Bo Bichette is on the open market for the first time in his career, and it seems he’s attracting plenty of interest in the early stages of free agency.
There had been some speculation that the Blue Jays shortstop may fare better at a different infield position in free agency, but early indications are that he’s still garnering a lot of interest as a shortstop.
According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, the bulk of the interest in Bichette thus far this offseason has been with the intention of utilizing him at shortstop. However, Morosi also noted that teams with an established shortstop already on the roster have expressed interest in bringing Bichette on board at second base or even third base.
Although Bichette had a solid season at the plate in 2025, he struggled defensively. He ranked dead last among qualified shortstops in terms of outs above average at -13, and he had one of the weaker arms at the position, too.
Moving him to second base would potentially be a better fit for his arm, though there are seemingly still teams who are eyeing him at shortstop.
Bichette missed much of the postseason with a knee injury, but when he returned to the field for the World Series, he was inserted at second base instead of his usual spot at shortstop. Bichette hadn’t played second base since 2019 when he was still in the minor leagues, but he performed well defensively in the Fall Classic.
In 2025, Bichette slashed .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs. His .840 OPS was his best since 2020. He’s in the market for a long-term deal, and it seems his subpar defense at shortstop isn’t dissuading potential suitors thus far into the free agency period.
Stats highlights from a historic day in Ahmedabad for Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Sampath Bandarupalli03-Jun-20251:27
Moody: Krunal Pandya screams character to me
6255 – Days since Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) played their first IPL match – on April 18, 2008 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Tuesday marks the end of their wait for a trophy, after playing 286 games across the IPL and the CLT20.RCB had played four T20 finals before this season – three in the IPL and one in the CLT20, losing all of them while chasing a target. Delhi Capitals (DC) now hold the record for playing the most men’s T20 matches (274) without winning a title.8 – Teams to win the IPL trophy, including RCB. They leave Punjab Kings (PBKS) and DC as the only IPL franchises from 2008 not to have won the trophy. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are the only other active franchise not to have won the title.1 – Krunal Pandya became the first player to win the Player-of-the-Match award twice in IPL finals. He had won the award in the 2017 final against Rising Pune Supergiant/s.Related
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4 – Players who have won the IPL title in their maiden season as captain, including Rajat Patidar. Shane Warne won the inaugural edition in 2008 for Rajasthan Royals (RR), Rohit Sharma won with Mumbai Indians (MI) after taking over captaincy mid-season in 2013, and Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans (GT) to the title in their debut season in 2022.Patidar had played only four international matches before his IPL captaincy debut, the second-fewest for any captain in the IPL behind Nitish Rana (three).4-0 – Krunal’s win-loss record as a player in IPL finals. Krunal won all three IPL finals he played for MI – in 2017, 2019 and 2020. Only Rohit has a better record than Krunal in finals, having won each of the six he has played. Overall, Krunal is one of eight players to be part of four or more IPL final wins.10 – Different players to either score 20-plus runs or take a wicket for RCB on Tuesday. The only exceptions were Phil Salt, who scored 16 runs and took a catch, while Suyash Sharma, who came in as the Impact Player, bowled two wicketless overs.Only one team before RCB had ten players with 20-plus runs or a wicket in a men’s T20 final – Delhi against Rajasthan in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2017-18.771 – Fours hit by Virat Kohli in the IPL, the most by any batter, surpassing Shikhar Dhawan’s tally of 768.
Newcastle United haven’t gotten going this season, not in the Premier League.
The form on the road is becoming a real concern for Eddie Howe’s side, whose victories this season have been limited to St. James’ Park, and who have lost four on the bounce when detached from that vociferous home support.
Change is needed, and while the turbulence of the summer transfer window has made a transitional period inevitable, it’s clear there are some on Tyneside who must be shipped out for the sake of tactical continuity.
The endangered Newcastle stars
Newcastle are struggling this season, and no mistake. However, Howe has transformed this club in the years since his arrival, and he must be afforded ample time to sort things out.
However, this might mean that several stars need to be shipped out next year, with a stagnancy crawling across the squad’s fabric this season.
Sven Botman was all over the place as United slumped to defeat at Brentford last weekend, but there is surely hope that the 25-year-old, who has endured a series of injury-riddled years, will recover his once imperious Premier League form.
He’s not been helped by the widemen; Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn are limited as a full-back pairing. The veterans do combine, after all, for an age of 68, and the lack of dynamism and width and energy has impeded the Magpies.
Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga, for example, have neither scored nor assisted in the Premier League this term, and likely cannot wait for the return of Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento as a duo.
How Howe approaches 2026, the January transfer window and the summer market after that, is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear changes are needed. And one of these changes will sting the Tyneside crowds, but sadly, this Newcastle mainstay is no longer at his best and is a clear weak link in the middle of the park, showing certain shades of Moussa Sissoko long before him.
Newcastle's new Moussa Sissoko
Sissoko is something of a cult hero on Tyneside. The versatile French midfielder played 133 matches between 2013 and 2016, so tenacious and powerful from the centre of the park or out at right midfield.
Now 36 and playing for Watford in the Championship, Sissoko has not played in black and white for a long time, leaving for Tottenham in a £30m deal in 2016, but the case of Joelinton is throwing certain similarities toward the spotlight.
Joelinton, 29, arrived in England but lacked the composure and finishing skills to succeed. He looked to be drifting toward anonymity before being refashioned into a robust midfielder.
It’s delightful to see the Brazil international hailed as a “club legend” by content creator Adam Pearson, having featured 236 times across all competitions and played a defining role in lifting the Carabao Cup last year.
But his performances this season have left much to be desired, and United blogger Thomas Hammond has even suggested that this is “the start of the end” for the stalwart, who isn’t as sharp in his defensive duties as before; neither has he looked that effective in attack.
Sissoko was younger when leaving United for Spurs, but he too was inconsistent during that final, relegation-condemned campaign.
Joelinton has run himself into the ground over recent years, and now it might be time for Newcastle to cash in while they can and replace him with a fresher midfield cog to complement Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.
Howe’s Most-used Players at Newcastle
Rank
Player
Apps
1
Bruno Guimaraes
170
2
Dan Burn
165
3
Fabian Schar
163
4
Jacob Murphy
150
5
Joelinton
145
Data via Transfermarkt
For Joelinton to have been one of Howe’s mainstays at this golden age at Newcastle bears testament to his unwavering belief and drive.
But he can only drive forward for so long and it might be nearing the time to part ways with this all-action star and turn the page toward the new chapter.
They lost the ball 37 times: Newcastle duo must never start together again
Eddie Howe must never play this Newcastle United duo together again when Premier League action resumes.
تنبأ الحاسوب العملاق بطبيعة مجموعات بطولة كأس العالم نسخة 2026، حيث من المقرر أن يجري الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، فيفا، مراسم القرعة يوم الجمعة المقبل.
وتستضيف كل من الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، كندا والمكسيك نهائيات بطولة كأس العالم في الفترة بين 11 يونيو و19 يوليو 2026.
وتُعد تلك هي النسخة الأولى من بطولة كأس العالم التي يشارك بها 48 منتخبًا، سيتم تقسيمهم على 12 مجموعة، ويتأهل متصدر ووصيف كل مجموعة إلى دور الـ32، رفقة أفضل 8 منتخبات تحتل المركز الثالث.
ويتواجد منتخب مصر في التصنيف الثالث الذي أعلن عنه فيفا قبل أيام، حيث سيتواجد في مجموعة تضم فرق من التصنيف الأول، الثاني والرابع، بشرط ألا يلتقي مع خصم من نفس قارته.
وحسبما نشرت صحيفة “ذا صن” الإنجليزية، توقع الحاسوب العملاق التابع لشركة jeffbet، هوية المجموعات في بطولة كأس العالم 2026، ومن ضمنها المجموعة التي سيتواجد بها منتخب مصر، وكذلك ترتيب الفرق الـ48.
اقرأ أيضًا | أحدهم منتخب مصر.. 11 خصمًا محتملًا لخوض المباراة الافتتاحية في كأس العالم 2026
وأوضح الحاسوب العملاق أن منتخب مصر سيتواجد في المجموعة الثانية عشر، التي ستضم كل من البرتغال، أستراليا والعراق (متوقعًا تأهل الأخير من الملحق العالمي إلى كأس العالم).
ووفقًا للحاسوب نفسه، فمن المتواجد إنهاء مصر لمرحلة المجموعات في المركز الثالث، برصيد 3 نقاط فقط، حيث سيفوز على العراق وسيتعرض للهزيمة أمام البرتغال وأستراليا.
سيتأهل منتخب مصر إلى دور الـ32 من بطولة كأس العالم، ضمن أفضل 8 منتخبات في المركز الثالث، وسيواجه النرويج حيث ستفوز كتيبة إيرلينج هالاند بنتيجة 3/1، ومن ثم الإطاحة بالفراعنة.
Presidente do Flamengo, Rodolfo Landim deu forte declaração sobre o poder dentro do clube e a responsabilidade financeira da diretoria. Em entrevista ao portal “ge”, o dirigente afirmou que o trabalho da diretoria poderia ser destruído em “três meses”, caso a pessoa a frente do Rubro-Negro não prudente com os gastos.
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continua após a publicidade
– Eu ouço muitos jornalistas esportivos fazendo comentários interessantes. Falam de gestão de empresa e eu ouço: “O Flamengo do jeito que está estruturado, vai passar 10 anos com desempenho maravilhoso”. E eu digo para vocês: com três meses de má gestão dá para destruir o Flamengo. Não precisa de muito tempo. Com a minha caneta, dá para destruir o Flamengo. Tudo o que se construiu a gente destrói em três meses. Eu compro o Neymar, o Mbappé e mais um. Coloco 600 milhões de euros de dívidas no balanço do Flamengo – declarou Rodolfo Landim.
– É exato. Isso é uma grande verdade (a responsabilidade ser sempre do presidente). No fundo, quem tem a caneta e quem tem o poder de mudar é o presidente do clube. Eu tenho o poder de trocar quem eu quiser. Se alguma coisa foi feita errada, a culpa é minha. Se foi feita certa, a equipe é brilhante, boa e mereceu. Se deu errado, é minha. A vida é assim. A responsabilidade maior é minha. Eu continuo achando isso. Os problemas do Flamengo, quando tem problemas, sou eu o responsável. Se foi cometido o erro por alguém, foi alguém que eu coloquei lá e dei poder para ele tomar essa decisão que saiu errada. No fundo, é isso mesmo – completou o dirigente do Flamengo.