NL wins 2025 All-Star Game in HR Derby tiebreaker, Schwarber named MVP
NL wins 2025 All-Star Game in HR Derby tiebreaker, Schwarber named MVP originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
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Newsweek
2 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Red Sox World Series Champion Drops Blockbuster Trade Prediction
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Boston Red Sox should be very active at the MLB trade deadline, but just how big of a splash can they make? The priorities for the Red Sox remain with starting pitching, a first baseman and bullpen help. That didn't stop Boston's 2004 World Series champion and MLB Network analyst Kevin Millar from throwing out a hypothetical for a future Hall of Famer. BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 03: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels takes his turn at bat against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 03, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 03: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels takes his turn at bat against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 03, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. Elsa/Getty Images Millar floated the idea of the Los Angeles Angels, who last made the postseason in 2014, finally trading Mike Trout to the contending Red Sox. "Is Mike Trout available?" Millar asked in an MLB Network video on X. "Maybe. Did the Red Sox save $260 million when they got rid of (Rafael) Devers? Can you make a deal to get Mike Trout to the Boston Red Sox? Right-handed power, you never know." Trout's tenure in Anaheim and Boston's outfield logjam are just a few reasons why this trade idea is highly unlikely, but this is the time of year for blockbuster rumors. Trout sports an .836 OPS in 77 games with the Angels this season. Injuries have once again been an issue for Trout this season, as he's missed more than 20 games. That's borderline ironman stuff compared to recent campaigns, though; Trout played in just 111 games over the prior two seasons entering 2025. Trout hasn't played more than 134 games in a season since 2018. And he's still signed through 2030. In the same video, MLB Network host Greg Amsinger presented the idea for the Red Sox to trade for St. Louis Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley to pair with All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman. More MLB: Blue Jays Listed as 'Best Fit' for Pirates Right-Hander
Miami Herald
31 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Rodrigo De Paul joins Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, may make debut in Leagues Cup
Lionel Messi will have another close friend and longtime teammate by his side for the remainder of this Inter Miami season and beyond. As the Miami Herald and other outlets reported last week, Rodrigo De Paul, Messi's midfield mate on Argentina's national team, is headed to Inter Miami from Spanish club Atletico Madrid on a four-year loan-to-buy deal. The loan will run through 2025 with an option to make the transfer permanent through the 2029 MLS season.. The official announcement came from the club on Friday night. De Paul will be unveiled to the home fans during Saturday's pregame at 7 p.m. at Chase Stadium prior to Inter Miami's game against FC Cincinnati, which Messi and Jordi Alba will miss after being suspended by MLS for skipping the All-Star Game on Wednesday. 'What brings me to Inter Miami is the desire to compete, win titles, to write the pages in the club's history,' said De Paul. 'It's a club that is shaping up to be great, to have a long history, so that many people follow this incredible team.' De Paul, a World Cup champion and two-time Copa America winner, will join the squad and begin training with the team upon the receipt of his P-1 Visa and ITC. Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas spent more than a week in Madrid in early July finalizing the deal, which includes a transfer/buyout fee in the $12 million to $15 million range, with potential for a higher fee if incentives are met. De Paul is expected to make his Inter Miami debut during the Leagues Cup, which kicks off July 30 with a home game against Mexican club Atlas. The next two Leagues Cup games are against Necaxa Aug. 2 and Pumas Aug. 6, both at Chase Stadium. 'Assembling a team that inspires our fans to dream continues to be one of our primary aspirations, so we're thrilled to sign a player of Rodrigo's caliber,' said Mas. 'He is a winner who has conquered the world stage; his ambitions match ours at Inter Miami, and we are hungry to achieve these goals together. 'Several of the best players in global fútbol have already chosen Inter Miami as their home, and Rodrigo joining our roster is another landmark as we continue on this journey to change the trajectory of the sport in this country and make our fans proud.' Co-owner David Beckham added: ''Rodrigo is a player I've admired for many years. As a leader he has brought so much to the teams he has played for - especially with his national team Argentina. He brings experience, passion and quality to our team and to our city. I'm excited to welcome another World Cup winning player not just to Inter Miami, but also to MLS.' The move adds a top-tier 31-year-old central midfielder to the Miami roster as the team aims to compete for the Leagues Cup title and the MLS Cup after a disappointing first round exit from the playoffs last season. De Paul joined Atletico Madrid in 2021 from Udinese for a $41 million fee. His contract with the Spanish club expires in June 2026, but he decided to make the move to the United States now. Nicknamed 'El Motorcito' (Little Motor) for his tireless work rate, De Paul will get to train and work with Messi every day in the buildup to the 2026 World Cup, which is being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer. He is a box-to-box midfielder who played a crucial role for Argentina in the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America. Over 11 seasons in Italy and Spain, De Paul has played 356 games, scored 45 goals and had 56 assists. He earned Copa América 2021 and 2024 Team of the Tournament honors, and most recently featured in the La Liga Team of the Season for the 2024-25 campaign. De Paul began his career in the youth ranks at Racing Club in Argentina prior to being promoted to the first team and making his professional debut in February 2013. He went on to establish himself as a key player for Racing before leaving for Europe in 2014. Fox Sports commentator Alexi Lalas believes De Paul is a perfect fit for Inter Miami and MLS. 'He is in his prime and the style in which he plays, I think will translate immediately to what Major League Soccer is,' Lalas said on his State of the Union podcast. 'I'm not saying he's crude or anything, but there is a ruggedness and a rawness to his game that is what makes him one of the greats in the world. I think it's going to translate. I think it's what Inter Miami needs.' Lalas went on to praise Inter Miami owners Jorge and Jose Mas and David Beckham for making 'bold' moves to spend big and sign marquee players. 'I love that Inter Miami and Jorge Mas and David Beckham want to push the envelope,' Lalas said. 'They want to do big things, and they should be given the ability to do that, Yes, within the rules. 'People are yelling and saying, 'Oh, Inter Miami's getting favorable treatment.' Yeah. OK. If somebody wants to do something big that's going to benefit the team, and it's going to benefit the league, they are going to be given some leeway. And there's nothing stopping you, whatever team it is - Columbus or Colorado or anybody else out there - from thinking big and doing big. 'Yes, there is an attraction to Messi. Yes, there is an attraction to someplace like Miami that maybe other teams don't have. But if you want to spend big money and you want to do big, bold, dare I say it, arrogant things, I will support you, 100 percent.' A charismatic player with a fashion flair, De Paul is a big fan of Beckham's and emulated the English star's hairdos, from the braids to the pulled-back half-ponytail to the hairband to the bleached blond look. Like Beckham, whose wife Victoria was a singer with the Spice Girls, De Paul has a pop star girlfriend, Tini Stoessel, who is from Argentina and has a home in Miami. De Paul did a stint with Spanish club Valencia from 2014-16, when Gary Neville was the coach there. Phil Neville, Gary's brother and the former Inter Miami coach, was an assistant coach with Valencia at that time and has fond memories of De Paul. 'He was a very talented young player with great energy and enthusiasm to play football,' Neville told the Miami Herald. 'He worked so hard every day, and you could tell he was going to have a really great career. He had an infectious personality in the locker room and was loved by all his teammates.' Messi has the same type of telepathy with De Paul as he does with Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. De Paul always knows where Messi is, provides delivery to the Argentine icon and takes on the role of enforcer/bodyguard when the two are on the field together. Messi already has a professional bodyguard, Yassine Cheuko, and now he will have a second. Suarez, 38, and Busquets, 37, have not renewed their contracts, which expire at the end of this season. Busquets will make $8.8 million this season, second-highest salary on the team behind Messi ($20.5 million), and Suarez makes $1.5 million. Neither player has addressed his future, but if Suarez and/or Busquets retire at the end of the year, De Paul will fulfill the role of world-class midfielder and confidant for Messi. MLS rules allow just three Designated Players with salaries exceeding the league maximum. Right now, those are Messi, Busquets and Jordi Alba, who recently signed a contract extension through 2027. Messi has not signed his contract extension yet, but negotiations have been ongoing for months, and the deal is expected to be completed soon. Messi's initial contract with Miami is valued at $150 million, with a large piece of that coming from equity in the club upon his retirement. He is expected to continue playing at least through 2026, the first season in Miami Freedom Park Stadium, which is under construction and scheduled to open early next year.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Lionel Messi 'very upset' over discipline for skipping MLS All-Star Game
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were 'extremely upset' upon hearing they will not be available to play in Inter Miami's next match after skipping the MLS All-Star Game in Austin, Texas earlier this week, co-owner Jorge Mas said after the league's announcement on Friday, July 25. Any player who does not participate in the All-Star Game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete in their club's next match, per MLS rules. Inter Miami will play a highly-anticipated match against first-place FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, without Messi and Alba, despite both returning to practice on Friday for the first time this week with expectations they would be able to play. 'He's very upset, extremely upset today, as expected. I'm hopeful it doesn't have an impact long term,' Mas said of Messi during a Zoom press conference with media, regarding ongoing contract negotiations to extend the Argentine World Champion's contract beyond this season. MLS commissioner Don Garber told USA TODAY Sports this was a 'complicated' decision based on Messi's workload. Messi has played every minute in 22 of 23 matches since April 2, with his lone absence in a 4-3 loss at home to FC Dallas on April 27. 'I know Leo Messi loves this league. I don't think there's been a player, or frankly just about anyone, who has done more for MLS than Leo Messi has,' Garber told USA TODAY Sports. 'But we have a long-standing policy that is related to participation for all players. And unfortunately, I had to enforce the policy. It was a difficult decision to make.' Mas said the club decided for Messi and Alba not to travel, considering they just completed a stretch of nine games in 35 days with an upcoming stint of 10 games in 34 days. Mas added he had communication with the league on Monday and Tuesday, but admitted talks between both sides 'wasn't handled ideally.' MLS did not announce Messi and Alba would miss the All-Star Game until roughly eight hours before the Wednesday, July 23 exhibition. 'Obviously, Lionel Messi is Lionel Messi. He is different. He has completely changed the economics of this league for every single club, every team, every sponsor, the league, media, etc. He's important. But at the end of the day, Lionel Messi wants to play in competitive matches,' Mas said. 'If he would have gone Wednesday, would have played maybe 15-30 minutes – great. But at the end of the day, league corporate sponsors are already taking advantage of Lionel Messi's presence in the league.' Mas believes the rule that will sideline his former FC Barcelona stars is 'frankly draconian,' and the All-Star Game puts the players in an 'untenable situation' to choose between participating in the exhibition and getting some much needed rest during the regular season. The All-Stars who started the exhibition were substituted after 30 minutes because most returned to regular-season play Friday. Messi's absence in the MLS All-Star Game and whether he would be disciplined for skipping the exhibition garnered much of the attention surrounding the league's annual showcase. 'It's not just for what he's done off the field, growing the overall popularity and awareness of the league. It's really what he's done on the field. His games are special moments. Every one of them is a must-see match, and it's that commitment what he does on the field that makes this decision so complicated,' Garber said of Messi. 'He's played more games than any one player this year. He's so committed to his club that the timing of the All-Star Game, the timing of the Club World Cup and their schedule, has him wanting to take a break. And I respect that. It was based on his commitment to his club, and I understand and respect his decision.' Garber reiterated to Mas that he will 'take a hard look at the rule moving forward to make sure it reflects the evolving realities of our league and its players.' 'I think the rule, it is going to change, but that's neither here nor there,' Mas added. 'Their reaction was as I expected, and they were extremely upset – both of them.'
