#roster-decisions

#roster-decisions

One problem with the NFL trade deadline is that it's too early for some teams to make hard-and-fast decisions -- even though it has been moved back a week. The Panthers, for instance, enter Week 9 with a 4-4 record. Should they add? Should they trade players for draft picks? The answer probably depends on their outlook for the rest of the season, and whether they're real contenders now or still at least a year away. As a result, they probably stand pat this week.

With the Toronto Maple Leafs struggling to start the 2025-26 NHL season, they will need to find a way to turn things around soon before it's too late. Whether it be tinkering with the everyday lineup, promoting or demoting players, or even potentially making external moves to make the team better, the Leafs definitely need to try something to get them out of their funk. As a result, which Maple Leafs players could see their hold on a roster spot in jeopardy in the coming weeks? Let's take a look at three candidates that likely won't survive the roster by November.

Kayla and Alex previously announced in April they were expecting their first child, and she was due around this time. "It's with a heavy heart that we share that Alex Vesia is away from the team as he and his wife Kayla navigate a deeply personal family matter," The Dodgers said in a statement. "The entire Dodgers organization is sending our thoughts to the Vesia family, and we will provide an update at a later date."

The Jays still managed to make the playoffs without Bichette and have stayed alive in the postseason as well. With each new playoff series, it has been a question of whether Bichette has healed enough to make the roster but he hasn't been able to do so. If the Jays manage to hold off the Mariners tonight, there will be a few more days for recovery, as the World Series doesn't begin until Friday.

Ultimately, if the Bruins are middling and aren't staring at a potential playoff run, Boston likely wouldn't have to worry about burning Hagens' first year of team control. An 18/19-year-old player can avoid burning the first year of his entry-level deal by playing 10 or fewer games in his first pro season - allowing that contract to slide forward a year. So, if the Bruins are closing out the year without a playoff berth and Hagens is ready to go pro in late March/early April, Boston could give him 8-10 games to dip his toe in the water without worrying about his contract.

The Dodgers' postseason roster against the Brewers figures to change from the NL Division Series as manager Dave Roberts suggested the team is considering adding an extra pitcher. "I think now you're talking about a potential seven-game series versus a potential five-game series, so now obviously pitching becomes more paramount," Roberts said. "I don't know exactly how the roster is going to look, but I think the seven-game series, and then you layer on potential opponent, it's going to look a little bit different."

With Vincent Trocheck out, the Rangers lines tonight are changing, though likely not as much as people would like. There will be no recalls, so no prospects are rejoining the Rangers. Juuso Parssinen draws in as Mika Zibanejad shifts back to centering the top line and Conor Sheary replaces Zibanejad at wing on the second line. Parssinen will take Sheary's spot on the third line.

He doesn't need to complicate the game or think he always has to pass or make a play. He just needs to play the game. He owns a good shot. He has shown us that he can fire a puck; he needs to shoot it and play the game. He doesn't have to overanalyze it or overpass. He just has to go and play.

He made quite a statement early in his tenure by moving on from nearly every tenured Patriot that had previously been a captain, ridding the roster of any player who had been on the team during the tail end of the dynasty years. He continued that by shockingly releasing others who initially made the roster, with the most unpredictable being safety Jabrill Peppers.

It was an off year. There were things behind the scenes that we all sort of know about. He wasn't a fully healthy player, but he fought through it. I thought he played extremely well for what he was going through. He doesn't just score goals. He does a lot of things. He penalty kills. He goes up against top lines. He is a great defensive player. And there is his work ethic.

There are still (positions to be filled), especially those guys today. It's a good chance and hopefully one of those guys will grab it because we still need one or two in our lineup. It doesn't matter if it's Saturday (the B's last preseason game at the Garden) or Game 1. There are jobs up for grabs and hopefully someone will step up," said Sturm.

Lauer to the Bullpen It's hard to imagine where the Blue Jays would be this season if not for the emergence of Eric Lauer. With Max Scherzer on the shelf for the first half of the season, and with Bowden Francis unable to replicate his 2024 success, the journeyman lefty was called up at the end of April, and immediately provided relief to a beleaguered staff.

Thomas Bryant's wait for another team will have to continue as the NBA season approaches quickly. The Indiana product has been quite the journeyman throughout the start of his professional career and while being a journeyman isn't the worst case scenario, the constant lack of security to stick on a roster is a feeling that no player in the league wants to deal with.

There have been a lot of questions surrounding the Patriots' defensive roster decisions over the last few weeks, most of which stemmed from the unexpected release of safety Jabrill Peppers days after the roster cut deadline. Throughout the summer, he had looked like a roster lock, as he was barely on the field during the preseason, only to be abruptly released and leave the Patriots' secondary vulnerable going into the season opener.

Bryce Elder is coming off two starts where he hasn't been victimized at all by HR/FB, so he's up to 0.4 fWAR after sitting at a flat zero before then. So, there's hope for pretty much anyone. But this isn't really a question about Elder. Michael Harris II will presumably avoid the worst self-slash-team-inflicted slump of all time next year (but maybe not).

But ever since the Red Sox signed him on August 18, he's torn it up. He's slashing .350/.417/.600, good for a 179 OPS+. His defense has improved as well; according to Baseball-Reference, he had -13 Total Zone runs and -5 Defensive Runs Saved for Washington, but for Boston, those totals are at 1 and 0, respectively. He suddenly looks like his old self (better, in fact), a player who might make a real difference on a team in the midst of a competitive playoff race.

The 23-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs marked the sixth time in franchise history -- and second straight year -- that Houston had fallen in the divisional round, a place in the playoffs that they had not been beyond. But the Texans' owners had a contrasting feeling from the previous year when they were battered by the Baltimore Ravens -- a 34-10 loss where the offense failed to score a touchdown.

It appears that rookies Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth have secured their spots as middle infielders, with an outside chance that Montgomery moves to third base down the line. Catchers Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero have secured their places as the two primary catchers for the White Sox, but it could turn into a rotation of three with Korey Lee getting recalled from Triple-A.

During the early portion of the third quarter, Parsons laid on a medical table behind the Cowboys bench as the offense drove down the field. In addition, he was the only player not to wear a jersey during the game. Schottenheimer said if a decision needs to be made, the team will handle it internally. "Without talking to Micah, I need to figure out what he was doing and why he was doing it," Schottenheimer said on a conference call Saturday.

The rumor mill is heating up around New York Giants backup quarterback Jameis Winston, and understandably so. But he is not going anywhere assistant general manager Brandon Brown is making it very clear. I appreciate people that are interested, but Jameis is a New York Giant, Brown said. With the way that he's gone about his business from day one, he's made it very intentional with the fact that he wants to be here and he wants to be here for the long haul.