Sports
Juan Soto’s Already Smashing Dingers—New York Yankees Fans Might Want to Look Away
If there is one common trait among baseball general managers who operate in markets with multiple teams, it is to avoid making blockbuster deals with the devil.
In most cases, that devil is the team that otherwise would be considered a neighbor. Intimacy breeds contempt, they say, and for baseball GMs, having too comfortable of a working relationship with the club nearest to you can affect perception.
So on the rare occasion that in-town or regional rivals do make deals, they are of a lower-impact variety. The nightmare comes when swaps are made at a higher level.
The most disastrous of deals among rivals went down in baseball lore when the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $100,000 and additional perks in 1919.
While the Yankees reportedly placed a mortgage on Fenway Park, Ruth, as legend has it, put a curse on the Red Sox.
Deals of that magnitude among rivals are dinosaurs. The Los Angeles Angels never would have traded Shohei Ohtani to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Yankees certainly would not have shipped Juan Soto to the New York Mets under any circumstance.
Yet each player still managed to orchestrate their own deals to end up across town as free agents.
So eager to join the Dodgers and give himself a chance at a playoff appearance—not to mention a championship—Ohtani worked a $700 million deal by agreeing to have $680 million of it paid after the 10-year term ends.
The move not only allowed Ohtani to participate in a playoff game for the first time in his career, he played in 16 of them, five of which were in the World Series. And when Year 1 of a 10-year deal was complete, the Dodgers had the trophy they craved, and Ohtani had the ring he desired.
One season later, the scenario has again emerged. While Soto has already experienced World Series glory in 2019 with the Washington Nationals and played in another last season with the Yankees, his arrival with the Mets was simple economics.
Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets as opposed to the Yankees’ best offer, which was reported at 16 years and $760 million. That amounts to a $3.5 million difference per year.
Like the Dodgers were last season, the Mets are now on championship watch. They went as far as the National League Championship Series last year, and Soto could be the impetus to the Mets’ first appearance in the Fall Classic since 2000. That World Series was against the Yankees.
A Mets-Yankees World Series this season would continue the buzz started when the Dodgers-Yankees matchup this past October pitted a pair of longtime MLB superpowers against each other.
Soto’s move to Queens didn’t need any extra juice, but it got it anyway when the 26-year-old hit a home run Saturday during his first spring at-bat in his new uniform. If Soto can take his game to an even higher level, like Ohtani did after signing his free-agent contract, then a summer of can’t-miss star power awaits.
“Everybody knows who you are and everything, but they’ve got to see it with their eyes,” Soto told reporters in Port St. Lucie after Saturday’s game.
Perhaps Soto’s strength is knowing that for all he has done at such a young age—with 201 home runs and a career .953 OPS—he needs to keep proving himself while playing for his fourth club in eight seasons.
“I try to bring the vibes and the good energy everywhere I go,” Soto said. “For me, if I hit a homer or not, it’s just how it looks inside, in the clubhouse and the dugout. That’s all it’s about.”
Last season, the Dodgers rode a top of the order that consisted of Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman all the way to a title. The Mets, on Saturday, had Francisco Lindor batting in front of Soto, who was followed by Pete Alonso.
So pull up a chair to see if 2025 can follow a similar path as 2024. The Mets and Yankees meet May 16-18 in a three-game series in the Bronx that will have all eyes on it. The series finale has already been selected for national television.
One week later, the Mets will be at home for a three-game series against the Dodgers. Once again, the series finale has already been selected for national television. And barely one week later, the Mets will be in Los Angeles for four against the Dodgers.
And if that isn’t enticing enough, Fourth of July weekend will consist of three more games against the Yankees in Queens.
Fireworks are coming. Simply tune in.
Sports
49ers' Kyle Shanahan to be limited in camp after serious car crash
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan talks to the media during the NFL League Meetings on March 30, 2026, at Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan broke his nose, three ribs and his hand, needed over 40 stitches to his face and sustained a severe concussion after he was involved in a car accident last week, ESPN reported Saturday.
Per the network, the accident occurred on July 14 after Shanahan collided with an SUV near his northern California home.
The other driver was not injured, per Palo Alto lieutenant Nicholas Martinez. Martinez added that drugs and alcohol were not involved.
The 49ers said Shanahan will participate in team activities on a limited basis at the start of training camp, with ESPN reporting doctors will not clear Shanahan for all activities until concussion symptoms clear.
The team said assistant head coach Chris Foerster along with team coordinators will handle the head-coaching responsibilities during this time.
49ers general manager John Lynch is scheduled to hold a news conference at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.
The Niners are scheduled to hold their first practice of training camp Sunday morning and are set to open the season on Sept. 10 against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
Shanahan, 46, will begin his 10th season as head coach in San Francisco. He owns an 82-67 record in the regular season. He has a 9-5 postseason record, guiding the 49ers to a pair of Super Bowl appearances — losing to the Kansas City Chiefs both times (2020, 2024).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jenny Shin inches closer to first LPGA Tour win in 10 years
Jun 19, 2025; Frisco, Texas, USA; Jenny Shin plays her shot from the 18th tee during the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images Jenny Shin carded a 1-under-par 71 on Saturday to maintain her five-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Women’s Scottish Open in North Ayrshire.
Shin recorded two birdies and a bogey at Dundonald Links on Saturday to ascend to 12-under 204 for the tournament.
The 33-year-old South Korean is bidding for her first LPGA Tour win since capturing the now-defunct Volunteers of America Texas Shootout 10 years ago. The last LPGA Tour player to go 10 or more years between official victories was Vicki Fergon, who went 12 years and three months between wins at the 1984 S&H Golf Classic and the 1996 Michelob Light Heartland Classic.
“I’ve never been in this position (a five-shot lead), so I don’t know how to feel (on Sunday),” Shin said. “I’m going to go and practice for a little bit and get a good feel for tomorrow so I’m not such a mess in the morning.”
Shin made a birdie on the sixth hole and answered a bogey on the 10th hole by making another birdie on No. 11.
“That was a very tough round. I was quite nervous for the first five holes, so I’m really glad that I was able to finish the day in red numbers,” she said. “It was a pretty boring and nerve-wracking day at the same time.”
“That was a bit of a hiccup on No. 10. I changed my setup this week because of all the wind and out of habit, I lined up the putt and went back to my old setup. I shut the face. I knew what I was doing, so I was able to get back pretty easily.”
Shin holds a five-stroke lead over Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn, who had three birdies during her bogey-free round of 69.
“I would say almost everything went well,” Anannarukarn said. “I was driving the ball well and hitting it good out there. The putter was very hot today, so that was the key. It was a challenging day, and also, at the same time, I had good fun battling with the wind. It was a great day out there.”
Japan’s Erika Hara (71 on Saturday) and Germany’s Esther Henseleit (73) sit at 5 under for the tournament.
Despite her troubles, Henseleit said she wasn’t going to press as she attempts to record her first win since joining the LPGA Tour in 2020.
“It’s really hard to press on this golf course, to be honest. Just no matter like if you want to take birdie or par, you kind of have to hit the same shots because they are the only possible shots,” Henseleit said.
“So I don’t think my game plan really changed, and yeah, I’m just trying to do my thing out there and hopefully tomorrow I can hit a few close and make some putts.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Course management sets up Lucas Herbert for wire-to-wire effort at LIV UK
Jul 17, 2026; Southport, ENG; Lucas Herbert plays a shot on the 18th hole during the second round of The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Lucas Herbert maintained his lead through three rounds of LIV Golf United Kingdom on Saturday and will carry a three-shot advantage into the final round as he bids for a wire-to-wire victory at Rocester, England.
Herbert shot a 3-under-par 69 in the third round and is at 20 under for the tournament to maintain an advantage over Bryson DeChambeau, who was at 4 under Saturday and is at 17 under through three rounds.
“Look, I enjoy it; I enjoy being in the lead,” said Herbert, who won in May at LIV Golf Virginia. “It’s been awesome to play with Bryson the last couple days and get to play with him again tomorrow. It’s a great energy out there. Any time when you’re in the lead you get good energy. … I think maybe playing under pressure brings the best out of me.”
England’s Tyrrell Hatton (67) was alone in third place at 15 under, while Australia’s Cameron Smith (66) was alone in fourth place at 14 under. A two-way tie for fifth at 13 under included Harold Varner III (68) and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer (65).
After scorching the JCB Golf and Country Club course with an 11 under in the opening round, Herbert was far more conservative in the third round when he opened with seven consecutive pars. He closed the front nine with consecutive birdies at Nos. 8 and 9.
After a bogey 5 at No. 11, Herbert closed with a pair of birdies over his last seven holes, including a birdie 3 at 18 when he put a 132-yard second shot to inside of 7 feet from the hole.
“I am going to do my best just to stick to what I’m doing, try and make as many putts as I can,” Herbert said. “I wasn’t happy with my (putting) speed out there. I was a little tentative today. That’s not going to happen tomorrow. I am going to make sure I get the ball to the hole and get a lot more chances.”
Herbert acknowledged the challenge of trying to close out the victory against a trio of proven players in DeChambeau, Hatton and Smith.
DeChambeau put himself in line for his third victory of the season, and first since March at South Africa, with five birdies and a bogey in the third round.
DeChambeau’s lone hiccup came at the par-5 10th hole when he sent his third shot just over the green and missed a 13-foot putt for par. He improved his round with a pair of birdies over the final three holes.
“I played some good golf,” said DeChambeau, who gained a stroke on Herbert during the round. “I felt like I could have had a couple things go a couple different ways, but the birdies on 16 and 17 were huge for tomorrow.”
Hatton, a fan favorite for the week while in his home country, made an early charge with three birdies over his first four holes, but the run was interrupted by a bogey 6 at No. 6. He rebounded with a pair of birdies to close his front nine then had another bogey 6 at No. 10. He was 1 over on the day at the four par-5 holes.
With windy conditions expected for the final round, Hatton knows there will be additional challenges ahead.
“It’s quite quirky out there, so it’s easy to get a little bit unlucky with some of the slopes,” Hatton said. “And you don’t really have to do too much wrong to drop shots. We’ll see how it goes. Either way, I think just focusing on my side, just trying to play another good round of golf, whatever the weather.”
–Field Level Media
49ers' Kyle Shanahan to be limited in camp after serious car crash
Jenny Shin inches closer to first LPGA Tour win in 10 years
