The Cleveland Guardians have long been renowned for their development of pitchers—and now their staff has another ace up its sleeve.
Former pitcher Corey Kluber is joining the Guardians as a special assistant, the team announced Wednesday morning. Kluber, 39, has been out of baseball since a year with the Boston Red Sox in 2023.
The move reunites Cleveland with its best pitcher of the 2010s, whose stoic presence on the mound galvanized its success in the middle part of the decade.
Virtually out of nowhere in 2014, Kluber went 18-9 with 269 strikeouts, a 2.44 ERA, and an MLB-best 8.1 bWAR. He won the American League Cy Young award, and eventually won it again for a 100-win Cleveland team in 2017.
The franchise traded Kluber to the Texas Rangers before the 2020 season, and he bounced around four teams before calling it a career.
The Guardians are currently 25-17—second in the American League Central Divison and 2.5 games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will be without star Mookie Betts during the two-game Tokyo Series vs. the Chicago Cubs, starting on Tuesday, because of an illness that he's had for the past week, manager Dave Roberts told the media.
Betts's illness, which is unknown, has caused him to lose 15 pounds. He's been trying to rehydrate and gain strength back, Roberts said. It's possible that Betts could fly back to the United States earlier than the Dodgers so he can rest before the home opener on March 27.
"He's not going to play in these two games," Roberts said, via ESPN. "When you're dehydrated, that's what opens a person up to soft tissue injuries. We're very mindful of that."
Betts participated in some of the Dodgers's workouts while in Tokyo, but he started feeling worse over the weekend, specifically on Sunday, as Dodgers insider David Vassegh reported that Betts started feeling light headed and weaker.
Roberts noted last week that Betts started feeling sick the day before the team flew to Japan. Both Roberts and Betts didn't think the illness would linger this long, which is why the eight-time All-Star made the trip in the first place.
Miguel Rojas will take Betts's place at shortstop, which he's transitioning to this season, during the Tokyo Series.
O jogo desta segunda-feira (6), entre Vasco e Botafogo, pode definir o rumo dos rivais e outros clubes no Brasileirão. O Gigante da Colina terá a “torcida” de Palmeiras, RB Bragantino e Grêmio, enquanto Santos, Cruzeiro e Goiás estarão do lado do Glorioso no Clássico da Amizade. A equipe de Lúcio Flávio lidera o Campeonato Brasileiro com 59 pontos, enquanto o time de Ramón Diaz está na zona do rebaixamento, com 34 pontos.
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RIVAIS SECANDO PELO TÍTULO
O Botafogo briga pelo título brasileiro e uma vitória em São Januário deixará a equipe de Lúcio Flávio novamente com três pontos de distância para o Palmeiras, segundo colocado com 59 pontos. A equipe de Abel Ferreira conseguiu uma virada épica por 4 a 3 contra o Glorioso, vem de cinco vitórias consecutivas no Brasileirão e aumentou a pressão na equipe carioca. Vale ressaltar que o Glorioso tem uma partida por realizar, contra o Fortaleza.
O RB Bragantino também olha com bons olhos para o clássico carioca. A equipe de Bragança Paulista possui dois jogos atrasados e, caso o Botafogo não vença o duelo desta segunda-feira (6), a equipe do interior paulista depende só de si para levar o título brasileiro.
O Grêmio, 4° colocado com 56 pontos, também torce por um tropeço do Botafogo. Mesmo após a vitória do Imortal sobre o Bahia, a equipe de Renato Gaúcho possui 3,6% de chance de faturar o Brasileirão, segundo dados da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG).
BRIGA CONTRA O Z4
Se Grêmio, Palmeiras e RB Bragantino irão torcer para o Vasco no clássico, O Botafogo terá o apoio das torcidas do Santos, Cruzeiro e Goiás, que brigam contra o rebaixamento.
➡️ Veja a tabela e simule as últimas rodadas do Brasileirão 2023
O Cruz-Maltino é o segundo time no Z4 e possui dois pontos de distância para o Esmeraldino. Caso vença o clássico em São Januário, a equipe de Ramón Diaz ultrapassa o Goias e encurta para dois pontos a distância para o Cruzeiro e Santos, primeiros times fora da zona do rebaixamento.
O Santos também entra em campo nesta segunda-feira (6), em duelo contra o Cuiabá, na Vila Belmiro.
India coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed India have a whole quota of fit fast bowlers to select from for The Oval Test, which they need to win to level the series. Equally significantly, Gambhir didn’t rule out the possibility of Jasprit Bumrah playing a fourth Test after he had said he was good to play only three in the lead-up to the series.Bumrah, whose pace was down at Old Trafford, which could also have to do with a soft outfield and loose foot holes, has had time to put his feet up since before lunch on day four of this Test. The fifth and final Test begins on Thursday.India came into the third Test crippled with injuries to Arshdeep Singh (bowling hand) and Akash Deep (groin), and general fatigue for Mohammed Siraj. They had to call in reinforcements from India in Anshul Kamboj, who played ahead of Prasidh Krishna.Related
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“All the fast bowlers are fit,” Gambhir said after India’s 143-over batting effort to secure a draw at Old Trafford and stay alive in the series. “There are no injury concerns.”That also includes Bumrah, but his case is different. He is not playing only three Tests because of any injury, but instead for workload management purposes so that he prevents further injuries after his stress reaction earlier in the year. That stress reaction had kept him out for five months. Gambhir was asked if that workload prescription was still set in stone with a series still on the line.”We haven’t had any conversation around the combination for the last Test,” Gambhir replied. “No decision has been made on whether Jasprit Bumrah will play or not. Ultimately, whoever plays, they will try and do the job for the country.”2:09
Manjrekar: ‘Warriors’ keep sprouting for India when needed
Gambhir: ‘Absolutely up’ for series finale
Gambhir said this India team was an inexperienced side and the results needed to be seen in that light. But he also said that reason doesn’t change the scoreline of the series. He also didn’t want to get carried away with the achievement of drawing at Old Trafford.”You are asking someone who only believes in results,” Gambhir said. “I’ve said that in the past as well, that I believe in results. We are still 2-1 down in the series. This is the Indian team. Yes there is inexperience but this is still the best Indian team right now. So for me, I think we are still down 2-1. And hopefully we can try and make it 2-2. That’s going to be a good achievement.”When you are put under pressure, and you end up batting five sessions, I think that’s great character. Anything that you do in these conditions, when you are put under pressure and you come out of those pressure moments, it is always a great feeling, and it just ends up giving a lot of confidence in the dressing room as well.”And I’m sure going into The Oval, we will be high on confidence, but we can’t take anything for granted. I think it’s going to be a new game, it’s going to be against a strong England side, and we absolutely will be up for it.”
Without being guilty of stating the obvious, it’s not a great time to be a West Ham United fan at the moment.
The team looked terrible under Graham Potter at the start of the season, and apart from a brief moment against Everton, they’ve not looked much better under Nuno Espírito Santo.
The Portuguese coach has a tough job on his hands to get the Hammers out of the relegation zone, and things have only just got more complicated.
It now seems that Lucas Paqueta wants to leave the club, although his departure wouldn’t be ideal, West Ham appear to have a player who could step into his shoes.
Latest on Lucas Paqueta's West Ham future
As if Nuno’s task to keep West Ham in the Premier League wasn’t already challenging enough, it now seems that the incredibly talented Paqueta wants to jump ship in the winter window.
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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
At least, that is according to a recent report from the Times, which claims that, despite a move to Aston Villa not materialising in the summer, the Brazilian ace is still keen to leave the East Londoners as soon as possible.
It is unclear just how much money it would take for the Irons to sell, but given his desire to leave, underwhelming performances and the fact that there are less than two years left on his £150k-per-week contract, it seems unlikely they’ll make a profit on the £51m they paid Lyon for him in 2022.
However, while losing the Paquetá-born midfielder would be far from ideal, it might not be the nail in the club’s Premier League coffin that many might spin it as.
After all, even though his talent is undeniable, has the 28-year-old star actually been as effective for the club as fans hoped he would be when he first joined?
Paqueta’s West Ham Career
Season
Games
G+As
25/26
10
3
24/25
36
5
23/24
43
15
22/23
41
12
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Well, across his 130 appearances for the Irons, the former Lyon ace has scored 21 goals and provided 14 assists, which works out to a decent but unspectacular average of a goal involvement every 3.71 games.
Moreover, last season saw him score just five goals in 35 games, of which two were penalties, meaning he averaged a non-penalty goal every 11.66 games, which isn’t good enough for someone meant to be a team’s talismanic number ten.
In short, while the best situation would be one in which Nuno could get the best back out of Paqueta, losing him in the winter might not be as bad as some would have you believe, as he’s barely contributed to the team for over a year now.
Moreover, West Ham already have a creative gem who could potentially prove to be a brilliant replacement in the long run.
West Ham's Paqueta replacement
While there are undoubtedly other ways in which Nuno and West Ham could approach a Paqueta-less side, perhaps the best would be to use Mateus Fernandes.
The former Southampton star joined the club for around £40m in the summer, and while he’s spent more time in central midfield since then, he’s no stranger to playing further up the pitch.
For example, during his time with the Saints, the “exceptional” Portuguese ace, as dubbed by analyst Mattinson, made 21 appearances in attacking midfield.
Moreover, despite playing for a team that were relegated and, for some time, looked in danger of breaking Derby County’s most unwanted record, the 21-year-old still produced six goal involvements in 36 league games.
For comparison’s sake, Paqueta scored just four goals in 34 league games.
Finally, on top of possessing the ability to play “those KDB-type passes,” as Mattinson puts it, the former Southampton ace is also happy to help out all over the pitch, as his underlying numbers show.
According to FBref, he ranked in the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League last season for percentage of aerial duels won, the top 5% for tackles and ball recoveries, the top 11% for long passes attempted and completed and the top 14% for passes into the final third, all per 90.
Fernandes’ scout report
Statistics
Per 90
Percentile
% of Aerials Won
62.5%
Top 2%
Tackles (Def 3rd)
1.39
Top 3%
Tackles
2.75
Top 5%
Ball Recoveries
5.54
Top 5%
Interceptions
0.87
Top 7%
Touches (Mid 3rd)
26.82
Top 9%
GCA (Defensive Action)
0.03
Top 10%
Passes Completed (Long)
3.40
Top 11%
Passes Attempted (Long)
6.06
Top 11%
Dribblers Tackled
1.02
Top 11%
Pass Completion % (Medium)
85.9%
Top 14%
Passes into Final Third
3.03
Top 14%
Shots Blocked
0.25
Top 14%
Total Passing Distance
569.45
Top 15%
Blocks
1.33
Top 15%
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 PL Season
Ultimately, in an ideal world, West Ham would keep hold of Paqueta and help him get back to his best this season.
However, if he really is to leave in the winter, then fans should not worry too much, as Fernandes could step in and step up.
West Ham brewing Noble 2.0 who knows "what it means to wear the shirt"
The academy product might be able to add some much-needed fight and heart back into Nuno’s West Ham side.
O governador do Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, elegeu as equipes que vão cuidar do prosseguimento da licitação do Maracanã. Há mais de um mês, no dia 23 de agosto, o Tribunal de Contas do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (TCE-RJ) definiu a retomada do processo, que irá cuidar da abertura para concorrência pública, ainda sem data definida.
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Por decreto, foi instituída a Comissão Técnica, que terá cinco membros e “o objetivo de elaborar os Estudos Técnicos, o Edital de Licitação e seus anexos”, além de avaliar as propostas. Além disso, foi nomeada a Comissão Especial de Licitação, que irá “dirigir e julgar a licitação na modalidade de concorrência pública”, composta por outros três membros.
Flamengo e Fluminense administram o Maracanã atualmente, com o Rubro-Negro no contrato e o Tricolor como interveniente anuente. O atual Termo de Permissão de Uso (TPU) da dupla se encerra no dia 23 de outubro, mas o Governo já se move por outra renovação automática com os clubes. Para a futura licitação, com concorrência pública, os rivais Fla-Flu seguirão unidos.
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Desde 2021, o Vasco manifesta o desejo de entrar na administração do Maracanã, mas o Governo do Estado do Rio de Janeiro rejeitava abrir concorrência pública para disputa da gestão temporária do estádio. Confira abaixo o decreto e os nomes escolhidos para formar as comissões.
تحدث آرسين فينجر، المدرب التاريخي لنادي آرسنال ومحلل قنوات بي إن سبورتس، عن فوز ريال مدريد على برشلونة في كلاسيكو الدوري الإسباني.
وحقق الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد، فوزًا مهمًا على حساب نظيره برشلونة في إطار منافسات “لا ليجا”.
واستضاف ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” مباراة الكلاسيكو بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة، ضمن منافسات الجولة العاشرة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”.
وتمكن ريال مدريد من حسم نتيجة المباراة بثنائية مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعتهما اليوم، في تمام السادسة والربع مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة ومكة المكرمة.
بتلك النتيجة، تصدر ريال مدريد جدول ترتيب الدوري الإسباني برصيد 27 نقطة، فيما تجمد رصيد برشلونة عند 22 نقطة.
وقال فينجر، عبر شاشة قنوات بي إن سبورتس: “تشابي قاد فريقه بشكل جيد وأظن أنها كانت لعبة رجال ضد أطفال، في بعض مراحل اللعب وبعض اللقطات علي صعيد الدفاع مثلًا، كان أقوى من مستوى دفاع برشلونة”.
اقرأ أيضًا | والد لامين يامال يستفز ريال مدريد رغم خسارة برشلونة في الكلاسيكو
وأكمل: “ريال مدريد في الهجوم كأنه ينتظر التسجيل في أي لحظة وبرشلونة كان ليس شرسًا بما فيه الكفاية، ولم يشكلوا أي خطورة على مرمى ريال مدريد وأشيد بـ تشابي ألونسو على ذلك”.
وأردف: “فينيسيوس قدم مباراة كبيرة لكنه كان مستاءً لحظة خروجه، كان غاضبًا وبصراحة مستواه كان استثنائيًا ونحن شاهدنا ما حصل قبل المباراة وهذا أعطى إصرارًا كبيرًا للريال”.
وأردف: ” فينيسيوس كان متحفزًا للغاية من تصريحات يامال الأخيرة وكان غاضبًا عندما غادر، أظن أنه كان لا يصح أن يعبر عن غضبه لكن أيضًا كان من الصعب عليه الخروج من الملعب وهو في هذه الحالة”.
وأتم: “يجب أن تتقبل قرارات المدرب في نهاية المطاف، وهو غادر الملعب ثم عاد لدكة البدلاء لأن شخصًا أخبره أنه لا يجب أن يفعل ذلك، يجب أن تعود في دكة الاحتياط لأنك تلعب في ريال مدريد”.
Despite picking up an injury early on in the new season, one of Liverpool’s summer signings, Jeremie Frimpong, had made a fast start to his career at Anfield. The Dutchman joined the club from Bayer Leverkusen over the summer, for a fee of £29.5m.
Signed as a replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, the 24-year-old flying wing-back has only played twice for Arne Slot’s side before suffering from a hamstring issue. However, he bagged a goal on his competitive debut in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, and played an hour on his Premier League debut against Bournemouth.
So, life at Anfield has started well for Frimpong despite the injury, even though he has had to step into the shoes of Alexander-Arnold.
Alexander-Arold’s start to life in Madrid
It is certainly not outlandish to call Liverpool academy graduate Alexander-Arnold a legend of the club. He played a key part in two Premier League title wins and a Champions League victory, as well as other trophies for his boyhood club.
Bowing out by winning Liverpool’s second top-flight title last season was a superb achievement for Alexander-Arnold.
Whilst it was not the 26-year-old’s best season of his career, with just ten assists and four goals in 49 games across the campaign, he still played a huge role in the team’s success.
Yet, there were times last season when the right-back got called out for his defensive ability, namely in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Anfield. England boss Thomas Tuchel said he needs to “take the defensive part very, very seriously” to have an impact for his country.
After running down his contract to join Real Madrid over the summer, the Liverpool-born defender has already got stuck into life in the Spanish capital. He’s played eight games for the club so far, assisting two goals, both of which came in the Club World Cup.
Losing a star player like Alexander-Arnold in the way they did was a blow for Liverpool. They will be keen to avoid it in the future, but it may be unavoidable next summer, as well.
Konate is Liverpool’s new Alexander-Arnold
There are a few key first-team players at Anfield whose contracts will expire at the end of the season. Andy Robertson is one of the prominent names who could depart in the coming months.
However, the one departure that could get alarm bells ringing at Anfield is that of defender Ibrahima Konate. The Frenchman, who earns £70k per week, is also out of contract at the end of the season.
Worryingly for the Reds, the Santiago Bernabeu could also be a destination for Konate. Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed that the former RB Leipzig star is ‘one of the players they would like to bring in’ next summer.
In last season’s Premier League title win, Konate was a key player. He featured 31 times in the top-flight, and was even described as “the best defender in the Premier League” by fellow French centre-back William Gallas.
The numbers from 2024/25 and the season before highlight why Gallas said that.
For example, two years ago, Konate averaged 4.4 aerial duels won per 90 minutes, and last season he averaged two combined tackles and interceptions per game.
Pass accuracy
88%
90.3%
Passes completed
72.4
60.1
Tackles and interceptions
3.1
2
Aerial duels won
4.4
2.6
This season, however, the defender has not been the same player. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said the 26-year-old is “not at the races at all” so far this season, citing an error in the 3-2 win over Newcastle as one of the key mistakes.
It is easy to see how Konate is this season’s Alexander-Arnold. With one year left on his contract and Real Madrid showing interest, it is easy to see him running down his contract to join Los Blancos. Plus, his early defensive errors have been criticised.
Yet, the Reds academy star acted professionally and still worked hard last season to guide his side to the title. It has only been a poor start for Konate, and it is safe to assume he will follow his former teammate’s path and act professionally, too.
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Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has reportedly been subject to a jaw-dropping £60 million offer from Saudi Arabia.
The Brazilian returned from sister club Strasbourg in the summer and played a small role during Chelsea’s triumph at the Club World Cup, and Fabrizio Romano has tipped him for an eventual “important” role in west London.
Joao Pedro
Noni Madueke
Jamie Gittens
João Félix
Jorrel Hato
Djordje Petrovic
Liam Delap
Lesley Ugochukwu
Dario Essugo
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Mamadou Sarr
Renato Veiga
Estevao
Armando Broja
Kendry Paez
Carney Chukwuemeka
Alejandro Garnacho
Mathis Amougou
Basir Humphreys
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Marcus Bettinelli
Christopher Nkunku
Nicolas Jackson (obligation to buy in 2026)
Alfie Gilchrist
Lucas Bergstrom
Ben Chilwell
Enzo Maresca sees him as a viable alternative to Moises Caicedo or Enzo Fernández, as well as a number six, with the Italian expressing his happiness over Santos’ availability as an option.
Despite approaches from the likes of Man United before Monday’s UK transfer deadline, the consensus is that Santos will stay at Chelsea this season, but Al-Qadsiah attempted to upset the applecart.
AndreySantos on loan at RC Strasbourg
A surprise report from credible South American outlet UOL and journalist Thiago Arantes earlier this week shared news of a £60 million bid from Al-Qadsiah, which was rejected by Santos, despite Chelsea being prepared to entertain talks with the Middle East side.
Al-Qadsiah instead announced the signing of German Julian Weigl as an alternative after learning a move for Chelsea’s man wasn’t possible.
While Al-Qadsiah’s monumental offer to Santos, which was around five times what he currently earns at Stamford Bridge, wasn’t enough — the 21-year-old is actually ready to negotiate a Saudi transfer on one condition.
Andrey Santos ready to negotiate Chelsea exit to Saudi on one condition
According to Arantes and UOL again, the former Strasbourg sensation, who Liam Rosenior called “world-class” after an excellent 24/25 campaign in France, knows exactly what he’s looking for.
Santos is demanding around £269,000-per-week to leave Chelsea for Saudi, double Al Qadsiah’s offer, but only a wage of this magnitude could persuade the midfielder to leave Europe at this stage of his career.
His priority right now is to stay on the continent and establish himself as a Premier League player, so it’s going to take a sky-high proposal to make him think.
Santos, regardless of his young age, captained Strasbourg on occasion last term and has already demonstrated admirable leadership qualities, like a fierce work ethic.
Neymar has taken a clear swipe at France Football while raging over Raphinha's final Ballon d'Or position. The Brazil and Barcelona winger finished fifth in the final vote, while Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele scooped the main prize ahead of second placed Lamine Yamal. Raphinha played a key role for Barca alongside Yamal as they won three domestic titles last season.
Raphinha was among frontrunners to win Ballon d'Or
Raphinha was among the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or this year, but when the results finally came out, the former Leeds United attacker finished fifth in the list. Dembele bagged the Golden Ball for the first time in his career ahead of Yamal, with Vitinha and Mohamed Salah completing the top five.
AdvertisementAFPNeymar takes swipe at France Football
As per , Raphinha's finish outside the top three enraged his Brazil national team colleague Neymar, who, in reply to an Instagram post, wrote: "Raphinha in 5th is too much of a joke."
Raphinha beat Messi's Champions League record
During the 2024-25 Champions League campaign, Raphinha registered 12 goals and eight assists as he surpassed Lionel Messi's club record goal contributions tally of 19, which the Barca legend achieved in the 2011-12 season. The Brazilian also scored 18 league goals as the Catalan side won the La Liga title.
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GettyBarcelona vs PSG looming large on horizon
Barcelona will close out the month with La Liga games against Real Oviedo and Real Sociedad before their attention turns back to the Champions League. Raphinha will come up against Dembele when Barca host reigning European champions PSG in a blockbuster clash on October 1.