-old pitched just 37.2 innings between two levels after joining the Red Sox. He’ll likely begin the 2026 season with Class-A Salem.

It’s a surprising turn of events, less than a year after the trade was completed. Sure, the goal may have ultimately been to get out from Devers’ contract (he is still owed $226.5 million over the next eight seasons), but it’s hard to call the trade a positive one for Boston with all of the pieces received no longer with the organization. Barring a massive and immediate contribution from Durbin this season (or if Bello develops into a future ace), it’s hard to see how that view ends up changing.

Arizona’s pitching staff was hit hard by injuries a season ago. Seven different pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery in the last calendar year — RHP Josh Winder, RHP Thyago Vieira, LHP Blake Walston, LHP Jordan Montgomery, LHP Tommy Henry, RHP Corbin Burnes, and RHP Justin Martinez — a list that doesn’t include A.J. Puk, who had the alternative internal brace procedure instead of undergoing a full second TJ surgery (he had it in 2018 while in the minor leagues).

The losses of Martinez and Puk, in particular, left a substantial hole in the D-backs’ bullpen when the pair went down in June. Martinez underwent surgery on June 25 and will likely miss the entire 2026 season, while Puk’s procedure was the week prior. Provided his recovery goes to plan, he could factor into the club’s bullpen mix late this season. The team isn’t counting on meaningful innings this season from either pitcher.

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training this week (!!!), but it appears the Diamondbacks are already seeing a continuation of last season. Left-hander Andrew Saalfrank underwent shoulder surgery on Monday and will miss the entire 2026 season. The team has yet to provide any details.

The 29-year-old southpaw had worked just 11.1 innings heading into last season, largely due to serving a yearlong suspension from June 2024 to June 2025 after the league found that he had placed bets on MLB games while playing in the minor leagues during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. With Martinez and Puk lost to injury, Saalfrank got a chance to work in high-leverage spots in the late innings and thrived with the opportunity, posting a 1.24 ERA (351 ERA+) over 29.0 IP while collecting a trio of saves. Saalfrank was an early favorite to once again handle the late innings in Arizona this season.

Somehow, the allegations against Emmanuel Clase continue to grow worse than previously known.

Clase and fellow Cleveland Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz were first placed on “non-disciplinary paid leave” by the league last July after concerns were raised by the Ohio State Gambling Commission. The pair of pitchers is alleged to have conspired with gamblers to intentionally throw pitches out of the strike zone in games, a serious violation of the sport’s ethics and rules.

Officials from the FBI arrested both pitchers in November and indicted them on charges that they accepted bribes from gamblers to influence the results of sporting events, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. Both players pleaded not guilty. Their trial in federal court has been scheduled for May. The charges could carry a punishment of up to 20 years in prison.

Initially, reports at the time suggested that it was Clase who “roped” Ortiz into the activity, first alerting Ortiz to his own involvement before “brokering” a chance to do the same. At the time of the indictment, prosecutors listed nine games in which Clase had allegedly “rigged” his pitches.

Court documents reviewed this past week by ESPN’s David Purdum, however, suggest the scope of Clase’s involvement was much larger, now covering “48 games and 250 pitches” over two years.

Ortiz is accused of rigging two pitches in two games in June 2025.

The extent of Clase's involvement is staggering. As many have noted, he appeared in 197 games during his MLB career. Intentionally rigging pitches in 48 of those would mean that nearly a quarter of his appearances were compromised.

Prosecutors have alleged that Clase “accepted thousands of dollars in bribes to help two unnamed gamblers in the Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on bets”. Clase was set to make $4.9 million last year from the Guardians, the fourth year of a five-year extension he’d signed before the 2022 season. Spotrac has his total career earnings at more than $15.3 million.

What made Clase risk his entire career for a few thousand dollars in bribes may never fully be understood until he speaks at his trial (or after, if ever).

Ortiz’s attorney, meanwhile, is pushing for the two cases to be separated in light of this new information, arguing that the duo have “markedly different levels of culpability” and his client would not receive a fair trial otherwise. While it may be a smart approach, Ortiz still appears to have intentionally altered the outcomes of two pitches. Twice is better than 48 times, but it’s still a serious violation.

Major League Baseball has not officially ruled on either player’s status and won’t do so until at least after the trial in May, but neither player is expected to ever appear in a game again.

Ugh, more media news. At least this time it isn’t about more layoffs.

Threats loom that the NFL could look to renegotiate its current rights deals as soon as this year. As Awful Announcing’s Drew Lerner points out, networks will do just about anything to avoid losing their NFL broadcast rights. Fox Sports CEO Lachlan Murdoch even broached the subject in a recent company strategy call, noting that they are “prepared to rebalance their sports portfolio” to account for a more expensive NFL package.

Lerner points out that Fox’s agreement with FIFA ends after this summer’s World Cup. It’s unknown how much the network is paying to broadcast the tournament, but letting that contract lapse would be one place to find savings.

The bigger savings could come from other sports, such as MLB. Fox pays the league roughly $729 million each year for a package that includes regular-season games, the LCS, and the World Series. That agreement is set to expire after 2028, and the league is expected to seek an increase in any new deal.

Shane McClanahan could be on an innings limit to manage his workload.

The Rays subsequently added some versatile pitching depth, signing Nick Martinez.

Miami added a low-cost veteran arm, signing Chris Paddack.

Pittsburgh agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal ($10.5M in salary, plus a $1.5M buyout on a mutual option for 2027) with Marcell Ozuna to add a bat to its lineup. Ozuna, 35, slashed .232/.355/.400 (113 OPS+) with 21 HR for the Braves last season, but is limited defensively (he’s really a DH-only at this point). The move makes sense for a Pirates team desperate to add offense this season, but it also likely ensures the end of the road for long-time fan favorite (and fellow DH-only) Andrew McCutchen.