After 12 years of build-up, controversy and debate, the 2022 World Cup is now just days away.
Can Brazil end 20 years of hurt? Will Lionel Messi finally lead Argentina to global glory in his last dance? Have England got what it takes to go all the way after making the semis and then final of the two most recent major tournaments? And can hosts Qatar spring a surprise or two? We are about to find out…
To help give you the inside track, The Athletic has produced team guides by local experts on the 32 teams competing in Qatar, profiling every manager involved in this World Cup, outlining the strengths and weaknesses of each team, naming each nation’s potential breakthrough player, and explaining exactly how much pressure each squad will be under from the media and fans back home.
Perhaps more importantly than that, they will tell you which manager always wears a pristine white button-down shirt for luck, which team have a fan who will walk through the desert to Doha, which country’s panicking president tweeted good wishes to his national team’s stricken star, which group of fans inexplicably revived a 1980s pop song along their way to the finals, and which goalkeeper is in the Guinness Book of Records for having the world’s longest throw…
Find the answers to all these questions and more in the 32 team guides below.
Group A Qatar Ecuador Senegal Netherlands
Group B England Iran USA Wales
Group C Argentina Saudi Arabia Mexico Poland
Group D France Australia Denmark Tunisia
Group E Spain Costa Rica Germany Japan
Group F Belgium Canada Morocco Croatia
Group G Brazil Serbia Switzerland Cameroon
Group H Portugal Ghana Uruguay South Korea
For an in-depth group-by-group breakdown of each team’s tactics and how they set up…
Group A guide: De Jong keeps Netherlands ticking and watch out for Ecuador’s set pieces Group B guide: England’s control and the Iran goalkeeper’s javelin-style throws Group C guide: Argentina’s fast starts, ageing Mexico and possession-shy Poland Group D guide: France’s high press, Denmark’s inverted wingers and an Australian giant Group E guide: Spain’s young midfield stars and watch out for Germany’s triangles Group F guide: Free-scoring Belgium, cross-heavy Croatia and Canada’s cutbacks Group G guide: Tadic’s corners, Swiss pressing and a more complete Neymar Group H guide: Bernardo Silva the orchestrator and Uruguay’s last dance
(In-copy artwork: Photos: Getty Images/Design: Sam Richardson. Top image: Getty Images)
Through Sunday, the 8-1 Vikings boast the NFL’s second-best record, trailing only the undefeated Eagles. So … is Minnesota the NFL’s second-best team? Well, if this were the NFL Power Rankings, as opposed to the Schein Nine, I would indeed put the Vikes in the No. 2 spot. They fully deserve it following a thrilling overtime win in Buffalo. Thus, the above statement is factual.
I love Kevin O’Connell. I love his playbook and his positivity. He’s a gem, a top-notch Coach of the Year candidate. Can’t imagine many folks thought he’d take eight of his first nine games as a head coach, and this latest triumph was more than just another notch in the win column. We’d been waiting for Minnesota to provide a true statement victory. Sunday in Western New York, O’Connell’s team erased a 17-point second-half deficit and knocked off Buffalo, my preseason Super Bowl pick. That’ll do.
Minnesota survived — and eventually thrived in — the zaniest and best game of this season so far. Justin Jefferson offered up another masterpiece, catching 10 balls for 193 yards and a touchdown. His highlight reel from this game alone includes numerous jaw-dropping feats, but none greater than the 32-yard grab on fourth-and-18 where the 23-year-old used one hand to highpoint Kirk Cousins’ heave and rip the ball away from Bills DB Cam Lewis before somehow maintaining possession on his descent to the turf. Simply amazing — but also nothing new for No. 18. Jefferson has played 42 games in this league, and he already boasts 20 100-yard efforts. That’s the most century-mark outings by any NFL player in his first three seasons, and the guy still has eight more games to add to the record! Credit is also due to Cousins, who bounced back from two ghastly interceptions to provide brilliant returns in the fourth quarter and overtime, where he notched his fifth game-winning drive of the season — already a career high!
I know the Vikings have won seven straight games by one score. I know that if Josh Allen hadn’t come apart down the stretch, we’d be having a different conversation. I know Sean McDermott fouled up not kicking the field goal in the fourth quarter that would’ve re-extended Buffalo’s lead to 13 points. But the Vikings ran the ball with authority, as Dalvin Cook piled up 119 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries (8.5 yards a pop). They made clutch plays on defense, notching four takeaways, including two game-defining picks from Patrick Peterson. Jefferson did Jefferson things, and Cousins delivered down the stretch in a huge spot.
These Vikings, who already own a five-game lead over the rest of the NFC North in the loss column, are legit. Deal with it.
Sega’s latest release Sonic Frontiers takes the Sonic the Hedgehog series in a bold new direction with its “open-zone” gameplay. Obviously, Sega took a lot of feedback from focus groups in the lead-up to the latest release, and it intends to continue this trend going forward.
In a few tweets on social media, the game’s director Morio Kishimoto mentioned how the team is listening to the feedback about the new entry and said Sonic Team will take this into consideration when it comes to the future of the series. He added that the team still has “a long way to go” and would continue to go to “greater heights” to challenge itself. Here’s a rough translation:
Morio Kishimoto (@moq_46): “I got a lot of energy from everyone’s comments! I am very honored that so many people enjoyed it! After more than 10 years of trial and error, I was finally able to create this work. Open Zone is full of possibilities. Sonic games become more interesting. We will continue to challenge ourselves to greater heights.”
Sega also released a message this week – thanking everyone for the support and for being with Sonic every step of the way.
Have you tried out Sonic Frontiers yet? What would you like to see from the series moving forward? Comment below.
A couple of days ago, Studio Ghibli tweeted a teaser video showing both its logo and Lucasfilm’s, as well as a photo of a Grogu figurine. Now we know what those posts are hinting at. Apparently, the two companies worked together to create a short film hand-drawn by Studio Ghibli. It’s entitled Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies, starring the beloved alien toddler from The Mandalorian with a strong affinity for the Force and the “susuwatari” from Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away.
According to IGN, the short film was directed by Katsuya Kondo, who’s known for his character design work and a style that’s deeply tied with Studio Ghibli’s films. It also features music by Ludwig Göransson, who composed the scores for the previous two seasons of The Mandalorian. Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies, will be available for streaming today November 12th on Disney+, exactly three years after The Mandalorian debuted.
Grogu will be back and will be reunited with “Mando” in the third season of The Mandalorian after leaving to train at Luke’s Jedi Temple by the end of the second season. Disney gave fans a glimpse of what they can expect when the show comes back sometime next year in a trailer released during the company’s D23 expo in September.
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The Hot Stove will be burning with free-agent talk all winter, but general managers will also turn to the trade market as they attempt to tweak their rosters for 2023.
The objectives of these executives will differ; some will look to shed payroll, while others will seek answers to their club’s problem areas. Either way, the end result will be some deals that help reshape the baseball landscape.
Blue Jays: Danny Jansen Jansen hit for power this year (15 home runs, .855 OPS) and he can run a pitching staff well, but the Blue Jays’ catching depth — Alejandro Kirk made the All-Star team, while the club’s former top prospect, Gabriel Moreno, made his big league debut in June — combined with the scarcity of catching around the league could make Jansen an attractive trade chip.
Orioles: Anthony Santander Baltimore could look to deal for a controllable starting pitcher — Pablo López, perhaps? — which would likely require parting with prospects such as Colton Cowser, Connor Norby or Coby Mayo. But Santander, who is entering the third of his four years of arbitration eligibility, could also be used in such a trade (or a smaller deal).
Rays: Ji-Man Choi Choi earned $3.2 million in his second year of arbitration, and although he had a mediocre 2022 season, the 31-year-old should have value to other teams at a reasonable price. Choi has a .349 on-base percentage over the past five years, and he could be viewed as a solid platoon option.
Red Sox: Rafael Devers With Xander Bogaerts having opted out, the door is open for the Red Sox to sign Devers to a nine-figure extension. If the two sides are unable to come to terms on a deal, Boston could look to trade the third baseman with one year remaining before he becomes a free agent rather than risking him bolting next winter with only Draft-pick compensation to show for it.
Yankees: Aaron Hicks Hicks lost his everyday job this season, and although he is coming off a down year, his contract — he’s owed roughly $30 million over the next three seasons — is reasonable. Other teams might view the 33-year-old as a change-of-scenery candidate, while the Yankees aren’t likely to ask for a big return in any deal.
Guardians: Zach Plesac Starting pitching remains an area of depth for the Guardians, who could make a trade or two in order to clear out some roster space. Plesac is entering his arbitration years this winter, giving him three more years of control — a major selling point for potential suitors. Although the 27-year-old righty has underperformed over the past two seasons, he has shown the ability to succeed at this level and might benefit from a change of scenery.
Royals: Michael A. Taylor Taylor’s name was floated around quite a bit prior to last summer’s Trade Deadline, but the center fielder could find himself on the move this offseason with Kyle Isbel and Drew Waters ready to handle everyday roles. Taylor has one year and $4.5 million left on his contract, the type of contract any contender seeking outfield help can handle.
Tigers: Gregory Soto An All-Star in each of the past two years, Soto has established himself as a reliable closer. Detroit has several areas to address as it looks to bounce back from a disappointing season, and with three years of club control remaining, Soto would be very appealing to multiple contenders.
Twins: Max Kepler Kepler will earn $8.5 million in 2023 and has a $10 million club option for 2024, a team-friendly deal for the outfielder. Kepler hasn’t come close to matching his production from 2019 over the past three seasons, but the new shift rules could benefit him going forward. No. 5 prospect Matt Wallner is ready to take over in right field, making Kepler expendable as the Twins try to fill other holes on the roster.
White Sox: Lucas Giolito It’s quite possible that the White Sox try to extend Giolito, who earned $7.45 million in 2022 and is entering his final year of arbitration before becoming a free agent next winter. The right-hander had a subpar season by his standards, but his track record since 2017 would be more than enough for a team to roll the dice on him for one season.
Angels: Jo Adell GM Perry Minasian has said publicly that he won’t be trading Shohei Ohtani this offseason, though the 2021 AL MVP would instantly become the most sought-after trade candidate if that changes. The Angels have a number of areas to address, and while Adell has struggled during his stints in the Majors, the 23-year-old could be a prime change-of-scenery candidate for a team that still believes in the former 10th overall pick’s talent.
Astros: Forrest Whitley The 2016 first-round pick still hasn’t made his big league debut, having missed all of 2021 following Tommy John surgery. Whitley, once the gem of the Astros’ farm system, still ranks as Houston’s No. 10 prospect and is only 25 years old. It wouldn’t be surprising if other clubs had interest in Whitley, hoping to unlock his full potential.
Athletics: Sean Murphy Oakland has unloaded nearly every veteran player on its roster over the past two years, leaving Murphy as one of the few players remaining from the 2019-20 playoff teams. Murphy is entering the arbitration process, giving an acquiring club three years of control prior to free agency. The 2021 Gold Glove winner is considered one of the best defensive catchers in the game, so the Athletics should be able to bring back a nice package while opening up the catching job for Shea Langeliers, who was their No. 1 prospect before graduating to the big leagues this season.
Mariners: Marco Gonzales Having locked up Luis Castillo on a long-term contract, Seattle has some rotation depth from which to deal. The Mariners were entertaining offers for Gonzales prior to the Trade Deadline, and with No. 2 prospect Emerson Hancock likely to join the rotation in 2023, Gonzales — who will earn $6.5 million in 2023 and $12 million in 2024 — would be solid mid-rotation depth for many contending teams.
Rangers: Mitch Garver Garver missed nearly three months after undergoing surgery to repair a flexor tendon, opening the door for Jonah Heim to assume catching duties in Texas. Heim doesn’t have the same offensive potential as Garver, but he is one of the best framers in the game, bringing tremendous value behind the plate. Garver earned $3.35 million in 2022 and is entering his final year of arbitration, making him a good value for a team seeking a short-term catching solution.
Braves: Marcell Ozuna With two years and $36 million remaining on his contract, Ozuna would appear to be difficult to trade, especially after a mediocre season. But what if the Braves attached a prospect and picked up part of the contract — or took back another team’s bad contract — in order to clear the roster spot? With GM Alex Anthopoulos, anything is possible.
Marlins: Pablo López López was a popular name on this summer’s trade market because the Marlins have a surplus of pitching from which to deal. López earned $2.45 million in 2022 and is entering the second of three arbitration seasons, making him a controllable arm that teams will covet. After posting his third straight season with an ERA below 4.00 while throwing 180 innings, López should have a number of suitors if the Marlins make him available.
Mets: Ronny Mauricio The Mets’ No. 1 prospect in 2020, Mauricio (currently the team’s No. 6 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) is still highly regarded by talent evaluators. The 21-year-old hit 26 homers and stole 20 bases at Double-A in 2022, but with Francisco Lindor signed through ’31, Mauricio’s future will either be at a new position or with a new club.
Nationals: Luke Voit Voit had a solid season with the Padres and Nationals, but Washington is undergoing a rebuild, so trading the slugger with two years of arbitration eligibility makes sense. The Nats have Joey Meneses to play first base on a full-time basis, and the 31-year-old Voit has shown raw power during his career and could be an impactful bat when given the opportunity.
Phillies: Rhys Hoskins The Phillies might make a big play for Trea Turner this offseason, which could mean moving Bryson Stott to third base and Alec Bohm to first base. Hoskins, who earned $7.7 million last season and is entering his final year of arbitration, would be a solid addition to the middle of a number of lineups.
Brewers: Corbin Burnes Burnes is one of five notable Brewers entering their next-to-last year of arbitration, creating some interesting decisions for Milwaukee in the club’s desire to remain competitive in the long term. Just as the Brewers did with Josh Hader this season, they are likely to entertain offers for Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Eric Lauer and Adrian Houser, all of whom are eligible for free agency after 2024. Burnes will likely be out of Milwaukee’s price range in terms of an extension and would bring back a huge haul, so while it’s far from a lock that he will be dealt this winter, the Brewers will likely consider all options.
Cardinals: Tyler O’Neill O’Neill’s underwhelming season was riddled with injury issues, and with both Juan Yepez and Brendan Donovan capable of everyday roles — not to mention top prospect Jordan Walker waiting in the wings — there is a belief that O’Neill could be on his way out of St. Louis. The 27-year-old earned $3.4 million in 2022 and has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining.
Cubs: Ian Happ It was somewhat surprising when Happ wasn’t dealt before the Trade Deadline, but with one year remaining until he becomes a free agent, the Cubs could look to move him this winter. Happ earned $6.85 million in 2022 and is entering his final year of arbitration, so barring an offseason extension, the outfielder is likely to start ’23 in a new uniform.
Pirates: Bryan Reynolds Reynolds will continue to appear on this list until the Pirates trade him. Pittsburgh has been reluctant to deal the 27-year-old to this point because he won’t be eligible for free agency until the end of the 2025 season. But those three years of club control would likely mean a huge return, giving GM Ben Cherington something to consider.
Reds: Joey Votto OK, so this one might be a stretch, but the Reds have very few tradable veterans unless a team wants to take a big chance on Mike Moustakas. Votto is hoping to be ready for Spring Training following shoulder surgery, and while it seems unlikely that he would ask for a trade in the final year of his 10-year, $225 million deal, perhaps the six-time All-Star would like the opportunity to play for a contender again.
D-backs: Jake McCarthy With a plethora of young outfielders, the D-backs have an area of strength from which to deal this offseason. Arizona has a long list of needs, so while any one of the outfielders could be used as trade bait, McCarthy — who hit eight home runs with 43 RBIs, 23 stolen bases and a .769 OPS in 99 games this season — is the only one of the group who was not a highly regarded prospect.
Dodgers: Cody Bellinger Since winning the NL MVP award in 2019 to cap an impressive three-year start to his career, Bellinger’s performance has plummeted. He has 29 home runs, 104 RBIs and a .611 OPS in 239 games since the beginning of 2021, and after earning $17 million in 2022, he should receive a small raise in his final year of arbitration before reaching free agency. A change of scenery could benefit the 27-year-old.
Giants: Mike Yastrzemski Yastrzemski’s 2022 splits suggest he would be better served as a left-handed half of a platoon (.737 OPS vs RHP, .575 OPS vs LHP), and his ability to play all over the outfield provides versatility. With three years of club control remaining, the 32-year-old also brings a reasonable salary as he enters his second of four years of arbitration eligibility.
Padres: Luis Campusano San Diego’s No. 2 prospect a year ago, Campusano has seen limited time in the Majors in each of the past three seasons. He projects as a solid everyday catcher, but the 24-year-old’s skills are still raw enough that he might not completely mesh with the Padres’ win-now approach. If GM A.J. Preller looks to make a move this winter for a big bat or a pitcher, Campusano could serve as the centerpiece for such a trade.
Rockies: C.J. Cron Cron has enjoyed success in Colorado, posting two productive seasons in a row with the Rockies. He increased his home run and RBI totals in 2022, though his on-base and slugging percentages each dropped. Entering the final year of his two-year, $14.5 million deal, the 32-year-old Cron is an affordable power bat that could bolster a number of lineups.
With a ridiculously fun World Series in the rearview mirror, we turn our attention to a different kind of ridiculous fun: MLB free agency.
Adding to the intrigue and anticipation of this winter is that there is no lockout looming Dec. 2 to shut down all the joy. Last year’s winter frenzy led to 30 of MLB Trade Rumors’ top 50 free agents signing before the lockout went into effect.
As great as that bonanza of moves was, it still left 20 of the best available players — including stars such as Carlos Correa and Freddie Freeman, Cy Young candidates such as Carlos Rodón and postseason heroes such as Kyle Schwarber, just to name a few — unsigned until the lockout ended in mid-March.
Our free-agent rankings are based primarily on how much we believe these players can help a team in the relatively short term — the next three to five years or so. Sure, the biggest contracts signed are awfully likely to extend beyond that range, but no big-name free agent is ever being signed for what they are going to do in Year 6 or 7. It’s about improving a team in the short term for the cost of potentially paying for some less-stellar years in the long-term. Just ask one of the best front-office executives in the game:
Enough prologue! Here are our top 30 free agents for this winter — and which teams you might see sign them when free agency begins Nov. 10.
The Guy Who Just Hit 62 Home Runs, Duh
1. Aaron Judge
Back in April, Judge turned down seven years and $213.5 million and most people thought he was foolish for doing so. Sixty-two dingers later and the titanic outfielder is in line for… an Aaron Judge-sized payday. The impending massive price tag — probably in the $300 million range — probably will eliminate about half of MLB from the sweepstakes before they even begin.
But somebody will eventually shell out the cash, and whichever team does will become the story of the winter. Money is just money; remember, Bryce Harper was available for nothing but cash a few offseasons ago and look what he just did for the Phillies. A big contract like this will lose “value” over its back half, that’s just a part of the game. You aren’t paying for an MVP-level season at age 38, it’s simply what an MVP-level season costs on the front end.
Right now, the consensus belief around the industry is that Judge stays in pinstripes. The thinking: He’s too valuable to the Yankees for them not to shell out the cash and Judge, as far as we know, likes it there and has a shot to solidify himself as an all-time great Yankee. Beyond that, there’s scuttlebutt about Judge’s returning home to Northern California to play for the Giants, but it’s little more than speculation at this point. Any team with big stacks of moolah is in the mix.
There are three ways this goes down: (1) Judge signs back with the Yankees before December 1 and this is much ado about nothing; (2) Judge and his team toss rumors around to jack up the price and squeeze every last dollar out of the Yankees, a deal happens after the New Year; (3) A late-winter shocker puts Judge in a new uniform.
Best fits: Yankees, Giants, Dodgers
—Jake Mintz
The Franchise Shortstops
2. Carlos Correa
3. Trea Turner
4. Xander Bogaerts
Last winter, Correa was the headliner in another shortstop-heavy class and ended up with the shortest deal of the bunch, albeit also the one with the highest average annual value. Now he’s back on the market after a stellar season with the Twins, but not necessarily one that elevated him to a clear tier of his own. Still, as the youngest and best defender of this trio, we give him the slight edge, though you could make a strong case for Turner or Bogaerts as well.
Turner is still one of the fastest players in the sport, while Bogaerts may be the best pure hitter of this bunch and seems like the safest option to age gracefully, albeit also arguably the least likely to put up a “holy s—” type of statistical season the way Correa or Turner could. You could debate this trio all day long but what’s clear is that all three of them are deserving of being a face-of-the-franchise-type shortstop, either where they already are, or with some lucky new team.
Best fits: Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Cubs, Mariners, Red Sox, Angels, Cardinals
—Jordan Shusterman
Stars Coming Off Career Years
5. Brandon Nimmo
6. Dansby Swanson
Nimmo’s offensive output in 2022 didn’t noticeably outpace his previous seasons, but he did improve markedly in two other categories during his walk year: center field defense and staying healthy. His 151 games played were a career-high, and he looked far more comfortable roaming the outfield with improved advanced metrics to back up the eye-test. Add those components to a career 134 wRC+ (making him 34% better than the average major-league hitter), and we actually prefer his profile to that of Swanson.
You could reasonably argue Swanson deserves to be in the franchise shortstop tier above, but his track record of elite offensive performance is far shorter than his peers’. Still, he’s tremendously durable (362 games played is No. 1 in MLB since the start of 2020) and his defense — recently awarded with his first Gold Glove — is certainly superior to that of Turner and Bogaerts and at least on-par with Correa. Elite defensive shortstops with 25+ HR power have a strong elevator pitch, but the huge strikeout totals and meh OBP skills are considerable red flags moving forward.
Best fits for Nimmo: Mets, Rockies, Mariners, White Sox, Padres
Best fits for Swanson: Braves, Cubs, Angels, Cardinals
—Shusterman
The Aces
7. Jacob deGrom
8. Justin Verlander
9. Carlos Rodón
Astros’ Justin Verlander celebrates his second World Series title with his brother
Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander celebrates his second World Series Title with his brother Ben. Justin talks about what this World Series means after coming back from Tommy John surgery.
In terms of pure talent, all three pitchers belong comfortably ahead of Nimmo and Swanson — if not even higher than that — but committing huge money to pitchers will always be riskier than hitters, and especially this trio of arms. Verlander has proven the most durable, but he turns 40 in February and can’t maintain this standard for that much longer … right? Maybe he can! Rodón’s own track record of trips to the IL is largely what prevented him from getting a long-term deal last winter, but he just went out and dominated for 31 starts in San Francisco and has a compelling case for being the best left-handed pitcher on Earth, which you can imagine would be a handy selling point for his agent, Scott Boras.
And then there’s deGrom, who, when healthy, is one of the greatest pitchers the game has ever seen, full-stop. That fact will earn him plenty of deserved attention and eager suitors, and it’s why he was more than comfortable opting out of a contract that would have guaranteed him $32.5M in 2023 despite only making 12 starts this season including the playoffs. He’s just that good. But again, gambling big-time on arms who throw this hard for this long who have had repeated issues pop up is an undeniably large risk. That’s a risk, however, that a lot of teams with World Series aspirations should be willing to take.
Best fits: Mets, Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Red Sox, Angels
—Shusterman
10. Clayton Kershaw
Welcome to another winter of everyone’s least favorite Kershaw game show: Dodgers, Rangers or Retirement! Those are the only possible options! There’s nothing else! Either Kershaw signs another one-year deal with the only team he’s ever known, he signs a one-year deal with his hometown team, or he hangs it up.
Age be damned, he’s still really freaking good, legitimately one of the five best left-handed starters in the world. Sure, he’s not Cy Young-level Kershaw anymore, but he’s a solid No. 2 starter on a contender. Any team would be thrilled to have him, but only two have an actual chance. Three if you count playing wiffle ball with his kids in the backyard.
—Mintz
This is where Edwin Díaz would have ranked had he not already signed the biggest reliever contract in MLB history. Congrats to Edwin!
Very Good At Baseball
11. Willson Contreras
12. Anthony Rizzo
13. José Abreu
14. Joc Pederson
15. Andrew Benintendi
Here we have a potpourri of players who should be strongly coveted across the league but don’t quite belong in the upper crust of free agents who will unquestionably be demanding nine-figure deals. Contreras is one of the premier offensive catchers in the sport, whose defensive limitations may scare a few teams off a JT Realmuto-sized financial commitment. Still, his bat would likely still play at DH for a bunch of teams.
Speaking of bats that will play anywhere, we spent a while debating Rizzo vs. Abreu, and ended up leaning slightly toward the younger left-handed hitter and better defender (don’t hate — first base defense is important!). Rizzo has more power and patience, while Abreu crushes anything and everything thrown his way, but we’d love to have either of them on our favorite teams.
Pederson enjoyed a career season in San Francisco as the team’s best hitter while the rest of the Giants offense floundered around him and is looking like far more than just a postseason folk hero. Benintendi’s broken hand prevented him from becoming any kind of playoff hero for the Yankees, but he hits the open market as one of the league’s few contact mavens while also offering Gold Glove defense in the outfield.
Best fits for Contreras: Astros, Mets, Cardinals, Angels, Red Sox, Rays
Best fits for Abreu/Rizzo: Yankees, White Sox, Padres, Cubs, Red Sox, Astros
Best fits for Pederson/Benintendi: Yankees, Giants, Red Sox, Guardians, Padres, Dodgers
—Shusterman
Tier 2 Starting Pitchers
16. Martín Pérez
17. Tyler Anderson
Two of the league’s biggest pitching breakouts in 2022, Pérez and Anderson both catapulted themselves from a half-decade of mediocrity into All-Star nods. Pérez has a slightly more reliable track record; even when he wasn’t posting a good ERA, he was still pitching every fifth day. The Venezuelan lefty is one of just 14 pitchers with at least 1,000 innings since 2016. That’s more than Kershaw, Adam Wainwright and Yu Darvish. Even if Pérez can’t replicate his superb 2022, he’s a good bet to show up every fifth day and keep you in the ball game.
Anderson was yet another Dodgers player development revelation. By throwing his changeup more, the 32- year-old became one of the best pitchers in baseball. Is it really that easy? It will be interesting to see if Anderson is anything more than another magic trick of Chavez Ravine’s baseball incubator. A return to the Dodgers is probably the most likely scenario, but some team could certainly push all the chips in on Anderson.
Neither of these guys will get Robbie Ray/Kevin Gausman money, and considering their age (31 and 32 respectively) they probably don’t even get Eduardo Rodríguez money. But something in the three-year, $50 million dollar range isn’t out of the question.
Best fits: Mets, Rangers, Yankees, Padres, Red Sox, Cardinals, Angels, Orioles
—Mintz
Might Be Awesome If/When Healthy
18. Mitch Haniger
19. Michael Brantley
Perhaps these are generous rankings for a duo that combined to play 121 games in 2022 and each have their fair share of IL stints dating even further. But the ceiling here for each is still enticing enough to warrant inclusion in the top 20. Haniger’s unfortunate sequence of injuries have taken a toll on his overall athleticism, but he did play 157 games in both his All-Star 2018 season and the 2021 campaign that earned him down-ballot MVP votes, so it’s not like he’s completely incapable of playing a full season.
Brantley, meanwhile, was having yet another strong season before his season-ending shoulder surgery in August, posting a 127 wRC+ in 277 plate appearances and walking more than he struck out, an especially rare feat nowadays. These two are excellent fits with the teams they’ve already been with, both on and off the field, so it might be less likely to see them seek a new home than some other stars on this list. Still, while both of these guys are corner OF or DHs at this point, each can impact a lineup significantly when right.
Best fits: Mariners, Astros, Guardians, Red Sox, Padres, Angels, Dodgers, Yankees
—Shusterman
Tier 3 Starting Pitchers
20. Kodai Senga
21. Chris Bassitt
22. Nathan Eovaldi
23. Jameson Taillon
Senga has been one of the best pitchers in Japan for the past decade, and is primed to become the latest top NPB arm to make the jump to MLB. His fastball is up to 99 MPH, but his forkball is the true headliner.
But for all the hype and intrigue surrounding Senga, some teams will prefer to target starters who have Been There, Done That and that’s what the other three represent. Bassitt continued to deploy his deep arsenal of pitches successfully in Queens and would be a quality addition elsewhere if he is to depart the Mets rotation.
Eovaldi’s tenure in Boston has given us some spectacular highs and some ugly lows along the way, but a healthy version of him can still look like a legitimate frontline arm on the right day. Taillon’s selling point since returning from Tommy John has, somewhat ironically, been his durability — only 16 pitchers have made more than his 61 starts over the past two seasons. He may not possess the star power of the two guys who sandwiched him atop the 2010 MLB Draft (Harper and Manny Machado), but he’s still a quality mid-rotation option who would fit great on a ton of teams.
Best fits: Mets, Rangers, Yankees, Padres, Red Sox, Cardinals, Angels, Orioles
—Shusterman
The Padres
24. Jurickson Profar
25. Brandon Drury
26. Josh Bell
27. Nick Martinez (if he opts out)
28. Robert Suárez
Welp. There goes the supporting cast that helped Machado and Juan Soto knock off the Mets and Dodgers last month. Profar and Suárez exercised opt-outs while Bell and Drury were deadline acquisitions due to hit free agency anyway.
It’s likely at least one of the four end back up in brown and yellow; my money is on Profar, who Pads GM A.J. Preller has been enamored with for almost two decades. Suárez, who the club signed from the NPB in Japan last offseason, made himself a nice chunk of change with a stellar performance in the postseason. The Padres need relievers, but so does every other team, and Suárez is one of the most enticing arms on the market.
Drury and Bell are less conventional cases. Drury had six-plus seasons as an underwhelming utility option before a shocking offensive breakout as a 29-year-old in 2022. Who knows what he is moving forward, but some team is likely to give him multiple years to find out.
Bell was awesome as a National in the first half before heading to San Diego in the Soto trade, where he sorely disappointed Padres fans. Power, especially of the switch-hitting variety, will always find a home, but I’m skeptical any club gives Bell more than a year until he can prove it over a full season.
—Mintz
Mystery Box
29. Michael Conforto
30. Masataka Yoshida
We share the same sentiment expressed above regarding Brantley and Haniger with regards to Conforto, who missed the entire 2022 season due to shoulder surgery but still also offers an impressive offensive track record on which to sell possible suitors. Among current free-agent hitters, only Judge, JD Martinez, Nimmo, and Abreu posted a higher wRC+ from 2017 to 2021 than Conforto’s mark of 127. That’s a pretty large sample of great hitting! After missing a full season, he’s no guarantee to return to his former self, but it sure seems like a worthy gamble considering his offensive peaks of the past.
As for Yoshida, he’s not as big of a name as Senga, but the 29-year-old outfielder is someone you should know. He’s coming off an enormous career year in which he led the NPB’s Pacific League in OPS (1.008), walked nearly twice as often as he struck out, and hit a legendary walk-off dinger during the Japan Series en route to his team’s first championship in 26 years:
It’s not as clear that he will ultimately be posted by the Orix Buffaloes, but he’s stated his desire to play in MLB sooner rather than later and if he does get the opportunity, his market should be fascinating.
Yoshida would surely be thrilled to play for any MLB team, but it seems he’s already got quite an affinity for Bryce Harper and the NL champion Phillies.
Best fits: Yankees, Dodgers, Padres, Mariners, Red Sox
—Shusterman
Jordan Shusterman is half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball writer for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @j_shusterman_.
Jake Mintz, the louder half of @CespedesBBQ is a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He’s an Orioles fan living in New York City, and thus, he leads a lonely existence most Octobers. If he’s not watching baseball, he’s almost certainly riding his bike. Follow him on Twitter at @Jake_Mintz.
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To convert heat into electricity, easily accessible materials from harmless raw materials open up new perspectives in the development of safe and inexpensive so-called “thermoelectric materials.” A synthetic copper mineral acquires a complex structure and microstructure through simple changes in its composition, thereby laying the foundation for the desired properties, according to a study published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
The novel synthetic material is composed of copper, manganese, germanium, and sulfur, and it is produced in a rather simple process, explains materials scientist Emmanuel Guilmeau, CNRS researcher at CRISMAT laboratory, Caen, France, who is the corresponding author of the study. “The powders are simply mechanically alloyed by ball-milling to form a precrystallized phase, which is then densified by 600 degrees Celsius. This process can be easily scaled up,” he says.
Thermoelectric materials convert heat to electricity. This is especially useful in industrial processes where waste heat is reused as valuable electric power. The converse approach is the cooling of electronic parts, for example, in smartphones or cars. Materials used in this kind of applications have to be not only efficient, but also inexpensive and, above all, safe for health.
However, thermoelectric devices used to date make use of expensive and toxic elements such as lead and tellurium, which offer the best conversion efficiency. To find safer alternatives, Emmanuel Guilmeau and his team have turned to derivatives of natural copper-based sulfide minerals. These mineral derivatives are mainly composed of nontoxic and abundant elements, and some of them have thermoelectric properties.
Now, the team has succeeded in producing a series of thermoelectric materials showing two crystal structures within the same material. “We were very surprised at the result. Usually, slightly changing the composition has little effect on the structure in this class of materials,” says Emmanuel Guilmeau, describing their discovery.
The team found that replacing a small fraction of the manganese with copper produced complex microstructures with interconnected nanodomains, defects, and coherent interfaces, which affected the material’s transport properties for electrons and heat.
Emmanuel Guilmeau says that the novel material produced is stable up to 400 degrees Celsius, a range well within the waste heat temperature range of most industries. He is convinced that, based on this discovery, cheaper novel and nontoxic thermoelectric materials could be designed to replace more problematic materials.
More information:
V. Pavan Kumar et al, Engineering Transport Properties in Interconnected Enargite‐Stannite Type Cu 2+ x Mn 1− x GeS 4 Nanocomposites, Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2022). DOI: 10.1002/anie.202210600
Citation:
Team creates crystals that generate electricity from heat (2022, November 8)
retrieved 9 November 2022
from https://phys.org/news/2022-11-team-crystals-electricity.html
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It’s official: Tiger Woods is returning to the golf course Dec. 10 in the seventh edition of The Match.
The 15-time major champion will team up with world No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in a 12-hole competition under the lights at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.
Proceeds from the match, which tees off at 6 p.m. ET, will benefit Hurricane Ian relief efforts on the Gulf Coast. Previous editions of The Match raised $33 million for charitable organizations and provided 27 million meals through Feeding America, according to a news release.
It will be Woods’ third appearance in The Match. He teamed up with NFL quarterback Peyton Manning to defeat Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady by 1 stroke in May 2020. Woods lost to Mickelson 1-up in 22 holes in the original head-to-head Match event in November 2018. McIlroy, Spieth and Thomas will be making their debuts in the event.
Woods, 46, hasn’t competed in a tournament since missing the cut at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in July. He is still recovering from serious injuries suffered in a car wreck outside Los Angeles in February 2021. He finished 47th at the Masters in April, his first start since the wreck, and withdrew after three rounds of the PGA Championship in May.
Woods hasn’t yet announced whether he’ll play in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in early December. The event benefits his foundation. Woods is expected to compete in the PNC Championship, scheduled Dec. 15-18 in Orlando, with his son, Charlie, but hasn’t yet confirmed he’ll play in the event.
ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit updated his top-six rankings following a crazy Week 10. (Rankings below).
Saturday included Georgia’s victory over Tennessee, LSU’s 32-31 overtime win against Alabama, and Notre Dame’s absolute beat down of the Clemson Tigers.
In Herbstreit’s top-six, I don’t expect anyone to have any questions about teams 1-3. But it’s at No. 4 that people will have questions. Herbstreit has Oregon sitting in the fourth spot, meaning if the College Football Playoff were to start today the 8-1 Ducks would make the tournament. Oregon’s only loss this season was a 49-3 defeat to Georgia in the season opener.
If we’re ranking one-loss teams, is Oregon better than Tennessee? I doubt it. Both have one loss: to Georgia.
Take a look at Herbstreit’s top-six, plus each team’s national title odds (courtesy of BetMGM), following Week 10:
6
Tennessee Volunteers (8-1)
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Week 10: Lost to Georgia, 27-13
National title odds: +2,000
5
TCU Horned Frogs (9-0)
Syndication: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Week 10: Beat Texas Tech, 34-24
National title odds: +3,000
4
Oregon Ducks (8-1)
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Week 10: Beat Colorado, 49-10 (Ducks Wire)
National title odds: +3,000
3
Michigan Wolverines (9-0)
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Week 10: Beat Rutgers, 52-17 (Wolverines Wire)
National title odds: +900
2
Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0)
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Week 10: Beat Northwestern, 21-7 (Buckeyes Wire)
National title odds: +200
1
Georgia Bulldogs (9-0)
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Week 10: Beat Tennessee, 27-13
National title odds: +110
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In something of a surprise, a returning Alexa Bliss & Asuka got themselves a tag team championship match in the main event of Monday Night Raw earlier this week. And wouldn’t you know it, they went and took the titles off Dakota Kai & IYO SKY.
An immediate rematch was booked for Crown Jewel today (Sat., Nov. 5, 2022) at Mrsool Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Before they ever got to the ring to have that match, the champs were interviewed and a monitor behind Bliss flashed images related to Bray Wyatt. She had to shrug it off, and finished the interview, but clearly seemed at least somewhat affected by it. Commentary even made mention of it, calling back to their history and wondering if it would have any effect on the match.
It did not.
Instead, it was Nikki Cross who costed the champs.
Bliss looked as good as she has in some time, and the four put together a really fun match from start to finish. In the end, just as it seemed the champions would retain, Cross showed up to interfere. Damage CTRL took it from there, winning the match to become champions once more.
How about that?
Get complete Crown Jewel results and coverage of every match on the card right here.
