- Ozempic craze sends shares of junk food companies plunging – with stock in the makers of Jell-O, Fritos and Pringles all hitting new one-year lows Daily Mail
- Walmart says weight loss drug users are buying less food NBC News
- Walmart: Weight-loss drugs are slightly impacting food demand Detroit Free Press
- How healthy is America’s renewed love affair with weight loss medications? The Guardian
- Coca-Cola and PepsiCo’s stocks fall after Walmart says weight-loss drugs have customers cutting back on calories MarketWatch
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: oneyear
Twins To Sign Joey Gallo To One-Year Deal
The Twins are in agreement with outfielder Joey Gallo on a one-year deal that will pay him $11MM.
Gallo, 29, has occasionally been one of the most fearsome sluggers in the league but is coming off a rough stretch. With the Rangers from 2017 to 2019, he was the poster boy for the three true outcomes: home run, strikeout and walk. In that three-year stretch, he struck out in 36.8% of his plate appearances while the league averages in that time hovered around 22%. His 14.3% walk rate was well beyond the 8.5% league average in that time. He also launched 103 home runs over that stretch, leading to a batting line of .217/.336/.533. Despite the huge punch-out totals, that production was 20% above league average, as evidenced by his 120 wRC+.
The seasons since haven’t been quite as smooth, however. In the shortened 2020 season, Gallo hit .181/.301/.378 for a wRC+ of 86. He seemed to bounce back in the first half of 2021, as he was sitting on a line of .223/.379/.490 for a wRC+ of 138 when the Rangers traded him to the Yankees. Unfortunately, he swooned in the Bronx, hitting .160/.303/.404 after the deal, 95 wRC+. He couldn’t quite correct course this year, as his first 82 games led to a .159/.282/.339 line and 82 wRC+ before the Yanks flipped him to the Dodgers at the deadline. The move to Hollywood didn’t change much, as he hit .162/.277/.393 as a Dodger for a wRC+ of 91.
Though those sub-Mendoza batting averages are certainly unpleasant to the eye, there’s plenty of reason to think he could get the train back on the tracks. For one thing, he’s still young, having just turned 29 last month. He also still knocks the snot out of the ball, as his hard hit percentage was in the 94th percentile in 2022, his barrel rate in the 98th and his max exit velocity 89th. The upcoming rules banning defensive shifts are likely to help him out as well, since he bats from the left side. According to Statcast, Gallo is shifted in 90% of his plate appearances, one of the 20 highest such rates in the league.
Even if he can’t bounce back at the plate, he can still be a valuable player due to his strong defense. He’s been given a positive grade in the outfield by Defensive Runs Saved in each season of his career, while Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average only gave him a negative number in 2022. For his outfield work as a whole, he has 43 DRS, 19 UZR and 7 OAA. Even though his bat was subpar all year in 2022, he was still worth 0.6 wins above replacement, in the eyes of FanGraphs. In 2021, when he was good at the plate with Texas but bad with the Yanks, he was worth 4.2 fWAR.
For the Twins, Gallo should slot into one of the outfield corners, with Byron Buxton in center. This only adds to a cluttered outfield mix, as the club has many options on its roster. It was reported last week that the club is getting trade interest in Max Kepler, as they also have Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff, Kyle Garlick, Gilberto Celestino, Royce Lewis, Nick Gordon, Matt Wallner and Mark Contreras in their outfield mix. Some of those players can also play the infield, but it’s quite the crowded dance floor. With Gallo now added into the mix, it would seem to make a trade of Kepler or someone else more likely.
The Twins should still have payroll space available, as most of their offseason has been geared around a pursuit of Carlos Correa. The club reportedly made him an offer of $285MM over 10 years, or $28.5MM per season, though he instead signed with the Giants for $350MM over 13 years. The Twins have now given $11MM to Gallo instead, taking a chance that he can rediscover some of his previous form in a new environment. This move brings the club’s payroll up to $118MM, per Roster Resource. The club’s franchise record for an Opening Day payroll was the $134MM figure they ran out in 2022, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Assuming they’re willing to spend at similar levels this year, they still have about $16MM to work with, though Kepler will have an $8.5MM salary in 2023 as well as a $1MM buyout on a $10MM club option. Moving him could create some extra payroll space unless they also take on some salary in the trade.
Despite unexpectedly landing a star like Correa for 2022, the Twins disappointed by finishing 78-84, 14 games back of the Guardians in the American League Central. They will now have to try to figure out how to be better without Correa in 2023. Better health would be one way, as they suffered an incredible number of injuries in 2022. Another path might be to reallocate his $35.1MM salary into multiple players and hope for surplus value, with Gallo now one of them.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported that Gallo and the Twins agreed at $11MM. Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the one-year agreement.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Orioles Sign Adam Frazier To One-Year Deal
The Orioles and infielder/outfielder Adam Frazier are in agreement on a one-year, $8MM contract, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The O’s subsequently announced the signing.
It’s a belated birthday present for Frazier, who turned 31 years old yesterday. The veteran spent the first five years of his career with the Pirates but has bounced to the Padres and Mariners over the past couple of seasons. One of his most attractive traits is his defensive versatility, as he’s played all three outfield positions as well as the three infield positions to the left of first base.
Though he might be a bit stretched at shortstop or in center, he generally gets solid grades for his work at the corners and at second. All three of Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average give him positive numbers for his career at second and in left, while DRS and UZR also favor his work in right field. At second base, where he’s spent the vast majority of his time, he’s tallied 15 DRS, 1.5 from UZR and 11 OAA.
Offensively, his track record is a bit inconsistent. In his five seasons with Pittsburgh from 2016 to 2020, he was above-average in two of them, by measure of wRC+. In another two seasons, his 97 wRC+ was just below the 100 average. In the shortened 2020 season, he was down to 79. At the end of those five campaigns, his batting line was .273/.336/.413, amounting to a wRC+ of 99, just a hair under league average. Still, he was able to produce 6.8 wins above replacement due to his defensive contributions, according to FanGraphs.
In 2021, he bounced back by hitting .324/.388/.448 in 98 games with the Bucs, amounting to a wRC+ of 127. The Pirates flipped him to the Padres at the deadline but he wilted down the stretch. He hit .267/.327/.335 with San Diego for a wRC+ of 86. The Friars then traded him to the Mariners prior to 2022, but his struggles continued. As a Mariner, he hit .238/.301/.311 for a wRC+ of 81.
Despite that inconsistent track record at the plate, Frazier is a solid fit for a Baltimore team that is still trying to chart its path forward. They have a number of infielders and outfielders who are still trying to get accustomed to the major leagues or have not yet made it to the show. Jorge Mateo had a solid defensive season at shortstop but didn’t hit much and struck out in 27.6% of his plate appearances. Gunnar Henderson had a solid debut in 2022 and seems to be ticketed for third base duty, though he’s also played second and shortstop. Ramón Urías had also been a solid contributor, even winning a Gold Glove at third base this year, though Henderson’s arrival seems to have bumped him into a utility role. Terrin Vavra could also be in the mix for a bench/utility job. Infield prospects like Joey Ortiz, Jordan Westburg and Coby Mayo could get to the big leagues in 2023 and further crowd the picture.
The O’s could conceivably platoon the left-handed hitting Frazier with the right-handed Urías at second base, though both players could also move to other positions if Baltimore wants to give some extended playing time to a young prospect. If Frazier’s bat bounces back or he’s simply getting squeezed out by other players, they could trade him at the deadline given his one-year deal.
The Orioles took a huge step forward in 2022, winning 83 games after five straight dismal seasons. Nonetheless, it seems like 2023 will be another evaluation season, as the club still has many young prospects who need to either make their major league debuts or continue acclimating to the big leagues. Frazier has the ability to slot in wherever he’s needed, giving the club a reliable defender who also has a chance to contribute with the bat. Whether the club can truly compete in 2023 or not, Frazier is likely to be a serviceable addition.
This is the second signing of the offseason for the O’s, as they also signed Kyle Gibson for a one-year, $10MM deal. Since both are one-year contracts, the club continues to have no commitments on the books for 2024, as they have completely avoided multi-year deals in recent years. The last time they signed a free agent to a deal longer than a single season was with Alex Cobb back in 2018. Roster Resource calculates their payroll as now just under $60MM, which is already a sizeable increase over last year’s $44MM figure, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Celtics, Blake Griffin agree to one-year, fully guaranteed deal, per report
Veteran forward Blake Griffin has agreed to a one-year, fully guaranteed deal with the Boston Celtics, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. The 33-year-old Griffin, who had spent the last season-and-a-half with the Brooklyn Nets, was still a free agent as training camps opened across the league.
The Celtics suffered two major frontcourt injuries prior to the season. Danilo Gallinari tore his ACL while playing for Italy in a FIBA World Cup qualifier and will likely miss the entire season, while Robert Williams III underwent surgery on his troublesome knee and is expected to miss at least 8-12 weeks.
Heading into camp, Al Horford and Grant Williams were the Celtics’ only true frontcourt options who saw significant time last season. Luke Kornet is expected to play a bigger role in Williams’ absence, but he only appeared in 12 games last season and it’s unclear whether he can step into a bigger role. Former first-round pick Mfiondu Kabengele signed a two-way contract with the team in the summer, while Noah Vonleh and Luka Samanic were invited to training camp; Kabengele showed flashes in the summer but is a question mark, while Vonleh and Samanic may not even be on the team.
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All of which meant the Celtics needed some help in the frontcourt. Even more so considering they signed Gallinari in free agency in large part because they wanted to ease Horford’s burden. The 36-year-old was tremendous last season, but he played 92 games and 2,820 minutes between the regular season and playoffs. They need to ease him through the regular season in order to have him at his best in the playoffs again, and that became a much tougher task after the injuries to Gallinari and Williams.
Griffin, even at this stage of his career, will offer new head coach Joe Mazzulla a veteran option who can eat up minutes in the regular season and help spare Horford. How effective he’ll be remains to be seen, however. The six-time All-Star averaged 6.4 points. 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 42.5 percent shooting from the field and 26.2 percent from 3-point land over 56 games last season. At one point he was struggling so much that Nets head coach Steve Nash not only took him out of the starting lineup but stopped playing him entirely.
But even if he may be bordering on washed status (or is perhaps already there), the benefit of an experienced player like Griffin is that you can count on a high baseline of competance. He’ll work hard, compete on the boards, keep the ball moving and maybe help space the floor if he can find his shot again. Plus, adding another veteran presence to the locker room cannot hurt given everything this team has gone through in the past few weeks.
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Dodgers Sign Max Muncy To One-Year Extension
The Dodgers and infielder Max Muncy have agreed to a contract extension, according to an announcement from the team. Under the previous extension he signed with the Dodgers, they had a $13MM club option for his services in 2023. That will now become guaranteed at $13.5MM, with the Dodgers now holding a $10MM club option for 2024, plus incentives. Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports that there’s no buyout on the 2024 option.
This extension is a bit of an early birthday present for Muncy, as he will turn 32 years old on Thursday. The lefty slugger was a late bloomer by major league baseball standards, having his breakout season in 2018 at the age of 27. That year, he hit 35 home runs and slashed .263/.391/.582 for a wRC+ of 162, indicating his offense was 62% better than league average. In 2019, he proved that it was no fluke, hitting 35 homers again and slashing .251/.374/.515 for a wRC+ of 133. He also provided defensive versatility in that time, moving between first, second and third base.
After those two strong seasons, Muncy finally reached arbitration for the first time in his career, at the age of 29. He and the club didn’t come to an agreement, with the club filing for $4MM while Muncy’s camp submitted a $4.675MM. Before the hearing took place, the two sides agreed to a longer-term pact, running through 2022 with the option for 2023. Since Muncy was on pace to reach free agency after 2022, that extension effectively relinquished one year of free agency while allowing him to guarantee himself $26MM in future earnings, and potentially more.
That injury has seemingly lingered into 2022, as Muncy spent time on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation and struggled over the early parts of the season. However, the good version of Muncy has been roaring back recently. Through the end of July, he was hitting .161/.310/.303 for a wRC+ of 82. Since the calendar flipped to August, though, he’s hit seven home runs and slashed .328/.409/.776, increasing his wRC+ for the season to 105.
That August line is still a small sample of just 66 plate appearances, but the Dodgers evidently have enough faith in Muncy that they are willing to re-up with him for one more year. If that show of faith pays off, they will be rewarded by having the ability to keep Muncy around for yet another season. It also helps reduce a bit of uncertainty in the club’s infield picture. The Dodgers held club options over both Muncy and Justin Turner, while Trea Turner is slated to become a free agent in a few months’ time. While it was possible to envision a scenario where all three ended up in new uniforms next year, now the club knows that it at least can count on Muncy to take a spot somewhere on the diamond. There’s also uncertainty in the outfield, with Joey Gallo heading into free agency and Cody Bellinger a potential non-tender candidate. With players like Muncy, Chris Taylor, Gavin Lux and others bringing that multi-positional skillset, they’re in a good position to navigate their options in the offseason.
For Muncy’s part, he can finish the season and go into the playoffs with the peace of mind of having his 2023 salary locked in with a slight raise. The details of the incentives aren’t yet known, but that potentially provides him a chance to secure some more earnings as well.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was among those to report the extension before the official announcement.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Capitals sign second-line center Dylan Strome to one-year, $3.5 million deal
Late on Day Two of free agency, the Washington Capitals announced another major free agent signing. The team inked Dylan Strome, formerly of the Chicago Blackhawks, to a one-year, $3.5 million deal.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the news.
Sounds like Dylan Strome to WASH, 1x$3.5M. There was a lot of interest
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 14, 2022
In 69 nice games last season, the six-foot-three Strome scored 22 goals and tallied 48 points. The 22 goals were a career-high. Strome centered Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane for a majority of the season.
The 25-year-old Strome was not tendered a qualifying offer by the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks, which is why he was an unrestricted free agent.
Dylan Strome will reportedly not be tendered a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
He’s an interesting option, a solid playmaker with efficient shooting who can drive play well. Played difficult second-line minutes. Worth a look for sure. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/tGGCYGjbYX
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 10, 2022
Playing second-line minutes in Chicago, Strome immediately becomes the favorite to replace Nicklas Backstrom in the short term after GM Brian MacLellan said he would turn to internal options such as Connor McMichael, Hendrix Lapierre, or Aliaksei Protas.
“The salary cap is the salary cap,” MacLellan said. “We have to plan for Nick coming back at some point. What we can do is give opportunities to our young guys. We’ve got some young guys — McMichael, we hope he gets to the next step; Lapierre, we’ll see where he’s at; Protas is coming in and we expect him to take the next jump — and kinda go from there. It’s not like we can sign a $9.5 million player. We’re anticipating Nick comes back at some point. Until that goes away, we plan on him coming back.”
The Capitals will now face a major quandary if Backstrom comes back during the season. The team is $5.6 million over the salary cap and would have to make some type of major trade to accommodate the Swede unless they hold him out until to the postseason begins (similar to what the Lightning did during their championship year with Nikita Kucherov).
After signing Strome $3.5M per @FriedgeHNIC, #ALLCAPS are $5.6M Over Cap w/ full 23 players (15F/6D/2G) on Projected Roster.
Backstrom ($9.2M) to LTIR, could have $3.6M of space. However, if Backstrom returns during season, will need to clear that room.https://t.co/8VhsKIcn4f— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 14, 2022
The Strome signing combined with Marcus Johansson’s return also signals that the team’s center prospects may all end up in the AHL for a full season unless other moves are made. Third-line center Lars Eller is in the final year of his deal ($3.5M AAV) and struggled during parts of last season.
Strome will be a restricted free agent and arbitration eligble next summer, meaning the Capitals will hold his rights past this season.
Here’s the full release from the Capitals:
Capitals Sign Dylan Strome
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed forward Dylan Strome to a one-year, $3.5 million contract, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Strome, 25, recorded 48 points (22g, 26a) in 69 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021-22. The 6’3”, 200-pound forward established single-season career highs in goals and games played and averaged a career-best 17:26 time on ice last season. Strome ranked third on the team in goals and fourth in assists and points.
Originally drafted by the Arizona Coyotes with the third overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Strome recorded a career-high 57 points (20g, 37a) in 78 games with Arizona and Chicago in 2018-19. The Mississauga, Ontario native averaged 0.68 points per game in parts of four seasons with Chicago from 2018-19 to 2021-22, which ranked fifth on the team in that span.
In 273 career NHL games with Arizona and Chicago, Strome has recorded 170 points (67g, 103a).
Internationally, Strome has represented Canada at the 2019 World Championship, where he earned a silver medal, and at the 2017 and 2016 World Junior Championships, earning a silver medal at the 2017 tournament.
Strome was teammates with recently acquired Capitals forward Connor Brown with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) during the 2013-14 season.
Headline photo: @thegoldenstromes/IG
Evgeni Malkin could sign an incentive-laden one-year deal with a Penguins rival
The Washington Capitals are Nicklas Backstrom-less and will be without the second-line center for a large portion of next year after the Swede underwent hip resurfacing surgery. Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said that the team would look to fill that hole internally.
…But! There’s an intriguing option that the Capitals may consider that is 100 percent headed to free agency: Evgeni Malkin.
The future Hall of Famer decided to test the market on Monday after not feeling wanted by the Penguins. And while the Capitals can’t sign a $9.5 million player if they’re planning for Backstrom to come back this season, there’s a way they could potentially make Malkin work.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman explains in a Market Buzz article:
Where does [Malkin] wish to go? What contract does he want? How much will emotion play into his decisions? Any Cup contender looking for a centre has to consider him. That would include longtime rivals, a thought that must make Penguins fans want to vomit. Because he is over 35, he can consider a one-year contract with massive bonuses — that would be attractive to teams, but does it appeal to him?
Malkin, who turns 36 on July 31, could sign a one-year “see how it goes” deal with the Capitals where the team could use achievable performance bonuses as a way to push a possible cap hit down the road to give them flexibility this season.
Per Puckapedia:
Performance Bonuses are paid to players based on their achievements and are not guaranteed. Only certain players are eligible for performance bonuses in their contract:
– Entry-Level Contract Players
-Players that are 35 years or older and sign a 1 year contract
-Players with a minimum of 400 NHL Games Played signing a 1 year contract after having a long-term injury. A long-term injury is defined as a player on Injured Reserve for a minimum of 100 days in the last year.
While performance bonuses count against the salary cap, teams are permitted to exceed the salary cap due to performance bonuses, to a maximum of 7.5% of the Salary Cap.
If a team exceeds the Salary Cap due to performance bonuses, then any amount over the Salary Cap is considered a Bonus Carryover, and counts against the cap in the next season.
With Malkin friends with Ovechkin and the other Capitals’ Russians (except when they speak Russian to him), he might want to play in DC, especially after feeling so disrespected by his longtime team.
Basically, it appears a Reverse MAF situation could be developing and I’m all for this drama.
Headline photo: @e.malkin71geno
Lakers Sign Thomas Bryant To One-Year Deal
4:02pm: The Lakers have officially signed Bryant, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. The big man told reporters today that he’s fully recovered from the ACL tear he suffered in early 2021.
“(It feels) 100 percent great,” Bryant said (Twitter link via Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group). “Not good. Great.”
6:01am: The Lakers have reached an agreement with free agent center Thomas Bryant and will sign him to a one-year contract, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Haynes doesn’t provide any specifics on the financial terms, but given that Los Angeles has committed to using its taxpayer mid-level exception on Lonnie Walker and is ineligible to acquire a player via sign-and-trade without shedding significant salary, it’s safe to assume it will be a minimum-salary deal.
Bryant, who will turn 25 later this month, began his NBA career with the Lakers, having been acquired from Utah in a draft-night deal in 2017. The 42nd overall pick appeared in just 15 games as a rookie with L.A. and was waived in the summer of 2018.
The Wizards claimed Bryant off waivers and the big man spent the next four seasons in D.C., though his time there was marred by injuries. After a promising 2019/20 season in which he averaged 13.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in 46 games (36 starts), Bryant suffered a torn ACL early in the ’20/21 campaign. That injury resulted in him playing just 37 games over the last two seasons.
Now fully recovered from his ACL tear, Bryant drew interest from the Raptors, Celtics, Bucks, and Jazz this offseason, sources tell Haynes.
The former Indiana Hoosier could be an intriguing bounce-back candidate entering the 2022/23 season. According to Haynes, he’ll be given the opportunity to earn a spot in the starting lineup with his new team in Los Angeles.
Suns Sign Damion Lee To One-Year Deal
The Suns have signed Damion Lee to a contract, per NBA.com’s official transactions log.
Because the deal is already official, we can deduce it’s a minimum-salary pact, since those can be signed during the July moratorium. The contract will be for one year, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Lee, 29, went undrafted out of Louisville in 2016. He made his rookie debut with the Hawks in 2017/18, first signing a 10-day deal and then a rest-of-season contract, appearing in 15 games for Atlanta.
Lee has spent the last four seasons with the Warriors, winning a title with Golden State this season. In 201 regular season games (20.6 MPG) with the Warriors, Lee averaged 8.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG on .437/.366/.880 shooting.
While Lee isn’t a great defensive player, he is an impressive shot-maker when he gets rolling, capable of scoring points in bunches. Lee joins Gary Payton II, Otto Porter, Nemanja Bjelica and Juan Toscano-Anderson as role players who are departing the defending champions.
Phoenix gets a decent depth piece at shooting guard, although Lee probably won’t receive many minutes behind star Devin Booker.
Arizona Cardinals, A.J. Green agree to one-year deal
The Arizona Cardinals are bringing back veteran wide receiver A.J. Green on a one-year deal, it was announced Thursday.
Contract terms were not available.
Last season, Green came as close as he has been to a 1,000-yard season since his most recent, in 2017. He finished 2021 with 848 yards and three touchdowns on 54 catches.
Part of why Green signed with the Cardinals was for the opportunity to be a No. 2 receiver behind DeAndre Hopkins, the first time in his career that he wasn’t his offense’s top receiving option.
He quickly found a role in Arizona’s offense. However, by late December, coach Kliff Kingsbury acknowledged that he didn’t do a good enough job of getting the ball to Green.
Green, who turns 34 in July, was targeted 5.75 times per game. He finished with two 100-yard games, including his first since 2018.
He silenced the concerns about his durability. After missing the 2019 season with an ankle injury, he’s played 16 games each of the last two seasons.
Green signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals last offseason worth $6 million. It was the first time in his career that Green found himself wearing a jersey other than one for the Cincinnati Bengals.
He is second in Bengals franchise history in receiving yards (9,430), receptions (649) and touchdown catches (65) in 127 games.